Page 25 of Zodiac Beasts

“Mmmmhmmm. Keep lying to yourself, and let’s see where it gets you, Brother Dearest.” I was still seething as he added, “The comedy is that I figured you wouldn’t mind if I went ahead and completed the pact, since you claim to be so burdened by this whole ordeal. Think about it—if you reject her mark now, you’re free. If you stopped growling for five minutes, you’d see that I saved you from the so-called ‘problem I created.’”

“That’s not how it works.” I made a point not to growl out of disciplined resentment.

“I wonder.” The fact that I could picture the catlike grin he had while he said it only made this whole situation more aggravating. “Well, I fixed the problem for me either way. You’re the mature adult here, right? I’m sure you can figure out what to do on your end. Anywho, good chat. Glad we could clear all that up. Bye now.”

Marcus hung up promptly, and I took a ten count to resist the urge to throw my phone through the kissing booth.

This was very quickly shaping up to being the longest month of my life.

I released a very slow breath in a long hiss, then I rubbed my temples.

Marcus thought he was so perfectly clever and diabolical, when all he’d actually done was marry himself to the same girl who I had no choice but to feed on. He really thought he’d done something there. If his plan was to hurt me by taking someone I wanted, like this ordeal would somehow end in my rejection and heartbreak, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

It was willful ignorance that he thought something as simple as this would relieve me of the obligations of my bloodline's curses. Marcus was so short sighted, he didn’t recognize how badly he’d set himself up for failure yet again.

It was a shame, really. He did seem to genuinely feel affection toward Lila. Whether he realized it or not, the fact that he’d sealed his pact with her showed that he wasn’t just playing around or using her. Sure, an Alpha could commit to a pact simply with the word yes, regardless of their own feelings, but Marcus was entirely too selfish to risk his one chance at a pact on someone he didn’t legitimately want. I wasn’t afraid to lose my ability to take a mate when I one day had to take and reject her, but he was more of a romantic than I’d ever be. This was too far even for him.

Adorable. If only he hadn’t involved me, I would have gladly let him have this. He could have finally been happy after so many years of torment and bullying. Though I’d been unfairly cruel to him in the past, I wouldn’t have ever interfered with him finding a good, real relationship now. I didn’t want to hurt him anymore, but he was so dead set on some nonsensical revenge quest, that now I’d have to give him another reason to hate me.

You could have been happy, I thought.

But I suppose it wasn’t in the stars.

Chapter 13

I was still reeling from the night with Marcus, still not fully understanding what I’d actually done, as I arrived on site for the school picnic. Our props were already there, set up and ready to go. Linda and Evelyn, were putting some extra flourishes on their kissing booth, while Adrian was setting out the safety mat for the mechanical bull. I’d spent our last weekend putting seeds in pots to distribute, while the flowers themselves bloomed beautifully in the small garden behind us. Our section of the school picnic was festive and spoke to both spring and astrology. I was pretty proud of it, honestly. Despite all the complexity of the situation right now, I was excited for something as normal and mundane as a school wide club picnic.

I approached Adrian, who was inflating the first section of the safety ring around the bull. I grabbed a hand pump and started filling the next section.

He didn’t say anything right away. I didn’t know if he could sense that I’d completed my mate pact with Marcus, or if he would even care that I did. Presumably, his life would be easier and less stressful if my attention was elsewhere, so he should be supportive of it.

That was hardly a topic for casual conversation though, and certainly not right now in the middle of a large school event.

“Have you ever ridden one of these things?” I asked him, forcing idle chatter.

“I’ve ridden everything there is to ride.” He answered vaguely, and if anyone else had said it, I’d assume it was an innuendo. But not Adrian. He was the most frigid of Incubus.

“Do you want to teach me? The only time I’ve ever ridden anything was while on the back of a motorcycle.” I hesitated to say Marcus’ motorcycle, but it’s not like there would be any confusion on the matter. I cleared my throat, hoping to move on. “I’m pretty good at moving with the motion.”

“I know you are.” The words were harsh, but the implication was so blatantly sexual that it looked like both of our cheeks heated. He cleared his throat now, probably also hoping to move on. “Marcus can teach you.” The words were a clear redirect. “He’s quite good at holding on too long, past the point of reason, and it translates well for bull riding.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a joke or a dig, so I just did that awkward fake laugh that I did in uncomfortable situations. That should have been my sign to let it go, but I was nothing if not reckless and full of bad decision making as of late, so of course I didn’t stop there.

“Are you saying that because you mean that, or because you can sense something’s different, so you’re being all flighty?” I could admit that came out a bit aggressive. But getting walked on got me nowhere, while demanding answers was marginally chipping away at these obnoxiously secretive monsters.

Adrian looked stunned for a moment, then he shook his head, and met my eyes. “I know you completed your pact, so let’s just get that out of the way. And I think you’re misunderstanding my relationship, both to you and to him.” He took a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued. “Whether or not I think Marcus is a good match for anyone, I’m not blind to the bond you two have, both mental and now indisputably magical. He’s closer to your age, and is a viable mate for someone like you.” ‘Someone like you’ somehow always felt like a judgmental statement, even when it was being used in a positive way. Though I didn’t think that this was at all intended in a positive way. “But no matter what you think about the mark I placed on your lip, my intentions, or our relationship, the reality is that I only marked you in order to keep you safe from what my monster is capable of. I’ll admit that you’re attractive, intelligent, and deserving of all the affection you find in this world, but the only reason you think about me at all is because of our unfinished blood pact messing with your head.” He swallowed. “In the end, whatever happens on these full moon nights, when neither of us are thinking clearly or making good decisions, there’s nothing real between us. Not one of our interactions hasn’t been tainted by the moon and the madness it brings, and you would be a fool to put your life on hold, waiting for my affection. Eventually we’ll be rejected mates, and then I hope you find someone who will be able to truly love you. Maybe that will be Marcus, but I hope it’s neither of us.”

In all of its logic and reality, his speech was cruel and definitive rejection. Any words I wanted to say were trapped behind the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. Really, nothing he said now was anything he hadn’t expressed before. Perhaps the only reason the words were striking me so deeply now was because I had convinced myself that our relationship was changing.

I opened my mouth to speak, when he interrupted me without giving me a chance. “You were right though. I’m not completely innocent in our past interactions, and I don’t have a good way to justify any of it. I let myself get swept up in a petty squabble with my brother, and in turn, I let you become a pawn between us. But don’t get it twisted. My instinctual drive to fuck you has nothing to do with true affection. The sooner you separate the idea of sex and intimacy from someone like me, the easier it will be for you to move on and enjoy the pact you’ve created.”

Adrian returned his attention to his task, and I just stood there. Some part of me wanted to cry, while another part of me knew everything he’d said was true and fair. I couldn’t say if he was hurt that I’d picked Marcus and was trying to push me away, or if those were his real feelings, but both possibilities sucked. Without realizing it, I’d been standing on a dividing line between two men, and I’d made a choice that I couldn’t take back.

I made the right choice though.

It was the right choice.

Right?