I resolved if Ethan didn’t do something about it soon, then I would. I was only holding off on getting close to him because Gabby was keeping an eye on us, but she didn’t have cameras in my bedroom. I could fuck Ethan all I wanted, and she didn’t have to know a damn thing about it.
Still... how could Ethan and I share our bodies when we were both hiding a huge secret? Could I give him everything while knowing he didn’t want to tell me about the Phantom? Sex was supposed to make you vulnerable. Ethan and I still had our walls up.
He’d had such pretty words for me the other day. He said that whatever mates did, they did together, for better or for worse. That both were equally responsible for the good or bad that arose, from the relationship or otherwise.
But it didn’t seem to be that way with the Phantom.
Ethan said my crimes were his to bear. But it was the same the other way around. His crimes were mine, too.
Yet that wasn’t all. Ethan had a vision we could change our society. That we could keep the good things about the fae and change the bad ones. And because he was my mate, it had become my dream, too.
Everything about our lives was becoming integrated, weaving together and spinning into threads that were so tightly bound I didn’t know where his dreams started and mine began. It was like we were one and the same.
It was overwhelming to the point I almost needed space. I hadn’t seen Ethan since that heated moment we’d shared... and to be honest, I didn’t want to. I was still trying to process our relationship and everything he meant to me.
Which was more than I could put into words.
Lord Lucien taught Introduction to Portals. I entered his classroom and took a seat near the front. Odette was in the seat beside me. She was cheerfully humming, writing into her fuzzy purple notebook with a pen that had a fluffy pink pom-pom on the end of it. She had a big, baggy sweater on over her uniform today that looked like it was eating her alive.
“Hey. I didn’t see you at lunch,” I said as I sat down.
“That’s because I didn’t have time to eat,” she gushed. “But I grabbed a fruit on the way here.”
She held up a small, singular apple. I made a face. “Odette, that’s not enough.”
Odette shrugged. “You’re a figure skater, Emma. You know how it is. We have to watch our weight.”
I did, but too many dancers and skaters sacrificed their health in an attempt to be the best. I didn’t want to see Odette become one of them.
She took a bite out of the apple, and I chilled out. At least she was eating something. I was looking too far into it.
“Anyway, forget about all that,” Odette swooned. “I’ve been dying to tell you. I auditioned for the lead in the Malovian Ballet’s rendition of Romeo and Juliet this spring, and I got the part! I’m going to be playing Juliet!”
I squealed and gave her a hug. The Malovian Ballet was a prestigious company— I was thrilled she’d landed the lead. “Odette, that’s great! Who’s playing Romeo?”
“Theo,” Odette said automatically. “Companies usually put us together. The director said we have great chemistry.”
Well if that wasn’t a fucking coincidence. “That’s very romantic,” I said. “Do you think the production will bring you closer? Maybe inspire some late-night rendezvous behind the curtains after practice?”
“What, me and Theo?” Odette let out a skeptical laugh. “You’re so funny, Em. Theo and I aren’t that way. He’s not into me.”
I wasn’t sure if Odette was still in denial or that oblivious. Theo practically drooled over her every day of the week.
“But guess what!” Odette burst. “There’s someone who is. Do you remember Igor?”
“Is he the alicorn you danced with at the ball last year?” I asked, barely remembering him. Odette had mentioned his name in passing.
“Yep,” Odette said. “He works for the Malovian Ballet. He saw my audition and asked me on a date. We’re going out tonight. Isn’t that wonderful?”
My mouth dried up, but I forced out, “Great.”
I hesitated before I asked, “Does Theo know?”
“Yeah. He saw Igor ask me out,” Odette said. “Why does that matter?”
Lord Lucien entered the room, and I said, “Never mind.” I wasn’t getting through to her, and class was about to start. I didn’t have enough