“Of course, it’s a rite of passage.” Madison looked scandalized. “You can’t miss it.”
We finished our lunch in the cafeteria just as the guys walked in. We had afternoon plans to spend time outside together.
The walk up to the fairy circle was pleasant. The guys moved all around me, holding my hands, giving me silly kisses, in general making me happy and keeping my mind off of all the drama that we had just been through a few weeks before.
When we arrived at the fairy circle, I stopped dead in my tracks. “What is this?” The weather was still pretty cold, spring still at least a few weeks away, yet the circle was full of thousands of spring flowers.
All three guys stepped in front of me and went down on one knee. “If you guys ask me to marry you, I will run screaming.” Obviously, they knew how much I cared about them. Because of the bond they could feel it. But they would also be able to feel how much I was not ready to get married.
Three cheeky grins were the only response I got. I narrowed my eyes on them.
“Lou,” Francis said.
“Yes?” I drawled.
Brooks took over. “We are so proud to have you as our girlfriend.”
“I know.” I had a sneaking suspicion I knew where they were going.”
Jayse cleared his throat “And we would be thrilled if you would accompany us to the prom.”
Francis stood and grabbed my hand. “Besides, it would be pretty rotten if the prom king and queen didn’t go to prom.”
I burst out laughing as he twirled me into the fairy circle. The magic reacted to my presence, but didn’t love his, so it wasn’t the same as last time or as potent. “I won’t be prom queen,” I exclaimed. “Look at what has happened to me since I arrived. Nobody will want me as prom queen.”
Brooks moved closer and Francis handed me off to him. He twirled me around, but the magic loved him being in there. It swirled around us, lifting my hair. “Will we dance like this?” he asked.
Jayse looked skeptically into the circle. “I don’t like to dance,” he said. “And it feels wrong to go in there.”
We teased him until he joined us, then spent the rest of the day laughing and talking about prom.
TYLER, SADIE, MADISON and I went prom shopping the next day. We only had one week, and all wanted to look our best. Tyler ended up picking out a gorgeous pinstriped suit, which looked perfect on her. Sadie, Madison, and I picked out our gowns and hung them on our closet doors, staring at them and dreaming of the upcoming night.
When the night finally came, we got ready together, using a mixture of human makeup and hair products and magic to achieve the perfect look without using a glamour. I never wanted to do a glamour again.
A girl in our potions class had used a human self-tanner and imbibed it with a magical potion to make it last and be the perfect shade for each wearers skin. We had all applied it the night before. We were tan, and of course we had been using magical acne wash.
Sadie and Madison were teaching us all about beauty, which Tyler and I weren’t particularly invested in. We were invested in being friends with Sadie and Madison, and they loved that kind of stuff.
So, Tyler and I ended up with tan, blemish free skin for prom. Nobody complained about that.
My dress, something I never would’ve worn before, was bright orange. Sadie and Madison had talked me into it and once I had it on, even Tyler was supportive. It had a deep V, almost to my navel. I had to use double-sided tape to keep it on. A human trick, Madison had divulged. Might as well use what works, so I went with it.
The skirt had a slit all the way up to my hip. Once again, I was skeptical, but the girls promised it would work. Tyler had been the most uneasy, but she reasoned that if I ended up hating it, we could magically lower the slit and raise the neckline. And change the color.
But with the tan and my white blonde hair, even I had to admit I looked pretty banging. Stepping out of my comfort zone wasn’t the worst thing to do once in a while.
When I stepped out of my bedroom to meet my guys, the expressions on their faces made the racy gown a thousand percent worthwhile.
“Holy shit,” Jayse said. “That’s...”
“Yeah,” Francis whispered. “Wow.”
Sadie and Madison dissolved into giggles. They had refused every date that asked them. They preferred to go together and had sincerely asked Tyler to be their date. They’d taken her under their wing and were obsessed with getting to know her. And me.
“You guys are so cute,” Madison said. “Get your jaws off the floor and come on.”
I sashayed across the room and past the three of them. Brooks, who hadn’t said anything about how I looked, groaned as I passed him.
“You like?” I asked.
He groaned again and followed me out the door.
I think he liked.
The school had been incredibly welcoming of our unconventional relationship. And my hybrid status. Even in class, the teacher had addressed the situation and brought it out in the open for people to ask me questions rather than be scared of me. It helped that they’d already known me for a while and knew that I wasn’t some sort of psycho killer.
A voice drifted over the crowd with some sort of magical amplification. “If everyone will turn toward the stage, we are ready to announce the prom king and queen!” We moved as a crowd to the side of the gymnasium, which had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Cliché, but delightful.
The Alpha, Cas, had returned to the school just for our big dance. It was tradition. He brought his beautiful wife, Leola, with him and they always presented the prom king and queen with their very own crowns.
“First we name our king.” He smiled at the crowd, who cheered. I clapped and cheered, going along with the mood in the room. Leola handed Cas a white envelope, and he opened it with the maximum anticipation. Reading the page slowly, he smiled at the crowd. “And your prom king is Francis DuVers.”
