Warrior Fae Trapped (Warrior Fae #1)(3)

She stopped by her sleek, champagne-colored Porsche and swished her hair over her bare shoulder before opening her door. “The words were in this old-fashioned cursive font, but all loopy. It looked handwritten. Like someone actually used a fountain pen and wrote on the paper.” She pushed the seat up and dropped her handbag into the back before jabbing the button to open Charity’s door. “Only a handful of people were invited.” She preened as she sat in the car. “I am on a very short list, and I’m only a freshman.”

“Awesome.” Charity got into the front passenger seat, touching as little as possible so as not to dirty anything, dropped her bag between her legs, and closed the door after her.

“It totally is.” Sam’s voice rang with excitement. She absolutely lived for parties and status. This sounded like both rolled up into one. “Jessica got invited too, thank God. We’re going to go together so we don’t look like losers showing up alone.”

“Good call.” Charity draped the seatbelt over her middle, adding just enough to the conversation to fly under the radar. It was what kept her so firmly at the edge of the social group. “Power in numbers.”

“God you’re weird.”

Or maybe not.

Besides the weird maybe-thief she’d seen on campus, it felt like a normal night, with a normal amount of awkwardness. Charity certainly didn’t expect her life was about to change forever.





Chapter Two





“Hurry up, Charity!”

“Sam, no way. I am not going to that thing.” Charity put a hand on the open textbook in front of her. “I’m busy tonight.”

Samantha stalked into the room like a runway model, her shimmery metallic dress flowing over her curves and stopping just below her crotch. Her Underoos were going to get some breeze this evening. Black straps from her four-inch stilettos crisscrossed over her ankles, and spangled bracelets tinkled as she irritably placed her hand on her hip. The woman could be tenacious when she wanted something, and she really wanted Charity to go to the exclusive party with her.

Jessica had called to cancel. She hadn’t wanted to, but she’d gotten food poisoning and could barely get off the bathroom floor. Sam was devastated. The party was invite-only, she couldn’t do the inviting, and now she’d have to go alone, since she’d die before missing such a swank gathering.

Unfortunately, not ten minutes later, Sam had received a phone call inviting Charity to the party in Jessica’s place.

“Charity, no normal student sits in their room on a Friday night. Not even the biggest dweebs. You’re coming. And hurry, because Richard said we should come earlier than the invite said.” She popped out a hip. “Something about the caterer.”

“Richard?”

“The guy offering you the chance of your lifetime.” She paused. Charity offered her a blank look. Sam rolled her eyes. “The guy on the phone? Inviting you to the party?”

Charity schooled her expression into one of defiance. “Sam, I have a test coming up, and this book isn’t going to read itself.”

Sam’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows dipped low. “Firstly, if you download text-to-speech, it will absolutely read itself.”

Charity paused in her rebuttal. “Really?”

“Second, you’re getting straight A’s, you’re an overachiever, and everyone hates how you make them look bad. You don’t need to study tonight. You need to go to this party.”

“Yes, let’s talk about that.” Charity leaned an elbow on her ramshackle desk. “Doesn’t it seem odd to you that a rich dude who sends out fancy invitations with incorrect times would allow you to bring your roommate? I mean, I’m not exactly keeping up with the Joneses.”

Sam scoffed. “Clearly they knew I’d hate to go alone, and they’re making things right. It’s a smooth move, if you ask me. They’re letting me take my little project.” She gave Charity a sarcastically sweet smile that received a glower in return.

“Who are they, anyway? I know plenty of dicks, but not one Richard.” Charity grinned at her joke.

Sam didn’t get it. “They”—she drew out the word—“are influential and important, and they think I am worthy of their time.”

“You’ve managed to answer my question while simultaneously ignoring it—”

“And they invited you, which means you are coming. I will not go to this party by myself, Charity. I simply will not.”

“Well, you’re going to have to because—”

Sam’s voice lowered an octave as she said, “Charity, I did not beg my parents to move you in here so you could sit in your room like a librarian and piss your life away.”

Damn it. She was bringing out the big guns.

“I’m studying for a test, though,” Charity whined. “That’s the opposite of pissing—”

“I could’ve left you in that tiny dorm room. Remember that place? Peeling paint, weird smell, probably mold in the closets. I could’ve let you huddle up in the corner, with all the other nerds, and listen to someone snoring all night. I could’ve, but I didn’t. Do you know why?”

“You secretly loathe me?”

“Because you can be cool. That’s why. You need to have friends, Charity. You need to be reminded to file your nails. And you need to get your ass to a few parties once in a while. Let me help you. Get up, get dressed, and let’s go!”