Chapter 24

24

" W hat the fuck?" Rory growled, and I could feel through our mate bond the moment Kade recognized him, too.

Matt approached Jabril and Kade and stuck his hand out.

Fury so intense it almost buckled my knees radiated through our bond. My emotions were more complicated—rage, fear, and pain, mostly.

It took Ali and Poppy a few seconds longer, but Ali bared his teeth in a hiss, and Poppy wrapped her arm around my waist in support. Maybe she knew how close I was to having my legs go out from underneath me.

"Let's get out of here." She urged me toward her bike but I was rooted to the spot. Ali had a hefted Rory from his feet as Rory struggled to escape. Looked like my bestie was trying to choose violence. And I couldn't blame him. Not just my life that had been turned upside down with Matt's betrayal.

Jabril had shaken Matt's hand, but seemed to recognize that Kade had no intention of shaking my ex's hand and was about one second away from ripping Matt's arm from his socket. Jabril grabbed Kade's arm before he could do something rash—like snap my ex's neck. Kade started to shake Jabril off, but must have sensed my terror that he'd get himself arrested or worse if he attacked Matt. He pulled from Jabril's grasp and made a beeline for me.

Matt's brow furrowed. I used to think it was adorable when he did that. Not anymore. And while Matt had always been a decent enough looking guy, he wasn't in the same league as either Kade or Ali—even if he'd had an obvious glow up since I'd last seen him. But like with Hyde, expensive skin products couldn't disguise the ugliness underneath.

The crowd parted as Kade waded toward me like a homing pigeon coming back to roost. He wasn't even subtle when he hauled me into his arms, wrapping me up in a much-needed hug.

I melted into him before pulling away enough to ask, "Why is he here?"

Kade rumbled low in his chest. "Jiz said the new producer wanted to send along an influencer and film crew so they could do some PR for the film, and get more buzz going. I swear I didn't know it was your ex."

"I know. I felt your surprise through the bond."

We both returned our gazes to where Matt stood in conversation with Jabril. The blond—Leo—was hovering around Matt's side, and I recognized that eager-to-please expression. I'd once worn it. God, Matt was such a scumbag.

As if he could feel my gaze on him, he looked up and scanned the crowd. Our eyes connected and the fucker smirked. Kade went rigid and claws shot through his fingertips. He started to shift. I squeezed him, and sent reassurance through our link. No wolfing out .

Ali stepped to Kade's side still holding a furious and squirming Rory, and Poppy pressed in on mine. We stood as a unit, and I could see the surprise register in Matt's expression.

So, I did what I should have done years ago.

I gave him my own smirk, and held up my middle finger.

Kade refused to leave my side, even leaning against the sink as I showered. As much as I told everyone I was fine, they all knew I was lying. Not doing it to push them away, but because I still needed time to process that Matt fucking Dioria would be on set for however long it took him to get material for his channel.

That fucking prick.

I shut the water off, and Kade handed me a towel.

Did Matt's producer boyfriend know he had a side piece? Or maybe they had an open relationship? I doubted it. And as angry as I was at Matt, I was even more angry at myself for not seeing who Matt had become, and who he'd been long before we ever moved to L.A. The cute neighbor kid I had a crush on as a teen was long gone, and in his place was a man I didn't know, and definitely didn't like.

"I'll talk to Jiz and make sure you don't have to sit for any interviews with him," Kade said as I dried myself. He grabbed a hand towel and squeezed the water from my hair, leaning down to touch his lips to my shoulder.

"Let me think on it. I know you're worried about me, but I'm not the same person I was a year ago. Maybe facing him isn't a bad idea. And if his boyfriend is investing in the film, then he needs to portray the cast and crew in a positive light, right?"

And that thought amused the hell out of me. I hadn't considered that. He wouldn't out me because he couldn't without making waves. No, he had to promote me. Oh, that must chap his narcissistic little ass. He'd probably expected to see me in my slutty elf costume and figured he could make a few subtle jabs while seeming like he was complimenting me. He was an expert at that. But as Eimeret, he'd be obligated to spend time and effort making me look good.

When I dressed and stepped from the bathroom with Kade on my heels, Rory, Poppy, and Ali all turned toward me. Rory had clearly been pacing, his hair a mess from running his hands through it, and he looked as though he'd enjoy nothing more than to go find Matt and start something.

