Page 12 of Tethered Fates

I might be a nine-hundred-year-old gay vampire, but I’m never one to pass up the chance to flirt.

I lean back in the padded chair, crossing my long legs and bringing the small cup close to my lips. “What are you offering?” I ask, low and sensual.

I inhale the bitter, nutty scent of coffee, my usual morning delight, even though I hardly sleep. I glance down at my drink and go still as I stare into its dark depths, swirling with just the hint of hazel foam.

He had eyes like this, deep and complex, dark as freshly poured coffee. Wide, curious. Hopeful.

My taste for coffee sours. I want his scent of warm sand and sweet tea. The sound of his small, raspy voice: ‘Sen, right?’

I can understand Summer wanting to avenge her family, whom the demon king killed. And as a vampire, I can appreciate her thirst for his blood. But now she’s in my way, and while I might not have planned for a soulmate, he’s mine now. Her death is guaranteed for that reason alone.

“Sorry, honey,” I say, my mood changing on a dime. “That’ll be all. Thank you.”

“O-of course!” Without a single look, she scurries away, probably glad to be rid of her confusing customer.

Sighing, I grab hold of the armrest. My nails dig into the thick fabric until my fingers poke through to the soft stuffing inside. Unlike most vampires who give up human drink and food, I enjoy each wonderful sip and bite. What’s the point of immortality if not to place my fangs against life’s throat and sink in?

‘Sen, right?’

My grip tightens.

Nothing compares to him, I know it to my marrow. Since running away from him with my tail between my legs, food has become ash on my tongue, and even the amber whiskey I tried to drown myself in last night was tasteless.

I came to the city expecting an easy job—find the First Blood Mage Tome and hand it to my anonymous benefactor for an inordinate fee. Then maybe visit my dysfunctional family before accepting another one of my many job offers, where I get to travel the world, seduce pretty boys, and get paid handsomely for my time.

Perfect luxury.

A soulmate upends my life. A person who, if my Maker is correct, is Fate repaying her debt. Fate is many things, but she cannot experience life, only watch it play out. So when I surrendered my humanity, I gave Fate a longer show to watch before the eventual heat death of the universe robs her of all entertainment. And this is her ‘thank you’.

I should be furious to be driven in a direction I have no control over. Furious that there is a pull towards him that demands to be acknowledged, and now all my priorities have changed for a pretty thing I don’t even know. Sure, he’s gorgeous—the most stunning creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. But what if he’s boring? What if he hates to travel? He could be a terrible lover.

Or worse—a virgin.

And yet…

‘Sen, right?’

Never. He’s as easy to accept as the air filling my lungs.

Slowly, I retract my fingers from the chair’s stuffing. I need to concentrate. I can’t keep thinking about my soulmate.

I just wish I knew his name at the very least.

Inhaling a controlled breath, I turn back to my laptop and look for anything that will help me hunt down Summer.

It takes another hour and a cup of sweet tea, but eventually, a little article with hardly any interaction catches my eye; an old woman who died alone in her flat. Her address isn’t stated, but her body was intact, and yet there wasn’t even a drop of blood left in her veins. It’s a long shot, but a start nonetheless. I’m known for finding anything, no matter how small, and the sooner I deal with this, the sooner I can learn his name.

So as I continue my search and thrust my soulmate from my mind, a plan begins to form…

***

Some time later, when the grey clouds have parted for a clear blue sky, and the air is crisp, I lean against a brick wall in a shadowy alleyway. A scattering of people wearing tool belts and hi-vis vests flow in and out of the many supply stores dotted across this industrial shopping district.

In my pocket, my phone vibrates, and without once taking my eyes off the shop front where my target just slipped through, I slide my phone out and press it to my ear.

“Sen speaking.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kai rushes out.