Page 19 of Tangled Fates

“Who was leaving?”

My head pounded harder from squinting to get a glimpse of this woman who had a voice that made my body react in such a visceral way. This had to be the woman my twin talked about because it seemed like I was having the same reaction he had, except I hadn’t even seen this woman. If this was her voice, I could only imagine what she looked like.

When she didn’t respond I said, “Look I don’t know who you are talking about, but I’m?—”

“Don’t lie to me,” she said, her voice wavering ever so slightly. “Tell me how many are coming.”

“I’m alone and no one is coming,” I said truthfully.

“I don’t believe you,” she said, annoyed. “Look, either you tell me how many are coming or I’ll just kill you and wait for them, but it would help me out if you just told me the truth.”

“I don’t believe you’ll kill me,” I said immediately.

She laughed. “Just cause I’m a woman doesn’t mean I won’t chop your head off.”

Her voice was too innocent to sound threatening, but I admired her tenacity. I wanted to see her fire.

“Well, if I was able to see you, I think I would be able to make a better decision,” I said, aching to see her.

I was met with silence, until I could barely hear her whisper. There was someone else with her or maybe more than one person. Shit. If there were a group of people, we stood no chance, it wasn’t just a quick in and out job like Soren had assumed. I needed to get away so we could come up with a plan and get the hell out before they did something stupid or worse, Soren and Ryder came in, guns blazing.

Fuck, Soren was going to be so worried if he wasn’t already.

Please, don’t do anything stupid.

More whispering continued before silence resumed. It seemed like I needed to keep my cards closer; I wouldn’t speak until someone entered the room. Who were these people? Were they protecting their Oria stash or did they actually make it here?

All these questions surfaced as the morning light came through the window behind me. The sun gave the room a beautiful glow, but my eyes were trained on the wall in front of me. It seemed like I was in a room in a hallway. I spent the entire day watching and waiting, feeling the effects of the potion slowly wearing off.

Someone was moving around the house, cooking and doing various things without coming close to the room I was in. I was getting tired of waiting, my impatience making me angry until I noticed a piece of blonde hair and the side of a woman’s face. It quickly disappeared when she noticed me looking at her.

“I don’t bite,” I said, trying to go for a more laid-back approach.

“Says the vampire,” she said quickly.

I chuckled. “I always ask permission first.”

She peeked around the door again. Her hair was so blonde it gave her a beautiful glow. I could see her eyes looking at me curiously and then that fucking cat came in the room again. He walked up to me, hissing before making a lap around me.

“Loki,” she chastised.

He immediately walked to her, she bent down to pick him up, looking over at me. My breath caught when I finally saw all of her face. She definitely was the woman Soren had described. Her eyes looked to be hazel, but vibrant enough that they stood out against her fair skin and her golden hair. She was sumptuous, regal and everything I was not. I swallowed roughly, feeling like I was suspended in time, just admiring her, basking in her presence.

Her cheeks reddened before she walked away. My chest ached for her to come back, so I could be near her again, ask her questions and I could smell sunshine one more time. My mind raced with ways to get her back into the room when she walked right in with a glass of water and a plate with cheese and bread.

“I assume you only drink blood, but I didn’t know if you also needed sustenance,” she said, bringing the food to me.

She looked unsure with a hint of fear.

“I can eat, but it does nothing for my hunger,” I said looking up at her studying the curve of her neck as her scent made my mouth water.

She wore leggings with an oversized sweater that hung off one shoulder, teasing me with her slender neck that made me want to sink my teeth into her.

“Oh, so no food or water then?” She held the plate close to me.

“No food or water,” I said, wondering if she would offer herself as my meal, making my mouth water even more.

The need to taste her increased. Worry made me nervous when I realized if I was here long enough my thirst would take over and I would do something I would regret.

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