Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (37 page)

“
Um,
all of those, I guess.”
And
he can fly, Mom. Aren't you proud of me?
“Mom,
can I ask you something—and it might sound weird—but,
um.”
How
do I ask this?

“
Go
on, honey.”

Sliding
down to the floor, I used my backpack as a squishy seat. “If I
told you something was wrong with me, would you think I was nuts?”

“
Wrong?
Wrong how? Baby, are you sick? Tell me if you're sick, I—I
couldn't handle the thought of you, and if, you know, if you—”

“
No,
no,” I said quickly, trying to calm down her manic tumble of
worries. “I don't think sick is the right word. I just... I
don't know. I think I'm weird, Mom.” Hearing myself say it, I
gave a weak laugh.

Her
giggle was even more fragile than mine. “Oh, Gale. Everyone is
a little weird. I'm weird too, you know that.”

Smiling,
I felt something tugging at my brain. A question I had never wanted
to ask about, but thinking of Nethiun, of his prying into my past,
it was on my lips all too quick. “What about Dad?”

Her
frown seeped into her voice. “What about him?”

“
Well,
was he weird, too?”

“
Your
father... honey, you know I don't like to talk about him.”

“
I
know,” I mumbled.
She
never did, and I stopped caring about it as I got older, but...
“Things
have been kind of different lately, Mom. I'm noticing stuff about
myself. So, I don't know, shot in the dark. But if you can tell me
about him, I'd like to know.”

“
I
can't,” she said bluntly. “And I won't. Honey, he
abandoned us. The day you were born, he was gone. I don't know where
he went, and I don't want to anymore. Okay?”

Chewing
down on my thumb nail, I was glad she couldn't see my dirty look.
“Okay.”

Sighing
into the receiver, she softened her tone. “Gale, I'm sorry.
It's just not worth talking about. Anything you're going through, I
can help you with.”

I
wish you could, Mom. I really do.

“
I
love you,” she said suddenly.

“
Hey,
Mom. I love you too.” I sensed a fraction of relief on the
line, my belly itching with guilt at the thought of her fretting
over the idea of me being upset with her. “Next time, I'll
tell you all about the guy I'm seeing,” I added cheerfully.

Her
whistle lightened the mood further. “I'll hold you to that. I
need to head to work now, chat with you soon, alright?”

“
Yeah,
alright.” The line went silent, so I rose to my feet and hung
the phone back up.

Talking
to her had made me feel a little better. It also hadn't answered any
questions.

Glancing
out a window, seeing that the daylight was still there, I decided to
get some air to clear my head.

Wandering
out into the fresh wind, I inhaled deeply. Absently, I ended up at
the edge of campus on the middle of the grassy hill.

It
was as good a place as any to be alone.

Sitting
in the fading sun did little for my gloom. My head was stuck,
running in circles with the worries that gnawed my brain.

Mom
says we're all weird. Too bad I couldn't tell her I'm more than
that.

That
I can kill these 'immortal' beings, that I'm a threat; dangerous.

What
do I do about this? How do I make it clear I don't want to be
involved, that I'm not out to hurt any of them?

My
hair was particularly wild that day, not obeying the forceful
smoothing I put it through as my idle nerves took over.

I
need to talk to Nethiun, I...

As
if bidden by my silent plea, the twaelin rippled into existence
beside me where I sat on the grass.

Stunned
by his blatant appearance, I shot my eyes around with worry.
“Nethiun! You scared me, I—be more careful. Someone
might have seen you do that.”

Standing
over me, his form blocking out the last bit of sun in the late hour,
he spoke without any hint of emotion. “Forgive me.”

Blinking,
I settled back down, a level of comfort arising with his presence.
“It's fine, it looks like everyone is inside anyway.”

He
didn't nod, didn't move much at all. “How are you feeling
today?”

“
Pretty
bad,” I admitted with a bitter chuckle. “It was torture,
not being able to explain things to Becky. I just wanted to tell her
what was going on, but she wouldn't understand. You know?”

“
I
know,” he agreed softly.

Standing
carefully on the slope, I dusted the grass off my pants and slung my
bag over my arm. “I talked with Valenforth, he said Ethlyn
wasn't doing so great.”

Nethiun
was so still, his hair even resisted the breeze. Reaching up, I
blocked my tangled strands from getting in my eyes.
He
seems quiet today.

My
paranoia bubbled. “Nethiun, what's wrong?”

Watching
me closely, his eyes didn't have the pretense of human shine to
them. “Many things. Let's go elsewhere, it would be better.”
He extended a hand, slim fingers tempting me.

