Chapter 19
RACK
Steam swallowed the bathroom whole, turning the mirror into a blank wall of frosty white. Water slammed down over my shoulders hard enough to sting, but my muscles stayed locked tight anyway.
One palm pressed flat against the tile, I bowed my head and let the heat beat against the back of my neck.
None of this made sense.
I should’ve hated it.
That thought kept circling back no matter how many times I shoved it away.
Any other male would’ve lost his mind watching the woman fate gave him wrapped around someone else. Especially when that someone else was his best friend.
Calix. The man I’d bleed for without question.
There should’ve been rage. Possessiveness. Something instinctual clawing up my throat to demand retribution for touching what was mine.
Instead, when I replayed the image of them together in the kitchen, all I remembered was the look on Olivia’s face.
Blissed-out happiness that filled my heart with satisfaction.
The realization made my chest tighten harder than the jealousy ever had.
At first, when the noise started downstairs, I ignored it.
I’d already seen the security footage earlier. Saw Calix freeze when he spotted my car in the driveway. Saw the way his mouth tightened before he brought that fairy woman inside anyway.
I knew him too well not to understand what he was trying to do.
Calix had always thrown himself at problems headfirst to see what stuck. If something hurt, he worked harder. Drank harder. Fucked harder. And Olivia… hurt.
Because he wanted her, but he knew she was mine. My Flame.
Despite all of that, he was still tied to her forever through the maker bond. Something that I couldn't touch, no matter how hard I tried.
A rough laugh escaped me under the spray.
Yeah. That combination was never going to end well.
He thought if he buried himself on top of someone else, the obsession would fade. That he could force himself through the motions, and eventually Olivia would stop living under his skin.
Judging by the way he’d fled the kitchen afterward? That plan crashed and burned right in front of his face quite spectacularly.
I reached over and shut off the water. Silence rushed into the room immediately, thick and ringing in my ears.
Grabbing a towel, I dragged it low around my waist before wiping a streak through the fogged mirror. My reflection stared back at me.
Water slowly rolled down my chest and disappeared beneath the towel while my thoughts drifted back to Olivia crying against me upstairs. A pang in my chest echoed her pain at just the thought of her tears, yet I couldn't help but smirk.
She wanted both of us.
I’d known from the beginning that her pull toward Calix wasn’t shallow. That was why I stepped back and let things happen as intended instead of forcing her hand.
What I really needed to know was if it was temporary. Once the frenzy settled, would she still be looking for him?
The answer had been painfully obvious. Still… I never reacted the way other mates described.
Other supes talked about murderous rage. About how even seeing another man touch their mate caused them to want to rip him apart with their bare hands.
I’d felt flashes of it.
The valet at the department store when he smiled at her for too long. That clerk in the shoe store whose eyes kept drifting down her body. Those moments scraped something territorial and raw inside me.
But Calix?
Every time I saw him look at her, all I could think was that she smiled differently around him, and somehow, her happiness mattered more than my pride.
I flicked my fingers lazily.
The toothbrush lifted from the counter with a stream of air magic and shoved itself into my hand. Toothpaste squeezed onto the bristles before I even looked at it.
Mechanical. Automatic. My mind wasn’t really there.
I brushed my teeth while replaying what happened in the kitchen again. Olivia’s angry laugh. Calix’s guilty stare. The way neither of them realized I was watching from the shadows.
I had spat into the sink and turned, about to leave the bathroom, when my eyes snagged on something. I completely froze.
Something dark sat between my shoulder blades. Slowly, I turned more, gazing at it over my shoulder, and my breath caught. It felt like my lungs were threatening to collapse.
Right between my shoulders was a rose-shaped birth mark, no bigger than a coin.
A vampire mate mark. Olivia’s mate mark.
Every thought in my head vanished, and I just stared at it.
My pulse stumbled unevenly while something warm and almost blinding spread through my chest.
Mate marks between species weren’t guaranteed, especially with mages. Sometimes the transition failed to anchor correctly since it was done with magic and a mage's Flame was found without magic.
That’s why I convinced myself it hadn’t happened, that while she was my Flame, I wasn't her mate. A piece of me crumbled at the thought, but now…
Memories collided into one another as I connected them one by one.
The first time Olivia drank from me had actually been in the car, because during her transition, Calix had been feeding her my blood secondhand. That probably interfered with the bond forming visibly.
