we join, and the person we end up mating with? You can’t honestly expect us to have sex with someone just because you say so.”
Alwyn let out a low chuckle. “We’re not forcing you to do a thing. At the end of the year, you’ll be so bonded to your male, naturally, that you will be glad he is your mate. And if you’re not, then you are welcome to go your own way.”
The girl narrowed her eyes. “I’m gay.”
“Oh.” Alwyn’s lips twisted up as she glanced over her shoulder at one of the female fae behind her. “Well, then your Court will certainly be easy to determine.”
When another round of questions rose up, the Head Instructor clapped her hands and frowned at us all. I’d quickly determined that she was either Autumn or Winter. She didn’t have the temperament to be one of the sunnier types of fae. “There will be plenty of time for more questions, and plenty of time to learn what you need to know. But first, what better way to introduce you to life at the Academy than through your first challenge? You’ll divide into your origin groups and go outside where your instructors will lead you through a test with the bow and arrow, to determine whether or not you’re a natural shot. That will give us some indication about the strength of your powers. Now, go.”
We stood in the expansive lush gardens behind the Academy’s main building. Rolling hills tumbled in the distance, meeting the orange and red streaked sky. For a moment, I stared at the dying glimmer of sunlight, wondering at who and what I had suddenly become.
Bree would love it here, I decided. She’d dive headfirst into training, and she would without a doubt have her eye on one of the fae, hoping he was hers. She’d be a Spring or a Summer, most likely. Nothing about Bree was dark or cold.
“All right,” Liam said, clapping his hands as he stood before our little rag-tag group. “Time to get started. Who wants to go first?”
On the way over, I’d introduced myself to the two other Manhattan recruits. All girls, all wide-eyed, and a little shell-shocked. So, kind of like me. The girl with the fiery hair was named Lila, and a quieter girl with golden eyes was named Sam. She watched the entire group, sizing things up with a quiet kind of intelligence that suggested she wasn’t the kind of person to miss much, even if she never really spoke up.
“I’ll go first!” Sophia said, her hand shooting high in the air. Finn chuckled from where he watched from the side, and he shook his head. His laugh was such an annoying sound, mostly because I couldn’t get it out of my head once I’d heard it. It was so lyrical, so poetic, almost, like a song that kept repeating over and over again in the most perfect way imaginable.
But that was stupid.
It was a laugh, an annoying one at that.
And he was annoying.
But a part of me felt like I could dance to the tune of his laugh.
“Alright, looks like we have our first volunteer.” Liam waved Sophia forward and slid the bow into her hands. It wasn’t the kind of bow that you’d see in any kind of modern hunting shop. Instead, it looked old and weathered, as if made from ancient trees. Hell, it probably had been.
“There’s the target,” Liam said, pointing at a bulging sack at least a hundred yards away. “You’ve got three shots. Good luck.”
Sophia wrinkled her nose. “Aren’t you going to show me how to use this thing? I’ve never shot an arrow in my life.”
“Nope.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest and stepped back. “The challenge is to see how well you can shoot without any training. That means no demonstrations from me. Yet.”
She shrugged and slid an arrow into the bow. At first, she fumbled a bit. The arrow slid this way and that, but after a few minutes of wobbly trembling, she finally managed to get it to stick. With a deep breath, she raised the arrow and loosed it in the air.
And then it sunk into the sack with a heavy thump.
My mouth dropped open, and Sophia pounded her fist in the air.
“That was awesome!” She whirled toward me with sparkling eyes, and I couldn’t help but grin back. “Maybe this whole fae thing isn’t so bad after all.”
Her next two arrows hit the mark, but that