Illusions

“Shut up,” Laurel said. Her tone was still flat, but she wasn’t feeling quite so numb anymore. “We’ll deal with that later. When you kissed me, I got all these… ideas. For potions I’ve never heard of.” She thought of the way the word poison had invaded her mind. “I think maybe they’re forbidden.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been doing it wrong, Tamani. I don’t need to touch you. I might need to test my potions on you, assuming I find the right plants, but touching you won’t tell me how to make potions for you.”

It took him a moment to process what she was saying. “What did it tell you, Laurel?”

“It told me how to make potions from you.”

“Holy Hecate, petals, branches, and breath,” Tamani swore, his face lined with concern. “You can do that?”

“With study and practice,” Laurel said quietly. How many times had Yeardley spoken those words to her? “I… I don’t think that was something I was supposed to know about,” she said softly. “I don’t know why.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Surely the other Falls know?”

“I don’t know. Nobody’s ever said anything. Why…” She was having trouble forming a coherent thought. Who in their right mind would think to use other fae as ingredients? “Why didn’t that happen before?” she finally demanded. “It’s not like I haven’t… kissed you before.”

Tamani’s grin was a little pained now. “Um, I may have bitten down on my tongue pretty hard just before I kissed you.”

Laurel’s thoughts jerked to a stop. “That’s disgusting!”

“Hey,” Tamani said with a shrug, “you said you cut things open and taste them, and I knew you weren’t going to try either of those things on your own.”

He was right. Clearly it had made a difference. Casually touching him — or even kissing — wasn’t enough. And yet…

“You should probably go,” Laurel said sternly. The numbness was fading. Tamani had kissed her! Without permission. Again! She knew she should be furious, but somehow anger couldn’t pierce the shock she felt at her new discovery.

“If it makes you feel better, it really hurt,” Tamani admitted, his jaw at a funny angle.

“I’m sorry. And at least this time you didn’t do it while David was watching,” Laurel added. “But you shouldn’t have done it at all.”

Tamani simply nodded before turning and silently exiting the room.

As he left, Laurel brought her hand once more to her lips and lost herself in thought. Not thoughts of Tamani, for once. Thoughts of potions, powders, and poisons she somehow knew she was never supposed to learn.

Chapter Thirteen

THERE WERE FLOWERS IN LAUREL’S LOCKER ON MONDAY. Not big flashy roses. Just hand-picked wild ones tied with a ribbon, which was how she knew they were from David. He wasn’t the kind to make a big deal out of gifts — drawing more attention to himself than to the sentiment.

Which was why she found the jealous, possessive David so perplexing.

“I’m sorry,” David said, stepping quietly up behind her.

Laurel looked down at the flowers, but said nothing.

“I was totally out of line. I freaked out.” He leaned his back against his locker and ran his hands through his hair. “I just don’t like him being here. I haven’t from the beginning. I’ve tried to hide it and deal with it, and I guess I snapped last week.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Laurel said, avoiding his eyes as she stacked books in her locker.

“I know,” David said. “That’s what I’m trying to say and apparently failing. It’s not your problem, it’s mine.” He turned to her now, his blue eyes earnest. “It’s just that I know what he wants, and I don’t want him to have it. Trust me,” he added, trying to laugh away the tension, “if you had a girlfriend as cool as mine you would turn into a freak at the thought of losing her too.”

“I had a boyfriend as cool as your girlfriend,” Laurel said, not turning around.

“I’ll do better,” David said, leaning against his locker now so he could see her face. “I promise.”

Laurel stared at her locker, not wanting to admit that half of her anger was at herself. She wanted David to trust her, to know that she wasn’t going to let Tamani steal her away. But David had every reason to be suspicious of Tamani — and how could she ask David to trust her when she wasn’t even sure she trusted herself?

“I should have called sooner,” David said, pulling Laurel from her thoughts.

“I should have replied to your email,” Laurel admitted. “I was going to. I kinda wimped out.”

“So… are we okay?” David asked hesitantly.

This was the moment — the moment to tell him everything. To admit that she was in the wrong as much as he was. She opened her mouth, and—

“Hi, Laurel.”

Laurel and David both turned to look at Tamani as he delivered his morning greeting. Laurel looked up at David again, and lost her nerve.

“Yeah, we’re okay,” she said quietly.

David released a sigh and wrapped his arms around her. “Thanks,” he said softly. “I really am sorry.”

“I know,” Laurel said, guilt smoldering in her stomach.

After a pause he added, “So, we didn’t get to do SAT stuff this weekend. How about this week?”

Laurel sighed, wishing with all her heart right then that she hadn’t agreed to retake them. “Can’t we study for something else? I don’t even know why you’re bothering with them. You scored more than seven hundred on every section last time.”

“Yeah, but that was ages ago. I really think I can do better this time.” He stopped. “Plus I want to be supportive of you.”

Laurel pursed her lips. She didn’t particularly enjoy being reminded that her scores from last spring weren’t great. Thus actually preparing this time.

“Anyway,” David rushed on, “we always study together and I wanted to make sure we could still do that.”

“Absolutely,” Laurel said, laying a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to stop doing things with you just because you’re a jerk.” Laurel smiled to let him know she was kidding and, after a tiny hesitation, he laughed.

“So, after school?”

“Sure.”

“Okay.” He hesitated and then chanced a quick kiss. “I love you,” he said.

“I know,” Laurel replied, then wondered where that response had come from.

“I’ll walk you to class.”

As Laurel shouldered her backpack she caught sight of Tamani leaning against Yuki’s locker, smiling and chatting with her. As if sensing her watching him, Tamani looked over and met her eyes for the smallest of instants before turning right back to Yuki and smiling again.

Laurel didn’t realize she had stopped walking until she felt David’s fingers pulling her forward. She quickly caught up. “Well, well, well,” she said quietly.

“What?” David asked.

“Tamani’s really making… progress with Yuki.”

David turned a little and looked across the hall where Tamani and Yuki were still chatting, Yuki clearly hanging on Tamani’s every word. David shrugged. “Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Sort of,” Laurel said, wondering why Tamani’s friendliness bothered her so much. Was it because he had succeeded in befriending Yuki after Laurel had failed? “I guess I thought he was trying to convince her to be my friend.”

After kissing David distractedly, Laurel walked into her Government class, took her regular seat, and waited for Tamani to come and sit beside her. She could feel a headache coming on. Great. Just the thing to round out her morning.

Tamani came running in and slid into his seat just as the final bell rang. He was wearing a pair of black leather gloves with the fingers all cut off at the first knuckle.