Ali and Poppy had a more relaxed vibe as they sat around our small table, but that didn't mean they weren't upset.

"I say we fuck with him," Ali said.

"We can all refuse to give interviews." Poppy glanced at her nails. "I don't know about you, but I never had anything in my contract about meeting with him specifically. I'll tell Jabril, one of his lackeys can do it."

"Or we can fuck with him," Ali said again, an evil grin on his face.

Rory stopped pacing as he seemed to consider Ali's suggestion. "I like it. No one said we had to make his job easy."

And like that, Matt didn't really matter anymore. Not when I had real friends in my life, and my mate. My mate who even now sent reassurance through our link, like he wanted to shore up my defenses.

"We can make a plan to handle him later. There's more important things to discuss."

That got everyone's attention. I pulled up a chair, and Kade did the same. Since we only had four dining chairs, Ali patted his knee and Rory sat there. I didn't roll my eyes at the vampire, but if he didn't see that he'd fallen for my best friend than he needed his eyes examined.

"Poppy, before I begin my story, I need to tell you something." I took a deep breath and explained how I couldn't read. Rory, Ali, and Kade jumped in to say they all planned to work with me so I could memorize my lines, and while she seemed surprised by my confession, she reached across and took my hand.

"I hope you know that I'll help, too."

"Thank you. Each one of you. For so long Rory has been the only one I've been able to lean on, and it means a lot that you're in my corner. I promise you, I'm in yours, too."

"That's sweet, marshmallow." Ali blew me a kiss. "Now get to the real story."

I gathered my thoughts. When had all the odd events started?

"A few months before Rory and I auditioned for the film, ravens started acting weird around me." I filled them in on the ravens, coin, the animals on our doorstep, Old George, the weird images that I—and now Kade—saw, the almost tragic happenings.

Ali once again began petting Rory's hair without seeming to realize what he was doing, and Rory was there for it. Poppy and Kade were both staring at the coin I'd placed on the table. When Poppy went to pick it up, Kade shook his head.

"I don't know if you should be touching it. It's clearly chosen Teremie."

"You're sure it's magic?" Poppy asked, looking between Ali and Kade. They both nodded. I still couldn't detect anything, and Rory and Poppy seemed equally perplexed.

I was about to fill them in on Kade's and my mating—he'd given me permission—when there was a knock at the door. Rory hopped up, but I waved him back to his perch, and rose to answer it.

I should have let Rory do it. Matt fucking Dioria leaned against the doorway in what was supposed to be a confident pose. He held a single rose.

"Miss me, baby?"

I scoffed. "Like a boil. And don't call me ‘baby.' That ship has sailed, sprung a leak, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean."

"Aw, come on. I came here to make nice. The least you can do is let me in so we can talk."

"Um, maybe when hell freezes over." I slammed the door in his face. Turned the lock. "Damn, that felt good."

A knock.

"Fuck off!" I called through the wood.

More knocking. "Stop acting like a child. That's not going to work for me—"

"I can't believe you dated this loser for so long, T." Rory said loud enough to carry to Matt's ears. "It's almost embarrassing."

The knocking stopped. Because Matt would never want to seem desperate in front of another person. Rory knew it, too.

"Not almost." Ali called, also being extra loud. "Thank goodness you have better taste now, sugar plum."

"Pathetic," Kade said, moving to my side. I smiled up at him. Yeah, the perfect word for it.

"He's so underwhelming," Poppy added. "I thought he'd at least have horns and a tail."

Okay, I laughed. We all did.

Kade and I returned to the table and took our seats. And then I dropped the bomb about our mating.

"I knew it!" Ali crowed. "You smelled different."

Poppy and Rory just stared, wide eyed.

"How is that possible?" Rory finally asked.

"Kade thinks I might have magic in my blood, but not vampire of shifter."

Ali nodded. "It's a good assumption. I don't suppose you'd let me sample—"

" Ali ." Kade growled.

"Oh, stop, you over protective rug. I didn't mean letting me bite him. I meant a simple finger prick. I know better than to bite someone's mate. Give a vampire some credit."

"It's not a bad idea." I hopped up and grabbed a knife from our kitchen. I poked my fingertip and squeezed out a single drop of blood.

