Clarke
The boys returned minutes after she did. She was still feeling some of the stress of the day, and tried to shake it off as she made her rounds of the dorm.
While the results had been unexpected, Jace’s plan had gone smoothly. They were neither arrested, nor exposed unwillingly. She and Jace had more information than they’d had the day before. It was progress.
Liam, Ethan, and Carlos seemed to have enjoyed their time at the elemental dorm, and to like Lane Matthews. After all the bullshit with Mitch, that was a relief. The boys chatted about the movie and the next home football game as they scrounged for snacks in the kitchen.
Seeing his mark connected to Jace’s made this feel more real, rather than a fantasy she’d conjured to justify the attraction. It had happened. She was bonded to Heath and Jace.
The fact that she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off of Heath, even with Jace nearby, made sense now. Same with that fluttery feeling she got when Heath cracked a joke, or a smile lit up his handsome face.
They were fated for each other. Instead of dishonoring Jace, and her connection to him, she’d been drawn to another bonded mate. Clarke felt absolved of the guilt that had been eating at her.
She wasn’t entirely certain how Heath felt about it, but this was very new. Thinking she was a man, he hadn’t understood how they could have bonded. That had to have been weird, and disconcerting for him.
Heath hadn’t said much about the bond specifically, but he hadn’t seemed upset. Once Heath understood that she was actually female, he gave all his attention to the reason she was at Mars, disguised as a man.
Clarke had been concerned that Heath might feel duped, or angry that she was here with a private agenda. That hadn’t been the case. He was very sympathetic, and supportive.
She had no doubt that he would keep her secret. Heath had immediately began thinking of ways to help them find her dad without having to be asked. That meant a lot to her.
Being able to relax at his house without the charm bracelet was wonderful. Clarke wouldn’t take the risk of wearing female clothing. But just feeling female for a couple of hours, with Jace and Heath watching her appreciatively, was amazing.
Clarke stroked the bond mark with a silly smile, then looked more closely at it. Heath’s and Jace’s marks connected on one side, but were open on the other. She had at least one more mate out there, somewhere.
When she recalled Jace’s logical comments about the potential complications of her bonding a stranger, Clarke wasn’t sure if she was excited or scared at the thought of another mate. Hopefully, it was only one instead of two or more. The prospect of juggling four or five men was overwhelming.
From the spacing and angle of the marks, it looked like the completed design would form a three-petaled knotwork flower. She didn’t think a fourth petal would fit. Either way, there would be more adjustments to be made in the future, for all of them. Possibly big ones.
With Jace and Heath contracted to Mars, it would make the most sense to stay here. There was also the fact that Heath owned a house and had family in town.
Clarke would need to get a job, since she couldn’t stay on at Mars. Hopefully, her third mate would be willing to settle here.
There would be so much to think about. Her dad would probably return home and stay there after she found him. But they could visit each other easily enough.
Laughing at herself, Clarke shook her head. That was all in the future, and not an immediate concern. First, they needed to find her dad, the veterinarian, and the missing students.
She was still surprised to have met two of her mates here at Mars within a span of weeks. But it did make sense. There were thousands of evolved males here, many of them single. When she was enrolled at Southeastern Evolved, Clarke had hoped to bond a mate.
Thousands of people, possibly more, bonded mates at universities. She hadn’t read the statistics, but it was common. Her parents had met at college. It hadn’t happened for her, though, until now.
Clarke took a deep breath, and walked into the bedroom to put on pajamas. There was no point in thinking of mystery mate number three, or if he was also here at Mars. She would meet him when and where she did, whether she obsessed over it or not.
Picking up her phone, Clarke texted Jace that the mark was open on one side. She wouldn’t hide this. He had a right to know.
So did Heath, but she didn’t have his number. The connection with him was so new, Clarke wasn’t sure she’d have the nerve to call him with this news anyway. They barely knew each other.
Instead of replying to her text, Jace called.
“Hey, I have three dads, remember? I’m not surprised, or upset.
They didn’t know each other before bonding Mom, and they get along great.
So, if you were worried about my reaction, you don’t have to be.
I’m with you all the way, here, no matter what,” Jace said. “Are you ok?”
“I think so. It’s been quite a day,” Clarke said, feeling calmer simply from talking to him, and hearing the sincerity in his voice. He would always be on her side. “The situation is concerning. You made very rational points about bonding a stranger. This could get complicated.”
“It could, but we don’t know that it will be,” Jace said logically. “You sound tired. Get some rest.”
“Yeah, I haven’t been sleeping great. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Good night. I love you,” Jace said, and ended the call.
Of course, he wasn’t upset or jealous. Jace was amazing. As long as she had his unconditional support, Clarke could deal with anything.
Wolverine shifters were considered cranky and temperamental. Ha! Well, he was with other people. So, there was a basis for that opinion.
But with their mates? Different story. Jace’s biological dad was the same with his mom. Anyone mated to a wolverine shifter was blessed.
She climbed into bed tired, but less anxious than she’d been in days. Clarke woke Saturday morning feeling clear-headed and calm. She called Hannah while the coffee brewed.
Clarke had kept Hannah up to date on all the major things, but hadn’t told her about the latest vision, and Jace’s plan yet.
Their schedules didn’t always mesh, but under the circumstances, being unable to communicate frequently was stressful for both of them.
Hannah and Clarke tried to fit in a lengthy conversation every other week with brief text updates in the gaps.
“Oh, you have good timing,” Hannah said when she answered the call. “I’m off today, and want all the details. Are things calmer with Mitch the Malicious gone? I was really concerned about that. He sounds like a nutcase.”
“It has been quieter on campus, and the students are settling down. The elementals have a new monitor, who seems to be a good guy.
