Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (25 page)

He
finished his drink too fast and wants more, doesn't he?
Hesitating
a moment, I let the rush of sympathy take over. I knew too well what
it was like to want food, and to not have it.

Extending
the hot cocoa his way, my lips perked into a tiny smile. Especially
at how surprised he suddenly looked. “Here, take mine. I'm
full.” That was an awful lie.

Blinking,
the twaelin took the drink with something akin to reverence.
“Thanks,” he murmured, sipping it to savor it this time
around.

A
glimmer of pleasure filled me, seeing the twaelin looking so
content. It was hard to explain, it just felt nice to do something
good.

Then,
I noticed all the eyes on me.

Especially
Becky's.

Ducking
my head, I pointed down the street with a nervous laugh. “Uh,
hey, let's get going. We don't have all night to enjoy this place,
right?”

That
seemed to satisfy her, though she still shot me a suspicious squint.
Linking her arm with Ethlyn's, she led the way down the sidewalk.

Breathing
out in relief, I noticed Nethiun hadn't stopped watching me. Peering
back up at him, I dared him to speak.

He
only melted that scrutiny into a familiar smile, then gestured for
us to follow the other pair. Wrinkling my eyebrows, I did as he
suggested, chasing after my friend.

We
didn't get far before Becky was pointing into a tent that had been
strung up between two buildings.

“
Oh,
look! There's one of those hilarious rope games in there!”

“
Hilarious
what games?” Ethlyn blinked.

“
You
know,” she said, waving for us to follow her into the bright
yellow structure. “The thing where they hang food from strings
and you have to eat it without your hands.”

That
perked me up quickly. “Sounds like a great idea to me.”

Nethiun
tugged my sleeve, getting me to follow where he pointed. “Ah,
it seems they expect teams of two.”

Staring
over at the occupied ropes, all strung in the middle of the tent
along a lengthy pole in the ceiling, I nodded. “Huh, I think
you're right.”

“
Well,
then that seems perfect.”

His
confident words baffled me. “Excuse me now?”

Becky
shoved between us, waving down what appeared to be one of the men
running the little event. “He's right, Gale. Hey! Excuse me,
we'd love to join in for this round!”

The
man held up a little clipboard, smiling with jubilation. “Fantastic,
go stand in front of a rope, each of you. Teams of two, please.
Whoever finishes first is the winner. Wait for the bell!”

I
almost
argued, but Nethiun had too good of a grip on my hand. He tugged me
to one of the free sections in the room, circling until he was in
front of me.

The
long ropes were each strung with a duo of donuts, knotted so that
they swung at the bottom; eye level with anyone who stood in front
of them. Well, unless you were Nethiun.

He
was tall enough that he had to hunch down, a fact that made him look
disgruntled.

Seeing
him like that, staring dubiously at the dangling treats, I couldn't
help but smile. “You're making faces,” I teased. “Are
you deciding you don't want to do this?”

Lifting
his head, he gave me a devilish grin. “Oh, not at all. I was
just making sure I knew the angle I would need to get the most out
of this.”

“
I—the
most out of what?”

Before
he answered, his eyes glimmering with some impish secret, the bell
rang.

With
my arms behind my back, I leaned in, trying to push against the
donut and take a bite. Nethiun copied me, pressing forward, his
teeth clicking inches away.

His
mouth was there, so close, chewing away a hunk of the sweet treat.
My goal wasn't to win, I didn't care that much about it. A free meal
was too good to pass up, though.

But
Nethiun... Nethiun didn't care about either of those things. What he
wanted was something else, and I learned that quickly.

Graceful,
he slid along side me, a dancer's movement. Those lips, always
smiling, came a whisper's distance from touching mine.

Gasping,
I spun around the rope, letting the donuts swing away with the
pressure he'd used. Standing there, gaping at him while the thick
string twirled between us, I didn't just see how he was looking at
me.

I
felt
it.

Again,
he moved, aiming for the pastry. Nervously, I followed suit,
noticing people were cheering loudly.
Does
that mean another pair is almost done? Will this be over soon?

He
bit down on the opposite side of the donut, abruptly pushing it into
my cheek to use as a brace. It let him take a big bite out, some of
the dough falling to the floor.

