Page 51 of Tethered Fates

“Yeah, mate,” Kai stutters out. “Yeah, you can fix my braids.”

After a long hug, Teagan is the one who pulls away and glances over his shoulder at me before he’s dragged away by Kai.

“Looks like they’ll make up,” Golden chirps, grinning.

Ramy nods slowly, watching the brothers leave with a hint of longing. “Good, I’m glad.” I haven’t spent much, if any, time with our youngest. He smells like roses, but there’s something else lingering there, too. A sharp foliage I can’t yet describe.

I move over to Vidar and Lucero, trying to hide that my heart is walking away from me. But from the way they look at me, they both understand. It’s very annoying to be in love, apparently.

“Your detective friend snuck into the house,” Lucero drawls.

“I know,” I reply, forcing my feet to stay put.

“Are you staying?” Vidar asks, tattooed arms crossed.

“No. I need to go back to the hotel and clean up. Then start looking for Summer again. Where’s Bran and our little scentless mage?”

“Bran left, but I’m sure he’ll be back. We’ve given Elio a room,” Vidar explains.

“I don’t trust him.” I run my tongue across my teeth, then shove my hands into my pockets. I glance back down the hallway. “Do you?” I ask when I can drag my focus back to Vidar and Luc.

“Trust a blood mage?” Luc snorts. “Never. But better to keep him close for now.”

“Good,” I sigh.

Vidar claps me on the shoulder and squeezes. “We’ll figure this out.”

Golden comes over and slips into Luc’s awaiting arms. “Maybe if we can just talk to Summer, we could fix this…”

“I know she was your friend, beautiful, but she’s betrayed us,” Luc tells his mate, tucking Golden under his chin.

“She hurt Kai,” Vidar says, voice hard as stone.

“She hurt Teagan,” I add, without room for remorse.

“She hurt you, Golden,” Lucero adds softly, dangerously.

Golden’s shoulders drop. “I just wish things could be different.”

Ramy is suddenly beside me. “Once this is all over, things will get better,” he assures Golden. “We’ll be a proper family.”

Ramy is more than just a pretty thing Vidar made a vampire in a moment of weakness. There is an acute longing in him. I see it every time he stares at the mates, or Kai and Teagan. He craves family.

I bet he was disappointed when he was lumped with us.

“Did you know Teagan painted a tiny dick on your leg?” Golden snorts.

“I’m aware.”

A cartoon cock and balls shouldn’t make me feel like a piece of my soulmate remains by my side. It also shouldn’t make me swallow back the lump growing in my throat when I notice the small heart spurting out of the head and yet…

Relenting, I smile. How could I not?

Chapter Eighteen- Teagan

With my hands on Kai’s shoulders, he lets out an oofh as I push him into a chair positioned before the dresser, where I’ve balanced the large, circular mirror on top.

“That doesn’t look very secure…” Kai grumbles to my back while I stride into the bedroom’s ensuite to collect some of his hair supplies neatly piled on a shelf. I return with my arms full and dump everything onto the opposite armchair, slapping Kai away with a rat tail comb when he reaches to organise the items.