Chapter Forty-Three

I manage to course Adrian into taking some pictures of me in the snow for my modeling account, and then we spend the majority of our day watching through scenes of my supernatural shows. He points out a few clips of the actresses using magic that look similar to the stuff he’s seen, though he admits that none of them are accurate to what my father or even De Leon can do. It discourages me for a while, but Adrian reminds me that I can always ask Serene about her abilities if I’d like to know more about Sorcery in general. We’re snuggling on the couch beside the fireplace as I edit the photos from earlier on my phone so I can upload them to my socials, aimlessly watching clips of a show that Adrian likes. I wouldn’t have expected him to enjoy medical dramas, but it seems entertaining enough that I don’t complain.

“So, are we dating now?” He asks suddenly, his voice reverberating through his arm against my shoulders. He keeps his eyes trained on the drama, but I can feel his attention on me, eager to receive my answer to the question. “Like, for real?” He adds, mentioning the contract.

I pause my hunt for a good caption for my upload, considering his question. “Well, I don’t usually sleep with people I don’t want to date,” I say, hoping that he catches the joking tone. “So I would hope so.”

Adrian exhales a breath he must have been holding and brings me closer to his chest, pressing his nose against my hair. “That’s a relief,” He murmurs. “I don’t think I could have pretended for much longer. Playing your boyfriend without actually being it was hard.”

I’m surprised by his confession and look up at him, finding his gaze placed outside the windows behind the television in thought. I can’t help the small smile that creeps onto my lips as I relax my head against his broad chest again, enjoying the warmth it brings me. “Me either. I didn’t like it. Should we burn that contract? It seems like we don’t need it anymore,” I suggest hopefully, thinking of the stupid papers in a manila folder inside of my closet. I really only asked him to sign it because I thought it would make my time here more interesting, and it gave me an excuse to get closer to him, if only in public settings. I also wanted to see if he would break the rules first, revealing his true desires in doing so.

Adrian sighs again, keeping his chin pressed against my hair as he reaches to stroke my shoulder with his thumb. “If you’d like to. It might help us with your father when he finds out about our relationship. It could soften the blow if he thinks it’s just because of a contract.”

I frown at the mention of my father, not feeling in any mood to talk about his feelings. He clearly doesn’t consider my feelings, so why should I care about his? I shrug a shoulder in response, not feeling in the mood to humor the topic and select a fitting caption for my post, clicking the button to upload it.

Adrian seems to sense that he said something wrong after my silence, so he clears his throat awkwardly and changes the subject. “I’m really happy that you asked me to stay here with you,” He admits, smiling against my hair. “I thought you would be afraid of me after last night.”

I make a thoughtful sound in the back of my throat, setting my phone down beside me and trying to focus back on the show as someone is suddenly requiring life-saving surgery with suspenseful music. Despite the soundtrack, Adrian’s heartbeat remains steady beneath my ear, as if nothing in the world could unsettle him. “I mean, it did freak me out quite a bit,” I profess, turning my attention out the window to the snow-covered mountain view behind the television. “But when I came to you this morning and saw you asleep, I realized that you’re still you, no matter what you are, and I trust you.”

Just when I thought he was unmovable, I hear Adrian’s heart skip a beat at my words. He pulls me impossibly closer, nearly burying me alive beneath the muscle in his bicep as he hugs me tightly to him as if he’s afraid I might vanish. “That’s the first time you said that you trust me out loud,” He mumbles happily, possibly a little embarrassed.

I reach to trace a finger along with the wolf tattoo of his shoulder aimlessly. “Is it?”

“Mm-hm,” He says in his throat, momentarily distracted by what’s going on in the drama to form a proper response. The incessant buzzing of my phone receiving notifications drags him from his trance after a moment, making him sigh in annoyance. “Who’s that?”

I reach for my phone and hold it up, revealing the hundred or so notifications of people liking and commenting on my uploaded photos that he took. “Just Instagram.”

“Oh, wow,” He says, sounding impressed by the popularity. “How many followers do you have?”

It’s my modeling account, so I don’t really know. Maybe 50 thousand?” I mute my phone and move to set it back down, but hesitate when I see Jasper’s account pop up as he sends me a direct message. I feel Adrian’s eyes on the screen over my shoulder as I open the DM and read it.

‘Where are you today? I missed you at lunch.’

Adrian snorts in annoyance that my friend cares enough to ask where I am, making me roll my eyes at his attitude. He never did say what his problem is with Jasper, but I decide I can just ask later. For now, I type out a reply saying that we got snowed in and that I’m alright, conveniently leaving out the fun facts that I learned just last night about him and everyone else at the school.

We message back and forth a bit, in which I learn that he had met Serene and they sat together at lunch, talking about Adrian and I being absent and how each of them know us. Moments after he told me that, Serene sends me a text message saying something similar about their meeting. I respond to her letting her know that the Dean told me everything, to which she replies with a phone call.

I hesitate to answer, glancing at Adrian for permission to interrupt his show. He shakes his head with a smile and reaches for the remote to pause it for me so it isn’t playing in the background. “Hello?”

“Hey,” Serene greets, the sound of chatter on her end makes me believe that she’s still at school, probably between classes. “What do you mean he told you everything? How are you so calm about it?” She spews her questions like a geyser, unable to help her excited tone.

I sit up on the sofa to let Adrian get up and head to the kitchen while I talk with Serene, even though I know he can hear the conversation from across the house. “De Leon just sort of sprung it on me and had Adrian show me as proof. Then I passed out and woke up at home and it just sort of made sense.”

Serene sounds like she exhale heavily and mumbles something away from the speaker, like a curse word. “Oh my god. Adrian showed you? As in, he showed you?” She asks, sounding appalled.

I shrug despite her not being able to see it. “Yeah. I saw his wolf and everything. It scared me at the time but I’ve come to terms with that now.”

Serene still sounds shocked. “So you saw him shift and you’re just like, totally okay with being around him still? Wait… did they tell you about that too?”

I frown in confusion as I gaze out the window at the snow-covered mountains. “What? That we’re Mates? Or that Jasper is a Werewolf too, youre a Sorcerer, and Vincent is a Vampire?” I ask casually, trying to keep my tone even. It’s so hard to keep the smile from my voice with how confused and worked up it makes Serene to hear.

I can hear her gawking from the other side of the speaker. “Oh god, so that’s why you skipped today. Wholly shit, Lydia,” She mutters. I can imagine her pacing back and forth throughout the hallway as she thinks. “So all that was dumped on you at once as you’re just chill about it? What the fuck? Anyone else would be panicking and packing their bags.”

I can’t help my smile anymore as I chuckle at her concern. “I guess you’re right. I don’t know if it’s the bond I have with Adrian from being his Mate or whatnot, but the only thing that really bothers me is how I’m supposedly a Sorceress too. My dad never told me anything about any of that, and when I called him he just brushed me off without explaining and said he would try to make time in his schedule to come to see me so he can explain in person,” I say, not bothering to hide the gradual disdain in my tone as I bring it up.