Page 35 of Zodiac Hybrids

“Glad to know you already have the foresight to start marking your calendar.” He kept his back to me as he talked.

“The first thing I did after you bit me was pencil in ‘get fucked by a man-beast’ for each month.” I rolled my eyes. I found myself caring less and less that he was older than me or an authority figure when he was always low key threatening me. “I’m a woman. Tracking a monthly event isn’t particularly out of my wheel house.”

“Fair point.” Adrian turned to face me. “But yes, you’re correct. This trip will coincide with February’s full moon. Any other questions?”

God, why did he always have to be so difficult? “So what, you’re just going to ask everyone to look for the North Star while you shift into… whatever you’re going to shift into this month?” I pursed my lips, as I recalled his last transformation. “Is it different every time? Or are you always a Capricorn because you were born in early January? It’s not really clear how this whole thing works.”

“It’s different every time.” He placed his hands on the desk and leaned over until he was down at my eye level and maybe a foot from my face. “A full bred Zodiac Shifter can only change into their own star sign, and they’re only forced into that form on one full moon a year. The rest of the year, shifting is a choice, and we can even partially shift.” He emphasized his point but turning his pupils to slits and his ears to something sharp and elf-like. Then just as quickly, he returned to his normal human appearance. “Though for anyone who isn’t an animal or god-based shifter, there’s not much function in partial or full shifting on our own.”

“But a half bred Zodiac Shifter?” I tugged the conversation along, knowing he was obviously avoiding the information I actually needed. Somehow, I just knew he was going to tell me that being half incubus meant that didn’t apply.

"The manifestation of our curse is a bit different depending on your designation of Alpha, Beta, or Omega,” he began, and I immediately filed those terms into my mental database to look up in the library later. “But as far as shifting goes, a half breed can be forced into shifter form during a full moon any month, and their form will match the time of year. The only protection we have is that we won’t be forced to turn under the full moon unless we hit a certain trigger.”

I assumed he meant the general we, because I certainly hoped he wasn’t trying to imply I was one of those.

“I see. So you’re not worried about the field trip because you know you won’t hit your Aquarius trigger?”

“Don’t ever let anyone call you an idiot, Lila.” He grinned, leaning in a little closer and placing a hand on my cheek. My gaze instantly darted to the side, too nervous to look into his eyes while he was physically touching me. “That’s exactly right. You’ll be perfectly safe. The month of the Capricorn is the worst of it. There are only a handful of months in the year where my triggers are difficult to avoid.”

“Oh.” I paused for a few moments. "So then… what is your trigger this month?"

Adrian raised a brow. “So you can make sure to hit it, or so you can avoid it?”

Both? I mean, the second one. “So I can avoid it, obviously.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” He drifted his touch across my jawline, until his thumb reached my lower lip. He pressed down softly where his mark was hidden by lipstick, and he gently ran his finger over the skin to wipe the veil away. He leaned in even closer, so his breath brushed my cheek, and he whispered at a volume that no one else could possibly hear. “Because now that you’re mine, you’re the only person I’ll be hunting on a night like that.”

At some point, I’d stopped breathing and I’d stopped blinking. I was frozen and confined by his turquoise eyes, and my senses were hyper-focused on the thumb tugging down on my lip so slightly.

He broke the spell when he laughed in that way that always felt more cruel and mocking than genuinely amused, then he stood up straight and gave me space again.

“Oh, but seriously, Lila, you really should learn to swim. There are a lot of creeks and rivers out in these mountains, and you might be surprised by how a little walk on a full moon can escalate.”

“O-of course.” I muttered quietly. I actually had a pretty good idea of how a walk on a full moon could escalate, thank you very much.

Adrian grabbed his portfolio and headed out, leaving me to pick up the always confused pieces of my current life. I didn’t really understand what I’d gotten myself into. I guess I should have just been glad he was letting me take my own risks.

Glad.

Yeah.

That was what I should be.

Chapter 20

The weekend couldn’t come fast enough, yet was arriving far too quickly at the same time. As much as I looked forward to a getaway with my baby doll, the idea of bunking with Adrian was probably about as appealing to me as it was to him. That was a desperate move even by his standards. At least I could confidently say I had him on the defensive with the girl. He was like a jealous child, fighting over a toy he didn’t even want until someone else showed interest. Those extra eight years he had on me clearly meant nothing for maturity.

He’d definitely not overridden my mark, and I was certain he noticed that too by now. I’d never met a shifter who could form more than one bond, but then I’d also never met a shifter who could drive my brother insane, so there was more to this story.

Still, it was somewhat spitefully that I packed my bag before my Friday classes. Being my second year in Astrology Club, I’d done the Veloce field trip before, and it was one of my favorites. But last year I’d had a half-Gemini shifter to feed on while we enjoyed some private time in the springs in the hours before dawn. But this year, not only did the trip coincide with the full moon, meaning I would have to dance around my own Aquarius trigger, heavily limiting my ability to enjoy the holiday, but I had my brother to cock block me from the little mystery monster who was all but begging for me to pin her to a hotel bed.

But that was all fine, really. I couldn’t expect this little game we were playing to always go my way. What fun would that be? Rattling Adrian was half the game, and the fact that he was so hung up on her that he would make a point to keep her away from me was all I needed to know about his feigned lack of genuine interest.

So by all means, brother, don’t let me out of your sight.

He could keep his eyes on me, and I’d happily show him hell. If Adrian thought he’d be safe from making another “mistake” because it was the month of the Aquarius, he may need the reminder that I was very well versed in a Zodiac Hybrid’s triggers.

Chapter 21