32. Chapter Thirty-Two
1270 Words
32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Bryar Rose - One Week Later
8 a.m.
I wait in the reception room of West Lake Prep. Students stream around me, heading into one the three doors to the schools. No one really notices Knox and I as we hang out in a corner. Not that they should, really. Everything that happened at the pyramids was hidden by magic. The Colonel was the only outsider who saw, and he says we should keep everything a big secret until the fae wars are over. Which is fine with me. I’m in no rush to be known as the first fountain of magic in five thousand years.
Nope, I’ve got other priorities. Like going back to school. Today is my first day back after all our adventures. I can’t wait.
Inside my soul, my wolf yips and prances with joy. “School! School! We’ll be with the other shifters.” I’m happy to report she hasn’t commented on biting a single fae today. I take that as serious progress.
Knox stands behind me, his arms encircling my waist. Elle and Alec have yet to arrive, and we’ve decided to meet up before going in our respective doors. To kill some time, I whip out my cell and send a quick text.
MyOwnBry: You up?
WaterGirl: It’s late afternoon is Norway, so yes.
MyOwnBry: Norway? Not the Red Sea?
WaterGirl: Drop it. I am never seeing Triton again. I’m in Norway on a job. Troll trouble.
MyOwnBry: Europe. Figures they’d have troll trouble there.
WaterGirl: You’d be surprised. You’ve got a major infestation in Central New York. But those guys have kept to themselves lately, so no one calls me in. What’s up?
MyOwnBry: I’m back at school today and I was wondering…
WaterGirl: Yeah, that was totally me. I blocked you from getting through the thee doors. I’d already cast that curse on Knox to make him sick when he was around you. I figured that when you couldn’t go to the same school, then he’d really come running back to me. Not my best plan.
MyOwnBry: Hey, we’ve moved past that. Just wondering.
WaterGirl: I’ve got some heads to bash in. Give Knox my best.
MyOwnBry: Will do.
I slip the cell into my pocket. Behind me, Knox nuzzles my ear. “How’s Ty?”
Point of fact: two weeks ago, if anyone said that I’d be texting Ty as an actual buddy of mine, I’d have said they were nutso. But Ty and I have been in pretty close contact ever since she healed Knox. Funny how things work out.
“Hey,” I say slowly. “Were you snooping?”
“You whisper the words while you type, Bry.” Which is true.
I chuckle. “I need to stop doing that.”
“Nah. It’s cute.”
“And Ty is fine. I was asking her about the doors being blocked here. She was behind all that.” Knox and I stopped by after school to make sure I could get in, but I never did get a good explanation about why they didn’t work in the first place. The idea of Ty didn’t occur to me until just now.
“Figures.” Knox is quiet for a moment. “Did Ty go see Triton?”
“Nope.”
“She’s so stubborn.”
More students stream through the main door from the outside. I notice a familiar pair of blonde heads in the mix. “Elle and Alec are here,” I announce.
“Good,” says Knox. “Let’s do this.”
Elle spots us right away and waves. Trouble is, she’s surrounded by a pack of fae fans. There really is no other word for it. Now that I know my best friend is the warden of shifter magic, I get why all the other fairies are so drawn to her. Elle still has an extra level of power no one else can match. My best friend tries to push her way through the crowd, but her fans just close in more tightly around her.
I cup my hand by my mouth. “Don’t worry about it, Elle.” Lifting my arm, I mime my fingers walking toward the fae door. “Go in now. We’ll talk later.” Since that I’m only a shifter these days, it’s not an option for me to pass through to Elle’s school. Even so, I don’t worry about her studying with fae anymore. If anything, she’s safer in the fae school than anywhere else in the city.
“See you!” Elle nods, grins, and makes a beeline for the fae door. Her fairy fan boys and girls stay close by the entire time, including her biggest fan, Alec.
I shake my head. “That’s a gift.”
“What?” asks Knox.
“Check out how Alec follows Elle through the crowd. If he never inherits Le Charme, Alec could make a good body guard.”
“Yeah, that guy is full of surprises.”
Once Elle has passed through the fae door, Alec makes his way over to us. “Morning, Bry.” He then turns to Knox. “And to you, Fur Boy.”
“Morning, Preppy McLoser,” says Knox. “Elle get in all right?”
“Just fine,” answers Alec. “I better get going myself, too. You two okay on your own?”
Knox sniffs. “I’ve been walking through doors all by myself for a long time.”
Alec pinches Knox’s cheek. “My little ray of sunshine, as always.”
Knox swats Alec’s hand away. “Take off already.” Alec winks, sashays across the reception chamber, and passes through the door into the Crimson keep.
With Elle and Alec gone, Knox links his hand with mine. “Ready, Bry?”
I can’t help but bob on my toes a little. “So ready.”
Hand in hand, Knox and I cross the main hall and pass right through the doors to the Wolf’s Den. Inside, the space is all leather chairs, oak walls, and funky modern art. About sixty wolves are hanging out and chatting, waiting for first bell. We’ll have homeroom here and then go off to classes. No sooner so we step inside, than Abe and Hollywood spot us.
“My queen!” cries Abe. He rushes over with a big grin on his face. “You made it.”
“That I did.” A memory appears. Abe and Hollywood protested when I couldn’t pass through the doors before. “Thanks for the sit-in, by the way. Knox and I appreciate the support.”
“No problem,” says Abe. “We’ve got each other’s backs.”
Hollywood saunters up as well. “Hey guys. I can’t believe you’re both really here. We’re so excited to have you around.”
“Thanks,” says Knox. “Means a lot.” At those words, both Abe and Hollywood almost visibly swell with pride and delight. It’s amazing to be part of a larger group. I can almost see the lines of connection forming between us.
Hollywood tosses his amazing mane of golden hair. “See you at lunch?”
“Yeah,” says Knox.
After that, Abe and Hollywood take off. Knox watches them go with one of his classic thinking looks on his face. In this one, Knox tilts his head slightly and nods. “So,” says Knox at length. “What do you think?”
The words tumble from my lips before I can stop them. “I’m ready to be part of a pack.” The moment that statement leaves my mouth, I want to rewind time and take it all back.
“Look,” I say quickly. “I didn’t mean that—”
“Yeah, you did. And you know what?” He scans the room slowly. “I’m ready too. Nothing like facing down all of magic to make you appreciate the little ways it changes your life, like the ability to form a pack. That’s amazing magic, yeah?”
I go up on tiptoe and press a kiss to Knox’s cheek. “Yeah.” And this time, I mean that word to the bottom of my soul. In my heart, I know another chapter of our story is about to be written, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
The adventure continues with SLIPPERS AND THIEVES, Book 4 in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum. Read on for more…
4 - SLIPPERS AND THIEVES
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