at Liam’s face for fear he would know exactly how he was making me feel. His fingers continued to caress my thigh. Gently, softly. An aching need built inside of me. A need for his touch. A need for…him.
Oh god.
What the hell am I doing?
Was this really how fae healed? Because it felt like a hell of a lot more than that.
“Look at me,” he said in a soft growl.
I pulled my gaze from the ceiling to meet his eyes. His eyes sparked; his thumb swept across my skin. I bit my lip, swallowing down the moan that threatened to escape from my throat. How did this feel so agonizingly good? How did I feel as if I were two seconds away from shattering beneath his touch?
It was the magic, I thought, heart racing in my chest. It had to be the magic and nothing more.
When he finally slid his hands out from under the covers, my chest was heaving. I could feel the imprint of his hand still on my skin. The ache between my thighs burned.
“How are you feeling now, Norah?” he asked with a lazy grin.
“Yep.” I swallowed hard, cheeks flaming. “Pretty sure that fixed it.”
“Good.” He winked, leaned forward, and dropped his voice to a hush. “Now, if anyone asks, I wasn’t the one who healed you. You’re going to make sure I don’t get in trouble for helping you.”
I nodded my head vigorously and tried to find my voice. “I guess I owe you a favor or something, right? What do you want?”
He chuckled. “I have an errand to run that requires a trip to the Autumn Court. I’d like you to accompany me, but you’ll need to pretend as though you’re my companion.”
“Your companion?” My face drained of all feeling, except for the heat that still dotted my cheeks. I wasn’t over the whole healing thing yet. “You mean you want me to pretend I’m your mate? But won’t they know I’m a new changeling at the Academy?”
“The fae I’m visiting do not know about my role here at the Academy, so no. There’s no reason for them to suspect you’re a changeling, nor one who is clearly not of the Summer Court.”
Not of the Summer Court. I needed to remember that. Which was hard after…the whole healing thing. I was still buzzing from his touch, as little as it had been. I wanted more. But he wasn’t my mate, and he never would be. Someone else would. The high I’d gained from his healing magic suddenly dipped. Kael or Rourke would be my mate instead.
“All right, I guess I can do that,” I said with a frown. “But don’t I need to be here for my lessons? I mean, I may have shifted or whatever, but I clearly need as much training as I can get.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday.” He pushed his auburn hair back from his face. “So, you have the day off from lessons. I’ll have you back long before Monday’s training begins.”
“All right, I guess that’s okay, then,” I said, still frowning. “What is this errand anyway?”
“It’s important,” he said. “Trust me.”
Trust him. Ha! That was rich. Not a single one of them had done anything to convince me to trust them. And yet…I wanted to go. It was another chance for some hands-on training. Another chance to learn more about this world.
I would never be able to fight the Redcaps unless I took every chance to learn that came my way.
With a brilliant smile, Liam pushed up from his chair and strode to the door before pausing to hold his finger to his lips.
“Now, remember. I wasn’t the one who healed you.” And then he disappeared out the door with a wink.
The next morning, I snuck out of the Academy just before daylight. Liam was waiting for me in the courtyard. And he was...sitting on a horse, one with sleek green-gray skin that rippled as it stomped its hoof on the dewy grass.
I slowed to a stop in front of them and frowned up at Liam’s bonfire eyes. “You didn’t tell me there was going to be horse-riding involved.” A pause as I scanned the horse, noting the green-gray color. Dread pooled in my stomach. “Is this one of those pookas?”
He tipped back his head and laughed before giving his horse’s neck a soft pat. “Sapling here is about as far from a pooka as she can get. Trust me. When you’ve seen one up close, you’ll be able to spot