Word Count: 1664
~Vaela
I wish I knew what it was with Pureblood and mountainous ranges.
It appears Sinful is an enjoyer of the quiet too, considering his magnificent manor is perched atop a flat mountain, looking over a few villages dotted about.
Now I'm looking at him, and he's exactly as I pictured.
He's tall and slender, the graceful lines of his face at odds with his amused smile, lavender coloured eyes tracing over me with as much judgment as I inflict on him.
"This isn't a casual visit, I'm afraid." There's a firmness in Hale's tone, setting an immediate boundary.
Sinful ignores him, still looking at me.
"I have a feeling this has something to do with you," he purrs. My throat tightens under his scrutiny. Being so vulnerable to powerful people has become commonplace for me recently, and yet I'm still utterly terrified.
As calmly as possible, I straighten. "I'm Vaela."
"Mortal, huh?" He rests his arm against the doorframe, still grinning.
"Not by choice," I mutter.
"She fell into the spell I made. It was all very unfortunate," Hale explains. Sinful's dark brow quirks upward, even more intrigued. Him knowing the circumstances of my mortality doesn't sit right with me.
He steps back, sweeping his arm out to encompass the foyer space. "Unfortunate indeed. Why don't you come inside, you look cold?"
"You have no idea..."
I'm used to the snow, but the cold I live with is the fault of my unnatural mortality, not the cold. Regardless, I step inside, grateful to find the space is gloriously warm.
"Is this about what happened between you?" Sinful asks, pointing his finger at each of us in then.
I exchange a glance with Hale. "Huh?"
"You slept together, right?" Sinful asks, smirking.
"No...No absoloutely not," I stutter, taking a healthy step away from Hale as if to prove my point. Sinful isn't convinced, continuing to grin.
"I get the feeling that's not true."
"Something happened, but it's none of your business," Hale mutters, knowing his brother isn't going to relent until one of us admits it. I shift uncomfortably, flushing.
Sinful's smile is pure filth, and were he not so blatantly terrifying, I may have stepped forward and slapped him across the face for his audacity.
"And it didn't include sleeping together. Seriously," I mutter lowly.
"So, if not that, what brings about this casual visit?"
I exchange a glance with Hale, wondering whether he or I should say it. It seems anything I could say may be turned against me, or made to sound flirtatious by the devilish Pureblood.
"Due to Vaela's run-in with magic, we have been told she needs to forge a bond with her mate. You seem to have success pointing people in the direction of their mates, so we were wondering if you could help her."
"Please..." I add sheepishly.
Sinful tilts his head, eyes glittering. "How interesting. Well, I'm afraid I don't have a way of thinking such a thing into existence, so I'm not sure how much help I can be, but I'm sure I can figure out something about your mate."
"Really?" I ask hopefully.
He shrugs. "Sure...Why not?"
"Don't steer her in the wrong direction," Hale growls. The two brothers stare each other down for a long moment, the tension in the air thick and ridged.
Sinful eventually sighs, turning his attention back to me.
"I'm curious, does forging the bond mean what I thin it means?"
My stomach flips, skin heating. Despite what happened between Hale and I last night, I'm still wary about speaking in such a way in front of him, feeling the pressure of his gaze against me.
"We believe so," he murmurs.
Sinful frowns, looking over me as if he can deduce the full extent of what is going on with my mortality. "Why is that necessary?"
"I'm sick. Every time I'm away from Hale, I get sicker, to the point I'm about to die. We believe it's because he created the pool. So if I find my mate, the Gaze Reader said that forging the bond with them will alleviate whatever is going on with me so part of it falls onto my mate. Together we can share it until I can find out how to become immortal again."
Sinful appears thoughtful, which is a miracle, since until now, he's appeared more amused by our situation than anything.
Hale informed me Sinful has a mate, which is a curious thought, considering how he acts.
"Or it's because he's a Pureblood. I imagine that if you stayed here with me, my power alone would help take away your pain, as it's doing with Hale," Sinful explains.
It's a thought that hadn't occurred to me before, but it makes sense. Hale is a powerful man, whose magic exists in his proximity constantly. Perhaps some of it has reflected onto me.
