way down my throat and into my stomach. When every ounce of liquid has been drained from the flute, a pink wisp of smoke trickles from the rim and dances around my head in the shape of a dragon.
Mack’s becomes a smoky teal sprite that giggles before evanescing. Callum’s is a centaur that gallops around the room shooting arrows of smoke. Evelyn’s becomes a mermaid that circles her head, splashing smoke-water at her.
“Wow,” I say, clutching my belly. “That was . . . intense.”
For a moment, it feels as if a swarm of feathery butterflies have been let loose in my stomach. Then a wave of complete joy washes over me.
This is nice. So nice. Cal is nice. Everyone is nice.
“I love everyone,” I purr.
I sit on my butt beside Mack and Evelyn, both girls matching my silly grin with smiles of their own. I have no idea why we’re on the floor instead of the couch.
“See,” Mack says, petting my face. “Now, ready for more truth about Callum?”
I nod happily.
“So Callum is a changeling,” Mack begins. Callum plops his giant form beside us as he watches Mack explain. “He was taken as a baby and replaced by an other—a lookalike Fae child.”
Despite my relaxed state, I shudder. “Do his parents know?”
I’ve never met his mom, or even seen her for that matter. But his dad and this other, this changeling, are together all the time.
“No,” Callum answers for Mack. His big head rests in his hand, and his face looks crestfallen as he discusses his parents. “My dad made a deal with the Winter Court when I was seven, and then he couldn’t pay. So they took me, put a changeling in my place, and glamoured my dad to forget he ever owed the Evermore. Since then, I’ve been a servant for the Winterspell family.”
Winterspell . . . that’s Inara’s surname.
My head spins. “So . . . the Cal I went to high school with, the all-American boy who could be the poster child for rednecks everywhere, is a secret Fae? Why?”
“We don’t know,” Mack says. “There are changelings all over the mortal world, but who knows why they do it?”
“Are there other changeling humans at Evermore Academy?” I ask, trying not to sound too hopeful. If there are others here who haven’t been groomed from practically birth for the academy, then maybe I won’t stick out so much.
“No,” Callum says, shaking his head. “I’m only here because I tricked Inara’s uncle into wagering a spot here for me during a game of farvane.”
Farvane is a dice game played by some of the Evermore students in the commons. The rules seem incredibly complicated, and some magic is involved.
Mack grins. “It hasn’t exactly made him popular with Inara.”
I sigh. “She has a new person to hate, so you’re probably safe now. You’re welcome.”
Callum suddenly looks around. “Wait, why are we sitting on the floor?”
Mack giggles. “Actually, why are we inside this room? Let’s go show those Fae pricks how dancing is supposed to look.”
Dancing? I have as much rhythm as a praying mantis, but the others leave before I can protest. So I blow out a breath and follow them down to the dance floor. The floor is packed with bodies, all Fae.
There are so many horns and wings and tails and flashing lights that I can almost convince myself we’re at a Halloween party back home. Except the creatures writhing on the dance floor won’t peel off their costumes at the end of the night.
And to them, we’re the freaks.
The thought of being the only humans here isn’t comforting, but Mack, Callum, and Evelyn don’t seem to mind as they immediately begin grinding on each other.
Ick.
I’m about to join them when a surge of Fae bodies surrounds them and they’re swallowed by the crowd.
Just like that, I’m alone. A fruitless search ensues where I bump into every Fae possible, gathering annoyed scowls and more than a few offers to dance. But I’m not a fan of the hungry way the male Fae look at me like I’m something to be conquered and devoured.
Especially after we just had the reasons-not-to-sleep-with-the-Fae talk.
Plus, I need at least five more of those pink drinks before I can find a shred of rhythm, so I push and shove my way to the bar. The bartender belongs to the Court of Mortal Beasts. Black eyes stare at me from a bloodless face, and when he smiles, two long fangs flash.