“I do have big news, and will give you the headlines first. So, I bonded Professor Halston, and he thinks he knows why Dad went missing,” Clarke told her.
“What? Did all that happen in one day? You just texted Thursday that it was a tame, normal week, but you might have something to report on the weekend. Oh, my God, how? This is exciting. Tell me everything,” Hannah said.
Clarke did, starting with her vision of Heath, and Jace’s plan to question him without revealing who they were. She described how they had lurked behind trees in the nature preserve, wearing jumpsuits and helmets, and how nervous she’d been to participate in the skullduggery.
Hannah howled with laughter, pausing the recitation.
“Sorry, I’m sorry,” she said on a hiccup.
“Envisioning your scowling, protective wolverine mate accosting a coworker on his evening jog was too much for me. And then you felt the bond flare. Wow. I know this is serious, but you have to admit that it’s rather funny.
So, he must have had information for you to draw him. What did you discover?”
“You were right when you guessed that this had to be a crime of opportunity,” Clarke said, then explained that a veterinarian had gone missing from the same rest stop on the same day. “It sounds like Dad was trying to prevent Dr. Prentis from being kidnapped.”
“That makes so much sense. Whoever these bad guys are, they were after her, not Charlie. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Hannah commented. “Hearing about Dr. Prentis and the missing students is scary, especially if they are connected. I’m so glad you aren’t there alone.”
“You and me both,” Clarke agreed.
She’d been prepared to do this on her own. The fact that she didn’t have to, and now had Heath’s help, was wonderful. Thinking of everything that had occurred here at Mars since her arrival, Clarke wasn’t sure she’d be sane at this point without support.
“By the way, the mate mark is open on one side. I have at least one more mate. I texted Jace last night, as soon as I realized that. He’s still my rock, and wasn’t upset. Heath doesn’t know yet. I have no idea how he’ll react.”
“Well, look at you,” Hannah said teasingly. “Remember how we were both sniveling about our dry spells? Soon, you’ll be rolling in dicks.”
“Thanks for the visual,” Clarke said dryly.
“Anytime. Now I’m seriously considering going back to school,” Hannah said. “Maybe I’ll get lucky, too.”
Talking to Hannah helped Clarke feel normal, even with everything that was going on. They chatted for a bit longer, mostly about Hannah’s job and local gossip. It was comforting.
“Slobby sends his love,” Hannah said.
“I miss that big, goofy oaf so much,” Clarke commented with a sigh. Slob was being well taken care of, and that was what mattered. “Give him kisses from me.”
After doing a couple loads of laundry, Clarke drove into Clementine for groceries. Jace was worried about Mitch, and he had a right to be. But she refused to cower on campus in fear of the psycho elemental who chose to blame everyone else for his own failings.
It should be a quick trip, anyway. Clarke had gotten a haircut from Russell’s barber the week before Mitch was fired. It would be a couple of weeks before she was due for another. Everything she needed currently was available at the supermarket.
She stayed alert, but didn’t run into any trouble in town. Clarke had no doubt that Mitch would try something if he saw her, but he must not have. It was actually peaceful.
The weather was beautiful, sunny with a cool autumn breeze. Clarke drove back to campus with the windows down. She greeted the guards with a friendly wave when they opened the gate automatically, recognizing her car.
Only a few vehicles were in the parking lot. Most of the students with transportation spent the bulk of their weekends outside the dorm.
Leaving the bags of dry cat food she’d purchased by the stairs, Clarke carried the rest of her groceries into her unit. Heath had mentioned that he hoped to have the cats moved to the basement within the week.
Cats were more efficient hunters when they had a steady supply of food. Given the overwhelming number of mice to contend with, Clarke would give the felines as much help as she could. These bags might not last long, but she could buy more.
Jace texted that Heath had invited them to come over mid-morning the next day. They would experiment with her power, and have lunch at his house. It sounded like a good plan to her.
As she put her groceries away, Clarke thought about Russell, and the fact that he hadn’t commented about Jace or her friendship with him once.
The more she considered it, the stranger it seemed.
Jace had been bristly and protective in front of Russell more than one time when Mitch had thrown insults at her.
It wasn’t like Russell to keep his mouth shut about that. Clarke’s intuition told her that Russell could be trusted, and would be a valuable ally. She had faith in her instincts, but still had to wonder why he’d never mentioned Jace.
Clarke texted that she wanted Jace and Heath to ask some pointed questions about Russell when they tried Heath’s methods of experimenting with her power. If her intuitions about the librarian were validated, Clarke would bring Russell into the loop.
Her phone chimed with an invitation to a group chat that included Heath. She chuckled at the designations of Wizard, 007, and Agent X. That had to have been Heath’s doing.
Heath commented that it was a good plan. Using Russell as the first subject would allow them to verify the accuracy of answers immediately. The same wouldn’t be true of questions involving her dad, Dr. Prentis, or the students.
They needed to know what worked, what didn’t, and how versatile her power was. Having Russell’s brain and knowledge at their disposal would be an asset. The sooner the better.
Clarke messaged that she agreed, but was still baffled that Russell had never brought up Jace in conversation with her.
Jace guessed that there was a simple explanation, and she should just ask Russell when they had confirmation that he would be on their side, and guard her secrets.
Maybe it would be that easy. Time would tell.
She made a large bowl of potato salad to bring to Heath’s house, so he wouldn’t have to provide all the food. Contributing felt like the right thing to do. Jace had offered to bring drinks. Clarke didn’t want to arrive empty-handed.
The rest of the day, she mostly relaxed. Thoughts of another mate, and who he could possibly be, popped into her head a few times. Clarke pushed them away.
She had enough to contend with as it was. There was no point in speculating about some guy she hadn’t met, and how he would fit in with Jace and Heath.