Page 116 of Mistaken Magic

SoHawkepulled down his legs and pushed to his feet, right into my face.Gonewas the lazy attitude of a second ago, replaced with something dangerous, and he was leaning in towards me.Hispupils narrowed, turning oblong.Hisbody tensed, bulking up like he was ready to pummel something, andIfelt likeIwas staring into the face of a bird of prey.

"Whatwas that at the door!" he demanded, snarling like some kind of wild monster. "Thatwas not walking you to class.Thatwas not kind or gentle.Thatwas crossing thefucking line,and you'reours.Igave him the smallest privilege, and if he thinks he can abuse it,Iwilltear him apart,so what the fuck did he say?"

Holy.

Shit.

Ihad to swallow beforeIcould make my voice work. "Heasked me to be his date to the solstice thing.We'dtalked about it before, but afterHarpertried to make a scene in the halls, he officially asked ifI'dgo with him."

"And?"Hawkeasked, the warning clear in his tone. "What.Did.You.Say?"

"Isaid yes,"Itold him quickly.

"You'rewithAspen!" he roared. "Ifyou thinkI'llignore this - "

Ihad no idea what came over me, butIreached out to clasp his arm, halting the tirade. "Sheknows,"Iassured him. "Keir'smy official date.She'smy unofficial one.Heknows that.Hemade it clear."

Hawkejust looked down at my hand on his bicep.Fora long moment, he didn't move.Hiseyes, however, relaxed, changing back to something much less animalistic.Thenthey jumped from my hand back to my face.

"Haveyou ever experienced fear,Rain?"

"Yeah,"Iassured him, wondering if this was a warning.

"Whenwas the last time?" he asked gently.

Iswallowed. "WhenHarpertried to throw something at me a moment ago andIwas too far away to stop her."

Hepressed his hand over mine, the monster inside him now gone. "Iwas going to ask you, so you know.Wilder'stakingAspen.Iwas going to be your date, andIdo not like him."

Keir.Hedidn't likeKeir. "Why?"Iasked.

Hawkejust shifted to the side, giving me the space to pass. "Becausehe's taking you."Thenhe looked over and nodded atWilder.

Anothersnap made the rest of the class move again.Thegirl in the desk behindHawkejumped, surprised to find him suddenly standing, but then she looked back down as if trying to ignore it.IrubbedHawke'sarm gently.

"Nexttime,"Ipromised him. "Youjust have to ask."

Theguy's face softened a bit, butIkept moving.Imade it beside my desk as the bell rang, soIhurried to drop my rump into it.Amoment later,Ms.Rhodeswalked in, looking around to make sure everything was ok.

"Whohas been conjuring in my class?" she asked.

"Thatwas me,"Wildersaid. "Ineeded a moment of privacy."

"Howabout you learn patience instead?" she told him.Thenshe turned to the rest of us, acting like it had never happened. "Today, we're going to talk about the three types of magic inFaerie."

Ipulled out my notebook and pen.Thissounded like the kind of thing that would be on the midterms.Theones that were coming up much too fast, and whichIwas not prepared for at all.Flippingopen my spiral notebook,Ibegan writing quickly.Summer.Winter.Wild.Thosewere the three types.

"Asmany of you know,"Ms.Rhodesexplained, "SummerandWintermagic comes from the court we're born to.Manyof common birth have access to both, but it's never as strong as those who have sworn themselves to a season."

"What'sWildmagic?" someone asked.

Shetipped her head toward them, acknowledging the question. "Thatis the raw magic of the untamed side ofFaerie.Itis the antithesis to everything you all know about magic and works in very different ways.Wefae cannot touch it, only theWildones and their agents.Wildmagic is something you will probably never see, but it is real.WhenIwas still a child - back when theMadQueenwas newly coronated -Iattended the funeral ofJoanleFae.OnEarth, she was calledJoand'Arc.Shewas the last person known to wieldWildmagic."

Yeah, this was whyIloved going to school here.ClassesI'donce thought were boring had just become interesting.Knowingabout this parallel world turned history into an adventure, andIwas dying to know more.Lookingup, with my pen ready,Iwas hanging onMs.Rhodes' every word.

Butin his chair,Hawkesat twisted, looking back at me.

Thoseeyes.I'dwatched his pupils turn to slits, almost like a cat's but going sideways.TalkingaboutWildmagic made me wonder about him.Thememory of that change was etched in my mind, and yet those eyes seemed... warm, not scary.Passionate,for sure, but when he'd asked me about fear,Ihadn't even considered he might be referring to whetherIwas scared of him.

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