I scratched the side of my ear in a kind of nervous twitch. I had to remind myself not to continue the twitching. I never wore makeup, and no doubt before this date was over I’d forget about the eye stuff and smudge it all over my face.
She was still staring at me. I took a deep breath. Why was I always the one to deliver bad news?
“No, your true mate will be within the same race.” I hurried on as her face fell. “But that’s rare – you can have a mated relationship without being true mates. You can choose who to love.” While I adored the thought that somewhere out there fates had chosen the perfect match for me, I also liked thinking I could choose my other half, that my heart could decide.
“I never said anything about love.” The slightest pink tinged her cheeks. Her hands trembled a little as she shoved her hair behind her ears. “I barely know him.”
“You wouldn’t have asked about mates if it wasn’t a little more than I barely know him,” I mimicked her. I wondered then if maybe Mischa was the reason Maximus had had no alibi at the trial.
She gritted her teeth and was just opening her mouth to speak – or yell at me – when there was a knock on the door. I stood in one fluid movement, my questions forgotten as I ran my damp palms along the swishy skirt of my dress. I resisted the urge to check my appearance one more time. Nothing would have changed, I was simply searching for a distraction or something to alleviate my nerves.
“Why am I nervous?” I murmured. “It’s a date and I don’t even particularly like this magic user.”
His voice echoed through the wooden door. “I can hear you, Jessa. You might as well let me in before you convince yourself out of tonight.”
Mischa laughed then. “I’ll never get used to these extra strong senses.”
“Yeah, well magic users don’t generally have super hearing. Clearly Louis is an overachiever,” I said as I stomped across to the door. My cheeks wanted to blush, but I refused to let the blood pool there.
I slammed the wooden barrier open to find his big body crowding the doorway and his handsome face staring down at me. The slightest grin tipped up the corner of his lips. Frigid air wafted in around the sorcerer. It was cold tonight.
“Hey,” he said, all casual-like, his eyes sparkling at me. He was like a brilliant sunset, spectacular to look at but kind of blinding at the same time.
A smile crossed my own lips, and then the laughter followed. I felt ridiculous all dressed up, but I was looking forward to this date, weirdly enough.
“Are you ready?” he asked, when I didn’t say anything.
I nodded and pulled on my long coat, zipping it up. I waved to my sister, stepped out onto the deck, and kicked shut the door behind me. I didn’t have a bag or anything, there was no need. Stratford had a few restaurants and the dining hall, but there was no money exchanged. People were expected to contribute to our community, so we had various businesses but money was only involved for exchange with humans.
Louis was relaxed as we strolled away from my house. He dipped that smile in my direction again. “I’m surprised one of the quads aren’t here giving me a lecture and questioning my intentions.”
The sun was just setting and there were still plenty of young supernaturals playing in the street. They paid us no attention, enjoying their variety of games.
I wrinkled my nose at him. “I forced them to leave. As much as I love that they care, it can be awfully awkward having so many protective men in my life. You’d be amazed at how many of my male friends have been scared off.” In reality, I couldn’t think of one sexual partner I’d had who wasn’t wary or outright petrified of the Compasses. No wonder I didn’t date.
Louis chuckled. “I wouldn’t be amazed at all. They have spread the word far and wide that you’re off limits.”
Those bastards were going down.
Louis reached out and took my hand. I tensed and almost yanked it free; his power licked along my arm and the sensation was uncomfortable. Gritting my teeth, I stuck it out and soon the sensation subsided. Which was a relief.
Louis didn’t comment on my reaction, he was still focused on the Compasses. “I’m not sure you realize how far the quads’ reach actually is. I would say the only reason you’ve had any options of sexual relationships is due to the fact that you’re … utterly desirable.” I must have made a choking sound, because he pulled me to a halt. “I know you can’t see how magnetic and fascinating you are. It’s not just that you’re gorgeous … it’s something from inside.”
I examined him closely, wondering if he was talking about my dragon mark.
“Men have told me I’m beautiful before,” I said, shrugging, “but at the end of the day I’d rather be thought of as more than looks.”