Page 3

Audrey

L eaning against the wall, I bounce my leg.

Stupid fucking mate.

When Wraith said I could be in the room with them, I thought it meant I could stand next to him and Donovan on the stage while he gave his speech. Instead, I’m stuck in the hallway with the professors, waiting for Wraith to let us know it’s time for us to head inside.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Professor Freeman hisses, and I roll my neck to find her standing beside me. “You’ve barely graduated.”

I shrug. “And yet, here I am. Why don’t you take it up with Wraith if you have a problem with it?”

She sneers at me. “Just because you’ve somehow convinced him he’s your mate, it doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.”

“I didn’t convince him of anything,” I tell her, straightening. “He is my mate, and I’m here because he asked me to be. He has something for me to handle, so again, if you have an issue, you can take it up with him. In fact, how about you do it while I’m there? I’d love to see his response to you questioning his decisions.”

She pales, eyes going wide. “I didn’t… That’s not what… You’re a bitch.”

I snicker as she stomps away, shaking my head. She’s calling me a bitch? Really? As if she wasn’t the one who approached me and started talking shit.

Fates, I hate that woman.

I wonder if I can convince Wraith to find her a job somewhere else. I’m sure there’s someone else who can take her place.

Wraith slides out of the shadows with Donovan in his hellhound form at his side and nods to Professor Gregory.

“Audrey,” she says sharply. “Come on. You’re up first.”

I blow both my mates a kiss as I hurry to the door, following the professor into the room. Once we climb onto the stage, she lets the students know to come forward when their names are called. My eyes scan the room, trying to find Wren. I finally catch a glimpse of her red hair near the back of the room and clear my throat as Professor Gregory waves for me to join her.

“Umm…Wren Nathaniel,” I say, speaking up so I can be heard throughout the room that’s gone completely silent. I watch as my twin moves to the front, stepping off the stage as she reaches me. “Hi, Wren. You’re with me.”

She frowns, glancing up at the stage where the next professor is calling out multiple names before focusing back on me. “Just me?”

“Yeah, you’re a special case. Follow me.” I lead her out the door, happy to find Donovan waiting for me.

“Hello, ladies. Are we ready?”

Wren glances between the two of us, her frown more pronounced. “Who are the two of you?”

I guess she doesn’t remember me bringing her here. At least that’s one question answered.

“I’m Audrey, and this is Donovan. We’re going to be your guides,” I tell her with a soft smile.

“I just don’t understand.” She shakes her head. “Why do I have two guides when everyone else is going in groups with just one guide per group? And why do you look so familiar?”

I force myself to keep smiling as my eyes flash to Donovan. I don’t know what the hell to tell her. Does her question mean she doesn’t remember what she looks like? Because if she did, wouldn’t her question have been something about us sharing a face?

I’m totally going to fuck this up.

“Well, Wren, you’re a special case.” Donovan links our hands together, giving it a squeeze as he starts toward the exit. Luckily, Wren trails behind us. “Wraith, the man who spoke to you a few minutes ago, needs to speak with you personally. Both Audrey and I work for the academy, so he asked us to escort you to his home. He’ll be meeting us there as soon as he can so he can talk to you.”

She seems to accept his answer as she shrugs. Her mouth falls open as we step outside, and I bite back a laugh. I guess I’ve gotten used to the underworld since I’ve been living here for the last six months, but Wren hasn’t been. I remember how surprised I was by the academy’s appearance that first night. This is probably blowing her mind right now. No one expects the underworld to be green and lush.

“You’ll get a tour of campus tomorrow,” I tell her. “You’ll have orientation first.”

That’s as much as I feel comfortable telling her since we don’t know what’s going to happen after Wraith returns her memories. Hell, maybe she won’t have to attend orientation.

“Oh, okay,” she says quietly, still following us down the path.

It takes us a bit to reach the house, and Wren blinks up at it for a moment. “Why does Wraith live in the middle of the woods?”

Donovan chuckles. “It’s not just Wraith who lives here. He’s our mate, and Audrey has one other mate who lives here. We’re in the middle of the woods for privacy. Since Wraith runs the school, he needs to be on campus, but that doesn’t mean we want people just walking up to our house.”

She hums, nodding. “That makes sense.”

That’s my logical sister right there. Even without her memories, she can understand the logic behind that. The two of us have always been two very different people. I was always the one who would fly off the handle—quick to both anger and to calm down. I reacted immediately to a situation while she would take the time to think it out. Wren rarely loses her temper, but when she does? You should run because it’s going to be nuclear.

“So, are we waiting out here or inside?” she asks, eyes on Donovan.

It’s not until that moment that I realize she hasn’t looked at me since asking why I looked so familiar—not even when I spoke to her. Even now, she’s avoiding my gaze.

I wonder what that’s about.

“We can wait inside. He shouldn’t be long—if he hasn’t arrived before us.” Donovan leads us inside to the living room, where Wraith and Brenden are both waiting for us. He scoffs. “Of course you beat us here. Come on in, Wren, and have a seat.”