Hale looks at me. "Yeah, that too."
"Or she could be your mate, Hale." Sinful's suggestive tone has me tensing. Mated to Hale? It's another explanation, although the reality of that is something I've actively hid from.
The thought of being mated to a Pureblood...It's almost too much to consider.
Hale shifts uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know why she can't be my mate."
"Wait, what?" I frown.
"Vaela, I can tell that whoever your mate is, he's close in your future, and he is going to save your life. I wouldn't be worried about finding him, as he will come to you. Fate always has the last word," Sinful murmurs, glancing at Hale.
I follow his gaze, to see Hale staring at the ground, brows creased. "Isn't that the truth."
"That's it? That doesn't help me..."
"I'm sorry, but if there was a person who could tell someone exactly who their mate is, they would be far too popular to deal with you." Sinful points at me, and I grit my teeth. It feels like he's laughing at me without physically doing it.
"Comforting," I mumble.
"I think you should be concentrating on how to no longer be a sick mortal, in a way that doesn't include fucking a man you are yet to...touch," Sinful says, sounding as though he is choosing his words carefully.
Disregarding his tone, I perk a little. Another way to make it so I can get some distance from Hale would be excellent. It would help with the odd tension between us.
"Do you think I should go to the mortal realm?" I ask.
"No, you're not going," Hale says suddenly, facing me. The depth of his frown conveys more than he needs to say. In the mortal realm I would be in danger he wouldn't be able to help me with.
"I doubt it will make much difference Vaela, if I'm honest," Sinful adds. "I know nothing for certain.
"Should I kill myself?" I ask tentatively. The hope would be that it sends me hurtling back into Death's realm, so I could become immortal again.
But there is always the chance it won't work, and my existence will vanish.
"Vaela!" Hale admonishes.
"You could consider it," Sinful says, although his expression suggests he couldn't care less if I died and never came back.
"What if it doesn't work?" Hale demands.
Sinful turns to him, grinning. "Then you have one less thing to deal with in your life, brother."
"Wait, seriously though..." I break off. There's little time
Sinful sighs, already over trying to help me. "There is a chance, but I advise you speak to Death first, although she isn't too easy to get in contact with."
"I don't want to spend time down there again." I look toward Hale, who frowns deeply. He doesn't want that either...I know he doesn't. Maybe he didn't care initially, but we have found comfort in each other's presence recently.
"Would you rather be stuck with Hale?" Sinful raises a curious brow, looking to trap me into a gotcha moment.
I sift uncomfortably. "Well..."
"Well?" He presses.
"Yes, obviously," I relent, refusing to look at Hale. It's hard to admit, because if I start to enjoy my time with Hale too much, it's going to be harder to move on with my mate when I find them.
I'm already struggling to see who I'm going to make it work...
"Obviously, huh? Is it because he stops you being sick, or because he's willing to bring you to orgasm whenever you-"
"Sinful!" Hale growls, pushing his brother's shoulder, sending him stumbling back a few steps.
He holds his hands up, smirking. "Sorry, just an observation."
"Keep your observations to yourself," I mutter. What he is proposing to be the reason I want to stay with Hale is actually the reason why I want to leave. No, need to leave.
"There is no judgment from me, Vaela. I mean, why not? You're obviously attracted to each other, and Hale is convinced you aren't mate's, so why not have fun together in the meantime?"
Hale looks away when I glance at him. Why is he convinced we aren't mates? He's careful about wearing gloves around me, and yet it's not possible for us to be mates?
I don't know how much of that I believe.
I fold my arms over my chest. "Because I don't want to meet my mate soon, only for him to discovers I've been bent every piece of furniture in Hale's house."
Sinful outstretches his arms. "Ah yes, because how could be compare to a pureblood?"
Hale smiles along with him, and I roll my eyes.
"I hate the both of you."
💙••💙
As always, the story will be available 10 chapters ahead on Radish!!!
You can also find it on GoodNovel (:
• A DEMON'S KISS IS OUT NOW ON WATTPAD•
"You...You what?"
Kastriv examines my husband with an unforgiving, ice cold gaze. "I want to fuck your wife. And you're going to let me."
~Midika 💜🐼