Page 62 of Shattered Stars

“You’re thinking this is like me?”

Winnie rests her hand on the page again. “Oh no, I’m not … Maybe this is just a story. Then again maybe it really happened. Maybe it is possible for someone special to have more than one, more than two fated mates.”

I harrumph at that idea. “I am not anyone special. And this is just a fairytale, Winnie. It’s not true.”

“Says who? Grace Emilie collected these stories – often she said the same story was told throughout the land. Sometimes varying a little in each town she visited. Sometimes almost the same. Who says they weren’t histories passed down from one generation to the next? But who says they were made up stories?”

21

Rhi

I’ma little apprehensive about seeing Stone this evening. After all, the last time I did see him he was chained to his bed. Chained there by me. There’s a very good chance the professor will be severely pissed off with me.

However, when I knock on his classroom door, he opens it with a look of excitement and hauls me into the room.

“Ahh, good you’re here. We can get started.” He’s lost his tie and jacket and rolled up his sleeves and there are several artifacts laid out over the classroom desks. It looks like we are really going to do this. I half expected the whole tuition thing to be a ploy to–

“I’m trying to be good to you, Rhi,” he explains.

I’m not sure fucking me is exactly bad but–

“Rhi,” he says, cringing. “It’s going to be hard to keep my hands to myself but I promised you this.”

I tilt my head to one side. “You did.”

“And also there’s every chance the principal may come to check up on us.”

I roll my eyes. So that’s the real reason he’s going to keep his hands to himself.

“It’s one of the reasons. It isn’t the main,” he explains. “Right.” He bounces on his toes with obvious enthusiasm. “I thought we could start with more of the magical fingerprints–”

“Actually,” I say, chewing on my lip.

“Yes?”

“What I’d really like you to teach me is how to keep you out of my head.”

He looks a little taken aback, plunging his hands into his pockets. Then he regains his composure and smirks. “If you’re that obsessed with me, that you can’t stop thinking about me, then–”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“Right, you don’t want me in your head?” He nods, hurt spreading across his features. “I have to confess, I like being in your head, Miss Blackwaters. You look at everything so differently to anyone else I know. It’s kind of fascinating. No, it’s more than that, it’s beautiful.”

“You said my mind was no better than a sewer.”

He shrugs. “I was an asshole.”

“I want it to be a choice,” I explain. “I want to have control about when you enter my mind and when you don’t. I mean, I know I’ll probably never be skilled enough to keep you out–”

“Rhi, I think you could be. I think you could be strong enough to keep me out of your head if you wanted to. And if that’s what you want, of course, I’ll teach you.”

I smile at him. “It is.”

He steps towards me and takes my hand. “Close your eyes.” I do as he says, and he laces his fingers with mine.

“I’m so sorry, Rhi,” he whispers, “so sorry about Founders’ Night. You know I’d never do that to you again.”

I bite my lip. I think I do. I think I’m beginning to trust him, forgive him even. I want us to be happy. I don’t want to carry around this heavy grudge on my shoulders for the rest of my life. I want to be free to enjoy our time together. Maybe even to love him.