"Don't ruin the moment!" Keir called back.
And Torian looked away with a scowl on his face. I saw and gasped, aware he wasn't upset about anythingIwas doing. Nope, I was pretty sure his sullenness this time was simple and easy to explain.
"I think you're making Torian jealous," I whispered to Keir.
He shrugged that off. "He'll learn or he won't. I can't change him, Rain, and I don't want to. But speaking of royalty, how're things going in your suite?"
I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks immediately warming up. "Um, there's been a lot of bed sharing, and some sharing of the shower. Not closing the door when we change. No more shyness about being undressed, you know?"
"I do not," he admitted. "Sadly, that's a girl thing. Maybe a human thing? I'm not sure, but most of us know we have nothing to be ashamed of." And he leaned down, lowering his voice. "Trust me, you don't either. So stop trying to be some plastic doll, carved to perfection, and make a move."
"I have been," I admitted. "We're now at the roaming hands stage, and I kinda like it." I groaned, realizing how that sounded. "I mean it's not a big rush, you know?"
His eyes slipped down my body. "Yep. I completely understand." Then he turned me and pulled me against his side, making sure we weren't the last ones back. "See, I feel like I know you better now than when you first showed up. I like you just as much - or even better. I like you for you, not just because you're hot."
"I'm not hot," I mumbled.
He laughed at that. "I hear you think it's the truth. I can also say you're wrong."
And I found myself smiling down at my feet. "Thanks. I think that's what I needed to hear, Keir."
"Then I'll add this," he said just as we reached the door. "I'm worried, Rain. I want to say the teachers and staff will keep us safe, but I don't know if that's true anymore. Torian just kicked this up a notch, and we're no longer dealing with mere teenage drama."
"So, this is that big of a deal?" I asked.
Because I could assume it was, but Aspen had been my first friend here. She was a queen. That sorta warped my perception of normal! If we'd been at a normal school, with normal students, and no magical stuff involved? Sure, a prince or a queen would be crazy. But weren't the fae used to that?
"Rain, humans respect royalty because of governmental power and money. Fae respect royalty for all of that, plus magical power. The monarch is the master of the purse, for both the nation and the magic each of us has access to."
"Not you," I pointed out.
"I'm not sure about that," he said. "We saw Torian strip Nevaeh. He's tried to do it again, but he has been stopped. I'm pretty sure Aspen could do the same."
"So that's their rank, not just because they're crazy powerful?" I asked.
He turned me to the elevator, but paused before we got there. "Nope. No one else can do that. It's why everyone assumed he was a jevadu. Remember, most of us were raised to fear royalty, not make out with them. We were taught to suck up, hope for them to not notice us, and all of that crap. But they're here, everyone knows it now, and most of the students have never seen the courts on Faerie."
"Not the good ones," Aspen said, tilting her head to make it clear we could come closer. "Some of the adults saw the Mad Queen's court, but usually from a distance. In truth, I barely remember anything about it. By the time I was born, Avalon was..." She paused, pressing her lips together. "Peaceful is how I remember it, but I think empty would probably be what everyone else would call it."
Keir shifted to clasp Aspen's shoulder. "You two be safe tonight. And if you have another Spike, Aspen, I'd suggest putting it by your door."
"I have a young male," she said, "but he's only like six inches tall."
"Does he have thorns?" I asked.
Aspen made a face. "Little ones. I mean, I could magic him bigger, but I haven't needed to do that in a while."
"Do it anyway," Keir said. "Make Rain and Jack help you."
"Jack!" the crow said on cue.
I rolled my eyes. "Ok. Go hang with Torian, Keir. We'll meet up for dinner?"
He reached down for Aspen's hand, then lifted it to his lips like an ancient gentleman. "My partner." Then he gave me a warm, almost smoldering look. "My lady. I think it's a date. I have a feeling I can entertain both of you." Then he winked andturned, making his way over to where Torian was talking with Hawke and Wilder.
Aspen giggled. "Ugh, I like him."
"Me too," I agreed. "I just like this, but he says he's worried."
