Page 36 of Faerie Trials

“And you were right.”

“I was?” Were my eyes bulging? It sure felt like my eyes were bulging.

He nodded. “Yes. I do change around my friends. I adopt this other persona until I’m a different person because I feel…lesseraround them.” Once the admission was aired, he sent me a nervous glance. “I mean, they always make me feel like I’m not doing enough or I’m not being enough. Which is probably just all in my mind but I don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t want to hide who I am because I don’t feel like I’m someone special.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “But youarespecial,” I blurted out. Instead of giving myself time to be embarrassed by the admission, I bowled ahead. “You don’t need to pretend to be something you’re not in order to make people want to be around you. You’re a great guy, Mike. People want to be around you because of that and not because of some persona you adopt. Therightpeople will be behind you no matter what. You shouldn’t have to change to impress thewrongpeople.”

He always seemed to have loyal friends around him, I realized, thinking back to our time together at the Fae Academy for Halflings. Take Roman, for example. He’d been so worried about Mike’s chances of making it through the culling—although I still didn’t understand why, and no one wanted to tell me—that he’d killed to make sure Mike succeeded. Actually killed. As inmurdered. Why would Mike think he needed to impress people now?

And when was I going to learn the truth about his time at the other school?

His smile loosened at the edges and his eyes lost a little bit of the anxiety darkening them. “Will you help me?”

I froze and every other thought left my brain, probably leaking out through my ears. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” He circled closer to me, his arms cutting powerful strokes through the water. “You, Tavi. You’ve never been afraid to call me on my bullshit. I know I act like a rotten kid sometimes but it’s better when you’re around.I’mbetter when you’re around. And you always stand by my side no matter how rotten I get.”

“Come on,” I joked. And I couldn’t resist splashing him.

Mike’s eyes widened. “I’m serious!”

“You want me around because I call you on your crap? Thatsoundslike a load of crap.”

“I’m going to continue this by saying I’m sorry I haven’t been around much after our fight. I was hurting and acting stupid. I’ll finish it by saying I would never lie to you, and everything I’ve said has been the truth. I’m better with you.” He swam closer yet and my gaze narrowed onto the beads of water flowing down his collarbone and it shocked me how much I wanted to use my tongue along the same path.

Yikes.

“I’m sorry too, Mike. I’d had too much ambrosia apparently and I let my insecurities do the talking at the party,” I told him. “Then I felt too awkward and ashamed to come find you.”

“You? Awkward?” Mike shook his head. “No.”

I wanted to send up a prayer and thank whoever it was upstairs watching down on me for this time with Mike. I wanted to jump on him and push him back against the walls of the grotto and kiss him senseless. Maybe it was the steam going to my head.

We circled each other, close enough I could touch him if I wanted to. Our legs occasionally knocked each other. The heat of the water was nothing compared to the fire inside of me.

“How do you suggest I help you, then?” I asked him. Surprised when my voice dropped into a low coo.

Easy now. I wasn’t flirting, exactly. I genuinely wanted to know.

“I’m not exactly sure. But I’m going to need you to be around. Like, all the time,” he replied. “You’re the only one I trust. Something else I should have told you sooner. I’ve made up my mind.”

Oh. Ooh boy. “Maybe you shouldn’t trust me.”

“Why not?” he asked, blinking.

“Because sometimes people are not who they seem to be,” I admitted. “Maybe they have things hidden deep down they aren’t allowed to share with anyone else.”

Mike bit the inside of his lip as he decided what to say. “We all have dark parts of us. And it’s up to the people we love to shine a light on those parts without judgment. You know?”

“I’m starting to know. And I want you to know I really am sorry. Sometimes I go too far and say things I shouldn’t. You’re going to have to watch me. And forgive a lot if…if we’re going to be around each other.” That sounded like heaven.

“I guess we can both step out of line sometimes,” he agreed. “We might have to learn when to stay strong and when to bend.”

“Then I think it’s a good idea to make it up to each other. Starting now.”

The heat definitely went to my head because I was definitely flirting now, and I didn’t stop Mike when he pushed a hand against my shoulder, guiding me gently through the water until my rear hit the ledge I’d been sitting on. I didn’t stop him when he reversed our positions, sitting down on the ledge and moving me onto his lap with my knees on either side of his hips. His hands were on my waist to keep me in place.

Ooh boy indeed. I knew it was a bad idea. I settled on top of him regardless, my arms rising to loop around his neck.

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