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“No, tonight wasn’t the surprise,” He chuckles. “I was going to tell you after dinner but someone distracted me,” he says pointedly, giving me a mischievous smirk.
“Don’t leave me in suspense. My poor little heart can’t take much more.”
I impatiently twist in his arms, and he cradles me against him. Our chests brushing against one another in this new position. A groan leaves his lips as his gaze dips to my breasts, now pushed up against him.
“Focus, or I’m putting on clothes,” I warn, and his arm clamps tighter around me, caging me in.
“Fine, you win,” he relents, his arms easing around me, fingers running leisurely up and down my spine.
“I found a way for you to tell Nelle the truth.”
My heart stops at his words, pulling out of his embrace to look him over more thoroughly. Gone is his teasing smirk, replaced with a genuine smile, his eyes solemn yet warm, holding no trace of a joke.
“Seriously?” My eyes widen in surprise. He nods in response, staying silent for a moment longer, letting my mind fully grasp his words.
“I had some help finding a loophole to the powers that wipe the memory of our existence from mortals’ minds. If a mortal is brought to the ethereal realm, it releases them from the effects, allowing them to remember the gods and their powers. The issue is that the college doesn’t allow any mortals within its grounds, and since you haven’t gone through your Ascension yet, you aren’t able to travel anywhere else in the ethereal realm.”
My brows knit together in confusion, not understanding what this all means—my heart races and my stomach twists with anxiety.
“However, this is where the research comes in. In the school’s texts, there is a clause that states the family can attend school functions. The only exception we found being, the godly parent is unable to attend before the Ascension.”
I chew my lip in frustration, and my excitement crashes with his words. Despite how close Nelle and I are, we weren’t technically family. Adrian tips my chin to meet his gaze, smiling softly at me before continuing.
“There is a familial bond between the two of you, regardless of your birth parents. We should be able to perform a blood ritual to tie you both together by blood, allowing her to pass through the school’s wards.”
I blink up at him as his words swirl around my mind with a mix of emotions and so many questions.
“How would we do that?” I ask slowly, not ready for the newfound hope blossoming in me to be ripped away again. Despite the friends I’ve made here. No one can ever replace Nelle, and not telling her everything sits like a weight on my heart.
“As you know from today,” he starts, kissing up my neck, my body relaxing under his touch. “I can take you to the mortal realm.” His lips, coupled with his words, spark memories of precisely what we did tonight.
“We can do the blood ritual there, then I can bring you both here. Two weeks from today, there’s a bar night for all students. So, with the blood ritual, she should be allowed past the wards, and you can tell her everything then.”
“You would do that for me?” My eyes widen in shock at his words. The sheer magnitude of what he wants to do for me hits me. Blinking back tears, I stare up at him, my usual fear nowhere to be found, despite the grandeur of his words—his actions.
“No one has ever done anything like that for you?” His voice is teasing yet he seems concerned. His eyes flit back and forth between mine, searching my gaze. I shiver under their intensity, feeling as though his eyes can see every inch of my soul. I vaguely sense a stray tear rolling down my cheek. He brushes it away with his thumb before he cups my face tenderly.
“I mean Nelle and my father, of course, but I’ve never really let anyone else close enough for that before.” The words feel foreign on my tongue and my face is numb as the reality hits me at full force.
I’ve never admitted that to anyone except Nelle. My chest tightens with the familiar fear, worried that I may be opening myself up to getting hurt, and my instincts scream at me to run, to protect my heart at any cost.
My thoughts are so lost in a swirling tornado of self-doubt I don’t even realize how close Adrian is until his lips meet mine in a tender kiss. Their caress against my own wakes me up from my internalized freak out. My body relaxes against his, and our lips melt together.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips. Allowing my kiss to show my sincerity with every touch.
“I’m here now,” he whispers, letting the rest of his sentence trail off, not needing any more words to convey his meaning. His eyes lock onto mine, wide and open, letting me see the care and devotion in them.
He pulls me against him, cradling my head into his chest and lowering us to lie on the bed. His arms wrap around me, cocooning me in his warmth, and I rest my palms on his firm chest. Feeling safe and comfortable in his embrace.
“Goodnight, angel,” he whispers, placing a kiss on the top of my head. My heart melts at his words and gesture. His soft breath lulls me into the most comfortable and restful sleep I’ve ever had.
