The school day was dragging, and I wasn't even trying to pay attention. It was the last week, and my grades were set. Thankfully, I'd stayed caught up on my work and had nothing to do but daydream.

Yesterday's practice was the most nerve-wracking, but also the best. Having our boyfriends there was a whole new experience.

They'd seen us fight before, but it was different when it was just practice, and they were staring at us. Between rounds, Jo talked with Ash and got a drink of water. Tate used that time to critique my style and give advice. It was useful.

He noticed I was telegraphing my punches. "You tense here when you're throwing with your left," he squeezed my shoulder and spoke with his lips brushing my ear, making my back tingle. "You hesitate when you're aiming for her face. I get it, but you're both wearing padding, and she's fast. Keep your eyes on her neck; don't look where you're aiming."

I chuckled, trying to break the tension his closeness was creating in me. "It's a wonder I ever hit anything with all those mistakes."

"No, you're impressive. But fixing those things will make a better practice for both of you."

"One more round?" Jo asked from across the room.

"Yeah, sounds good," I agreed. I was ready to be done and spend some time alone with Tate.

I tried to remember all the things I needed to work on during the last bout, but my mind kept wandering to Tate. When it was over, Jo called the shower first and ran upstairs with Ash following to watch tv and wait.

Tate suggested a few minutes of practice with him. That turned into Jo coming back to find me pressed against the wall with Tate's mouth doing amazing things to my neck and our hands exploring.

She let out a squeak as the door slammed between us and she yelled, "Shower's free. We're leaving." Her laugh got quieter as she walked away.

Tate straightened up with a grin, "Oops."

"We should've locked the door," I chuckled.

Tate ran his thumb lightly over my smile, "Beautiful." His mouth lowered to mine, and we kissed until we were out of breath. Pulling back, he spoke against my lips, "You want to shower, and the bathroom has a lock."

The implication set off an explosion in my stomach. My mind couldn't seem to form a thought except, holy shit, this is happening.

He took my stupefied glee as a no and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have suggested...it's too soon."

I opened my mouth to tell him he'd misunderstood, but he stopped me with a quick peck on the lips. "Let me say this."

I nodded as he looked away and chewed his bottom lip. Was he nervous?

He took a deep breath and met my eyes. "I've never been in what you would call a relationship. I'm not inexperienced, but these emotions are new for me." He sighed, "What I'm trying to say is, you're different."

His hands slid from my shoulders to the back of my neck as he rested his forehead against mine. "Mark, my favorite, you're it for me. I love you. I want you to take all the time you need to-"

It was my turn to quiet him with a kiss. "I love you too."

The radiance of his smile warmed me from the inside as his fingers ran down my back, causing shivers. Feeling bold, I whispered, "I'm going to shower. Come with me?"

His gaze darkened as he nodded. In the bathroom, he leaned against the door as he locked it, never taking his eyes from mine. His arms went around me as my fingers inched toward the button on his jeans. My heart was racing, but nothing had ever felt so right.

The high-pitched ringing of the bell snapped me from my thoughts, making me jump in my seat. I looked around as everyone gathered their things and walked out of the room. Yesterday with Tate, was one of the best days of my life, but thinking about it in public might get embarrassing.

Jolie stopped beside me, "You ready?"

"Yeah." I stood up and slid my book off the desk to hold in front of me as I grabbed my bag.

"Have you seen Richard today?" Jolie asked as we walked down the hall.

My mouth turned down in reflex at the sound of his name, "No. Why?"

"I've seen him twice, and both times, it seemed like he was deliberately moving away from me. Don't get me wrong; I'm cool with that. It was just weird."

"That is weird. Good though. Maybe he'll stay away from me too. Have you heard from Clara?"

Jolie chuckled, "She texted. Apparently, her new guy had plans for them today. There were lots of emojis with hearts."

"She's skipping school to hang out with a guy? That's not like her."

Shrugging, she said, "She's done with everything, it'll only affect her attendance, and I don't think she cares."

"I hope he's better than the last few. At least he seems to be keeping her mind off going through the mist. Maybe she'll forget about it."

"I doubt she'll forget, but it could keep her distracted long enough for us to come up with another excuse. She reminded me about her party too."

I rolled my eyes, "Like we were going to forget. Seriously, what are her parents thinking going out of town the day after graduation? It's like they want her to throw a rager."

"It's definitely going to get out of hand," she giggled as we stepped outside and started toward the car.

Ash was already standing next to it, waiting and Jo skipped ahead to see him. My phone alerted me to a text, and I was excited to see Bea switched up my hours. She and Hedera were closing for me today, and I had the afternoon off to surprise Tate.

I grinned and slid the phone back in my pocket as someone tapped my arm from behind. I turned and was surprised to see Toby standing there looking sheepish. I glanced around, looking for any of his buddies, but he was alone.

