Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry, Ari—sorry everyone,” I said and sighed. “It’s just…I’m anticipating kind of a hard day today. You can probably guess why.”
“We can guess. Almost every Drake in the school hates you now.” Megan looked miserable. “And it’s all my fault. Avery, I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t worry about it,” I told her, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand briefly. “Anyway, I’m not too worried about angry Drakes since Saint has announced his intention to accompany me to every single class—though I doubt he can be bothered to actually sit with me or acknowledge my living, breathing presence even though he Marked me last night.”
There—I had gotten it off my chest, I realized. What bothered me the most about this whole situation was the way Saint kept blowing hot and cold. I had always dreamed of one day being claimed by a tall, handsome guy, but now that I finally had been, he wasn’t acting properly at all.
If he really wanted me, he would sit with me…hold my hand…not leave me to face the public ridicule of being Marked by another male alone, I thought resentfully. In other words, he would act like a proper boyfriend instead of ghosting me and only showing up for a few brief moments to threaten anyone he thought might stand in the way of his crazy Drake having me all to himself.
But he doesn’t want me—only his Drake does, I thought, feeling my stomach twist with unhappiness. That’s the only reason he Marked me. Kaitlyn can talk all she wants about how a man with a Drake inside him can’t separate his emotions from his Drake’s. But clearly, she was wrong. Because the only reason Saint wants me is for his Drake.
I tried to perk up—I really did. But I’m afraid I sat mostly silent the rest of the meal and barely picked at my eggs.
I found I had lost my appetite.
21
SAINT
All day I followed Avery from class to class. I had to threaten several Drakes who had fallen prey to the love spell and made fools of themselves the day before and so wanted revenge. But once I made certain they knew my Drake would kill them if they so much as laid a finger on the one I had Marked, they left him alone. Then I would go to sit at the back of the class, barely listening to anything around me, keeping my eyes on my beloved…my l’lorna.
That was what my Drake called him, anyway. I still thought it was wrong—a male Drake can’t have another male as his fated mate. But my Drake refused all contradictions and called Avery that, as though we were really going to get Blood Bonded at some point and be joined together for life.
That would be impossible, I was certain. But it didn’t stop my Drake—nothing stopped him when it came to Avery. He was completely taken by my small, blond roommate. And to be honest, so was I, though I didn’t like to admit it. I shouldn’t be this attracted to another male—it wasn’t right, wasn’t natural. And yet, all I could think about was how much I wanted to be with him, to touch him, to hold him.
I didn’t do any of these things. Not because I cared what others thought, though. My main worry about my feelings for Avery was the conflict between what I felt and what I had been raised to believe—not concern about how I might be perceived by others for those feelings.
No, the reason I didn’t sit with Avery or hold his hand or hug or kiss him in public, as I had often seen other couples doing, was the fact that I didn’t deserve to do any of those things. After the rough way I had treated him the night before, I didn’t deserve the comfort of his touch.
I had hurt and abused him—I had Marked him by force, giving him no choice in the matter. Why should I be allowed to touch him with gentleness now and feel the pleasure of his caress in return?
Besides, I told myself, he probably didn’t want me to touch him or be near him. He’d said something about sitting with him at breakfast, but he probably only felt like it was the proper thing to do, since we wore each other’s Marks now. I doubted he would want my hands on him ever again and I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.
But Dios, how I longed for him!
22
AVERY
Saint gave me the silent treatment all day—only showing up when a Drake, (or often, a group of Drakes)—threatened me. Once he backed them down, he went to the back of the classroom and just sat there, ignoring me, while I tried to get on with my work.
As you might imagine, it was a very tense day.