Instead of furthering my studies and going into research, I had to pull up my big girl pants and be an adult.
And then my mate didn’t show. And when he finally did... He turned out to be a cursed hellhound king.
Why couldn’t I have just gotten a normal mate? One who forgot our anniversary, killed a rabbit to apologize, and got smacked upside the head before I kissed him and forgave him?
The anger flares up, cutting through the pain. I grab the book I was trying to read and hurl it at the wall so hard that the spine snaps and pages fly everywhere.
I will find a way out of this and when I do, I’ll sic Draxis on that red-headed bitch and watch as he digs his claws into her and drinks her blood.
“What if we force Draxis out?” Neris pipes up suddenly, her voice strained with pain.
I pause, considering.
“Risk Sin’s life again?” I murmur, then shrug. “He’d probably be fine with it. But with how much stronger the magic is around Draven now... would it even work?”
“We’d need an exit plan,” Neris gasps through another bolt of pain. “In case it doesn’t.”
Before I can answer, there’s a knock at the door — three short in quick succession, two with long pauses. The knock Sin told me to memorize. The only one I’m supposed to trust.
It’s cute that he thinks a locked door could stop a cursed hellhound. Men really are idiots sometimes.
I open the door, and there he is — arms loaded with books.
He marches straight to my bed and dumps them there without ceremony. Pages crinkle under the weight.
“This is everything I could find on old magic,” he says, jerking his thumb toward the mountain of forbidden knowledge. “Scraped it from the restricted section when no one was looking.”
He scans the disaster zone that is my room — every surface buried under open books and frantic notes.
“Any luck with the others?” he asks, already picking up a thick, dusty tome.
“That would’ve been too easy,” I mutter, closing the door.
“Well, fuck,” he says, dragging a hand through his hair. “Alright, come on. Two pairs of eyes are better than one.” He plops down on the edge of the bed, flipping a book open.
“Sin.” I say his name softly, and he looks up immediately, alert.
“We don’t have time anymore. I think—” I swallow hard. “Neris and I think we should try to force Draxis out. Like before. During the training.”
His eyes go wide. His whole body stiffens.
“Fuck, Kass.” He exhales sharply, raking his hand down his face. “He’s so much worse now. We have no idea if it’ll work. And if it doesn’t...” He shakes his head. “He’ll have an official excuse to kill me. And then you’ll be alone.”
He says it like it’s just a fact. No fear.
He shrugs one shoulder, almost casual. “Don’t get me wrong — I really, really don’t want to die.” A grim smile curves his mouth. “But more than that, I don’t want you left to deal with this alone.”
He tosses the book he’s holding back onto the bed, gets up and steps closer, standing right in front of me.
“I mean it, Kassira.” His voice drops lower, rough with emotion. “You’re our best shot. Maybe our only shot. But you’ll need help. And it’s not just about saving Draven — though Goddess knows I love that bastard — it’s about saving all of shifter kind.”
Well, that certainly takes the pressure off.
He clenches his jaw for a moment. “And I really don’t want all of us to end up like zombies bowing to some evil witch.”
"Then I could just mark him by surprise," I snap, throwing my hands in the air. I swear I’m about to start setting things on fire.
Sin grimaces. “That’s a last resort. I mean, final-final. Hail-Moon-Goddess-level desperate. He was right about one thing — if you mark him, the magic could infect you too.”
