Shadowfae, page 24
part #1 of Shadowfae Chronicles Series
Azure swatted my shoulder. “You know what I mean.”
“Hide-and-seek, catch-me-if-you-can. It’s just games—”
“Promise, Ice. I couldn’t bear it.”
She stared, so earnest and brimful with tears that I couldn’t take it. “Okay, I promise. Call me a pincushion and shove safety pins up my nose if I’m wrong. It’s the rules anyway, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Azure gave a sad half-smile.
I hugged her, my hand slipping beneath her delicate wings. “You’ll get over him, Az.”
She hugged me back, and I felt better. I had nothing to hide. She sniffed, wiping snot on my shoulder. “I wish I was like you, Ice. You’re the sensible one.”
I thought of Blaze’s tongue in my ear and giggled. “Yeah, that’s me. Sense, dense, intense. Dripping out my ears, it is. Of course, you wanna be me. Why wouldn’t you? You’re only the prettiest, cleverest girl in the whole world.”
She kissed me, a sweet taste of sky-blue lips, and gamely wiped her tears away in green streaks. “You’re nice. Let’s get drunk and find some boys.”
Meaning, I’d get smashed, she’d get prettily tipsy, she’d find more boys than she had hands for, and I’d get the leftovers who were too plain to interest her and too shitfaced to care that she was a hundred times more beautiful than me. But what are best friends for?
“Yes, yes, yes.” I paid for two more drinks and we clinked glasses. Sugar and alcohol burst into my brain like flares, and my nose fizzed.
Azure gasped. “Raspberries and ice cream. More.”
“Careful, there’s a fairyslasher on the loose.”
She snorted. “S’always a fairyslasher. More.”
I ordered more, and we chugged again. This time the froth did come out of my nose, laced with plummy drug-charmed mirth. I laughed, splurting pink bubbles onto the guy next to me. “Whoa. Sorry, dude.” I yanked up my skirt hem to wipe his arm clean, but the frills were too short. My heels skidded out from under me and I landed in his lap in a giggling, spluttering heap.
Oops. I craned my neck up to apologize, and my laughter strangled.
Not again.
Dark blue skin, dusted with copper, so smooth and perfect it’s unreal. Black hair so crisp it curled jagged. Eyes the velvety gray of softened steel. Long narrow wings like silver-shot glass.
My senses tumbled, intoxicated with hot metal scent. Warm midnight-blue hands steadied me, and my belly melted inside me like chocolate fudge sauce on ice cream, running everywhere. I inhaled molten iron and hot fairy skin. . . .
Fluid scorched into my wing veins, swelling them tight. I held my breath. Calm, Ice. He’s touching you. You’ve practically got your face in his lap. Say something really cool and seductive.
“Oh. Um. Hi, Indigo. It’s me.”
Yeah. That so wasn’t it.
Effortlessly, Indigo lifted me to my feet. Rusty wing-glitter shimmered warm on my shoulders. His coppery claws grazed my wrist, and tiny electric shocks crackled up my arms, sparking my diamonds blue.
I stared, my fingerpads itching. He wore black, as usual, jeans and a sleeveless shirt that showed off lean blue arms.
I wanted to rub my cheek against them, tickle my tongue along his biceps. Metalfae are usually twisted hunchbacked little monsters with razor-sharp metal teeth and an attitude. Indigo, well, he’s tall and sculpted and moves lightly, like a cat burglar, but he’s still got razor-sharp metal teeth and an attitude. Licking is strictly off limits, especially for a no-account geek girl like me.
He surveyed me, steely eyes cool. “Nice diamonds.”
Erica Hayes, Shadowfae