Valenforth's
warning screamed in my mind. “No, tell me what happened,
first. I know you had to have told
her.
Didn't you?”

He
didn't have the good grace to look phased. “I did.”

“
So
then stop dancing around, what did she say?”

The
twaelin didn't do anything to offer his hand
more
,
but I felt his silent pressure as he stared at me. “Come with
me, and we can talk.”

Maybe
I was foolish. I wanted so badly to think that Nethiun would keep me
safe.

I
was in love, how could I be blamed?

Reaching
out, I slid my small hand into his. It closed down, tight as a bear
trap.

Shutting
my eyes, I braced myself for the sickening sensation of jetting
through time and space.

The
grey world and lack of sound, the violent tugging inside of me... it
managed to feel less disorienting.

And
then we were standing on that familiar patch of ocean, the place he
had taken me flying.

Tugging
my hand from his, I turned on the soft sand to face him. “Why
are we here? Why so far, just to talk?”

“
I
want to do more than talk.” In the wind, his crisp white shirt
ruffled. Seeing it so clean, so in tact, reminded me of how beaten
up he had been last night. It also made me wonder where he got his
clothes.

“
You
do heal fast,” I whispered.

Glancing
down, he touched his hand to his ribs. “I do. You said Ethlyn
was not?”

“
Valenforth
said that, yes... Nethiun, do
you
know what this all means? I was told, today, that I can—I
really
can
kill the twaelin.” Placing a palm on my stomach, I shut my
eyes, focusing. “Valenforth said I took Ethlyn's energy into
me, that I had a part of him, now. I don't feel it, though. I can't
feel anything at all.”

Again,
he gave me tense silence.

Nethiun
was so different than he'd been before. The distance felt so huge, a
wall between us that was cold and empty.

“
Please
tell me what happened,” I said desperately, unable to handle
this side of him.

Those
pale eyes lifted to mine, then moved out over the ocean. The water
was calm, there was no storm to make it rage. “Let's go
flying.”

“
I—what?
Now?”

Reaching
forward, he coiled me into his arms like I weighed nothing. I didn't
have a chance to argue. He jumped us upwards, darting through the
cool air.

My
hair whipped around, tugging at my scalp. I couldn't hold back the
excitement that shook me, but my eyes were stuck on his face.

There
was no joy there.

For
some time, he glided us through the fading light of sunset. With my
arms around his neck, I hung on tight, a terrible hole growing
inside of me.

What
is wrong, why is he acting like this?

“
Nethiun,”
I said into his ear, over the whistle of our speed. “Take us
back, you said we would talk.”

“
Don't
you want to fly, to spend time just—”

“
No,”
I said sharply. “Not like this. I need to know what's wrong.”

Slowing
us over the gentle waves, he hugged me against him. Stoic as before,
there was the first hint of raw emotion touching his low voice.

“
Everything
is wrong, Gale.”

The
flight back to land was torturous, all delight gone in something I'd
treasured.

Nethiun
settled onto the sand, the ground turning blue as night began
clawing in around us. Carefully, I climbed down beside him. “We
can't do this, Nethiun. You need to talk to me... please.”

For
the first time since he'd appeared, a smile spread on his lips. It
was not a happy smile, the edges were like twisted metal. “I'm
afraid of telling you, of admitting the horrible truth. It will be
over, Gale, once I tell you what's been said.”

The
thrum of my heart was a staccato beat. His profile, hard and turned
partially away, was a cold thing.
Sad,
he's sad.

In
a thoughtless rush, ignoring the anxiety that lived so firmly in me
now, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I felt him tense,
surprised; that grew when I crushed my lips to his.

It
was brief, too brief, but I needed to breathe. Leaning away, I
looked up into his wide, confused eyes. “Nethiun, whatever
happens, nothing is going to change between us. I promise that.
Alright?”

That
expression smoothed, becoming blank. His laugh was humorless, full
of harsh cynicism. “I wish that were true. You think you want
to know, while I've been trying to forget it.”

“
Forget...
what?”

His
hands curled around my wrists, keeping me hugging him. “Gale,
my Mistress knows what you can do. I didn't want to tell her, but it
wasn't something I had a choice in.”

“
I
know, I suspected you would do that. But it's okay, I'm not mad—”

“
No,”
he hushed me. “No, let me finish. It isn't that I told her,
that's not the worse part. It's what she told
me.
”

Standing
there, I waited for him to finish. When he didn't, I forced myself
to whisper. “Go on. What was it?”

Those
lips, lips that had kissed me to the point of delusion, that had
coiled into smiles and brought me joy. They parted before me, inches
away, and told me what I had been afraid of for so long. Afraid of,
yet too much of a coward to ask directly.