Chapter 45

Damien’s POV

“Damien? What are you doing here at this hour? It’s almost curfew,” Kendra said as I walked down the steps of this dorm section.

“I was just making sure one of your students got back to her dorm,” I answered, not offering her any more explanation. “Afraid I can’t stay and chat. It was nice seeing you.”

Before she could say anything more, I walked into the already-waiting elevator, pleased that my wand had read my mind and opened the doors for me without having me press any buttons. Kendra opened her mouth with concern, but the doors shut, sealing me inside as the elevator started to move.

I let out a breath of air I hadn’t realized I was holding. I leaned against the wall and hung my head low, shaking my head with dismay written all over my face.

I had a headache and I just wanted to eat my food in peace and then go to bed.

I don’t know what was wrong with me lately. Ever since Anila showed up at this school my head has been all over the place. I couldn’t even concentrate in my classes yesterday which never happens. Even Sarah started to notice my changed mood, which wasn’t good.

I didn’t need her to ask questions because I honestly didn’t have answers for her.

Then, I had that dream.

What the hell was that even about?

I couldn’t get the sight of Anila naked as the day she was born out of my head. The sounds of her panting and moans; the way she looked at me while she was being pleased by three other men. I thought I would have felt some sort of jealousy toward the situation, but I didn’t. It was a turn-on to see her feeling as good as she was and the fact that her eyes were fixed on me while they had their ways with her petite body.

She looked so satisfied and happy, and it made me feel some sort of way.

No, not me.

It was dream me.

But it also felt so real that I couldn’t help but go to the library and do some research on it. I didn’t think sorcerers had mates; it was never spoken about in any of the classes that I’ve taken over the course of these last 3 years. Even Alfred the librarian, who has read every single book in the library, said that witches and wizards don’t have mates.

But that didn’t explain this weird thread that ties me to Anila like an annoying thorn in my chest. Not only that, but I could also smell her and sense when she was nearby. I knew she was in the library the minute she walked in and when she got closer to me, the honey and freshly squeezed lemons that radiated off her body grew stronger.

Sorcerers aren’t known for their keen sense of smell; that was a shifter thing. It was weird that I could smell her so potently.

At first, I thought it was just the perfume she wore, but I could literally smell it anywhere. When I was with her in the library, I realized I could feel her emotions as well. It was a faint feeling, but when she got nervous, I sensed it. When she was shy or embarrassed, it became obvious to me without even looking at her face.

When she was content and happy, it caused my heart to beat faster, and my palms even grew sweaty. My palms never grew sweaty. Not even when I was around Sarah, and I’ve been with Sarah for most of my life.

I also somehow knew that Anila was hungry. I was planning on grabbing food in the dorm kitchen this morning, but when I sensed her hunger, I had this urge to get her food. I couldn’t think about anything else, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to think about anything else until I knew for certain that she was fed.

It was unlike me in so many ways.

I don’t know why I suddenly wanted to be her friend, but I knew I couldn’t just ignore her going forward. Especially now that I’m suspecting there’s way more to it than even I could comprehend.

As the elevator doors opened and I stepped into my dorm section’s living space, I paused when I saw Sarah standing before me with her arms folded across her chest. She looked anything but happy and I tried to keep the annoyance off my face.

“I’ve been waiting here for an hour, Damien,” she said coldly. “Where have you been?”

“Sorry, I got tied up at the library,” I murmured, walking past her and toward the table across the room.

The living space was mainly empty because the curfew was almost in effect. I was planning on eating in my room, but I doubted that Sarah would let me out of her sight that easily. She followed me across the room and sat across from me, still folding her arms across her chest and now her legs were crossed.

“What were you doing in the library?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

“I was doing research,” I answered without looking at her.

I opened the container of my salad and unwrapped the plastic fork. Sarah studied me silently for a moment and I could see the uncertainty on her face.

“Researching what?”

I knew I wouldn’t be able to lie to her; I had known Sarah for most of my life. She was my first friend; she was my best friend. She was my first everything and the only girl I have ever truly been with. She could read me just as easily as any book and I knew if I lied, she’d be able to see through it quickly.

I decided to tell her as much of the truth as possible, without actually telling her the entire truth.

“I grew curious about the whole fated mate thing,” I answered. “I wanted to find out more about it.”

Her eyes grew large, and her mouth hung open.

“Does this have to do with that new girl?” She asked.

I shrugged.

“Isn’t it weird that she has three fated mates?” I asked in return, meeting her eyes. “The only other person who’s ever had more than one fated mate was the Moon Queen. I just find it interesting is all.”

“So, you were doing research for her?!” Sarah asked; she didn’t sound happy.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“I wasn’t doing research for her. I was doing research about her situation,” I answered. “It’s just fascinating. Don’t read too much into it.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes and stared at me while I ate my salad. I could tell she was trying to figure out if I was being truthful or not and I wasn’t entirely untruthful. I just wasn’t giving her the full truth.

She opened her mouth to say something, but a new voice interrupted her.

“Sarah? You shouldn’t be here right now. It’s almost curfew. Get back to your dorm before your DA does their nightly check-in,” Matt, my dorm advisor, said as he walked out of his room.

Sarah tensed and she looked displeased, but she knew better than to argue.

“Okay,” she said to him, giving him a polite smile before looking at me. “Walk me to the elevator?”

I nodded and stood to my feet while Matt went back into his room. Sarah held out her hand for me to take, and I took it. But I had an uneasy feeling from her touch; like something was inside of me, yelling at me, to release her hand. But I didn’t. I ignored that part of me and walked with her toward the elevator.

She pressed the elevator button and turned to face me.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” She asked, peering up at me.

I nodded.

“Of course,” I said in return.

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I could tell she was still worried. Before I knew what was happening, she was wrapping her arms around my neck. I’m not sure why it shocked me so much; she’s been my girlfriend for years, so this wasn’t new behavior.

But when her lips neared mine, that unsettled feeling only intensified. I didn’t deny her though; it would only raise suspicions.

She kissed me as she always does; there was a possessiveness in the kiss and despite me keeping my lips closed tight, she used her tongue to wedge its way into my mouth.

I normally would have liked it.

But at that moment I didn’t.

I felt almost guilty; like I shouldn’t be kissing her. It almost felt like I was cheating. The kiss didn’t last long; when she sensed my resistance she pulled back. Her face was red, and she looked disappointed.

I forced a smile as the elevator doors opened.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, trying to act casual.

She nodded and gave me one last uncertain look before stepping into the elevator. I waited until the doors were shut before I returned to the table to finish eating. While I ate, I grabbed the book that I got from the library, thankful that Alfred let me check it out of the library. I had it stored in my backpack so Sarah wouldn’t see it but now that I was alone, I wanted to read a bit more into it.

As I read the contents of the pages, I froze when I came across the section about the Moon Queen.

It clearly stated that the moon queen was the only one in existence who was able to have a sorcerer as a mate. Besides that, occurrence, sorcerers did not have mates.