Between (17 page)

“Hey! Y’all made it!” Lulu beams at us from a long, wooden table of pixies, each with vividly colored hair. Lulu’s saved us some space at the end, and Seth takes the seat beside her while I slide in across from him next to a pixie with blue-tipped blonde hair. She grins, her smile every bit as cute and adorable as Lulu’s, and I smile back because I can’t help it.

“We’re all here!” Lulu says, patting the table. “Let’s eat!”

The empty dishes tremble slightly then appear laden with food. The plate in front of me nearly overflows with white-cheddar macaroni and cheese, my all-time favorite comfort food. The heavenly scent of warm, melted cheese envelops me and transports me to Mom’s kitchen, sitting next to Sam and arguing over the last helping of macaroni.

I inhale the tiny slice of normalcy.

Seth lifts his eyebrows a bit, and I smile at him. “I wasn’t expecting mac and cheese.”

“It’s an enchantment,” Seth explains, cutting into the juicy ribeye in front of him. “Whatever food you want, you get.”

I didn’t even realize I wanted mac and cheese. Even the dishes know me better than I do.

“Be careful, though,” Lulu warns. “You can’t eat macaroni and cheese every day.”

I tilt my head to the side and gaze at the wide array of chocolate surrounding Lulu, from the pudding in her bowl to the chocolate milk in her glass. There’s even a second bowl in front of her that holds two scoops each of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, topped with chocolate and caramel sauces as well as white chocolate chips and two cherries.

I look across the table, noting more of the same on each pixie’s plate. Cookies, cake, pie, and lots and lots of ice cream. Unless my nose is deceiving me, the pixie to my right is digging her spoon into a bowl filled with pure buttercream icing. My teeth ache just looking at it. She giggles at me as she lifts it to her lips.

I raise an eyebrow at Lulu.

“Don’t give me that look,” Lulu says, lifting her nose into the air and pursing her lips. “Pixies thrive on sugar. It’s as important to our diets as green, leafy vegetables are to yours.”

Seth shakes his head and smiles at me. “Don’t come between a pixie and her sugar.”

“Noted.” I take a bite of the creamy, cheesy goodness on my plate and close my eyes. Holy. Cheese. Lulu doesn’t know what she’s talking about. I could
absolutely
eat macaroni and cheese every day. I don’t want to eat anything but this for the rest of my life.

“Freckles! You found Mesmer!”

I look up to see Keiran standing to my left, as rumpled and adorable as ever. He flashes his dimples and asks, “Mind if I sit here?”

“Uh, sure,” I tell him, scooting closer to the blonde pixie beside me to make room for him. My mind goes completely blank while I watch him swing one leg over the bench, then the other.

“Hi.” He directs his greeting to me, and then nods at the rest of the table.

“Well, hi!” Lulu grins broadly. She sits up a little straighter and leans forward. “You’re a second-year, right? Keagan?”

“Keiran,” he corrects her, picking up his peanut butter and jelly sandwich with both hands.

“I’m Lulu,” she replies, then tosses out the names of the other pixies sitting around us. Jojo, Lala, Mimi, Deedee, and the one next to me, Kiki. “And this is Seth. I guess you already know Charlie.”

“Yeah,” Seth says, like he’s accusing Keiran of something, “how do you know Charlie?”

I tear my gaze away from Keiran. “We met this morning.”

“This morning?” Seth sits up straighter and rests his forearm on the table. “Where?”

“In the woods with Clara,” Keiran answers, his eyes shifting from Seth to me and back. I realize he doesn’t know what I’ve told Seth about the harpy.

“It’s okay,” I tell him. “I came clean about exploring the meadow this morning.”

Keiran grins. “Good. I thought about it all morning and couldn’t come up with any excuse that would’ve made sense anyway.” His eyes are like a thunderstorm, intense and gray. My charcoal would capture the color perfectly.

“Helping her come up with an excuse, huh?” Seth comments, chewing slowly. “That’s cute.”

I don’t have to be an empath to know he’s annoyed, but I wouldn’t mind being able to understand why. Typical overbearing Seth? Or something else?

Lulu sets down her spoon and throws a napkin at Seth. “Don’t be rude.” She fixes her sparkling eyes on Keiran and winks. “Don’t mind him, doll. He’s overprotective.”

