Page 45 of A Taste of Bliss

I can tell Amelia and Reese are looking at each other over my head.

“We’re gonna pretend like he’s just not even there,” Amelia informs her, and I can hear Reese hum in approval.

“Good plan,” she says.

I go to my mirror and start wiping my eyes and fixing my hair, which has gotten mussed with all the hugging. Dericia sits down on the edge of my bed, crossing her legs.

“At least you know that fucking douche isn’t your mate,” Reese says, gathering her braids over one shoulder and tying them into a ponytail to keep them out of the way.

Amelia’s mouth hangs open. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“What?” Reese asks, confused.

“We don’t know that, Reese,” Amelia breathes out.

“But the stars wouldn’t do that.”

“Every Born fae has a mate, even dickheads who don’t deserve them,” Amelia explains. She comes and stands in front me. “It’s statistically unlikely, Bliss. But we’ll just have to make sure.”

I take care not to nod too quickly. The wraith told me Jordan isn’t my mate, and the way he said it, I believe him. But I can’t explain that to my sisters. They would freak out if they knew I even talked to a wraith.

“How so? Making sure would mean I have to get close enough to him to see if there’s a rune in his eye,” I say after a few moments. I guess it would be good to double check. Maybe I was a complete fool to believe the wraith about any of this.

“Maybe not!” Reese says. She whips out her phone. “Maybe he found his mate already. Let me check his socials.”

Amelia and I wait with bated breath as she scrolls on her phone. She looks up at us after a few moments, defeated. “Doesn’t look like he’s been mated yet. When was his bond activated?”

“It would have been last year,” Amelia replies.

“Okay, so we’ll just have to get Bliss near enough to him without him seeing her so she doesn’t have to deal with him,” Reese says matter-of-factly, as if that’ll be easy. Jordan’s a vampire, which means his superior senses might give me away. “You can borrow my perfume to mask your scent,” Reese tells me, reading my mind somehow.

“That might just work,” Amelia adds, as I sit down next to Reese and wrap my arm around her waist, leaning my head on her shoulder. Amelia sits down next to us and my two sisters encircle me, and for a little bit, I think I might just be able to take on Jordan if he does end up seeing me.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

BLISS

Amelia stopsshort of the pristine, white front door, the key hovering an inch from the deadbolt lock. She turns around, looking down at the rest of us scattered along the steps on the porch of the townhome that’ll be ours for the next week.

“We need to take a minute,” she instructs, shutting her eyes.

“A minute for…?” Tubbs asks.

She opens one eye to look at him and then opens both eyes when she realizes the rest of us are just staring at her. “To take it all in. This is huge, you guys!” She motions to the house behind her and then out to the street. Across the way we can see a few other bands also getting settled. I pull my hood up over my hair to hide my ribbon, just in case Jordan’s band is also staying in one of these houses.

“We’ve made it. We’re gonna play this festival, and—” She pauses for dramatic effect, grinning down at the rest of us. “We’re walking out of here with a fucking record deal. Mark my words,” she says the last part to the stars.

“Fuck yes!” Dericia yells, pumping her fist in the air.

Blake lets out a whoop and sweeps Amelia off her feet, spinning her around in a circle on the top step. She flips the keyto Taser, who with a flourish slips it into the lock and opens the door.

Blake carries Amelia across the threshold like she’s some gothic bride, clad in all black, and the rest of us follow. The boys take off running through the townhome, hollering out to one another, while us girls take our time looking through each room.

The townhome is spacious, with a living room opening out to the dining room and the kitchen beyond that.

Upstairs is a set of three bedrooms, and then on the top floor two more bedrooms (one a primary suite that Amelia claims immediately), and also a little nook to look out from the front of the house. It’s all beautifully decorated, with light pastel colors. It’s a bit of a contrast with everyone else’s black outfits, but I personally love it.

Dericia takes the room next to Amelia’s, leaving the boys to take the bedrooms on the second floor. I drop my things in the primary with Amelia, knowing even if I took a different room she’d probably end up sleeping in there with me at some point anyways.