Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (23 page)

Shifting
between realities, watching the world shift from colorless, to
vibrant, than back again, I eventually found myself standing on top
of one of the campus buildings.

Staring
down at the earth, chill wind tugging against my shirt and fighting
to throw me down to the world below, I scanned the area.

Sensing
a twaelin was difficult if you weren't actively searching for them
with every little bit of focus.

Unless
you're Gale Everette, for some strange reason.

Squinting
at the milling students, I didn't halt my sudden smirk.
Then
again, finding Ethlyn is easy when he tries to hide in plain sight.

He
could fool humans with his guise, but not me. No, I could see him
buzzing with energy, propped on the stone wall of the commons.

I
almost left him alone, debating on watching him from afar to see
what he was up to.

However,
that would have been much too boring.

Flickering
off the roof, I appeared in the gap between, strolling out into the
grassy campus with a delighted expression.

I,
too, knew enough about how to fit in. Though, in the end, I didn't
care as much about such things. If a human suspected something about
me, it wouldn't matter.

What
could they even do? I wasn't trying to live some pretend life among
them that could be threatened with ruin.

“
Hello,
Ethan
,”
I said brightly, sitting down beside the twaelin on the wall. The
way he jumped, the mixture of surprise that shifted to pure disgust
in his eyes...

It
was lovely.

“
Get
the hell out of here,” he mumbled, scooting along the wall
away from me.

Cracking
my knuckles, I resisted the urge to follow after him. “Waiting
for someone? Gale, perhaps?”

“
It's
none of your business,” he growled, staring off towards where
I knew the park was.

Following
his gaze, my pale eyes studied the trees as they waved in the
distance. “On the contrary, it's certainly my business. Were
you hoping to get some time alone to talk with her, to whisper some
lies in her head without me around?”

I
didn't expect the sly grin he shot over at me. “Actually, her
and I caught up earlier.”

Keeping
my smile steady, I lifted my eyebrows an inch. “Did you, now.
And how did that go for you?”

His
grin faltered, which was a pleasure all its own.

“
Not
so well, I take it,” I sighed. “What were you trying to
do to the poor girl?”

“
Nothing,”
he growled, a childish nature to his hunched shoulders. “Just
tried to tell her how dangerous you and your Mistress were.”

Scratching
at my cheek, I glanced off to the side. “Much worse than you
and your Corpse King, I'm sure.”

“
Of
course we're better!” Those enraged eyes, yellow as saffron,
narrowed at me. “Unless you're going to try and tell me that
your Queen isn't planning something terrible for Gale.”

I
couldn't tell you that, actually,
I
thought to myself.
I'm
not positive what she wants to do, if anything.

Instead
of admitting any of that, I just shrugged. “Why do you even
care?”

Ethlyn
turned away, his profile sharp with how tight his jaw was clenched.
Intrigued, I slid closer to him, my voice a whisper. “Are you
sitting here, waiting for Gale, because your Master told you to? Or
is there possibly more going on?”

Once
more, he gave my silence. I could see the way his hands were
gripping the stone wall.

“
For
that matter,” I said, tilting my head to one side. “I've
been wondering, why did you change your name to something like
'Ethan?'”

The
twaelin kept glowering, the sound of his breathing reaching my ears.
I could feel the rippling in his energy, the way his anger grew.
Twaelin couldn't feed off of the emotion of each other, but that
didn't matter.

It
was still satisfying to see him riled up.

“
Is
it perhaps some misguided attempt to seem more human?” I mused
out loud.

His
fist came around, clearly aiming for my head. Smoothly, I leaned
away, his knuckles tickling me with a breeze as they went by.
Sliding from the wall, I landed on the ground with my hands in my
pockets.

Ethlyn
bared his teeth, pushing his face to the limit. “Shut up! What
the hell do
you
know about any of that?”

Glancing
around, I felt the wash of confused nerves from nearby students who
had witnessed the attempted assault. “What, indeed?” I
asked, looking at him with a sideways smile.

He
caught the warning in my look, his face twisting in frustrated
guilt. Turning back, he once more stared out into the distance.

The
crowd, seeing nothing more was going to happen, went about their day
again.

Sidling
up closer to Ethlyn, but not near enough to risk him hitting me
again, I dropped my voice. “Did you make the name up, or was
it the name of the boy you killed when you changed?”

“
I
didn't kill anybody,” he responded, eyeing me with that
familiar distaste. “Not all twaelin have to be as brutal as
you.”

“
That's
a bit judgmental, the only person I've been brutal against has been
you, and you're the one who was always looking for the fight.
Besides,” I shrugged, “it isn't like you stay dead,
what's the problem? Pride?”

He
gripped the wall like it was a lifeline. “It's been a long
time since then, do you want to see if you're still as good as you
think?”

