Page 10 of Shifting Fate
Dallon
My pulse thumping between my ears, I ran barefoot through the foggy woods, but I didn’t go home. Not yet. When I reached Tashi’s cottage, I burst through the front door, flinging it wide open. It banged against the wall. My sister gasped and dropped the book she’d been reading. Both hands flew to her chest.
“Damn it, Dallon! What the hell?”
“His favorite color is purple!” I announced, like this little tidbit of seemingly useless information was a treasure I needed to cherish—and it was. Of all the things… Purple. Oh, I couldworkwith purple.
“Whose favorite color is…” She stopped herself, then groaned. “Really, bro? Give it up already. He’s so not interested.”
“He is,” I insisted, stomping my muddy foot like the brat I was. “He’s stubborn, but I know he’s interested. He has to be!”
Tashi rolled her eyes. “Why? Just because you believe you’re god’s gift to men, does not mean that everyone wants to sleep with you. If Arias was interested, trust me, he would’ve made his move by now.”
I growled. “That’s not true. Espen said—”
“Espen said he was a player, and that he rejects everyone.Everyone. Accept it, Dal. You’re so deep in the friend-zone, there’s no way out.” She sighed, almost as dramatically as me. Noticing my sweatpants and muddy feet, she pulled a face. “What a fashion statement. Where are your clothes?”
“Yeah, about that. It’s a long story.” I raised my arm to expose the black sutures that ran down my side, wincing at the way they tugged against my skin. Still tender. Ouch.
“Oh my god!” Tashi gasped and jumped to her feet. “What happened?”
“Oh, I got into a tussle with a Dreadhunter, no big deal.” At her wide, frightened eyes, I added, “Don’t worry, sis. The threat has been eliminated. Foxgrove and Westwind made quick work of them. Arias patched me up, and in a couple of days, I’ll be good as new.”
“Dallon.”
“There’s something there, Tash, I can feel it,” I uttered. “There’s this… This spark, or something, every time we touch. It’s driving me crazy.” Obviously, Arias had been worried about me, since he insisted on personally stitching up my wounds. His hands had lingered, that I knew for certain, but damn, if I could just smell the man…
I threw my head back on a loud groan. “Fuck me.”
“No thanks.” Tashi went around behind me and shut the front door. She disappeared down the hall and came back with a wet rag. “Here. Clean your feet off before you track mud all over my floors. Geez.”
Grumbling, I did as she asked and when no more muck was caked between my toes, I wandered over to the couch and flopped down beside her. She picked up her book, lofted a slim brow, and returned to reading. If that wasn’t the most blatant “fuck you” I’d ever seen, I didn’t know what was.
“You could at leastpretendto feel sorry for me,” I whined. “I’ve never wanted someone so bad in my life. It’s torture!”
“Dallon.” She puffed out her cheeks. “Look, bro. You guys have been friendly for weeks now and he’s never once made a move, or even flirted, right?”
I frowned. “Yeah, but—”
“Maybe he’s not gay. Or maybe he’s just not interested in flamboyant drama queens like you. Hmm? Maybe he likes his men with a little more buff and a lot less bitch?” She smirked, flicking me on the nose.
“You’re not helping.”
“I love you,” she singsonged back. “You’re my favorite brother.”
“I’m your only brother,” I muttered. “Okay, so what if you were the one with the hopeless crush on Arias. What would you do?”
She made another face. “He’s not my type.”
“Hypothetically, Tash. Pretend.”
“Have you tried flirting?”
I deadpanned. Was she fucking serious? “What do you think? I’m the king of flirting, but it’s like wooing a goddamn brick wall.”
“Well, have you asked him out? Point-blank? Just gone up to him, slap his ass and say, ‘I wanna take you out tonight, hot stuff,’ or something. I don’t know.” She giggled, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling with mirth. “Sorry, bro, but you really shouldn’t be taking dating advice from your sister.”
“Why? Because you’re a slut?”
