Page 28 of Forbidden Taste
I tug on a shirt, grinning at the energy thrumming through me after Leo knotted me again—his spiced apple scent clinging to me, mingling with my roses and honey as I settle onto his lap at the kitchen table. He wraps his arms around me, lips falling to the bite on my shoulder. Hawk had been right about it being instinct, Leo is so much calmer than he was an hour ago.
“How did you like Hawk?” I suddenly ask, not sure why I brought up that question right now.
Leo stills beneath me, his breathing quickening every so slightly before he speaks. “Why would you ask that?” A flicker of unease slips through the bond.
I sit up a little, shifting to face him. “These spikes aren’t going to go away and you’ll probably end up in heat before graduation. We’re going to need someone. Hawk offered.” I shrug, trying to make it seem less complicated than it is. He’s quiet, his fingers drifting tomy bite, tracing it absently. I wait, watching him, feeling the storm brewing behind his silence. “Sweetie…” I murmur, my hand sliding up to cup his jaw and catch his attention.
“It’s a lot, okay? I don’t understand how I can feel the same things about him that I do you. I don’t know him. It’s terrifying that I keep looking for him—like he’s just in the shower, or he went out for groceries.” There’s a sliver of confusion and then longing coming through the bond before it settles on mild panic. “It was so much easier when I was just pining for you outside your practice room.”
“Yeah, it was but I don’t want to go back.” My hand slides to his neck, fingers tangling in his orange curls, and I feel his pulse jump under my touch, his scent spiking again—spicy, sweet, a war I’m starting to understand.
“I’m not sure what I want just yet.”
“How about a conversation?” I suggest. “No expectations—just get everything out on the table. What could it hurt? We talk to him, figure out where we stand. You don’t have to decide anything now—just hear him out.”
He shifts beneath me before helping me to my feet, nodding slowly. “Yeah. Alright. Are we still okay?”
“Yeah, we are sweetie.” I gently pat his chest, hating that my scent decides to spike again, Leo’s worry immediately forefront and center. “Not a spike. Just a ‘I’m still so in love with you that I’d let you knot me anywhere’ moment.”
He finally laughs, a real, unbidden laugh as I lead him out into the hallway, stopping for small kisses and touches, my Zeta murmuring about things we don’t need to worry about right now. It isn’t until we get to the entrance of my building that I turn to face him.
“Leo, let’s not worry about the things we can’t control. My parents are a conversation for another time. Benjamin doesn’t have aleg to stand on and yes, I am very proud of this bite and that you’re my mate. No one is taking that from us.” I shrug my shirt to the side, grinning up at his tortured expression. “Now, one last thing, a little bit more serious. I know you said it’s okay, but can I tell the Dean about what the doctor said? If I tell her, they’ll require formal paperwork and everything. It’s going to be a lot but it’ll also smooth some things over when it comes to some of the reports.”
“I don’t want you to suffer,” he whispers, his voice low, rough with that protective edge I’m falling in love with.
“Right back at you,” I murmur, squeezing his hand before letting go, watching him disappear around the corner before I square my shoulders and head for the administrative office. I knock on the Dean’s door, her voice ringing out “Come in!” in response.
She looks up from whatever she’s working on, an immediate grin spreading across her face. “Mr. Hart!” she says, standing from her desk. “It’s so wonderful to see you. How are you dealing with… everything?” Her tone dips, probing where it doesn’t belong, referring to the unspoken accusations hanging between us.
“It was very hurtful to hear all those accusations about Leo last night,” I start, my words edged with the hurt I feel. “And then Leo told me Professor Jameson threatened him after the meeting.” The Dean sputters for an explanation but I’m not really open to hearing it. “I don’t like starting waves,” I say, holding her gaze, “but Leo didn’t coerce me into anything. I was the one who dragged him into my practice room the first time, and if it was anyone, I launched myself at him. Never once did he take from me when it wasn’t wanted.”
The Dean flounders, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “And the issue with Benjamin?” she manages. “He mentioned that Leo attacked him.”
A sharp bitter laugh tears from my throat. “Benjamin almost hit me—hand raised and everything. I’m not sure what would’ve happened if Leo hadn’t come into that classroom when he did. For the record, Leo is not a distraction. He’s not abusive. He’s my Zeta, my mate, my lover—whatever you need to write down in your notes to stop focusing on him.”
Silence stretches between us and then she blinks. “I’m sorry, a Zeta?”
I wanted more tact, wanted to ease into it, but it’s out now, so I roll with it. “Yes. He’s my Zeta. And we’re mates.” I undo the first button on my shirt, tugging the collar aside to show off the bite as I hold her gaze, daring her to challenge it.
She stares, her eyes widening. “This is a lot, Mr. Hart. Have you informed your parents?”
I shrug, my stomach twisting at the thought. “It’s on my to-do list but it’s not really a priority.”
The Dean frowns, her lips pursing. “Your parents won’t be happy about this development. I assure you, there’s a lot of importance in informing them. I’ll make the necessary notes, but I’ll have to request Mr. Haynes’ medical records to confirm your claims.”
“Fine. Do what you need to.”
I slip out into the hall, not stopping until I get to my practice room, shutting out the world the moment the door closes behind me. My fingers itch to play something but the piano isn’t calling my name. I just need something to express what I’m feeling, my gaze falling on my violin, in the corner—an instrument I all but discarded last year. In this moment, though, it’s the only thing that seems to call to me.
I reach for my violin case, the worn leather cool under my touch as I unlatch it, lifting the instrument like it’s an extension of me.The bow slides into my hand as I tuck the violin under my chin, the wood smooth against my skin, its faint resin scent mixing with the lingering traces of Leo’s spiced apples on my shirt. My lids flutter closed as I let out a shaky breath, drawing the bow across the strings—a single, trembling note that fills the room, soft at first, then swelling, pulling me under.
The music takes me, a melody I’ve played a hundred times but feels new today, unfiltered, full of emotions that have only since resurfaced. I sway with it, my feet shifting on the hardwood, and then I’m moving—dancing around the room, eyes still shut, the bow an extension of my arm as the notes spiral upward, weaving a thread I can’t resist.
The practice room fades, the walls dissolving into a fantasy, a forest—tall pines stretching toward a sky streaked with gold, moss soft underfoot, the air thick with earth and dew. I’m there, lost in it, the violin’s voice a river winding through the trees, carrying me deeper. I let go, pouring everything into the strings and in my mind, Leo and Hawk are there with me, watching, dancing, filling my space, adding an absolute peace I haven’t felt in weeks, maybe ever.
Tears prick my eyes, slipping down my cheeks as I play as the notes turn dark, pulling at the guilt, the fear, the love I’ve been carrying, all of it spilling out in the melody. The final note hangs, piercing the darkness in my head, a wail that echoes off the walls as I lower the bow, my arms shaking, my breath ragged as I finish the piece.
The forest fades, the greenery dissolving back into the practice room, my vision blurry with tears. And that’s when I catch Professor Wilson at the edge of the room, slowly clapping, his gray eyes crinkling with something like awe. My face burns as I swipe at my cheeks, forcing a shaky laugh. “Hey, sorry,” I say, my voice hoarse,rough with the emotions still swirling in my chest, “I got caught up.”
