Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It was hard to say if talking to Ceto had brought more comfort or more questions. My only confidence was that at least I had a friend who wasn't part of this complicated mess. I wanted to know more about him—what he was and how it burdened him—but for now, I could appreciate him as the resource I didn't otherwise have.

In the meantime, I found myself slowly trying to reintegrate myself into my routine. It wouldn't help to isolate myself and spiral into depression, no matter how badly I wanted to at the moment. Little things like discovering I was actually some kind of mystical, magical alien species shouldn't get in the way of my education.

As I sat down at breakfast with a tray of three chocolate croissants—because I deserved to treat myself right now, dammit—I glanced around the cafeteria, observing the faculty and the rest of the student body. How many of them weren't human? How many were shifters, or hybrids, or Betas like me? Had everyone known I wasn't human before I did? Could they all sense it?

I checked my phone then dialed my mom again, just for shits and giggles. The prompt voicemail message only made me want to break my phone in half .

"Feeling better?" Marcus asked from beside me as he took a seat at the table. His movements were unusually hesitant for my otherwise confident vampire acquaintance.

"Y-yeah." I stumbled, feeling unprepared to talk to him, despite the fact that I knew this was our shared morning routine. "I don't get sick very often, but when I do, I'm a whiny baby about it." I played it off best I could. "Thanks for the soup, though."

"Anytime, Baby Doll." Marcus squeezed my shoulder affectionately before he dug into his eggs covered in ketchup that was absolutely not blood.

"Sorry." He said next.

"Huh?" I blinked just to process that. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Being distant, unreasonable, secretive, everything." He didn't make eye contact. "For reading your mind without permission, and getting jealous when I found out you were hanging out with my brother. There are probably other things, but the longer we go without hanging out, the more guilty I feel, so I wanted to make it right."

This man was so good at making me a puddle first thing in the morning. "You don't have to apologize for any of that. I'm the one who's been standoffish and unreasonable, and I was the one not in the moment when we were together. I've been so overwhelmed lately."

"I bet." He still wasn't looking at me, and I was starting to miss the feeling of being held captive by his golden eyes. "I've been in this world so deeply my whole life. It's difficult for me to understand what it must feel like to wake up one day and have to process that this whole thing exists." He motioned with his hands to encompass the entire school. "I like you a lot, and I don't want the fact that I'm a fire sign to be what ruins our friendship."

I full on snort laughed to the point that the orange juice I'd been drinking seared its way up my nose. I choked on my instant regret. "Your sign is extremely not the problem, I promise. It's not you, it's me." I threw in a cliché for good measure.

"I don't care what it is, as long as we can fix it." How does he melt my heart every time he talks?

"Nope, can't fix it." I scooted just a little closer. "Because it's not broken."

Marcus relaxed beside me, and the soft smile on his face was the cutest thing I'd ever seen on someone who was far from soft and kitten-like. He was a golden retriever through and through. I liked that about him, even if it didn't do much for me romantically. I should probably attempt to evaluate what part of my childhood had me so much more drawn to someone who pushed me away and wasn't remotely good for me, when someone so sweet and clearly interested was right here.

But… sunshiny as he was, there was something weighing on my mind since I'd last spoken to Adrian that I had to bring up.

"But if it was broken…" I began, and I could feel the way his whole body tensed, emanating an aura of pure stress. "You know I'm not human, don't you." I said more as an accusation than a question. "You've known I wasn't human."

Marcus took a bite of his eggs and chewed slowly, stalling for time before he answered. "What happened? "

"You don't already know?" I puffed up my cheeks and returned my gaze to my meal. "I figured Professor Karras would have told you all about it."

Marcus raised a brow, but he wasn't rattled by the statement. "I promise he's not that forthcoming. The reason I know what you've been up to—and I'm guessing he knows things he shouldn't as well—is because I can sense your feelings through our bond when you're…" He paused for enough time that it was uncomfortable. "… with someone else who's bonded to you. I don't know the specifics, but I'm more aware than I want to be that something happened between you both. It's apparently a personal hell I didn't know existed until I made the mistake of marking someone who can take on multiple marks."

Wait, he can sense my feelings through the mate mark?

"So you're saying you—"

"Felt every time he got you off? Yes." The shudder that shook through him was notably involuntary. "Every. Single. Time."

"So when you were with me in the hot springs—"

"Yes." He repeated more sternly, and I could sense that he was desperate to end this line of questioning. "Turns out, we can both feel your most extreme emotions. Theoretically, it's some evolutionary way to make sure a mate can sense your fear or pain if you're being attacked, so I can protect you. But turns out, it doubles as a way to sense when you're turned on or reaching peak arousal, to promote… breeding."

Breeding …

Marcus cleared his throat. "Between transmitting feelings to each other and our little competition for your affection, you've become the conduit to reconnect us, I guess." There was no joy in that sentence. "I promise, I'm thrilled about it."

"Oh." Wait a minute… "What do you mean you're competing for me? Adrian doesn't want me like that though."

"Clearly." Marcus half scoffed, half laughed. "My point is that we don't have to communicate to, unfortunately, communicate."

"I'll keep that in mind." Mortifying. Truly mortifying. "I guess I jumped to conclusions a bit too soon."

"Did you think I was asking him for tips on how to get you off or something?" He switched to internal communication, and I jumped. "Because I promise I do not need any help in that regard."

The immediate reminder that he could read my mind, meant I had to do my absolute best not to think about how good Adrian had been at finding the kinks I didn't know or want to admit I had.

"Good to know." He said into my mind with another half scoff, half chuckle.

Fuck my life.

"But if you knew I wasn't human all this time, why didn't you tell me?" Again with the secrets. I'd thought we were past this.

"Would you have believed me if I told you?" He reached over and braced my neck in his palm. He stroked his mark with his thumb, smudging the makeup I used to cover it while in a public place full of monsters. "You've been very, very adamant about your humanity."

I slumped in his grip. "Fair point." It really was my own denial that blinded me to everything.

"Have you talked to your parents? Do you have any idea what your blood line looks like?"

"No. They're out gallivanting all over the world and won't answer my calls, and I'm too scared to just send the question in an email." I admitted, while I pushed my breakfast around my tray with my fork.

"Maybe I can help you figure that out. How about you come over tomorrow."

I tilted my head back and forth as I considered it. We were overdue for another blood date, and I could use the stress relief of a motorcycle ride. "Will you pick me up?"

"Baby Doll, I will carry you to the end of the earth if it'll make you smile." Marcus flashed me a winning grin, before he ruffled my hair into a scattered mess.

I swatted him away playfully. "Then consider it a date." I muttered, while I smoothed out his handiwork.

"It would be my honor."