Chapter Ten
Making her way out of the infirmary, Evie pulled up the campus map to figure out her exact location on the large campus. The map showed the infirmary next door to the dining hall via a path through the center courtyard. Following the route plotted out, she headed in the right direction.
This time when Evie entered the grove, more students milled about. Spread out in small groups, they stood under the trees or lazed on one of the many benches sprinkled throughout the area. Everyone she saw was human; no Surmata students or faculty intermingled with the crowds. She was slowly learning to tell the subtle differences in how the two species moved.
Her rumbling stomach made itself known, reminding her she needed food. She hadn’t eaten substantially in the last two days, just the sandwich she had the night before. Decision made, she walked down the path marked with a gray and white sign.
When Evie entered the dining hall, she expected an elaborate setup, complete with multiple stations with different offerings. A room large enough to handle the needs of the entire campus. The reality was only slightly larger than the diner she used to visit next to the camp, with one main buffet line and a salad station. Surprising, since the building appeared grand from the outside.
As the main dining hall, it was rather lacking.
Evie dismissed her musings and stared at the handwritten menu that rested on a large whiteboard at the front of the cafe. Lost in thought as she pursued her options, she jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.
“Damn. Someone needs to cut out the sugar.” A voice filled with mirth reached her ears.
“Max!” Evie shrugged off his hand and turned around, reaching out on impulse to hug him. She tried to make it a quick hug, not used to prolonged contact, but Max had different ideas. When she pulled away, his arms wrapped around her waist.
With a chuckle, he picked her up and twirled her in place. “Miss me, sweetheart?”
“You know it.” Evie’s grin grew as he placed her back on the ground. Max kept his arms around her until a growl came from the figure who stood next to them.
Evie looked at Caleb in alarm. The snarl originated from him, directed solely at her. Evie froze in fright, not sure what set him off.
“Relax, baby. She’s a friend,” Max reminded his bond mate. “Not a threat.”
Max’s words and admonishing tone seemed to reach the angry man. Caleb smiled sheepishly, his dimples showing for the first time. “Sorry, Evie. It’s instinctual to growl out a warning at anyone who touches a mate. All Surmata retain this trait. It’s something to do with our predator side. We’re a possessive race; sometimes overly so.”
“Sometimes, my ass! Try all the time,” Max interrupted. Finally releasing her, Max stepped forward and gave Caleb a peck on the cheek. “Come on, Evie. You’re eating with us today. You and Caleb need to get acquainted so he can become comfortable with you. Then all that growling he does will be limited to the bedroom. His possessiveness is sexy as hell and makes me want to jump him. I don’t want the student body to be scandalized if I lose it and bend him over the nearest table.”
Evie’s face heated at Max’s words. Caleb, unfazed by his mate’s candor, offered Evie an apologetic shrug. She guessed that after being with Max for over a hundred years, the Surmata knew by now how blunt Max could be.
Without giving Evie a choice, Max pulled her along to the back right of the cafe. A door marked Private caught Evie’s attention. Forced to follow along, she didn’t stop when he opened the door and walked through like he had every right. Marching down a long hallway, she wondered where he led them. As they rounded a corner, the corridor ended at another door. Max opened it without preamble and dragged her along as he stepped over the threshold.
This whole time, Caleb followed them silently. A man of few words.
Surprised when the door spat them out into another café, Evie stared around. This one, easily three times the size of the other, was filled with mostly Surmata patrons. This must be why Evie hadn’t spotted any Surmata on the other side. They had their own dining hall.
Evie tugged her hand out of Max’s grasp as nervousness hit her. “Sh-should I even be here?” Evie asked anxiously, afraid she overstepped the rules. She didn’t want to cause more trouble.
“Relax, sweetie. You’re welcome on the Surmata side. Most humans are restricted to the first half of campus, but not you. Didn’t you realize your next two classes are on this side of campus? The rest of your human counterparts only received a map detailing the areas they’re allowed in. The Surmata side is grayed out and the words, No human admittance, are printed on it.”
“Why?” Evie shook her head. “I mean, why am I different?”
