I furrowed my eyebrows. “Why swap atall?”
“Another good question,” Liam said with a nod. “Our realms require balance. If we take sixteen souls, we much give sixteen. So, each year, when we take sixteen humans, we must give sixteen babes of our own. And when we return the humans, we are able to bring you back home. In fact, wemustbring you back home, or else the balance of our realms isdisrupted.”
“Disrupted how?” Griffasked.
At that question, Liam merely gave a shrug. “We have never tested it, and we do not intend to. I think I can speak for all fae when I say that we will not do anything that would risk the safety of ourpeople.”
Five more hands shot into the air, but the bell interrupted our questions. Grumbling, everyone stood to gather their books and papers, readying themselves to head to the next class. It was the first time anyone had seemed even remotely reluctant to leave History of Fae, though I had a feeling we’d be bored stiff in our next class. Liam had indulged us, but I had a feeling he wouldn’tagain.
“Norah?” he called out as I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Can you stay after class for amoment?”
Uh oh. I might very well be in trouble. I’d kind of taken control of the class and run with it, but I didn’t regret it in the least. Now, everyone else knew the truth about the changelings, and I’d gotten more answers, though I still had so much I still wanted toknow.
The classroom emptied as I walked up to his desk. He perched on the edge, tossing an apple aimlessly in the air. He didn’t even glance at it as it landed perfectly in his openpalm.
“Interesting discussion today,” hesaid.
“Yep. I thought so.” I crossed my arms and met his steady gaze. “That’s why I asked thequestions.
“Indeed.” A pause. “Though you didn’t seem particularly surprised by my answers. One might think you alreadyknew.”
Uh oh. Time for a diversion. I didn’t want him to get any weird ideas in his head, or to wonder where I’d gotten my information. If he discovered that Bree had come to visit me—in Redcap form, no less—he might tell the others. And the others would insist on tracking herdown.
“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Court I might belong to,” I said in a teasing, singsong kind of voice that sounded a lot like the way he spoke. Smiling coyly, I stepped closer to him until my hips brushed againsthis.
Amusement flickered through his eyes, and he raised his brows. “Is that so,Norah?”
“It just seems—to me, at least—that Winter and Autumn don’t make sense.” I shifted slightly closer. So close that the wild, fresh scent of him filled my head. “For one, I’ve never really been fond of the cold. And they’re just so serious, youknow?”
His green eyes sparkled. And, this time, he was the one who shifted closer. Now, his mouth was only an inch from mine. My heart raced through mychest.
“Something tells me that you’re suggesting you might be mine,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “You know what they say about Spring mates, don’tyou?”
“No,” Iwhispered.
He grinned. “When true Spring mates make love on the ground, flowers bloom all around them at the height of theirpleasure.”
I swallowed hard, and my cheeks blazed. Was he serious? I couldn’t becertain.
“So, if you truly think you’re my mate...” He slid his hand around the back of my neck and massaged my hot skin. With a gasp, I dropped back my head and stared up at the ceiling, my skin sparking from his touch. “I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you into the forest where we can test it forourselves.”
Oh mygod.
He was still massaging my neck, something that felt so good that I could practically melt into a puddle on the floor. And how he was talking about carrying me outside. I knew firsthand that he wouldn’t hesitate to throw me over his shoulder. But would he really take things further thanthat?
My heart pounded against myears.
I had feeling that he most certainlywould.
“Or,” he said, dropping his hand away. “You could be trying to distract me from the fact you knew about the changeling humans before you asked about them in class. Have you been talking to the olderrecruits?”
My brain was fuzzy, and my body begged for more of his touch. But I couldn’t let him see how much he’d gotten to me, or the fact that I’d actually been considering letting him carry meoutside...
“I guess you caught me,” I said in a faux-abashed voice. “I got curious, so I askedaround.”
“Hmm, well I can’t blame you, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to show me up in class like that.” His eyes dropped to my chest where my nipples had hardened and were clearly poking through my shirt.Thatwas how much an effect his little massage had on me. “Though, I have to say, it seems we’ve both enjoyed our little after-class chat. Be sure to let me know when you want to take that little trip into theforest.”
With a wink, he turned back to rifle through some notes on his desk, and it took a very long time for my face to cool down. Was that just another joke? A tease? A way to throw me off mygame?
