Page 113 of Glitched Fates & Stolen Mates

“But… but it’s Emma!” Flynn said, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Emma!”

“Yes, thank you, Flynn, I know the name of my own bloody girlfriend,” Priya snapped.

Seb made a warning sound in his throat, but the damage was already done. Flynn was fuming, Priya looked like she might cry, and Rory had gone back to staring blankly at the wall, which he’d been doing more and more since Kit disappeared.

“Um… shall I go make tea?” I suggested. “How does Emma take it?”

Priya sighed in relief, her shoulders dropping slightly. “Yes, thank you, Felix. Tea would be great. Milk, no sugar.”

I scurried off to be blissfully alone in the kitchen, grateful for even a few minutes away from the suffocating tension. The good china came out—delicate cups with tiny blue flowers. But somehow Kit’s favourite mug ended up in my hands instead, as if my fingers had moved without permission. There was a tiny chip in the stony grey ceramic near the handle where Kit had dropped it, cursing under his breath whilst we’d all tried not to laugh.

By the time the tea was all ready to go on the silver tray, the sound of the door opening reached the kitchen. Priya’s hushed tone drifted down from the lobby—urgent whispers I couldn’t quite make out.

I cleared my throat loudly in the kitchen doorway to let them know I could hear them, just in case they were making plans to escape or something before Seb locked Emma up.

“Felix,” Emma said, seeming almost relieved to see me. Her face was blotchy and puffy, like she’d been crying, and her black hair, usually arranged in artful spikes, was now a messy halo of stress.

Her voice echoed in my head from that phone call, where she’d practically begged me to tell her the truth about what we really did here. The guilt consumed me all over again.

As we descended the stairs to the basement, the others fell silent, studying Emma with varying degrees of wariness. Priya tugged her over to a sofa, clutching her hand tightly. Emma repeatedly glanced between everyone—taking in Seb’s severe expression, Flynn’s worried face, Rory’s blank stare.

The awkwardness was already slowly killing me. I set the tray down on the coffee table, then reached for my tea just to have something to do with my hands.

Rory’s gaze instantly caught on my mug—Kit’s mug. He frowned, deeply. Great. Another conversation I definitely wasn’t ready for. Your brother is actually my mate, and I’m falling apart without him, so let me drink out of his mug in peace. I’m sure Rory’s reaction would be priceless.

“So, Emma,” Seb began, his voice carefully neutral. “Priya told you about us last night.”

“It was… it was a lot to take in,” Emma said, then looked towards me. “Priya said you didn’t believe it all either, at first, Felix.”

I nodded, because really, who would believe that we were a ragtag group of freaks hanging out in a haunted hotel, policing London’s streets from supernatural crime?

“It took Priya’s teaspoon telekinesis to convince me,” Emma admitted.

Flynn laughed—a small, strained sound—and Emma turned to him. “I can’t believe that you also kept all of this from me. This whole time.”

“It was Priya’s decision,” Flynn said softly, shooting an apologetic look at Priya.

“Anyway,” Emma interrupted, “I still can’t get my head around vampires and… and… wolves.” She glanced nervously between Seb and Rory. “And all the other things Priya is claiming are actually real. But there’s time for me to learn more about all that later.” Emma straightened in her seat, her grip tightening on Priya’s hand. “Right now, I need to tell you what happened.”

Seb leaned forward slightly. “What do you mean?”

Emma took a large, unsteady breath. “Before I begin, you all need to understand that Seb and I didn’t get off to a great start.” Flynn grimaced as she continued. “I thought he was some kind of gangster attacking Flynn in a dark alley. The fact that Flynn told me he had a gun sealed the deal.”

Seb remained as still as stone.

“Anyway, fast forward a couple of months, obviously I got to know Priya, and you all a bit more. Like when you had me round for Christmas.”

We all cringed in perfect unison. That disaster of a party had involved Rory placing Dolly at the head of the Christmas dinner table before cracking vampire jokes, Flynn spiking Seb’s mulled wine with his blood, and Kit randomly stabbing the table before storming out of the room.

“But, to be honest, I never believed your bullshit about being renovators. You all tried your best to be convincing, like how Felix told Wren he was actually here working on some innovative coding software for electricians.” Emma’s eyes flicked to me. “As time went on, I became more and more convinced Priya was lying to me.”

Priya hung her head, her fingers thoroughly tangled in her scarf.

“I can just about forgive her, sort of, because of the absolutely bonkers nature of the revelation,” Emma continued.

“What’s this all got to do with Kit?” Seb interrupted.

Flynn’s leg shot out to kick him. “Don’t be rude.”