I said with a wide grin.
We were soon joined by Brody who squeezed in next to Becca.
“Hey, what’s everyone up to?”
He asked, taking a large bite of spaghetti.
“Talking about fairies,”
Becca answered.
“Why would we be talking about those creatures?”
He asked, grimacing.
“Because our new friend Kay is a fairy,”
I told him, glaring at him.
He nearly choked on his food at my words and then he noticed Kay sitting beside me with a very red face.
“Oh, crap. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…”
“And that makes it okay?”
Kay asked and I could hear the hurt in her voice.
“No… of course not. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry….”
“We were talking about the history between fairies and bears and why fairies keep to themselves,”
I said in a calm tone trying my best to defuse the situation.
“Can I start over?”
Brody asked, peering at Kay with large puppy dog eyes. “I’m Brody; I tend to say the wrong things and act like an ass.”
“I’m Kayla,”
she said, staring down at her food. “But my friends call me Kay…”
“It’s nice to meet you. I had never met a fairy before. But I would like to.”
“Brody isn’t that bad,”
I assured her softly. “I’m sorry the first impression wasn’t great.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but a pair of hands slapping down at our table brought us out of our small conversation, startling most of us.
I looked up to see Sarah glaring at Kay with her death-ray eyes.
“Let’s get one thing straight,”
she began to say through her teeth. “Just because we are roomies now doesn’t make us friends. I don’t want you to breathe near me, look at me, or even be in the same room as me. You aren’t allowed in my room, in my bathroom, and you sure aren’t hell touching any of my shit. Do I make myself clear?”
Kay nodded and I felt her body tremble slightly.
She went to walk away but froze when she saw Brody’s large eyes staring up at her. She stared back at him for a moment longer like she was trying to figure something out, but then it seemed as if she answered her own question, and she shook her head.
“Cut the crap, football boy,”
she hissed. “Don’t think I don’t see you staring at me all of the time. Get a life and leave me the fuck alone.”
On that note, she turned and left, leaving us all silenced and stunned.
“What was that about?”
Rachel asked, peering at Brody through her lashes. “Why have you been staring at her?”
I was the only one in our friend group that knew that Brody and Sarah were mates. Sarah wasn’t even aware of this because Brody cast a spell on himself to hide his scent from her. I don’t even think anyone else knew that Brody was part witch.
Brody opened his mouth to speak, and I could see the nervousness on his face because he refused to look at Rachel as he struggled to answer her question.
So, I spoke for him.
“Sarah never makes any sense,”
I said, shaking my head. “She’s paranoid about everything. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
“And what about Kay being her roommate?”
Becca asked, peering at me and then at Kay.
“That part is true,”
Kay sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“Good luck with that… she’s a nightmare,”
Rachel muttered as she began to eat her food again.
“So, I’ve heard.”
I stole a glance at Brody while the others continued talking. His face was still very red, and he looked so defeated; my heart tugged painfully for him. I wanted to speak with him to see if he was truly okay but then my eye caught something across the dining hall.
It was a man sitting at a table with a hat and a pair of glasses. He looked a little too old to be a student and he wasn’t eating anything. He was just casually reading with his leg crossed over the other.
There was something oddly family about him, but then I saw the logo on his jacket. It was small and hardly visible, but once I noticed it, it became clear to me.
I also started to recognize who he was because there was only one person, I knew who had his style, and as soon as I recognized him, my blood boiled with anger.
It was Alexander.
One of my father’s gammas and the guy who rejected Brianna.
Lila’s POV
“Lila, are you okay?”
Rachel asked, peering at me with a frown.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Alex who sat at one of the tables across the dining hall. My face was red with fury. I hadn’t had a chance to confront him after Brianna told me he rejected her. I certainly wasn’t going to let him off the hook with this.
What was he even doing here?
“Lila?”
Rachel said again after I didn’t respond to her the first time.
I blinked a couple of times and looked at her.
“Sorry, yes,”
I answered. “But can you guys excuse me for a minute? There’s someone I need to speak to.”
Brody slid out of the booth first and then Becca, allowing me to get out. Without another word, I marched over to Alex’s table not even caring that my friends were staring at me intently. Alex, who wasn’t very slick and was watching me through his glasses, tensed and put the book on the table.
“Outside,”
I said through gritted teeth, not wanting to make a scene. “Now.”
He looked at me for a moment, removing his sunglasses and scanning my face. I was trying hard to keep myself under control. If Val was awake, she’d want me to rip his head off his shoulders or zap him until he was paralyzed. But I didn’t have her or my abilities right now so the most he was going to get was my fists.
Which, right now, was more than enough.
He eventually sighed and stood to his feet. Without a word, he turned and walked out the door. I followed closely behind him and once we were outside, I grabbed his arm firmly making him stop and look at me.
“What the hell do you think you are doing here?”
I seethed, feeling anger boiling in the pit of my stomach.
“I’m here to do my job,”
he answered simply. “Per the orders of my superior.”
“My father asked you to come here?”
I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “You, out of all his gammas?”