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“It’s not all bad news, Fated B. For one, you don’t need to stress about class work,” Monstera informed her.
Her eyebrows furrowed and her face paled. “Oh, shit. My library shifts,” Miko sputtered.
“That’s the other good news I was going to tell you. Now that you know I’m a witch, you’ll learn just how much of a badass I truly am…”
Sorrow clouded my senses, drowning out the rest of Monstera’s words.
Miko’s lip twitched into a small smile, but her words held a morose stain. “Thanks, Mo.”
I’d done that.
Huff whispered something, his voice as gentle as it always was with me during one of my manic events. My heart shriveled. I longed to soothe my Miko but knew she wouldn’t welcome my touch or words anyway. Perhaps the universe thought to remind me that I never deserved a mate.
I scraped myself off the floor, then sprinted up the short stairs and onto the roof, refusing to break down in front of her.
Warm summer wind tangled my longer fur, blowing it into my eyes as volatile emotions threatened to undo me. My moth wings spread, moonlight illuminating their iridescent shades of violet. I acknowledged dazedly that they were the only part of me that I trusted to carry the tumultuous thoughts weighing me down as I launched myself into the sky. Fisting the fabric covering my sternum, my claws jabbed through the material and sunk into my grey flesh, emitting the rasp of stone scraping stone.
A realization dawned, carving the words ‘You. Left. Me.’ onto my bones over and over, the resultant white splinters happily piercing my organs. It looks like my demons were right, after all. I must indeed be a masochist, one who’d finally found a new method of self-flagellation. It’s not as though internal bleeding would kill me.
Whoever invented the phrase “falling in love” deserves to lay on a bed of shattered glass for eternity. More like: Love, falling apart at the seams one stitch at a time.
CHAPTER 31
Ducks Don’t Have Teeth
MIKO
“You have been blessed with the most spectacular fated bestie in existence,” Monstera claimed. “Still, I’m not perfect, no witch, human, or any other creature is.” I shook my head as she worried her lower lip with her teeth. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“Yes, Mo. You charmed my necklace so I can’t be portaled against my will. That alone saves me untold stress.”
“That’s true. Don’t forget I also spelled the dean, so this library job is yours as long as you want it,” she added.
Hell, she even ensured that I could alter the hours it was open. Initially, I felt a sliver of guilt, but no one ever came to the library, so who was it really hurting if it was only open five days a week instead of seven?
The downside of this newfound freedom? I no longer had sufficient distractions to keep my mind off Bane.
I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as I yawned, watching Monstera open a portal. “LAMP, Moey.”
“LAMP, always,” she returned and gave me a quick hug before kissing my cheek and vanishing.
I sat heavily in the nearest chair and rubbed my chest with the flat of my palm in slow, light circles, failing to cage my emotions as my stomach twisted with nausea. I couldn’t come to terms with the surreal knowledge that I had lost even more time. It was impossible that I remained in the Fairytale Realm for more than twelve hours, if that, and I lost a week and a half of my life.
Not to mention the sheer yearning for the male I thought I could trust, gripping my heart as it steadily squeezed the blood from its chambers until it was nothing more than a useless hunk of muscle. Dropping my head into my cold hands, I closed my eyes. Ugh. Why can’t I get the sight of Bane’s expression when I returned out of my head? The utter relief and unfiltered joy stamped on his face haunted me. I groaned, remembering the way his tattooed cheek went taught with his grin and the ruckus his tail made as it wiggled excitedly, smashing into everything in its path.
It’s possible that perhaps he spoke the truth. I sighed. No, I am certain that he did. And yet, part of me can’t get over the fact that part of me felt like a vulnerable little girl while I was alone in Little Red Riding Hood.
Weeks ago, after he explained the Heechus’ history, he offered me his protection. At the time it was easy to brush off the seriousness in which he spoke those words. That sexy accent certainly didn’t help keep my mind, fine, my damn libido, from interfering with my focus. But that wasn’t an excuse then and it most definitely isn’t now. Still, he said he would protect me and he failed. Sweat beaded along my brow as a thought struck me.
What if Grymnyr had torn out my jugular instead of a piece of my arm?
My head softly thumped against the seeded glass window situated next to the study desk I sat at, causing me to admire the tiny air bubbles purposely added as decoration. I ran my index finger over the carvings etched onto the desktop, framing the edges.
Although I’m loathe to admit it, I’m disgustingly aware that none of the tension growing between us is his fault. I know he didn’t choose to fall into a portal without me.
It’s been two days since I returned and I haven’t seen Bane since, his absence gnawing on my psyche akin to a phantom limb. He seemed to have honed his stalking skills because even the bond couldn’t tell when, or if, he was near. But I knew him better than that.
There was no possibility that he wasn’t tracking my every breath.
