Page 17 of Hooves & HeartStrings

But now? Now I don’t know. We live such different lives. Yes, she’s open to being around monsters, but clearly, her friends aren’t as open as she is.

Fuck. My mind is a mess. And the need, the want, the craving to be with her is starting to drive me mad and take away any logical thinking, tossing it out the window.

“Fine.” I nod. “I’ll shower and head over to Sawyer’s house.”

An hour later, I’m showered, dressed, and on Sawyer’s doorstep. Sawyer’s house is ironically the biggest of all of ours, considering she’s the smallest of our group.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Garrett drawls as he opens the door.

“Fuck off,” I mutter, pushing my way into the house. “Where is everyone?”

“Out back, like always.”

Garrett follows me out back, his Minotaur body looming over me. We find the rest of our group lounging around by the pool.

“About time you came over,” Brooks says as he slides up to the edge of the saltwater pool. I’m not the only one in our group that’s half-human, or at least have some human in them. Brooks’s father is a kraken, while his mother is part human, part mermaid. Meaning he’s a mix of everything. From the waist up, he has a human body. Waist down, all eight tentacles. But his body is covered in scales and he has gills on his neck.

Being primarily a water monster, I’m not surprised to find him in the pool.

“Leave him alone,” Sawyer says as she gets up from her chair. “Hey, you.”

“Hey.” I give her a hug, careful to avoid her wings. She’s so warm and fuzzy. But if you tell her that, she’s ready to claw your eyes out. She’s one scary Sphinx when she wants to be.

“Come in. Sit. Tell us what's going on,” she tells me, grabbing my hand and leading me toward one of the chairs.

“What makes you think anything is going on?” I frown at her.

She crosses her arms and gives me a sassy look, raising a brow. “Because you're home for one. I thought you would still be locked up with that girl of yours. But you're here and she’s there. And, well, we stopped by the house when you stopped texting us and your mother asked if we knew why you were being a broody asshole.”

I groan, leaning my head back against the chair.

“I’m so damn confused. I don’t know what to do.”

“About what?” Garrett asks.

“Marley, school, this internship.”

“Wait, did you get it?” Flynn asks, sitting up from where he’s sunbathing in the grass, his deep auburn fur almost glittering in the sun. His long manticore tail swishing beside him.

“I did.” I nod. “And I officially got accepted into Coral Springs University. Now, I have to choose. And I don’t know what one to pick.”

“Ah, Coral Springs. Dah. Are you nuts!” Sawyer gapes at me like I’m an idiot. “How is this even a discussion right now?”

“It’s not that easy, Sawyer,” Brooks adds. “Lucius has been dreaming about this internship program.”

“She’s his mate.” Sawyer swings a glare over to Brooks. “Nothing tops a mate.” Then she brings her attention back to me. “What is wrong with you? I thought you were all in with this girl.”

“I was,” I growl, leaning forward, my hooves clicking against the stone below. “But then I overheard her talking to her friends. They made it clear they didn’t like me. Along with the fact she called me a summer fling.”

“Ouch.” Flynn whistles. “Sorry, man.”

“Lucius, does this girl know you're her mate?” Sawyer asks.

My cheeks heat. “Ah, no.”

“For fuck sake,” she groans. “All of you. Stupid stupid boys.” She shakes her head. “And did she know for sure you were going to attend Coral Springs?”

“Ahh, another no.”

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