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“That’s for locking me inside the cage,” I snarl.
Holy Fae. I just punched her.
“You—you hit me!” she screeches, coming to the same genius realization. The two boys flock around her. One has already ripped off his shirt and is pressing it to her face. Inara and her look-alike male Fae are just staring at me in shock. As if, they literally cannot believe I hit her.
That makes three of us.
A wide grin spreads across my face as I shake out my hand, playing it cool. “Yeah, someone should have done that a long time ago.”
God that felt good. At least I get to leave this place with the memory of my fist connecting with her now-not-so-perfect nose.
Mack has come back to rein me in, and she finally succeeds in dragging me away. She plants us behind the Summer Evermore that helped me out of the boat. The Seelie and Unseelie react, the Seelie cheering while the Unseelie boo and hiss.
It’s only then that I realize how big our audience was.
I glance over my shoulder at Reina, who’s still on her knees, being tended to by her two male bodyguards. Inara has her arms crossed over her chest and a murderous look twists her face into something truly terrifying.
“That was crazy-wicked,” Mack whispers. “She’s had her nose done three times already; I bet she’s livid, along with half the Fae Courts. Now get ready.”
The panicky tone of her voice puts me on edge. “Ready? For what?”
Reina is the typical bully who can dish it out but can’t take it. She’s still crumpled on the ground in dramatic fashion. No way she comes after me in that state.
Mack shakes her head at me. “Inara has already unofficially chosen Reina as her shadow, so she’s under the protection of the Elite Six.”
The elite who? Nope. I don’t even want to know. The less I know about this pretentious school before I leave, the better. “I didn’t mean to piss off the Elite Six. I just thought, since I wouldn’t be here . . .”
Mack’s eyes go wide. “Who told you that?”
“You . . . did?” Uh oh. A pit of dread forms in my gut. “You said I had to be one of the first fifty students out of the lake or . . . they would kick me out?”
The Summer Evermore comes up beside me, one side of his mouth quirked. His gold ear cuff glints along his pointed ears. “That’s true, but we also have a bravery clause. If any of the participants show extreme and selfless acts of courage, a court may petition to have them stay.”
Shit. My mouth goes dry as Mack says, “Rhaegar petitioned for you to enter the Selection.” She nods at the Summer Evermore before turning back to me. “You’re still a shadow candidate . . . although anyone who chooses you now will risk the wrath of the Six.”
There’s that stupid name again. I barely keep from rolling my eyes as I say, “What’s the Elite Six?”
She lets out an exasperated sigh that blows her pink and brown bangs away from her forehead. “This school is ruled by six incredibly powerful Unseelie: Inara Winterspell, her twin brother, Bane Winterspell, and the Winter Prince, all Winter Court. And . . . see that girl?”
I follow her gaze to a beautiful Fae girl near the edge of the Unseelie crowd. She wears a gorgeous sable-black tunic embedded with diamonds in the shape of half-moons, her silver hair pulled back into an elaborate nest of braids. Half-moon earrings hang from her pointy ears, and a similar jewel sparkles from between her silver eyebrows.
“That’s Eclipsa Skywell from the Lunar Court. And that boy there”—she points to a big Fae with dark brown hair that falls to his shoulders and huge moss-green eyes—“is Asher Grayscale, a dragon shifter and the prince’s best friend.”
I swallow as I watch Inara’s two friends from earlier whisper with her. “Let me guess; those two psycho girls I met earlier with Inara are part of the Elite Six?”
Mack nods as she flicks a quick, fearful glance toward the pack. “Only one, the vamp from the Mortal Beasts Court, Kimber Bloodstone. The other, a lycan girl named Lyra, isn’t technically a member . . . but she’s currently dating Bane, so they let her hang out with them. She’d love to make it the Elite Seven, but that will never happen.”
An overwhelming mixture of conflicting emotions surges through me as I scan the rest of the Unseelie side. On one hand, I’m thankful I get to stay at the academy and not slave away in the Unseelie Courts. But I’ve also basically pissed off all the Unseelie, by the way they’re all staring daggers into me.
Especially the Elite Six.
Fae-freaking-tastic. I’m so screwed.
But screwed or not, Aunt Vi would die if she knew I wasn’t using manners. So I turn to Rhaegar and say, “Thank you for making sure I don’t get kicked out.”
He smiles, a nice, warm grin that somehow makes him even more beautiful. “It was nothing. Besides, I’m interested to see how you shake things up.” o;Yes, I’m fine.” I nod and glance back at the girl I saved. “But she needs—”
My words trail away into silence. The girl hasn’t moved from where I positioned her.
