Page 43 of Moon Cursed

“Fuck you!” Edric snapped in my head.

“It’s because as long as you look at me and see a fucking gay basher, I’ll never be attractive to you.”

My lips parted to deny it... then closed.

Nyx gave me a crooked smile. “My stuff is all packed. Would you mind letting me out, Headmistress?”

“Oh, uh—” I hesitated, but only for a second. Pretty much everyone else knew. No point hiding it from him. “You actually don’t need me to let you out. Turns out the gates also obey my fated mates.”

His brows popped. “Really? Wow. How come no one ever knew?”

“I think it’s because most of the headmasters and headmistresses of the past weren’t mated. Having to live here year-round is a big-time relationship killer.”

“Huh. But that would explain why they did bend the magic to allow fates in,” he mused. “So that Headmaster Dirty could get a little nighttime hot-n-heavy action in the woods.” Nyx suddenly cringed. “Who do you think Dagem’s undercover side-piece was?”

“Satan,” I dropped without hesitation. “Couldn’t be anyone else. He’s one hundred percent her type. Actually, he was her bitch. If anyone dominated that relationship, it was Dagem.”

We looked at each other, and busted up laughing.

“Get rid of him already.”

I cut off my laugh, sending pissed-off thoughts at the invader in my head.

Nyx’s laugh trickled off too. “Anyway, I’d still like you to walk me out, if that’s okay.”

I looked away, nodding at the far wall. “I can do that.”

We were an awkward, silent duo heading through the halls and out onto the lawn. As promised, Nyx’s bags were placed in front of the gates—waiting for their departure. He touched the lock and it gave way, obeying its new commander.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can,” he said as the gates swung closed, parting us with deceptively weak-looking bars. “When I do and you’re hot for me again, I’m going to shower you in so much of that seduction-shit, we’ll lock ourselves in my dorm for a twenty-four-hour sex marathon.”

My lower belly tightened like a pinched-off water hose. Okay, so, not all of me was turned off by him.

“Wonder how much you’ll enjoy that marathon when I’m blowing the windows off, ripping the sheets off the bed, and dumping you both off the mattress.”

“You are a real serious mood killer, do you know that?”

I could feel Edric’s smirk. “That’s the idea, baby.”

Heaving a sigh, I pushed both of their nonsense aside for the moment. “Good luck, Nyx. I truly hope you and Patrick are able to move forward. More for his sake, but also for yours. There’s no such thing as a good person who never says sorry.”

Nyx looked toward the two-mile-long path that led to the road, but he didn’t move. “Any chance of a kiss to send me off?”

“Absolutely none.”

He laughed. “That’s alright. I’ll still give you my parting gift.”

I had no idea what he was talking about until he reached into his pocket and handed me a folded-up slip of paper.

“What’s this?”

“Daze.” Humor draining away, he lingered before pulling away—his fingers dancing across my knuckles. “It’s the shadow.”

Face freezing, I unfolded the sheet—gazing down at a hand-drawn face.

My first thought—silly as it was—was that Nyx was a surprisingly good artist. He captured the swoop of the man’s curved upper lip. His defined cheekbones. The kink to his curls, and the dull blankness in his eyes. Looking at that face, I felt the terror of a small child whose life was about to be changed forever. And when I glanced up...

Nyx was gone.

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