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  The third, however, the one with the soft looking red hair, let his gaze linger on mine for a moment. His cat eyes seemed to take my measure and peer right through me.

  Heat traveled up my neck as his eyes slid down my body.

  One corner of his ruby red lips curled up and he gave me a nod.

  Flushed, I dropped my eyes, feeling the electric heat inflame my face.

  Disha gripped my hand and squeezed. “Forget Mason. That forest hottie should be your new obsession.”

  “Stop,” I said, dragging my hand away.

  Boys were not my interest this year. Class was. However, when Professor Fedorov failed to appear and his replacement rushed in twenty minutes late, it seemed that I might be doing my own Spells teaching this year.

  I turned to Bridget and Disha, making sure to keep my voice down. “Are they here to learn magic? Did they have to take a blood oath like Rowan?”

  Bridget shook her head. “Fae have their own special magic, but it’s limited. A lot of the spells we can do are impossible for them, but they have other talents.”

  I wanted to ask more, but our new teacher walked in the door. The Spells sub turned out to be a graduate-level teaching assistant by the name of Ramona Bruan. And it became clear in ten minutes that she knew less than Disha, Bridget or I had by the end of our freshman year. She fumbled some introductions and told us to read along with her as she recited the words from Chapter One.

  Disha flashed an exasperated eye roll my way and began texting her boyfriend. Bridget fell asleep, snoring so loudly I had to wake her up twice. I was relieved when the class finished. If this was any indication of how Irmagard thought the school should run, we were in big trouble.

  But, at least there were no gnomes. God, that reminded me I was scheduled to tend to them after dinner. Heavens help me.

  As we were filtering out to leave, Disha and Bridget made dinner plans. I was about to interject about how much I wanted tacos when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around. The fae with the cat eyes extended his hand to shake. Long slender fingers ended in sharp fingernails that resembled claws. They were both beautiful and dangerous, a lot like his kind was supposed to be.

  He continued to hold his hand out to me, waiting patiently with a friendly smile on his impish face. “I’m Sinasre. You are?”

  His voice was accented, though from nowhere I could place. When he spoke, I saw his enlarged canines, very feral and mysterious indeed.

  I slid my hand into his, trying to hide the tremor in my grip. Nervous energy coursed through me, though I couldn’t understand why. Maybe it was because the room had gone deadly silent as everyone watched us. The biggest culprits were his two friends, waiting for him at the aisle’s end and giving me a death stare.

  Apparently, they didn’t like the fact that he was fraternizing with humans.

  “I… I’m Charlie,” I stammered.

  “Char-lie.” He spoke it as if it were a name in a foreign tongue. “It’s nice to meet you, Char-lie. Myself and my friend Lancer and sister, Anama,” he pointed to the fae currently plotting my death, “are new here. We were hoping to meet some students, but it seems the hospitality is…” he glanced around, “lacking.”

  I wondered vaguely if that might have anything to do with the fact that Lancer and Anama looked like they wanted to eat everyone, but didn’t think bringing that up now was a good idea.

  “We’re… um, very friendly,” I said, gesturing to Disha and Bridget behind me. When I looked back, they were staring dumbfounded as if Sinasre and I had begun sprouting fire out of our many orifices.

  I elbowed Disha and she broke out of her stupor. “Hi. Disha here. Lovely eyes. Are they real?” She pointed at his face until I slapped her hands away.

  If Sinasre was offended, he didn’t show it. “We’re throwing a modest gathering tonight in the forest and invited some fae from the area as well as students here. I’d like to extend an invitation to you three.”

  Behind Sinasre, his sister flinched. Lancer kept on glaring.

  “That’s… very kind of you,” I began. “You see, there’s this thing with some gnomes and I don’t really know…”

  “We’ll be there,” Disha said, butting in. “Text us the time and place.”

  As she handed out her number, I stared at her back, wondering what in the hell she was doing. Going to a fae folk party with at least two who appeared to think we were idiots at best, dinner at worst, seemed like the last thing we should do.

