Page 71 of Mistaken Magic

"Lies," he tossed after me. "Ican still taste them,Rain."

"Doesn'tstop me from saying them,"Icalled asIcontinued walking.

BecauseIwouldnotchase after that boy.Irefused to be controlled by my vagina.First, he was my new best friend's brother.Messingaround with him was a great way to fuck up this friendshipI'djust started.Second, he kept acting like he thought he was better than everyone else.Notjust me.Torianseemed to want to be the king everyone accused him of, andIwasn't interested in becoming anyone's bitch.

Thena form fell in at my side, offering me another red cup.Thisone was completely full. "Nota good idea," the guy warned, making me look over to seeHawke.

"Aren'tyou supposed to be his silent shadow?"Iasked.

Hejust lifted the cup in a clear gesture for me to take it. "No.I'msupposed to be his friend.Nothingabout that requires silence.It'sjust nectar,Rain.Oaksyrup sent byAspen."

"Yeah..."Ipaused, turning to face him. "WhywouldItrust that again?"

Hawkegroaned. "It'ssafe.Beforeyou doubt that, rememberI'mfae.It'scompletely safe, it was sent byAspen, andI'msupposed to deliver it so she doesn't look like a stalker.Ialso know she'd preferIdidn't tell you all of that, butIcan see the doubt on your face."

Andhe couldn't lie.Thatwas easy to know, yet hard to believe.Still,Iaccepted the drink, sliding this cup inside my now empty one.WhenIlifted it to my lips for a taste,Hawkestepped around me, putting his back to most of the people in the atrium.

"TauntingTorian'sa bad idea," he warned.

"Hetaunted me first,"Icountered. "Andwhat's the deal withKeir?"

"Fuck..."Hawkegroaned. "Iwas trying to be nice,Rain."

Whichhad exactly nothing to do with my question.Yep,Iwas starting to see how the fae avoided things. "Keir'smy friend.He'sbeen nice to me.Ifthe four of you think me being friends withAspenmeansI'mnot going to talk to anyone else, you're wrong."

"Thisis whyIplay the silent shadow," he said.

Ijust took another drink, refusing to budge and not needing to say anything.Itdidn't take long beforeHawkecursed under his breath, true annoyance on his face.Yeah, that was intimidating, butIhad a feeling the same rules applied to himas toTorian.Hecouldn't be a dick to me without riskingAspen'swrath.SinceI'dseen her snap once,Ihad a feeling these guys wouldn't risk it.

Surprisingly,Hawkecaved pretty easily. "Fine!" he groaned. "Ithas to do with a girl.Keirdated her.Shedumped him forTor.Tordumped her, and she went right back toKeir, who said no.Tothe rest of the school, though, it saidKeirwas second place."

"Notyou orWilder?"Iasked.

"Wilderonly started here last spring," he told me.

"Andyou?"Icouldn't stop my smile, because picking on these guys was kinda fun.

"Iwas with her friend," he finally admitted. "Ialso have no problem being second toTor."

"Butyou do toKeir,"Irealized. "Why'sthat?"

Hawkejust leaned in. "Incase you missed it,Idon't have to be nice.Icould completely ignore you."

"Whichmeans you won't answer that."Inodded. "I'mliking this 'no lies' thing."

Helooked me over, then huffed. "I'lltell you something else instead.Faewomen are lean and lithe.Allof them.Humans, however, have these amazing curves.Hips.Tits.Asses.Unique, beautiful shapes that beg to be touched."Hestole the cup from my fingers and took a gulp, holding it up like he was deciding if he should give it back. "That'swhy there are so many faelings here.Thejesters know it, and they will never stop hating you for having the curves they will never get."

Itook my glass back. "So,Istand with you orIget bullied by them?"Iasked.

"I'dprefer lying to standing."Hesaid that a little too casually. "Andno, there's no ultimatum.Justa warning."

Myheart stammered for a split second beforeIcould get it under control. "Ifind it amusing how you all assumeI'mjust going to fall into your beds."

"Noassumptions," he promised. "However,Ilike how you assume my bed's empty."

Hisgrin was wicked, but he left me standing there beforeIcould think of a comeback to that.Themusic was still playing, andHawkefaded into the crowd of people bouncing to the song currently on.Iwatched him, decidingIclearly had a thing for fae men.Torianwas "prettier," but there was something a little predatory aboutHawke.Probablyhow he'd gotten his name.

WhereTorianwas moonlight and shadows,Aspenwas snow and ice.Wilderreminded me of the bare branches of a tree in winter, colored in shades of cool browns.Hawkewas different.Hisskin was olive, both warm and almost cool at the same time.Hishair was rusty, caught between brown and red, but he didn't have that same warm look asKeir.

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