Chapter Six
Anton
TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO
I fixed the sleeve of my collared shirt as I walked out of my office, taking a look around my bookstore.
It only made sense that I opened a bookstore thirty years ago. Reading was my favorite hobby and had been for many years. I wanted to share the joy of reading with anyone and everyone, so this had been a natural move. When I first discovered bookstores many, many years ago, I’d had trouble buying books simply because most bookstores closed before dark, and being a vampire, I hadn’t been able to go inside. Which was the main reason I kept mine open twenty-four hours a day.
I knew there were other vampires in the area that appreciated it.
Typically, I stayed in my store throughout the night because I enjoyed the atmosphere, but tonight, I was hungry. I needed to feed.
Sometimes, I wished I could at least supplement my blood intake with actual food, but even if I ate something, it would do nothing for me at all. It certainly wouldn’t curb my appetite. It had been so very long since food sustained me that I didn’t actually miss it. I only missed the convenience of it.
“Dain,” I called out to the cashier.
He turned to me. “Yes?”
“I’m going out for a bit. Call me if there’s a problem, yes?”
He sent me a reassuring smile. “Of course. Don’t worry”—he patted the counter—“she’s in good hands.”
“I know she is.” I only hired the best, and I trusted my employees. Dain had been working for me for over five years at this point. He knew what he was doing. I gave him a nod, then made my way out the door.
There were a few places in the city where I could buy a glass or two of blood, but I was in the mood for something fresh, something—or someone—I could bite my fangs into. I could head to The Broken Stake Pub, a bar where eager humans offered their veins simply for the thrill and excitement of it, but I wasn’t sure I’d like that environment tonight.
I wanted something more… intimate. More personal.
It was too bad I didn’t have a deal with a local human so I could feed in the peace of my bookstore or at home in my living room. But it’d been a long time since I’d had a friend like that. I suppose I didn’t interact with enough humans to have a chance to form that kind of bond again.
That was something I’d have to think on in the future, but it was inconsequential and unhelpful at the moment.
If I wanted the vein tonight, and I didn’t want to go to a bar, where could I find a willing donor? It was unlikely a stranger on the street would allow me to feed from them. And Sedoba had strict rules about consent. Rules I agreed with and abided by meticulously.
In my younger days, I wasn’t as… kind about who I fed from, but that was a long time ago, and I was much older and more experienced than I’d been back then. I could never make up for some of the things I’d done, but I could certainly do better now.
Maybe I could convince one of the local prostitutes to let me feed off them. That might be a good solution.
I sighed to myself. It was pathetic that I’d rather spend time in a dirty alley with a sex worker than go to one of the local vampire haunts and spend time with my people. But… I did.
The thought of speaking to other vampires in the city tonight was as unappealing to me as licking the ground at my feet. It wasn’t that I disliked them—I thought of some of them as friends—I simply wasn’t in the mood to socialize.
I walked to my car, got in, and headed to the seedier side of town. I found a parking spot, got out, locked the car up tight, and grimaced. Hopefully when I came back, I’d still have tires on my vehicle.
I headed toward an alley where I knew some sex workers stayed. I really hoped I could convince one of them to let me feed from them. I’d pay them good money, and they’d surely be safer with me than with many of the tricks they pulled, but some people were scared of vampires. I couldn’t blame them. We were predators, after all.
Before I turned the corner, I heard someone moaning, so I paused because I didn’t want to interrupt. And I certainly didn’t want to see it. From the sounds of it, they were almost finished anyway.
A deep moan rumbled down the alleyway before a popping sound filled the space. A voice mumbled something I couldn’t understand, so I figured they were finished.
I rounded the corner, and two pairs of eyes turned to me. There was a witch leaning against the wall with his pants down, and a fae kneeling before him, wiping his mouth.
As I moved farther into the alley, the fae’s eyes went wide. When those pretty green eyes met mine, I came to an abrupt stop, and the air knocked from my lungs—not that I needed it to breathe.
Never in my life had I seen anyone more beautiful than the green-haired, green-eyed androgynous fae before me. He was stunning with his pointed ears with earrings in them, his green hair shorter on the sides, longer on top, and styled in a messy-but-neat way. His nose piercing fit his absolutely gorgeous face.
Those eyes caught me in their gaze, and I couldn’t look away—I didn’t want to.
