Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Myve slammed her book down on our table, rattling everything, then sat down with a huff of frustration.
Jamie, Nazuss, Ryn, and I all eyed each other warily. Whenever Myve got like this she was either planning on murdering someone, or she was close to tears.
“Um, hi?” Ryn tried, his voice tentative and eyes fearful.
The tears began.
“Ryn!” Myve sobbed. “Why can’t all men be kind like you?!”
“What happened?” I demanded, my gaze flinging around the room, trying to spot whoever caused my cousin to cry.
“My mate,” she sobbed. “He’s horrible!”
“What?!” we all exclaimed, waiting for her to elaborate.
She sobbed, holding her arms protectively over her chest. “Hans…” she whispered, like his name was a curse that shouldn’t be spoken out loud.
“Fuck,” I growled, zeroing in on the bastard, my eyes gleaming with fury. How could a loser like that be fated to be with my amazing cousin? What was The Magic thinking?!
To his credit, Hans averted his gaze, his posture slumped and defeated. He likely knew he was failing as a mate already. Good.
“How do you know?” Ryn whispered, also staring the phoenix shifter down.
“We kissed,” Myve whispered, her eyes vacant like she was confessing her greatest crime. “He cornered me, his eyes were gleaming and then he was on me. We didn’t seal the bond but I could feel the tug and then pushed him away.”
“Damn,” Jamie muttered, his tone impressed. “That’s self-control right there.”
“More like self-preservation,” Ryn corrected.
I ignored my cousin and brother, my focus fully on Myve. “Anything we can do?”
She shook her head. “I just can’t believe I’m doomed to either stay single forever, or be mated to that piece of work.”
“You can date other people,” Ryn assured her with a smile.
Myve just shook her head. “I no longer find anyone else attractive….”
“Oh,” we said in unison.
“Yeah,” she laughed bitterly. “Oh.”
I tugged on Myve’s hand, guiding her out of the dining hall. I needed to speak to her in private and even though I loved my family and we all wanted what was best for Myve, I was the only one who knew what it was like finding your fated mate.
We stopped by the staircase; the room was deserted since most of the students were eating their dinner. “He might change, or he acted out of fear or something,” I began, wanting to help ease her worries. “The Magic wouldn’t match you up with someone horrible. We need to trust that.”
She sighed heavily, her eyes red and puffy. “I’m just not ready to let him in yet, you know? He was so nasty towards you. He even pushed Harpy hard enough to make him fall on his lovely little butt.”
“True,” I relented, ignoring the low growl of possessiveness over the mention of my mate’s butt. “But we were told every student here had good souls, whatever that means.”
Myve laughed, a real laugh. “Good soul doesn’t necessarily mean decent person.”
“Fine,” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in defeat. “Go and sulk and give it a few days. Just no more kissing!”
“Trust me.” She laughed bitterly, “I won’t go anywhere near him.”
I really doubted that. After all, I couldn’t stay away from Harpy. Myve likely knew it was only a matter of time before she sealed their bond, tying them together forever. But I could respect her reluctance. I wouldn’t want a jerk as a mate either.
“There you are!” Harpy’s relieved voice came from our left and then I had my arms full of the perfect smell of oranges and my mate.
“Ready for our date?” I asked, giving him a wide smile.
“Is there going to be flying?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Would that ruin our date?” I smirked.
He huffed. “No, I can fly.”
“Good,” I grinned, taking his hand in mine, ready to lead him outside.
“See you later!” Myve laughed before retreating upstairs, either to her room or the library. I felt horrible for leaving her when she clearly needed more cheering up, but this was something she had to work through on her own. It was her life, her mate.
Harpy and I soon stood outside of the academy walls, the greenery stretched before us with endless opportunities for flying and running around in our cat forms, both were equally compelling, but my treasure needed to learn how to fly.
“Let’s start our date with some wing stretches,” I suggested, moving away from Harpy to shift. Some of the other students were out here too, but the area was so vast we were practically alone.
“Fine,” he relented, shifting into his dragon as I did the same. We came together and I nuzzled my head against his neck, seeking his affections as always.
“My Treasure,” I rumbled.
“My Prince,” he teased.
I nipped his neck playfully, making him rumble with a purring sound of happiness.
We then did some practice and before I knew it, Harpy was flying beside me, high up in the sky, his fear all but forgotten as he took in the beautiful scenery from above.
“I never want to land,” he said, his tone awed.
“We will need to eventually,” I grinned. “Besides, I was promised cat snuggles.”
“Fine,” he agreed. “Cat snuggles sound perfect too, but maybe you can stay in your dragon form? I rather like being all small next to you.”
My chest flooded with warmth. My mate enjoyed my natural form. “It would be my absolute pleasure.”
“Then let’s go!” His laugh was carefree in my mind as we soared through the skies, searching for the perfect place to cuddle.
“I’m sorry for being so reluctant in the beginning,” Harpy said, his cat form hiding under my wing as I protected him from the chilling night air.
“You were with Casey. I get that it took you longer to accept he wasn’t your fated.”
“But still,” he sighed. “I see now just how much I was blinded by it. Casey and I truly weren’t meant to be and I should’ve realized it before we found out we weren’t fated at eighteen.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for one, I always wanted to be taken, something Casey wasn’t into. He prefers to be the one being taken and I’d longed to have the same role.”
I swallowed the need to growl. I did not enjoy hearing about his intimate moments with Casey, but my mate seemed to need to talk through his feelings, so I ignored my jealousy.
“So, you both wanted the same thing, and because of that you put your own needs and wants aside to make him happy?”
“Basically, yes. I craved to be taken care of, protected and claimed. I guess me being tall just naturally made Casey think I should be the one protecting and caring for him.”
I doubted Harpy would’ve brought this up if we were in our human forms. It seemed he felt braver in his cat form, and I was grateful to help him out.
It also gave me immense pleasure to learn he was working through what he’d had with Casey and why they weren’t meant to be, because I was the only one meant for Harpy.
I didn’t care if that made me selfish. I wanted him to only desire me.
“So not only sexually, but also in your relationship roles, you were neglecting your own wants for him?”
He nodded regretfully against my dragon belly. “I realize now that I did us both a disservice. Had I been true to myself and my own needs, we would’ve known before we were eighteen that we weren’t meant to be.”
“Maybe,” I said, then added, “But no matter what, you have me now and Casey will soon find his mate too. The time you and Casey shared will hopefully be something you think back on fondly instead of feeling guilty for how it ended.”
“I know my feelings on it will change once he finds his fated. It’s just hard being around him knowing he’s all alone while I have you.”
“Soon he’ll find his own fated. Headmaster Wren seemed pretty certain of the fact we would all find our mates here,” I reminded him.
“True.” He seemed to snuggle further into me, his soft purring the loveliest sound in the entire world.
I held him closer, already dreading parting from him for the night. Soon, we would be living together in the palace, sleeping next to each other every night. I couldn’t wait.