Page 44 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)

Chapter Thirty

~ Shade ~

I ’m lounging on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in my hands, when the door to Thane’s bedroom bursts open. Galen and Raith fight each other to get through the doorway, but it’s Galen who wins, managing to glide through before his friend.

I smother my smile, hiding my face behind my mug as Thane looks disapprovingly at them.

“You’re awake?” Galen drawls, straightening the collar of his shirt and smoothing his hands over the fabric.

“You promised you’d wake us,” Raith grumbles, and even though he’s obviously talking to Thane, he never takes his eyes off me.

Both Galen and Raith stalk over, and the couch sags as they take a seat on either side of me.

With only a little encouragement from them, somehow, I end up on Galen’s lap, and my legs draped over Raith’s thighs.

I laugh, holding up my mug as the milk sloshes, and Galen plucks it from my hands taking a sip.

“Hey, get your own!” I protest, trying to grab it back, but Galen holds it out of my reach with his ridiculously long arms.

His lips quirk up as a mischievous glint touches his eyes. “And what will you give me for it?”

My mouth drops open, but before I can slap him, Thane walks over, casually taking it from Galen’s hand and passing it back to me.

“She hasn’t eaten in days,” he growls, staring the other two down like he’s ready to discipline them if need be. “Let the girl have her drink.”

I grin, muttering a ‘thank you’ as I take a large gulp, just in case Galen tries to snatch it again. It burns as it goes down, but I don’t care. The melted chocolate is heaven in my mouth.

Galen narrows his eyes at Thane, the corner of his lip curving. “So, going by the way I can smell her on you, I trust you also believe she’s ours now?”

Raith chuckles as he strokes his large hands up and down my legs. “You can see it in his eyes,” he teases. “He’s entered protective mode. Yeah, he fuckin’ tasted her.”

Galen hums. “Tell us, treasure, has he been fussing over you the whole time while we slept?” He strokes his slender fingers down the side of my cheek, brushing my hair behind my ear.

I shiver. Gosh, these men are too damn much, and I try not to think about how badly I want them. Instead, I focus on drinking my hot chocolate, though it no longer tastes sweet in my mouth. Not in comparison to what they would taste like.

I suck in a breath, realizing Galen is expecting a response.

“Actually,” I reply with a frown, “he has been feeding me for the past hour.” From the moment Thane brought me into the living room, he’s been constantly asking me how I am and offering me all kinds of food.

I’m at the point that if I have anything else to eat after this hot chocolate, I might just throw it all back up.

Thane’s jaw hardens. “She needs to rebuild her strength,” he defends.

Galen smirks. “No one is disputing that, but I’m not sure giving her a food coma is the best idea.”

Thane scowls like he’s annoyed they’re ruining his plans, and I smile, because it’s not just my belly that’s feeling full.

For the first time in a long while, my heart warms…

I try to remind myself not to get too excited.

I may be their destruction, after all, but it feels so good to be taken care of and not in survival mode for once.

“So, where do we go from here?” I ask as I finish my drink.

Thane takes the mug, and it disappears in a cloud of shadows. “Why don’t you explain to the others what you told me about your memories?”

Oh yeah, that’s the other thing. Not only has Thane been helping me stuff my face, but he’s been peppering me with questions the entire time.

Galen and Raith stare at me expectantly, and I clear my throat awkwardly.

I go on to tell them all about how I only have my memories from the last few years, and that before that, it’s all blank.

I explain how I’d been in the library hoping it would help to bring back my memories.

I don’t mention being cursed as a crow or talk about Blake.

Explaining all that is too much for me to handle right now, and I haven’t forgotten that these men still think I’m their doom, or whatever.

No matter how sweet they are at the moment.

No, that information can wait for another day.

At one point, I think Galen is going to interrupt me and tell the others about my portal ring that he stole.

He knows I’m holding back, but he presses his lips again shortly after, not drawing attention to it.

Galen drapes an arm behind my neck. “So let us get this straight,” he drawls, “You read romance books to try and jostle your memories?”

There’s judgement in his amused gaze, and I get defensive. “They weren’t all smutty books,” I retort. “I’ve read a few encyclopedias as well.”

His brows lift. “You read them?”

“Okay, I flipped through them,” I admit. “But it still counts.”

Raith gives me a lopsided grin. “As far as I’m concerned, she can read all the porn she wants.”

I’m about to protest at him calling my books porn, but he slides his hands higher up my thigh, and I’m too distracted to bother.

“And?” Galen asks. “Did it work?”

I blink, still staring at Raith’s hand. The man is grinning like an idiot now. “What?” I mumble belatedly.

“Did your time in the library help you to remember anything?” Galen prods.

