"Fuck yeah, he can," Keir said, shifting over to slap Hawke's shoulder. "That's how we survived when the Hunt attacked on spring break. He saved my ass."
"So we're the only ones who didn't know?" Bran asked.
"No," Hawke said. "The court are the only ones who knew, and we didn't tell Keir and Rain until that night." He paused. "I didn't want to tell them. Torian's known for a while. Aspen found out. Wilder..." He paused to smile at his boyfriend. "He's known since he got here. Torian basically told him to deal with it or die."
"Close enough," Wilder agreed.
"And I've known since Liam found Hawke and Torian in foster care," Bracken said, finally stepping forward. "Ms. Rhodes knew before he was accepted into Silver Oaks. Just so there's no misunderstanding, Hawke is fae. He might be a wildling, but so is my daughter, which means I will not tolerate slurs against them. Not in my class, and not out of it."
"Seriously, Bracken?" Pascal asked. "Do you think we're going to say shit about a guy who's stood with us against the Hunt?"
"No," Bracken admitted. "But I think someone will. I think that today, a lot of students saw something they've been told tofear. For many, the easiest way to push back against that feeling is to attack. Words, looks, things they'll call jokes. It doesn't matter, but itwillhappen, and Hawke is one of us - have I made that clear?"
"Heard!" the sentinels, including Keir, replied in unison.
Bracken nodded once, accepting that. "Hawke has abilities that are going to be useful. As you saw today, he can wield Wild magic in some ways, like Rain does. He can drain magic - "
"It's how I get the power to mimic seasonal magic," Hawke explained. "I have to feed on it."
"I've donated," Pascal said, looking at the others. "It's kinda like getting a pair of shots. Granted, I didn't have any magic at that time, so I don't know what it would do to my own ability."
"Right after," Wilder told the guys, "you feel a bit low, like you don't have the juice to conjure or enchant anything. That lasts for about ten minutes, then it replenishes quickly. Within a day, there's no effect."
"We are magical creatures," Torian said. "So are wildlings. It might be a different magic, but it ends up being symbiotic. Also, Hawke is my best friend. He is my advisor. I refuse to hear the word 'monster' used when referring to him."
"Unless it's in jest," Hawke hurried to clarify. "I mean, no different than us calling each other assholes, right?"
"I'm honestly more concerned about that bitch calling Torian a false prince," Bran said as he turned, heading for the stairs that would bring him down from the raised area at the back.
Pascal, Axel, and Daivon followed, the group thundering their way over. From the other side, my zez made his way closer, gesturing to the benches. I claimed one, and Bracken sat beside me. Everyone else found a space so we could all sit close enough to talk at normal volume while facing each other.
"Here's what everyone needs to know," Bracken said. "On Faerie, jevadu are considered terrifying. Yes, they hunt us. Notexclusively, but they will feed on us to fuel their power. They are always male, and they have children with sidhe women."
"Which is how I can pass," Hawke explained. "My mother was wealthy enough that I fit into society, and her money explained away my childhood weirdness. I quickly learned to hide that so I could pretend to be one of them."
"Do you know your father?" Keir asked.
Hawke chuckled once. "I do. I was supposed to go with him once I was older and safer, but the Mad Queen happened first."
"Most jevadu are left out for their fathers to take," Bracken told us. "Many are killed instead, but while jevadu are dangerous, we think of them the way people here think of polar bears. You don't want to see one in person, but you also like that they exist, even if they're dangerous."
"Are you dangerous?" Axel asked Hawke.
He shrugged. "No more than my friends?"
"Are you freaking out?" Daivon asked. "I mean, you kinda grew wings in front of the entire school."
"And killed that girl," Pascal said softly.
"Yeah," Hawke breathed. "I didn't know what else to do, though. Rain got knocked out, and we've seen that shield before."
"When they attacked me," Pascal told his friends.
We all nodded, and while the feeling in the gym was morose, it wasn't aggressive. In truth, it felt more like we were all on the same side, but we knew shit was about to get bad.
Then Bran leaned over, dropping his hand onto Hawke's knee. "You stepped up, though. You sacrificed to save the rest, and to me, that's nothing more than what we promised when we became sentinels."
"We've got your back, Hawke," Axel assured him.
