Fae of the South (Court of Crown and Compass Book 3) by E. Hall (libby ebook reader .txt) 📕

a bagel and then stop myself. Vamps only eat food for show. It doesn’t do anything to nourish us. After Lea grabs a chocolate chip pancake, we sit at the end of a long table.

“About last night,” I start.

“I didn’t do it. I would never spray paint that.”

“I know, but I meant that secret meeting or whatever it was where everyone was dancing.”

“It was for fae. Amelia has explained a lot, but Emeric was amazing. There’s so much I didn’t know about my kind. I mean, I’m not against vamps at all, but there are a lot of problems between supernaturals. Emeric said—”

I ignore all the details highlighting how amazing he is and remember what Cole said. He’s the fae king, at least at RIP Jr.

“What does that have to do with dancing?”

“It’s an old Fae Court thing. You’ve probably heard about it from fairytales.”

I’m stuck on trying to figure out how she went from denying that she was fae to full-fledged accepting it.

“Thanks for not letting me fall.” She hasn’t touched her pancake.

My thoughts snag on fall and Emeric and how amazing he is.

“I never would let you.” The words are as hard as stone and as unyielding.

“I know.”

“About Emeric? A guy in my dorm said he’s like the fae king. Big man on campus,” I joke as I venture into dangerous water. We never talked about Lucas or anything remotely having to do with relationships or love—the word I attach to the word fall.

The way Lea is batting her eyelashes when talking about Emeric makes me queasy and thirsty for blood at the same time.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” She repeats that word.

Yeah, violent thirst is taking over. “You mentioned that he’s amazing. That chocolate chip pancake looks amazing. Someone walking across Antarctica could be called amazing. The seven wonders of the world are amazing.” You’re amazing.

I get an eye roll.

“You should have heard what he was saying about people like me, Tyrren.” Awe fills her voice.

“Sounds dangerous. As Jurik said, we’re on probation. We have to be careful.”

Anger flashes across her face. “You just don’t get it.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t get why I’m here. Why you’re here or what’s going on between us.”

“Between us?” Her fork stabs the air. “What’s going on is you don’t understand what it’s like to have to deny who you are for years and years.”

“You’re right. I don’t, but I never asked you to. As of last week, when I became a vampire, I was unwittingly forced to learn how to do that. I don’t like this, Lea.”

Her nostrils flare. “You never asked me what happened that night.”

“Sophomore year? You’re right because I figured it was too painful. None of my business. That you’d tell me when you were ready.”

“But you knew that I wasn’t normal.” She spits out that last word.

“You were always Lea. My Lea. The Lea that I—” I trap that last word in my mouth. I won’t say it right now. Not like this.

“So then you agree. I’m not normal.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” My tone is harsher than I mean.

“After what happened to your parents, I’m pretty sure you became wary of all supernaturals.”

“They were killed by vampires and that didn’t stop me from hanging around your house, which is usually filled with vamps.”

She shakes her head with disgust. “I knew you weren’t different than everyone else. Judging, scorning, and rejecting.”

My brow wrinkles. “How did I reject you? I’ve been by your side all along. I slept on your couch so you wouldn’t be alone, endured your terrifying uncle for weeks after what happened sophomore year. I brought your schoolwork. Sometimes did your schoolwork. Made sure you ate. Taught you how to drive, took you all over Brooklyn. I was there, Lea.” And now I’m here. I hate this conversation and what she’s implying.

Lea doesn’t look at me. “We’re just different, Tyrren.”

“What’s so bad about that?” I feel as if she’s slipping from me.

She shakes her head. “We come from different places. We want different things.”

“No, we both come from Brooklyn. From broken families. Love music. Driving fast. Pizza. Books. Movies. Long walks along the East River. Dreaming of backpacking around the world.”

“No, that’s a life for a nat. I’d been trying to fit myself into that mold. It’s not who I am.”

Then again, I haven’t calculated how any of that might work for a vampire. But I’m not ready to let go of the life and dreams we shared. “What about both? Can’t you have both?” I don’t like the plea in my voice.

“Right now I have nothing,” she says.

The comment wedges between us.

“What about me? What about us? We’re here, locked up together. We have each other.” My chest craters.

“You don’t belong here.”

“That isn’t true.” I pause a beat, trying to read her expression, tap back into how we could always read each other’s mind, and finish each other’s sentences. “Did Emeric make you think all this?”

Fury rolls across her features like thunder. “I can think for myself. I’ve had a lot of time to think the last couple of days. I’m done ignoring that I’m fae. For your information, Emeric didn’t fill my mind with anything, but he did dance with me.” She gets to her feet.

I stand up. “I already told you that I would’ve.”

We’re toe to toe. If this were a different kind of moment, I could count the freckles on her nose and cheeks. I can’t help but stare at her then pull back, realizing what I was unintentionally doing—using my vampire abilities on her. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to how my body and mind have two different agendas now.

“You had four years to ask