Page 17 of Vayn

And, he continued. Since she seems to like me best, it should be me who tells her that she’s ours. And me, who claims her first.

Before I could argue with him, Rage, Bliss, and Dread did so, protesting his claim that he should be the one who touched her first. None of them were upset about the mating part. They were on board with that. I’m surprised to hear Dread’s gravelly voice in my head. He rarely joined our discussions.

Before today, it had been decades since he’d risen from the abyss to pay attention to what was going on around us. Because of our little cursed one, he was arguing with Charm. Something wasn’t right about our dud. No one and nothing had ever made us behave this way. I took a step away from my bed.

Sleep wasn’t what I needed. Answers were what I needed. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow. I needed them now. As my shadows argued, I teleported out of my condo, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. I reappeared in the dean’s office.

“I want answers, and I want them right now, or we’re going to have a problem?” I yelled.

Chapter Six

Vayn

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This motherfucker was ignoring me.

“What the hell have you done?” I yelled, slamming my hands down on Alyk’s desk, causing pens to roll onto the floor.

“How many times do I have to tell you to use the door?” Alyk stared up at me. “Who has made you mad now?”

“You! Why did you assign me to Destiny Porter? Out of all the duds, why her? And why can she see me, even when I’m double-cloaked? A dud can’t do that. What are you not telling me about my charge?”

Alyk clasped his hands together on top of his desk. “Which question would you like me to answer first?”

“Why me?” I asked, needing to know and hating myself for needing to know.

“You wanted a chance to earn your wings back. I’m giving you that chance.”

“Why her? And don’t feed me some bullshit about her being a dud who needs protecting. We both know she’s no dud. Why her?”

Alyk stared down at his desk. Shit. He seemed nervous. Alyk doesn’t get nervous. I had a sinking feeling that the next words that left his mouth were going to piss me off. I tried to brace myself for what he was about to reveal. In my gut, I already knew what he was about to say. It was still a shock to my core to hear him utter those words.

“Destiny Porter is your fated one, Vayn. She’s your mate.”

A chill crept over my flesh. I stepped away from Alyk’s desk.

“No, she’s not. She can’t be.”

No matter how sexy she was or how drawn to her I was, she was still part human. I would never fall for a human. I damn sure wouldn’t claim one as my mate.

“I don’t make the rules,” Alyk told me. “And I don’t choose our mates. Fate does.”

“Yes, the Fates. We both know how fucked up those three are.”

“They may be annoying as fuck, but they take their job seriously. They don’t make mistakes, Alyk.”

“They made one this time. Destiny is not mine.”

Alyk sighed. “When they came to me with the deal that would grant you all a chance to regain your wings, I knew something was up. I didn’t entertain the deal until they told me why they were offering it. They said there are certain descendants with rare abilities. Those descendants are mated to guardians who are strong enough to handle their abilities and protect them. The Fates knew most guardians wouldn’t readily accept having their mates thrust into their lives. Most of you don’t even want mates. Thus, the deal to regain your wings was created.”

Fucking Fates. They only wanted to protect the descendants with rare abilities. They didn’t give a shit about us guardians who’d lost everything because of humans.

“I don’t want her.”

“You don’t?” Alyk leaned back in his seat. “Your behavior says otherwise.”

“What are you talking about?”