Chapter 91

Kayla

I woke the next morning to a stinging sensation on my neck, right over the mating mark. When I lifted my sleepy fingers to brush them across it, the mark stung, throbbing beneath my touch. I winced and groaned, dropping my hand back to the blanket.

There was no need for me to look at my reflection to know why it was hurting. I remembered the sensation of Nicholas’s fangs dipping into my flesh for a second time all too well; it was as if he had marked me all over again, as if the first time wasn’t enough.

And right before a party, too.

“Bastard,” I huffed as I threw the covers off of myself and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

I made my way to the bathroom and turned on the shower, then took a deep breath and faced the mirror while I waited for the water to heat up. Sure enough, the mating mark was red and angry with two fresh puncture marks, evidence of Nicholas’s loss of control last night.

But as I stared at the mark, tracing my trembling fingers around the edge of it, I oddly found myself incapable of being angry with him.

Last night, when he had kissed me in the kitchen, put his hands on me and made my legs tremble…

It was beastly. Out of control.

But I liked it.

I wasn’t sure why; maybe I was just desperate.

Or maybe…

“No,” I muttered aloud, turning away from the mirror and stripping off my pajamas. I wouldn’t allow myself to think that I liked what had happened last night because I truly wanted him.

Although, I knew it was true. There was no denying it, especially not after that little “test” in the guild hall.

But maybe out of stubbornness, I could will those feelings away. For now, at least.

After all, the fucker had forgotten my birthday.

As I stepped into the shower, wincing as the hot water stung against the fresh wound on my neck, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. By the time I was finished and stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself, I could hear voices in my bedroom.

“...Should wear the green one,” Jade’s voice was murmuring on the other side of the door.

Emma huffed, and I could hear the sound of rustling fabric. “No, I like the pink one better.”

“But which one will she like, Em?”

Before the two girls could bicker any longer, I swung the door open to find them standing in front of my wardrobe, rifling through every dress I owned. There was already a pile of gowns laying on the floor around their feet, and they both whirled toward me when I stepped into the room. Emma looked sheepish, and Jade was holding up an emerald green gown that almost shone in the morning light.

“You’ll wear this one, right?” Jade asked by way of greeting, cocking her head to the side.

It was hard to contain my snort of laughter. I crossed the room and took the dress from Jade, holding it up against my towel-wrapped body in the mirror. It was a pretty dress, with a silky skirt that fell to my ankles. But I had already worn this one fairly recently, and I shrugged, hanging it back up.

“See?” Emma cooed, grabbing a pastel pink dress that was hanging over the back of an armchair. “You should wear this one, Kayla. It’s mine, but I think it’ll fit you. You can borrow it for tonight.”

I hesitated, taking in the pink dress. Again, it was pretty. But… “Not really my cup of tea,” I said with a shrug. With that, I turned and sorted through the closet until I felt my fingers brush across something that rustled slightly in the back of the wardrobe.

When I pulled out the midnight blue dress, both of my friends gasped in unison.

“I haven’t seen that one before,” Emma said as I held the dress up to myself.

Jade nodded along with her. “Me neither. But it would suit you perfectly for tonight.”

As I turned to look at my reflection, I couldn’t help but agree. The dress was a deep, almost black blue, with a shimmering skirt that had layers of tulle underneath so that it swayed when I moved. The sleeves were delicate and draped off the shoulders, with a fitted bodice and a plunging neckline.

Sexy.

And it would show off my bruise quite nicely.

Speaking of which…

“Goddess, what happened to you?” Jade suddenly asked, stepping up to me and touching the tender mark with one finger. “Did you get in a fight or something?”

I pursed my lips and looked away, unsure of what to say. But I didn’t need to say anything, because Emma and Jade quickly figured it out on their own.

“I’ll kill him,” Jade huffed.

Emma shook her head. “Mate bond got the best of him?”

I simply shrugged. “Beats me.”

My friends exchanged glances again. Suddenly, Jade gasped again and pointed at my thigh. “Kayla… look!”

Frowning, I glanced down at my injured leg. The wound, once red and aching, was now smoothed over into nothing but a scar.

“What the hell…?” I muttered, touching the wound to see if it would hurt. Nothing. Only the stitches remained.

“You healed,” Emma breathed. “How is that possible?”

I furrowed my brow, thinking back to the night I’d come down with the fever—and how Nicholas’s presence, my mate’s presence, had healed me.

Had the kiss last night done that to my leg?

My friends, as if reading my mind, suddenly snapped their gazes to me in unison. By now, my face was an alarming shade of red. I looked away as if that might somehow hide the truth—that Nicholas and I had kissed last night, and somehow, his kiss had healed my leg.

That was before he had reopened my mating mark, of course.

“It doesn’t matter,” I finally said, tossing the dress onto my bed and making my way back to the bathroom. “I have a party to get ready for.”

By mid-afternoon, Jade and Emma had transformed me from a slightly chagrined mess of bed-hair and morning breath into a proper Luna—equally chagrined as before. Jade removed my stitches, and I had to admit I was glad to feel them gone—although I wouldn’t admit to them what I figured might have happened. Not out loud, at least. Not that they couldn’t tell anyway.

After that, they had left my red hair running in wild waves down my back, and placed a silver circlet around my forehead with a delicate blue gem in the center. My makeup was nothing short of ethereal, with shimmering silver eyeshadow, soft pink lip gloss, and the faintest touch of blush that made me glow as if I’d just stepped out of the bath.

And then there was the dress. I’d bought it years ago on a whim, but truthfully, I had never worn it. But even now, it fit perfectly; and paired with my Luna jewelry, a pair of strappy silver heels, and a silver arm cuff to match the circlet around my head, I felt like a princess.

If only I could find my prince.

Nicholas was elusive as ever all day, although either too busy setting up for the party or simply trying to avoid me after last night, I wasn’t sure. I must have spent upwards of an hour wandering the house looking for him to no avail.

That was, until I spotted him. He was coming out of a small shed at the back of the garden, and he didn’t see me at first. He paused in the doorway of the shed, looking around furtively, before he quickly stepped out and shut the door behind himself.

His hair was mussed, bits of straw falling out of it as he dusted himself off. And his shirt was slightly untucked.

All at once, a feeling of jealous rage overtook me. I had put so much effort into getting ready today, only for him to be… rolling around in a shed doing Goddess-knows-what, all while a fresh bite mark on my neck from him was still throbbing.

Not to mention that he’d forgotten my bloody birthday.

Without thinking, I stormed up to him, practically seeing red. His eyes widened when he saw me and he opened his mouth, but before he could speak, I shoved past him.

“Who’s in there?” I barked, reaching out to open the shed door. “I swear, if you’ve been messing around with another woman while—”

But before I could swing the door open, he stepped in the way, slamming it shut again. His eyes were dark and dangerous as he glared down at me, although the way they flicked to the mark on my neck—which I’d purposely left on full display—wasn’t lost on me.

“No snooping,” he finally said, slipping a small golden key out of his pocket and locking it. Tightly.