Page 29

"Too late." I extend my hand, and Eos's eyes narrow.

"You guys do remember the non frat policy right?" Eos questions.

Considering we already fucked, and Yue is my mate, that policy doesn't mean shit to me. Yue stiffens beside me and slaps my hand as she rises.

"We didn't forget it," Yue explains.

I look at her, and she avoids my gaze.

"We need to chat. Let's go to the dressing room," I state, motioning for her to follow me.

Eos's eyes stab into us as we walk there. The second we get inside, I motion for her to sit. I gather a few items for her comfort: the blanket I got for her, some water, and a bucket of snacks. Yue is much nicer when she's fed.

Once she's situated, she crosses her arms over her chest. Her breasts nearly pop out of the small cut out of her top, pulling my eyes in that direction.

"Alright, Ekon," she begins, "Let's hear it."

I straighten, forcing myself to sound confident even though my pulse is hammering as I sit across from her. "You pretend to be my fated mate. We hold hands, smile for my parents, act like we're madly in love. You keep 'searching' for my real mate in your spare time. When my parents leave, you get two hundred thousand on top of the original one-fifty."

"Three-fifty total," she repeats slowly.

"Correct."

"And what do you get out of this?"

You. I get you.

But I can't say that. Not yet.

"I keep my trust fund," I say instead. "I don't get stuck with Zoey, and I buy myself time to figure out what the hell I'm doing."

Yue narrows her eyes. "You're lying."

My stomach drops. "What?"

"You have a tell," she states. "This isn't just about your parents or your trust fund. What aren't you telling me?"

Fuck.

I hold her gaze, my mind racing. I can't tell her the truth. That the reason why no one else's spell worked the entire time I was here is because she's more powerful. I can't tell her that her spell worked, and she's my mate. At the stage we're in, she'll destroy me. She might like my body, but she doesn't trust me. However, I also can't let her walk away.

"I'm not lying," I say carefully. "I'm just... invested."

"In what?"

In you.

"In making this work," I say instead. "Look, Yue. You don't trust me. I get it, but I'm offering you three hundred and fifty thousand dollars to hold my hand and smile for a few days. If you want terms, we'll write them up. If you want rules, I'll follow them. But I need an answer."

She studies me for a long moment, her dark eyes searching mine like she's trying to read my soul.

"Fine," she says. "But we do this my way. No contract."

"No contract?" I tilt my head sideways.

A wicked grin takes over her face. She snaps her fingers, crafting a Z before my face. Her mouth moves, speaking words in Nacht. She angles herself forward, pushing into my space and tickling my nostrils with ice. For some reason, I place a hand on her upper back, holding her to me. It doesn't stop her spell, but she does blink the second it happens. Touching her right now as she cast magic perks my gargoyle. My wings itch on my back, ready to slip out. My dick jerks as her eyes drill into mine. Her speech rate increases, and something pierces through my body. It slams into my gut, raking through my insides before it clasps my dick. I hiss, grinding my teeth together. Lights in the room vibrate, going in and out for a second before they settle.

"What the hell was that?" I ponder, body twitching