I watched the gorgeous fae take a breath before pulling his gaze away from mine and standing. He held his hand out to the witch, who paid him, threw a condom on the ground, and quickly fled the alley as he fixed his pants. The fae discreetly rinsed his mouth out with water from a bottle, spit it out, and put a piece of gum in his mouth. He tried for discretion, but my gaze was fixed on him so I saw it.
And then the fae met my eyes again, and I felt like I was falling into the abyss. My feet moved of their own accord, and I soon found myself standing in front of the man, looking down at the sweetest face I’d ever seen.
“Hi there, sweet fae,” I said, but my voice came out rough and husky.
He sucked in a breath. “Hi.” Even his voice was sweet. He blinked and cleared his throat a few times before something shuddered over his eyes, as if he was placing a mask over himself and his emotions. “You want a turn, gorgeous?” He made a flirty face, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. “What are you in the mood for tonight, handsome?”
This was wrong. Not that I thought being a prostitute was wrong—I had nothing against people who made their living that way. But the way this sweet fae was staring at me, the way I felt pulled to be close to him, I… I didn’t want to take advantage.
I felt… protective of him.
And it was clear to me that his heart and body weren’t as willing as he was pretending.
As he reached out to touch me, I grabbed his hand with mine and laid it flat against my chest, covering it with my own. “Lovely fae, I don’t want anything from you, except maybe a date.”
His eyes flicked up to mine, curious and confused. “A date?”
“Yes. It’s late, so not much is open. Maybe a diner? I would love to buy you some dinner. Or at least a coffee?”
He was still staring at me like I had three heads.
He stepped back, and I felt the pang of loss as soon as our hands separated, which made little sense.
“You really want a date? Like… a real date?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
His eyes narrowed. “Even after you saw”—he waved his hands around wildly, gesturing toward the spot he’d been servicing that witch—“ that , you want a date? With me?”
“Absolutely.”
He stared for another long minute. “No strings attached?”
“None at all. I want to take you to get some food or drinks or whatever you prefer and maybe get to know you a little.”
“No expectations of anything else?”
“Of course not.” He was so used to people being cruel and clearly trying to trick him, so I added, “A real date, darling. I promise.”
After a slight hesitation, the sweet fae said, “There’s a diner about two blocks away. We could walk there…?”
A smile bloomed on my face. “That’s perfect.” I waved him on. “Lead the way, my dear.”
He sent me a hesitant smile before walking out of the alley. I caught up to him so I could walk beside him, and I was grateful for the late hour when I realized not many people were out.
The fae kept glancing around, taking in our surroundings, and it only took me a moment to realize he was doing it to watch for an attack. For some reason, I had the feeling he had experience with that, and I… I didn’t like the way that made me feel.
My fangs itched to bite whoever it was that’d hurt him in the past.
I shook off those feelings because, at least for tonight, I could keep him safe. And if I had it my way, I’d be seeing him again soon. I could protect him then as well.
He kept shooting glances my way, and every time he did, a phantom heartbeat thumped in my chest.
“What’s your name, darling?”
He glanced at me, hesitating for a few beats before he spoke. “Rydel.”
Rydel. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like the name didn’t quite fit him, like perhaps it wasn’t his real name. But I didn’t call him on it. I’d simply have to gain his trust before he was honest with me, and that would take time.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rydel. I’m Antiochus Orsovias, at your service.”
I honestly had no idea why I’d given him my true name—the name I’d been given when I was still human so many years ago—but it’d flowed off my tongue before I could stop it. I went by Anton these days, but giving him my true name felt… right. This pull I felt toward him was doing funny things to my brain. And my heart.
Perhaps a part of me had wanted to share something with him, something I guarded, something no one besides my children knew.
“Nice to meet you, Antiochus.” His voice was soft but strong and sounded melodic to my ears. The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. I hadn’t heard anyone say it aloud in hundreds of years, and it made my heart flutter to know it was him, this sweet fae, who finally said it. He gestured to the diner. “We’re here.”
I opened the door and waved him inside, then followed behind him.
A woman behind the counter called out, “Sit wherever you want. I’ll be out with menus in a few minutes.”
When she brought them over, I said, “I’m paying, so please get whatever you want.”
Rydel frowned at me. “I can pay for my own meal.”
I sent him a smile, hiding my surprise carefully. “I invited you, and as my date, I’d like to pay for your meal… if that’s alright with you?”
