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“Only there was no way for us to anticipate the Thracians massacring the entire town on the day following our arrival. My sister was too young to protect herself, and she was killed alongside the husband and wife she bedded. It didn’t matter to me that my other sisters survived. All I could focus on was Allegra, who I’d allowed to be killed by not being more vigilant. I vowed vengeance on those Thracians—knowing I might have to spend years finding them all and hunting them down, but I didn’t care. They needed to pay for what they’d done to my sister.”

I lift the cup to my lips, finishing the contents before forcing my eyes upward to meet Audrey’s. “My parents warned me there would be a price to pay. My sisters begged me to give up my vow, but I refused. I managed to kill each and every last man who was in Mycalessus that day. Upon my return to the underworld, I found Lucifer waiting for me—though he was known as Hades then. He informed me I’d stepped out of the boundaries laid forth for my demon type and would need to be punished for my crimes against humanity.”

Audrey blinks at me, a frown marring her face. “What did he do?”

“Well, my punishment was three-fold,” I tell her, leaning back in my chair. “As the first part of my punishment, I was sent to work for the four horsemen—basically being their little bitch. I was also banished from my homelands on Elysium, never allowed to return. The only way I was able to see my family and meet each of my new siblings that have come over the years was by them visiting me. First on Ephonia, where we lived before the academy was created, and then here on Bristix. The final punishment was the curse he placed on me.”

I rub my hand against my chest, hating the pang of longing shooting through me. Usually, I’m able to ignore it—push it down so far I forget about it—but telling this story is bringing it all up again.

“A curse? What kind of curse?” It’s Wren who asks, though my eyes never waver from Audrey.

“The worst kind for someone who lives as long as we do—to never find love. To only be able to sleep with people but never to care. Because if I allowed myself to fall for them, something would happen to rip them out of my life.” I sigh. “You can listen to me or not, but as someone who chose to follow the exact path you’re planning, it’s not worth it.”

I push to my feet and head for the door. I’ve said my piece, and now it’s time to get the hell out of here. The last thing I need is for Audrey or one of her mates to notice the way I watch her. The way I feel about her.

Because Audrey Maddox is my fated mate, and she’s here. But I’ll never be able to have her. I won’t even chance it because I won’t take her away from her other mates, and that’s what will happen if I allow myself to love her. She’ll be ripped from my life and theirs.

“Nex! Wait!” I hear Audrey calling after me, but I’m at my limit. I’ve bared my soul to them—to her—and I’m afraid of what else they’ll see.

I need to get the hell out of here.

I throw open the door and rush down the stairs, having to pause for a moment to shift forms. Before I can take off, a small hand grasps my wrist, and I curse.

Damn it. Of all the times for her to touch me, of course, it has to be right now—at the worst possible time. Because demons confirm their mates via touch when they’re in their demon form. We’re usually able to tell before then, but it’s the only way to confirm it.

And from the gasp I hear from behind me, I know she’s felt it too.

Fucking hell. This is not what I needed right now.

Chapter Six

Audrey

WhenNexpracticallylauncheshimself from his chair, I find myself chasing him—even if I have no idea why. Especially since I spent so long pissed off at him, but it’s like that anger is nowhere to be found. I guess it just stopped being such a big deal?

It doesn’t really matter now, does it? Not with everything else going on.

He looked devastated when he admitted he would never be able to find love, and I didn’t like that one bit. Not that I should care. All he ever was to me was my hot professor, and now he’s not even that. Now, he’s just a hot man I’ll see from time to time. He shouldn’t mean anything to me.

How upset he is really shouldn’t matter to me.

Yet, none of that stops me from following him. He ignores me when I call out his name, and that just makes me want to stop him even more.

When he transforms into his demon form, I forget how to breathe for a moment as I take him in. He’s the first demon I’ve ever seen before—at least in their demon form. I recall meeting a few demons before my death—not that they told me that.

It’s an innate power I’ve always had—knowing someone’s supernatural type without having to be told. Mom always told me to keep it to myself, but she had no idea why I had it.

He’s gorgeous in both forms, but there’s just something about this form that really does it for me. His skin is a deep crimson with small smatterings of black here and there—though I can’t make out if they’re just marks or something more. His wings are crimson-tipped in black and they appear to be made of skin, though it’s hard to tell without touching them. His horns are black, curling backward over his head before curling forward to his chin and then curving outward. I’ve seen pictures of mountain sheep that have similar horns, but I can’t recall what species they are.

His hair appears more black than brown in this form, but that could also be because of how dark it is out here. Based on the glimpse I got of them earlier, his eyes are black instead of brown. This form is so much more bulked out than his human one—not that he isn’t well built in his human form. I’ve spent more than one class staring at the muscles, pulling his suit jacket tight. Let’s be real. Nex Novak is smoking hot, no matter which form he’s in.

Shaking my head to clear away my lustful thoughts—I have three mates. I shouldn’t be thirsting over my professor. Ex-professor? Whatever.

Luckily, the moment it takes for him to shift gives me just enough time to catch up with him. I wrap my hand around his wrist to keep him from flying away before I can talk to him, gasping as lust hits me hard, along with a shock of electricity that starts in my fingers before buzzing through my body.

I’ve never felt anything like it before, but somehow, I know exactly what it is.

“You’re my fated mate?” My voice is heavy with desire, and he curses again. “How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell me?”