Page 31 of Waiting for Fate
She asks me questions about the pull I feel to Lex and Ridley, and I answer them as best as I can. I haven’t told her outright that Ridley and I are hooking up, but she has to have realized it. The bus definitely smelled of sex when she came back last night. She also asks about Shiloh, but I shut her down quickly. That man may be hotter than sin, but there is absolutely nothing happening between us. I haven’t even seen him since we left for the tour. Video calls excluded, of course.
A few hours later, we’re stepping into a fantasy wonderland. I may not enjoy reading the way my bestie does, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the aesthetic of a wonderland like Fairytale. Gorgeous performers dressed as fairytale creatures dance on the catwalks above us, swaying in time to the sensual beats pulsing through the vast space.
Shepherd orders us drinks as we crowd into a circular booth off to the side. We’re here to dance our hearts out, but first we have to dish all the dirty details of the tour with Foster. “How is forced proximity to the hot bodyguard duo?” he asks with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“Chaos,” I admit with a laugh. “Lex is still as grumpy and annoying as ever. Ridley though… he swears I’m his Fate matched mate.”
Foster’s bright blue eyes widen to match his grin. “Does he now?” His voice takes on a teasing tone, one full of suggestion. I flush and he cackles, leaning against his mate in his joy.
We’re both distracted when our drinks arrive and Omen downs a shot before we can even attempt to divvy them up. I roll my eyes at her sad girl attitude, telling Foster she’s missing her potential mates. He joins me in ribbing her for her sappy behavior.
Suddenly, she’s on her feet and heading to the dance floor. We scurry after her, forming a loose circle in the middle of the crowd so Shepherd can easily step in if anyone gets too handsy without our permission.
Several songs in, I catch hints of ozone on the air. The scent brings me back to my last heat and the gorgeous alpha I shared it with. When warm palms land on my waist, I glance down and nearly squeal in delight when I see the familiar tattoos running along his knuckles.
My head falls back against his shoulder as we dance. Our hips moving in sultry grinds matching the electric beat. His hard length presses against my ass and I groan. I know exactly how wonderful it feels to have his inked dick stretching me.
I last one song before I’m twirling in his arms and gazing up at his golden eyes. He smirks as I let my eyes wander over his body. My tongue feels glued to the roof of my mouth when I take in the sleek black corset highlighting his waist and chest. Holy Fates, this man somehow looks even hotter than I remember.
"O.”
He chuckles, the sound so deep it makes my knees week. And when he speaks? How did I forget this man’s voice was sex incarnate? “Long time no see, Omega.”
Everything fades to the background, the music dull and the crowd disappearing, as he runs his thumb across my bottom lip. His other hand still grips my hip where we were dancing. He steps closer, his thigh pressing between my legs. My hands fly to his chest when he moves me against him, grinding my pussy against the dark material of his jeans.
“You smell as heavenly now as you did a month ago.”
I’m lost in his scent and those warm amber eyes, a slave to the pleasure our dance sends pulsing through my body. The magnetism between us has me wondering if this alpha isn’t meant to be mine, too. A pull exists that rivals the strength of what I feel toward Ridley and Lex.
Does he feel it too? Is that why he sought me out on this dance floor instead of choosing one of the many betas and omegas around us?
“I found my mate,” I blurt out.
O freezes, his hand flexing on my jaw before dropping to wrap around my throat. His hold is just tight enough to come across as possessive without making me tense with worry. “Is that so?”
I nod dumbly, teeth digging into my lip and hoping my admission won’t send him away. I’m fairly certain I would sob like a baby if he left me right now.
“One mate, or have you met your pack?” His fingers stroke down my neck, eyes darting to the unmarked skin before meeting mine once more.
“One mate. Maybe two, though he doesn’t seem to feel the same pull.”
O’s eyebrows furrow, a sneer twisting his lips. “Then he is a fool. Any alpha would be blessed to be Fated to an omega like you.”
I swallow thickly, his hand moving with the motion. “I think you might be mine too,” I admit in a whisper. If his eyes weren’t riveted to me, he may not have heard my words over the pulse of music in the club.
Something flickers across his expression before he shuts down completely, all emotion leaving his face. His forehead thumps against mine and he resumes dancing with me, each shift of his leg more urgent than the last.
“Orion. My name is Orion,” he admits as he smashes his lips to mine, stealing a desperate kiss and drinking down my scream as I fall apart. My slick soaks his leg, likely leaving a noticeable wet spot behind. Orion doesn’t care. He just blinks down at me with a sad smile on his lips. “I’m a coward, but I think you might belong to me, too.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
GRAVEL CRUNCHES BENEATHmy feet as I cross the pathway to reach the grassy, tombstone covered hill. The sun is high in the sky, beating down on me and trying to steal the cold seeped into my soul. Blue skies mock me, at odds with the imagery of weeping angels scattered around the graveyard.
I’m careful to stay between rows as I travel toward the back corner. So many faded markers sit here. Reminders of the loved ones we have lost along the way.
Trees tower around the rear edge of the graveyard, and two metal benches sit beneath the shade they provide. I stop two rows from the end, falling to my knees in the grass. White orchids grow around the black granite marker before me, carefully trimmed away from the engraved lettering.Serenity Elaine Bishop.
I place the pink and white roses in my hand at the bottom edge of the granite, my fingers skimming over her name as I pull it back. “Ren,” I whisper brokenly. It’s always the same when I visit her. The ache in my chest is immeasurably intense. The shattered pieces of my heart crumble a little more when I’m facing the visual reminder she’s gone.