He stared at me for several seconds before giving me a single nod. “Alright. Fine. Thank you.” A few minutes passed with us reading over the menu, but Rydel suddenly put his menu down, frowning even harder than before. “I don’t usually do that, you know.” He waved his hand, and it took me a second to realize he meant what he’d been doing outside, providing sexual services to people.
“It’s okay if you do. I don’t—”
He cut me off. “No. I don’t usually do that, but I was short this month because I had to pick up some medicine for…” He waved that away. “Doesn’t matter why, but I had to pay the rent.” Under his breath, he muttered, “Gotta keep a roof over my sisters’ heads.” I knew I wasn’t supposed to hear that last part, so I didn’t comment or ask anything about his sisters.
Instead, I said, “Okay. I understand. You’ll find no judgment from me, Rydel.” Not that I liked the thought of him touching someone else, but I had no right to judge him for it.
His gaze swept up to mine, and he held it there for a few seconds. “Thank you.”
I sent him a smile, then reached across the table and patted his hand. I wanted to pick it up and cradle it in my own, press my lips to his knuckles, and tangle our fingers together, but I was sure that’d be a step too far. So I yanked my hand back and held onto the menu for dear life so I didn’t touch him again.
The last thing I wanted was to scare him away.
Whatever I was feeling toward him was… more. Not simply attraction, but something I didn’t want to put a name to when we’d only just met.
“Can you… can you eat food?” Rydel winced. “Sorry, that was rude. Please forgive me.”
I waved him off, not minding the distraction from my thoughts or the question itself one bit. “I’m old enough that I can enjoy the taste of food now and then. I only eat it on special occasions.”
His eyebrows lifted. “I… didn’t know that was a thing.”
I shrugged. “There’s a lot about my kind you can’t read in books, and I’m sure it’s the same with the fae. Even many young vampires aren’t knowledgeable about the things we can do when we’re older.”
His lips curled up on one side, and it was the most adorable expression I’d ever seen. “That makes sense. I doubt there are many supernaturals out there that have every single one of their abilities written down for all to see.” He cleared his throat and did a small and charming shrug. “I just didn’t want to eat in front of you with you watching me. That’d be awkward.”
I chuckled. “Fair enough. Don’t worry, I’ll eat something so you don’t have to put on a show for me.”
He snorted in amusement, and that made me smile more than I already was. How did this little fae keep getting cuter and more adorable by the second?
After we ordered and the menus were taken back, we stared at one another again until Rydel cleared his throat and asked, “So, uh… what do you do for work?”
“I own a business. I opened a—”
“Would either of you like some coffee?” the waitress interrupted.
Rydel accepted some, but I declined. Unless that coffee had blood in it, I didn’t particularly want any.
“Soooo… where did you grow up? Have you always lived in Sedoba?” Rydel asked me.
“No, I actually grew up in Brinnswick, believe it or not. Though I’ve been living in Sedoba long enough I think I could be considered a native.”
“Psh. You can’t just claim you’re a native because you’ve been here a while. Call yourself a local? Yes. Native? Definitely not.”
“That seems quite unfair.”
He grinned at me and shrugged. “I’m not the one who makes the rules.”
I snorted. “Okay, fine. I’m native to Brinnswick, but I’ve been living here for well over a millennium.”
His eyes widened. “No way. You can’t be that old.”
“I really can be.” I laughed at his expression.
“Holy shit. How the… why the hell are you here with me then? You’re probably richer than the damn king himself.”
I leaned in close. “I’m here with you because you caught my eye with your beauty the second I saw you, and I’m completely intrigued. You seem sweet and have a good sense of humor, and I want to get to know you, Rydel. I feel… I feel like I need to get to know you.”
Gods above and below, I hoped he could feel it too.
From the way he stared at me, I was almost sure he could.
He whispered, “I… need to get to know you too.”
Hope and happiness bloomed in my chest at that. He felt it too.
And if he felt a pull to me, that had to mean something, right? It had to mean he was my…
I cut that train of thought off because this was only our first time meeting. I needed to take a breath and stop putting so much pressure on this little surprise date.
I cleared my throat. “So what about you? Were you born here?”
“Yes. Born and raised in Sedoba. I’ve never even traveled outside of the territory before.”
“Really? Do you want to travel?”
He laughed. “I’d love to if I had the time and money.”
I hid my frown by taking a sip of my water. When the liquid hit my tongue, all I could think about was how amazing it’d taste if it was Rydel’s blood instead.
