He was silent, but I knew it meant his magic was doing its job. “I tracked his phone to the library.”
“Thank you!” I said, ending the call, all but running towards the library. It was after lunch, meaning a lot of students were heading in the same direction as me, but that didn’t stop me from using my magic to slow their pace without them noticing. When I reached the doors, I calmed immensely, just the sheer relief of being near Remi was enough for my body to calm itself. I hoped he could feel the same, knowing I was coming. I ignored the part where he ran from me, since that hadn’t been about me, or I hoped it hadn’t. He’d asked if I’d been intimate with our professor. It truly made no sense to me, why he would even ask me that. Was that normal here? It seemed highly unprofessional.
When the main floor was cleared, and no Remi was found, I made my way to the second floor. No Remi there either. The next floor had a whole different feel to it, there was a peacefulness and just… quiet. A library should be somewhat quiet, but this wassoothinglyquiet.
Not wanting to disturb the ambiance, I walked silently around the floor until I spotted him. He was so beautiful. His dark brown hair mussed; his green eyes vibrant as he scribbled downnotes in a journal. I sat down in the chair opposite him and waited for him to notice me. It didn’t take long. A sharp intake and then his gaze landed on mine, his eyes wide and gorgeous and his mouth open in shock.
“Hi, beautiful,” I greeted him carefully.
“Hi,” he whispered, not taking his eyes off mine.
“Are we still on for our date tonight?” I asked, trying to move on from whatever had happened an hour ago.
He sighed and closed his journal. “I’m not stupid, Juno. Please don’t lie to me.”
I sat up a little straighter. “It was never my intention to lie to you,” I admitted, not really knowing which lie he was referring to.
“I remember everything from yesterday. Don’t try to act like it never happened, or I’m leaving again.” The fierce look he gave me was so hot, I found myself smiling at him, too enamored to do anything else. “Juno?”
Oh, right.“How much do you remember?”
“Your call with your father and the other people, the part where you spoke about us being mates and you being from another world, or I guess that’s what the portal talk meant. Then the kidnapping, which I have to thank you for shutting down, since that wouldn’t have been pleasant for me.”
I gaped at him. He was taking this way too well. “How are you not freaking out right now?” I demanded. “Do you truly believe everything you heard?”
“I didn’t believe it at first, but how else would I fall asleep? I wasn’t even tired. And it makes sense that we’re mates. I haven’t felt this way about anyone before. Then they mentioned emotions and feelings being heightened and I definitely feel that. So, believing it was easy. I had plenty of proof.”
He was so amazing. A little crazy, maybe. But mostly amazing. “You do realize this is our first true conversation, right?” I asked,knowing we still needed to get to know one another, especially before visiting my dad. This was also a way to make him realize he was taking this awfully well, considering we were mostly strangers still. This was normal to me, not him. He should’ve been freaking out or maybe he was right and his body told him we belonged together. If he had magic, which he should have to mate with me, then he would feel the pull.
He smiled. “We’ve had plenty of conversations, they were just short ones. And I knew I wanted you as soon as I saw you, I just had a girlfriend at the time and got scared.” He shrugged, still a little embarrassed about that, I thought.
I thought I would be the one to hunt him down and get him to love me, but he seemed just as determined to be my mate as I was for him to be mine. It was a huge relief, knowing he was mad because I lied, not because of whatever he’d yelled about, and not because he was afraid. He definitely took everything better than expected.
“What does girlfriend mean? Is it a friend who’s a girl? We just use the word friend where I’m from, regardless of gender,” I smiled back, pleased to finally have a real conversation, without yelling, crying, or him running away.
“Oh, no. It means I dated her, romantically,” Remi explained, putting his journal back in his backpack.
“What?” I squeaked. He’d been romantic with someone else?Why?
He tilted his head. “I had a girlfriend. Is it only same sex couples where you’re from?” he questioned, looking interested in my world.
“We’re only with our mates,” I explained, still confused and honestly, kind of hurt. “We aren’t attracted to anyone else, only our mates.”
“That explains so much,” Remi said, sighing as he slumped back in his chair. “I thought maybe I was ace or something. Evenwhen I was with Hayley, I wasn’t interested in being intimate, hugging and cuddling sure, but anything else wasn’t something I needed or wanted. To be honest, I wasn’t even that big of a cuddler.”
“I have to admit that hearing that you’ve been with someone else is eating me alive,” I said, hugging my stomach. I could puke just thinking about Remi with someone else.
His eyes widened and he stood in a rush to kneel at my side. “I’m so sorry, Juno! I had no idea I was yours at the time.”
“And now? Do you truly trust it or?” I asked, fearing he was messing with me somehow.
“I do, which is strange, I’ll admit that. But it made sense when I saw you, like I was alive for the first time or something. I have to trust my heart, and it wants you. That has to mean something.”
I smiled. How could I not? My mate spoke about trusting his heart and that it wanted me. That was so romantic. “Normally when mates meet, they mate the same day, then get to know one another after,” I told him, laughing when he gaped at me.
“Seriously?”
“Yes. Why wait? They are meant to be. And often the rush of attraction makes it harder to control the new urges and wants.” I was still struggling with that, but I refused to rush Remi. He was already taking this better than most would’ve. Mating could wait until he was truly ready. We just needed some cuddles to get by.
