A look of disbelief covered my face as I stared at Ashira. She couldn't possibly be telling the truth about this, could she? It kind of made sense and explained the pull I had instantly felt towards August, however, she couldn't be saying… no, that wasn't right. The universe couldn't possibly be that ridiculous.

"Are you telling me that my life literally  depends on my having sex with August?" the incredulity was evident in my voice as I gaped at her. When Ashira didn't deny my suspicions, my eyes widened even further. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

"I'm sorry but no, I'm not. Why do I get the feeling you don't want this to be true?" Ashira asked curiously, her head tilted slightly to the side as if I were a fascinating puzzle. "Was I wrong to assume that you have feelings for him?"

"That isn't even the issue here," I snapped in reply, even though I knew none of this was her fault. Ashira acted like this situation was simple and easily remedied but it wasn't. I sighed in frustration and ran a hand over my face, a dull ache forming behind my eyes. "It's not about whether or not I have… feelings for August."

"Then what's wrong?"

"You just told me I would die if I didn't sleep with someone. Everything is just peachy," I quipped with a roll of my eyes. 

"Nevada, he isn't just anyone. August is your fated love, your destined eternity," Ashira replied, unbothered by my irritation. "Can you not see that? Even your mother knows."

My head snapped towards Ashira, the unexpected statement throwing me for a loop. I had told Alana about August's rejection, how could she possibly think that he would want me? He didn't want me, not now, not in bed, and not by his side for the rest of eternity. August had made that more than clear.

"He doesn't want me, Ashira," I revealed, voicing my thoughts despite my reservations about telling anyone else this secret. "August has rejected me."

If what Ashira said was true, and August was my one fated love, I had a lonely future ahead of me. He didn't want me because he didn't want to hurt his friend. I understood that, especially after what Ashira had told me Dominic and August, but it didn't make it hurt any less. Was that why I had been feeling so horrible lately, so drained of energy? 

I had heard stories of those that had been rejected by their soulmate, the results the same as if their loved one had died. Many had lost their minds from the unbearable pain that had incurred once the bond had been severed. Others had simply died, their life draining away from them as their love left them behind. Some committed suicide before they could waste away, but not everyone had been able to do that.

Some stories told of those that had lived through the rejection or the loss of their mate's life, somehow moving on and the gods gifting them with a second chance. It was a rare occurrence, as most never lived passed losing the first, but it wasn't unheard of. If I survived the formal rejection, would I be lucky enough to find someone else that actually wanted me?

"Has he said the words, Nevada?" Ashira asked, her tone soft as she looked at me expectantly.

Looking away, I shook my head. "No, not officially."

Ashira didn't speak, and she didn't really need to because I knew what she was thinking. However, just because he hadn't said the words didn't mean he wasn't going to. It was possible he didn't realize that I was his mate, or maybe they were all wrong completely and there was something else wrong with me entirely. Chewing my lip nervously as a thought occurred to me, I looked back at Ashira who was watching me as if patiently waiting for me to question her further.

"What did you mean when you said it was different because he was a hybrid? How could he unknowingly start to claim me?"

"Well, for vampires there is a blood exchange involved. I don't know the specifics but I do know that it strengthens the already existing bond between the individuals," she began, her face thoughtful. "With the fae, there is an entwining of energy in a specific way, almost like a braid or a tether of sorts."

Ashira paused, letting me absorb the information for a few moments before going on.

"For all beings, these acts must be performed during sex, linking the mind, body, and soul of the individuals all at the same time," she paused again, a knowing looking appearing on her face. "Now, as a hybrid of both vampire and fae, August must do all of these things. It seems that this process was started at some point but never fully completed.

"It's left your body, and his, in a state of craving or limbo. Your body, your power, everything about you is dependent on him for it to keep going because it needs that fulfillment before it is satiated. That's why you feel drained when you're not in proximity to August and why his bloodlust is nearly uncontrollable." 

As I listened to her explanation, my mind thought back to the few moments that August and I had been close. He had fed from me but we hadn't ever had sex, well not in the traditional sense. Heat rose in my cheeks, flushing my skin as if I were near an open flame. He had wanted me, at least to a certain extent, but he had held himself back because of his friend. August was loyal to the point of self deprivation, his history full of sacrificing himself in Dominic's place.

I wasn't sure if I was enough to change a path he had set himself on over a millennia ago. Maybe that was how it was supposed to be, a poetic end to our eternal lives. I had always been told that nature keeps the balance, a loophole to everything. If I really was one of the most powerful fae to ever live, which currently I didn't feel like it, then there was almost a romantic idea that it would be my soul mate that would bring about my demise.

