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She snorts. “Not here. Interns don’t get sunlight or hand-foamed espressos.” Her eyes light up. “Did you know, all the desks are spelled to make it look like you’re alone in a landscape of your choosing? Both my dads use the oceanic spell that makes it appear like their offices are floating in the middle of the Caribbean.”
I’ve always disapproved of magic in the human world, but that’s really cool.
We move on to the rooftop, which doesn’t disappoint. It’s a park—or, according to the handy brochure the faun passes around, the Fae version of Central Park.
“Need to unwind after a long day of work?” the faun calls, dipping one of her hooves into the nearby pool. “Welcome to the Other Park, as we lovingly call it. This is where all the employees gather for recreation or reflection. We also have tourists from all over the Untouched Zone visit.”
“Where’s the roofline?” I whisper to Mack as I take in the seemingly never-ending tree line. The building is big, sure—but not this big.
Mack laughs. “You didn’t know? This isn’t actually on the roof—it’s in the Summer Court.”
“I’m not following.”
“At the top of the stairs, we walked through an invisible portal. It’s the largest portal in the Untouched Zone, way larger than the restrictions allow. I remember last year when my dads texted me with the news it was okayed by congress. Everyone was so excited.”
“So we’re actually in the Summer Court right now?”
“Yep.”
I blink at the patchwork of autumn-colored trees in the distance. “What about Faerie law?”
Not long after I joined the academy, I learned that, unless invited or stated otherwise in a contract, mortals who enter the Everwilde for longer than an hour automatically become property of the seasonal court they trespassed.
So even if I hadn’t stolen the neverapple, Valerian could have kept me from crossing back to my side of the Shimmer for sixty minutes and still claimed me as his property.
Note to self: Fae law is a steaming pile of dung and when I graduate, I’m going to dismantle it piece by piece.
“Remember the paperwork we signed downstairs when we checked in?” Mack asks. “There was a paper we signed that states by visiting this park, we do not give up our rights, blah, blah.”
Wow. I probably should have read those better. Being in the mortal world made me let my guard down.
Second note to self: the Fae are cunning bastards everywhere.
By now, that rule should be stamped into my brain. Especially after the research Mack and I did on the students whose files were with Evelyn’s. Each student shared the same rare blood type, AB negative.
And each one seemingly disappeared from the school without a trace. When we called the parents for more information, they all said the same thing: Their children had accepted a prestigious opportunity to train in a seasonal court.
When pressed about the last time they saw or talked with them, the parents seemed confused and repeated the line.
Obviously, the school is massively covering up pregnant students who turn darkling, but that doesn’t help determine who’s controlling Evelyn.
The class spreads out through the park. Our law professor, Mr. Orenthall, partnered with the professor of Potions and Poisons to set up a scavenger hunt. While this park may loosely resemble Central Park, it’s very much Faerie inspired.
The carousel is pulled by centaurs and pegasi, the ponds churn with selkies and water sprites, and the zoo is filled with every Fae creature imaginable.
We’re just finishing with Cherry Hill and passing over the Bow Bridge when Valerian messages. The scavenger hunt activated Mack’s competitive streak, and she’s already way ahead with Richard, Jace, and Layla, searching for the elusive bogle, a warty goblin that lives deep in the Ramble.
Facing out toward the still waters, I rest my arms over the stone balustrade. My lips curl at the edges as I read his text.
I keep replaying this morning.
I text back, you keep replaying me kicking your Fae ass?
God, you’re adorable when you try to act tough.
This mofo. Try? I type. You must be forgetting when I took you to the mat this morning.
Believe me, that image of you straddling my waist is indelibly engraved in my mind. Even if I let you take me down.