Keiran laughs and Seth shoots Lulu a look.

“You guys seem to be having fun,” a familiar, snooty voice comments. I stifle a groan. Lulu doesn’t bother hiding hers. The rest of the pixies make various sounds of disgust before getting up to leave.

Wow. Clara’s presence is enough to clear a table? She doesn’t seem to notice, but she must. She’s probably too proud to admit it. Maybe she truly doesn’t care? If all fairies are like Clara, I imagine that pixies and fairies don’t mix well.

Of course, I can’t imagine Clara mixing well with anyone.

“Hello, Empress,” Seth says.

Clara acknowledges Seth with a lift of her chin, and her eyes settle on Keiran. “Hi, Keiran.” Her lips spread across her face in a barely upturned line. I guess it’s technically supposed to be a smile, but the rest of her face doesn’t move. It’s a little disturbing.

“Hey.” Keiran’s greeting combines with his dimples, creating a lethal mixture that renders me speechless. Clara blinks, and I see a more normal face—lips parted, dazed eyes—completely hypnotized by Keiran’s grin. Seth rolls his eyes so hard I can almost hear it.

For a split second, Clara seems normal—like any of the girls back home who become a little silly when they’re crushing on a guy. If Keiran weren’t so universally gorgeous, I’d be a little concerned that Clara and I share the same taste in anything at all.

The moment passes so quickly I’m not certain I didn’t imagine it. Clara lowers her eyelashes and says, “I’m about to fly over to the rock garden. Care to join me?”

She has the kind of confidence I’d admire if she were the least bit likable. I’ve always wanted to be the girl who makes a move when I’m interested in a guy.

“That sounds great,” Keiran responds. He wipes a dollop of peanut butter onto his napkin. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

I’m so busy thinking about what a stunning couple Keiran and Clara would be that it takes me a second to realize he’s looking at me. “Huh?”

“Are you busy? Do you want to go to the rock garden with me and Clara?”

Across from him, Lulu releases a short, surprised giggle and quickly presses her napkin to her lips.

“I, um…” I glance at Clara, pretty sure that this was not what she had in mind when she invited him. The creepy dead smile from earlier is nothing compared to the positively murderous glare she wears now.

Her lavender eyes darken to plum. “I’m sure she has other things to do. Don’t you, Charlie?”

I have no idea what Seth has planned. Even if I’m free, do I want to go? Is time with this beautiful boy worth time with that horrid fairy? What exactly is a rock garden, anyway?

I give her one of those smiles where I purse my lips and squint my eyes a bit, every girl’s “I hate you” smile. She returns it, and I know we’re speaking the same language.

“Charlie’s had a really busy morning,” Seth interrupts, his tone more challenging than informational. “She needs to rest this afternoon.”

Rest? I wrinkle my nose. I’m not a child. I don’t need nap time.

“Come on. She just got here yesterday, right? I could show her around a bit. Introduce her to Ellauria. Maybe take her to the lake,” Keiran says, flashing his smile at Seth. Who says no to that face?

“Nah, that’s really not necessary,” Seth replies, including an equally impressive smile. “I’ll introduce her to Ellauria.”

So, Seth. Seth says no to that face.

Lulu lowers her napkin and rests her chin on her hand, switching her gaze from Seth to Keiran and back. Clara puts her hands on her hips, still glaring at me. Seth and Keiran stare at one another, each waiting for the other to give in.

Hold up. Is Seth jealous?

“Hi.” I raise my hand. “I’m seventeen years old. I can totally handle a full day’s worth of activity without a nap. Been doing it for years.”

Seth lays a heavy stare on me. He obviously knows I want to go. I’d love to see more of Ellauria, and I wouldn’t mind making a few friends. I need distraction and a little bit of freedom. I channel my emotions and wait for him to process them. His expression doesn’t change.

“Keiran, I don’t really think you should get involved,” Clara says, her rosy lips drawn in a perfect heart-shaped pout.

He winks at her. “Don’t worry, beautiful. I’ll catch up with you at the rock garden.”

The pout vanishes, and her face contorts into one of rage. Thin, flattened lips, flared nostrils, and one very sharply arched eyebrow.

