Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance)

by Brint, Cynthia

  It was a chore not to giggle, I managed to muffle it with my drink. Ethlyn heard me, though, his gold eyes glancing my way curiously.

  Understanding how he must look, he rubbed his mouth with the back of his arm. When he was done, all that was left was a tiny frown.

  It's so weird, I thought, forcing myself to turn away. He acts so normal, if I didn't know he was a twaelin, I would never have suspected a thing.

  Finishing her own drink, Becky tossed the container into a nearby trash bin. “Where to now?”

  “Let's just wander around,” I suggested, hoping that would work to keep us all together. “There's lots going on here, might as well do some exploring.” As I tilted my cup back to take another sip, I caught Ethlyn staring wistfully.

  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 tr
y 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.”

  I broke too fast, I knew I did. Flooding with disgust at my own weakness, I let my eyes meet his in defeat. Those milky centers, they were as flat and unshining as the first time I'd seen them.

  Somehow, I wasn't scared this time around. What I felt was much worse, far more confusing. Seeing his intense stare, the serious line to those decadent lips, I fought off the desire to taste him all over again.

  “Gale,” he whispered, making me focus. “If I said I'd kissed you, only to get a reaction, would it be so awful?”

  “Yes,” I blurted, the word loud in my ears, escaping before I could stop it.

  I hated hearing the truth, I hated how he smiled when I gave it up.

  His fingers slid along until they cupped my cheek. “You made it obvious, when we first met, how much you hated my awful behavior. Maybe it's time I try to fix that.”

  “What do you—” My words disappeared into the luscious pressure of his mouth on mine. Kneeling in that alley, covered in trash, I felt myself swelling with ecstasy.

  His tongue ran across my bottom lip, expertly following the curve of it. I didn't remember closing my eyes, but my lashes tickled my cheeks as I swam in the darkness behind my lids.

  Nethiun was too perfect, an expert at sending the newly awakened parts of my brain and body skyrocketing. I swam in fireworks, I tasted the sweetness of lust...

  And I ached for more.

  The firm hold he had on my face shifted behind my skull, dragging through my messy hair. Winding it tight, he crushed me to him, not letting me breathe.

  I didn't want air, didn't think I needed it.

  Nethiun knew better.

  Pulling away from me, he broke the kiss. Inhaling sharply, I felt my chest fluttering, lungs burning with relief.

  Smirking at me, he made my scalp thrill with a gentle twist of my red hair in his hands. “You musn't forget to breathe, it'd be a shame for you to pass out so fast.”

  “Sorry,” I gasped, watching the air steam between us. I'd forgotten how cold it is out here. “I'm—I mean, you're better at this than me. I've never, well. Uh, you know.”

  His brows shot up, his face awash in scrutiny. “Are you trying to tell me that I'm your first kiss?”

  It was hard to nod, what with him holding my head so firmly. Still, I managed a tiny wobble.

  Like a fish in a stream, his fingers vanished from my hair all too quick. “You're not joking, are you?”

  Blinking at his sudden deadpan, I wiped my palms on my thighs. “No, of course not. Is—is that weird to you?”

  Nethiun closed his eyes, his tone sardonic, amused. “It's more that I understand better, now. All of your reactions, the way you always blush so easily...”

  As if on cue, I felt my cheeks burning.

  Squinting at me, he cocked his head to one side. “Oh yes, just like that. I should have guessed you were a virgin.”

  Gaping, I gave him a small shove out of surprise. “Hey! Don't just go saying that so casually!”

  Laughing, he rose to his feet nimbly. One hand was extended down to me, an offer of assistance.

  Gazing up into his smiling face, those frosted-glass eyes that had once sent me reeling, I didn't hesitate to take his palm in my own.

  Easily, he pulled me to my feet. With his fingers linked in mine, attached like they were meant to fit perfectly, I didn't want to let him go. “Listen, Nethiun...”

  “Hmn?” he asked, letting his arm fall so our hands hung between us.

  “This,” I murmured, squeezing his palm for emphasis. “Tell me what it really means. I've been running it through my head, trying to make sense of it, and I'm having a hard time just... believing this is real.”

  Tugging me against him, he ran the finger tip of his free hand down my throat. “This doesn't feel real, you think?”

  Skin prickling on the path he made, I shivered; it was difficult to express myself with him touching me. “Wait, just wait,” I pleaded, reaching up to stop him.

  Nethiun pursed his lips, but he stopped exploring my sensitive skin.

  Breathing in, filling my chest, I forced the sentences off my numb tongue. “Everyone keeps telling me to watch out for you. I need to know why, just tell me what you think they're talking about.”

  A placidity came over his face, hard shadows creeping across his sharp cheeks. “That has little to do with our current situation.”

  “It has everything to do with it,” I responded curtly. “Please, Nethiun. I need to know, I can't—what happened between us, tonight, it isn't something that can go further if I don't trust you.”

  “Oh? You want to go further?” He was deft, catching my earlobe in sharp teeth. Instantly, my lower belly clenched, a gasp flitting from my lips.

  He's too good at this, it isn't fair.

  I wanted to sink into the rolling warmth that built in me, to let him hold me up as my knees gave out.

  But I knew better. Maybe not entirely, for I was still trying to make a deal with a creature far beyond me. But I knew enough to shrug him away.

  He wore a coy smile, the opposite of my exhausted pout. Stepping back, I folded my arms like armor. “No, stop trying to get out of this. Answer me, what are Ethlyn and that god damn Corpse King warning me for? Why are you twaelin things working against each other, when it sounds like with so few of
you, the same goal would make more sense?”

  “That's a lot of questions,” he sighed. “Why do humans who seem to want the same thing fight against each other?”

  “I—what?”

  Lifting his hands indifferently, Nethiun closed his eyes. “Even if we did want the same thing, why would we not go about it our own way? Ego, power, fear... those things cause you humans to make many decisions in opposition of each other, even if it would seem logical to do otherwise.”

  Narrowing my gaze, I dug my nails into my upper arms. “I think you're insulting me.”

  “Not at all,” he chuckled, letting his hazy, opal eyes fix on me again. “No more than myself, or the other twaelin. If you think for a moment that Ethlyn and his Master aren't watching you because they want something, as if it's altruism, then you'd be making a poor conclusion.”

  With temples pounding, I licked my lips, preparing my next comment with as much nerve as I could. “And you and your Mistress? Your Queen of Dreams?”

  He looked incredibly sobered. “I'm not sure how to answer that.”

  “You answer by saying something useful! You won't tell me what she wants, but with what everyone else is warning me about... even if they also don't have good intentions for me... I don't care about them.

  “I care about you, Nethiun. What do you, what does she, want from me?” He hesitated, enough that my real, true question exploded from me in a rush. “Am I in actual danger from you?”

  “Define actual danger.”

  That wasn't the answer I wanted.

  “Tell me, Nethiun.” The heat in my voice was growing, but so was the quiver of panic. “Tell me, just tell me what she wants. She wants something, right? She's the one making you follow me, she knows why, she has to, why does no one—hey!”

  He wrapped me in a solid embrace, so out of character that I went stiff with surprise. He'd already kissed me, a hug shouldn't have felt more intimate.

  But it does, it... it really does.

  “Gale,” he whispered, taking advantage of my silence. “You need to listen to me, and very carefully.”

  Buzzing with how firm he was, how I could feel the very beat of the energy inside of him, the energy that was him, I said nothing.