Chapter 27
rune
. . .
Dimitri and Koa flanked me the moment I stepped into the corridor, both silent until we cleared the academy doors.
My matebonds to Drecken and Jesper hummed in my chest, but my heart longed for the two men with me, too.
“You need food,” Koa said abruptly. “You’ve burned through half your reserves, too, haven’t you?”
Dimitri’s brow furrowed slightly. “He’s right. You’re pale.”
I huffed. “I’m not pale, but yeah, I am hungry.”
They shared a look, and that was how I ended up sandwiched between them on the floor of the common area in the House of Twilight with a plate of chicken that had been sprinkled with poisonous herbs over it.
It was juicy and delicious, and I hadn’t realized how hungry I had been.
Koa smiled at me. “You did good tonight, little vixen.”
I bit down on my chicken, and my heart thumped hard at his nickname for me. I swallowed my food in one gulp. “Good?”
He nodded, meeting my eyes. “You acted fast with Cora.”
“Barely,” I muttered, stabbing another bite of chicken with my fork. “If we’d been a few minutes later and the symptoms had progressed, then—”
“Just because there has been one case of a supernatural dying from the symptoms doesn’t mean she would’ve,” Dimitri said quietly, finishing my thought. “But we don’t have to find that out because we found her.”
“You’re right.” I took the last bite of my food, putting the fork down with a clang. “I wish they’d be able to stop the poisonings. This academy is supposed to be secure. They’ve even hired watchers, but that’s not stopping it from happening. The damn humans are sneaky as fuck.”
“I know,” Koa said softly, but there was a hardness to his expression I hadn’t expected to see.
Before I could question it, the door to Brynn’s room opened, and she stepped into the common area. Her hair was in perfect dark waves despite the late hour, her lips were red and glossy, and her pink eyes were already fixed on Dimitri.
“Oh,” she said, drawing out the word with an amused lilt. “I didn’t realize we were having a party.”
“You weren’t invited,” Koa blurted, his tone flat.
A laugh bubbled from my throat, and I coughed, hiding my smile behind my hand.
Brynn ignored us completely. “Dimitri,” she purred, moving closer, the hem of her skirt brushing her thigh. “How are you feeling about Jonas? That was fucked up, wasn’t it?”
Dimitri didn’t even blink. “Brynn.”
She frowned, stepping into his personal space. “You never want to talk to me anymore.”
“I never did,” he said. “I thought I was clear about that.”
She gasped.
That got a small laugh from Koa, who hid it terribly behind his cup of water.
“You know…” Her eye twitched. “Most men wouldn’t ignore me the way you do.”
“Great. Then, go entertain them.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, sharp and assessing. “I see. What would your arranged mate think with you hanging out with another woman all the time?”
Dimitri’s voice cut sharp. “I wasn’t trying to be rude to you before, Brynn,” he said coldly. “I tolerated your chatting this year because I thought maybe it was better to keep peace in our class, but you’re out of line. You and I aren’t friends.”
Her expression faltered. “What?”
He leaned forward slightly. “Since it isn’t clear enough, I’ll be blunt. I’m not interested in you or my so-called arranged mate. Rune’s the only one I want.”
“Her?” Brynn’s painted smile cracked. “Seriously? You really think Rune is your mate? Good luck with that.”
She turned, went back into her room, and slammed the door shut behind her.
Koa let out a low whistle. “That was a long time coming.”
Dimitri exhaled through his nose. “I’ve chewed her out before, when she spread misinformation to Rune, which hurt her.” His gaze flicked to me. “But…”
“You did?” My brows rose. “What?”
“I meant what I said to her. At first, I tried to keep my distance from you because it seemed like the right thing to do. I mean, I didn’t know it was even possible for you to be my mate, but after Jesper told me you had feelings for me, even after you had mated, I knew I couldn’t pretend with you anymore. ”
“Jesper can feel how I feel, so he’s right.” I licked my lips, my pulse skittering. “I have feelings for you both. I genuinely think that you’re both meant to be my mates.”
Koa’s mouth twitched like he was suppressing a grin. “We know, little vixen, and I am so grateful.”
“Same,” Dimitri grunted. “You didn’t talk to either of us when you bonded Jesper and Drecken, Rune. We didn’t know how you felt until Jesper told us.”
Koa shrugged. “I was close to being sent into a spiral within a depressive hole, to be honest. Couldn’t stop thinking of you being mated and happy without me.”
“I thought about you both, too. I just didn’t know how to tell you,” I whispered, glancing between the two of them. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you both sooner, but I do have feelings for you both. To be clear, I did try to tell you before, Dimitri.”
Koa smiled. “If it isn’t clear, I have feelings for you, too.”
“I like you, Rune.” Dimitri exhaled slowly. “But I didn’t think you would want me after everything I let happen. I should’ve listened to you when you tried to tell me.”
“You mean after I found out about your arranged mate from Brynn?” I asked, trying not to let the edge in my voice show. “Yeah, that part sucked.”
Koa winced. “If it helps, he panicked so hard he called me.”
Dimitri didn’t deny it. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You deserve the truth.”
“No shit,” I said, but I ignored the raw fear scraping through my marrow. “It’s been on my mind since it happened.”
“The arranged mating wasn’t my choice,” he admitted. “My parents believe in bloodline purity. They arranged a union for me with parents who want the same for their daughter.”