Meeting
his eyes, watching him smile and swallow, I wished I could read his
mind.
Is
he just playing the game? Or is he... does he want something else...

Bending
forward, I nibbled again, the swinging rope making it hard to get a
good angle. It bumped off my temple, rotated in a circle.

Here
it comes, when it does, just open your mouth!

The
donut moved my way, arching perfectly. Parting my lips, I prepared
to take what would surely be the final bite.

This
is it, I've got it!

Leaning
forward, ready to taste the last of the sweet dough, my mouth found
something else.

Nethiun
had stepped into my path; at first, seeming like he was going for
the donut, too. My intuition bubbled, but I was too slow. That
curling smile honed in, pressing against my surprised expression in
a sudden, mind melting kiss.

The
donut, spinning uselessly, bumped against my ear. I didn't even
notice.

He
tasted like sugar, burned with a flurry of tiny pinprick warnings.
My first kiss, and it was with something entirely not human.

My
first kiss...

I'd
never imagined it to happen like that, but suddenly, nothing else
seemed like it could have compared.

Around
us, people clapped, bringing me out of my warm daze. Backing away,
fingers touching my own lips, I stared at the entertained faces
surrounding us. Standing among them was Becky, her cheering drowning
out the other voices.

Next
to her, all stone save for the heat in his yellow eyes, was Ethlyn.
His disapproval wasn't hard to read, I just didn't get
why
he was so sour.

Turning
back to Nethiun, I found his smoldering gaze locking me down. It
promised me more, if I only just asked.

There
would be no asking... I couldn't.

Running
from the tent, I burst into the chill of the evening.
Oh
my God, I—did that just happen? He kissed me, he...

Even
with the October weather cooling my face, it wasn't enough to soothe
the heat boiling in my core. Was that how it was so supposed to
feel, when someone did that to you?

In
my ears, the roar of the chattering festival became a dull murmur.
Why,
why did he do that?

Why
is he doing this to me?

Breaking
out into a darker section of the street, I slid into an alley,
slipping hard on leftover garbage that people had careless tossed
aside.

Landing
on my knees, breathing heavy, I didn't try to get up. Being there,
on the filthy ground, it was sobering.

Thick
hair draped over my eyes, dangling low across the front of my
jacket.
Why,
why, why...

Everything
felt so scattered. So messed up and baffling. The more I thought
about it, the more humiliated I became.

Did
I really just run away because someone kissed me? What am I, a
child?

Even
laughing at myself did little to quell how my heart still throbbed.
I couldn't blame it on my sprint any longer.

Nethiun
kissed me. Did he do it as part of some plot with his Mistress?

Or
did he—does he—actually like me?

I
can't tell which scares me more.

No,
that was entirely a lie. I'd been struggling with my attraction to
him, trying to drown it away with my cynical paranoia about his
intentions.

Even
with Ethlyn warning me against him, even with Valenforth speaking
negatively about the blonde man and his Mistress, I still...

I
still wanted that to happen, without even knowing, until it had.

Around
me, I felt the world shifting, a familiar shock wave across my
tongue. I knew it was Nethiun, even as I kept my eyes downcast.

“
I
didn't realize you could run so fast,” he said quietly. “I
suppose that's how you caught up to me so quickly that day in the
construction site.”

Not
lifting my head, I stared fixedly at my fingers, spread out on the
dirt. His shadow rolled over me, until he bent down so close I could
feel his breath. “Gale, I didn't expect to shock you so
easily. I won't lie,” he said, his chuckle rumbling, “it
was satisfying in its own way.”

“
Is
that why you did it?” I whispered, noticing the grime on my
knuckles. “To get a reaction out of me, to freak me out?”

Was
that all?

Soft
as silk, his fingers gripped my chin. I didn't struggle as he tilted
my head up, but I still couldn't let myself face him. Turning my
eyes to the side, I stared out at the lit street, the sounds of joy
that seemed to be in a different world.

“
Gale,”
he said clearly, insistent. “Look at me.”

I
won't, I can't,
I
thought in desperation.
If
I do, if I see your face, I'll—I'll want more.

I
can't have more, not without grasping the WHY of all this.

Gritting
my jaw, I kept staring stubbornly into the distance.

Sighing,
Nethiun slid closer, kneeling in front of me. “Please, just
look at me.”