Page 23 of Fated Wings
“That’s far,” Jalen observed, glancing between them. “For someone without a car.”
“Or shoes,” Preston added, looking down at Newt’s bare feet.
Zeppelin cleared his throat. “Let’s give them some privacy.” He herded the others back inside, though Preston lingered, concern evident in his expression.
“You okay?” Preston asked Newt.
“I’m fine,” Newt assured him, managing a weak smile. “Just tired.”
“Come find me later,” Preston said, squeezing Newt’s shoulder before hurrying away.
Newt walked past Vaughn, shoulders hunched. He smelled wrong, like sweat and fear and faintly of vampire. The scent made Vaughn’s hackles rise, his protective instincts warring with his sense of betrayal.
They climbed the stairs in silence, the weight of unasked questions hanging between them. Once inside Vaughn’s bedroom, he closed the door with deliberate care, fighting the urge to slam it.
“You disappeared,” Vaughn said, keeping his voice level through sheer force of will. “I thought—” He broke off, unwilling to admit the spiral of fear he’d descended into. “Want to tell me what the hell that was about?”
Newt sank onto the edge of the bed, pulling one foot up to examine a small cut on his heel. “I tried to go home.”
“You tried to—” Vaughn stopped, processing. “Without telling me?”
“I was going to come right back,” Newt said, looking up finally. His violet eyes were wide, pleading. “I just needed to check in so my father wouldn’t come looking for me.”
“And you couldn’t mention this plan before disappearing?”
Newt’s gaze dropped again. “I knew you’d try to stop me.”
“Damn right I would have.” Vaughn paced the length of the room, trying to burn off the mix of relief and betrayal churning inside him. “So what happened? Sheriff found you on the road. Did your magic fail again?”
A flush crept up Newt’s neck. “My portal spell worked. Just not exactly as intended.”
“Meaning?”
“I may have accidentally transported myself into a vampire nest.” The words tumbled out in a rush. “But I got away! So…silver lining?”
Vaughn stopped pacing. “You what?”
“It was the same vampires from last night.” Newt’s hands fluttered nervously. “I tried another spell to make them vanish, but it just made more of them. Six instead of three. Not my finest magical moment.”
The mental image of Newt, his mate, surrounded by hungry vampires made Vaughn’s wolf howl with protective rage. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“You could have been killed,” he said, voice dangerously quiet.
“But I wasn’t.”
“That’s not the point!” Vaughn exploded. “You snuck out without a word, almost got yourself drained dry by vampires, and ended up lost on a back road. All because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me what you were planning.”
Newt flinched. “It wasn’t about trust.”
“Wasn’t it?” Vaughn crossed his arms. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks exactly like that. One minute we’re kissing, and the next, you’re gone.”
“I was trying to protect you!” Newt shot back, rising to his feet. “If my father came looking for me here, he wouldn’t just take me back. He’d punish anyone who helped me. I couldn’t risk that happening to you. Not after everything you've already been through.”
The sincerity in Newt’s voice should have softened something in Vaughn, but it didn’t. All he could think about was waking up to an empty room, the hours of searching, the fear that history was repeating itself… People leaving him without warning, without goodbye.
“So you made that decision for both of us.” Vaughn’s voice had gone cold. “Without giving me any say in the matter.”
“I—” Newt started then stopped. “Yes. I guess I did.”
