The information crashed into me like a tidal wave. Suddenly, a hurricane of little interactions I’d taken note of between Jack and Professor Fawley started to create a neat little picture.
Kyren and I had already known that Jack had some kind of history with the hunter-turned-professor. It had been anannoyance that Kyren bitched about constantly. But, now that we knew Jack was a Durand...?
That history was clearly more significant than we ever thought.
It made today’s interaction with the professor even more meaningful, if I didn’t look at it like a faculty member getting annoyed by his students’ drama in his class and instead looked at it like an ex getting jealous. It made all Professor Fawley’s comments and dirty looks make sense.
“Tate?” Xinyi placed her hand on mine. “You okay?”
I cleared my throat and nodded. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Great. Thank you for telling me.”
“You know, this doesn’t mean she’s with him.” Xinyi offered me a reassuring smile. “She could have hunted him down outside of office hours to talk about class or something.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed thickly and smiled back at her, but even to me, I knew it was weak. “You’re probably right.”
Xinyi stood and patted my shoulder. “I’m still rooting for you, dog boy. You and your drool worthy boyfriend, if he ever gets his head out of his ass, that is.”
I chuckled. “Thanks. I’ve got my work cut out for me with Kyren.”
“Sometimes people need time to realize what’s important. I’m sure he’ll get there. Just be patient.” She patted my shoulder once more before walking away.
I sat there at the table for a long moment before gathering my things and leaving. My mind kept swirling around the possibility that Jack wasn’t just mine and Kyren’s. If Jack was with the professor too and they had a relationship before the academy did that make her part of the Hunter’s Guild? Or did they just happen to meet because of her family?
Jealousy and possessiveness screamed from every facet. I hated the idea of someone else having Jack’s attention. Her smiles. Her laughter. Her love.
Sharing with Kyren was as natural as breathing, but this other person — this hunter? Even if I could come to grips about it, there was no way that Kyren would be so accepting. Not that he was admitting he even wanted Jack still at the moment.
But that was a problem for another time.
I was so caught up in my warring thoughts, I didn’t notice the two large men waiting next to the Vampire Crypt’s door until they stepped into my path.
“Tate.”
My eyes locked on the two of them, my brows burrowing in confusion. My two younger brothers, Jacob and Kolby, just as I remembered them. With their broad shoulders and the same square jaw we inherited from our father, no one would mistake us for anything other than relatives.
“What are you two doing here?” I tucked my hands into the pockets of my jeans, shoulders up around my ears.
Jacob, the older of the two, stepped forward, his head shaved to the scalp. “Can’t we just want to see our brother? It’s been a while.”
My head cocked to the side, taking them both in. Jacob had been the one to speak, but Kolby had his mouth pressed tightly together, his arms crossed over his chest so that his muscles bulged from beneath his white T-shirt.
If I knew anything about my brothers, they’d come here for a reason, and whoever sent them told Kolby to let Jacob do all the talking. Probably because Kolby was a bit of a hot head and didn’t care two shits if he hurt anyone’s feelings in the process.
“You could have called first,” I commented, suddenly wishing I’d stayed in the library longer. “It’s not like you to just show up.”
Jacob and Kolby exchanged a look before Jacob spoke. “We didn’t know if you’d answer.”
It’d been five years since I’d left the Mountain Ridge Clan in Utah. Five years since I’d seen or heard any of my family or former friends. Not that any of them had attempted to contact me. I didn’t exactly leave on the best of terms.
“Okay,” I drew out, my eyes slipping to the side, watching the human servants and vampires watch us as they walked around us and into the building. “Well... it’s good to see you, no matter the reasoning. Did ma and pa come?”
Kolby’s face flashed with anger, a low growl coming from him. Jacob shot our younger brother a look before turning back to me.
“No, ma couldn’t come and pa...” he trailed off, sadness filing his face.
A sudden anxiety filled my chest. If my brothers just wanted to catch up, they would have called. They wouldn’t have just shown up out of nowhere. There was a reason for their visit, a reason that was making my chest tight.
“Is pa alright?” I choked out, my heart race picking up.
