Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely 1)

“I’m good.” She looked toward the room where the faery waited. “Who’s your friend?”

“Tasty, isn’t he?” Leslie made a noise somewhere between a moan and a sigh. “I just met him outside.”

Seth put the book down and crossed the room.

“You ready to go?” He slid a steadying arm around Aislinn’s waist. “I can—”

“In a sec.” She glanced at the faery with Rabbit; their voices were barely more than a whisper. Forcing her paranoia aside, she turned her attention to Leslie. “You’re not taking him to Ri’s, are you?”

“Irial? What, you don’t think he’d be a hit?”

“He’s certainly different than your usual”—she bit her lip and tried to act like everything was normal—“vic—…I mean, partners.”

Leslie shot him a longing look. “Unfortunately he doesn’t seem interested.”

Aislinn held in the sigh of relief that Leslie wasn’t going to try to pursue the faery. Life was already complicated enough.

“I wanted to see if you’re coming to the party.” Leslie grinned—somewhat viciously—at Seth. “Both of you.”

“No.” Seth didn’t elaborate. He tolerated Leslie, but tolerate was the best he could do. Most of the girls who went to Bishop O.C. weren’t people he willingly hung with.

“Something better going on?” Leslie asked in a conspiratorial voice.

“Always. I only go to those fiascos if she insists.” Seth gestured toward Aislinn. “You ready?”

“Five minutes,” Aislinn murmured, and then felt guilty immediately: it wasn’t like they were on a date or anything.

She didn’t want to make Seth wait, but she didn’t want to leave a friend alone with a faery strong enough to touch iron. She certainly wasn’t leaving a friend alone with one wearing a human guise that would make even the shyest girls pant. And Leslie definitely wasn’t shy.

Aislinn glanced back at Seth. “If you want to head out, I can go with Leslie….”

“No.” He gave her a briefly irritated look before he wandered away to look at the flash on the walls.

“So what are you doing?” Leslie asked.

“What?” Aislinn looked back at Leslie, who was grinning. “Oh, nothing really. He’s just walking me home.”

“Hmm.” Leslie tapped her fingernails on the glass case, oblivious to the piercer’s glares as she did so.

Aislinn knocked Leslie’s hand off the case. “What?”

“And that’s better than a party?” Leslie linked an arm around Aislinn and whispered, “When are you going to give the poor thing a break, Ash? It’s sad, really, how you string him along.”

“I don’t…we’re friends. He’d say something if he”—she lowered her voice and glanced back at Seth—“you know.”

“He’s talking, girl. You’re just too thick to hear it.”

“He’s just flirty. Even if he meant it, I don’t want a one-nighter, especially with him.”

Leslie shook her head and sighed melodramatically. “You need to live a little, girl. There’s nothing wrong with a little quick love if they’re good. I hear he’s good.”

Aislinn didn’t want to think about that, about him with other girls. She knew Seth went out; even if she didn’t see the girls, she was sure they w

ere there. Better to be just friends than one of his throwaway girls. She didn’t want to talk about Seth, so she asked Leslie, “Who’s going tonight?”

Trying to keep unpleasant thoughts at bay, Aislinn half listened to Leslie go on about the party. Rianne’s cousin had invited some of the guys from his frat.

Glad we’re skipping it. Seth would hate that crowd.