I paused, seeing their power in a whole new way. "No pure Summer fae on your court?"
"Exactly," Wilder said softly. "We came together for a reason - because no one else would accept us. The jesters pushed us into a corner, so we claimed it as our own. If you want to help those girls, then keep that in mind. Being in the court isn't a ticket to instant popularity. It's more like notoriety."
"Trust me, I know," I promised. "I also know Aspen is my friend."
"And Rain?" he asked.
I smiled. "She's the Morrigan."
"And?" He wasn't about to let me out of this.
I forced out a laugh. "I know about her and Aspen. I'm the stand-in, Wilder. Just like you. The beard for their happy little romance."
"Bullshit."
"I am," I assured him before taking a step back. "Hopefully, I won't always be just that, but for now I am. I really am their friend, Rain's defender, and not scared of what others think."
Wilder suddenly thrust out his hand, offering his palm. "Then I'll keep Torian in line. As much as I can, anyway."
I took it. "That's not a small offer. I'll find some way to balance it." Then I shook once.
But Wilder chuckled as he let go of my hand. "You still haven't figured it out, Keir. Look around you. There are dozens of faelings making their way in here - "
"Probably will be close to a hundred in here tonight," I agreed. "Maybe more."
"Mhm," he said. "Now count the pure fae."
"The court," I said, proving I knew that.
Wilder just leaned closer. "Why?"
I let my eyes slip closed and groaned at how obvious the answer was. "Rain."
"Yep. The Morrigan shows up and we all start getting nice-nice?" He murmured like it shouldn't be so easy. "You've been at this place a few years now. Torian and Hawke? Almost two. Me and Aspen? One."
"And Rain has been here almost a whole semester." What was his point?
"Butwemake sense," Wilder countered. "Torian brought Hawke. Aspen's his sister, and I'm the only other pure Winter user. We make sense. Rain? You? Not so much."
"I speak human," I pointed out. "Made it easy to help out the cute newgirl. And that 'cute' thing is what you're missing. Aspen noticed it. Trying to tell me you didn't?"
Wilder lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Believe it or not, I don't let my dick make my decisions. I'm just wondering if you do. Harper. Rain. How many others have you and Torian clashed over?"
"A few," I admitted. "Hawke scares the girls. You have Winter magic. The ones looking for purity and power?" I lifted both hands, palms up. "That leaves me and Torian. Trust me. My ego's taken a few hits for losing out to some high school kid."
"And now you're wanting to hang out with a whole group of them?" He lifted a brow. "C'mon, Keir. Help me help you."
"Oh, now that was smooth," I said, making it clear I'd noticed his attempt at manipulation. "But we're not going to go from barely ever talking to suddenly being besties."
"Ok," he relented. "That's fair."
"So ask what you really want to know."
The man's black eyes slid across my face, judging me and making no attempt to hide it. "Aspen is the only other person here like me. I will protect her. She will protect me. I'm just curious about what happens when you decide that cute little human girl is spending too much time with the ice bitch."
"Not gonna happen," I assured him. "I may have been born on Earth, but I was raised fae. Pleasures of the body, the mind, and the heart. I like the long conversations Rain and I have. I enjoy the ones I have with Aspen." Bracing my feet, I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest. "So if you're worried about me trying to break them up, you can quit."
"Say it," he demanded.
