“Dude,” Noble added, snickering as he stepped up to join us, “she got to the singer before any of us could. Well done, Nai.”
Rage shook his head, glaring at his brother just as Evil Barbie stepped up next to him.
“Prince Courage!” she gushed. “That wassobrave—oh, oh, what happened to your pants?”
I blinked, seeing the situation with new eyes. His crotch area was all wet with selkie blood, but his pants were really dark, so it looked like…
“I think he got a little nervous in the scuffle,” I told her, holding back a grin.
Rage narrowed his eyes at me as he cocked his head to the side, but he didn’t look pissed. He looked…
Holy mage. Was he about to smile?
A warm feeling spread throughout my chest when his lips curled into a smirk, and I rubbed the area because—no way was I getting warm fuzzies over this a-hole.
“You’re a pain in my ass, Nai.” That was all Rage said, still trying to fight the smile thatwantedto grace his sexy face.
No. Not sexy.Ugly. Ugly troll man who must get off on misery.
Noble burst out laughing first. “Damn, girl,” he said, patting my arm. “I think I love you.”
“It’s selkie blood, idiots!” Rage barked, but his grin ruined his attempt at acting pissed with his brothers.
My stomach flipped over that smile, and I knew in that moment that this man would be the death of me.
* * *
My adrenaline wouldn’t shutoff after the selkie attack. School was canceled for the day, and the king was rumored to be beyondpissed. Rage and the other brothers had been called to the castle for a meeting while I sat in Harvest Dorm and recounted the entire story to Nell, Rue, and Kaja. We all sat around a pristine wood-polished coffee table while Mele and Fiona, the other Harvest girls, had their respective noses shoved in books whilst hiding in the corner. Clearly, they wanted nothing to do with today’s drama.
“So, then, Barbie asked what was on his pants, and I was like, yeah, he got scared.” I finished the story, my eyes flicking over to Fiona to see her wearing a grin. She was totally eavesdropping.
The girls erupted into laughter, but then Nell’s expression furrowed with confusion.
“Wait, why didn’t the selkie song affect you? Selkie magic freezes shifters.”
I shrugged, popping a piece of popcorn into my mouth.
“No idea. I mean, it was captivating but didn’t really bother me.” I hadn’t given it much thought until now. Maybe because I had two affinities?
Nell and Kaja shared a look. “Weird, because we were all like … super helpless. I wonder if it has to do with your clan being—”
She stopped, seeming to realize what she was about to say could be hurtful.
“Cast out?” I finished for her. This used to be an issue for me. When wolves visited us from the magic lands and brought magical supplies and news of Alpha Island, I was so embarrassed. Back then, it made me angry that we weren’t allowed back.
She winced. “Sorry, I just meant … it’s the only thing that’s different.”
“No, it’s fine, and that’s a good point.” I shrugged. “Maybe that’s why I have two affinities too. Although it was probably because I couldn’t decide which one I wanted and wasn’t focusing on the right color.” I chuckled.
All three of their foreheads creased. Even Fiona and Mele set their books down from their reading chairs in the corner and stared over at me.
“What?” Mele asked from across the room.
“You know…” I considered how to explain the strange experience without sounding even more weird. “When the high mage dude whisked you away to your favorite landscape, made you pick your affinity, and then brought you back…”
The longer I spoke, the deeper the creases in their foreheads grew. Why were they looking at me like I was an alien?
“What are you talking about, Nai?” Kaja asked, her face furrowed like I was speaking a foreign language.
