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A quick look at my watch tells me I’m a few minutes late, so I put a burst of speed on—thanks to the Fates for making me a vampire—to make it there in mere seconds. Just in time to see Donovan open the door with a snarl.

“Nope.” I boop the hellhound on his nose, stepping between the two of them. “You can go back inside. Nex and I are just going to sit out here on the porch and enjoy the day.”

Donovan opens his mouth to say something, but I don’t bother waiting to find out what. I push him back and slam the door shut before leading Nex over to the porch swing Wraith put in for Audrey.

“You didn’t tell them I was coming,” he says with a shake of his head.

“Nope. I didn’t want him or Wraith giving you a hard time because then you wouldn’t want to hang out with me.” It’s really none of their business if Nex and I are hanging out, anyway.

He hesitates as I sit on the swing, patting the spot beside me. “Just sit your ass down, please. I really like this swing.”

“Fine.” Nex sits down carefully because it’s barely big enough for both of us to fit. I kick off, setting us swinging lightly as I lean back and close my eyes. “Why am I here, Brenden?”

“Because we’re friends.”

There’s a moment of silence before he speaks again. “We were friends. I figured we weren’t anymore when I told your mate that I wanted nothing to do with her.”

“But that’s not really true, is it?”

Another moment of silence.

“I can’t have anything to do with her,” he finally says. “My curse could cause her to be taken away from you, too. From all of you, and that’s not fair to anyone. I won’t do that.”

Cracking an eye open, I turn my head to watch him. He’s not paying me any attention, his eyes on the forest.

He’s so fucking hot. Before I knew he was Audrey’s mate, I considered talking to her about him. She seemed okay with Donovan and Wraith being together before she knew Wraith was her mate, so I wanted to see how she’d feel about me asking Nex out. I decided to put it off until after her final, which turned out to be just a little too long since she found out he’s her mate.

Now, I’m not sure if it would be okay for anything to happen between us. I should probably mention it to Audrey. She probably doesn’t even know I’m interested in him like that. Although, she made a few comments here and there while I was helping in his class before I got my own.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks, and I realize he’s facing me again.

“Like what?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

He clears his throat, his eyes dropping to my lips and causing me to smirk. “Like you want to devour me.”

I shrug. “That’s exactly what I was thinking about, so I’m not that surprised.”

He looks stupefied as he stares at me, unblinking.

“I don’t know why that surprises you,” I continue. “I’ve been hitting on you since I arrived.”

“Yeah, but I thought that was just because you were a flirt. Especially since you continued to do so after mating with Audrey.”

I shake my head. “Nope, but that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to talk about Audrey. You’re hurting her, and I don’t like it.”

“Damn it, Brenden.” Nex pushes to his feet and stalks to the railing. “I thought you understood—that you were on my side. That’s the only reason I came over. If I’d known it was just for you to try to change my mind, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

I’m not sure what would have given him that idea.

I slowly stand, joining him at the railing. While he’s facing the forest, I lean against my hip so I can study him.

“I will always be on Audrey’s side, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if she’s wrong or being belligerent, I will always be on her side. That’s what it means to be her mate. Something you should understand and should do because she’s also your mate.” I hold up my hand when he starts to argue. “It doesn’t matter if you want it to be true or not. You are her mate. Sure, you could choose not to mate with her, but that’ll just hurt both of you.”

He clenches his teeth, glaring at me. “I don’t want to hurt her. That’s why I’m trying to stay away, but everyone seems determined to throw the two of us together at every turn. The only thing that can come with her bonding with me is heartbreak. I’m so sick of talking about this. I shouldn’t have to keep explaining myself.”

“You wouldn’t have to if you didn’t want her. If you truly wanted nothing to do with her, we’d leave you alone, but it’s very clear that’s not how you feel.” I shake my head, leaning into him. “You want her.”

“Of course I fucking want her,” he roars. “But I can’t have her.”