“Who among you read the books before watching the movies?” She asked casually, as if our answers were meaningless. I raised my hand, knowing my personal position on book versus movie and pretty sure she’d carry a similar one. I’d read the books many times over the years, when books were my only form of escape. I’d let my mind wander with Merry and Pippin, fought alongside Aragorn, and had laughed at Tom Bombadil.
Dr. West grinned. “Excellent. Most of you aren’t idiots.” She pointed at a guy sitting halfway down the row closest to the door. “You, sir, are an idiot. But I’ll forgive you your folly since you’re here to learn.”
The guy, who’d turned white as a ghost at the accusation, smiled appreciatively. “Thank you and if it helps, I’m sincerely sorry for my idiocy.”
Dr. West nodded sagely. “It does help, a little.” She laughed and turned to pick up a well-worn copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. “Let’s begin.”
By the end of class, I’d fallen in love with Dr. West and decided this was going to be one of my favorite courses, which was saying a lot. I gathered my stuff and ran over my schedule for the day in my mind, before turning to Cam and the others with nerves pumping like pistons.
“Hey, my next class isn’t for a few hours. Do you guys want to go grab a cup of coffee or something?” My stomach flipped dramatically.
Cam pursed his lips for a moment then nodded. “I think I have an hour, but I’m not sure. Let me check. I barely had a thing to eat this morning, it took so long to do my face. I could die for some bacon and eggs. Oh, maybe an omelet.”
“I could use a cup of coffee,” Greg said with a grin. He held a to-go cup of coffee in his hand and had, I just realized, been holding a cup every single time I’d seen him.
“It’s what keeps him alive,” Dina snarked. “His blood was caffeinated at birth. I’m in, but the omelet idea is what caught my attention. Wonder if they have any hollandaise sauce.”
“I’m in, too!” Cam announced, sliding his phone into some secret pocket I couldn’t quite make out in his slim lined pants. “Oh, yes,” he said, nodding at Dina. “Eggs Benny smothered in hollandaise.”
My stomach rumbled, eliciting a laugh from the group. It felt so good and normal. I felt normal.
I wondered what they’d think of my multiple mate situation.
By the time our food and Greg’s coffee arrived at our table in the eatery we’d decided on, since they specialized in breakfast foods, I was fairly certain they wouldn’t blink twice at my admission of uniqueness. They were all unique in some way, which was why I enjoyed being around them so much. They owned their otherness, flaunted it in Cam’s case, and it looked good on them. The boldest thing I’d ever done was dye my hair pink, and I was smart enough to know that was more another layer of armor against the unknown than an act of rebellion and ownership.
“Have you guys seen the itinerary for next weekend?” Dina asked with a grimace and a shake of her head as I demolished my second breakfast of the day. “The English mixer and campus run are booked back to back. Who’s in charge of planning around here, anyway? A monkey?” She made a disgusted sound and took a bite of her omelette.
Cam snickered and glanced at me. “Dina is a lazy soul who prefers to space out her activities to one a weekend, less she exhaust herself and have no more time for reading.”
“Hey!” Dina threw a corner of toast at him, then shrugged, accepting his criticism. “I like reading. That’s not a crime, is it?”
“Not at all, Bitchy the vampire slayer,” Cam retorted. “There’s not a lot going on this weekend. You can double up your reading time now in preparation for next weekend.”
Dina nodded thoughtfully, seeming to accept his proposal, then turned back to her breakfast with renewed vigor.
Cam laughed. “So,” he said, turning to grin at me. “Please tell me you’re attending our little soiree. You’re one of the gang now.”
“What soiree?” I asked, frowning. I wasn’t much into parties so hadn’t paid much attention to the social calendar but a night out with friends sounded like fun.
“The English society mixer,” Cam explained. “We host three or four a year, and they’re a blast. You get to see your professors in a whole new light when they’re sauced.”
I thought of Dr. West and knew she’d be entertaining after a few drinks. “When and where?”
Cam grinned. “Yay! It’s here in the English building. There’s a graduate students’ lounge on the fifth floor that we use for events. Friday, 8:00 p.m., and feel free to bring a date.”
I paused with a bite of egg halfway to my mouth. A date. I could bring a date, but which date? All of them? One of them? If I brought one, would the others be jealous? If I brought all three, would we stick out like a sore thumb and cause a scene?
I bit off the piece of egg and chewed thoughtfully. Who would even be interested in attending an English mixer? Lucian, probably. He seemed the most introspective.
I frowned and quickly picked up my cup of coffee to hide the reaction. I knew Lucian liked to read, but what about the others? Chase came off as a southern playboy, but I knew that was just one part of who he was. Maybe he’d enjoy meeting my friends. He was certainly social enough.
But, what about Dimitri? His brooding nature and dark eyes couldn’t hide his keen intelligence. I bet he was a reader, and Cam would be absolutely delighted to meet him. He’d probably see him as a Byronic hero which, now that I thought of it, he kind of was.
A ball of lead formed in my stomach and pulled me down, depleting my happiness and the already fading buzz of orgasm. I didn’t know my soul mates at all.
The closest I’d gotten to a real conversation with any of them was during the limited time I’d spent with Lucian. But even that had only skimmed the surface and that was before I’d shown them who I really was.
Before they’d accepted me for me.
And now we were knee deep in sexual chemistry that had my mind spinning whenever they were within ten feet of me. I understood the physical part of our relationship, but I didn’t want to be ruled by it.
Dimitri had whispered that we had a lifetime together just as I’d been falling asleep and his words had stuck in my mind. He was right, we did have a lifetime together, but did I really want to start that life together with raw physicality rather than real connections?
Fate ruled our lives, I accepted that, but I wouldn’t let it control my relationships.
“And Jared, remember him?” Dina asked with a laugh. “He climbed out the window of the men’s bathroom onto the roof of the building and stripped off all his clothes. It took campus security hours to lure him back through the window.” She dissolved into deep throated chuckles and shook her head. “Old Ones, we’ve had some amazing parties. Sometimes I think it would be better to just stay here and start another degree after graduation. You’re lucky, Lexi.”
I snapped back into the conversation that I’d been vaguely keeping track of and tried to remember what Dina had been talking about. Graduation. A party on the roof. I blinked and tilted my head slightly. “How so?” I asked, hoping none of them had noticed my mental disappearance.