Page 61 of Forsaken

He curls his lip at what I’m wearing, and I give it right back to him. “I seem to have misplaced my wardrobe.”

“I think your Lunar friend is bringing something with her, so you’re in luck. What a big night tonight, huh?” He walks past me, caressing his gross fingers over my cheek.

I shiver at his touch and slide out of his reach. “I didn’t know you were into balls.”

“Not really, but I have plans for this one.”

“Trying to kill me with so many witnesses? That doesn’t sound like a good plan.”

“Who said I was doing that?”

He winks before taking off toward the bathroom. When the door shuts behind him, I do a little dance, wishing there was a camera in there so I could watch. Then again, with the way he smells, I have no idea whether he plans on cleaning up today or not.

I search the immediate area, looking at every flat surface. I doubt he left a to-do list today of how he’s going to get rid of his mate, but it’s better than doing nothing. The place is so sparse, it hardly looks like he lives here.

The shower turns on, and I perk up. If I’m quick, I can search his room for evidence that he was with Gayle. Pictures. Love notes. Something.

If he’s telling me the truth—that they’re not together right now, but they were before—there has to be something.

I want to find the proof for all the shifters who are at the academy for stupid reasons. There are more than a few of us doing time there for some bullshit thing or another: dating someone else; best friends, not lovers; power plays; mismatched allegiances.

In everyone outside of the academy’s eyes, we all deserve to be there. However, once you get sent there, you realize what a farce it is. And those who get out want to forget it even happened; plus, they’re all so caught up with their mate that they don’t want to fault them. It’s like the perfect setup for no one ever speaking out against it. For how inhumane it is. For how unnecessary.

I don’t have all the answers. I wish I did. I wish I could give an alternative, but I can’t. What I know is that the academy needs to be stopped, along with the prejudice.

I skirt past the bathroom toward the only other room in the house I haven’t been in yet. I open up drawers, rifling through his things. Porn mags are hidden underneath his socks, and I raise my brows at his kink—lonely housewives. Full-color pictures of scantily clad moms in housekeeping attire are splashed all over the cover. Some wearing aprons, some wearing robes, all with seductive looks on their faces.

Returning it, I keep going. There’s nothing in his dresser, but I didn’t think he’d leave something like that in an obvious place, anyway. After all, he had to play the part of being someone else’s mate. As shifters, we don’t just have random pictures or things involving someone else’s mate around our house.

I check his nightstand next, discovering lube and tissues.

I close that quickly, moving through the two remaining drawers before twisting toward his closet. The shower is still on, and I hope it stays that way. The bathroom door is between here and safety, so I’ll definitely be found out if I don’t hurry.

My inspection of the closet reveals polos and crisp khakis on hangers. I run my hand along the top shelf, finding nothing.

Dejected, I walk out of the closet, closing the door behind me. Still not giving up, I circle the room, searching for any spot that looks like it might be a good hiding place. I peer behind curtains, check the back of the two nightstands that flank his bed—nothing.

If he has anything, I don’t think it’s in here. I rub my temples as I walk from the room. I wish it had been that easy, but nothing about this journey has been as simple as being given a gift.

Sighing, I make my way toward the kitchen. As I pass the bathroom, it opens, and Sean shoots his hand out to grab me. “What are you doing?”

25

I glare at him, yanking away. The doorbell rings, and I flash him a look. “Just exploring our apartment together, honey.”

His gaze dances toward the front of the house. “They won’t believe you, you know. Not even your high-class friend can help you.”

“What happened to you?” I ask honestly, scrutinizing his glare. “The man who rejected me wasn’t this cruel. He felt bad. He kept me at the academy because he didn’t want to see me Feral. This Sean is only worried about himself.”

The doorbell rings again, saving Sean from answering. He strides toward the front door, already dressed for the day in one of those many collared shirts and khakis. We both know who’s going to be on the other side of the door, so he puts on a smile when he opens it.

I stand back as Kinsey enters, gazing between the two of us, our dress bags grasped tightly in her hand. “Where can we set up shop...away from you?” she adds with a twisted smile.

“You can have the bedroom. Mia was just making herself acquainted with it, weren’t you, dear?”

I roll my eyes. I don’t get the luxury of his response because Kinsey marches forward, widening her eyes as she takes me in. “I’ll show you the way,” I tell her tightly.

Entering Sean’s bedroom, I shut the door behind us, and Kinsey drops the dresses. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

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