I rested my head against the pillow, my eyes trained on the ceiling. "You know, this makes me think of Romeo and Juliet kind of. An epic love destined to fail before it ever began, two people from two different worlds that could never coexist."

"Dominic and Alana were more like them, but they prevailed, did they not?" Ashira replied casually. "They should have never made it to fruition but here you are and they remain as strong as ever."

I nodded absentmindedly as I pondered over everything Ashira had told me and everything I had been through. When Nova and I had moved into the apartment at the beginning of the summer, I had known then that everything was going to change. However, I hadn't expected it to be as drastic as it had ended up being, or as dramatic. 

Growing up my adoptive mother had told me that the gods always had a plan, nothing was ever a coincidence or happened by chance. She had reminded me of that the day we had buried my adoptive father and I had sobbed into her chest like a small child. I had never believed her, not completely, feeling as if there were too many beings in the world for the gods to plan for each one. But as I lay in the bedroom in Ashira's home, thinking over how everyone in this group had become connected in some way, I began to think that maybe my mother had been right.

●●●●

Ashira had left me alone with my thought not long after that. My head was a jumbled mess and I had no idea where to go from there. There were so many things that I needed to deal with, and I needed to figure out where to start first although it wasn't that easy.

Before I was able to get too absorbed inside my head, a light knock sounded on the door just before Nova made his way inside. In his hands, he held a tray with two plates and each one loaded with two of my favorite snacks. One held ham rolls, which was simply thin sliced ham rolled up with cream cheese and green onions inside, and the other plate held cucumber sandwiches. My mouth watered at the sight.

"Gods, Nova, this looks great," I told him excitedly as my stomach rumbled loudly.

Nova laughed as he placed the tray on the end of the bed and helped me into a sitting position. I waited eagerly for him to place a few of each snack on a saucer before handing them to me. 

"Ashira said to make sure you didn't eat too quickly," Nova informed me just as I shoved an entire ham roll into my mouth.

I froze mid-chew and looked at him with wide eyes. Nova suppressed a laugh while I slowly chewed and tried not to choke on the too big bite of food. We ate in silence for a few moments, the atmosphere of the quiet room relaxed.

"Do you remember in ninth grade when Alex Travers broke up with me?" I asked conversationally as I picked at one of the cucumber sandwiches. "You made so many of these little things for me."

"Oh, right! Yeah, you wanted to spend all night crying and watching rom-coms while stuffing your face with ice cream!" Nova chuckled as the memory surfaced in his mind. "You were so upset because you thought you two were in love."

Nova rolled his eyes fondly, the indigo rings dancing with teasing laughter. I smiled sheepishly in response, shaking my head at the ridiculous idea I had been so convinced of at the time. If only I had known then the things that I knew now, maybe it would have all been different. It was just lyrics to a song for me anymore, but a living thought that played on repeat inside my mind.

"I just wanted to wallow in my misery but you wouldn't let me. You told me that my way was unhealthy and I would end up in a sugar coma," I cringed dramatically. 

"And you would have! I saved your life that night, you know." The matter-of-fact tone Nova used reminded me of how much I had missed our easy banter. "Anyway, where are you going with this trip down memory lane, Nev? I know it's not just a case of nostalgia."

I bit my lip nervously as I pushed the saucer away from me, my appetite suddenly vanishing while I gathered my courage. Nova waited patiently, his eyes focused solely on me as he watched my face. He could read me better than anyone and I knew he was aware that whatever was on my mind wasn't something easily disregarded. 

"Okay, so, uh, Ashira talked to me about the connection between August and me," I began hesitantly. 

"And… ?"

"It seems that he and I are… I'm his, uh… " I stammered, struggling to get the words out of my mouth. It still felt so surreal and I had yet to fully wrap my head around the idea. "He's my… mate."

Nova's eyes widened comically as he took in my skittish proclamation. While he openly gaped at me in astonishment, I twisted my hands in my lap and waited for him to speak. If he would just say something, anything, I would have felt a lot better. Instead he stated at me like I had grown a second head.

"Will you stop the fish out of water look and say something already?" I burst out after several more minutes of his uncomfortable staring. 

Nova quickly shut his mouth and leaned back in the chair he had taken up residence in, running a hand across his face. When he looked back at me his eyes had softened, and what looked like sympathy filled the familiar orbs.

"I guess that makes sense," he said simply, a shrug bouncing on his broad shoulders. 

It was my turn to look at him as if he had gone insane. Once he had come back to his senses, Nova seemed perfectly okay with the idea and not even a little surprised. Had he gone bipolar or something? What the hell?

"How?" I spluttered.

He shrugged again. "You two are similar yet completely different. It actually makes sense with the way you two seemed so drawn to each other so quickly."