Ali stuck his finger out and I wiped the blood on it. He licked it off and then closed his eyes. "Oh, that's amazing. Definitely not human. And very, very tasty."

"But not shifter or vampire?" I asked.

"No. Shifters have a bitter flavor, and vampires taste like you watered the blood down. Your blood is delicious and rich and full of magic."

"Damn. I didn't really believe it. I figured I just had some anomaly."

"But what other type of creature could he be?" Poppy tapped her fingers on the table.

"I think he's some sort of fae," Rory whispered. "Holy shit, think about it. You excel at archery, horseback riding, and you're almost too attractive to be human. Maybe an elf."

"That doesn't make sense. I don't have pointy ears. Plus, elves don't actual exist."

"Well, we've never seen one, but it doesn't mean they aren't out there. And you're only half of whatever it is, right?" Kade stood. "Shit, where's the book?"

"What book?" Ali and Rory said in unison.

"Oh! I hadn't gotten to that part of the story yet. I was telling it chronologically. Sorry." I hopped up again, and went to my bunk and pulled the book from underneath the pillow. I set it on the table and explained about Old George dropping it at our feet."

"Anything more you want to share with us?" Poppy arched a brow.

I thought about it. "No, that's it."

"What's inside it?" Rory's eyes lit with eagerness. "Is it a spell book? A history of some mythical creature? There must be a reason it was specifically given to you."

Kade and I exchanged a sheepish glance.

"We haven't looked yet," I said. "We got called to the set and decided to wait for you all before figuring all that out. Plus, it's not like I could read it."

"We're here now, so go ahead and open it." Ali pushed back from the table slightly, and Poppy did the same. Kade stayed holding my hand.

"Right, then. Here goes." I flipped open the book to a random page. We all stared.

Huh. Looked like an adventure tale.

"Makes no sense." Rory sounded disappointed.

"What are all those symbols?" Poppy leaned forward to get a better look. "It's like they're shifting right before my eyes."

"I've never seen anything like it in all my long years." Ali tilted his head like that would make it suddenly clear.

"Stop joking around you guys. It's obviously an history or novel of some sort."

"Good one," Rory said.

Kade squeezed my hand. "Are you saying you can read it?"

"What, no, I . . ." I stared at the page again, scanned the text. "Oh my God, I-I can read it."

"Read some of it." Rory said.

I read a few lines.

"That sounds familiar." Alistair drummed his fingers on the table.

"It does." Poppy sat back in her chair. "Read some more."

I read a few more lines.

"I've heard that before." Kade said. "Only this reads more like poetry. Or maybe how Shakespeare compares to modern English."

"It's the book!" Rory jumped up and rushed to his bunk. He snagged his copy of The Elves' Cursed Coin . "It's the same book."

We all just stared at him.

He groaned. "Didn't any of you Heathens actually read the book?"

"You read it to me," I said, probably sounding a little defensive. "But that was like ten years ago."

Everyone else avoided Rory's gaze.

"How could you not read it? It's like the most amazing book ever!"

"I have it in my cabin." Kade shrugged. "I planned to read it at some point."

"If I roll my eyes any harder I'll be staring at my ass." Rory glared. Still looked about as fierce as a kitten.

"Then you'd see why I'm always staring at it," Ali said.

Rory ignored Ali. "Teremie, flip to the another page, further back, and read it."

I did. Even added the character voices. I'd never known the pleasure of looking at a page and understanding what it says. I was giddy. Maybe my brain wasn't wired for human languages, but it could read this. Whatever this language was. I flipped back to the front of the book looking for anything about an author or a year. Nothing.

"Do you think it's written in Elvish?" I flipped to a page toward the back of the book and read another page. So, this was why Rory always had his nose in a book or a tablet.

"Well, in the book the main character is Eimeret, not the dragon prince." Rory paced. "That was changed for the film. Eimeret is an elf, so assuming this is the original—which isn't definitive, but is a fair guess—I'd say it's likely."

"So I really could be part elf." I felt like this deserved a big explosion to show the magnitude of how blown my mind was from this possibility. Could that be why I always migrated toward elves in cosplay?

"The real question is why is the book in both languages?" Rory said. "And why did it end up in T's hands now? And how does the coin relate to the book?"

We all shrugged.

That was a great question and one I hoped we'd be able to find the answer to.