Page 50 of Tethered Fates

“Ronin,” he corrects, eyes dancing.

“—turned vampire. Who makes deals in the dead of night and steals from interesting people.”

“Who collects fucking stamps.” Teagan drops his head on my shoulder, his body vibrating with quiet laughter.

“And you…” I card my fingers through Teagan’s luscious hair, then carefully direct his face back up to mine. “Are being very naughty.”

Through the holes in the ceiling, Teagan’s black eyes capture and reflect the thin beams of moonlight, and as each one sparkles like a million scattered stars, the entirety of him becomes my universe.

“Sen…” he whispers.

“Teagan,” I reply, knowing he hears all my desire in the words I’ve left unsaid.

Slowly, Teagan reaches for my chin and runs a feather-light touch under the curve of my bottom lip.

“I want to see your fangs.” In some ways, his gentle, curious exploration is like Teagan asking me to bare my beating heart.

So, of course, I open my mouth and elongate my canines into sharp points. There’s no fear, just his ever-inquisitive gaze and the slow heating of a scent that makes my mouth water. But as slow as that scent rose, it’s washed away when he lies his hand on my chest, stopping me from closing the distance, his gaze shooting away.

“Teagan.” I don’t care that he doesn’t want something physical; I care that he’s hiding from me. “What happened?”

“I…I can’t…” He bites his lip, then shoots up, taking his warmth with him. “Kai’s gotta be losing his mind. We should go back to the mansion so I can talk to him. Probably get some actual sleep, too.”

After a beat, I stand and watch as he moves towards his painting like it’ll offer him comfort when mine suddenly became—what? Too much? Too intense? Here I thought I was reading him so well.

I decide not to push. While we’re still getting to know each other, I understand him enough that he’ll soon tell me. Or show me with paint. “Let’s head off then.”

Teagan might be quiet, but he’s also the most expressive person I’ve ever met, though those expressions might seem small to the average person.

I, however, am not the average person. So when he rolls his head to the side to stare at me, I notice the shock in the twitch of his eyebrow. The way his jaw stops clenching and the point of his lip edging just so into his cheek.

My soulmate expected me to push. He’s happy I didn’t.

If only that were all. I also pick up on the single wrinkle between his brow. And there, within the corner of his eye, is something that hurts. Something that makes him feel small again.

Teagan has the ability to crumble my patience, and I have to swallow back each demand he gives up the names of those who hurt him. To push Teagan would mean losing him.

We leave Teagan’s studio, crawl through the disgusting hole to get out of the abandoned shopping centre, and soon we’re back in the comfort of my car. As we drive through the night, Teagan inspects each pocket like it’s his first time inside. Like he doesn’t care what he finds, he just wants to find something. When he discovers my ABBA CD, he flashes a grin before he slots the shiny disc into my stereo. As we drive through surprisingly empty streets, Teagan bobs his head.

***

We get back to the mansion slower than normal, and I have no problem admitting it’s because I was mesmerised by the way Teagan bobbed and swayed to ABBA’s greatest hits.

But when we arrive, he hops out of my car and heads straight to the mansion with me on his heels. Teagan wants to talk to Kai, and it seems once Teagan’s made up his mind, he’s full steam ahead.

My brave boy is no wilting wallflower.

We soon find Kai in the kitchen, huddled on the cushioned bench with Golden on one side and Ramy on the other, Vidar and Lucero watching over them from the island.

“Teagan.” Kai shoots up and rushes to his brother, his hands flexing. “I was so bloody worried! You can’t just sneak out of the house while a mage is after you! You have to be more careful, even with Sen. Anything could’ve happened. What if you’d gotten hurt, or kidnapped, or Summer—”

“Your braids are a mess, big bro,” Teagan cuts in on Kai’s rambling with his soft rasp.

Kai’s mouth hangs open before he shakes himself back online. “W-what?”

Teagan nods, shifts his feet. Lifts one shoulder as if to shrug. “Your braids need retwisting. Lemme fix that for you.”

Kai opens his mouth, closes it. Opens again. Then throws his arms around Teagan, eyes full of tears, then whimpers when Teagan hugs him back, like Kai thought he’d never have this again.