Chapter 42

Anila’s POV

I was at an all-time high.

I managed to trip Zach and pin him to the ground with my foot. Telling from the stunned look on his face and the slight redness around his nose when he looked up at me, it was clear he wasn’t expecting that.

“I was caught off guard,” he muttered as I helped him to his feet. I arched my brow and gave him a look that only made him scowl. “Your arrogance won’t matter when it counts.”

He shoved past me, leaving me watching after him with a frown.

When it counts? What did that mean?

By the time class ended, I was completely and utterly exhausted and I felt absolutely disgusting. I couldn’t wait to get back to my dorm and take a shower. Penny was finishing her conversation with her partner before she grabbed her things and joined me while I finished grabbing my things from the corner of the room.

My eyes wandered over to Zach who was speaking to Professor Atlas. Zach’s eyes found mine as well and he held eye contact for a moment before I broke the connection.

“How was it today?” Penny asked in a hushed whisper as we left the arena and stepped outside. I breathed in the fresh air and basked in the cool breeze that brushed across my features and bristled my sweat-soaked hair.

“It was interesting,” I shrugged, wrapping my arms around my body as if I was desperately trying to hold myself together.

It was one thing bantering Zach in passing, but to spend an entire hour with him, touching… I thought my body was going to explode from the tension between us. The bad part was that I liked Zach’s touch. I liked it when he put his hand on my lower back, and I liked it when he hovered over me. He was so close that all I had to do was lift my head a little and our lips would touch.

Heat coursed through my body, and I found myself lowering my gaze as we walked. I twirled my fingers nervously as I often did. I wasn’t sure what to say to Penny or how to answer her question. I wasn’t sure how to explain it to myself let alone her.

“Did you talk at all?” Penny asked after I didn’t say anything.

She had a worried look on her face and all I could manage was a shrug.

“Not really,” I admitted. “It was just weird being so close to him. I’m not really sure how to explain it.”

“Do you feel the mate bond with him like you do with Xaden?” She asked.

I nodded.

“Yes,” I answered, biting my lower lip. “But it doesn’t matter. I made my choice.”

“Because you don’t know your other mates,” Penny reminded me. “You chose Xaden because you knew him first and you actually got to talk to him. But what if you decide you like one of the others better? Or maybe all of them.”

I snapped her a look, my eyes large with shock from her words.

“Then I would be screwed,” I told her honestly. “It’s not like I can have them all. It’s not fair to any of them and I doubt they’d want that anyway.”

Penny shrugged casually.

“Have you heard the story of the Moon Queen?” She asked.

Heat surfaced in my cheeks, and I knew I was probably as red as a cherry; I didn’t have to answer out loud for her to know what I was thinking. The look on my face was enough to make her burst out laughing.

Penny laughed so hard, she had to stop walking to compose herself.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said between giggles. “It’s a hot story,” she added, wiggling her brows.

“Do you think her situation is similar to mine?” I asked.

We entered the dormitory and walked through the lounge until we reached the elevator. As we waited for the doors to open, Penny looked thoughtfully at me, and then she shrugged in response to my question.

“Maybe,” she finally answered just as the elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. “Luckily you only have 3 mates though and not 5.”

I felt the blood draining from my face and I kept my head down as I thought about that. I didn’t tell her that Damien could possibly be a mate too. Did witches even have mates? I wasn’t sure how to find something like that out and I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I allowed that thought to process in my mind.

I thought about my dream as well as the shadow in the corner of the room. I wondered who that was and why he was watching me; I also wondered why I liked it so much.

Penny didn’t question my silence; she seemed to be in her own world now as she scrolled through her phone and smiled at whatever text appeared on her screen. She typed out a quick reply and I heard the whooshing sound of the message sent just as the elevator door opened to our section.

“Dibs on the shower,” I said over my shoulder as I stepped out of the elevator and across the living space until I reached the stairs.

I turned back to see Penny talking to one of the girls who was curled up on the couch. Penny was very talkative, and she made friends quickly, so I wasn’t surprised that she was befriending someone else already.

