Chapter Twenty-Nine

Iris:

Finn has been distant for some time now, not his annoyance kind of distance thankfully but a lot on his mind kind of distant.

I watched Finn with Vane and Vine as he dropped his tray in the bin and left the cafeteria without taking a bit of his food.

“This is alarming to watch.” Vane commented.

“And painful too.” Vine added.

“Did he lose his mate or something?” They both asked at the same time as they turned to face me.

“What did I tell you both about acting creepy?” I glowered at them. Stabbing my food with the spoon in my hand.

Vane blinked those baby blue eyes of his at me innocently.

“Dare it and ask, who us?” I cut in when he opened his mouth with a finger already pointed at himself.

Vine chuckled at his brother put out look. “You always take his fun away from him but honestly, what’s wrong with Finn?”

“How would I know?”

“Because you are a very good friend of his.” Vane points out.

I was about to say that they were too when I realized that me shifting the attention of me was not making Finn change in any way. “You know, it is time that I go and find out.”

Standing up, I glance at Cirdan’s seat where he was already staring at me, silently asking me with his eyes where I was going. Due to the fact that we were in public, we didn’t interact much so as not to give others much to talk about. After all they can’t prove that we are mates if we stay away from each other when we are in the same room with them.

I tilted my head to the door which Finn just exited then mouthed the name Finn to him, I saw as he nodded then dragged his eyes away from me, I had the same difficulty with mine, but I hurried out of the room with a smile, not noticing Viana hatred which she beamed at me with her eyes.

I caught up with Finn just as he was about to take a step into the library and using the collar of his shirt, I dragged him back out.

“Hey?” Finn complained until he turned and saw it was me, then he smiled. “What’s up Princess? You do know that Vine and Vane are the ones who needs collaring not me right?”

“What’s been up with you?” I asked him folding my arms across my chest while staring up at him. It is not nice being the short one among your group of friends and normally, I am not a short girl but with the height of those surrounding me, I cannot help but appear that way to others.

“Hmmm? Nothing?” Finn replied, a question present both in his tone and face like I had really lost him with my question.

“You have not been acting like yourself in a while. What’s been going on?” my voice softened as I asked the question for the second time. I was really scared about what was happening to Finn.

“Nothing is, I am fine.” Finn stated with a smile and when I looked at him with my head tilted to the side like really? Did he think that pathetic excuse would be enough for him to escape me?

“Okay, okay. Geez, you are like a dog with a bone.” Finn said then chuckled at what I suspected the thoughts of Vine and Vane which came to his mind.

“I am worried about the Light fae town that is close by, it has seemed weird for some time now, I would need to go the town later to see what’s wrong so I can bring it up with the queen and she would try to stop it.” Finn announced.

“Wait. There is a light Fae town close by?” I asked, my mind latching on to that fact and ignoring everything else which Finn said.

“Err, yes. Each of the five race have a small town filled with their race close by, they cater to the needs of their people, parents or hopeful students who wants to register at ATI.” Finn explained.

“How come nobody told me of this?” I demanded.

“Maybe because you didn’t ask and we all kind of forgot that you did not grow up knowing things which we all take as common knowledge.” Finn returned but I still frowned.

“Cirdan only showed me the Folks own, why did he not show me others?”

“Wait, Cirdan has taken you out of school before?” Finn asked.

“Yes, to the fair, I did not really have the most amazing time like I originally thought that I would.” I complained.

“That is ballsy of him since your parents have declared that you should not be allowed to leave school unless they give their signatures…” Finn started but I froze.

“Say what?” I deadpanned, trying to keep my fury at his words. Even if they were not true, I suspected that my father would do something like that, he is very controlling in that way.

“You parents… I thought you knew?” Finn said when I started swearing a mile long.

Finn waited patiently for me to finish ranting but before he could say anything, my finger was already pointed up to his nose. “You are going to cause some distraction while I and Cirdan sneak out later and visit every settlements before I talk to my father, that would teach him, to learn that I have visited them already before he gets to place a physical ban on me.”

“Another thing, each race can only get into their settlements, or another can enter if someone from that race is with them. So, if you want to get into the settlements, you need someone to help. Now you can enter the fae settlement and then get Vine and Vane to help you get into the shifters, we can find others eventually.”

I nodded liking Finn’s idea. “Let’s do that. When are we going to go to the Fae settlements?” I asked fin who looked at me in surprised.

“We?”

I rolled my eyes at his silly question. “Of course, we, who is going to show me the place before?” I asked, my hands on my hips and glowering at Finn which is not working at usual because I am shorter than him. It really only ever works well when I was towering over the other party or at least the same height.

“Okay, fine. I have to go there anyways, tonight then?” Finn asked, I nodded and turned quickly even though I caught the edge of Finn’s expression that seemed as if he feeling guilt.

After telling Cirdan where I was going with Finn, he did put up a tantrum before calming down, me and Finn arrived at the fae settlements before Finn left me to handle some businesses of his while I wander around on the street he told me not to leave so he could easily see me.

Everything was okay until a group of seemingly strange men appeared, then everything went to chaos.

Men that seemed to recognized me.

Men that appeared to be the definition of Wild and didn’t mother dearest say they were after her life?