"Ugh," I groaned. "Fine. And yes, I'm as ready as I'll ever get, but I hate math."
"Ok," Liam said as we reached the glass door. Pausing to open it for me, he waited until we were in the hall and heading back towards the atrium. "I'll tell Hawke to set up a time that works for you."
"Hawke?" I asked, looking between Dad and Jack - as if my bird should've known this was coming. "Why didn't you say so! I was thinking it'd be some stuffy teacher who was no fun!"
The look Liam gave me was scathing. "And yet Hawke taught you enough for you to get a C last semester. I think he knows what he's doing, I think you actually learn from him, and he may have mentioned he needs the extra credits himself. This, Rain, is how Silver Oaks works."
I paused at the corner of the atrium, holding my arm up for Jack. "So, I have to have a lesson with Hawke each week?"
"Dad!" Jack grumped, flapping over to land on my bicep and make his way up. "Rain-Dad."
"I know, Jack, but math still sucks," I told him.
Liam laughed at that. "Just go with whatever works for the two of you, but you'll need at least one per week," he said. "So long as your grades improve, I won't push for more. Does that sound fair?"
To answer, I stepped into him and wrapped my arms around Liam's neck. "Thank you, Dad. Thank you, thank you, thank you! For bringing me here, for adopting me, and for being the coolest dad in the entire world!"
Leaning in, he hugged back, and Jack pressed in to make this a group thing. "You are so welcome," Liam said. "And thank you for giving us the family we always wanted. One with a daughter we're so damned proud of."
Chapter Twenty
RAIN
The jevadu thing came up again the next day. I was sitting in my weapons crafting class when I heard it. At first, I thought I had to be mistaken, but a few of the college students at the back were talking about it.
"I know Ms. Rhodes has a soft spot for kids, but a damned jevadu?"
"He hasn't hurt anyone yet,"
"Hestrippedher of her magic!"
I set down my hammer hard, spinning to glare at them. "So you'd rather Nevaeh killed me?"
"Rain!" Tag chided. "Focus on your own project."
"No!" I said.
"Yes," she countered. "You will not start issues in my class, and when it's not a conversation you were invited into, you keep your nose out of it."
"But there's nothing wrong with wildlings!' I insisted. "Jack's one. I use Wild magic, and I'm not evil!"
"You," the guy at the back said, "aren't Torian. You're actually nice, Rain."
"Usually," muttered the girl beside him.
I rolled my eyes, ready to spout off again, but Tag had this.
"There will be no bullying or hatred in this class," she barked. "Do your socializing on your own time. We're here to learn, people, not pick fights."
I grumbled at that, but she had a point. And yet, another girl shifted a bit closer to me. "Is he a jevadu?"
All I could do was shrug. "I don't know. I only heard about those when people started calling him one."
"So blow it off," she told me. "People talk shit about the court all the time. I mean, they're a bunch of Advanced Placement students with too much magic and not enough ties to the Summer Court. They're all but asking to get shit on."
"Am I?" I huffed. "I don't have a single tie to it."
"Bracken adopted you," she countered. "Everyone knows that, and he's Summer nobility."
