Page 27 of Entwined
Eventually, she leaves with my promise that I’ll get checked out in the infirmary, shooting me a dubious glance as the door closes behind her.
There’s no relief, though, because my phone goes off almost immediately, the shrill ringtone informing me that it’s my mother. I unplug it from the charger and pick it up, hesitantly saying, “Hello?”
“Where the hell have you been?” she immediately shrieks. I yank the phone away from my ear with a wince. “I’ve been calling fordays.”
Dread curdles in my stomach, and I sit on the edge of my bed. “I’m sorry. I got caught up in an assignment. You know how deadlines are.”
“An assignment.” She scoffs, her tone venomous. “You had one job, Felicity—don’t embarrass our family. You knew this was your final chance.Now…” She clucks her tongue. “Your grandfather’s never going to forgive you for this.”
I don’t want to ask, but the question spills out anyway. “Forgive me for what?”
She doesn’t seem to hear me. “You know, he almost had a heart attack when he got that email. I don’t know how your last lesson didn’t teach you aboutdiscretion. I don’t care that you’re a whore who fucks anything that moves. But at least have the decency not torecordit.”
Record it…?“What are you even talking about?” I mumble, the wordwhorericocheting through my mind. I can count on one hand how many people I’ve been with. And I know she can’t do the same, butI’mthe whore.
“We got the email on Sunday afternoon.” She lets out a caustic laugh. “You’ve really done it this time. I don’t think he was even that angry when I turned up pregnant with you. He’s already spoken with his lawyer about cutting you off. You can kiss your trust fund goodbye.”
I’ve been anticipating those words from the moment she started talking, yet they still strike like a physical blow, stealing my breath. I blink watery eyes, my future crumbling to dust. There’s nothing I can say to stop it. My pulse whooshes in my ears, my room spinning around me, my last hope being yanked out from under me.
And I don’t even know why.
I do know that without money, there is no getting away from my family. My grandfather would hunt me down and chain me up before he ever set me free, and my mother would stand behind him and laugh while he did it.
“God, Felicity. I don’t even know where you got this…this…stupidityfrom,” my mother is saying scornfully, unaware of the destruction she’s dealing with every word. “All you had to do was last two years. I don’t really thinkthat was asking for much, do you? Two years ofdiscretion. But instead you had to go and make your very own porn movie. ”
“P-porn…?”
“The men’s faces might have been blocked out, but yours definitely wasn’t. We saweverything. And Felicity?” There’s a long, damning pause. “I hope it was worth it.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
connor
Ipace the length of our dorm room, breathing through my mouth because the place still smells like Felicity, like her scent has embedded itself into the walls. My wolf paces within me, a continuous growl rumbling from his chest, his tail swishing in agitation.
“What did she say?” I demand again, even as Vaelor’s frustration swells, stealing all the oxygen in the room. I slide a glance his way, but he hasn’t moved, his back to me as he stands at the window, gripping the wooden sill, his knuckles white and straining. There’s a noticeable tremble to his arms, his muscles straining against his shirt. “You need to purge.”
“I’m aware,” he bites out. “And she didn’t say a damn word.”
“What do we do?” I run my hands through my hair, tugging ruthlessly at the ends. “The mating isn’t complete—she never claimed us back. But if Felicity is away from us too long, she might start feeling the effects.”
The bond between mates was a connection at a biological level, similar to the soul-bind that Vaelor cast on thetwo of us. Too much distance, and it starts gnawing at the bodies. It only grows worse the longer the distance is prolonged. But my knowledge of humans is limited, so I have no idea how Felicity might react.
“We find her,” Vaelor decides succinctly. “We make her listen.”
A low sound of disbelief escapes. “Do you think she’s pissed about what we did?”
He shoots me a look. “She had no idea we were mates, and we drugged her, forcing her into a mating frenzy.”
“Okay, she’s pissed,” I concede. “How do we talk her around?”
Vaelor doesn’t move for a long moment. Then, he turns and strides for the door, saying over his shoulder, “We don’t.”
He doesn’t say a word as he leads the way outside and over to Felicity’s dorm building, his expression set in a thunderous scowl.
As we head into the lobby, we walk past a group of students, their hushed whispers reaching me, “...called to Dean Chamberlain’s office. Do you think she’ll be expelled?”
Something about them has my instincts rearing, and I slow. Vaelor gets a few steps further before realizing I’m lagging, turning on me with a sharp glare. But my focus is on a crowd of three students, standing in a huddle to the left of the door.