Page 5 of Tethered Fates

That…doesn’t happen.

Instead, my world narrows to a single point. It should be suffocating, but all I feel is a vast, dizzying freedom, and when his dark, mysterious eyes hone in on me, stripping me bare, I think he feels the same.

He’s tall and sleek, hair so black it’s a sweep of deepest blue. His skin is fawn-tanned all over, and his dark clothes cling to his straight shoulders and narrow waist like a sheathed weapon. There’s no mistaking that this man, even as he looks at me with a shocked expression, is the deadliest thing I’ve ever encountered.

And I’ve always loved things other people are terrified of.

“Have we… have we met before?” I ask, heart pounding and palms slick.

I know the answer is ‘no’. He’d be impossible to forget. One look and his face is now etched into my mind. But there’s something about him that whispers to me. Something I can’t quite reach, or smell, or touch, or fucking taste, but it’s something and that something is mine.

His breath hitches, and he’s looking at me like I’m a puzzle and a wonder.

“I know you,” I whisper. Sen, Kai said his name was Sen.

I smile. Something’s about to happen. I know it. I can feel it. Something big and scary and amazing.

Sen says something that I don’t catch, but before I can ask him to repeat himself, Kai bolts over and grabs his arm to whisper harsh, quiet words. And Vidar moves closer to me, like he wants to protect me, but that’s the last thing I want.

“Sen, right?” I ask, needing his full attention. “I’m sure we’ve met before.”

I don’t know where or when, but I know him—like I know air and water, the taste of food and the wildness of creativity. He’s all of that and more, so much more.

Sen shakes himself like he’s coming out of a stupor and stumbles back.

“Sorry, kid.” His voice hits with the force of a tornado, and all I want to do is chase it down and make it mine. “You aren’t my type.”

Too late, I realise he’s falling into his car, and his words and their meaning finally catch up with my brain as he makes three quick turns before racing through the gates in a wave of dust.

My heart sinks, my lungs follow. This isn’t…how it’s supposed to go. Right?

Which doesn’t make sense.

But it does?

It’s weird and fun and maybe stupid, but I want him.

Is this a crush? Love at first sight? I feel like I’ve been shooting back sweet as fuck rum all night, and I’m in a mood to make bad decisions.

We know each other—I can sense it. I’m about to drop my board and go after him. Damn if it’s broken, I’ll run if I have to, but Kai’s grabbing hold of my arms in a death grip, and it’s the cup of black coffee I needed, because…Sen just left.

He left me, and it hurts. It hurts until I’m breathless and my stomach rolls. But that only makes me want him more.

I hold back a smile, even as I want to cry. This is…so weird. I love weird.

“Let’s go inside,” Kai insists, tugging me closer. “C’mon.”

I know Sen, and he left me…it shouldn’t matter. It does.

Confused, I let Kai lead me into the mansion, glancing over my shoulder, expecting to see Sen even as the door closes.

Chapter Two - Sen

My car skids and weaves. My tendons, muscles, and everything that I am to the very bone are screaming at me to return to the mansion.

To him.

Holy shit. A soulmate.