Fated Connection (Book 1)

Chapter 25

NOVA

As I made my way back down the hall towards the living room, I couldn't help but feel as if a dark cloud was following behind me. While the desire to forget about the chaos that currently surrounded our lives was strong, I knew I couldn't do it entirely. Things were going on with Nevada that I knew nothing about, the answers feeling just out of reach. 

I hated seeing her that way, the normal bright green eyes that I knew so well were dull and haunted despite the smile she wore on her face. She was suffering and more so than she would admit. I had felt the strain on her energy, her once vibrant life force now drawn taught and pale in comparison. If only I could help her, if I could find a way to ease her pain, I would gladly do so without hesitation. Nevada was all I had left.

The gentle hum of music threaded its way into my thoughts and it drew my attention to the two people I had left in the living room while I tended to my sister. Michael and Cecile were both on the couch now, one of Cecile's long legs curled around Michael's as they conversed in hushed voices. Leaning on the doorway with my hands tucked loosely into the front pockets of my jeans, I let my eyes trail over the two of them.

Cecile was gorgeous in her little pink dress, her lips curved in a teasing smile as Michael slowly slipped the tips of his fingers under the hem. I watched as Michael tilted his head, his nose grazing the skin on her neck as he whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush. As if finally sensing my presence, Michael lifted his head and pulled away from Cecile a fraction as he looked at me, a hint of concern in his eyes. 

"Everything alright?" Michael asked.

I nodded my head but said nothing as I continued to lean against the door frame. The plan had been to let them distract me, take my mind off of everything I didn't want to think about. That was why I had come here, not because Michael was a warlock that could hide Nevada and I. That just happened to be a perk to the current situation, but it hadn't influenced my decision to be here.

Michael was a very attractive man, his tan skin and short brown hair mixed with his lean build had always drawn me to him. I knew that he harbored feelings for me even if I had always made it clear that I had no interest in anything beyond certain… benefits. Don't get me wrong, they were very good benefits as he had over a century of experience compared to most other men I had been with. There had been a time, recently in fact, that I thought that maybe I could let myself be interested in Michael in regards to something more than just friendship and sex. However, that had changed after the time I had spent with Hatter.

Michael gently untangled himself from Cecile and made his way towards me but stopped at the table a few feet away from me that was positioned against the wall. He poured a glass of scotch and then proceeded to close the distance between us, holding the glass out to me. I hesitated only briefly before accepting it and downing half the contents. Michael's lips twitched but he didn't comment, instead he hooked his thumbs into my belt loops and tugged me farther into the room.

I didn't protest, wanting nothing more than to escape the direction my mind had wandered. I looked down at Michael, as he was a couple of inches shorter than me, and licked my lips as my eyes met his. They were a rich mosaic of colors, often changing to one more than the other. As he looked back at me, I watched as they slowly turned to amber, the same warm hue as… 

Don't think about him!, I growled to myself and forced his image from my mind and focused back on Michael. 

"I can help Nevada, if you want," Michael told me, his voice low. 

"You can? How?" I asked in surprise at his unexpected words.

Michael shrugged. "I have my ways and many talents, Nova, and if you want then I'll do what I can for her."