Anyone could see that Ethan and I were bonded. It was clear as day.
But still… her words got to me. I knew they weren’t true, and yet, my heart felt like they were. Maybe if Ethan was with Chastity, she’d have found a way to save him from the demon by now.
I wasn’t polite this time. I shoved past her. Before I could get away, Chastity grabbed my arm. Her nails dug into my skin as she held on tight.
“If I can’t have Ethan, no one’s going to,” Chastity hissed. “Certainly not a scrappy little runt like you.”
My magic burst out of me. A shimmering blue shield expanded outward and blew Chastity backward. She hit the wall and slid down it, her expression going wide with shock.
“I’d let Ethan die before I allowed you to sink your claws into him,” I growled. Then I ran off, because if I stayed with Chastity a moment longer, I was certain my magic would’ve killed her.
Death was better than being in the hands of that manipulative bitch. If I had to choose between the leshane and Chastity, the leshane would be it. At least the demon would end Ethan’s suffering eventually. Chastity would never let him go.
Lord Lucien stood at the entryway to his classroom, surrounded by a large group of students. “Everyone, we will be taking a little field trip for today’s class,” he boomed. “Follow me.”
Lucien walked ahead, and my class followed. I stayed at the back of the class, because I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was feeling so down a simple greeting was too much to muster.
Lucien led us off campus and into the woods that surrounded the university. I drew my winter cloak tightly around me, to keep out the chill as the snow trailed down from the skies.
A couple of people looked nervous, but Lucien said, “Don’t worry, the path was cleared of monsters this morning. We should have a peaceful walk on our way to our destination.”
Our path ended at a circular clearing in the woods. A group of wooden benches were there, placed in a circle around a roaring fire. I sat closest to Lucien and enjoyed the bonfire’s heat as he began the lecture.
“You cannot learn Fae History without understanding faekin,” Lucien said. “Some of you may have covered faekin in other classes. Today, we’ll be meeting some of the more powerful faekin in our world, otherwise known as losbiety, or women of the wood.”
Excited murmurs broke out, but Lucien said, “Calm down. These faekin are to be treated with utmost respect. They are beautiful, but dangerous. Which is why I’m going to instruct you on what to do before we meet them.”
Lucien leaned closer to the fire. “Faekin can be summoned with offerings. They love bread, milk, butter and honey especially. Precious stones may also be used to call upon them.”
Helena raised her hand. “My mother used to leave offerings for faekin on our windowsill, but the bread was always there the next morning. Did the faekin never come?”
“That is a very common misconception,” Lucien said. “When you leave offerings, you offer up the magical energy of the item to the faekin. For example, if you were to leave bread out, the faekin would come by and take the energetic sustenance of the bead. The bread would still be there, but any nutritional qualities would be gone, as well as any magical benefits. You could eat the whole loaf and still be hungry after. I’m certain the faekin came by and took your mother’s offering, even if it didn’t appear that the bread was touched.”
“What other things are there to know about working with faekin?” Helena asked.
“There are a few things; don’t ever run from them. They will make you regret it. Faekin love nature, and because of this, you must always respect the earth in their presence— again, because if you don’t, they will make you pay for it.”
“How?” Nicoli asked curiously. “What kind of things will the faekin do?”
Lucien gave a grim look. “They’re quite mischievous. In groups, their magic is strong. One of their favorite ways to kill people is to bring them back to a faekin party, and make the poor victim dance themselves to death.”
Ugh. Sounded gruesome. A couple of people paled, and Nicoli said, “I thought they’d just rip you apart, like a monster would.”
“No. Faekin toy with their prey as entertainment. They will not kill you quickly. They will find creative ways to bring