But that was definitely getting ahead of myself there.
“Where all have you traveled?” he asked me, distracting me, thank goodness. I didn’t want him to think I only wanted him for his blood.
“Oh, I’ve gone all over, to every continent and nearly every country.”
“No way!”
I smirked. “I have.”
“Well, I suppose if you’re old as dirt, it makes sense.”
I chuckled at the sass. Adorable.
The two of us ended up diving into an amazing conversation about all the places around the world I’d seen, and all the places he’d like to travel. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious. I’d never met anyone more intriguing or lovely in my very long life, and my eyes stayed on him the entire time. They didn’t stray, and I didn’t want them to. This little fae had captured me in his snare, and I was happy to be caught.
Especially since he was staring at me too.
All too soon, we were finished with our meal, and I couldn’t think of an excuse to linger any longer. So I paid the bill, left a nice tip, and the two of us walked out of the diner.
But I wasn’t ready for the night to end, so I kept the conversation going. Maybe I could convince him to take a longer walk with me if I kept him talking. “So tell me, if you could be anything in the world, what would it be?”
“Oh, that’s easy. I’d be a gardener. And before you tell me to reach for something bigger or anything like that, let me remind you that I’m a nature fae. My love for plants is unmatched, and I’m good at caring for them. I’ve always loved gardening.” He paused for a moment. “It’s something I used to do with my mom before she got sick.” He shook himself, like he was trying to rid himself of bad memories before he smiled at me. “So yeah, a gardener. I know it’s nothing fancy, but I—”
“That sounds lovely and would be a wonderful job to have.”
He eyed me for a long moment. “Are you only saying that to be nice or do you truly believe it?”
“I believe it. I honestly don’t understand why so many people look down on others because of the jobs they have. Most of the time, the jobs people frown upon are the ones that no one else wants to do, and yet, they’re some of the most needed. If you’re happy with your job, then who cares what anyone else thinks anyway?”
Rydel gave me a little shoulder-bump, but since he was shorter than me, his shoulder hit my biceps. “I agree with you wholeheartedly.”
“Tell me more about your gardening. Do you have houseplants? Or a backyard garden? I hear it’s difficult to plant a lot of things outside in Sedoba because it’s so cold and our summers are short and don’t get very hot.” I was the opposite of a green thumb, so I was in the dark about plants, so to speak. I was a creature of the night, not the sun after all.
He nodded. “That’s true, but I have better luck than most. I can plant anything, but it wouldn’t stay alive long without my magic. I live in an apartment, so I only have some houseplants inside. In the summer, I hang some in the windows or on the fire escape, but once it starts getting cold at night, I bring them inside. I wish I could make a garden on the roof, but the owner of the building won’t let me.” He shrugged, but I could tell it bothered him.
“Do you have a lot of plants inside?”
He grinned. “Probably more than I should have.”
“What kind?”
He eyed me again. “Are you sure you want to keep talking about this?”
I nodded. “One hundred percent sure. I like hearing about it.” Of course I did; his eyes lit up when he spoke of something he loved.
“Okaaay, if you say so.”
He started telling me about every plant he had, and I could only stare at him in wonder. As he spoke, his hands gestured wildly as his eyes lit up in happiness, and I honestly didn’t think I’d ever seen anything so beautiful in my life.
By the time we reached my car, I was so enraptured by him that I never wanted to let him go. I wanted to put him in my car, drive home, and keep him in my home with me, always.
When we stopped walking, we faced each other, and I had the feeling that he didn’t want to leave yet either. He had to feel this connection. It was so strong it felt like there was an invisible thread pulling us together. He had to feel it too. If he didn’t, he likely would’ve left already.
Right?
Following my instincts, I stepped closer to him, and when he didn’t step back or show any fear, I moved even closer.
“You really are quite beautiful,” I whispered as I stared into his bright green eyes.
His lips quirked up a tiny bit. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” He sounded breathy and as affected by me as I was by him.
I stepped into his space, and he put a palm on my chest. That small touch ignited something inside of me. Before I knew what I was doing, I had my hands on his hips and was leaning down, going in for a kiss. I stopped an inch away from his luscious lips, giving him a chance to push me away. But Rydel met my eyes, then closed that final distance.
The first brush of his lips made my entire body come alive as my soul sang within me.