My sister chooses one of the armchairs as Wraith and Brenden come over to kiss me—as if they hadn’t seen me less than an hour ago.

I settle onto the couch with Brenden and Donovan sitting on either side of me while Wraith remains standing. Wren’s eyes rove over the room, taking in every detail before returning to Wraith. “Donovan and Audrey said you wanted to speak with me?”

“I did.” He clears his throat before glancing over his shoulder at me. I can see the question in his eyes—am I sure?

“Do it,” I mouth, already anxious for my sister’s memories to return. I don’t like how she won’t look at me, almost pretending as if I don’t exist.

I hate it.

Wraith sighs as he turns back to Wren. “As I mentioned in my speech, you don’t have your memories of your life. I’d like to return those to you.”

“Are you returning everyone else’s?” she asks, frowning when he shakes his head. “Then why me?”

It’s Donovan who answers. “Like I told you on the way here, you’re special. You have memories we need to access.”

She considers him for a moment before her gaze returns to Wraith, hurrying past me as if I’m not there. “Okay, if that’s what you need. I don’t know what memories you might be after, but I feel like remembering everything can only aid me.”

Wraith moves toward her, laying his hand on her forehead and murmuring under his breath.

Wren’s eyes go wide, flashing to me as she grasps at her chest. “Audrey?”

Wraith steps back as I launch myself across the room and into my sister’s arms. Tears stream down my cheeks as she hugs me close.

“Holy shit. You’re here.” Wren is crying just as hard as I am. “I never thought I’d get to see you again.”

I can’t even form words, so I just cling to her until both of us fall quiet. When I pull away, I sit on the edge of the coffee table and keep a hold of her hand. I’m not ready to let her go just yet.

“If you’re here, and I’m here, then you were murdered, too?” Wren shakes her head, tears filling her eyes. “But you died in the fire at my house. Michael said he didn’t know you were there or he would’ve saved you.”

“Fuck Michael,” I growl, and her eyes flash.

“That fucking bastard. He’s the one who killed me. Does that mean he killed you, too?”

I nod. “He did. I told you, Wraith. I told you he killed her, too.”

Wren shakes her head. “The things he said to me. He wasn’t making any sense. He was rambling about plans and how we were trying to ruin everything he’d been planning. Honestly, I thought he was having a nervous breakdown. I certainly didn’t expect him to stab me—repeatedly.” She shivers. “I could go without reliving that ever again. The look of joy on his face as he killed me. It scared me—it still scares me. Do you know what the hell he was talking about?”

“I don’t. He said something similar to what he told you, but that’s it. He wasn’t making any sense.” I grip her hand. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to save you?”

She scoffs. “Really? You’re apologizing because my husband murdered you, meaning you couldn’t save me from the same fate? Fates above, Audrey.”

I shrug. “I’m your big sister. I should’ve been there to take care of you.”

“Really? You’re pulling the big sister card? You were born twelve minutes before me.”

Brenden chuckles, drawing our attention to him. He just grins. “I’m sorry. The two of you are adorable. While I hate that your sister was murdered, I’m happy she’s with you again.”

“Ugh, seriously, Brenden?” I tap my hand against my forehead, trying to summon some patience for my mate. “That is not really appropriate to say out loud. Remember, some thoughts should only be said inside your head.”

“Wait. Hold on. With everything rushing back to me at once, I almost forgot what Donovan said out front.” Wren yanks on my hand until I’m looking at her once more. “Did he say you have three mates?”

“Surprise,” I tell her with a tired sigh. “You’ve met Wraith and Donovan. This sociopath is Brenden. All three are my mates, and it’s possible I have two more out there. Oh, Wraith is Death—yes, as in the horsemen of the apocalypse—and Donovan is a hellhound shifter. Brenden is a vampire.”

Wren gapes at me. “I think I need a drink.”

“That I can help with,” Wraith says pleasantly. “Do you have a preference? We pretty much have every liquor known to man—and many not known to them.”

She shakes her head. “Honestly? I don’t care. I think I might be in shock.”

“At least it won’t kill you,” Brenden says with a smirk, and I lower my head.

You love him, Audrey. Don’t kill your sociopath vampire.

A smack follows Brenden’s words, and when I open my eyes, he’s glaring at Donovan.

“What was that for?”

“That, mate of my mate, was for being insensitive.” Donovan shakes his head. “I know you have more than a few screws loose in that head of yours, but you really need to think before you speak. At least when you’re talking to your mate’s sister.”

Brenden glances at me, finding me glaring at him and blanches. “I’m sorry, firecracker. I wasn’t thinking.”

Wren throws her head back as she laughs. “You know what? I think I like him.”

“Me, too,” I admit with a snort as Wraith appears with two glasses and hands them to me and Wren. “Cheers.”

She echoes my sentiment before both of us throw back the clear contents. Both of us end up choking. I don’t know what the hell Wraith gave us, but that shit was strong.

Once we both recover, I take the glass from her and set both of them on the table.

“Now what?” Wren asks, glancing around the room, and isn’t that the question?

What now?