Page 20 of Laid Bare

Me, not so much. But Hell’s bells, it’s fucking hilarious.

I sit back on the couch in the room they gave us next door to the sexy little morsel we’ll be guarding, watching as Zane paces back and forth, hellfire ash billowing from his nose as he tugs on his hair. I know exactly what’s going through his head. And damn if it isn’t one hell of a mindfuck.

Who would have thought, though?

I snort, my mind drifting to one of our most guarded demon secrets.

The entirety of the supernatural world thinks demons don’t have mates. Not fated ones, anyway. To them, we’re unruly, unjust, and well, take what and whomever we want. But that’s not true. We do have fated mates. Though, to be honest, it’s rare as shit for a demon to find their fated. Especially outside of the demon race.

Forced here practically against our wills to watch over a newbie supernatural who happens to be the one outlawed supernatural in existence, my twin brother finds his fated mate. And there’s no denying she’s a little spitfire. But she’s also guarded and scared. Rightfully so.

Before Jasper left us to our own devices, he explained how she came to be without the council knowing of her existence. That alone had to have been a mindfuck for the poor woman. Growing up, never knowing what you are, only to have it all come crashing down the moment you’re deemed legal in the eyes of the world.

Jasper also made sure to rip my brother a new one for his incubus power taking over and enticing the little curiomancer. But she didn’t rise to the bait. So that brings us now to this conundrum.

“You realize this changes everything, right?” I raise a brow but remain silent, knowing he isn’t looking for a reply. “Three. Three mates.” He clicks his tongue. “And we planned to go back to Hell. Shit. Wehaveto go back. We have domains to handle. How the fuck is this going to work?”

I so badly want to point out that she hasn’t accepted him yet, but I refrain. She hasn’t rejected him either. I doubt she even knows the symbolism behind being unaffected by his lust magic. None of them do. If they did, there’s a chance I would have had to carry his ass back here after her two mates beat his ass. They were close to doing it too just moments ago. Bailey may not have known what his magic was doing, but the rest of them sure as hell did.

But that does beg the question of how she doesn’t know Zane’s her mate. Shouldn’t she have felt it? I am by no means a curiomancer expert. Truthfully, I don’t know shit about them, period, except for the whispers that flitted through Hell. But I know supernaturals. They have their own ways of knowing who their mates are. So what’s hers? A mystery for another day, I guess. For now, Zane needs some help in the clusterfuck that is now his love life.

Or the lack thereof at the present moment.

Zane’s tail twitches in agitation as he makes another lap around our living room, his lips moving but no words escaping his lips. If I don’t defuse his thoughts, he’s going to blow, and this entire castle will turn into a giant orgy.

“Zane,” I lean forward, bracing my elbows on my knees, “you can’t tell me that you aren’t at least a little bit happy about this development.”

He pauses and his eyes soften, hope lighting up his dark gaze. It’s a demon’s dream to find their mate, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit jealous of him at this moment. She’s everything I’d ever hope to find in my soulmate. Beautiful. Spunky. Sweet. And damn, that ass, though.

“Come on, man.” I clap my hands and stand up. “Let’s grab some food, and we’ll get supplies for the room.”

Zane blows out a breath. “Alright.”

The door closes behind us with a quiet snick, and I head down the hall fully expecting Zane on my heels. But it isn’t until I get to the end of the hall that I realize I’m all alone. Looking back, Zane is rooted to the spot, still outside our door, but his focus is on Bailey’s dorm room. I can only imagine how hard it is to walk away knowing she’s inside.

He seems to shake himself out of his stupor and finally joins me at the stairs. Both of us are lost in our thoughts, moving on autopilot as we navigate the halls. The lookie-loos from earlier are all staring again, but we ignore them. Just like what we’ll do starting Monday when we follow Bailey to her classes.

The gawking doesn’t stop until we leave the cafeteria behind after eating our fill and exiting the academy to get our things.

* * *

One day down, and who knows how many more to go.

It’s now Sunday, the day before our job officially starts, but I haven’t been able to rid my mind of the curiomancer next door.

Zane hasn’t either, for that matter.

Every time there was a sound from the hallway, Zane bolted for the main door, gazing out of the peephole. I know he’s hoping to catch a glimpse of Bailey, but as far as we’re aware, she hasn’t left the confines of her room, not even for meals. Her mates haven’t either that we know of, unless they have another way to travel.

The demi-god, Luka, I’m sure can come and go without anyone knowing, but I don’t think Bailey has that ability.

But what do I know? She’s the first curiomancer I’ve really had any contact with. Fleeting as it’s been so far. She booted us from her room, rightfully so after Zane’s magic took on a life of its own. Or so he says.

Even being alive for centuries, we’ve kept our distance from other supernaturals not of the demon variety, unless it had to do with work. And there sure as hell weren’t any curiomancers asking for protection.

A door slams somewhere outside, and not even two seconds later, a butt-ass naked and soaking wet Zane flies from the bathroom, his double dicks wagging in the breeze. He plasters himself against the door, once again looking for any sight of his mate.

I’d laugh my ass off if I didn’t have the same inclination he does. Just one peek. That’s all I want. One more time to look at the pink-eyed beauty before I shut any feelings off and go into protector mode.

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