Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (16 page)

More
fear.

He's
going to tell someone—someone who he clearly answers to—about
how I've been sensing twaelin.
I
didn't even know
how
I'd been doing it, I'd only pinpointed what I'd been feeling when
Nethiun had encouraged me to feel his energy beating.

Recalling
how he'd forced my hand to his hard chest, feeling the firm muscles,
the strange sensation of his very being pumping to a steady
rhythm... It made me dizzy, my breath short.

No,
I
thought angrily.
Stop,
don't get all goo-goo eyed over this. Sure, he had some moves, and
yes, he was exciting to dance with... and the closest you've ever
been to a guy, any guy, never mind someone as mysterious and
attractive as... as...

Clapping
my hands to my cheeks, I winced. This was not the line of thought I
wanted. Was I as simple as that? So wrapped up in the blood rushing
through my body, was I unable to rationalize how dangerous it was to
even
consider
getting close to a creature like Nethiun?

He
smelled like cloves and cinnamon.

His
words, his teasing, toying way of suggesting I find out just how
human he was, it sent a flutter deep into my belly.

That's
it, I need to go home.

Turning,
spotting Becky wrapped against Ethlyn with her lips glued to his
face, I squealed.

Cracking
one gold eye, he caught me gawking. Whispering something to Becky,
he removed her from the life-or-death hold she had on him.

Though
she pursed her lips into a pout, she still looked my way and gave a
tiny wave. It was too loud to hear her, but she clearly mouthed my
name.

Okay,
here we go, you can do this. Just don't freak out too badly about
Ethlyn. You got this.

Not
entirely sure I did, in fact, have it... I wandered over on stiff
legs, adjusting my dress as I went. “Hey guys,” I said,
my eyes running over Becky's legs. Far too much had become exposed
on her during her time with him.

I
wonder what it's like to kiss a twaelin?

I
regretted that line of thought, cheeks buzzing as I found myself
unable to look Ethlyn straight in the face.

“
Where'd
Nethiun go?” he asked, almost accusingly.

“
Oh,
uh, just... he said he needed to go.” Peeking at Becky, how
she was still unable to stop touching her companion, I pressed on.
“Speaking of which, it's kind of late. Mind if I head out?”

“
What,
now?” she whined, pouting at me with her biggest eyes. “Things
were just getting good.”

Laughing
apologetically, I stared at the spot just beyond Ethlyn's head.
Anything else was too much. “It's fine, you stay. I'll get my
jacket and just walk back, I'll be fine.”

“
No,
let Ethan and me walk back with you. It's too risky alone,
especially in that outfit,” she said, sticking her tongue out
at me.

I
covered my chest nervously. “You picked this out.”

“
And,”
Ethlyn said, “it's quite nice. However, Becky's right. We'll
go back together, it's safer.”

Gingerly,
I let my eyes move enough to see him squinting at me intensely.
Jerking my gaze away again, I coughed.
Safer,
yes, much safer with the guy who tried to drop a sign on me.
“Right.
Okay,” I said lamely.

Honestly,
this is fine. It's better than leaving them alone together.

I
still hated that idea the most.

****

It
was much colder outside than I remembered it being. When I spotted
the time on the large clock in the middle of downtown, I grasped
why.

Is
it seriously already midnight?

Breathing
out a puff of air, watching it dwindle away, I felt a little content
that I had somewhat accomplished my goals for the day.

I
had so many more questions. The more I learned the more I wanted to
know... but at least I DID figure out some stuff today.

I
really just wanted to crack open the book Mr. Birch had given me.

The
walk back to campus was uneventful. Ethlyn said almost nothing,
Becky giggled and primped and just acted like Becky.

Our
heels made a duo of drumming clicks, punctuated by my occasional
stumble. Once, I almost tripped on a crack in the pavement.

“
Here,”
Ethlyn said, offering me his arm. “Let me help, those shoes
are doing you no good.”

Becky
shot me a look that was as much of a warning as if she'd slapped me
on the face. “Uh, no thanks, we're almost there.”

His
stoic face watched me, but he didn't press the issue.

True
to my word, we stumbled up the grassy slope of the campus, the dorms
a welcome sight. Yawning, I headed down the hall, only realizing my
companions weren't with me when my steps echoed alone.

Pausing,
I turned back, seeing them standing by the building doorway. “Guys?”