Max stared down at Evie in exasperation. Grumbling something under his breath, he grabbed her by both shoulders and shook her, not hard, but enough to grab her attention. “You found out less than a day ago I’m half demon. Yet here you stand before me. No fear. Why?”
“I don’t know. Because you’re my friend?”
“Wrong, sweetheart. You always knew there was something different about me, knew I wasn’t human.” Evie opened her mouth to deny his accusation, but he held up a hand to forestall her. “You knew, but you would never admit it. Not even to yourself. You are sensitive to magic. You see through the veil of denial most humans suffer from. That’s the main reason you never believed in your father’s cause. You knew the supernatural existed. You witnessed it. In fact, you’ve seen me in my true form. You just don’t remember it.”
“Max. I think if I’d seen you transform into a demon I would remember it,” Evie scoffed, knowing for certain he must be mistaken.
“I’m telling the truth. It was right after I came to live at the camp. You couldn’t sleep one night and decided to take a walk in the forest with nothing more than a flashlight and an old denim jacket.” He paused to search her eyes. “Do you remember the small pond in the forest you liked to visit?”
Evie nodded her head.
“Well that night, you headed to the pond, but I was already there. I was having a few issues, issues I won’t go into, and I switched forms. You came upon me and shocked the shit out of me. You never once screamed. You stood there staring at me while I transformed back into my human shape.”
Evie searched her mind, but couldn’t recall any of the events Max described. He had to be wrong. She spoke gently, “Max, I think you might be confused. I have no memories of anything like that.”
Eyes sorrowful, Max gripped Evie’s face lightly within his hands. “Something happened, and I had to take your memories away. That’s why you don’t remember. But Evie, I promise you, you asked me to take the memories.”
“What? You...” Evie sputtered, jerking her head away, her heart racing with hurt and fear.
“It’s one of my abilities, sweetheart. Trust me, the decision was not made lightly, but it was done with your full consent. Otherwise, I would never have messed with your mind.”
“What happened? What was so bad you were forced to take my memories?”
“You were attacked by a demon. His influence was driving you insane. I can’t give you any more details, sweetie, but know it was necessary at the time.” He pulled on the chain around his neck, exposing a small medallion. Round in shape, no larger than a quarter, it was made from some type of colored stone. “I placed your memories within this stone. It has never left my neck since.”
Evie stared at the necklace, apprehensive.
He lifted it off over his head and stared down at it for a moment. “I’m only half demon, though, and when I placed the spell on the stone, your memory intermixed with the only other one I held. I can’t give back your memories without giving back the other. And the person it belongs to is not ready for the truth.”
At Max’s pronouncement, Max and Caleb exchanged a mournful glance, their eyes haunted by the past.
Something Evie wasn’t privy to. “It’s okay, Max. I trust you.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. Now, let’s go get some grub. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”
~
“When a Surmata is hit by a strong emotion, usually rage or lust, his pupils bleed black. Since you’re human, if you see this, you need to run. Because if you don’t, either way, you’re dead. If there is a hint of color, you should be safe as long as you retreat. But if they are completely black, you better start praying that whatever set them off isn’t directed at you. Once those bad boys are black, their full predator instincts are on alert and their conscious mind is pushed back. They are running on pure instinct. They stalk their prey, corner it, and then go in for the kill. All without emotion.
“Now if it’s lust, the same thing happens, but it’s full of emotion. One emotion only. The urge to fuck. Most Surmata males can maintain a semblance of control in this scenario, except when it comes to a mated pair. If you ever see Caleb like this with me, walk away and leave us alone. He would never hurt me. But if you stayed, you would be getting a sex education class that I’m not sure you’re ready for. Capisce?”
Evie forced her mouth shut. In line, while waiting for their food, Max said he would share some of his expert knowledge with Evie, but she never expected this. She thought it would be more textbook worthy stuff, dull, mundane things.
Scrambling for something to say, she mentally grasped onto the safest topic he mentioned like a lifeline. “You keep mentioning mates. What is that exactly?”
“What do you know of Surmata males?”
“Not much yet. Just a few things we covered in class today.”
