I started where Cassie had left off. “Listen to me, you little thief. I am not fae, and I don’t have access to their stuff. So forgive me for not having anything to trade with you.”
His gaze went rigid. “How’d you come by that book then?”
I shrugged. “I found it at someone’s house. I have to return it. It isn’t mine.”
His lip curled back. “You should have thought about that before you brought it here.”
My fingers ached from holding onto him so tightly. I loosened my grip a bit. “What right do you have to steal from students? Why are you here anyway?”
His smile nearly covered his face. “This is my domain, little miss. I’m the one that decides what you gets to keep, and what I takes for the inconvenience of having you on my property.”
I laughed. “Your property! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. And who you calling little, shrimp?”
He scowled at me, his body stiff. Surprisingly, he thrust a finger in my face. “It’s my right to make the rules here. I’ve owned this land since the world began.”
How could a troll own property in the human realm? “If that’s true, why is there a school here?”
He shifted uncomfortably in my grip. “That’s complicated, and I don’t have to explain nothing to you.”
His reactions hadn’t been what I thought they would be. “Why aren’t you afraid of the lords? I thought they ran all things fae.”
“They do, but you wouldn’t really know that. Would you?”
Had he really seen through my bluster? “I know more than you think.”
He eyed me disdainfully. “Were that the case, miss, you’d have told me there were five lords courting you, not one. So don’t mind me if I don’t believe you can command them at your leisure.”
“The others could be here any moment. None have relinquished claim to me. Since you seem to be having trouble believing the truth, I dare you to stick around.”
He pulled at my forearms. “I don’t do nothing I don’t want to.”
“Of course you don’t. You seemed to have everything under control with Ainessa.”
He let out a gasp that was more of a hiss, glaring at me as though I were the stupidest person alive. “Didn’t no one ever tell you not to use the names of royalty?”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly taught about this stuff when I grew up.”
His whole face sunk inward when he inhaled. “What do you mean, grew up?”
I gave him a smirk. “It’s the time between birth and now.”
He lifted his chin. “Fae are not born.”
What was wrong with this creature? “Hence why I am not one of them.”
He shook his head. “But you are, miss.”
I put a hand to my hip. “You are mistaken.”
He looked me over again. “It will take more than words for me to believe such a thing.”
“Good. He will be here momentarily.”
He grumbled out a laugh. Something jingled softly. Several jeweled objects hung lazily from his belt in a cluster. Cassie’s dragonfly was one of them. I didn’t see the charm bracelet though. Was that my ruby ring? I reached for it. He swatted my hand away.
“That’s mine,” I screeched.
“Not no more.”
“If you’re going to keep my ring, you need to give me back the book.”
He looked like I had punched him in the stomach. “We made no bargain.”
“No matter. Zach will make you give it back.”
He laughed, his orange eyes welling with moisture. “Now I know you’re full of it. Ain’t no lord named Zach.” He smiled wryly before a popping noise erupted like a thousand kernels exploding in succession all around me. In a flash of blue light, I was holding onto air.
It wasn’t as late as I thought, so I went to see what Jessica wanted. Without even waiting for me to knock, she pulled me through the door and motioned for me to sit. She looked horrible.
The sweet smell of vanilla hit me the moment I passed the threshold. Furniture and plastic containers crowded the room. These girls had as much space for four as Cassie and I had between us. They didn’t have a bathroom, either.
I sat on the floor and leaned up against a nondescript dresser. I bet they had fun in here even if it was cluttered.
“Do you have a candle burning?” I asked because I didn’t know what else to say.
Jessica gave me an irritated look. “How are you still here?”
“What?”
“That lord you were with earlier. You should be falling all over yourself to be with him by now. Why hasn’t he taken you?”
I gaped at her. “I’m supposed to take care of my affairs. You know, make sure no one misses me. How did you know he was a lord?”
She looked different somehow, almost pretty. Her hair was shiny and her skin glowed where it was usually sallow.
“Rayla, you have to tell me how you did it.” She sat on a metal folding chair and leaned forward, her knee bouncing like a piston. “I think one of them knows I’m an Elemental.”
“What makes you say that?” I would have never guessed.
She shrugged. “He saw me when they took Cassie away in the ambulance. I’ve been hiding here ever since. They’ve been all over you, and miraculously, here you sit. So I ask you again. How?”
I thought furiously, not knowing how to answer her. “I don’t want them to take me.”
She jumped to her feet. “That’s it? No supersized magic ring or shielding spell?”
I rubbed my nose on my sleeve. My eyes were watering. I was pretty sure I was allergic to her air freshener. “Jessica, I hate to tell you this, but I’m not exactly a vat of information. I didn’t even know the fae existed until I came here.”
She smacked her tight lips. “Oh. You’re one of those.”
I tried not to be offended. If she was asking me for help, we both had problems.
She pulled a backpack from under her bed. “Sister Mary Margaret is working to get me out of here, but I haven’t heard from her in a long time. I’m worried.” She opened a drawer, shoving clothes in her bag without even looking at what she was doing.
“I’d be willing to help if I could go with you.”
She shot me a withering look. “I can’t risk it. The lord that saw me was from my house. I’ve never met one of them before. I’ve seen a group from a distance, but there isn’t anything like being close to one that holds your element. I felt so drawn to him even though, until the last moment, he was completely unaware of me.”
I knew the feeling, only I had to deal with all five of them, Taylor included. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’m supposed to meet someone in the tunnels, but I don’t dare go alone. I need you to come with me to Sister Mary Margaret’s office. She has a key to the underground.”
Why should I put myself at risk to help her? She hadn’t exactly gone out of her way to help me. “Why don’t you have one of your roommates do it?”
She looked grim. “They’re human. They can’t know about this stuff. We have to hurry. I need to leave before your lord returns. He will call the others if he realizes what I am.”
“You don’t know that.”
She stiffened her spine. “He is a lord. They are all alike.”
I didn’t think so. They were as different as the elements they harnessed. “Your plan is horrible. It isn’t safe. I promised Zach I would stay in my room. The other lords haven’t exactly released their claim on me. What if they come for me down there?”
She got in my face. “You are my only hope of getting out of here. I don’t understand what is happening with you, but none of the rest of us has a choice. If the lord of air manages to get close to me, that’s it. I will be his. I don’t know how you can resist yours, but I envy you.”
How absurd was that? I sighed. She was so desperate that I couldn’t say no. “I’ll go with you to the entrance of the tunnel, but that’s as far as I go.”
Her features rela
xed. She nodded, but didn’t say anything. So much for gratitude.