And for duck’s sake, even that looks good on her. I want to bang my head against the table.

Lulu ruffles Seth’s hair, studying his face. “Come on, Seth. Keiran can give her a tour and you can take a break.”

“I don’t need a break,” Seth grumbles, tipping his head away from her fingers.

“Well, I know when I’m not wanted.” Lulu makes a face at him and rises from the table. “I’m going to head to the Hollow for a bit, but we should talk this afternoon.” She winks at me before flying off.

“You’re not going,” Seth says to me. “We have work to do.” He picks up my plate along with his and stands to make his way to the dumbwaiter in the corner.

I glare at his back, hoping he feels the full effect of my frustration. Aegis or not, there’s no need for his tone. Resting is the very last thing I want to do right now. The idea of being alone with my thoughts is terrifying. I exhale through my nose. This is ridiculous.

Clara puts her hand on Keiran’s shoulder and smiles sweetly. “So that’s settled. Shall we?”

Keiran shakes his head while he watches Seth move through the crowded deck with our plates. He throws his napkin on his plate. “I don’t really feel like it right now. Can I catch up with you later this afternoon?”

“Ugh. Fine.” She scowls at me and stalks off in the opposite direction.

“You’ll pay for that later,” I mutter to Keiran as we rise from the table. A gorgon passes by carrying a stack of dirty dishes, and Keiran adds his plate to the top of it, thanking her with a smile. I head toward Mesmer’s entrance to wait for Seth, and Keiran comes, too.

“Pretty sure you’ve got a debt to pay yourself,” he says, tipping his head toward Seth, who’s making his way back to us. Keiran smiles at me. “You have fun with that. I’m sure I’ll see you later today.”

“Sounds good.” I smile at him. He’s sure he’ll see me? How can he be sure? I wait until his head disappears down the stairs before I drop my shoulders. I hate how quickly Seth goes from treating me like his friend to bossing me around like his Apprentice. Keiran’s right. This argument is only going to continue when we’re behind closed doors. I can hear it now:

I’m your Aegis, Charlie. I know everything. Blah blah blah, safety, blah blah blah, Fellowship
.

Seth meets me by the staircase and hooks his thumbs in his back pockets. “You ready? I’ll walk you to your room.”

I take his arm and pull him toward the corner where we have a little more privacy. I don’t even care that I’m pouting. “If Keiran was a girl, would you have let him show me around?”

His face twists into one big smirk, and he squeaks, “What? That has nothing to do with it. I’m your Aegis, I’m—”

“I know, I know.” I wave my hand and recite the Seth Speech. “You’re my Aegis. You keep me safe. Fun is for other people.”

He snorts. “I never said fun is for other people.”

“Whatever.” I shake my head. I could almost appreciate Seth’s jealousy if it didn’t add another bar to my cage.

Seth folds his arms across his chest and sighs. I can’t help but notice the way his sleeves stretch across his biceps when he does that. “The whole time I’ve been your Aegis, you’ve been hidden from nearly everyone else,” he says, so quietly I can hardly hear him. “You’re not so safe anymore. Somehow, someone’s figured out what you are. Two times in the last twenty-four hours, you’ve been within arm’s reach of a creature hell-bent on killing you. I want to lock you in your room until every threat to you is destroyed.”

It’s just like him to completely ignore all the wonder I’ve experienced in the last twenty-four hours. I touched a pixie’s wings. I watched a fairy paint her nails with a rose. I wrapped myself up in the tree equivalent of a hug. I ate from an enchanted plate. I step closer, stare up into his dark eyes, and speak with as much force as I can at a low volume. “You’re so focused on keeping me alive that you’re forgetting I need to live.”

Seth studies me for a moment, then slowly nods. “Point taken.”

That’s all I wanted—acknowledgement that he gets it. “Fine. Walk me to my room.” If I’m being completely honest with myself, I really am exhausted. Today’s been a whirlwind since the moment I stepped out of my room. I wouldn’t mind a bit of a break, although I’d never admit that to Seth now.

One side of his mouth lifts in his patented half-smile. “Bossy.”

“I learned from the best,” I reply, and take off down the stairs.