  But then Sinasre glanced around Disha and spoke directly to me. “Looking forward to seeing you, Char-lie.”

  As he walked lithely away, I stared at my shoes, battling with the weird thudding of my heart. There was absolutely no reason I should be feeling as I did.

  Like I… Like I had a crush.

  Disha whirled around, dusting off her hands as if she’d just done a good day’s work.

  When the fae were safely out of earshot, I grabbed her elbow. “Why in the name of Morgana did you tell them we were going? Did you see the looks the other two were giving us?”

  “Oh, please. They’re just jealous. And besides, I’ve made my new life’s mission to get you laid this year, so you can stop pining over Rowan.”

  When my eyes bugged out, she laughed and took my arm. “Oh, baby girl. Someday you will thank me.”

  Chapter Four

  FALL SEMESTER

  EARLY SEPTEMBER

  “Cut it out!” I said, releasing magic from my cuffs and undoing Disha’s flowery vine spell for the third time.

  She and Bridget giggled. Just because they thought it was perfectly fine to show up to Sinasre’s fae gathering with vines twined around their arms didn’t mean I should wear them, too. I was fine with my simple tank top and shorts. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

  We were in the south woods behind the Humanities Building and had been walking further into its depths for about ten minutes. The night was clammy, the air thick with humidity. Another reason not to have plants twisted around my limbs.

  “C’mon, Char,” Disha urged. “We’re going to be late.”

  I was dragging my feet, trailing behind them, my sense of responsibility torn between tending to the gnomes and not offending the new fae students. I was going to do both, of course, but maybe…

  I stopped. “I think I’d better check on the gnomes first and then come back here.”

  Disha sighed and walked back to me. Her long curls bounced as she approached and her eyelids sparkled with glittery makeup and glued-on rhinestones. She wore a tight sequin green dress that looked like an oversized man’s shirt and ended mid-thigh. A pair of gladiator sandals completed the daring outfit.

  “The gnomes will be all right for another hour,” she said. “You’re not skirting your responsibilities, just delaying them a bit.”

  “Ooh, I think we’re here,” Bridget mock whispered ahead of us, putting out the witch light she’d been using to illuminate our passage through the dark woods.

  Disha grabbed my hand. “Just hang out for a bit, steal a kiss from Sinasre, then go tend to your gnomes,” she reasoned as she pulled me toward Bridget.

  “So much for helping me with them,” I murmured.

  Disha glanced back and gave me a look that said: “Can you blame us?”

  “Some friends you are.” I sounded pouty, though I really didn’t blame them. I didn’t want to deal with the stupid gnomes myself, no need to drag my friends into it, too.

  “Shhh.” Bridget pressed a finger to her lips as she peeked from behind a tree trunk toward the clearing ahead.

  “Wow,” Disha whispered.

  Wow was right. If this was a “modest gathering,” I would have loved to see one that was considered lavish.

  The clearing was a wonderland from another planet. There was no other way I could describe it. The forest was alive in a way that seemed completely unnatural and yet felt right somehow.

  Tree branches swooped down to form benches and tables for several massive
spreads of food and drink. Moss covered the ground, thicker and more colorful than any man-made carpet I’d ever seen. Above, the heavy canopy was open, giving a clear view of the sky and a full yellow moon that seemed to hang close to us as if from a string. Moonlight bathed the gathering in warm light, the only illumination needed, keeping things dim and otherworldly.

  In the middle of the clearing, a few couples danced, though we could hear no music. In fact, we couldn’t hear anything at all, which likely meant there was a cloaking spell over the clearing.

  The fae dance was nothing like what I’d typically seen at other school raves. No head banging, hip grinding, or drunken staggering. This was much different. It was more like a ball, and the few dancing couples—apparently all fae—seemed to be keeping rhythm with a waltz or something similar. The girls wore gowns that appeared to be made out of flowers and threaded together with spider silk, while the guys wore trousers and jackets embroidered with golden thread.

  I recognized a few other fae students from around campus, but the rest were new. I had no idea there were this many folk living in the area. Or maybe, they had come from far away.

