Chapter Six - Sen
In my long life, I’ve experienced wonders few can claim, even among immortals. I’ve lived through encounters I still don’t know how I survived.
So when Teagan leads me through a chain-link fence, muttering that it’s lunchtime so no one will notice us, I don’t expect him to stop in front of a defunct transmission tower.
He blinks up at me, his absurdly long lashes fanning across his cheeks, as he waits for me to be amazed by the hunk of junk piercing the sky.
My gaze flicks between the tower and Teagan.
“Cool, right?” he says, beaming in his quiet way.
How to tell the potential love of your life that a random transmission tower isn’t the highlight of your day? But I get to be close to Teagan, so I lie through my teeth. “Astounding.”
He makes that noise again, something between a laugh and a snort, and I can tell he knows I’m lying.
“C’mon.” Without another word, Teagan does something I definitely don’t expect, which sends a jolt of panic through me when he grips the tower’s rusty ladder and begins to climb.
“Whoa, whoa!” I grab hold of his hips, barely registering the delicious heat radiating off him through my terror. “What are you doing?”
“Going to the top,” he says, like it’s any old day, and I’d asked what he wanted for dinner. ‘I dunno, tacos?’
“You could fall!”
He stares at me, and though not a single muscle twitches on his face, I get the distinct impression he’s decided I’m the most boring man he’s ever met. Considering all the stupidly reckless things I’ve done, it’s laughable. However, my grip remains firm.
“I’ve done this a thousand times, Sen.”
“That isn’t reassuring, Teagan.”
After another long beat of silence, I slowly—finger by finger—unclamp my hold to, for some reason, allow my very breakable soulmate to climb up a rusted ladder hanging off a tilting tower.
“You can stay down if you’re scared.”
“The only thing I’m scared of is that you’ll break your pretty neck,” I reply as I begin to climb. “But at least I get to look at your pert ass.”
Teagan snorts, my heart leaping every time the metal rungs shake, not even able to enjoy the view of his plump behind as we ascend.
Ready to catch him at any moment, my muscles ache, but despite how fast my heart races, the journey up is a short one, and I can admit the view is nice once we get to the top, standing on perforated sheet metal.
“I had no idea you were such a daredevil,” I tell him as he holds onto the flimsy guard railing.
Teagan puts his full weight on the railing, making it creak. Not trusting that thing to hold up, I scramble to wrap my arm around his middle and pull him against me. This makes him laugh, really laugh. Loud, bright and mischievous, like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Maybe if you didn’t run away, you could’ve gotten to know me.
” Teagan looks out at the grey buildings set against the clear blue sky.
The cold air whistles through his abundance of curls, sending his scent breathing through me.
There is another element to his scent, something I can’t place but is similar to a feeling I once had when I was bored out of my mind in an uninspiring village.
“I know…” I whisper.
It hurts to see the confusion in his gaze. I can’t even imagine how it must feel to suddenly be drawn to a stranger and not understand why.
“I’m a terrible coward and bastard,” I add, hoping he smiles.
He swings his curious gaze to me, and his easy grin is worth everything. It pulls from the corner of his lips, a place I’d love to kiss, as he wraps his arms around my neck. My heart stops, and from his dancing eyes, I can tell Teagan knows he’s driving me insane.
The little brat.
I smirk. I was never going to be able to resist him.
And when was the last time I had this much fun while being terrified?
“Why are you so busy then?” Teagan asks, and for all his loud laughter, his voice remains a husky little timbre.
“My work keeps me busy.” Work I should have been doing instead of searching through his social media. ‘Just a look,’ I promised myself. Then promised again as I tracked him down in person. “I find things—people, objects, whatever they want—and for an exorbitant price.”
Teagan tilts his head, his tight curls bouncing on his shoulders. “Like a detective.”
“Something like that.”
He pauses.
There’s no way this should be relaxing, and yet I find myself doing so. Though my arm stays clamped around his waist. If Teagan wants danger, I’ll give it to him, but I’ll always make sure I’m there to cushion his fall.
Teagan brings two fingers to his lips like he’s smoking a cigarette, then blows out, the air catching his breath and turning it into smoke.
“I want the truth, detective. Find out who killed my husband,” he says like a dame who slinked her way into an office in an old noir movie. “Do you think you’ve got the guts for it?”
I smirk, lean closer to my quiet boy full of surprises, and say like a detective in a smoky office, “I don’t scare easily, sweetheart. But if you’re asking me to dig into your husband’s murder, you’d better be prepared for whatever comes crawling out of the grave.”
“No need to worry about me.” Teagan flicks the ash from his pretend cigarette. “I can handle whatever comes next.”
“You’re trouble, no doubt about that.” I look him over, lower my voice until it’s whiskey smooth. “But I guess that’s the kind of trouble I can’t stay away from.”
Teagan’s smile draws out, slow as molasses, as his curls fall into his mischievous eyes. “Trouble’s my middle name, slick. But you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t curious, would you?”
How I want to kiss Teagan, make him mine. Damn the danger, he might even like it.
He leans in, lips pursed. Eyelids lowering.
But Kai’s voice is something I can’t run away from.
This is dangerous. He might enjoy standing on top of a transmission tower that’s wheezing from our combined body weight, but being close to Teagan means he’s close to blood mages.
I want to keep him safe and happy, show him a world he can’t even begin to comprehend.
My surprising, mischievous little daredevil wants thrills? I’ll give it to him and more.
But not now…
I pull away from our almost kiss. “We should get down.”
I expect anger or hurt. I get neither. Another flash of his confusion that twists in my gut like a knife, and then…resignation.
We climb down the tower, my hands ready to catch him at every step.
But Teagan didn’t lie; he’s done this before and scales down like an expert.
I don’t want to separate now that I know more about him.
I want to be his safety harness when he tries these crazy stunts.
But when we sneak out through the chain-link fence, and I’m left staring at his face, I know I’ll have to let him go to protect him.
“Stay safe, Teagan,” I say, fighting the urge to wrap him back into my arms by stuffing my hands into my pockets.
It is the hardest decision I’ve ever made. The connection that binds our souls throbs, demanding that I claim him.
The pause is long, the distance between us a yawning gap. Soon, I’ll have Summer and Emma’s heads, and I’ll be able to give Teagan everything he deserves.
Then maybe this little twitch of loneliness that annoys the back of my mind, and has been growing each year, will finally stop.
“Will I see you around, slick?” Teagan asks, soft voice nearly lost in the breeze.
I force a smile. “Not yet, sweetheart, but when things calm down...”
For a while longer, our gazes remain connected. I should stop him, should tell him to stay. I don’t. I stand rooted as he turns without a goodbye and lets the windswept city carry him away until he disappears from view.