Chapter 48

1

My eyes go wide as I gasp, spinning to see Alvez walking down the hall, completely nonchalant. But that was no ghost, sneaking an intimate touch when my brother’s back was turned.

“What is it?” Rafe asks, turning towards me.

“Sorry, I uh–just saw a spider,” 1 murmur. “Really big one.”

“Gross,” Jesse says, a shiver running through him. I grin at him, because Jesse hates spiders.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” Rafe says, nodding towards the elevator at the end of the hall. “Ari and I have to have a chat after all.”

“Really?” Jesse gasps as we step into the elevator. “What about!? Do I get to come. too?”

“No,” Rafe says, slinging an arm around my shoulders and glaring over at our cousin. “Siblings only for this one.”

Jesse hangs his head back as the elevator lifts us swiftly into the air. “That’s so unfair,” he groans. “Come on, I’m basically a sibling – our dads our brothers, our moms are sisters! Genetically, I’m pretty much the same

“Don’t be weird,” Rafe says, glancing over at Jesse with his brows knit as the elevator door opens and we start down the hall.

Jesse continues to complain all the way into the room but Rafe ignores him and I laugh, because Jesse can be such a baby when he doesn’t get his way. But eventually Jesse flops, defeated and depressed

to be deprived of the gossip, onto his bed as Rafe pushes me towards the bathroom.

“Rafe, you can pee alone,” I mutter, tossing my chemistry book onto my bed as I

1. go.

“This is about secrecy not bodily functions,” he murmurs, shutting the door behind him and leaning back on it. “Which I’d think would be something you appreciated, considering this is a conversation about your mate. So?” He raises an eyebrow at me. “Spill.”

I sigh, closing the lid to the toilet and sitting down on it, taking off my cap and

taking a moment to massage my sore scalp under its tight braid. Rafe listens quietly and carefully as I tell him everything about Jackson about his apology in the bathroom that allowed me to see a different side of him, my impulsive invitation to breakfast, and then about his waiting to go into his obstacle course. with me, and the hint and the help he gave.

By the end, Rafe looks more contemplative than angry, which is probably a good thing. “So,” he says, looking studiously down at the floor with his brows drawn, “do you think he’s like…figured it out? That he’s helping you because he knows you’re his mate?”

“No,” I say, thoughtful as I lean back against the toilet tank. “I mean, anything is possible, and I think he’s being nice to me because he does sense a connection. between us. But I think that if he knew I was his mate, he wouldn’t just…let it pass.”

Rafe’s quiet for a minute before he sinks to the floor a bit. “It’s all just so weird, Ari,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “I don’t know how to navigate any of this.”

“You’re telling me,” I say, but I smile at my brother because it feels nice to be able to talk to him about it.

“It’s just, you have a right to get to know your mate,” he murmurs, “that’s important. But there’s so much at risk. And he did seriously try to hurt you, which makes me very wary to let him into our little circle of trust…”

“I think you have to try, Rafe,” I say quietly. “I don’t think he’s going to try to hurt me again. Honestly, if anything, it feels like his instincts are swinging in the other direction, and he might be following them.”

“So like, even if he doesn’t know he’s your mate, he’s got some impulse to protect you?” Rafe asks, looking up at me. “I mean, that makes sense…the way dad protects mom feels just like a part of who he is.”

A little anxiety stirs in me at the comparison to dad and mom – because they feel just so right together.

And Jackson? I…just met him.

And Luca?

They’re both important, my wolf says, prancing gleefully at the thought of them. And very good looking.

12.02

Tu Mar

Easy for you to say, I murmur, swatting her playfully in the rump. She spins in a circle and then trots off, spirits high.

“All right,” Rafe sighs, hanging his head a little with a big sigh. “I’ll try to be nicer. Though it will not be easy.”

I smile, starting to thank him, but a knock comes out the door.

“Go pee somewhere else, Jesse,” Rafe says, his voice exhausted.

“Thanks so much for the advice, Rafe,” Jesse replies, dry, “but actually our uniforms are here.”

“Oh!” I say, standing up and eagerly pulling on my cap. Rafe gets to his feet too, but his eyes move immediately to the shower.

