"I don't know how!"
"It's ok," he soothed. "I've got you."
His fingers tightened, and then one hand moved. It pressed against the side of my neck, followed that upwards, and then cupped my cheek. A second later, Keir's mouth followed. Without sight, I only knew it was himby the smell and the feel of his body, and the way his hand softened on the one arm he was still holding.
This was definitely Keir, and he kissed me hard enough that I stopped thinking about everything else. At first, his mouth found the corner of my lips, then the center, before begging me to open. The tip of his tongue flicked across the seam, demanding entrance, and Keir didn't seem scared of me at all.
I wasn't sure if my eyes were closed, but the privacy of the darkness, the strange acoustics distorting the screams, and the way my mind was suddenly getting very, very clear? He had to be doing something, so I gave in and just let him in.
His tongue swept through my mouth. Mine met it, tangling together in the most sensual way. There, surrounded by everyone and concealed with my own darkness, we kissed as hard as any one had ever kissed me - and I forgot to be so angry.
In all this time, Keir had never taken advantage of me, not even when he could've. The way he'd asked Aspen's permission - or approval - before kissing me at midnight? Even though he'd already promised and would pay for it somehow if he didn't? All of that said something, and it was a very big thing.
I could trust him.
I couldlikehim.
All of this was ok, so I didn't need to fight anymore. I didn't need to care about whether Torian approved or how Aspen would take it. And sure, maybe I was making a mistake by trusting this guy so much, but that was ok. Fucking up wouldn't leave me alone in the world. I had dads now. I had friends. I had Aspen... And now I had Keir pulling me even closer.
So I simply kissed him, trusting he would make everything better. The shadows had to be mine, but he'd stopped them last time. He'd talked me through it. He'd handled everything, and all I had to do was follow his lead. As my tongue bumped and swirled with his, I simply let it happen, forgetting all about Torian, my shadows, and everything else in the process - even that I was much less drunk than I'd been a minute ago.
The screams faded. The light brightened slightly. The whole time, I kept kissing, kept focused on the way Keir's mouth took control of mine and guided me. The feel of his grip was perfect, giving me something to lean into, but just when I was sure I had control again, I heard the last thing I wanted tonight.
"Rain le Fae!" someone screamed, making both of us jump and flinch to face her.
"Handling it," Keir called back, refusing to let go of my arm.
"This is not handled!" The teacher wasn't one I knew, but she looked pissed.
"Dispel it!" Ms. Rhodes ordered me, entering right behind the other woman.
"Rain," Keir breathed, all but ignoring the teachers. "Pull it back in. Let it go. I'm not sure how it works for you, butyouare the one controlling the shadows, and the faelings are scared of them."
"Not you?" I asked, that tension inside me releasing a little at the comfort in his tone.
"Not me," he swore. "Not Aspen, or the court. We trust you."
I turned to look. Sure enough, Aspen was right beside me, standing firm even as darkness rolled over her feet and legs. Torian was still a few feet away, staring from the spot my shadow had sent him to. Wilder and Hawke were at the side, shoulder to shoulder, but their eyes were on Keir. Everyone else was clumping together, trying to avoid the darkness.
"Outside!" the unknown teacher demanded. "All of you!"
"Excuse me?" Torian drawled, giving the woman a scathing look.
"You are not above the rules, young man," she shot back, but Ms. Rhodes clasped her shoulder before the woman could say anything else.
"It's ok, Ms. Hawthorne. I think Torian, Aspen, Wilder, Hawke, Rain, and Keir will gladly step into the hall, won't you?"
"Fuck," I muttered, because that wasn't really a request.
"You got this," Keir assured me, his words little more than a whisper. "And the shadows are almost gone. If you leave, they'll vanish, right?"
"How the fuck would I know?" I asked - and yet the darkness was fading.
Like fog being burned off by daylight, it wasn't necessarily coming back to me. Some was, but most was simply vanishing. Suddenly, the dissipating shadows around me spun as a breeze picked up.
"Jack!" my bird called, swooping down from the trees.
I lifted an arm, catching him just above my wrist. At the same time, Keir turned me for the exit on the girls' side. Aspen moved to my other shoulder, putting me between my two closest... Friends? That word didn't feel right, but it was the best I had.
