Page 6

Audrey

W hen Nex practically launches himself 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?”

“Really?” he scoffs, wrenching his arm from my hold as he steps back. “Did you listen to anything I just told you? Of course I didn’t tell you! Lucifer cursed me to never be able to find love. Why would I tell you I suspected you were my mate when nothing can come of it?”

Now that he’s no longer touching me, the lust falls away as I wrap my arms around myself, a frown forming once more. “That makes no sense. Why would the Fates give you a fated mate if you couldn’t love them?”

The Fates aren’t cruel. They wouldn’t give someone a fated mate when they’re cursed to never find love, would they?

I only spoke to them for a mere moment, but nothing about them leads me to believe they’re cruel. They seemed to care about me. They wouldn’t do this to me.

“To punish me? Fuck if I know. What I do know is that I’ve had multiple lovers torn from my life for one reason or another. I don’t get a happily ever after, Audrey, and I’m not going to give you false hope of that happening between the two of us because it can’t. It won’t because I refuse to hurt you like that.” He shakes my head. “You should just forget this ever happened. Go back to the three mates you already have. They’ll make you happy where all I can bring you is heartache.”

“Damn it. What is it with my mates thinking they’re the ones who get to make decisions for me?” I shout, baring my teeth at him. “This isn’t a decision you get to make on your own. You can’t just decide that this isn’t going to happen on your own. You’re mine.”

I see the corner of his mouth tip up for a moment before he glares at me. “And you don’t get to decide it’s happening just because you want it to, sweetheart. Relationships are a two-way road, and I want nothing to do with it or you.”

I blanch as his words hit me. He doesn’t want anything to do with me?

That’s very different from him being afraid of this supposed curse placed on him.

“Fuck. I’m sorry, Audrey. That’s not what I meant.” Nex transforms back into his human form as he runs his hands through his dark hair. “I’m trying not to hurt you. That’s my entire point, and clearly, I’m fucking that up as well.”

Today is the first time I’ve seen him without his glasses on, and I wonder if he even needs them. He seems to see perfectly fine right now—unlike me, who’s struggling with the lack of light.

“I can’t do this with you, Audrey—not now. Not ever. You need to forget all about me. I won’t ruin the happiness you’ve found with your mates.”

And there he goes again, making unilateral decisions.

I reach for him again when he shifts into his demon form and looks like he’s going to take off into the sky. I pant as lust washes over me once more—that damn electric shock shooting through me. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s not exactly comfortable. “Stop making decisions for me. I should be able to decide if I want to take a chance with this curse—not you.”

“No.” This time, he speaks gently and doesn’t rip himself from my grasp. “I’m sorry, Audrey. Just like I don’t think you’ll be swayed from your quest for vengeance, you’re not going to be able to convince me to do this with you. It’ll just end with all of us hurt, and I’m not going to do that to you or to Wraith, who’s been a good friend to me for a very long time. Not to Donovan, who wants nothing more than to love you and for you to love him in return. Not to Brenden, who I really like. Remember, you’re not the only one who will have to deal with the consequences.”

Before I can argue with him further, the front door swings open. Both of our heads swing toward the sound, finding Donovan and Brenden stepping outside with Wren right behind them.

“Sorry to interrupt whatever all of this is.” Brenden gestures between me and Nex. “But we need to get Wren to her dorm. She has orientation in the morning and needs to get some sleep.”

“And I have classes. I need to get some sleep too,” Nex says before taking off into the air.

“You motherfucker!” I scream after him, hoping he can still hear me. “This conversation isn’t over!”

Nex doesn’t give any indication that he heard me, but if he thinks this is over, he’s sadly mistaken. We need to at least talk about it. I don’t like the idea of him staying away from me just to protect me.

Wren clears her throat. “Everything okay, Ree?”

I melt at the childhood nickname my sister used to call me. “Not really, but it’ll be fine, eventually.”

At least, I hope it will be.

Shaking off the bullshit, I loop my arm through my sister’s and lead her toward the dorms while two of my mates trail behind us. After we drop her off at her room and exit her dorm, Donovan and Brenden crowd me against the wall of her dorm building.

“What was it that we interrupted between you and Nex?” Brenden asks, snaking a hand into my hair and tugging on it.

“He’s one of my other fated mates.” I hold up my hand when Donovan opens his mouth to speak. “I’ll tell you everything once we make it back home, okay?”

Donovan grins. “I like it when you call it home.”

“It is home. Now, let’s get to walking so we can make it back there, yeah?”

Brenden looks like he wants to argue but finally nods.

It feels weird leaving Wren in the dorms on her own. I hate that she’s here, but I’m glad I’m here with her. At least she has her memories from the start. Plus, Wraith won’t allow her to be sent away.

Not that I’m worried about Wren not doing well. She’s always been an exceptional student, and she gives everything her all.

I’m glad neither Brenden nor Donovan tries to talk to me on the walk back. I’m too lost in my thoughts to keep up with a conversation.

Today has been a long ass day, and as much as I’d love to climb into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours, that’s not really an option.

My twin is dead and at Scythe Academy.

Nex is my fourth fated mate, but he wants nothing to do with me. All because of some curse that’s supposedly been placed on him. Sure, Lucifer is a god, but is that really something they do?

I try to recall if there have been stories of any gods cursing anyone in the past. I don’t know a lot of mythology, but I seem to recall more than a few people cursed by the gods in Greek mythology.

Damn it. Maybe he is cursed, but then I really don’t understand why the Fates would make us mates if it was never meant to be.

Ugh, there’s no way they gave me a star-crossed mate, is there?

Fucking hell. This so isn’t what I need to be focusing on. I need to figure out how I’m going to kill Michael now that I have more freedom as a reaper. Although who knows how much freedom Wraith will allow me since he doesn’t want me seeking vengeance.

I don’t understand why he can’t just have my back on this. So what if I piss Lucifer off? So what if he punishes me? I’ll gladly take any and all consequences I receive for my actions.

As long as Michael is dead—that’s all I care about.

Sighing, I run a hand through my hair as I consider Nex’s story. Yes, he was sent into servitude and unable to return to his homelands, but is that really all that bad? Does he regret what he did? Was it all worth it to him?

These are questions I wanted to ask him, but then I figured out we were fated mates, and all those questions slipped my mind.

How long has he suspected that we’re mates? Did he know when he was so cruel to me? Did he know way back in the beginning and that’s why he offered to tutor me?

Why does all of this have to be so confusing? Is it because I’m dead? It just doesn’t make any sense.

I’m frustrated beyond belief at everything that seems to be currently raining down on me. It feels like too much.

My mind trails back to what the Fates told me. I was always meant to die because I have a destiny to fulfill. While that sucks ass, it makes me feel better to know that there’s likely a reason this is all happening at once. The Fates wouldn’t give me more than I can bear, would they?

I can’t break beneath what’s happening around me—even if it’s just to spite every fucker who wants to watch me fail. Not that I can think of many people who want to see me fail. Probably Professor Freeman, the fucking cunt. But besides her? I can’t think of anyone else.

I blink, shaking away my thoughts, and realize we’ve already made it back to the house. Brenden’s hand is still in mine as he drags me up the stairs to where Wraith is waiting in the doorway.

I guess it’s time for another conversation.