Page 4 of Seared Fates

Falling in love.

“Have we met before?” I hear myself ask the man on the opposite side of the room, his hooded eyes wide and locked on mine. His chest still.

Even sitting, he’s tall with white hair shaved at the sides and more on top that curves around his sculpted face, and serious mouth. But those locks aren’t like Ramy’s wave of silk, more like shards of ice. His skin is pale with peach undertones. Which sounds soft, but this man with bulging muscles is anything but.

His eyes that spear me are grey. But not the simple, forgettable kind. More like molten silver poured into the mould of a legendary weapon.

“I know you…” I breathe, edging forward, the connection demanding I close the distance.

This man gives me the same sense I used to have with my Mini Cooper before the panic stole it—like I could fly down theroad with the wind in my braids and not care what scars were on display.

Freedom. He feels like freedom.

He rises slowly, smooth like a predator. I should be afraid—I’m not.

“Soulmate.” When I hear his voice, hard as forged steel, my chest flares bright and expands.

From the moment I understood what romantic love was as a kid, I knew I had someone out there who was meant for me. I waited for years, and not once did I give up hope, even when people laughed. And at last I’ve found the one person who’ll love me despite my scars and secrets. All the horror and nightmares and fighting off the frozen panic will be worth it, because finally—finally—my patience has paid off and I can have the unconditional love I’ve craved for so long.

And the bitter jealousy I had when Golden found his soulmate can just be another secret that never sees the light.

“Impossible,” the man says.

Time stutters.

“I-impossible?” I repeat, unable to grasp what he means. Surely he’s happy. Lucero loves Golden so much. Don’t all soulmates? I deserve that too…don’t I?

But his handsome face transforms into an angry mask, nose flaring and teeth bared. “I refuse to have a mate who looks like you.”

I thought I knew pain when fire scorched my face, but as my heart breaks and the shards rip through my chest, I start to think I never really did.

I don’t know when Golden moved, but suddenly, he’s in front of me and trying to be a shield as the man—my soulmate, my one true love—storms out of the room and away.

“Vidar, wait!” Ramy calls out, rushing after him. “I’ll fix this, Kai. I’ll fix this!”

Golden’s mouth is moving, but his words are lost in the chaos of my thoughts.

‘I don’t understand what I’ve done wrong…’

Golden turns to his soulmate, who’s standing behind him now—Lucero’s blue gaze filled with pity.

‘This isn’t what’s supposed to happen. How can I fix this? Fix me…’

I flinch when Golden takes my hand, gently pulling it away from the braids I hadn’t even noticed I was yanking to hide the left side of my scarred face.

“Maybe he isn’t your soulmate. That can happen, right, Lucero?” Golden’s voice is high, desperate. “Or maybe—”

‘Maybe I’m useless and he knew it the second he saw me.’

“Golden, have you drunk blood today?” I ask so loudly that we both startle.

“W-what?” his forehead draws in tight. “What has that got to do with—”

“You’re still looking really tired, and Ramy told me that as you’re a new vampire, you need to drink at least four litres of blood a day.”

Golden stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.

Perhaps I have.