I smiled and shook my head at my roommate as I made my way up the stairs and down the hall until I reached our dorm.

As soon as I was inside, I let out a breath of air I hadn’t known I was holding. I went into my bedroom and threw my backpack on the bed before grabbing a change of clothes from my closet and a towel before retreating to the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

I had sweat and dirt caked onto my body. When I looked in the mirror, I groaned at my reflection. I couldn’t believe I was seen like this.

I turned on the shower before stripping off my clothes and once the bathroom was filled with steam, I stepped into the hot running water, closing my eyes as it hit my body and soothed my aching bones. I sighed in satisfaction as the water cleansed my body and made me feel way cleaner.

I scrubbed my body with lavender body wash, trying to get rid of all the dirt and sweat that occupied my flesh. I allowed the water to rinse through my hair before washing it with shampoo and conditioner and once I was satisfied, I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a warm towel around myself.

When I looked in the foggy mirror, I looked a lot better. I brushed out my wet hair before I put on a pair of leggings and a long sweatshirt. I didn’t have to wear a uniform because I didn’t have any more classes today.

By the time I left the bathroom, dirty clothes, and wet towel in hand, Penny was seated on the couch with her own towel and a change of clothes. She stood when she saw me, and she smiled at me.

“Wait for me and we can head to the dining hall together for dinner,” she told me as she passed me.

“Actually, I’m going to head to the library,” I told her. “I’ll just grab some food later.”

She frowned, uncertainty on her face.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

I nodded.

“Yeah, there’s stuff I need to do. I’ll be fine,” I told her as I went into my bedroom.

I threw my dirty clothes and towel in my laundry basket and grabbed my phone off my bed. I glanced at it and frowned when I saw no text from Xaden. Not that I was really expecting one, I knew he was busy doing whatever it was he had to do. But still, I missed him.

I felt almost normal when I was with him.

However, I figured I’d use this time to go back to the library. Maybe that librarian guy would be kinder if I showed up alone.

I put my shoes on and quickly left the dorm room while Penny was still in the shower.

The library was across campus, and I quickly made my way there with a pounding heart.

By the time I got to the library, I changed my mind about talking to him. I thought maybe it would be easier if I just searched the library myself for the information I needed.

How hard could it be?

As I walked into the library, I froze at the door.

I forgot this place was gigantic.

Stifling a groan, I made my way toward one of the sections, hoping that I was heading in the right direction, but I didn’t really have a lot of confidence in myself.

I was looking for information about my mother, which meant I needed to focus on the year she attended this school. There were some sections with different years listed and when I found the years that corresponded with my mother’s attendance, I plucked a few books off the shelf, unsure if these would help or not… but at least it was a start.

I wasn’t even sure if this was the exact year I was looking for.

I navigated through the labyrinth of the library until I approached another section that caught my attention.

Spells and Cantrips. The first one I laid eyes on was “Casting Magic for Dummies.”

I laughed, unbelievable that they even have such a book, but I shouldn’t be too surprised. Maybe the author was a wizard himself. I plucked it from the shelf and meandered towards a set of tables, plopping my treasures down. I sat at the table and decided to start reading, starting with the year 1970.

Even with the knowledge I’ve been seeking just within my grasp, I couldn’t seem to focus on the words. I just felt so… knotted inside. Confused, stressed, tired, and so goddamn horny. That dream did nothing but wind me up in a way that demanded release through another touch. Not to mention my combat with Zach had me all wound up.

As I tried to force myself to read through these books, despite the headache growing in protest, a delicious smell wiggled into my nose. Like cloves and vanilla, enticing and entrancing. It wasn’t long before I abandoned my quest to investigate where this scent was coming from.

As I drew closer to its source, I could hear boisterous laughter that ignited the threads in my chest.

It was one of my fated mates, I could tell from the tugging threads.

I wondered if they knew I was approaching.

As the scent grew stronger, I rounded the corner and halted in my tracks, my heart fluttered.

I paused when I saw Damien laughing and joking with the librarian as if they had been friends forever.