Page 63 of Facade

“Oh, it was a good plan. The suits and helmets worked perfectly for a disguise,” Clarke said as they climbed into her car. She fastened her seatbelt, and shifted to reverse before speaking again. “Are you really as calm as you seem to be about the Heath thing? You’re handling me bonding him better than I am. I envy that, and find it mildly irritating at the same time.”

Clarke cast him a playful, mocking glare. She sounded more rueful than serious.

“Did you expect me to be upset?” Jace asked.

“I didn’t expect any of this. I’m still trying to process all of it,” she said.

“Heath is a good person, whom I like. The two of you have a lot in common, so it makes sense that you would bond each other,” Jace said. “I knew you had at least one more mate. The way I see it, this is the best-case scenario. His house is private, in a rural area. Heath is smart, and already thinking of ways to find Charlie, and rescue him. It could be so much worse. I’m focusing on the positives, here.

“If you bonded some random guy you ran into in Clementine, there could be a lot of complications, and a longer adjustment period for both of us. Trying to nurture the bond could risk your disguise, and everything we’ve been working toward. And that would be after explaining that you aren’t a man, and asking him to keep his mouth shut about it.

“So, yeah. I’m happy and relieved that it’s Heath.”

“When you put it that way, it does make sense. If you were angry and jealous, I’d feel guilty, and stress over this. You’re the best mate, Jace. I’m so lucky to have you,” Clarke said earnestly.

Jace’s left hand was resting on her knee, and he squeezed it. “That goes both ways, Princess Primrose. I got lucky, too.”

Clarke pulled up to the curb by the backdoor of the shifter dorm. “I love you. Have a good night,” she said.

He wanted to kiss her so bad, it took an effort of will not to lean over, and brush his lips against hers. But he didn’t know how much the shifters would be able to see if any of them were looking out the window.

“Love you, too. Sleep well. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jace said as he stepped out of the car, grabbing the duffel and helmets from the backseat. “Try not to stress. Everything will work out.”

“With you and Heath both on my side and helping, I’m starting to believe that,” Clarke said.

Jace closed the doors and waved. He waited until Clarke parked in the lot behind the powered dorm, and was safely inside the building before entering his own dorm.

Clarke

The boys returned minutes after she did. She was still feeling some of the stress of the day, and tried to shake it off as she made her rounds of the dorm.

While the results had been unexpected, Jace’s plan had gone smoothly. They were neither arrested, nor exposed unwillingly. She and Jace had more information than they’d had the day before. It was progress.

Liam, Ethan, and Carlos seemed to have enjoyed their time at the elemental dorm, and to like Lane Matthews. After all the bullshit with Mitch, that was a relief. The boys chatted about the movie and the next home football game as they scrounged for snacks in the kitchen.

Clarke waited for them to head upstairs before entering her apartment. After turning on the lights, she walked straight to the bathroom. Clarke undressed, and stared at Heath’s mate mark.

Seeing his mark connected to Jace’s made this feel more real, rather than a fantasy she’d conjured to justify the attraction. It had happened. She was bonded to Heath and Jace.

The fact that she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off of Heath, even with Jace nearby, made sense now. Same with that fluttery feeling she got when Heath cracked a joke, or a smile lit up his handsome face.

They were fated for each other. Instead of dishonoring Jace, and her connection to him, she’d been drawn to another bonded mate. Clarke felt absolved of the guilt that had been eating at her.

She wasn’t entirely certain how Heath felt about it, but this was very new. Thinking she was a man, he hadn’t understood how they could have bonded. That had to have been weird, and disconcerting for him.

Heath hadn’t said much about the bond specifically, but he hadn’t seemed upset. Once Heath understood that she was actually female, he gave all his attention to the reason she was at Mars, disguised as a man.

Clarke had been concerned that Heath might feel duped, or angry that she was here with a private agenda. That hadn’t been the case. He was very sympathetic, and supportive.

She had no doubt that he would keep her secret. Heath had immediately began thinking of ways to help them find her dad without having to be asked. That meant a lot to her.

Being able to relax at his house without the charm bracelet was wonderful. Clarke wouldn’t take the risk of wearing female clothing. But just feeling female for a couple of hours, with Jace and Heath watching her appreciatively, was amazing.

Clarke stroked the bond mark with a silly smile, then looked more closely at it. Heath’s and Jace’s marks connected on one side, but were open on the other. She had at least one more mate out there, somewhere.

When she recalled Jace’s logical comments about the potential complications of her bonding a stranger, Clarke wasn’t sure if she was excited or scared at the thought of another mate. Hopefully, it was only one instead of two or more. The prospect of juggling four or five men was overwhelming.

From the spacing and angle of the marks, it looked like the completed design would form a three-petaled knotwork flower. She didn’t think a fourth petal would fit. Either way, there would be more adjustments to be made in the future, for all of them. Possibly big ones.