Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely 1)

From the side of the building, Father Edwin called, “You’re still on school property, ladies.”

“Not now.” Rianne stepped off the curb into the street and blew a kiss to him. “See you tomorrow, Father.”

Father Edwin tugged his Roman collar, his version of clearing his throat. “Try to stay out of trouble.”

“Yes, Father,” Leslie said obediently. Then she lowered her voice. “So are you coming, Ash?” She didn’t pause, walking toward the corner, expecting everyone to follow her.

Aislinn shook her head. “I’m meeting Seth at the library.”

“Now, he’s yummy.” Rianne gave an exaggerated sigh. “You holding out on us? Les said that’s why you bailed the other night.”

Across the street, listening to everything they said, was Deadgirl. She followed them, her wolf loping down the street, keeping pace with them.

“We’re friends.” Aislinn blushed, feeling more embarrassed than usual with the faery eavesdropping.

Aislinn stopped, bent down, and pulled off her shoe as if there were something in it. She glanced back: Deadgirl and her wolf lingered in the shadows of the alley across the street. Humans walked past—oblivious as always—talking, laughing, completely unaware of the unnaturally large wolf and its feral rider.

“Bet you could be more.” Rianne linked her arm through Aislinn’s and urged her forward. “Don’t you think, Les?”

Leslie smiled, slowly and deliberately. “From what I hear, he’s got enough experience to be a prime candidate for the job. Trust me: for your first, you want someone with finesse.”

In a throaty voice, Rianne said, “And I hear Seth’s got finesse.”

Carla and Leslie laughed; Aislinn shook her head.

“Sheila said that when she was in Father E.’s office, she saw the new student who’s coming this week, some orphan,” Carla said as they stood at the crosswalk. “Said he’s definitely a hi-cal dessert.”

“Orphan? She really said orphan?” Leslie rolled her eyes.

Glad the conversation had drifted away from her, Aislinn only half listened, more concerned with her faery stalker than new students. The faery stayed precisely even with them as they walked. From the way the faeries that passed treated Deadgirl, she was special. None of them approached her. Some bowed their heads as she passed. She, however, didn’t acknowledge any of them.

At the corner of Edgehill and Vine, where they usually split ways, Carla asked again, “You sure? You could bring him.”

“What?” Aislinn shook her head. “No. Seth’s helping me study, umm, for government. I’ll call you later.” The light changed, and she started across the street, calling back, “Have fun.”

Deadgirl didn’t follow.

Maybe she went away.

“Hey, Ash?” Leslie called, once they were far enough apart that she had to yell, far enough that everyone would hear. “You do know there’s no test in there this month.”

Rianne shook her finger. “Naughty, naughty.”

The people walking by didn’t pay any attention, but Aislinn’s face still burned. “Whatever.”

Aislinn cut across the park toward the library, thinking about Seth, about Deadgirl following her. She wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings until someone—a human someone—grabbed her arm and pulled her against his chest, holding her securely immobile.

“Well, if it isn’t a nice little Catholic girl…Nice skirt.”

He tugged her pleated skirt, and the other two guys with him laughed. “Whatcha doing, baby?”

Aislinn tried to kick him, but her foot made little impact on his leg. “Stop it.”

“Stop it,” his friends mocked. “Oh no, stop it.”

Where is everyone? The park wasn’t usually deserted this early. No people, no faeries, no one at all was in sight.

She opened her mouth to scream, and he clamped his other hand over her jaw, his index finger between her half-open lips.