  Most of the non-fae students sat on the tree benches, dazzled expressions on their faces, their jeans and T-shirts looking out of place. The rest stood by the tables, poking the tiny pastries, exotic fruits, and sauced dishes, the frowns on their faces a clear indication they didn’t trust any of it one bit.

  “What the… ?” Disha whispered. “That looks boring as hell. I think the gnomes might be more fun than this.”

  Bridget scrunched up her face and made as if to gag herself. “Should we split?”

  I was about to totally agree when the air in front of us shimmered and a tall figure stepped out of the clearing.

  Sinasre stood in front of us. He was smiling, revealing pointed canines that immediately reminded me of Rowan’s vampire fangs. He was wearing tight jeans and an unbuttoned white shirt revealing a smooth chest. Rune tattoos peeked from under the shirt, adorning his perfect pecs and abs.

  “Char-lie,” Sinasre said in a honey sweet tone, “I’m very glad you and your friends are here.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “We appreciate the invitation. We can’t stay long, though. We have these gnomes we’re supposed to train for Counselor McIntosh.” Gnomes. I sounded like a babbling idiot yet again. Open mouth. Insert foot. Sheesh.

  Disha put on a serious expression. “Yes, it’s a very important task that we cannot neglect.”

  Sinasre said nothing to this. He simply smiled, crossing behind the cloaking spell, beckoning for us to step into the clearing. Once he crossed over the spell’s boundary, Sinasre’s clothes rippled and changed to one of those embroidered suits the other fae were wearing.

  Disha, Bridget and I exchanged confused glances, then followed the fae male behind the shimmering veil.

  “Holy shit!” Disha exclaimed when we got to the other side and a riot of sound and light assaulted us. “On second thought, I think the gnomes can wait a little longer.”

  I blinked, trying to process the new scene that lay before my eyes. It had been sort of interesting before, but now it looked like a real party.

  The trees still swooped down to make benches and tables, and there was still food and drink on them, but that was where the similarities stopped. No one was sitting around, but no one was dancing the waltz, either. Instead, everyone was in the middle of the clearing, gyrating and bouncing to a mixture of techno and Irish folk music. The moon above us was a giant orb that shot down laser lights in all the colors of the rainbow. A strobe light kept pace with the music, giving me flashes of girls dressed in nothing but vines and shirtless guys slick with sweat.

  The scene made me dizzy as I tried to tell the fae students from the rest. I had no idea there were so many at the Academy. Or maybe they were fae from the area? There was no way to tell.

  “This sure is... different,” Bridget said, her green eyes wide and shining as if there were witch lights within them.

  On this side of the spell, Sinasre was back in his unbuttoned shirt, smiling wickedly. “You can trust gnome one.”

  What? A bad pun? Not him too!

  His joke surprised me, though. He seemed way more relaxed here than he’d been in class. His impish mouth curved up in a delish smile that stirred something in my chest. Why, oh why, did he have to be so handsome and otherworldly?

  “Ha, you’re a funny guy,” Disha said, mock punching him in the arm. “This is great, Sinasre.”

  “Isn’t it?” he said, then turned to me. “What do you think, Char-lie?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “It’s… something.”

  Two other fae males walked up as soon as we got over our shock.

  “These are Gaelin and Durlan,” Sinasre said. “Local fae from the area.”

  The newcomers inclined their heads one after the other, acknowledging their names. Gaelin had white hair that was short in the back and long in the front, sweeping over his left eye. Durlan was tall with brown hair and a golden sun painted on his forehead. It glowed with the strobe light, making me wonder whether or not it was permanent.

  Their focus and charm got immediately divided between Disha and Bridget. They invited them to dance and, in a split second, I was left alone with Sinasre.

  Now, why did that feel planned?

  I narrowed my eyes at Sinasre. He shrugged, doing a poor job at hiding his involvement in this obvious plot. It didn’t bother me, though. It was actually flattering.

  “Would you like something to drink?” he asked, pointing toward one of the tree tables.