“
Not
right now, destroying you is pointless. It has been some time,
though, since the last.” Chuckling, I gave him a knowing look.
“Back on that topic. That isn't your default body, I noticed
it when you attacked me a few nights ago. If you didn't consume a
human to get it, please explain your secret to me.”
If
he didn't kill and absorb someone to gain that form he's wearing,
what did he do?

Ethlyn
glared at me, but we were interrupted before he could spit out
whatever insult he'd been planning.

“
Hey!
Hey, you guys!”

Turning,
we watched as Becky bounced our way. She was dressed in a short coat
with the hood up, reminding us all that the rain could fall any
minute. “Hey,” she said again, teeth flashing with her
bright smile. A smile that was, surely, planted firmly on Ethlyn.
“Ethan, Nethiun, I'm glad I found you guys. Have you seen
Gale?”

“
Earlier,”
Ethlyn said, viewing Becky with only partial interest. Again, he
stared out at where the park was.

I
was clever enough to know that Gale had to be out that way. Ethlyn
was telegraphing his unconscious thoughts like a beacon.

“
Oh,”
Becky said, a strong vibe of unease rolling off of her. She was
staring at the twaelin, making it obvious she wanted his attention.
“Uh, well, where did she go off to?”

Shrugging,
he didn't bother to look her way. “I don't know, why?”

Goodness,
that's some odd behavior for someone who was all over the girl last
night.

Becky
clearly thought so, too. Frowning, her hands gripped her hips as her
tone drawled with irritation. “Because I was going to see if
you all wanted to go out to the festival tonight. I thought it would
be fun.”

Smiling,
I gave the curly haired girl an attentive squint. “A festival,
that
does
sound fun.”

Nodding,
she flicked her eyes between me and Ethlyn, pouting solidly. “Yeah,
I thought so too. But I need to find Gale, to ask her if she—oh!”
Pointing, she waved her arm at a figure walking our way across the
grass. “There she is! Hey! Gale!”

I
lit up, spotting the red-head as she wandered our way. She'd seen us
for sure, her expression melting from mild relief, to unease.

The
cloud of vibrant emotions dancing around her like a delicious feast,
it was easy to tell she was looking at me.
What's
all that about? Last I saw her, she was angry I was leaving.
Covertly,
I glanced at Ethlyn.
Oh
yes, that's right. He mentioned he'd been meddling.

With
some disdain, I saw he was eyeing her, too. The look on his face
reminded me of a puppy who was hoping for a treat. I didn't like it
one bit.

Clearing
my throat, long strides took me across the commons to meet Gale on
the green slope. As I passed Ethlyn, I shot him a warning glare.

“
Nethiun,”
Gale said when I closed in, her brows crawling upwards. With glee, I
watched them fly to her hairline when I leaned down, fastening the
top button of her jacket.

“
You
should be careful,” I said soothingly, looking her straight in
the face. “You don't need to get sick from this weather, hm?”

The
blush that spread through her porcelain skin was wonderful. I could
almost hear her heart. I could certainly feel the giant, pulsing
clouds of excitement and anxiety she advertised.

Swallowing,
she didn't pull away. “Th—thanks. Uh, what's going on?
Why is everyone here, were you guys waiting for me?”

Shrugging,
I stood up and glanced over my shoulder. Becky looked delighted by
the show I'd put on, but Ethlyn couldn't hide his fury. “Your
friend there, Becky, she was looking for you. Apparently she wants
to go to some festival tonight.”

Gale
nodded slowly, seeming to understand. “Oh, right. I guess she
would. But what about Ethlyn—Ethan—whatever,” she
sighed. “Why is he here?”

“
No
doubt following you.”

Staring
around me at the gold-eyed twaelin, she reached out, touching my
arm. It surprised me, enough that I turned back to face her fully.
“Listen, Nethiun. I need to talk to you.”

“
Then
talk,” I said, blinking at her seriousness.

Shaking
her head, she smoothed her hair self-consciously. “There's too
much to say here, especially with those two waiting right over there
for us to come back. We can do it later, but...” Looking up at
me, she parted her glossy lips, then bit the bottom one. “Nethiun,
I met Ethlyn's Master. I met the Corpse King.”

My
smile vanished. “You did.”
He
came out so boldly like that?
My mind was buzzing with the thing I truly wanted to know, though.
“What did he say to you?”

She
didn't answer at first. Letting her hand drift from me, she lowered
her eyes. “The same things Ethlyn did. That the Queen of
Dreams, your Mistress, is dangerous.” Gale met my emotionless
face. “That you're dangerous, Nethiun.” Then she slipped
around to walk towards Becky.

Valenforth
and his servant, both working against me. Lovely.
Following
her with my eyes, I soon followed her with my feet, too.

Becky
jumped on the girl, hugging her with elation. “Gale! Hey,
listen. I have a great idea for tonight.”

“
The
Fall festival,” Gale answered, disengaging from her friend
with a little laugh. “I know, Nethiun mentioned it just now.”