Page 43 of Fated for Flames

“Indeed, it has,” he replied, seemingly unfazed by my stupidity.

I blinked up at him, realization dawning slowly. My eyes widened at the implication. He was ancient. Older than any being I’d ever met.

He explained that he was the one who had originally commissioned the castle’s construction but had sold it to the Supernatural Community who wanted to turn it into an academy. He built a smaller place for himself on the remaining land he still owned.

The revelation left me reeling. Vampires were not common in these parts; they preferred the bustling human cities where, I guessed, food was more abundant, even though humans had no idea of their existence.

Suddenly, I felt a shiver crawl up my spine as I remembered exactly what this male was.

“I’m Alister,” he introduced himself abruptly, interrupting my thoughts. “Alister Arcanum.”

His words hung between us before he added, “Perhaps I’ll see you on another Saturday. By the way, there’s a bathroom right through that door.” He pointed to a door a few feet away.

Of course there is!

With that, he turned and left without another word.

28

Evelyn

Ididn’t want to leave Alister’s library. The smell, the beauty, and the knowledge that lay within this room felt like a sanctuary from the chaos of my life.

My fingers brushed against countless books as I roamed the labyrinthine shelves, taking in the titles. There were histories I’d never heard of, biographies of witches and vampires who’d shaped our world, treatises on magic in languages I didn’t recognize. The breadth of knowledge housed within these walls was staggering.

Yet, as intriguing as these texts were, they offered no clues to my predicament—nothing to explain the peculiarities of my magic or my eyes. The frustration gnawed at me, but I refused to let it overwhelm me. This was just day one.

The grumbling of my stomach pulled me out of my thoughts. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was late.

Reluctantly, I began gathering my notes. The rules of Alister’s library were clear: no books could leave the premises.

A familiar pressure in my bladder made me wince. Memories of my earlier embarrassment flooded back, and I mentally groaned. As much as I’d like to believe that Alister had better things to do than listen to me pee, knowing he could… was mortifying. And let’s face it, I didn’t want the love of my life to hear any of that yet.

I’m joking…but really, I’m not.

Goddess knew I had bigger problems than daydreaming about a vampire. And let’s be honest, I couldn’t overlook the angel. If Alister embodied darkness, then Rafe was the embodiment of light—pure, honest, and undeniably bright. And if I was considering Rafe in the mix, I certainly couldn’t forget Chad. With his infectious smile and boundless energy, he always managed to make me laugh and saw the best in everyone. He might not be an angel or a vampire, but there was an undeniable charm about him that was impossible to resist.

What about the others?the little devil on my shoulder asked.

Well, I don’t have time for any of this anyway, so what does it matter?

As I walked back to my dorm under the moonlit sky, I wondered what Alister’s story was. Living that long. His stunning looks, his centuries-old history, and his strong arms and wonderful smell.

Get a grip, girl.

* * *

“Lia has a boyfriend.”

The whispers floated around the cafeteria, snaking their way into my ears despite my best efforts to tune them out. The gaggleof witches, all from Luminary Coven, were huddled together, gossiping as if it were a sport.

“They made it official last night!” one of them squealed, her voice a high-pitched twitter that made my teeth grind.

Well, this certainly didn’t happen last time.

I didn’t care about Lia’s love life or who she had managed to ensnare. The new guy had transferred to Arcanum Academy just a few weeks ago. Already they were all anyone could talk about. Especially him and how he had swept Lia off her feet.

“Isn’t it romantic?” another witch sighed dreamily.

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