Shaking off my own shock, I took a deep breath and blurted all at once, "But there's a problem, Nova. He doesn't want me and somehow the claiming process was started but not finished and has left us in this limbo of weirdness. If we don't complete it then we, or at least I, could die."

"Wait, you could die? How does that work?" Nova asked, finally upset along with me at the situation. "Is that why you'd been feeling so weak?"

I nodded sadly. It was odd to know that my time with Nova was possibly limited and yet here we were discussing my sex life. The even stranger part of all of this was - … 

"So, your life depends on having sex with a guy?" Nova blurted incredulously, and louder than I would have liked. Cringing, I only nodded, unsure of where anyone else was and afraid they would hear this conversation. "What kind of fucked up shit is that?!"

"Nova, please calm down," I hissed, hoping he wasn't drawing attention to us.

Anger sparked in his eyes and I felt his power rise, prickling across my skin like grains of sand in the wind. I understood how he felt, as I wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of such a way to go. The thrill of impending death wasn't exactly on my bucket list.

"He did this to you," Nova growled, the purple irises glowing bright in the dim lighting of the small room. "I'm going to kill him."

"What? No, you can't kill him!" I snapped, my own emotions roiling inside me. "I'm not dead yet, you goober! There's still time to fix this."

"To be rejected could kill you in the current state of health you're in, and it most likely would," Nova snarled, his anger not abating in the least as he jumped to his feet. "If he wasn't going to reject you, why did he stop the claiming?"

"Because he's Dominic's best friend," I replied in a small voice that was barely above a whisper. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked up at Nova. "They're like brothers and he didn't want to betray his brother in such a way."

Nova's eyes darkened as his anger turned to rage, the air vibrating around us as his power reached a new level in the confined space.

"He chose Dominic over you?"

"If I had to choose between my happiness and you… it would be you every time, Nova," a single tear slid down my cheek, leaving a warm trail in its wake. "They are no different than you and I, don't you see that? And there is nothing I wouldn't do for you."

Nova gazed down at me for several moments the indecision clear amongst the residual rage that still clouded his eyes. After what felt like forever, the energy in the room began to slowly dissipate and Nova joined me on the bed. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me into his chest, careful not to disturb my still healing injury. 

"I can't lose you, Nevada," Nova whispered into my hair, his voice thick with emotion. "I can't. And I'll be damned if I lose you because our piss poor excuse of a sperm donor let his pride get in the way or some blood crazed hybrid is too loyal to said sperm donor. Those too can burn in hell if it would save you."

"Dominic doesn't know," I admitted on a whisper, guilt trickling into my mind.

Before Nova could reply, there was a firm knock on the door accompanied by a warm presence just on the other side. The feel of his energy in close proximity to mind sent my heart racing and adrenaline flooded my veins. My breath caught in my throat which must have been some sign that Nova managed to interpret. Without a word, Nova removed himself from the bed and walked to the door, his power slowly rising with each step.

As soon as the door opened, revealing a disheveled August, my chest felt tight and a whole zoo began the tango in my belly. His silver eyes met mine, emotion flashing across his handsome features and causing my heart to jump into my throat. Nova stepped between us, his power rising once more to vibrate the air and the house around us. His voice was deadly calm when he spoke. 

"If you hurt her, I will rip you to pieces without a second thought."

And with that, Nova left me alone with August in the doorway. Neither of us spoke, just taking in the sight of the other. My body rejoiced at the nearness, relishing the feel of his energy as if it were water in the middle of a desert. I licked my suddenly dry lips, nervous anticipation coursing through me as I waited anxiously for him to do or say something. I hadn't seen him in days and yet it felt like it had been decades.

"I think we need to talk," August finally said, his voice low. The timber of his words washed over me, filling my empty cells with life like the roots of a dying plant. "Would you like to take a walk with me, Princess?"

If I somehow managed to live through all of the bullshit that had suddenly flown my way, I knew my sanity would be in question. The way this man could say that single pet name, it seemed to always turn my brain to mush and after so long of not hearing it, heat rushed straight to my core.

I watched as his nostrils flared slightly and a smug smirk tugged at his lips before he held out his hand to me.

"What do you say… Princess?"

All I could manage was a nod as I took his offered hand. Tingled shot up my arm the moment his skin touched mine. It was official, my concentration was shot and if I did manage to seduce this godlike man with the half of a brain cell I had left, he was going to be the death of me anyway.

**********************

A/N: New chapter! Yay! Sorry it took so long to get it posted.

I've had a crazy week including another all day trip to the doctor for my 4yo.

Let me know what you guys think! Typos, errors, etc., let me know too.

Thanks for reading!

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XOXO🖤❤🖤❤

~SM~