Page 50 of Worse Fates

“He will,” Ramy answers. “We can eat food but gain nothing from it, unlike blood. However, between couples it’s less about nutrients and more about…”

“Fucking?” Kai offers, eyebrow cocked.

“Intimicay,” Ramy corrects, smiling.

I pull my legs up and rest my chin on my knees to hide the erection straining uncomfortably against my zipper. Never before have I had to deal with random hardons.

“I wish I could explain how I feel, Kai,” I tell him. “But I’ve been fighting my connection with Lucero for what feels like forever.”

“It’s only been a few days, Golden,” Kai says in his best ‘big brother voice’.

I shake my head. “I barely believe it either, and yeah being his reincarnated soulmate does freak me out, but not being with him is like I’m missing a chunk of myself.”

“You’ve mentioned reincarnated soulmates,” Kai replies, sounding confused, “and you really have to explain this to me in more depth.”

So I do, and when I’m done Kai and Ramy have migrated to the bed, laying on either side of me. Kai is the quietest I’ve ever known.

“What did your past selves look like?” he finally asks.

“I have no idea.” Then we both turn to Ramy.

He clears his throat. “Lucero does have portraits of them in the library.”

Kai shoots up. “We gotta check them out.”

“No,” I bark, an awkward blush staining my cheeks as I roll onto my stomach. A terrible feeling of inadequacy makes me want to hide from their prying eyes. “I mean… maybe later.”

Kai’s hand rests in my hair, gently stroking me. “Yeah, you’re right. Besides, no one could be better than you.”

The emotional whiplash I’ve been experiencing since meeting Lucero is exhausting. I never know what I’m feeling from one moment to the next, but I know Lucero can make it better. Which… “It pisses me off how much I need him.”

“As someone who has one true love out there, this sounds great to me,” Kai says and I roll my eyes. “But if you want, Ican hotwire his fancy car and we can get outta here?” Kai jokes, but if I said yes he’d be smuggling me outta this mansion in a heartbeat.

Glancing at Ramy, my mouth pulls into a smile. “You wanna come with, Ramy? We can start a band and take this show on the road.”

Ramy straightens, surprised that I’d even include him in our get away plan. At first he seems uncomfortable, but then asks, “What should we name our band?”

“My Three Remaining Brain Cells?” I reply playfully.

Kai laughs out loud, Ramy chuckles in that way new friends do—a bit hesitant, and a little too low. Like he doesn’t wanna be too loud and scare us away.

“I’m gonna stay,” I admit. “And not just because I kinda wanna try this newfangled thing called sex.”

Kai’s eyes light up in a way that I know he’s about to do something ridiculous. For a few seconds he digs through his pocket, then pulls out a folded piece of paper; like he’s found the holy grail. “Talking about sex. Me and Ramy made you a list.”

Ramy clears his throat. “I would just like to say, while I agreed with the sentiment, I did not help write this list.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” I ask as Kai shoves the list into my hands. Confused, I sit up and unfold it.

Golden’s Guide to Fucking Vampires:

? Speak your mind; do you like what’s happening?

? Consent is Sexy!

? Ask Lucero if he tops or bottoms—

I scrunch the list in my hands and shove it back into Kai’s, but he refuses to take it.