Page 131 of Spark of Sorcery
Is he telling the truth? Is she his mate as well as ours?
I remember my mother telling me never to trust a bloodsucker. Then again she made it clear I shouldn’t trust anyone. Some days I wonder if I can even trust her.
And what if he is telling the truth? What the hell does that mean?
This girl from Slate Quarter – scars on her back from where she’s been abused – has not just three powerful mates, she has four.
I strain to see that vision in my mind’s eye. It had been so fucking fleeting and yet so vivid, so intense. I hadn’t just seen it. I’d felt it in my bones, in my blood, in my marked soul. But had there been a fifth person in that vision? A fourth mate? Anotherman?
Perhaps there had been – a shadow, lurking in the background.
“What do you think it means?” I ask the professor.
“I think she was badly injured and the doctor needs time to heal her properly.”
“No, I mean – us, her.” I meet his glowing eyes. “Do you really think fate has brought the five of us together?”
“All I know is that it has brought me to her.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that.”
“Yeah, and I’ll have to take yours.”
We stare at each other. The professor rubs his fingers against his bearded chin.
“I don’t know why fate has brought us together. But I guess we’ll find out.”
“I don’t like surprises,” I say petulantly.
“Life is full of surprises. It’s the one constant you can depend on.”
Except I have the vision. Tiny insights into what’s coming. If only I could have one that would answer this question.
“Have you told anyone?” he asks me. “About your situation with the girl.”
“No, as far as anyone else knows she’s just our thrall.” I hold his gaze. “I’d like to keep it that way. And I’m assuming you won’t be telling anyone about your situation, seeing as you’re her teacher.” I spit the last word and he draws his hands down his face.
“No, I won’t be telling anyone.” He drops his hands into his lap. “But before you ask, no, I won’t be staying away from her either. I tried that, and it nearly got her killed. Twice.”
“I’m sleeping with her,” I say, not sure if I say it as aboast or to provoke the dude. “It won’t be long before Dray is too.”
“She get a say in that?” he growls.
“She gets a very big say in that.” I smirk.
“Real mature,” he mutters.
I lean back in my chair. “Do you want to sleep with her, Professor?”
“I think that’s her choice to make and none of your business.”
“She’s my girl. Of course, it’s my business.”
“She’s my mate,” he says, “it’s inevitable.”
I hold his gaze, jealousy erupting around my body, but I can’t deny the truth of the statement. The attraction between mates is too strong. No matter how hard two people fight it – destiny and desire combined are two brutal forces.
“It seems to me we have two choices, Beaufort.” He leans against the wall, folding his arms over his broad chest. “We can be rivals. We can fight for her attention and her affection. We can make each other’s lives and hers hell. Or we can accept the situation as it is and work together to keep that girl safe. Because,” he says, “whatever our fate, I suspect it has something special in store for her – I can’t understand why it would have brought the three of you together, and then brought all of us to her otherwise.”
