“I’m actually surprised you didn’t know this,” he says.
I shrug. “I didn’t spend time around people until I was ten, then I just basked in the celibacy that is the Academy of the Dark. I didn’t realize we’d adopted one of the gods’ faults.”
“Your academy sounds like a ball…” He smirks as we continue to sway to the beat of the music. “You really think it’s a fault, though? Don’t you think that love is love, regardless of how many partners you have?”
I mull over his words and try to filter my thoughts in a way that makes sense. “I think everyone has a right to love who they love. The more the merrier, as they say,” I chuckle, and he quirks his eyebrow as he waits for me to continue. “But I don’t know, I just thought that I’d find a single partner to love. Isn’t that how the stories go? You find your soulmate and boom! Your life is complete?”
Dane nods as his hands roam over my back. “That’s one way to think of it. But what if, in order to make your soul complete, you need more than one love? What if you need to love more than one person to feel like all the pieces are finally in place?”
I tilt my head as I stare into his eyes. “I guess then it would be okay? As long as no one gets hurt.”
I nearly melt into the ground at the beaming smile he sends my way, and I can feel his gratefulness as if it were my own. Was he really worried about that? Are the others?
My eyebrows pinch together. “So, it would be okay if… if I was interested in someone else? That wouldn’t bother you?”
He pauses, and I watch in fascination as his eyes darken before he shakes his head. “As long as it’s one of our group, then sure. I’d trust them with my life. And yours. I can’t say that about anyone else outside our team.”
“But what about you guys? Does that mean you can be with anyone, as well?”
He tilts his head from side to side. “As long as they’re in the team, they’re fair game.”
My jaw drops, and his loud laugh booms through the night’s sky. But… our team… there’s only me. Unless… My eyes widen as they snap to his face.
“Y-you… what?” I screech. He did say no matter the gender, but he’s definitely not the type of guy I thought… My face burns, and I feel his emotions reign in a little at my shock.
I frown as I shake my head, waving my hands out in front of me. “No, no, no. I didn’t mean… I’m just surprised. Please don’t think—”
“It’s okay, Serena. I shouldn’t just spring everything on you. I didn’t realize you didn’t know about how our society worked.” He scratches the back of his neck.
Guilt sours my stomach as I feel his various emotions washing through me. I’d hurt him by not accepting him. He knows this is still a massive shock, but I can’t help but feel what I feel. “Dane, as much as I know about you and the guys, I’m still learning. You’ve known each other for years, and I’ve known you all for less than a week. Please don’t take everything to heart when I don’t know something. And besides,” I grin, “I think it’s kind of hot.”
His eyes widen at my words and a snicker pulls from my lips. And that’s what you get for springing it onto me. Spinning around, I turn to the group, my eyes roaming over each of them. I wonder who…
Paxton’s eyes meet mine, and I can feel Dane’s amusement through our connection. “You do know you can’t judge a book by its cover, right?”
I smirk as I glance over my shoulder. “Maybe. But now I’m going to keep a close eye on all of you until I discover who your dirty little secret is.”
A loud shriek breaks us apart, and we both turn to look at our table where Sabrina is verbally abusing Declan. Her fingers jabs in my direction, then back to him, and I can only imagine what she’s saying.
A soft tug on my hand precedes a warmth descending over my right shoulder. “What do you say we get out of here?” Dane whispers. His breath brushes over my skin, making me shiver.
But he’s right. Everyone’s focus is on Sabrina and the show she’s putting on. I turn to face Dane and grin.
He pulls me away by my hand and we quickly make it to the tree line. I hold his hand more tightly as we pass under the fairy lights and the darkness sinks in around me. A lump forms in my throat.
It’s not the Forest. Everything is fine.
I repeat that to myself over and over again, but flashes of the trial seep into my thoughts, hazy from the amount of alcohol I’d consumed. But even though the images are clouded, the terror and pain I’d felt floods my system, reminding me of what it was like that night.
Distantly, I can see the warm glow of street lamps poking through the trees, so I focus on them until a tug on my arm brings me to a stop in a beam of moonlight filtering through the canopy above. I try to conceal my panic as I turn to see Dane has stopped walking. His eyes are filled with worry as he glances between the surrounding shadows and me.
“Why are you so scared? You don’t usually react like that when we’re walking to class…” he trails off, scanning the forest, then moving his attention back to me. “Serena, what happened to you?” he asks, and I close my eyes and turn away, wishing to un-hear the kindness in his voice. Why do they have to be so nice?
Guilt chokes me—or it might be