Page 24 of Tangled Fates

“If he’s not—” Soren’s voice cracked. “I might go in guns blazing and I’m sorry, I’ll die getting revenge for him.”

“I know, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I nodded. “Let's go get Gray. We have a lot to do after that, especially finding this mate of ours.”

“Let’s fucking do this.”

10

ORIA

Ididn’t know what to do with the liar in the bedroom. He was lying about coming here for a vial to save his friend. The vampire was hiding something, but I didn’t know how to get to the bottom of it. He was so good at lying I almost believed him.

The day after we had our conversation I was irritated all day. When night came, I was wound so tight my shoulders and neck were hurting. I must have been extremely crabby because Loki moved out of my way like I was a tornado causing destruction. Instead of making dinner, I paced by his room feeling like I had to be near, I had no idea why, but I needed to be close to him.

When pacing started to grow old, I turned on the new phone Tay had gotten me, listening to some girl named Taylor Swift singing about love songs, Romeos and shaking it off. Then I listened to Lizzo, Kelsey, Kaci and some man named Michael Bublé. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my hundred songs on my iPod, but this felt like I had an awakening. There were hundreds and hundreds of songs saved to this thing and I appreciated Tay even more. As I listened, I checked all of my traps and also watched outside to see if anyone was coming for me.

The music helped ease the anxiety in me, giving me something to focus on instead of the man in the tower and my dilemma about what I was going to do with him, a very sexy vampire who I couldn’t stop thinking about. Why was I having such a reaction to him?

By the third day, I was starting to entertain the idea that maybe he was telling me the truth. No one had shown up to save him and to take me with them. It had been relatively quiet other than Loki as I got back into my schedule, trying to make up for lost time.

I was infusing the moon water when I realized I needed to talk to him again and maybe he would be more willing to offer up some more information. My heart raced as I thought about seeing him again. The naive part of me wanted to be around him again because it seemed like I didn’t have a danger meter in my brain to warn me off dangerous men.

He wasn’t going to hurt me with the number of artifacts on his body, but he was still a stranger… right? My mind felt jumbled as I picked up the work room, feeling lethargic from the water I had just infused. This wasn’t normal, I had never felt like this before, and it was worrying me about what was happening. The reality of losing my magic seemed like it was a big possibility.

What would I do if I didn’t have my magic anymore?

Once I finished in the workroom, I walked into the living room, immediately going for the sofa. I let myself fall onto it and before I knew it, I had passed out.

Loud purring woke me up. Loki was laying on my chest as I tried to figure out what the hell had happened. My mind was sluggish, and I was starving. I sat up, pushing Loki off me, receiving a hiss from him as I looked around the room.

I had skipped lunch and dinner because I had wanted to finish the chores I had been neglecting. What I didn’t understand was, why I was getting so tired after every infusion. I thought that maybe it was just something temporary, but every time lately, I felt more tired and it took me longer to infuse the water.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich would not cut it, so I grabbed some chicken, rice and some green beans I had harvested yesterday. I made dinner quickly, the smell making me more ravenous as I plated my food quickly. Loki walked out of the hallway and I knew he had visited our prisoner.

I took a break from seeing him to clear my thoughts, since no one had come to rescue him, his words had stuck with me. What if he was saving a friend? Why couldn't he purchase Oria like everyone else? These questions plagued me, and I decided it was time for some answers.

I walked to the room he occupied, admiring him for a moment before removing the artifact from his chest, giving him a few moments before letting Loki wake him up. I noticed a silver chain around his neck that I hadn’t noticed before. I ran my hand along it feeling its immense power. It felt oddly familiar like the power Mother used. Loki jumped into his lap, pushing my hand away. He hissed in his face, batting at his cheek as I sat down before the vampire growled back at Loki.

“Don’t you have something better to do?” he groaned, adjusting himself on the seat. “How about you jump out that damn window and leave me alone.”

Guilt clawed at me as I realized he was probably very uncomfortable sitting in that chair for so long and in the same position. He rolled his wide shoulder, moving his neck side to side before I saw him strain against the rope I had tied around him.

Loki hadn’t moved from his lap as he tried to move until he saw me. We locked eyes and an indescribable need to go to him clawed at me. I imagined what it would be like for me to sit on his lap, capture his lips with my own and get lost in him.

Why was I feeling this way?

His green eyes held me captive until Loki moved my hands holding my bowl of food, sitting in my lap, trying to get my attention. Once our spell was broken, I was left with a feeling I didn’t understand.

“Who is your friend that is dying?” I started petting Loki, scratching behind his ear.

“Does that mean you believe me?”

“I haven’t decided, but I think if I heard the story, I might be more inclined to believe you,” I said, glancing up at him but not holding his gaze, instead occupying myself with my food.

“Just saying she’s dying isn’t enough for you?”

I scoffed. “Would it be enough for you?”

He scowled. “Doesn’t matter what I think.”

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