Page 141 of Mistaken Magic

Iliked this guy.Notjust a little bit, either.I'dtried to like him as a friend, but he'd slowly worked his way into my confidence, and then more.Icouldn't even say it was because he was beautiful - although he was that too - because it wasmore.Ifelt safe with him.Stable.ThingsI'dassumedI'donly ever feel withAspen.Understandingand acceptance were all right there in his kiss, andImay have liked it too much.

"Congratulations," he said softly as he pulled away. "Andnow you can sayIkissedyou.Hopefully, that will help your adorable human guilt a little."

"Whatdoes this mean?"Iasked.

Heshrugged. "ItmeansIkissed you,Rain.Nothingelse has changed.Istill like you.Youstill likeAspen.Itonly meansIkissed you, and nowIwant to do it again."Hiseyes dropped to my lips, but he didn't try.

Instead, he draped his arm over my shoulder and turned me toward the school.Imoved to press into his side, standing close enoughIcould've wrapped my arm around him, butIdidn't.Notyet.Somethingabout this felt serious, not like a flingIcould throw away.

Itfelt likeIdid withAspen.Itfelt real, fantastical, and impossible.Itfelt like my brain was being pulled in two, but in a good way.Thesort of way that made me want to giggle, spin in circles, and scream it to the whole world.I'dkissedKeir.Iwas secretly datingAspen.I'dpassed all of my classes.

Itwas a fuckinggoodday.

Butwhen we reached the back door of the school,Jackwas there waiting.Helooked atKeirand began rattling in his annoyed way.Therewere a few wing flaps and a ton of feather shifting, too.Thebird was agitated, andIcouldn't imagine why.

"Isit theHunt?"Iasked.

Thatgot a shake of his head in a clear no, but it didn't stop the complaining.

Keirjust chuckled and crouched down. "Iam not making her choose,Jack.I'mher friend.She'sher friend.You'reher friend.That'sallowed, isn't it?"

Caw!

Thesound was loud and pointed.Keirrocked back at the vehemence of it, but then he murmured. "So, ifIscrew up, you'll beat the shit out of me, right?Don'thurt your girl and all that?"

WhenJacknodded his head,Ihad to bite back a laugh. "Isthatyour problem,Jack?YouthinkIshouldn't be withKeir?"

Heshook his head.Sono.

"Hethinks you're nervous around me,"Keirexplained. "Wildthings have a sense for that.Hewants to make it clear that ifIget out of line, he'll put me back in my place.Consideringhe hasa lot of friends, and they chased off theHunt,Ibelieve him.Jackwill beat the shit out of me ifIhurt you.Ialso don't intend to do that, soIthinkI'mok."

Caw!

AndthenJackflapped up to land onKeir'sshoulder.Icouldn't think of any better sign of approval.Pullingopen the door,Ilet the pair of them enter first, butKeirpulled me against his side again once we were in the building.Thenhe steered me toward the dining hall, of all places.

"So, at the end of the semester, pretty much everyone meets in here to compare grades.Eventhe court.Ihave a feeling you'll want to brag, andIkinda want to be seen walking in with you."

"Soundsgood to me,"Iagreed just as we pushed through the double doors.

Andit seemed that "everyone" meant more people thanIexpected.Iwondered why we hadn't simply used the back door, but whenIsaw people looking over, poking or smacking their friends to get their attention, then gesturing to us,Ifigured it out.Keirdidn't lie.Hewanted to beseenwalking in with me, and he had been.

Wedidn't even make it halfway down the long room beforeAspensaw us. "Rain!" she shouted, rushing over to hug me, not caring at all when she trappedKeir'sarm under hers. "Ipassed math!Igot aC!"

"Metoo,"Itold her. "AsandBsfor most.Ipassed everything, andIalso got aCin math."

Aspensquealed loudly, bouncing in place with me and all but forcingKeirto work his arm out from between us.Themovement, however, madeAspenremember his existence.Sheturned to him and threw her arms around his waist.

"Youspent so much time helping her.Youwere kind and wonderful, and an honestly good guy."Thenshe looked up at his face. "Comesit with us?"

Keir'sentire body heaved in surprise, as if he didn't know whether to laugh that off or hurry forward to accept it. "Really?Aspen,I'mnot part of the court."

"Nopunching my brother, but you can at least socialize, right?"Thenshe grabbed my hand on one side, his on the other, and hauled us that way. "It'sok,Ithink you both belong."

Chapter Fifty-Six

Thedining hall became a sort of party.Peoplemingled about, calling out to their friends and complaining or bragging about their grades.Inthe corner,Isaw a guy talking awkwardly to a girl.Probablytrying to get a date for theWinterSolsticething that was supposed to be such a big deal.Thenthere was the laughing about getting ready for it.

Themood was high, and there were smiles on most faces.Ihad a feeling those who wanted to cry because they didn't do well enough had gone to their dorms instead of hanging out here, though, so it made sense.ThenHawkeandWildervanished, coming back with multiple plates of cake.Itseemed the food staff were prepared for this.Evenbetter, there was a slice forKeir, too.

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