Page 61 of Fated for Flames

Evelyn

Since Rafe’s unexpected visit, the whispers and rumors had taken up again. Gossip spread like wildfire among the Luminary students, stories about me that would have been laughable if they weren’t so stupid. My supposed promiscuity with shifters and angels was the talk of the academy, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the absurdity of it all.

From a distance, I could hear snippets of their conversation. Words like “easy,” “desperate,” and “open” floated around. I especially liked the one that seemed to be the most popular right now, that I would spread my legs for any male.

It was ridiculous.

The majority of relationships within our community were polyamorous. It was more common for supernatural beings to have multiple partners than not, given the ratio of three to one for males to females. But Lia and her cronies liked to pretendthey were above such things, holding themselves up as paragons of purity and monogamy.

Now that an angel had shown interest in me, they were more than eager to add fuel to the fire. I could almost imagine Lia’s brain working overtime to spin this into some scandalous tale.

The irony of this was that this body was still a virgin. My first time had been with Theo on a romantic Valentine’s Day he had planned for me, right before he started to turn against me. This time around, I had to make sure it didn’t happen again. I couldn’t bear losing another friend like I had with Lia.

I shook my head at their pettiness, convinced this was all instigated by Lia and her jealousy. I had noticed her interest in Rafe and then her reaction when he’d asked to speak with me. She had always coveted what I wanted or had, but this time, she would never have Rafe.

Besides, I had far more important things on my plate than worrying about the opinions of some jealous witches. The rumors didn’t bother me; as long as they left my friends and my parents’ mementos alone, I didn’t care about the rest. They were just noise, meaningless chatter that would fade away in time.

So let them talk. Let them spin their tales and speculate. It wouldn’t change who I was or what I was determined to achieve.

Instead, I focused on Theo’s laughter ringing through the hallways as he made light of the situation, brushing off each derogatory comment with a witty retort or a sarcastic remark.

“Did you hear something, Eve?” he would ask innocently as we passed a group of gossiping witches.

Theo had become my best friend, and I was grateful every day that I had decided to trust him again.

As we stepped into the classroom, Theo turned to me, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Ready to conquer the world, Eve?”

I grinned back at him, a spark of defiance igniting in my chest. “Bring it on.”

After all, I had a coven to expose, a truth to uncover, and a destiny to reclaim.

* * *

I arrived at Alister’s mansion with a sense of eager anticipation. As the massive door creaked open, I felt the familiar rush of excitement. There was something about this place, about Alister, that drew me in, that made me feel like I was stepping into another world, but also like I was coming home.

The library was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of pages turning. Alister sat at one of the long tables, his attention fixed on an ancient-looking book. His midnight-black hair fell in soft waves over his forehead, his deep-blue eyes reflecting the glow of the overhead chandelier.

I paused for a moment, drinking in the sight of him. Despite everything that had happened, being around Alister felt…right.

Mom had specifically told me to stay away from vampires. If ever I saw one, I had to run the other way, but how could I run from this beautiful man?

Okay, he drank blood. That was a serious checkmark in the cons column, but the pros column? It was getting pretty extensive.

Shaking off my thoughts, I picked up a stack of books from a nearby table and made my way over to him. As I settled down across from him, Alister looked up and offered me a small smile.

“Good afternoon, Evelyn,” he said in his low, smooth voice that never failed to make my heart flutter.

“Good afternoon,” I replied with a smile of my own.

We spent the rest of the day in comfortable silence, each engrossed in our reading. Occasionally, Alister would point out something interesting from his book or suggest another one forme to read. And every time our hands brushed as we exchanged books, electricity sparked between us.

It was easy to forget about the world outside when I was with Alister. The whispers and rumors seemed far away and insignificant. Lia’s attempts to tarnish my reputation didn’t matter here.

Despite our growing closeness, Alister was an enigma, and there was still a lot I didn’t know about him. About his past, about his life as a vampire, about his world. And I was curious. More than curious, I was fascinated.

I put down the book I was reading and looked at Alister, who was now engrossed in a new book. I bit my lip, debating whether to voice my thoughts. My brain kinda left the building whenever I spoke to him.

“Alister?” I called for his attention.

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