“Okay. Well, all male members are born with a Merkki. It’s a tattoo of sorts that starts somewhere on their body, usually their shoulder blade. As they age and grow, the Merkki grows as well, creating a unique and intricate design on their bodies. The closest thing I can think of to describe it is the tribal tattoos that some humans like to have placed upon their bodies. But unlike those tattoos, these markings mean something. When the Surmata male reaches maturity, he starts his journey into manhood by finding his Kaveri.
“A Kaveri is a brotherhood. Your family, not by blood, but by destiny. Each member of a Kaveri bares the same exact Merkki. When they meet, they recognize each other on a cellular level, and the Merkki starts to change, adding more details. The more members of your Kaveri, the more intricate your Merkki.
“The lines of a Merkki are made up of smaller vines. The number of vines represents the number of Kaveri members. As each member meets, those lines combine into one, thickening the markings and bonding the males together. When the Merkki drawings fill into one solid color, the Kaveri is complete. The males become a bonded unit. This bond is strong, unbreakable. It’s said not even in death can it be broken.
“Up until the Kaveri is complete, each member carries their father’s surname, but once the Merkki is solid and the bond is closed, the members take the same surname of their Soma.”
Evie was fascinated. “So they marry each other?”
“No, sweetheart. There is usually nothing sexual about a Kaveri. Most view each other as brothers. They would die for each other. Caleb and I are different. Our Kaveri bond and our soul mate bond intertwine. It’s not common, but it does happen.
“Now, onto mates. As you know, a Surmata male is born with a soul mate, usually only one. We refer to them as Toinen Puoli. Someone meant for them, their other half. When a male meets his mate and they bond, a similar Merkki starts to form on their mate’s body, a smaller version with only the vine of their mate present. When a Surmata male meets and bonds with his mate, his powers are amplified. They become stronger, faster, and are possessive as fuck. Their soul mate’s power increases as well, but it’s the possessiveness of a mate you need to watch out for. They are crazy as fuck when they think someone is moving in on what is theirs. Don’t ever get on the bad side of someone’s mate. Now, each member of a Kaveri can have a soul mate. That is, unless they are Sidottu.”
“Sidottu?”
“It means blessed by the goddess. All members of the Kaveri share the same soul mate. And instead of a single power boost, that number is multiplied by the amount of members within the group. So, if a Kaveri is three members, each member receives three times the boost in power. Being Sidottu isn’t common. In fact, I can only name a few Kaveri throughout history that received such a blessing. Caleb and I are one of those few. Even though our Kaveri bond is sexual and not the norm, we are Sidottu as well.”
“What do you mean by share a mate?”
“Exactly what it sounds like, sweetheart. She or he would be bonded to the entire unit and would take on the full Merkki. The bond mate would grow in power as well, like the brothers. Kaveri are always male. Females can be warriors, but they do not form units. Instead, if they bond with a male, they join their mate’s Kaveri.”
“A mate can never be human, right? But it can be someone from another supernatural species?”
“Correct, for the most part,” Caleb jumped in at this point, taking over the lecture. “Usually, a Toinen Puoli is Surmata or another supernatural. But as you know, magic is flexible. Sometimes tendrils of magic reach out to the human population, changing the very destiny of an unborn child on a whim. That tendril of magic breaks apart, leaving a small spark encased within the human, changing them at the cellular level.”
He stopped for a moment to allow Evie to absorb this news.
When she nodded her understanding, he continued. “The soul of this child then becomes bondable to our kind. Once a bond is fully formed, the person will transition from a human to Surmata. Once they have completed their transition, they will be stronger than any female Surmata and, in fact, can easily rival our males.”
Max expanded on Caleb’s story. “These human mates are even rarer than a Sidottu Kaveri. I’ve only heard of them in legend. A human born to be a Surmata mate is so unlikely that most Surmatas have forgotten the existence of the possibility, thinking it’s just a fairy tale to share with the young.”
Awe filled Evie at this unexpected revelation. Details like this would never be shared in her class. She couldn’t wait to learn more about the Surmata’s culture.