My gaze narrowed on the mark, my thoughts jumping to Calix’s tattoo. The mate-blocker on his neck.
If his magic was suppressing the connection on his end… Would Olivia’s mark even appear for him? What if he’s also…
A disbelieving laugh escaped me, just as joy swelled inside my chest so violently it almost hurt.
Mine.
My Flame.
My mate.
For one reckless second, I wanted to run upstairs and wake her up just to show her. To prove her claim on me.
Instead, I snatched my button-down off the hanger and shoved my arms through it as fast as possible.
The last thing we needed right now was more chaos. It wasn't the right time.
Not with Olivia still adjusting. Not with Calix barely holding himself together. Not with all of us already balancing on the edge of something dangerous.
I buttoned the shirt all the way up, sealing the mark beneath the fabric. Hidden, for now.
The second I finished dressing, I grabbed my phone and called Gladis. She answered on the second ring.
“Yes, Mr. Rack?”
“You’ll need to re-set the kitchen,” I said, rubbing a hand over my face. “Extensively.”
A pause.
“How extensive?”
My eyes drifted toward the hallway downstairs where I knew the damage waited.
“Countertops cracked. Refrigerator dented. Blood everywhere.”
Another pause, then, very calmly, “I’m assuming Miss Olivia is settling in?”
Despite myself, a grin tugged at my mouth. “Something like that.”
“Well,” Gladis sighed, sounding entirely unsurprised, “good thing I’m an air and water mage. I can patch all of that up right away. You boys be nice now, you hear me?” Click.
Checking myself in the mirror one last time, I adjusted the collar of my shirt until it sat perfectly flat against my neck and shoulders. My eyes lingered for half a second too long on the fabric hiding the mark beneath it before I gave myself a sharp nod.
Together. Keep it together.
I stepped out of my room and immediately stretched my air magic down the hall toward Calix’s room.
Nothing. No heartbeat. No movement. Empty.
My brows lifted. He wasn't getting away that easy.
I’d told him yesterday he needed to stop hiding in the lab downstairs and actually show his face at FangTech, like the proper CEO he was supposed to be, but honestly? I hadn’t expected him to listen.
Moving toward the staircase, I slowed then stopped completely.
Olivia stood at the bottom.
The sight of her hit me hard enough my hand tightened around the railing.
A charcoal-gray shirt hung loosely off one shoulder in that careless way that made it impossible not to stare.
Black jeans hugged her hips and legs like they’d been designed specifically for her body, and her loose braid rested over one shoulder, its red-dipped ends brushing against her chest every time she moved.
My train of thought derailed instantly.
Forget FangTech. Forget meetings. Forget work.
I wanted to drag her back upstairs, lock the door, and spend the entire day tangled in bed with her, having her feed from me and smiling like she had last night. I itched to prove I could rival Calix in the pleasure department.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I closed my eyes for a second. Reality was calling.
Olivia turned at the sound of my footsteps, and the second she smiled softly at me, something stupidly warm flipped over in my chest.
“Morning, Rack.”
Her fingers brushed nervously over the hem of her shirt before she glanced down at herself.
“I didn’t know if this was okay for FangTech or if I needed something…” She laughed quietly under her breath. “Nicer, I guess? I haven’t really worn anything more professional than a mechanic’s jumpsuit before.”
Cute. Unfairly cute. How did she get this adorable?
I swallowed hard and forced my eyes back to her face before they lingered anywhere inappropriate.
“You look fine.”
My voice came out lower than intended, so I leaned down and pressed a quick kiss against her forehead, aiming for casual reassurance. I wasn't going anywhere.
The second her fingertips settled lightly against my chest, my body betrayed me.
Every drop of blood in my system rushed south. Fucking fantastic.
“Come on,” I muttered quickly, grabbing her hand before she noticed the effect she had on me.
I threaded our fingers together and lifted her knuckles to my mouth, kissing them mostly so I’d stop imagining pinning her against the kitchen island. There were so many other, more comfortable places for me to lay her out.
She tugged gently on my hand instead of moving. When I looked down, she lifted a metal tumbler into view.
“This had my name on it when I grabbed breakfast.” Her brows pinched together curiously. “Do you know what it’s for?”
Shit. I completely forgot about that.
For the first time in my life, having a mate around was actively making me worse at my job.