Clapping
her hands together like she was praying, my roommate put on a
winning smile. “Sorry, I'm going to head back to Ethan's
place.”

Flooding
with worry, I pushed it down as good as I could when I felt that
twaelin eyeing me. “I'll bring her back in one piece,”
he said, chuckling darkly.

Becky
giggled, but I only felt sick.

“
Good
night, Gale,” he said, waving a hand lazily. The other was
wrapped around Becky's thin waist possessively.

Gritting
my jaw, unsure what I could do to prevent this, I just looked at
Becky. “Are you sure?”

Taken
aback, she flashed me a conspiratorial look. “Um, yes? What do
you mean, 'am I sure?'”

Sweat
slid down my back, gluing my dress to my shoulder blades. “Just...
like...”

“
Gale,”
she said firmly. “I'll see you tomorrow, okay?”

There
was no way to convince her, and in that moment, I felt more helpless
than I ever had. How did you warn someone that the guy they were
sleeping with was so deadly? That he wasn't human?

Lifting
my hand, I gave a weak wave. “Just be careful.”

It
was all I could do.

The
pair vanished out into the night, leaving me in the hallway. Hugging
my jacket tight, I pushed into my room, resisting the urge to slam
the door.

Tearing
my hair from the braid she had woven for me, I ignored the sharp
pain of the strands that ripped from my roots.
Why
does she need to go do stuff like that?
Moving
to kick off my heels, I was so exhausted I instead fell sideways,
hitting the edge of my bed.

Grunting,
tears welling in the corners of my eyes, I sat down hard on the
floor. Yanking the shoes off, I threw them at Becky's pillows.
“Stupid,” I sobbed, frustrated that I could do nothing.
“Just stupid, and reckless, and... and...”

Sniffling,
I didn't finish my tirade. I knew it wasn't her fault, how could she
know what Ethlyn really was?

More
so, what he tried to do to me.

I
was terrified for my friend, trying to find ways to convince myself
nothing would happen to her. That she wouldn't end up hurt.

That
she wouldn't end up dead.

Nethiun,
are you watching out for my friends, too? Or do you not think Ethlyn
will harm her?

He
had seemed pretty calm in the club, but could I use that as a gauge
about Becky's safety, even?

Leaning
my temple against my mattress, I breathed in slowly, calming my
nerves. There was nothing I could do, nothing to make the situation
different.

But...

Looking
up, my eyes fell on the heavy book my English teacher had given me.
If
I can't change things now, maybe I can find something out to help me
in the future.

Scrambling
onto my bed, I tugged my jacket and dress off until I was in nothing
but my underwear. I'd wanted the sticky, shiny dress off most of
all. Happily, I threw it in a corner.

Pulling
on a long shirt, one that probably needed a wash since I wore it to
bed so much, I dragged the book onto my knees.

The
texture of the cover reminded me of dry skin, a fact I was quick to
push aside by flipping it open. The paper was terrifyingly fragile.
With careful fingers, I browsed through the pages, not sure what I
was even looking for.

This
seems so old, I didn't expect it to be in English. Who even wrote
this?
Every
page seemed to talk about flora, fauna, different parts of the
globe. There were weird poems mixed inside, as well as little
stories, but nothing that seemed relevant.

Frustrated,
I began flipping through faster, eyes darting side to side to take
in the writing. I hoped I'd find a single word, something that
indicated I should stop and read further.

I
got much more than that.

Towards
the end of the tome, I came across a drawing. Ink wash, black as
night, the sketch was extremely detailed. It depicted a woman,
stretched across the ground in apparent distress.

Her
eyes were wide, empty, mouth forced open in a silent scream. Above
her, like a ghostly image that spread across the entire upper page,
was something monstrous in nature. It had no face that I could see,
but the tendrils drifting off of it were digging into the woman,
draped across her like a hundred strings.

With
my heart thumping, I read the passage below it. At first, it made no
sense to me. It was a story about a human who let a stranger into
her home when he asked for a bit of food. If anything, it seemed a
cautionary tale more than real information.

Then,
I came across the word. The word I'd been searching for, and that
seemed impossible to find anywhere.

Twaelin.
It's calling that dark, horrible thing a twaelin.

Swallowing,
burning like something was watching me, I was reminded of the the
time I'd stayed up late watching horror movies. That same, heavy pit
sat in my stomach.