Chapter 8 #2
His thumbs rubbed the back of my hands, a grounding motion that somehow made my pulse race. His gaze lingered, unspoken questions hovering in the air between us. I knew he wanted to ask who the man was.
And I didn’t want to tell him it was him.
My wraith had been attached to Abram in such a way that she wanted me to take the threads of his soul and make them ours. So, I had no choice but to lock her away. Especially because Abram had said I was not anything he wanted, and she didn’t like that answer.
Even now, I could feel her deep in my mind, whispering that we should find Abram’s mate and kill her.
My magic was evil.
I flinched as her purr echoed through my thoughts. I pulled my hands free from Abram’s. The sudden cold where his skin had touched mine made me ache. She never fully went away, but I could control her better if I didn’t give in.
Abram hesitated, then reached out again, slower this time, cautious, as though afraid I might vanish. His fingers curled around mine once more.
“I don’t need to touch someone to see their fate,” he whispered. His voice trembled with something almost vulnerable. “But there are a few people whose fate I have never been able to see. You are one of them.” His gaze lifted from our hands to meet my eyes. “Are you blocking me?”
I shook my head, unable to look away.
“Have you ever tried to see my fate?” he asked.
I licked my lips nervously, the memory rising like a tide I couldn’t stop. I nodded.
“Once,” I confessed. “Your soul threads wouldn’t stop coming toward me, and I touched the pretty green ones.”
He tilted his head to the side, his expression unreadable.
“You touched my soul?”
I nodded again, unable to breathe.
“Did it show you anything?”
Tears burned behind my eyes. “Yes.”
He leaned closer, confusion and fear dancing in his features.
“Tell me what you saw.”
“Knowing too much of one’s own fate is a curse.” I used his own words against him, my voice trembling.
“I’m not asking. As your god, tell me what you saw.” His jaw clenched tightly, his tone edged with command.
Power rolled off him, pressing down like a storm. I pulled away from his touch as the air thickened around us. Abram’s eyes flared red, his magic coiling through the room, demanding I speak.
“I saw you with your children.”
The power in the room vanished as quickly as it had come. His magic snuffed out, leaving only the sounds of our breathing and the low crackling of the fire.
“I didn’t stay in the vision because it felt invasive.” I glared at him, even as my chest ached.
“How many children?” he asked, voice rough, like the question might undo him.
“Four.”
His pretty green eyes softened, emotions flickering one after another: hope, sorrow, disbelief.
“I’m sorry.” He rubbed his face, the motion weary. “I can’t see my own fate, so I’ve been dying to know anything.”
I looked away from him and stared at the flames as they danced along the wood in the fireplace. The soft crackling drowned out the whispers of Nyxthra. She wanted me to tell him that I saw him standing with a woman, too. I couldn’t see anything about her but her dark hair.
Nyxthra is convinced it is me. But I was convinced it wasn’t.
“Were they boys, girls?” he whispered.
“Girls, all of them.”
He exhaled loudly as he stood up. Abram began pacing around the room, his hand running through his hair. Gods, he looked like he might combust. Suddenly, he stopped moving and watched me for a moment before jumping at me like he was about to kill his prey.
He yanked me up and hugged me. He held me so tightly that my feet lifted off the ground. He buried his face in my neck, and I closed my eyes to remind myself that Abram was not doing this for any reason other than he was happy I could give him something.
But why couldn’t he see my fate?
“Thank you,” he said close to my ear.
I nodded.
He pulled me back and stared at my chest before his brows pinched together.
“What?”
“Your soul is green, too,” he said softly. “It matches my star.”
My chest ached at this for some reason.
“What is your star?”
He smiled as he let go of me. Abram held up his finger to have me wait as he disappeared into his bedroom. A moment later, he came back with a smile that stole my breath. He held up a small, black velvet box.
He stopped in front of me and opened it. It looked like an amulet with a small green galaxy living within it. I lifted my hand and touched it. Its power pulsed from it, and then dark green tendrils came from it, wrapping around my hand.
Abram was silent as he watched it wrapping itself around my fingers. It was oddly warm. When it touched my skin, I felt…happy.
“So, what is it?” I asked.
Abram snapped his gaze to me.
“When a god is born from the stars, we are given a piece of the star we come from. It belongs to our fated mate, and when we find them, we give them our star as a promise to love them and be devoted to them. It completes our mating bond. You’ve probably seen Della and Haden’s; they wear them as rings. ”
Oh, yes, I had seen their rings. They were beautiful, with their shimmering glow.
“So your mate will get this?” I looked up at him as he watched the magic in the star still clinging to me. “Is it always this… friendly?” I chuckled.
He pulled it away from me slightly, and the green strands found me again.
“I’ve never seen a star do this before.” His dark brows pinched together. “It likes you.”
“Well maybe it’s my magic calling to it or something,” I offered because he looked very concerned.
Abram looked up at me and didn’t look convinced. He picked up the star and held it out to me.
“Hold it.”
“No, I shouldn’t.” I don’t know why it felt invasive or wrong to his future mate.
“Hold it.” His voice dripped with power, then softened to a quiet, “Please.”
Fuck, this felt important to him. I nodded, and Abram slowly set it in my hand. His eyes didn’t move from it as the magic seeped from it again, wrapping itself around my arm, before spreading all over my body, swarming around me like it was hugging me.
I closed my eyes as the warmth of it spread through my veins.
Deep inside, I could feel that Nyxthra was suddenly restless within me, but I ignored it and focused on Abram's gaze that I could feel on me. I opened my eyes, and he was staring at me as if he were seeing a ghost.
His eyes fell to my chest again before looking at his. His brows pinched together like he was seeing something unexpected.
“What are you looking for?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He snatched the star from my hand and put it back in the box. “Do you feel different?”
“My body is buzzing and warm.”
“Do you see something floating between us?” He was desperate. “A golden tether.”
I glanced down to his chest then to mine.
“No.”
He frowned.
Oh, he looks disappointed that there is no bond.
“Did you think we’d have a bond?” I asked.
He stared at me, his face unsure if he should answer that or not.
“Yes.” He looked at the box in his hand. “My star shouldn’t react like that to you unless…”
He turned away from me. Was he disappointed that there was no bond or that his star reacted to me?
“Who was the man Nyxthra was attached to?”
The warmth of the star in my veins evaporated at the question.
“Why does it matter?” I asked.
“It’s important.” He turned back toward me, his eyes boring into mine. “Tell me.”
My chest rose and fell quickly. I didn’t want to tell him. But Nyxthra pulsed forward without warning, forcing my response.
“You,” I confessed.
This was the closest I had ever come to telling him I liked him outright. He blinked at me slowly, unsure. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. His green eyes were swirling red, but he didn’t look angry. He looked hurt.
“Will you say something?” I begged.
He closed his eyes tightly and turned away from me. I could see the steady rise and fall of his shoulders, but he remained silent for a long time.
“This doesn’t mean anything. I was wrong. Just forget all of this.”
Then he turned and went back into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. The ache in my chest was intense as I stared after him.
It doesn’t mean anything.