Page 26

“It’s true,” Mera said. “It’s understandable you’d feel that way. Again, I assure you, as have the others, we have no desire to harm you.”

Riley got the strangest look on her face before slamming her hands down on the tabletop, startling everyone. “Wait a minute. Wait just a frickin’ minute. Did Lukas really tell you to leave?”

A fresh wave of fury rolled through Blaire, and she threw her hands up, biting out sharply, “Yes! That asshole told me I should pack my shit and leave. His personality sucks! There’s no way someone like him could be my soulmate. I don’t believe it for a second.”

Mera glanced up and cleared her throat. Riley winced, catching sight of someone behind Blaire.

Of course, Blaire thought.

A tray dropped onto the table beside her and her entire body froze as Lukas pulled out the empty chair next to her.

He must have heard everything.

Lukas lowered himself into the seat, his face red with indignation, lips tight, and pulled in.

They sat there for what felt like an eternity. No one dared to say anything. Even Riley held enough sense to not speak up.

Blaire may have messed up again, but she wasn’t sorry for it. It was true; she couldn’t believe she was destined to be bound to someone who acted this way. She spent the last four months devising a way to escape another fate, only to be told from the moment she was born she was irrevocably tied to someone who acted fine around her one minute but hated her the next. Not only was it confusing; it was downright childish.

Lukas slowly turned his head to look at Blaire. His eyes narrowed, and his face clouded with anger.

“You know…” He breathed deeply through his nose before leaning in and sneering. “I don’t want to be bonded either. I’ve been fine so far without a pair. I don’t see a reason to ruin things now.”

Mera squeezed Kai’s hand and looked at him with a pained expression.

“And you know what else?” His tone was detached, as if he didn’t care to even have the conversation, like it didn’t affect him. “It absolutely would be better if you packed your stuff, had the professor terminate your contract, and got out of here before someone gets hurt.”

“Lukas!” Aiden shouted. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“That’s extremely uncalled for,” Kai admonished firmly.

Lukas sat back and raised an eyebrow at Blaire with a smug look, ignoring the others.

He definitely implied she would get hurt if she stayed. Would he hurt her? Last night he didn’t seem dangerous. Once she got past what he was, he seemed like an ordinary guy. Until something snapped and he freaked out on her and left her alone. She swallowed hard and glanced down at her lap, unable to look at him. She didn’t understand why his words affected her the way they did.

It felt like he reached into her heart and twisted it. It wouldn’t normally hurt to be rejected by someone who barely knew her, but this had something more to it than that. The pain in her chest radiated through her, making her feel like she would break into a thousand pieces if someone touched her.

Aiden shot Lukas a look, and Lukas glared back at him.

“Blaire…” Riley whispered.

Lukas returned his attention to Blaire and his smug expression fell, his lips parting as if to say something, but no words came.

Tears filled Blaire’s eyes. She didn’t want anyone to see her cry, so she stood abruptly, grabbed her bag, and ran from the table as fast as her legs could take her.

Lukas growled under his breath, clenching his fists on the table as everyone stared at him in surprise.

Riley started to get up from the table, but Aiden spoke up, causing her to pause.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re doing the exact damn thing you were upset about last night. You’re saying the exact same shit.”

Lukas ran his hands through his hair and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t know what was happening to him, but he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. His life had been turned upside down, and he couldn’t stop the spiral downward.

“I have no clue, okay? She just… she gets me so twisted inside that I can’t control what comes out of my mouth.” He clenched his jaw and sighed.

“One minute, I want to comfort her for that damn monster comment… like, seriously? Comfort her even though she should feel ashamed for what she said. Just hearing her apologize, feeling the embarrassment radiating from her, I wanted to fix it. And the next minute? I want to shake her until she shuts up.”

“But why? Other than that comment, what has she done?” Kai asked.