Page 14 of Facade

“The other monitors should be on campus, getting settled in,” Jace said. “It won’t be easy to search those dorms without raising eyebrows, but I’ll leave it up to you. I can make some kind of excuse to look through their dorms, or cause a distraction so you can do it.”

Clarke thought for a moment before responding, “I doubt we would find anything. If one of the students is involved, or somehow has the clue, they will bring it with them when they move in.”

“That’s logical,” he agreed. “If a person here knows something about what happened to Charlie, it’s most likely to be a staff member, or possibly an older student.

“Let’s start this tour, and save the admin building for last. You can meet Mitch and Ray, the monitors for the casters and elementals, at the faculty meeting on Tuesday.”

Clarke stared at him for a moment before heading toward the front doors of the dorm. “You don’t respect the other monitors,” she said perceptively.

“They strike me as lazy, and not invested in the job,” he said. “The students deserve better than that.”

“True,” Clarke said. “I may have an agenda separate from this job, but I still intend to be dedicated to the students, and perform my duties to the best of my ability. And not just to keep my cover. Anything less, and I wouldn’t be able to respect myself.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that you will be a wonderful dorm monitor,” he said, and meant it.

Clarke always gave a hundred percent. Again, he felt a burst of pride that he was considered worthy to be the mate of such a brave, intelligent, and extraordinary female. He vowed silently never to let her down.

Jace explained the primary duties of a monitor, and the extent of their authority over students as they toured the campus. Having read the pamphlet and job description, Clarke was aware of most of it already. She did seem to appreciate hearing about the job from someone who’d been doing it for years.

They took advantage of touring the administration building to search the faculty offices thoroughly. Clarke sighed when they didn’t find anything.

“I wasn’t expecting this to be easy, but it’s frustrating, having no idea what we’re looking for,” she said.

“We’ll try to find another opportunity to look through the offices after classes start,” Jace said. “I really don’t think the professors or department heads are shady. If I’m wrong, though, the guilty party wouldn’t leave evidence out for custodians to find.”

“True, and we have to explore every possibility,” Clarke agreed.

“Can I take you out to dinner?” Jace asked as they headed back to the dorms.

He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before the students and the rest of the staff arrived. That would get more complicated when the campus was full.

“How about I cook, and we can eat in my apartment? That way, we can plan without worrying about who else is around,” Clarke said. “I got some groceries in Clementine on my way here.”

“I didn’t want to invite myself over, but that’s definitely a better plan,” he said.

Jace was glad that Clarke was comfortable having him in her private space. Mates or not, he worked here, where the clue or person responsible for Charlie’s disappearance was.

They were friends on social media, but didn’t really know each other anymore. He and Clarke hadn’t seen each other in eighteen years. Jace wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t completely trust him.

When they were in the unit, Clarke lifted the hem of her polo shirt, showing him the quilted tank that concealed her curves. Jace had to agree that Sofia was brilliant. Even with the masculinity charm and manly voice, some would be apt to notice her trim waist without it.

She also pulled up the hem of her shorts just enough to display his mate mark on her thigh. Jace had really wanted to see it, and was glad he didn’t have to ask.

He had taken the time to admire his own mark when he changed shirts. It was complex, and beautiful. Seeing Clarke’s provoked another surge of overwhelming awe, joy, protectiveness, and gratitude.

Their marks were identical, but for one aspect. The bottom of his mark was closed, while Clarke’s was open. That meant that Clarke had more than one mate. After feeling the connection to all of them, the new mark or marks would manifest on her thigh, and connect to his. Together, they would form a pattern unique to them.

Jace was aware of that, since he knew several people with two or more mates. His mother had three. While each design was individual, the person with more than one mate wore all of them as one symbol.

Clarke didn’t comment on the differences in their marks. It was possible that she didn’t know what that meant. After pondering it for a solid minute, Jace decided not to say anything.

Her other mate or mates shouldn’t be an immediate concern, and Clarke had more than enough to deal with. They could discuss that at a later time.

The highest priorities right now were keeping Clarke safe, finding the clue on campus, and saving Charlie. Mentioning that she had at least one more mate could distract Clarke. She was still acclimating to the shock of finding one mate, changing strategy to factor him into her plans, and thinking of ways to strengthen their connection without drawing unwanted attention from the staff.

For himself, Jace wasn’t concerned. As a female with two powers, one of them highly-ranked, he would have been more surprised if Clarke didn’t have a minimum of two mates. His dads hadn’t known each other before bonding his mother, and they got along great.

Clarke texted Hannah and Harry before she started cooking, and handed him her phone, so he could read the messages. Naturally, they were both relieved that Clarke had someone to watch her back, and help search for Charlie. They were also thrilled that she had found a mate.