Curse of the Fae (PA #3)

Chapter Fifteen

Ari (Sloth)

How is it possible to know something is coming, to be sure of an outcome, but still feel surprised when it finally arrives? I suppose I should be grateful for this continued sense of wonder in the workings of fate and choices, even when I properly anticipate the end results.

We're not at the end, but I knew this was coming. Willow had sex with Ragnar and bit him, forming an incomplete bond that left her soul untethered.

She seeks to reform connection, and the pieces of her soul demand love and attention. She's acting on instinct, which isn't a bad thing, but she'll eventually heal from the soul tear and she'll be thrust back in a cycle of guilt and shame.

There's nothing shameful in giving and receiving pleasure, and she has no reason to feel guilty when she only seeks it from her mates. But none of us were raised around the idea of multiple mates, and she, like many of her mates, struggles with non-monogamy.

I want to step forward without going back. I want to believe that Willow choosing to bite Ragnar and bed Alex is a positive sign of her development.

Extended development—the type that takes more time and requires more work. It's worth it in the end.

It has to be.

"She's late," Rome grouses. "Low's never late to class. Especially his class, since he likes to punish that sort of thing."

"She likes the punishment," Galileo mutters from his spot behind the podium, not pretending to teach or care about the other students in the room.

After unsuccessfully locating Willow last night due to the sporadic nature of her scent trail—there and gone, present but fleeting—Galileo, Rome, and Kian eventually gave up and decided to stake out the cafeteria and then her first-period classroom in the hopes that she'd show up.

Since Alex also went missing around the same time as her, and he's yet to make an appearance anywhere, it's assumed that they're together. My oldest brother searched Alex's room for her, but not the right one, so he hasn't found her either.

Ragnar's not doing well. He's physically healed from Willow's bite and the cut Galileo left on his neck, but having his mate stolen from him before he could bite her back or appreciate the afterglow of their mutual loss of virginity has left an emotional wound.

I fear it may fester and scar if Willow's not here to soothe it.

I maintain that Galileo made the right decision in pulling them apart before Ragnar could seal their bond, but I recognize that every action has consequences. I'm merely trying to minimize the damage.

Ragnar is likely still tearing the realm apart in search of Willow. He's too stubborn to stop and too determined to find his other half to worry about proper strategy. The future leader of Hell's army is acting out of character—a reaction only Willow can inspire.

We get through two hours of Galileo seething behind his lectern and the other students silently reading to avoid drawing his ire. Kian's dragon is present in the blue scales covering his body, while Rome gives up on faking levity somewhere around the forty-minute mark.

Wordlessly, the four of us teleport to the Hell building for Willow's second class of the day. Galileo takes her usual spot, crossing his arms and daring Aphrodite to give him flack for his presence.

The embodiment of love and beauty would never stand in his way. Not when his intentions are noble, fueled by the desire he has to see his mate safe.

Never mind that Kian and Rome aren't scheduled to be here either. We are where we need to be, and that's what matters.