“How do you know her?” I asked, swallowing back the jealousy.
“I’ve only ever talked to her once, over the phone.” He winced, balling his hands into fists. “Just after I told my mother that I wouldn’t accept the arranged mating.”
“Does she want the arranged mating?”
He shook his head. “No. She’s found her fated mate already, but he’s not a vampire. Unfortunately, that means she’s stuck in her coven until she’s aged out.”
“Pureblood nonsense,” Koa muttered. “Typical.”
“Unfortunately so.” Dimitri sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you want proof, I’ll call her.”
I blinked. “You’d really—?”
He was already unlocking his phone. “It’s better if you hear it from her, right? So you don’t have to worry.”
He put the call on speaker and set it on the table without any preamble.
The line rang twice before a crisp, aristocratic voice answered. “Dimitri? It’s late. Did something happen?”
“Mary,” he said evenly. “You know the woman I told you about? She’s here. She deserves to know the truth about the arrangement, but I wanted her to hear it from you to be able to trust it.”
There was a pause before she let out a hum of approval. “I hope you didn’t let her find out about this whole arranged mating disaster from the News Sector?”
“Second-hand from it, actually,” I admitted. “It fucked with me.”
She groaned. “My mate found out from the News Sector. He was furious, but I managed to calm him down. I recorded our call last time,” she admitted to Dimitri.
“I’ll send it your way. Anyway, that’s how I calmed him.
He and I are happily mated, just hiding our mate marks and scents with enchantments.
I have zero attraction to any other being.
Dimitri and I have agreed to pretend for a year to keep our parents off our backs until I age out.
He’s doing me a huge favor, honestly, but I understand if you want to cancel the arranged mating. ”
Dimitri looked at me for an answer. “Rune? I’ll cancel it for you. It’ll be cancelled in a year no matter what, but you are my fated mate, even if the bond hasn’t snapped yet.”
“I would understand,” Mary whispered. “I just hope the next vampire my parents set me up with is as understanding as you are.”
My chest twisted at that. I’d heard of arranged matings being turned into forced matings, and it made my blood boil. “No need. Dimitri’s parents would probably set him up another mating, too.”
“Unfortunately correct,” Dimitri hissed. “But I plan on cutting ties with my parents soon. Cutting ties with the coven clearly hasn’t wiped away their desire to control me.”
“We won’t be meeting up or anything of the sort,” Mary said. “I know my mate was the most concerned about that.”
“Yeah,” I said, jealousy swirling in my gut at the thought of it. “That would make me uncomfortable.”
“Listen, I’m happy to chat more to ease your mind, but I sent over the recording. My mate’s almost here, so do you mind if I hang up?”
“Not at all. Thank you.”
“Thanks,” Dimitri said and clicked the red button. “Does that ease your mind, Rune? If not, I’m happy to just dissolve the arrangement and cut ties with my parents altogether.”
I cracked a smile and shook my head. “No. I’m actually fine with it, but I’m guessing your parents will hate me.”
“They hate anyone who isn’t a vampire.” He grimaced. “But I’ve never believed in their shitty values.”
“I know.”
“Um, actually, Rune…” Koa turned and rummaged through his satchel. “I have something for you.”
I blinked. “For me?”
He pulled out something wrapped in cloth and set it in front of me. “Go on, but just know I wouldn’t have been able to do this without Dimitri.”
I unwrapped it carefully and sucked in a sharp inhale. “Koa, you…”
It was my mug. The one that had shattered. The enchantments were still active, humming faintly, and the cracks had been sealed with golden veins. It wasn’t perfectly smooth, but the golden cracks from Koa’s magic sealing it back made it even better.
My throat tightened. “You—fixed it?”
Koa smiled softly. “Dimitri picked up all the shards and asked me to fix it without losing the enchantment. It took me a few tries to get it right.”
I looked between them, my eyes stinging. “You both…you didn’t have to.”
“Yeah,” Koa said quietly. “But we did.”
Dimitri’s gaze met mine, and what he held within them was pure vulnerability. “I wanted to do something because I caused your mug to break.”
My chest ached with a flood of emotions ranging from gratefulness to deep care. “Thank you so much.” I stood up and leaned across the small table, wrapping my arms first around Koa. “It’s perfect.”
He hugged me back tightly. “You’re welcome.”
When I pulled away, I pressed a hesitant kiss to Koa’s cheek. He flushed a deep crimson as I moved around him and hugged Dimitri.
He froze before relaxing into it, and his hands were gentle against my back. “Thank you for picking up my mug. It wasn’t your fault. I was the one who dropped it.”
As I pulled back, I caught the faintest flicker of surprise in his eyes before I kissed his cheek, too.
He inhaled sharply.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “For everything tonight. Especially for taking the time to talk with me about everything. I’m not entirely used to navigating feelings, mine or others’.”
“I’m not either,” they whispered simultaneously.
The silence that settled between us wasn’t awkward, though.
It was a calm ache of belonging with supernaturals other than my immediate family.
I hadn’t felt that before. I hated how the humans were infiltrating this academy, and it irritated me that I didn’t know whether they had something worse planned or not.
Even if they did, I couldn’t find myself able to worry about it. Not when I had two bonded mates, two boyfriends who were my potential mates, and two other potential mates.