I jumped and cheered for my sweetheart. He gave me a big kiss. “Your turn,” he whispered before walking onto the stage and stopping so the tiny Leola could put a sparkly crown on his head. The crowd grew quiet again.
“And now for our prom queen!” It took him like fourteen years to open the envelope. I fully expected him to call out Sadie or Madison’s name and was ready to congratulate them and cheer a couple of my favorite people on.
“Lou Davidson!” The shifter alpha yelled.
My jaw dropped. There was no way they voted me prom queen. I mean sure, I’d gotten rid of Estelle, but that didn’t mean I was popular. Hands touched me all over, congratulating me, and the crowd went wild. They were so happy that I won. I stumbled toward the stage, and Jayse and Brooks took pity on me, realizing I was shocked. They took each of my arms and helped me walk in my high heels up the stairs.
I gripped them and made them walk on stage with me. Sure, Francis had won prom king, but the three of them were with me. I bent my head and Leola placed a tiara on my head, securing it with combs.
As I looked out at my fellow students, my peers, a true smile spread across my face. I noticed my parents standing in the back of the gym. Someone must have notified them that I would be winning. They clapped and cheered as loud as anyone else.
For the first time, I was completely happy that I had chosen to take the route of academy life. The future was not clear, nor would it ever be, but I had friends, family, and love. With that support system there wasn’t much I couldn’t tackle.
Thank you for reading the Magic and Metaphysics Academy series, we hope you enjoyed Lou's story as much as we enjoyed writing it! This won't be our last book together! Goddess Of Virtue is our first book not set in this world, but is a fun paranormal standalone with a burlesque dancer main character and demi-gods! Find it here: books2read.com/goddessofvirtue
And in August, we'll be releasing Wolf Tears in the Once Upon A Fairy Tale Night collection - which will follow Leola's daughter, Hannah, and may have some sexy wolves in it! You can pre-ord
er for 99 cents here: books2read.com/wolftears
Also by L.A. Boruff
The Unseen War
Paranormal Reverse Harem
War of Fangs
War of Fire
War of Wings
Coven’s End
Complete Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Lia Davis
Kane
Voss
Quin
Jillian
Coven’s End: The Complete Series Boxed Set
Academy’s Rise
Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Lia Davis
Dark Water
Dead Air
Academy’s Rise: The Complete Series Boxed Set
Valentine Pride
Complete Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Laura Greenwood
Unicorn Mates
Unicorn Luck
Unicorn Truth
A Platypus and Her Mates
The Firehouse Feline
Paranormal Comedic Reverse harem co-write with Laura Greenwood and Lacey Carter Andersen
Feline the Heat
Feline the Flames
Feline the Burn
Magic & Metaphysics Academy
Paranormal Academy Reverse Harem co-write with Laura Greenwood
Magical Mischief
Magical Mistake
Magical Misfit
Southern Soil
Sweet Contemporary Reverse Harem
Literary Yours
Snow Cure
Also by Laura Greenwood
Books in the Paranormal Council Universe
The Paranormal Council Series (shifter romance, completed series)
The Dryad’s Pawprint (Audiobook Available)
The Vixen’s Bark (Audiobook Available)
The Necromancer’s Prey (Audiobook Available)
The Vampire’s Bite
The Witch’s Stripes
- The Paranormal Council Boxed Set
The Fae Queen Of Winter (paranormal/fantasy)
Saving Eira (Audiobook Available)
Reigning Eira
FATED SEASONS: SPRING (paranormal/fantasy)
Chasing Aledwen (Audiobook Available)
THORNHEART COVEN (witch romance)
Witch’s Potion (Audiobook Available)
Witch’s Spark (Audiobook Available)
Return Of The Fae (paranormal post-apocalyptic)
Fall Of Hope (Audiobook Available)
Rise Of Night (Audiobook Available)
Dawn Of Pain (Audiobook Available)
Sight Of Change
Paranormal Criminal Investigations (paranormal mystery reverse harem)
Spell Caster (Audiobook Available)
MatchMater Paranormal Dating App (paranormal romance)
Reluctant Dragon Mate (Audiobook Available)
Bewitched Incubus Mate
Forbidden Vampire Mate
Stories From the Paranormal Council Universe (each story stands alone)
- Frost’s Forfeit (Audiobook Available)
- Death’s Choice
- Stories From the Paranormal Council Universe Collection
- Blood & Deceit (Audiobook Available)
- A Touch of Necromancy: Six Tales of Necromancers
Books in the Obscure World
ASHRYN BARKER TRILOGY (urban fantasy, completed series)
Shattered Illusions (Audiobook Available)
Broken Illusions (Audiobook Available)
Tarnished Illusions (Audiobook Available)
