Chapter 9

Viv pulled the chicken out of the oven. It was a nice simple recipe, but one she loved. She had gotten home from work and threw it together. It was really only three ingredients: chicken, parmesan cheese, and mayo. It kept the chicken moist while it baked. It had been a long day, several kids had gotten sick in the library, someone had poured water into the book return so she had to lay out the books to dry, and a shipment of books had gone missing. Her watching shadows hadn’t been there at all today and she actually missed them. She wondered at what point she should be worried that she was going crazy. If she told Thomas that it sometimes felt like the shadows were watching her and it made her feel safe, he would probably (and maybe rightfully so) be worried. So she kept that little secret for now.

But now the chicken was finished and the broccoli was ready to drain.

“Will you grab D and let him know dinner is done? I’ll drain the broccoli and finish setting the table,” Thomas asked.

“Sure.” Viv took the oven gloves off and headed out to the front door. She had seen D in the living room earlier. The door was open and she heard raised voices in the hallway. She walked closer, trying to decide if she needed to call for help or not. That’s Mac’s voice, she thought with relief. At least it wasn’t someone trying to attack D. Her heart broke when she could make out what they were talking about.

“I don’t want her,” Mac said angrily.

“Mac, you’re hurting both of you. She keeps wondering why her dates are never good enough. You keep getting angrier. Your demon is furious. I can feel it. How long are you going to let this go on?”

“Fate got it wrong. I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m not taking her as my mate. You and my demon and everyone else can go fuck yourselves,” he shouted.

“Keep it down,” D growled.

“What? Now you’re worried about someone hearing? You probably should have thought about that before.”

“Viv? Are you there?” D asked, hesitantly.

She sucked in a breath; she had been coming to tell him it was time for dinner and had heard raised voices. She hadn’t been trying to eavesdrop.

“Yeah, it’s me. I was coming to tell you dinner is ready,” she said, walking around the corner to face them. “Hi, Mac. Are you eating with us? I can go set another place.” She tried to act like she hadn’t heard them arguing.

“I’m going to say this once because D doesn’t want to listen, so I’m going to tell you directly. I don’t fuck humans. Not interested,” Mac said, making sure his voice was hard and full of derision. He hated being the cause of the hurt on her face and the tears he could see in her eyes. His demon was raging inside him, trying to take control and comfort their mate. He couldn’t let it happen. Mac opened a portal, his heart feeling like he had ripped it out and stomped on it himself. He ported out, deciding that he wouldn’t let her see him again. He would still hang around to protect her, but he would do so only from the shadows. Hopefully he could figure out how to salvage his friendship with D later.

Viv tried to hold in her pain, not wanting D to see how much Mac’s words had hurt. “Thomas is waiting for you,” she reminded him.

She walked inside, keeping her steps even, not running even though she wanted to.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Thomas called out when she walked past.

“I think I’m going to grab a shower. I feel gross from today. Just go ahead and get started,” she said. Shutting her door, she slid to the ground, her heart in pain and her soul screaming. Mac was her mate, that’s why she felt so drawn to him, why she hadn’t been very excited to go on a date with a handsome man. Her body must have recognized its mate. A mate that didn’t want her. A mate who had flat out avoided her at all costs and then rejected her to her face. At least she now had a reason why he never talked to her. She had no idea how long she sat there, but she felt the coolness of the floor seep into her bones.

“You’re going to be okay,” she heard a voice tell her. Looking up, she saw Thomas crouched in front of her. “Come on, up on the bed. The air vent was blowing right on you and you’re freezing.”

She tried to get up, but her muscles didn’t want to work. D came in and picked her up, laying her down. Thomas covered her with a blanket before climbing in to lie on his side facing her.

“You have horrible taste in men,” Thomas pointed out, trying to make a joke. She could hear the tears in his voice though. “At least this one isn’t really your fault. Fate kind of fucked you over.”

D came to sit behind Thomas, both of her friends trying to support her.

“Was it me, D? What did I do to him to make him hate me so much?” Viv asked quietly. She wasn’t sure her heart could take much more, but she needed to know.

“I truly believe it’s not you specifically. I think he would love you if he gave himself a chance,” D said, pausing for a minute. “Mac had a mate before. A human. This was hundreds of years ago. He thought he could trust her; she didn’t seem to freak out when he told her who he really was. After he confessed what he was, they had a date set up. He went to pick her up for a walk in the park, but when he got there, he was attacked. He was shot, bound by chains, holy water dumped on him. A priest was there trying to expel him. Of course, it didn’t work. He’s not evil and those things were made up by humans. She walked over to him, spat on him and told him she had no desire to be associated with filth. The final thing that sent him over the edge was when she stabbed him with a cross. He was lucky that it missed his heart. He had been hopeful until then that it was a mistake, that someone had overheard him and set up the ambush. But no, it was all her doing. He ported home and managed to get to a doctor. He healed physically, but he didn’t leave Netherworld for a long time.”

Viv remembered D telling them that mates were reincarnated and given another chance sometimes. “Am I the reincarnated version of that bitch?” Viv asked, horrified.

“No! No. Mac had that bond permanently dissolved. It’s rare, but it can be done. You’re your own person, nothing to do with the other mate.”

“He could dissolve our bond?” she asked quietly.

D took a minute to answer, sympathy and pity on his face. “He could, but there has to be a really good reason for the higher-ups to do that. It really is rare. I don’t think his bigotry and unwillingness to bend would be looked upon favorably. My best guess is that he will just avoid you from now on.”

“I think that’s what he has been doing,” she admitted. “He worked awfully hard at leaving as soon as I came near him. Thomas and I thought it might be because he didn’t trust or like humans. But when I first saw him that day in the parking lot, the wind blew from behind me and he looked over, so maybe he’s known this whole time. At least that explains why I was crushing so hard and not knowing why,” she said with a sad smile. “I think I’m going to just go to sleep,” she said.

“I’ll stay with you until you do,” Thomas told her, holding her hand just like when they were kids and she was upset. She squeezed his hand, grateful she had him in her life.

“I don’t want him anywhere near her,” Thomas said angrily. He was trying to keep his voice down, but it had woken her up.

“I don’t think he’s going to be coming around anymore,” D pointed out.

“Ever. He is never going to be welcome in my house. I understand that you’re friends, and I’m not going to come between that. I know how much history you guys have. But even after she’s…gone,” Thomas’ voice hiccupped, “he’s not welcome in my house. She is my best friend, my family, and she deserves to be treated better. Your Fates screwed up on this one.”

“I understand, love. I don’t know why he’s being this stubborn. I honestly don’t,” D said, his voice sounding sad.

They walked away from her door, their voices fading. At least she knew why he hated her and why no other man seemed as appealing. She couldn’t see herself venturing into the dating pool again anytime soon. Even though he didn’t want her, it felt a bit like cheating now that she knew. Which was ridiculous. Maybe she could adopt a dog.