He stood there squeezing the straps of his bookbag so tightly, his knuckles were white. He didn't seem capable of looking me in the eye, and I had better things to do. "What do you want, Toby?"

Somehow, his face paled, and his cheeks reddened simultaneously. "I just want to say I'm sorry."

That wasn't what I was expecting, and I looked around again. Jo and Ash stood beside the car, watching us, but no one else was paying any attention.

I felt one eyebrow raise in disbelief and thought about walking away. "You're sorry?"

Finally, he met my eyes, "Yes, I am. I had no reason to treat you the way I did. I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know I regret it, and it won't happen again."

He seemed to mean it, but that didn't mean we were going to be friends. Still, it was a nice gesture. I shrugged, "OK. Thanks for saying something, I guess."

He nodded and walked away.

Ash had already told Jo what we said, and she scoffed toward Toby's retreating form as I got closer to her. "I don't buy it. Why would he suddenly decide to stop being an ass?"

"I don't know, but he seemed to mean it." I looked to Ash for confirmation, and he nodded.

"He was sincere. He feels regret."

Jo still looked angry on my behalf. "I don't care if he suddenly grew a conscience. I don't like him."

"We don't have to like him, but he didn't have to say anything. I guess I appreciate that." I decided to change the subject. "Bea gave me the afternoon off. I'm going to see what Tate's up to. Are you guys headed over there, or can you drop me off?"

"Sure!" Jolie smiled, "We're going to walk the dogs, but we can drop you off first."

Ash looked uncomfortable, and Jo's smile fell, "What's wrong?"

His mouth opened and closed as though he wasn't sure what to say. I waited in confusion as Jo seemed to be getting annoyed.

Her arms crossed, and her mouth pinched to the side, "I hope you're not trying to come up with some half-truth to tell us."

Worry spiked in me, "What's going on, Ash?"

After a long sigh, he said, "Tate didn't want you to worry, but he went to see if he could talk to Citrine. He wants to find out what's going on at court and with the Queen."

"He should have waited for us! What if something happens to him?" I was trying not to freak out, but it wasn't going well.

"I'm sure it will go just as smoothly as last time," Ash's eyes widened when he realized his mistake.

"Last time?" Jo threw her hands up, "How many times has he gone?"

"Twice. He should be back in a couple of hours. I know he planned to see you when you got off work," he smiled at me as though that fixed things.

"Great, then I only have a couple of hours to worry. Can you still drop me off?"

"Of course, I'll wait with you if you want," Jo hugged my arm, knowing I was anxious.

"That's OK, you guys have dogs to walk, and I'll be fine."

After I promised to text when Tate got home safely, Jo and Ash drove away. That was over an hour ago. Sitting on the couch in the basement, I stared at the bookcase waiting for the secret door to open, oscillating between worry and anger.

Finally, the door creaked open. Tate paused when he saw me. My heart seemed to stall as I looked him over. Finding no injury, my pulse returned to a normal beat. He smiled but then remembered the situation.

Stepping into the room, he shut the door and gave me a guilty grin, "I'm fine; everything's alright." When I didn't reply, he went on. "I saw Citrine. She says Queen Crystal is always with her guard and rarely leaves her rooms. She keeps the Seer with her at all times. She's scared," he smirked.

As he spoke, I studied his wings and scars, the true him he keeps hidden, the face I love. I knew I couldn't be mad at him. He didn't know that, though.

After sending a quick text to Jo, I crossed my arms, scooted back from the edge of my seat, and relaxed on the couch. "That's good. She deserves to be scared. But you went through the mist alone. You could have been hurt, or captured, or killed, and I didn't even know you were gone."

"That didn't happen-"

"But it could have." I felt my eyes fill with tears and looked down at my arms. I was angry, not upset, I reminded myself. He was fine. There was no more reason to worry.

He crossed the room and knelt in front of me. Resting his hands on my knees, he said, "I wouldn't have gone if I thought something bad was going to happen."

"You never think anything bad can happen to you, but you're not invincible. I don't want to lose you, Tate. Now every time you're not in front of me, I'll have to worry about where you are because you lied." I looked up and a stupid, betraying tear fell.

"No, my favorite, please don't be upset," he wiped the wetness from my cheek. "I shouldn't have tailored the truth. You can trust me, and I'll never do anything to make you question that again, I promise."

I stared into his bright blue eyes and ran my thumb over his cheekbone as my fingers weaved into his hair. "I was so worried."

"I'm sorry," he leaned against me, and his wings flared behind him. "I love you, Mark."

"I love you too."

His hand slid under my shirt as his mouth reached mine and nothing besides us existed for the rest of the evening.

Thank you for your reads comments and votes!! 💜
I wrote most of this chapter today, hopefully it's not in terrible shape. 😬