Page 34 of Seared Fates

Drawn to him, I lower my forehead so it rests against his, our noses brushing, our lips…close. And the kitchen melts away again. Every sound, every sense, every touch—even air—becomes inconsequential; all I need is jade and bow lips and lavender.

His gaze is unwavering, curious, and then he smirks. Daring me.

I see that glint in him that tempts and challenges and invites me closer. Lips parted, I catch a glimpse of pink as his tongue runs along the pillow of his lower lip. If anything is going to happen, his eyes say, he won’t be the first to make a move.

Uncertainty is for lesser men, I always thought. Yet here I am. Kai isn’t like trying a sword only to find I prefer the axe; he is more than a curiosity to be tested, then forgotten about. He is everything.

“Woof.”

My reward for being ridiculous is Kai tossing his head back and laughing at me.

“Cut up the bacon, little prince,” I chuckle, and briefly cup his jaw before pulling away. He smiles to himself as he begins his task.

The onions sizzle when I toss them into the heated oil. I bring my board beside his, quartering the mushrooms while Kai slices the meat into strips, both of us working in companionable silence.

Once everything has been tossed into the pan with a tomato sauce, I collect the items to be washed up. Cupping his cheek and thanking him with a stroke of my thumb when he hands over his utensils, Kai then sprays the counter to wipe it clean.

It’s domestic work, things I haven’t done even when I had a wife. My mind goes to a future with more nights exactly like this one, where we are more to each other than the friends I insist we must be.

“Vampires can eat, right?” he asks while I drain the pasta. “Do you?”

“We can, though I don’t eat much. Mostly just marshmallows.”

“Marshmallows?” he laughs, bending down to grab bowls from the cupboard. The fabric tightening around his ass before he stands back up to set the table.

“They’re soft,” I reply, swallowing deep. “I like soft things.”

“And…” Grabbing forks, he hesitates. “You’ll eat with me, right?”

“Of course.”

He nods. “Good.”

Soon, we’re sitting next to each other. The scent of salty bacon, earthy mushrooms and sweet tomatoes in the steam that rises from the meal we made side-by-side. And only when Kai has taken a bite and sighs as if a soul-deep need has been fulfilled, does a wave of warm satisfaction rush through me. Finally, I’ve gotten something right.

Chapter fourteen

Vidar

In the large living room where I first encountered Kai, I tell my family about my meeting with the Direwolf and Blood Mage Sovereign. The only time I’m interrupted is from the hiss and crack of logs in the fireplace, or sharp rain spitting against the window.

“So you knew of Astra?” Kai asks, huddled next to Golden on the large sofa. “Did you know Emma?”

He’s no longer a shade too pale, and with a full stomach, he’s got more life to him. Knowing I provided for Kai my chest swells with pride. I knew I’d get the hang of this friendship thing.

“I knew of Sebastian, but only because he was their Sovereign and had been for well over three hundred years,” I explain. Somehow not closing the distance between Kai and me, even if I’m impatient to.

“And those assholes don’t normally live that long,” Rurik adds from where he leans against the door, watching Apollo pointedly ignore him.

Lucero lounges where he’s seated beside Golden, long arms thrown over the backrest. “Too busy killing each other or anyoneelse,” he replies with little interest, more focused on his fingers idly playing with Golden’s black curls.

“That Sebastian dude was strong then?” Golden asks. “To rule that long, I mean.”

“More like acoward,” I spit the word, “there’s nothing worse. He kept himself locked away in whatever hole the blood mages crawl out from in the North. Astra was his second and did all his dirty work. Emma is new.”

“Or we weren’t paying close enough attention,” Ramy says, curled up in the corner of the C-shaped sofa and hugging a cushion.

“Yeah, cause they’re creepy,” Apollo chimes in from where he’s perched on the coffee table.