“I, uh— not really,” I say, dragging my eyes away from Raith’s hand. “There was one book that made me…think of something, but aside from that, there’s been familiar vibes but not much else.”

Galen strokes his chin with his free hand. “What was the book?”

“It’s a fantasy romance with high fae,” I say dismissively. “A word keeps appearing in my head when I read it.”

“Ah,” Galen says, “it wouldn’t by chance be this book, would it?” He holds out his hand, and shadows pool on his palm. When the shadows clear, he’s holding the same novel I had back in the library in the human realm, complete with the library barcode.

My eyes shoot wide, and I snatch it from him. “You stole it?”

“I borrowed it,” he points out. “Well, you did, to be fair.”

I groan at the idea that I’ll have this missing book permanently on my library record.

“However, if you’d prefer that I return it…” Galen drawls.

“No,” I say, holding the book away from him so he can’t grab it.

He smirks.

“I mean, uh, thank you,” I say, running my hand over the cover.

“It was one of the books on the top of your pile,” Galen explains.

“Seeing as we’re already breaking the rules, I thought you might enjoy having it.

And if you want more books, you can start with these.

” Shadows explode from him and swirl around the little coffee table in front of us.

When the shadows clear, there’s a whole stack of books there. ”

“Please tell me these aren’t also from the library,” I say, even as my heart pounds with excitement.

“They are from my personal collection,” he assures me, his turquoise eyes glittering with amusement.

I notice on the top of the pile is the book about the beast, the one I had seen in his office, and I smile. “Thank you.”

“You can read them while you stay here and recover,” Galen says, sliding his hand along the base of my neck.

“Recover?” I turn to Thane, because he seems to be the most sensible one. “But I have classes. I’m already behind the others.”

“We’re not lettin’ you out of our sight, mate,” Raith replies. “Not after someone tried to kill you.”

“And speaking of, would you care to tell us what happened?” Galen asks.

Raith stiffens, his hands stilling on my thigh as he stares at me. “Who did this to you, sunshine?”

All three men peer at me seriously, and I hesitate before admitting, “Satine and her minions. There’s not much to tell. I think Satine is worried I’m taking the attention away from her.”

Raith snorts, but none of the men look surprised.

“And she would be right,” Galen says with a sensual smile.

“Don’t worry, sunshine,” Raith adds. “She won’t bother you anymore.”

I don’t miss the way he says it like Satine has already been taken care of.

I shift uncomfortably. “What does that mean?”

Thane simply studies me. The man looks like he wants to yank Raith from the couch and take his place, but he doesn’t. “It means you should take it easy for the next few days. We’ll let the other professors know why you’re away for a little while.”

“And Kenzie?” I ask.

“She has already been informed,” Thane answers. “Rest assured she is doing fine.”

I sag a little. I hadn’t realized how worried I’d been about her until just then.

Galen plays with my hair, and my muscles relax at his touch.

“So, this memory loss,” he prompts, drawing the conversation back to what I’d said earlier. “How far back can you remember?”

I squirm on his lap. “I’m not sure exactly. Around three years?”

The three men share a tense look as the room goes silent.

Raith is the first one to speak. “Hold on, you don’t think…?” he trails off.

“Well, have you ever heard of a man having more than one fated mate?” Galen drawls.

I look between them. “Why do I feel like I’m missing something?”

In response, Raith lifts his hand, gently gripping my jaw and turning me to face him. There’s a depth of emotion as he stares into my eyes, like he’s searching for something, and I feel guilty though I’m not sure why.

“Can you sense anything?” Galen asks.

“No, but I only ever saw her in dreams,” Raith replies.

“Wait, saw who?” It takes me a moment before it clicks. “Are you talking about your mate? I thought you said you’d severed the connection with her? That it was impossible? Hold on…do you think I’m her?”

Raith stares at me for a moment longer before shaking his head. “No. But Knox is the one we should be askin’.”

My chest deflates, even though I know it’s silly. Of course, I’m not their long-lost mate. They would have recognized me by now if I was her. At most, I’m Lady Fate’s little replacement.

At the mention of Knox, I remember what Thane told me earlier. That Knox has been busy around the academy. I wonder if it’s an excuse, and he’s been keeping his distance to avoid me.

“I should go,” I mutter. “It’s not fair of me to be here if Knox feels uncomfortable.”

“Nonsense,” Galen tells me. “Knox is a big boy, and if he really wanted you out of here, he wouldn’t have allowed you to stay.”

“He’ll come around,” Thane rumbles. “For now, he needs space. And you,” he turns his gaze to me, “need rest. We’ll figure this out.”

Galen sighs contentedly. “On the bright side, we are at least agreed that she is indeed our mate, however it has transpired. And I intend to enjoy this...” His words trail off, and I piece together what he’s left unsaid. For however long this lasts…