Page 17 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

Guilt clawed at my insides. Why were the heavens being cruel to me? Haden must have seen the guilt on my face because he stepped closer.?

“I know that you are a goddess, and I am… just a mortal fae, but I just want a chance to show you that maybe this is written in the stars. My parents talked all the time about how they just knew after two days, Ardella. I used to think they were just lucky that they fell in love with each other, but now I understand what they were talking about. It was more than just luck. You have taken over my mind, whether I am awake or sleeping. It acts like it has never seen anything else but you.

“Your voice fills the empty space in my mind when you aren’t near me. And I cannot stop thinking about how fucking right every kiss has felt. It is as if I was sleeping through life until I saw you, and my heart and mind started working only to obsess over you. You are all I think about, and I’m worried that you do not feel the same. I’m worried you will leave today and never return to me.” He paused and stared at me. “I just had to tell you how I feel. Just in case you leave, but more importantly… just in case you might feel the same about me.”?

His chest was moving in quick breaths as I watched him closely. Did he really think I didn't like him?

“I hope I didn’t scare you, but my mother said I should just tell you.”?

“You told your mother about your feelings for me?”?

He nodded.?

“And my father.” He hesitated. “And Holden and Sara.”?

That warm feeling began spreading through me. Maybe the heavens knew they made a mistake, and this was their way of telling me that it was okay to pick Haden.?

“Did your family think it was crazy for you to feel this way?”?

“No, they are happy for us.” Haden hesitated for a moment, and I knew his next words were going to be difficult for him, whatever they were. “There is something else.” He took a deep breath and then said, “I have visions.”

“Visions?”

He nodded. “When I was younger, I would get them sporadically about trivial things—the weather or someone getting hurt. Then the visions died down and became almost non-existent, until recently. After I prayed to the stars to show me who I would end up with, and it showed you, I began having more visions of us. It was like my prayer awakened a magic inside of me that I had lost."

My heart was pounding violently in my chest as Haden watched me closely. He looked worried that I would bolt.

“I have seen parts of our future, and it is beautiful, Della. I know this is overwhelming because it hasn’t been long, but…” He trailed off and watched me. “You are it for me. And not to spoil anything for you, but we are going to fall in love, and we are going to have a wonderful life together.”

I swallowed as my throat became itchy with my unshed tears. Somehow, I knew his words were true. I was already feeling deep emotions for him. I didn’t understand why, but maybe I wasn’t supposed to. Haden had seen our life, and he was ready for it. The heavens wouldn't send him visions of me if I were supposed to stay away.

“You are killing me with your silence,” Haden sighed. His pretty eyes were wide as he waited for a response. I looked around, not sure what to do. Was this my decision to make, or were the heavens testing me? When I looked back at Haden, I realized that I didn’t care about the consequences if I kept Haden instead of Holden.?

“I do feel the same,” I whispered. Haden was moving toward me before the whole sentence fell from me. He wrapped his armsaround me and gripped me tightly, lifting me off the ground. “Everything about you feels right, like I was always supposed to belong to you.”?

He pulled back so he could see my face. His eyes seemed to darken. ?

“You are all for me, Storm, and I won’t ever let go.”?

He kissed me, and it seared into me, claiming me as his. I did not need a mating bond to tell me who to love.

Chapter 5

Della

Ilooked up from my book and smiled at Haden when he came inside. My smile dropped, though, as I looked over his sweaty, bare chest. Fuck. I tried to look away, but Haden grinned at my gawking. He set the wood down and came over to me, giving me a hard, lingering kiss. I moved so he could deepen the kiss, but like always, he stopped.

I frowned as he walked back into the kitchen. I didn’t know when I became so desperate for the touch of a man, but I was. Haden never made a move on me, even though I had been coming to the house every day for two weeks. He would always have some delicious food waiting for me. He just seemed to be happy that I was keeping him company.? Which I was thankful for, but I would also be thankful for an orgasm or something. Maybe he didn't find me attractive inthatway.

I swallowed hard as I watched him over the top of my book. He lifted a giant piece of wood over his head, making the muscles on his back flex. Heavens, forgive me and my dirty thoughts, butI could not stop them. I wanted to feel him under my fingertips. I closed my eyes tightly. For fuck’s sake, Haden was working innocently, and I was looking at him like a piece of fucking meat.?

“So, do you have parents? How does a god come to exist?” Haden asked as he kept maneuvering the wood. I closed my book.?

“No, I don’t have parents. Gods are created from a star. When they settle down, they can have children, but most children will not go on to be gods.”?

Haden gave me an odd look.?

“What determines if they will or not?”

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