The Avalon Institute For Supernatural Beings (AISB)

Chapter 20: The Confession

“Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said.

"Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

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Nathan and I looked at each other with words that neither of us could say to one another. Actually I could say it, he probably wouldn’t be there to listen. His eyes slipped down to my hands, and started to glow when he noticed that the ring he gave me wasn’t there. I met his stare with a blank one of my own. Clearly he had yet to receive the letter I’d given Grey. He had no bloody right to be upset. I’m the Queen of those rights.

“Nathan.”

My eyes snapped up to meet his mother’s, whose voice was like glass, cutting into Nathan’s gaze-competition with me.

Holy shit.

I’d been so involved in wanting to kick Nathan, I hadn’t noticed something so crucial that it redefines everything I know about Nathan.

Or I guess, not know about him.

His mother did not have a tiger Marker.

I took in a sharp breath. My gaze collided with Nathan’s and I knew that he knew I’d realized about his mother.

“Who is this, Nathan?” his mother asked, annoyance a whip in her tone.

“No one of consequence.” Ruby said, stalking over to my mate and wrapping herself around him and dragging him away.

Nathan looked back at me, worried.

“I’ll join you,” he told Ruby and his mother, who’d  already engaged in a conversation some other council member. I watched in awe as Nathan started to head towards me with the swagger of a tiger with enough confidence to ruin me.

Hell, if I’ll make this easy for him.

“Catch me, if you can cat.” I hissed at him.

He stopped advancing towards me, his head tilting forwards, so that I could see a dark emotion coming over his face. He didn’t like that I was running.

Deal with it.

And I ran. With my heels in my hands, my hair whipping against my face and anger ripping its way out as I expelled everything in me to get away from him. Make him watch me leave and choose another path, like he’d chosen another.

He was faster than me, I knew, but I was spurred on by my buried emotions.

His mother wasn’t a tiger.

He hadn’t mentioned a word about this.

Suddenly a memory slipped free…that fateful night when Sara had murmured to me “He’s not just a Shifter.”

Yes. He wasn’t just a Shifter. He was half of what his mother was.

Whatever she was. A Marker I couldn’t recognize.

The ass.

I stopped, almost face planting against the small pond I’d been at earlier. I dumped my heels and sat down and trailed my fingers in the water.

Damn these heels. My feet were sore now. Damn  it. Damn him. And his secrets and lies and deceit and green eyes and his sexy hair and his damn self!