Page 87 of My Broken Mate

“Not really,” I admit.

“Did anything happen?”

“No. I just felt off.”

“Why don’t you drop by my place?” she offers. “You can come anytime!”

“I can’t possibly burden you all with my constant presence,” I chuckle.

“Why not? You are my mate. I am happy to have you around anytime! Plus, everyone else will think we have become besties. That’s what they were hoping for anyway.”

She has a point. “How about tomorrow?” I offer carefully, still anxious that I am overstepping.

“Yes!” she exclaims. “I am at a lecture in the morning, but then I am pretty much all free.”

“Same,” I say. “Do you want to meet before our classes for some coffee?”

“I’d love to,” she sounds genuinely happy, and I make a mental note to invite her on dates regularly. She seems to like it if I show her my interest.

“You can drop by today, too,” she offers. “Or call me at least when you feel off.”

“I should be alright,” I say. “But I will if I don’t feel well.”

Talking to her helped me chase the demons away for a moment. And if I get my dose of Katalina tomorrow, it will only help further.

*KAT*

I have a gigantonormous crush on Remy, as much is obvious by now. I was so giddy I barely slept. I got up for extra-early cardio training, before grabbing some breakfast from the kitchen as the first one awake, which is a first!

Eve seems to think the same, because when he walks into the kitchen early in the morning, still sleepy, and sees me sitting at the counter and munching on my cornflakes, he instantly narrows his eyes to look me over thoughtfully. “Something is different,” he says.

I decide to play dumb. “What do you mean?”

“Different,” he repeats, while furrowing his brows and staring at me. “It’s your whole aura.”

“What’s going on with Aura? I think she wanted to hook up with one of the warriors,” Joel’s voice interrupts us, making me almost snort into my bowl of cornflakes. Aura is one of his elite warriors and a good friend of Joel.

“I was not talking about Aura, the warrior,” Eve sighs. “But of Kata’s aura.”

“You have a friend with that name, too?” Joel asks.

Sometimes, I think he is doing it on purpose to tick Eve off, and boy, does it work, because Eve’s eyebrow starts ticking, and I can barely contain my grin.

“I said that something about Kata is different. Don’t tell me you aren’t seeing it?”

Joel frowns before turning to me and staring, from head to toe and back up. “She looks like always.”

“Don’t you think she looks happier, and just overall,” he pauses. “Her aura is different.”

Joel tilts his head and amazingly stops the silly teasing. “If you say it, then it must be true.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Not at all,” Joel says, sounding serious now. “You have an artist’s eye. You see more than others.” He pauses before he turns to me again, eyeing me curiously. “Did anything change, Kata?”

“You are aware that you’re both being weird, aren’t you?” I ask.

“Totally,” Joel says.