“He did not,” I gritted out. “And the books he recommended I check out aren’t in the library. The librarian said they don’t stock them.”
“Oh… Oh, shit.” Shadrie grabbed my hand gently and moved us toward the couch, motioning for me to sit down. “Surprise, I guess.”
My mouth opened and closed, no words coming out. I had no idea how to process the bomb she’d just dropped on me.
Shadrie sighed and settled onto the couch beside me. “I’m sure Zypher was working up to telling you. It’s not like he’s been parading you around the other demons to find out who else is part of your mate group. It’s pretty obvious from the sidelines that he’s taking things at your pace.”
“Not telling me something this big is not the same as taking it at my pace, Shadrie. I’m barely starting to know the guy, and now I have to worry about two more? Fuck my life.” I groaned, dropping my head into my hands.
“You’ll be fucked, alright,” Shadrie chuckled, causing me to look up at her with a glare. “Oh, come on, that was funny. Look, Zypher will be here later. Before you freak out too much, just talk to him and find out why he didn’t tell you himself.”
“Fine, but I want you to tell me what else I don’t know about being a demon’s mate,” I demanded.
Shadrie leaned back against the cushions, her face scrunching in concentration. “Honestly, not much. Demons tend to keep to themselves even on campus. What we do know about them was information they were required to share as part of the treaty between Lucifer and Vallynn’s father a few centuries ago. The academy is one of the few places most of us ever encounter a demon.”
“But you seemed to know so much about them when Zypher decided I was his mate,” I interjected.
“I mean, I knew enough to know what Dilectus meant, and toknow that they aren’t evil like most people want to believe. I did spend enough time at court as a kid to learn that much, and Zypher only proved me right,” she said with a shrug. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed that male is basically a huge teddy bear.”
I didn’t reply. There wasn’t anything I could actually say in response. Zypher had been nothing but kind and doting since we met. Sensing that I needed time to process, Shadrie stood from the couch and stretched.
“I need a shower and a nap before the guys arrive. Take my advice and talk to Zypher when he gets here, okay?”
I nodded, and Shadrie slipped into her room. Scrubbing my hands over my face, I stood and moved back toward the kitchenette for my forgotten coffee. The small package Shadrie left on the counter caught my attention as I sipped from my cup. Opening the package with one hand, I found another vial of the same potion I’d been sent after my first combat class. Zypher said the first one wasn’t from him, but there was no way this one wasn’t, which only served to prove Shadrie’s point.
After I downed the potion and finished my coffee, I showered, dressed for the day, and threw myself into my homework. Even though I’d spent the day before in the library catching up on the classes I’d missed, I hadn’t had enough time to work on new assignments. The academy’s workload was no joke, and I still had my textbooks and papers spread across the coffee table in the common room when Miles knocked on the door, Zypher in tow. Shadrie emerged from her room looking well rested, just as the boys stepped inside our dorm, their arms loaded down with familiar snacks.
“You can set that stuff on the counter while I put my books away,” I said, hurriedly grabbing my work to stash in my bedroom.
“I’m pretty sure Zypher had someone go to the human realm and wipe out the snack aisle of a grocery store,” Miles laughed as they moved to sit everything down.
“Oh! Twizzlers, I love these!” Shadrie cheered. “I’ve only had them once when I came to visit my sister last year on campus.”
Shaking my head, I popped into my bedroom and dropped my things on my bed before heading back to the common room. Miles hadn’t been kidding. Our small counter was covered with everything I could possibly want for snacks.
“Wow, you really did go all out, huh?” I mused, causing Zypher to shoot me a sheepish grin.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, Dilectus.”
Shadrie gave me a loaded glance, snagging a pack of Twizzlers from the counter and looping her arm through Miles’. “Help me get the show set up, Miles,” she said, leading him toward the television.
“Real subtle,” I muttered.
“Is everything alright, Dilectus?” Zypher asked, moving to close the distance between us.
Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I looked up into his unnaturally blue eyes. “Actually, Shadrie mentioned something earlier that took me by surprise. She suggested I talk to you about it.” Zypher opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off before I could lose my nerve. “Are you expecting me to mate with other demons?”
His eyes widened in surprise. “That is typically the way of my kind. Did you not find the books I recommended?”
“No, I didn’t. They don’t have them here, according to the librarian. But that’s beside the point. That’s not something I should have heard from someone else or even read in a book.”
“You’re right, Dilectus. I apologize. It is true that my kind typically mate in groups of multiple males with one female in what we call a Vinculum. But it’s not what I expect of you. The females in my culture choose whether to accept their mates or not, should a male wish to join her Vinculum. It is up to us males to prove ourselves worthy of her acceptance. That was what I wanted you to learn from those books, along with the ways we typically work to prove ourselves.”
“Wait, so you believe I have a say in this, even though youbelieve we’re fated to be together?” I asked, afraid to let myself feel the relief of the knowledge without confirmation.
“You always have a choice, Dilectus,” Zypher murmured, gently running his hand down my arm. “Fate only decides who would make a good match should a male prove himself worthy.”
The relief I’d held at bay crashed over me in full force, and I puffed out a heavy breath. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”