  “I’d better not,” I said. I had read you shouldn’t trust food or drink from the fae folk. It could enslave you or make you dance until you’d worn your feet away. I didn’t think Sinasre would do something like that, but this was the newer, more careful Charlie.

  “I promise everything’s safe.” His cat eyes winked in the strobe light, glowing preternaturally as if he could see in the dark.

  I huffed. “I thought you said to trust gnome one.”

  “Touché.” He inclined his head, letting his long red hair brush against his shoulder. There was something so alluring about him. Maybe it was his smell like a cologne made of wood smoke and cinnamon. Or it was the flashes of bare chest as he moved lithely across the forest floor. The hard muscles of his pecs practically begged for me to run my hands over them.

  A quiver tripped over my skin. He was so handsome, so exotic, but I forced my eyes away with a reminder that I was not interested. No, Charlie. Bad. School. School was my priority.

  I watched Disha and Bridget as they pushed their way into the dance floor and began enjoying themselves with Gaelin and Durlan.

  Off to the side, Anama stood next to Lancer and another two fae males I hadn’t met. They seemed to be hanging from her every word, their eyes dreamy as if they’d never seen anything as mesmerizing in their entire lives. But who could blame them? Anama was gorgeous.

  As I watched, something weird happened. She lifted a hand and, as she extended it toward Lancer, it disappeared along with her forearm.

  I blinked and shook my head. Anama’s arm appeared to have been severed at the elbow while she smiled with satisfaction. Had she done a glamour to make her arm invisible? Yeah, that had to be it. Fae were good at glamours from what I’d read.

  Satisfied with that explanation, I began to turn toward Sinasre when Anama pulled her arm back, and it gradually reappeared. She laughed, grabbed a pastry from a nearby table and began dabbing Lancer’s face with icing. First, his nose, then his cheeks and chin, all while he stood as still as a statue, letting her turn him into a total clown. Odd, he hadn’t struck me like the type of guy who would let anyone make fun of him.

  Then, as if coming back to life, Lancer blinked and stumbled forward. Anama and the other fae male tried to keep a straight face but failed, and soon, busted out laughing at Lancer’s confused expression.

  “What the hell did you do now?” Lancer demand
ed.

  Anama put both hands up. “Nothing. I swear.”

  Lancer’s eyes crossed as he suddenly stared at his icing-tipped nose. “Agh, I’m going to kill you,” he said, just as Anama took off running with Lancer tight at her heels.

  Next to me, Sinasre shook his head and chuckled. “He deserves that. Lancer is too rigid sometimes.”

  “How did she…” I trailed off, unsure of what to ask. Something had been odd about the entire situation, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “Anama is a Looper,” Sinasre said.

  “A Looper?” I’d never heard the term.

  “She can control time and space,” Sinasre explained. “When her arm disappeared, it was because she opened a hole in the fabric of space and put her arm through it. Then, she slowed time for Lancer, so he couldn’t move while she played her trick.”

  “Wow,” I said, truly amazed.

  “She’s always playing tricks on him. I think they like each other but are too stubborn to admit it.”

  I thought about Anama’s extraordinary ability while we stood watching people dance. After a long moment, though, the silence started feeling awkward.

  “So… you’re a transfer, huh?” I asked, using my amazing conversational skills.

  He nodded. “Yes, I transferred from Merryweather University.”

  “Oh, I heard what happened there. That’s just wrong.”

  “Not everyone feels the way you do.” He stared off, a sour expression falling over his face.

  “Don’t I know it,” I said, realizing that I should change the subject before I got angry. “You’re the first fae I’ve ever met,” I admitted. “But I grew up as a Regular, so…” I added apologetically.

  “It’s all right,” he said, his feline eyes intent on my face. “There aren’t many of us here. In fact, this is pretty much everyone.” He gestured out to the dancing crowd. “Well, other than the few adults living in the area. My father and his friends. Not many of us, though.”

  “But you must know all about that,” he said.

  “I’m sorry, I really don’t.”