That was enough to push her over the edge. In an instant, Nevaeh's eyes welled with tears and one spilled over. "I don't know," she blubbered.
"Oh, Nevaeh!" Poppy breathed, leaning in to hug the other girl.
"Winter bitch!" someone a few tables over sneered loudly enough to be heard.
"Fuck you!" Poppy shot back. "I don't care what court she's from. We're all fae here."
"Summer fae!" someone else countered.
"Don't," I told her. "It won't help."
Poppy just huffed in annoyance. "It's fucking stupid! Everyone acts like Winter magic is so evil, but what arethey?This is bullying! Straight-up bullying, and it's not ok!"
"No," I agreed, "it's not. But I thought you were Summer?"
"I," she informed me, "do not judge people on the color of their magic. That's one thing growing up on Earth taught me."
"Then look out for her?" I asked, tipping my head to Nevaeh. "Her friends are gone."
Poppy's eyes met mine for a little too long, holding them. "Nevaeh?" she asked, refusing to break our gaze. "You can eat with me, ok?"
"Our debt is even," I mouthed.
She nodded, then pushed to her feet. "They think the Morrigan's arrival is a sign they're right. It's only going to get worse. So, tell your girlfriend - "
"Not my girlfriend," I informed her.
"Tell Rain le Fae," she corrected, "there's a war brewing. They think she's going to be their martyr."
"She's not."
"You sure about that?"
All I could do was shake my head. "No, but I also know Rain. She's here to fix things, not make them worse."
"Then fix the damnedcourts!" she snapped.
"I'd rather we just get rid of them." I rocked back on my heels, then stood. "Fuck the courts. Fuck Faerie and their Mad Queen. We camehere, Poppy. And here, they don't do royalty."
"Says the man who clearly isn't noble," Nevaeh grumbled.
"I also refuse to claim either one," I told her. "I am fae. I was bornhere. Well, guess what? We're all here now. Maybe it's time to give up the shit that made our parents run for their lives, hm? Maybe, just maybe, none of it fucking matters anymore. We'rehere, Nevaeh. Not there, and not inanyfucking courts. We're all here, trying to figure out how to survive an iron world. I think we've got bigger problems than kings and queens."
Chapter Nine
RAIN
"Morrigan!" Jack croaked.
I chuckled even as I finished my eyeshadow. "I'm not being the Morrigan tonight, Jack."
Because tonight was New Year's Eve. There was going to be a big party. Supposedly, the event Torian had created last semester had been a small party, and yep, Aspen insisted there was a difference. So I wanted to just be me, have some fun, and not worry about magical bullshit tonight.
"So you know, you're always the Morrigan," Aspen called from the bathroom, bursting my bubble.
"Well, yeah," I agreed, "but I'm going for cute here. Maybe sexy?"
"Always sexy," she assured me, peeking her head out to reveal her half-painted face. "Oh, you mean the kind that will make my brother do a double take?" Her grin made it clear she was giving me shit.
