Page 75 of Shattered Illusion

The chill of his flesh seeps through the thin material of my T-shirt as he places his hand on my lower back, guiding me back into the main room of the house. I want to ask where we are in relation to the school, but it’s not like that information matters. Getting here and leaving is the easy part with my portals.

“This house has been in my family for generations, much like Stonewell for Jasper. In our world, it’s common for children to resume living in their parents’ home when one or both of their parents pass away.”

“Your dad?” I ask, recalling him mentioning that he took over the law firm for his dad, so I would think the house would be the same.

“Correct,cor meum. My mother moved out when I moved in, even though I offered for her to stay. She knew I’d eventually take a mate,” I flinch at the reverence of which he murmurs the word mate, “and she didn’t want to be in the way of a growing family.”

My stomach roils with guilt over the thought of him being with me and not his mate. They’re out there somewhere, just waiting for their other half, and here I am, trying to keep him for my very own when I already have a soulmate. Two, if you count the asshole, which I don’t.

“Bailey?” My eyes come back to focus, finding us in a part of the house I don’t remember walking to and my vampire standingin front of me, concern heavy in his blood red orbs. “Where’d you go,cor meum?”

“I…” How do I explain to a man I have feelings for that he should be putting all of this effort into finding his mate? Not me. I know Luka said not to count him out, but how can I not when I know nothing about why he said that?

“Talk to me, Bailey. Let me calm any fears you have. Because I can smell them seeping from your delicate skin.” He traces his finger down the main artery in my throat, and I swallow hard, wanting so badly to cut the already minimal distance between us. “Come.” He takes my hand and leads me toward a dark couch, sitting down and pulling me into his lap.

Gods. How could something that feels so right be so damn wrong?

Those same cool fingers grip my chin, tilting my face toward his. “What part of what I said garnered this emotion? Was it the part about family? Or about mates?” My breath catches, giving my thoughts away easily. “I understand,cor meum. How about I tell you a story? Maybe it’ll dispel any fears you have.”

I swallow hard, steeling myself for wherever this conversation may lead. I’m more than afraid of what he’s going to say because this whole thing between us could be truly over before it’s even started if he admits to having a mate out there somewhere.

My head nods for him to go ahead, words no longer possible.

“One hundred years ago, Natalia flashed into my life in a whirlwind, shaking up every foundation I’d already built for myself. She was everything I’d told myself I wanted in my other half.” He shakes his head, pulling me against his chest. “Gods, I was so wrong. But I’ll get to that. At the first scent of her blood, I knew what she was to me. She was my soul bond. My soulmate. The woman destined to be the other half of my soul.”

A tear leaks down my cheek from his admission of finding her, and he tsks me before wiping it away with his thumb.

“Everything was just as magical as people claim when it comes to finding their mates. Until it wasn’t.” He smiles sadly. “What I didn’t know at the time was that she had just come from a nearby town, leaving a trail of bodies mutilated in her wake. It wasn’t until she begged me to join her out on the town one night and killed out in the open that I was able to put two and two when the reports started flooding in of a vampiric serial killer on the loose.”

“Oh shit,” I murmur, finally finding my voice.

He chuckles before continuing. “She begged me to mate her. Join her in the life she was determined to have. To live as vampires were meant to. My soul wanted to. Wanted to continue floating in her orbit. But I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t want to live a life on the run, and I valued the lives of others more than she ever had. I fought with the thought of turning her over to the council at the time, but for the very fact that she was my soul bond, I let her flee into the night without turning her over.”

“What happened?” I ask, fully aware of his use of past tense in his story.

“Her crimes caught up with her ten years later, and she was sentenced to death that very day. My value of life saved my own life. If I had joined her, I wouldn’t be here today. I’d be nothing but ash as she is.”

All my fears of him finding his mate are immediately squashed, expelling the air from my lungs. Now I understand why Luka said not to count him out. Axel’s mate is dead. And as much as it pains me to think this… Good riddance. Not for the reason that she couldn’t take him away from me, but because she was just a horrible person all around.

“Does that help,cor meum?”

In answer, I shift my position, placing my knees on either side of his hips, straddling him. A growl builds in his throat that I silence with my lips, answering his question the only way I know how.

His cool lips are a stark contrast to the heat building inside of me. And I don’t mean my flames. It’s the fire that’s building in my gut at needing this man now that all of my fears have been dashed away.

Amusement and a little arousal floods the bond between Luka and I, reminding me of the truths he deserves in return before we take this any further.

“Fuck,” I break off with a gasp, but he’s not having that. Axel takes control from me, tilting my chin up to expose my throat, scraping his fangs across the tender flesh. “Axel, I need to tell you something.”

“Mmmm, if it’s that you and Luka are mated, I already know,” he murmurs, his lips dancing across my skin with every word. “I can smell the demigod on you. Your scent has a bit of his mixed in.”

“What?”

“We predators have an excellent sense of smell. And I knew before you even stepped foot in my office.”

“And you’re not… mad?” I whimper as his thumb presses into my chin, bringing my gaze back down to him.

“He’s your soulmate,cor meum. I would be mad if you didn’t want him. He’s an amazing guy, and you both deserve each other.”

---