“Holy shit. You tethered him.” She falls back onto her bed like her knees gave out. “And you’re okay? You’re—what does that even feel like?”
I open my mouth again, then close it. My hand drifts to my shoulder, brushing over the spot where his mouth had been. It still throbs. “It’s like someone hardwired their emotions into your bloodstream, and now you’re just supposed to act like that’s normal. Like feeling someone else and knowing what’s in their head is just...fine.”
Tamsin’s eyes go wide. “Wait. Did he bite you?”
“Yes.” I sigh. “You told me to be careful of the Fang, but I didn’t think you meant he’d actually bite me, Tamsin!”
Her mouth drops open. “Oh my God. That’s primal-level claiming. That’s like—” she mocks a growl, “Mine.”
I flop backward onto my bed with a groan. “He said it meant nothing. That it was instinct. He didn’t even explain it—he just stormed off after.”
She’s silent. And then, “Okay. That’s…horrible. But also kind of hot?”
I shoot her a glare. “It gets worse.”
“Worse than the bite?”
“I kissed Nolan.”
She sits up so fast her book hits the floor. “You what?”
“In the library. He was just…there and so sweet. Steady. Soft. Like the only person in this whole place not trying to manipulate or control me.”
She covers her mouth, muffling a squeal. “Did he kiss you back?”
I close my eyes. “Eventually.”
Tamsin gasps. “I knew he had a crush on you.”
“I don’t even know what I’m doing, Tam.” My voice cracks. “And then Kael?—”
Her brows shoot up. “Wait. Demon rescue boy is part of this too?”
“I ran into him after the bite. He found me wandering the wrong hall like a half-possessed idiot.”
Tamsin stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “So, in the last day, you got magically bonded to a shifter, bitten by said shifter, kissed a sweet cinnamon roll warlock, and had a shadowy heart-to-heart with a demon prince.”
I blink. “Wait—prince?”
She grins wickedly. “Oh yeah. Royal blood, baby. The kind that comes with power, baggage, and a dark wardrobe.”
“Why does that somehow make it worse?”
“Because itabsolutelymakes it worse. And also hotter. You’re checking all the boxes.”
I throw a pillow at her. “Don’t make it sound like a list.”
She throws it right back. “Oh, it’s a list. It’s a legend.”
I groan into my hands. “Fucking men. Why are they so confusing?”
Tamsin cackles. “You’re living every academy romance fantasy and hating every second.”
“I’m not sure if I’m going to pass Runic Arts or combust in a three-way magical tug-of-war.”
She wiggles her brows. “There are worse ways to go.”
I drag my blanket up over my head. “If anyone else tries to bite me, I’m setting something on fire.”
