Page 14 of Tethered Fates

Finally, the corner of his lip quirks up, and my heart sings for this victory. His smile, a little thing, sweet for all his bluntness, yet transforms his face from stunning to something I’d crawl on hands and knees to claim.

“Kai told me to stay away from you.”

He said the same to me, and my resolve lasted all of nine hours. “Did he tell you why?”

“You’re busy.” Kai’s little brother has a quiet way of speaking that causes me to draw closer.

“I am,” I tell him, wishing I could touch the soft curve of his cheek.

He goes silent again, waiting for something.

I should make an excuse and leave; this was a mistake. But my feet are planted. I always knew soulmates craved each other's company, but I couldn’t even guess how true that was. If I had it my way, I’d grab him, throw him over my shoulder and vanish somewhere remote. Then take my time learning every inch of his body and mind.

What would he sound like when my quiet boy gets loud? My cock twitches at the very thought.

“Wanna see something cool?” he asks out of nowhere.

I’m surprised by this change of subject, and yet a “Yes” tumbles past my lips without my control.

He makes a small noise that could be a scoff or a laugh or something that’s entirely him, and in this moment, I vow to learn every sound he ever makes.

“C’mon, Sen.” He turns on his heel and walks down the road he was going. Backpack bouncing with each step.

I follow as if he has a lead around my neck, my long legs able to catch up and walk by his side. “You’ve one-upped me; I don’t know your name.” I try to sound casual, but I’m so desperate I’m about to start begging.

Finding Kai’s little brother had been easy enough when I looked at Kai’s social media posts, full of images of tattoos, and his arm thrown around friends and family. Teagan’s accounts were surprisingly sparse, and he only followed Kai and another private account.

Yet Kai had enough posts of his little brother that I could easily locate his frequently visited places.

“Teagan.”

“Teagan…” The name shouldn’t shake the ground, and yet I have to work to keep myself upright. “And where, Teagan, are we going?”

He spins around to walk backwards, looking directly at me. Bigger and badder people have shied away from me, but I’m starting to learn that my Teagan is anything but shy, and what a thrill that is. “You’ll find out.”

Teagan’s about to step onto a cracked hole in the pavement. I reach out to stop him, but he’s quick on his feet and spins around, hopping over the crack easily.

“You should be more careful,” I warn, and probably for the first time in my whole life.

But from the glint in Teagan’s eyes, I can tell the last thing he wants to be is careful.

And, oh, what a thrill that is.

Chapter Six - Sen

In my long life, I’ve experienced wonders few can claim, even among immortals. I’ve lived through encounters I still don’t know how I survived.

So when Teagan leads me through a chain-link fence, muttering that it’s lunchtime so no one will notice us, I don’t expect him to stop in front of a defunct transmission tower. He blinks up at me, his absurdly long lashes fanning across his cheeks, as he waits for me to be amazed by the hunk of junk piercing the sky.

My gaze flicks between the tower and Teagan.

“Cool, right?” he says, beaming in his quiet way.

How to tell the potential love of your life that a random transmission tower isn’t the highlight of your day? But I get to be close to Teagan, so I lie through my teeth. “Astounding.”

He makes that noise again, something between a laugh and a snort, and I can tell he knows I’m lying.

“C’mon.” Without another word, Teagan does something I definitely don’t expect, which sends a jolt of panic through me when he grips the tower’s rusty ladder and begins to climb.