- The Ashryn Barker Trilogy Boxed Set (Audiobook Available)
Grimalkin Academy: Kittens (paranormal/fantasy academy romance)
First Time’s A Charm
Second Time’s A Curse
Third Time’s A Crime
Fourth Time’s A Cure
Fifth Time’s A Crisis
- Curses Start Somewhere
Grimalkin Academy: Catacombs (paranormal/fantasy academy romance, completed series)
Catching A Vampire
Catching A Wizard
Catching A Warlock
Standalones in the Obscure World (mixed paranormal and urban fantasy romance)
- No Stakes Allowed
Books in the Forgotten Gods World
CONSORTS OF THE GODDESS Trilogy (paranormal/mythology romance)
Quest of the Goddess
Forgotten Gods Series (paranormal/mythology romance, completed series)
Protectors of Poison (Audiobook Available)
Daughter of the Sun (Audiobook Available)
Servant of Chaos
- Priestess of Truth (Short Story)
- Forgotten Gods Boxed Set
The Grimm World
GRIMM ACADEMY (fairy tale academy)
Spindles And Spells
Pumpkins And Proms
Huntsmen And Hoods
Mirrors And Magic
Lamps And Lies
Frosts And Fears
Fate Of The Crown (Arthurian Academy)
The Almost Queen
Other Books
UNTOLD TALES (urban fantasy fairy tales)
Balanced Scales (Audiobook Available)
Golden Wings
Poisoned Fate
Tainted Ashes
Braids Of Silver
Fractured Core
ME Contemporary Standalones (contemporary romance)
Sweet About Me (Audiobook Available)
Kneel For Me (Audiobook Available)
Heard From Me (Audiobook Available)
Laid By Me
If The Shoe Fits (Audiobook Available)
Con With Me
- ME Collection Volume One
Rats: Tori (steampunk one shot stories, completed series)
Ruler of Rats
Collector of Rats
Yuletide of Rats
- Rats: Tori Collection(Audiobook Available)
Standalones
- Permission to Breathe Denied (dystopian, Audiobook Available)
- Glass Heart (urban fantasy, Audiobook Available)
- Reaper (fantasy romance, Audiobook Available)
Co-Written Books
TWIN SOULS TRILOGY, co-written with Arizona Tape (paranormal romance, completed series)
Soulshift (Audiobook Available)
Soultrade (Audiobook Available)
- Twin Souls Trilogy Boxed Set (Audiobook Available)
Dragon Soul Series, co-written with Arizona Tape (paranormal romance, completed series)
Torn Soul (Audiobook Available)
Bound Soul
The Renegade Dragons Series, co-written with Arizona Tape (paranormal romance, completed series)
Fifth Soul (Audiobook Available)
Fifth Round (Audiobook Available)
Fifth Flame (Audiobook Available)
- Renegade Dragons Boxed Set (Audiobook Available)
The Vampire Detective, co-written with Arizona Tape (urban fantasy mystery)
Fangs For Nothing
What The Fangs
Fangs For All
The Witch and The Detective, co-written with Arizona Tape (urban fantasy)
Hexes and Vexes
Seven Wardens, co-written with Skye MacKinnon (paranormal/fantasy romance, completed series)
From the Deeps (Audiobook Available)
Into the Mists (Audiobook Available)
Beneath the Earth
Within the Flames
Above the Waves
Under the Ice
Rule the Dark
- Beyond the Loch (series prequel)
- Through the Storms (to be read between From the Deeps & Into the Mists)
- Below the Baubles (to be read between Above the Waves & Under the Ice)
- Seven Wardens Boxed Set: Books 1-4
- Seven Wardens Boxed Set: Books 5-7
Valentine Pride, co-written with L.A. Boruff (paranormal shifter romance, completed series)
Unicorn Mates
Unicorn Luck
Unicorn Truth
- Unicorn Surprise
Magic and Metaphysics Academy, co-written with L.A. Boruff (paranormal academy, completed series)
Magical Mischief
Magical Mistake
Magical Misfit
Mountain Shifters Standalones, co-written with L.A. Boruff (paranormal romance)
- The Platypus And Her Wolves
- Wolf Tears
The Firehouse Feline, co-written with Lacey Carter Andersen & L.A. Boruff (paranormal/urban fantasy romance)
Feline The Heat
Feline The Flames
Feline The Burn
Kingdom Of Fairytales Season 11, co-written with J.A. Armitage (fantasy fairy tale)
Queen Of Reflections
Heiress Of Mirrors
Throne Of Wands
Goddess Of Magic
- Kingdom Of Fairytales Prequels
STANDALONES
- Ocean’s Serenade (co-written with J&L Wells. Paranormal Romance)
- Goddess of Virtue (co-written with L.A. Boruff, Paranormal Romance)
Audiobooks: www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/audio.html
About L.A. Boruff
L.A. (Lainie) Boruff lives in East Tennessee with her husband, three children, and an ever growing number of cats. She loves reading, watching TV, and procrastinating by browsing Facebook. L.A.’s passions include vampires, food, and listening to heavy metal music. She once won a Harry Potter trivia contest based on the books and lost one based on the movies. She has two bands on her bucket list that she still hasn’t seen: AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Feel free to send tickets.