Page 49 of Tethered Fates

Teagan nods, remains quiet again. I don’t mind his silence. It gives me time to run my fingers through his curls, soak in the heat of him pressed against my legs, fill my lungs with his sweet tea and warm sand scent, and try to parcel out that other scent within him…Something I so desperately wish I could name that rests on the tip of my tongue.

“Did it hurt?” Teagan whispers, pushing his pillow-soft cheek into the heart of my palm.

I sit on the dirty floor, shifting to make a space for him between my thighs, and when he cuddles into my chest without being asked or pulled, slotting his head under my chin, our connection sings with nothing less than pure joy.

“Sen, Kai hates pain,” his voice wobbles. “I don’t want my big brother to hurt.”

Surrounded by the paint Teagan used—black, reds, blues, and so, so much pink—I embrace my soulmate with arms that’ll mean safety for him and a weapon for everyone else. “No, sweetheart. Kai was in pain before, and while turning is painful, it didn’t hurt him.”

Teagan closes his eyes and curls into me, a deep sigh leaving his chest. “I’ve been kind of a dick to him.”

I shrug, uncaring. “Maybe.”

The conversation isn’t over just because Teagan stops speaking. But while he does, I watch him run his fingers over the paint on his knuckles, then find a wet spot and draw a patchy bat on my black tailored trousers with X’s for eyes.

He’d probably get a kick out of knowing he just ruined something that cost well over two grand.

“Shouldn’t you want me to be good all the time since we’re soulmates?” he asks, drawing a frowny face. Dipping his finger into a small puddle of pink paint so he can continue to use me as a canvas.

“That’d be hypocritical since I’ve been plotting the deaths of anyone who’s hurt you.”

Teagan’s whole face cracks into the biggest smile, nose crinkling and flashing his gums. And here I thought my heart was already full to bursting. Turns out all it needed was to break to make more room.

“Tell me more about being a vampire.”

His finger mindlessly moves against my leg. He isn’t trying to be seductive, but it sends a tingle of pleasure down to my cock all the same.

“We’re fast and strong. We don’t need to sleep, eat or drink. But needing and wanting are two different things. What’s the point of immortality if not to enjoy all that life has to offer?” I wink when Teagan blinks up at me, and flash a hint of fang. He isn’t scared; if anything, there’s a warming spiciness to his scent before it vanishes. “We can compel, but it’s difficult and easier done on humans. Our blood also heals.”

“You did that to me, didn’t you? After Summer…”

I nod, not bothering to hide the anger in my voice. “I was lucky to get to you when I did. If I’d taken any longer, the damage might’ve been too great…”

“You can’t heal everything?”

“The older the vampire, the more potent the blood. But there is only so much that can be healed, and if a human hasn’t drunk enough of our blood before dying, then no vampire can bring back the dead,” I explain. “Though there are rumours about Bran.” I shake my head. “Ridiculous rumours about that man.”

“I got the sense he’s a big deal.”

“No. Or… maybe. Vampires have families, but no formal hierarchy. He’s just old, Teagan. Maybe too old,” I tell him. “And dangerous. Never forget that.”

Teagan nods. “I promise.”

I bury my nose in his hair, breathe my soulmate in and fight back the urge to pull him onto my lap.

“Tell me more about vampires,” Teagan asks softly.

“We pick up languages, customs and cultures quickly, but it can result in us losing ourselves. So we collect things as a reminder. Lucero has DVDs, Vidar has ice skating magazines—”

“Yours?”

“Stamps.”

Teagan whips around and grabs my shoulders. Instinctively, I take hold of his waist.

“Stamps?” he repeats, thrumming with excitement. “Oh my god, you’re such a nerd!”

My lips twitch, and I pull him close so our chests press together. His nose is mere centimetres away. “I’ll have you know I’m a sexy, mysterious samurai—”