“It was for survival. The man I thought was my father tried to kill my fated mate.” It didn’t matter, though. “He was going to make me leave here regardless.”
“Dammit.” She ran a hand through her hair. “If you stay here, you should be okay.”
“Tyler, the man who raised me, is looking for me.” I had a feeling whoever Axel had smelled was associated with him. “I can’t stay. That’s why I’m here. I need your help.”
“You want me to hide your fae magic?” She laughed hard. “I’m surprised you know it’s possible.”
“I have very old and strong friends.” She didn’t need to know more than that. “They figured it out.”
“If I do that, it’ll use the last of my reserves.” She tapped her foot on the ground. “And that means I’ll have to go back home to recharge.”
I figured she’d be dying to go back home. “I thought fae didn’t like being in this realm.”
“I do prefer home, but my goal was to come here and learn.” She licked her lips. “It’s part of my future.”
“Then you can visit with your family for a few days.” Katherine shrugged. “I don’t see the problem.”
“Fine.” She stood and flexed her fingers like she was preparing for a fight. “I just didn’t want my family to bombard me with questions about what’s going on here, but it’s inevitable.”
I tensed. I’d wanted this, but her willingness worried me. What if this was a trick? At least, this way, everyone I loved or cared about wouldn’t get hurt. It would be a complete takedown or just me.
“Do you want me to do this or not?” Naida dropped her hand. “You need to decide and fast. My magic is about gone.”
“Yes, I want you to.” I had to push my fear aside; it was the only option. “Just last time someone did that to me, it didn’t feel great.”
She walked toward me slowly. “Who did this to you?”
“Some dark-purple-haired fae girl.” Just thinking about it made my skin crawl. “They attacked us last night.”
“Must have been Ensley.” Naida chewed on a nail. “She’s part of the fae army. They really are going after you.”
“Did you think I was lying?” My anger bled through. I couldn’t believe she thought I’d manipulate her like that. “They aren’t fond of half breeds.”
“No, they aren’t.” Naida pursed her lips. “But it’s interesting that they’re going so hard so fast. I bet it has to do with Tyler.”
All things led back to him. “I ran away because of him. It’s not like I want to follow in his footsteps or anything.”
“My kind really doesn’t care.” She waved a finger around. “We don’t see gray, only black and white. Sometimes, this realm makes things so complicated. They see you as having ties to Tyler, and you have fae magic. You’re a threat.”
“Why are you willing to help me, then?” The more she said, the more nervous I got.
“Because you were kind to me.” She pointed at Katherine. “Even this vampire doesn’t trust me and is itching to leave.”
“Who says I’m not wanting to leave?” I wasn’t feeling too warm and fuzzy with her right now.
“Oh, you aren’t.” Naida grinned. “You’re uncomfortable, but you aren’t discriminating against me. That says a lot.”
“Then why don’t you get to helping her?” Katherine said with annoyance. “We need to leave before Tyler finds us.”
“You’re right.” She lifted her hand again, and teal magic bubbled in her palm. “I don’t need anyone stopping by and finding you here with me either.” She reached for me but paused. “This won’t feel comfortable, but you need to stay still. I don’t have any magic to spare. Also, if you use your magic again, you’ll reveal yourself.”
I sucked in a breath and nodded. “Okay.” I didn’t even know how to use the magic, so it would be a blessing not to have to try.
She touched my arm, and her magic poured inside me. The static electricity coursed under my skin, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as the purple fae’s magic. Her magic didn’t feel foreign, though. It almost felt the same as mine, only slightly different.
Her magic soaked into my skin where my own fae magic flowed. It connected with mine and twirled. The two strands danced together, weaving in and out of each other.
“Are you okay?” Katherine whispered.
Whatever was going on had left me unable to respond. The connection between the two of us was too much. I barely nodded my head, hoping she saw the motion. I didn’t need her getting scared and overreacting.
Naida’s magic followed mine. I felt it under my skin. It ran inside my body, leaving a residue on top of mine. She was coating my magic.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood like that, but once her magic had run through me entirely, the intensity receded. As her magic pulled back, I opened my eyes.
“Who are you?” Naida asked, her voice shaking. “Is this a joke?”
“No.” I didn’t need to lose her kindness now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your magic….” She dropped her hand and blinked. “Who’s your father?”
“How do you know my father is the fae?” That didn’t sit well with me.
Her eyes darkened. “Just tell me his name.”
“Rook.” There was no point in pretending.
Donovan linked with me. We need to go. A few wolves are gathering outside the Student Center. We’re getting the car. You need to run out of the back of the women’s dorm in a few minutes.
Have they found any of us? My heart raced. I needed more time with Naida. She knew something about me.
Not yet, but they caught Winter’s and my scents. Donovan sounded concerned. I’m coming to you now.
No, that would be bad. I needed to remain calm so the others didn’t freak out more. You might bring them here. The best thing is to lead the scent to the car. We should be out of here before they can pick up anyone else’s trail.
She’s right, Roxy agreed, trying to calm Donovan’s natural mate tendencies. It could be worse if you go to her.
Fine, he growled with displeasure. But if you aren’t out there when we pull up to the women’s dorm, my ass is coming for you.
That’s fair. His fierce loyalty rang true. It was so different from Tyler and Brock and so damn welcoming. I’ll be there.
“Rook is your dad?” Her eyes widened, and she blew out a breath. “That can’t be.”
Loud running footsteps broke through my concentration. A few girls squealed as whoever it was came barreling down the hallway.
“Shit, we have to go.” I had a feeling they were looking for me. “The wolves are coming.”
“Great.” Katherine glanced around. “What the hell do we do?”
“I can transport you to the stairwell a floor below, but that’s all I have left.” Naida stared at the door. “Then I’ll have to go back to Fae before I can’t even do that.”
That should buy us a little time. “That would be enough.” Right now, Katherine and I were screwed. We couldn’t make it out of here without her help. “Let’s go.”
She touched both Katherine and me, and within seconds, we appeared in the stairwell a floor down.
“Oh, God.” Katherine moaned and dropped to the floor. “I’m going to puke.”
“I wish I could do more.” Naida pulled me into a hug. “Stay safe. I’ll find you soon.” And she disappeared.
Why the hell had she hugged me? And what was with the warm attitude after she’d freaked out on me? I shook my head and focused on the task at hand.
“Katherine.” I bent down and felt her cool forehead. “I get you don’t feel well, but we have to get moving. We want to have a huge lead on them.”
“Yeah.” She stood on wobbly legs. “Now I get how you feel when the fae appear.”
“It’s awful, but here, put your arm around me, and I’ll support some of your weight.” I didn’t want to freak her out, but we had to get our asses going. Guys, there are wolves here.
Katherine followed my instructions, and we took the first step down to the exit.
What do you mean by here? Donovan sounded downright scary. Are they near you?