by Violet Fox
Blurb
Want to hear a joke? A fae, a werewolf, and a vampire walk into a bar…
Well, it turns out I’ve forgotten the rest of the joke, but do not despair. My life has become one big joke right now, and I’ve got the pretty gossamer wings to prove it.
There I was on the streets, stealing whatever I could get my hands on so I could feed my sister, and then I was arrested and sent to Fairborn Reform for Unruly Fae.
Fairborn is the last stop before prison. Fae of all kind are given a second chance to become upstanding citizens for a bunch of mean vampires who think they’re better than us. To make matters worse, the school is run by a vampire jerk by the name of Levington Straus, along with his broody werewolf companion Conan Grey.
But when I meet Drystan Wildflower, a rebel fae who plans to free the school, my hopes are lifted. With Drystan’s help, maybe I can escape and reunite with my little sister.
That’s if I don’t do something stupid first, like falling in love with the dean and his grumpy werewolf companion. Oh, and don’t forget to add a pretty rebel fae to the mix too.
Yeah, I’m doomed.
Excerpt
Dean Levington proceeds with his boring lecture, and all the while I can feel Bryony’s probing gaze.
She’s out for my blood, just like someone else I know.
At least she’s not looking at the dean right now, who’s breathing a cloud of sparkling faery dust.
Wait. That’s my faery dust.
It spreads from his mouth like a contagion, and now the dean throws a hand over his mouth, muttering, “Shit…”
People start whispering, turning my way. I try to hide under my desk, wishing I could die or something.
I guess it’s true what they say about glitter. It does get everywhere.
Hooded Girl seems to be pleased with me, however. So for that, I’m proud. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to be proud of.
So Levington has my faery dust inside his lungs? Big deal.
Bryony seems to think it’s a big deal, and once again she looks as if she wants to vanquish me.
“Fuck!” the dean snaps, and it looks as if he’ll have to get a surgical facemask lest he wants to spread my glitter everywhere.
With his hand pressed to his mouth and nose, he turns to the class. “I guess class is dismissed. I seem to be exuding some strange, sparkling substance…”
He sweeps out of the room, and the class falls absolutely silent. No one knows what to do. We all just remain in our seats.
Suddenly, the class breaks into a round of applause, cheering and hooting like a pack of wild chimpanzees, and now they all congratulate me.
Despite my embarrassment, I smile.
Have I just surpassed phase two?
…
I have no idea why my feet urge me. After all, they’re taking me in the direction of the dean’s office.
For some reason, I felt compelled to check on him.
Conan must be wandering the halls looking for me but who cares. I have a vampire to look for.
I’m not sure why, but I feel a little guilty about making a fool out of him in front of class. It’s his fault after all. He was the one who decided to prey on me in the first place, and now he’s breathing my faery dust.
Still, it can’t be good for his lungs.
What am I saying? He’s the monster who threatened to hurt my little sister; he deserves everything he’s about to get.
I arrive at his office, taking a few moments to compose myself. If I can just turn back now and go and find Conan, then I can forget all about this and let that monster suffer alone with my faery dust.
Yet why do I knock on his door?
“It’s open…” a dark voice comes from inside, and I shiver.
There’s just something off-putting about that voice, but at the same time, it’s… inviting. Now I’m finally starting to understand why women fall prey to these beasts.
They exude sexuality. It’s in their DNA.
Slowly, I enter the room, and a gasp leaves me instantly. My glitter hovers through the air like dust motes. It settles on bookshelves, and on the dean’s shiny desk.
The vampire stands before the window, silhouetted against the light like a shadow. I blink.
How is he not bursting into flames? That’s daylight. It’s bad for vamps, right? All I can see of him is his gleaming red eyes, and every fiber in my body is telling me to run.
It’s a predator after all. It’s dangerous.
But when I see that venom dripping from his pointed fangs, I let out a small, helpless moan, and my body betrays me.
I gush inside my panties, hating myself for being turned on by a vampire of all things.
They’re monsters. His venom could kill me!
The dean hisses, breathing out a cloud of faery dust, and then he shoots across the room. He presses me against the door, and those dripping fangs are inches from my face.
My wings flippity-flap behind me as he crushes me with his body, and he really is strong. One snap and I could break.
Yet the thought only delights me further, and now I throw my head back, offering him my neck.
I will surely regret this tomorrow, but deep down I know I have won. After all, his breath is warm on my neck, and vampires are cold-blooded.
It seems I’ve changed the very essence of this beast.