I cupped the back of his head with one hand while the other wrapped around his waist, holding him tight against my body. And then I deepened the kiss, and the moan he let out was music to my ears.
His tongue brushed mine, and I felt his magic, fresh and earthy, come bursting out of him in a swirl around us as my vampire magic—the magic that kept me alive—reached out for him in return.
The second our magics touched, it was like a piece of myself I didn’t know was missing slotted into place. He was the missing part of my soul that I’d longed to find for thousands of years.
And finally, finally, I had him in my arms.
Rydel gasped, so I knew he felt it too. He dove into the kiss with new vigor, and I was lost in him. The world could’ve fallen down around us, and I wouldn’t have noticed.
He felt like heaven wrapped in a tiny package that I wanted to unwrap and worship for the rest of my years. This sweet fae felt like the answer to all my prayers, and I wanted to pay homage to him and thank every deity for bringing him to me. His blood sang to me, the scent of him making my fangs ache even as my prick stood erect and longed for friction.
We kissed and held each other and soaked in everything that was us for a long time until I had the urge, the need, for more. And I could feel his need building as well.
I backed him against the wall, then scooted around the corner so we were off the main street. As soon as we were hidden, I reached for his member, rubbing it through his pants and eliciting more of those amazing moans from his mouth.
“Oh Mother of All,” he breathed out before reaching for my own erection, and I groaned.
I moved my hips against him, and a deep rumble came out of my chest. He answered it with a tiny whimper that I kissed away as I fumbled both our pants open.
There was barely any air between us, but I managed to hold both our pricks in my hand, moving up and down as we thrust and panted together. Rydel had me so on edge already that it didn’t take long for me to feel the pleasurable tingle, warning me I was about to erupt.
“Oh fuck,” he whispered against my lips, and I knew he was just as close, so I sped up my hand, determined to take us both to the edge.
When my orgasm exploded only a few strokes later, I cried out as bliss ran through my veins, and my soul reached out to Rydel’s. He was only a few seconds behind me, and when he came, I felt his pleasure echo through my body as our souls met and danced in joy around us, our magics colliding in a flurry of excitement.
“Antiochus,” he breathed against me. “I feel…”
“Me too, my darling.” I pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then rested our foreheads together, closing my eyes and breathing him in. My fangs ached with the need to bite, but I ignored it. I was still hungry, but I could wait until I got home to eat from a blood bag. This was far more important than anything else.
“Antiochus?”
I blinked and leaned back a little to meet his eyes. “Yes, my sweet fae?”
“Bite me, Antiochus. Please. I know you’re hungry,” he whispered as he tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck.
He could tell I was hungry? Had our magics really meshed so much in such a short time? I blinked at him, but my teeth were tingling even more from the aromatic smell of his blood combined with his suggestion. Mother of All, I was dying for a taste. “Are you sure, my darling? I’ll be okay if you don’t want me to.”
He met my gaze. “I’m sure. Bite me. Please .”
I felt the truth of his words in my bones, so I sucked in a breath, and when he tilted his head to the side again, I bit down as gently as I could. Using my vampire magic, I pushed warmth and affection and pleasure toward him to take away the ache. I knew the initial bite stung, but as soon as I sucked in and the venom of my fangs touched him, he would feel nothing but the bliss I was exuding.
Rydel let out a moan, and I felt his prick twitch just as mine did in response.
I sucked in a long draw of blood, and I moaned too. Mother of All, I’d never tasted anything so amazing in my long life. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and had that fae spice I loved so much. There were so many flavors in his blood, I wasn’t sure I could name them all, not without more examination and many, many, many more samples. His blood was the most delicious and flavorful thing I’d ever tasted.
Fuck, I wanted to drink him for hours.
But I wouldn’t take enough to hurt him. I’d never do that, not to this sweet, delicious fae.
Keeping my fangs in his neck, I gripped both our cocks, hard again from the blood exchange. I stroked them together, and I felt Rydel tremble beneath my touch. I pushed more and more of my vampire magic into him, adding to his pleasure. Hearing him, feeling him, and tasting him had me close to the edge already.
“Oh, Antiochus,” he murmured, grabbing onto me like he was holding on for dear life.
That did it. That sent me over the edge. Again. My vision whited out, but I was vaguely aware of him yelling out as we both spilled over my hand, our bellies, and chests, making an even bigger mess. Not that I cared at all.
Our magics sang again, happy at our closeness, trying to familiarize themselves.
