Page 16 of Little Wing (Shades of Fairhaven #1)

A fter the kiss, Silas continued to show up at the bookstore and the bar.

It wasn’t an everyday occurrence anymore, which left me catching myself looking for him.

I admit his presence wasn’t quite looming as it was before, but it was felt.

He still watched me like I was a puzzle he was trying to crack, but he didn’t try to corner me again.

The vivid memory of that night had me working overtime to stop my mind from wandering to the desires that had me squeezing my thighs at work.

I wondered if he thought of that night as often as I did.

Did he have to reach between his legs to settle the ache that lived in our memory?

Maybe he regretted it. Maybe the drinks he continued to order for me at The Royal Nomad were to acknowledge what an ass he had been, and not to fuel the fire of longing that only intensified in me.

When he did choose to approach me, he stopped for small talk, mentioning how he was working on prepping the grand opening of a business he was developing with his brother. He said it was called Little Wing—though he ended up having to leave before I could ask about it further.

As Silas’s occasional visits continued, so did my regular routine.

I’d go to work, sometimes the bar, and then back home—feeling completely content that nothing catastrophic had shifted.

Silas still showed no signs of knowing who I was.

As relieved as it made me, it didn’t stop thoughts of him from occupying my mind.

I felt like my decisions teetered between wanting to seek him out or hiding away.

It was something that my best friends were not blind to.

They could see how distracted I became. Kait gave me knowing smiles when she would serve me drinks ordered by Silas, especially when I wouldn’t refuse them.

And Reina? She was like a bloodhound for calling out even the slightest shifts in behavior between people.

That’s how, in the past, she knew Kait had finally gone out on a date—the last time she did.

“Got any plans for tonight, Lo?” Reina asked, pulling her hair up. “Any hot dates?”

I was coming up to the end of my shift, so Reina’s questions were standard, yet I could hear the not-so-subtle way her words were spoken. Some words holding more weight than others.

“Nope,” I smiled, taking off my name tag before returning it to the basket behind the checkout counter. “What about you?”

She eyed me suspiciously but responded. “I think I may connect with someone tonight on that app I was telling you about. Unless you wanted to do something?”

I checked the time on my phone and shrugged. “I was just planning on heading home.”

“No bar?”

I shook my head. “Not tonight.”

“No Silas?”

I paused and pressed my lips tightly. “Anything particular about him? ”

Reina looked as if she was going to malfunction, which from the outside looked quite adorable. It wasn’t often that I could frustrate my friends like this. It made me feel… normal. Like this was just a regular discussion—because it really was!

Reina stopped fidgeting with the books on the display closest to us and put her hand on her hip. “You’re seriously telling me there’s nothing going on?”

A ghost of a smirk settled on me and it wasn’t missed by my best friend.

“Oh my gods!” Reina squeaked, nearly knocking over the entire display as she jumped up. “What happened?!”

“Reina!” I fanned my hands, urging her to settle, especially as a few customers turned their heads to us. “Look, we talked, and I confronted him about his weird stalker-y behavior.”

“And?”

“And?” I chuckled softly.

“Did you finally bang?”

I shook my head again. “No, we didn’t ‘bang’.”

“But something happened,” Reina prodded. “Something changed.”

Already feeling like I said too much, I picked up my bag and pointed to the door. It was already time for me to leave anyway, so I shrugged at Reina with a soft smile. That little bit would have to keep her sated until the next time I'd see her.

Even as Reina’s gasps and frustrated groans made me laugh as I left the store, I couldn’t help thinking the same thing.

Had something truly changed, or was it just in my head? And if it did, what would that mean for me?

Despite taking delight in the banter that made me feel more normal than I had felt in a long time, I continued my regular routine at home.

Because while I tried to live a full life, the past was never truly that far behind.

Luca was never far behind. I had been away from him for years now; how much longer would it be before he’d yank me back to him?

The thought didn’t unsettle me more than usual as I got comfortable on my couch after removing all my makeup to let my skin breathe. I would just have to continue my routine of checking each night for any new search results around my brother’s whereabouts.

There was still a tightness in my chest, the same as it had been the night I left Luca. I was thankful my tether to my maker remained unchanged.

While I checked each news network on my phone, including vampire outlets, I was startled at the feel of my phone vibrating in my hand. Kait and Reina were still at work as far as I knew. Typically, they wouldn’t be paying attention to their phones, so what was this?

I quickly pulled up the notification and stared as message after message began to arrive. After four texts, the sender stopped. My eyes scanned each one and I could barely hold back my lips from spreading. In the safety of my home, I didn’t hold back my fangs from peeking out.

Sorry I missed you today.

Hope you're not too upset that I'm texting.

I'd like to see you again. No steamy questioning. Promise.

I'll be at Little Wing HQ (soon-to-be) all week. 352 New Fairhaven Dr.

My fingers hovered over the text box, debating if I should say anything. Before either side of my internal conflict could come to a decision, I watched the three dots flicker before the message finally appeared.

This is Silas BTW.

I watched the message a moment longer, wondering if my phone would buzz again.

As if on cue, I watched three dots flicker once more before disappearing.

No new message appeared. After an invitation and a confirmation of the sender, I wondered what else he could have said.

What other thoughts lingered that he wanted to get out before they were abandoned?

Perhaps he wanted to take it all back? Maybe it was the wrong number? But wait, I wondered, how did he get my phone number to begin with?

Once again, as if on cue, I watched a new message pop up, this time not from Silas, but from the apparent culprit who gave him my phone number.

Oh Reina…

YOU'RE WELCOME!!