Page 19 of Bound By Destiny

“That was a close one,” he whispered softly to me when we’re a safe distance away. “Social situations like that can be a bit tricky sometimes.”

I study him quietly. It’s hard to tell where his hair starts now as his entire face is ablaze, despite the fact that we’re in the frozen food aisle.

“You’re not very used to company, are you?”

He shrugs and grabs a chilled bag.

“Do you live with anybody else at home? A sibling perhaps, or a–”

“I’d rather talk about this,” Dane shakes the frozen goods in his hands, “if you don’t mind.”

Is he purposefully avoiding my prying into his relationship status?I eye the package skeptically.

“You want to talk about frozen peas?”

“Yes.”

A sigh escapes my lips. “How long have you been living so far away from human society? Why–”

Dane shakes the bag of peas. “Destiny, we’re not here to chit chat about my centuries on Earth. I’m trying to teach you things that will help you navigate your new existence.”

I cross my arms. “Honestly, it looks like you could use a few lessons from me.” I study him through slitted eyes. “Shoveling coal,Dane? What, didyou walk out of a Charles Dickens novel?”

He passes an irritated hand over his face, counting the seconds ticking by under his breath to recompose.

“I’m steering this conversation back to our lesson,” he mutters through clenched teeth. “Which is, stay away from anything iced or frozen.”

“Why are you holding a bag of frozen peas in your hand then?”

Dane’s eyes fly open. “Damn it! Why are you so distracting?!”

With that he drops the package to the floor, and that’s when I notice what’s wrong – a small puddle has formed at Dane’s feet, due to the contact with his heightened body heat. A few people are looking at us strangely.

“We should go,” I point out discreetly.

I reach out to tug him away, only to remember the no touching rule a second too late. I draw back almost immediately, but it’s enough to make Dane jerk away… and promptly slip on the melted ice.

“Dane!” I hiss in horror as he crashes headfirst into the shopping cart and lands on the tile floor. “Are you okay?!”

“This is all your fault,” he spits back, spluttering blood on me when I crouch in front of him. “All of it!”

Customers have stopped in their tracks to look at the source of the commotion. That’s when I notice a flash of light that makes my heart drop.

Dane’s nose is broken.

Which, in our circumstances, isn’t the problem.

Rather, it’s the dozens of small flames that crown his injury that cause us both to gasp. Just like this morning, Dane’s healing powers kick in instantly and swallow the wound in fire. Only this time, it’s not in the privacy of my home, but in a very popular supermarket on a Sunday afternoon, surrounded by a dozen onlookers.

The gears in my brain spring to action. It can’t have been more than a second since the burning started. Enough for people to spot it, but not enough for them to be certain it wasn’t a trick of the light.

Without another moment’s hesitation, I do the first thing that crosses my mind: I plaster my lips to his, shielding the magical blaze from the gazes of those around us.

“Ugh, get a room, you two!”

Heat zips to the very tips of my ears as I stay locked with Dane, trying my best not to tear his clothes apart right in the middle of the frozen foods aisle.

“I’m right there with her,” I hear a voice comment from a distance. “If I had a guy like him, I wouldn’t bother with a room either.”

---