I rode out my pleasure, not letting him go, not pulling out my fangs, wanting it to last forever.
But eventually, the pleasure ebbed, and I gently pulled my fangs out of his neck. Then I licked his skin so the healing properties in my saliva would seal the small wounds.
We were both breathing hard, and I rested my forehead against his again as we caught our breaths.
Gods above and below, where had this magnificent man been hiding all my life?
How was I ever going to let him go?
Could I convince him to come home with me? Or… snag an invite back to his place?
It was a few minutes before either of us spoke, and it was Rydel who broke the silence. “That was… intense.”
I snorted out a laugh. “I think you mean amazing.”
“That too.” He sucked in a shaky breath.
After a few more minutes of simply standing together and basking in our afterglow, I leaned back to meet his gaze. I ran my fingers over his cheek and pushed a stray hair behind his ear. “You’re amazing, Rydel.”
Something flashed behind his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of voices reached both our ears—I obviously hadn’t been paying attention or I would’ve noticed much sooner—and Rydel gave me a small push to give him room so we could tuck ourselves away.
I quickly situated myself, wiping my hand off on the inside of my shirt to deal with later. I already missed the heat of his body.
As if on cue, as soon as we were both dressed appropriately, we came together with lips and tongue and teeth, arms gripping one another tightly.
What was this emotion? Why was I so overwhelmed with the desire—no, the need —to have him close to me? Could this really be what I’d been waiting for, who I’d been waiting for, for centuries?
We kissed for a long time before slowing down and parting our lips enough to breathe each other in.
His sweet green eyes glanced up at me, and I couldn’t help but give him a chaste kiss before I whispered, “Come home with me.”
He sucked in a deep breath, and I saw a flash of desire in his eyes before a look of heaviness overtook him. “I can’t. I’ve already been out far longer than I should’ve. The babysitter’s gonna be upset with me if I don’t go home soon.”
Babysitter? He had kids? Or did he mean the sisters he’d mentioned earlier? He was so damn young for all the responsibility that came with kids. Disappointment didn’t even cover how I felt, but I didn’t want to make him feel bad, so I nodded. “Alright. Can we exchange numbers?”
He smiled. “Of course.”
I stepped back, and we both pulled out our phones, but my wallet came with mine since I’d stuffed both in my back pocket. I glanced at it, then replayed what Rydel had said about being short for rent this month.
I glanced at him, then back at my wallet. I had cash on me. Without much thought, I pulled out everything I had—it was a lot more than I’d realized, which was good—and held it out to him.
He froze, staring at my outstretched hand.
“I had a lovely time tonight, and I don’t know if this is enough—”
“I don’t need your money.” Rydel looked up at me, and instead of seeing the sweet eyes he’d been giving me all night, he had fire in them. Hot lava of anger with a dash of… hurt? He was pissed. And upset. What? Why? What was going on?
“But you—”
“I should’ve known better.” Under his breath he muttered, “For fuck’s sake, Ker, why would you possibly think a nice vampire actually wants you?”
Shocked, I stepped backward. “What?”
Those fiery eyes met mine again. “Go to hell. And next time, don’t pretend you like a whore if all you really are is a trick.” He turned on his heel and marched away, leaving me absolutely flabbergasted.
What in the hell had just happened?
I stood there in shock for several seconds before I shook myself out and ran after him. He’d misunderstood, obviously, but I cringed when I thought about how that’d looked from his perspective. Mother of All, I was an idiot.
When I turned the corner in the direction he’d walked, I didn’t see him.
“Rydel?” I called out, but no one answered.
I rushed as quickly as I could down the street to no avail, and I couldn’t tell which way he’d gone at the street light.
“Rydel!” I shouted as loud as I could.
No one answered.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Rydel!”
When he still didn’t respond, I backtracked and searched each and every alley along the way. I didn’t find him. Where could he have gone so quickly? I walked down another street, thinking that maybe he’d turned, but there was no sign of the green-haired fae anywhere.
I went back to the alley near my car and restarted the journey. Surely, I could find some sign of him.
My heart felt heavy, my chest tight, and my mind was frantic as I searched and searched and searched.
We hadn’t even exchanged numbers, and he didn’t give me his last name. How in the world would I find him? I had to find him. I had to.
Oh, gods above and below, please let me find him.
But he was nowhere to be found.
I searched until the sun crested over the city.
But my sweet little fae was gone.