Page 30 of Tangled Threads Of Fate

She slid off me, and I was insanely pleased with the messy sound of our bodies coming apart. Rolling us both to our sides, I held her close to me. When she whispered, “Wow,” against my chest, I tried not to puff up like a peacock. But it was tough.

I tilted her head back and kissed her once more, a softer kiss that I hoped made promises to that soft human heart of hers. Promises I couldn’t say out loud just yet.

“I’ll go get something to clean you up.” I tried not to sound super impressed with myself about that.

Apparently, I failed, because she chuckled softly. “Okay.”

She looked up at me with stars in her eyes, and I vowed to myself then and there that I would do everything in my power to deserve that expression.

Chapter 15

WREN

The shift in the relationship between Nate and I was going to take some getting used to, especially when he wrapped an arm around my waist in the lobby and kissed my temple. My body felt deliciously sore, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so grounded. So wanted. Maybe before my parents died?

No one had really needed me after that. I was the one who’d needed Mrs. Byrne, and she’d been my anchor, but I wasn’t hers.

But the way Nate had worshiped my body last night, like he was the one who needed me, well, it was an addictive experience. I was tempted to blow off this stupid quest to Amourgeles and stay in bed, making love, as the warm Mediterranean sun kissed our bodies.

I sighed softly, the wind picking up the noise and whipping it away as we drove with the top down through the countryside of Crete. The further into the center of the island we went, the greener it got, the fields dotted with olive groves and white, rocky outcroppings. Hardly any cars were on the roads, and it felt a little like being free.

Nate reached over and gripped my thigh as we cruised along, and if it wasn’t for the dragging feeling in my chest, I would’veinsisted we turn around and go back to the resort. But I couldn’t ignore this feeling that tugged me further south.

Without another soul around except Nate, I could almost ignore the golden streaks in my vision. I could almost pretend we were just a couple on holiday together. That I was a normal twenty-something and not being chased by monsters. However, with every mile, the tug got stronger.

What was a whispered suggestion in Heraklion became an incessant drumbeat in my head by the time we made it to Amourgeles. It was now eating at my gut, making me feel a little nauseous.

Suddenly, it was like a heart attack, or a physical force slamming into my chest.

“STOP!”

Nate hammered the brakes, his arm whipping across my chest to hold me in place, even though I was wearing a seatbelt. I was almost out of my mind with the need to run to where the feeling was leading me. I quickly undid my seatbelt, shucking Nate’s hand from my torso.

“Here,” I breathed as I climbed from the car before he could get around the hood. “It’s here.”

He looked down the road, and in the distance, the town itself was visible. Just a smattering of tiny, square concrete houses with flat, gray roofs, which spilled down the small incline. The paint on their walls was worn and peeling from the steady Greek sun.

Except for the building in front of us.

In front of us was a twelve-foot stone wall, the edges worn smooth by time, but the spikes lodged in the tops were shining in the sun. At the center of the wall was a single tall door with a twisted brass knocker. I could see red roof tiles just peeking over the wall. It was a fortress in the middle of nowhere.

“This place?” Nate asked hesitantly, his eyes darting around, his jaw tense.

I walked to the door, raising my hand to knock. I needed to get inside the walls. The pull in my chest was too strong.

Nate caught my hand before I could slam the knocker. “Wait. I want to look around first. It feels… wrong. I want to make sure it’s safe.” I dropped my hand and bit back a whine as he led me back to the car. He belted me in as I hung out the window.

He was right. I knew that, logically. Besides, what was I going to say when someone answered that door?Oh, hi. There’s a mystical feeling in my body that wants me to come inside your walls.

What if whatever was inside there was worse than the shadow monster? Worse than the Lamia?

So I held myself still as Nate climbed back into the car and drove us further into Amourgeles. He found apsistaría,which was kind of like a cafe, and pulled up in front of it. A rusted pickup truck was the only vehicle outside, and there was a huge white dog sitting beside the door. A grapevine ran over the trellised porch, creating enticing shade that I wanted to curl up under.

Nate led me in, and in halted English, we ordered lunch. The woman behind the counter grinned widely, passing me a glass of milk. She rubbed her belly, and I smiled.

Nate pointed back down the road we drove in on. “The stone building. Is it a church?”

The woman’s smile faltered, before she plastered a fake one back in its place. “No. Private, uh, house.”

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