“Will you get mine?” he asks, heading for it. “I want to take a minute to myself.”

“Sure,” I say, grinning at him and heading for the door, eager to see what the seamstress did to my uniform to make it fit better. Rafe starts to strip off his shirt as I pull the door open, but I’m a little shocked to see Jesse standing right there, waiting for me.

He grabs me by the wrist and tugs me out of the bathroom, snicking the door shut behind me. “You have a guest, Mr. Clark,” he says, his voice half devious and half angry. “Who is asking for you in particular.” noveldrama

My eyes go wide as I follow Jesse’s gesturing hand towards there door, where I burst into a grin to see the seamstress here in the flesh, a black box in her hands.

“Oh, hi!” I shout, scurrying over, excited.”Hi!” she says, beaming at me, “I’m so happy to see you! I made some modifications, but, um…” her eyes drift over to Jesse as she bites her lip.

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” I say, flapping a hand in his direction as I take the box from her hands and head for my nook. “Come over here! Thank you so much for bringing these up yourself! What’s your name? I’m Ariel –

“Ariel!” Jesse gasps, horrified, and both the seamstress and I stop short in our tracks, our eyes going to him.

“Oh, sorry,” I say, grimacing at my cousin a little as I resume my steps. “I forgot to tell you, Jesse

she kind of…figured it out yesterday.”

A slow smile spreads on the seamstress’s face as she looks between my cousin and me. “Oh, a secret within a secret, is it? I love those.”

“Ari,” Jesse groans, covering his face with his hands and turning away from me, his—- shoulders shaking a little bit. “You can’t do this shit to me and are you serious!? Someone else figured it out!?”

“Who else knows?” the seamstress asks, stepping closer to me as I put the box on my bed and start to unpack it.

“Just my brother, obviously, and our friend Ben,” I say with a shrug, smiling at her. “Though he had less direct evidence than you

“Ariel!” Jesse snaps, storming over to us, “stop telling her shit! We have no idea who

this woman is!”

“Jesse!” I scold, glaring at him. “You’re being very rude to our guest, and obviously she is trustworthy – she would have told someone by now if she was going to! And she wouldn’t have taken such time to make modifications to my outfit! Thank you for those, by the way,” I say, turning my smile on her again.

“You’re welcome,” she replies, sketching a little bow with a half smile on her face, though she does glance anxiously back at my cousin.

Jesse sighs and narrows his eyes at the young woman, crossing his arms and looking her up and down. “While my cousin has a point,” he says, frustrated, “I would like some further assurances that

you can be trusted, ma’am.”

“Oh?” she says, and I blink a little as the seamstress tucks her hands coyly behind her back and raises her chin at Jesse, stepping closer. “And what kind of assurances would you like, sir?”

I go a bit still as I watch them.

“Well,” he murmurs, his voice deepening as he looks down at her. “Your personal information, to start. As well as any leverage you’d like to hand over so that I can exact revenge if you blow my cousin’s cover.”

“Leverage, highness?” she says, a little smirk forming on her lips. “Why, we’ve just met. Don’t you think you need to earn something like that?”

Jesse laughs a little, his eyes focused on hers, and my jaw drops when I see him. take a step closer, barely a hand’s breadth between them now. Because they are

flirting.

“Earn it, claim it,” Jesse murmurs, raising a bold hand and twisting a stray curl of her auburn hair around his finger before tucking it back behind her ear. “Either way, we can start with your number, unless we’re supposed to use messenger pigeons to contact people in this dank castle –”

“Oh my god,” I burst out, staring between them. “Jesse!” I step forward and smack him, hard, on the arm. “Would you stop!?”

“Ari!” he shouts, laughing and taking a step away. “I am working here to protect

you

–

“Oh, you so are not,” I growl, stepping in front of the seamstress. “There is one girl in this whole castle who knows about my secret, and I’d quite like her to be my friend, so if you can please stop hitting on her

Jesse’s mouth drops open at my accusation and the seamstress, behind me, bursts out laughing.

“It’s all right, Ari,” she says, putting a hand on my arm and turning me towards her. “I’m pretty much the only young woman working in this castle – I know how to handle myself around these boys.” I grin at her as she rolls her eyes.