Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions novel Chapter 110

Chapter 110

I take another bite of my meal, but I’m not really tasting it as I sit across from Thane. The clink of our silverware on the plates is the only sound in the otherwise quiet room. We’ve eaten in silence for a while now–each of us lost in our own thoughts. My thoughts are centered around the gnawing weight of the conversation we had earlier, as we sat on his couch.

Vampire. Fated mates. Turning me into something I’ve never even thought of being, and never would’ve asked for. That thought lingers, heavy and suffocating, as I barely taste my food.

keep trying to wrap my mind around it. But I’m not sure if I can. I don’t know if I’m ready to become part of his world, even if it means I’ll have to walk away from him. Part of me wants to walk away, but the other part–the one that’s buried deep down and refuses to show itself–wants to stay. Wants to keep figuring this out. Wants to see where this–whatever it is–goes.

1 glance up at Thane. He’s halfway through his meal, but his eyes are distant and focused on something far beyond the simple meal in front of him. His jaw is tight, and I can almost feel the weight of the thoughts he’s carrying. It’s like there’s a door that’s locked behind his gaze, one that I’ve never been able to see into. And I wonder, not for the first time, what it is that keeps him so guarded.

Before I can say anything, though, he speaks up, his voice low and almost hesitant. “You’re quiet tonight.”

His words catch me off guard because I didn’t expect him to be the one to break the silence, especially not when we’ve both been so quiet for the past twenty minutes. His gaze finally flicks to mine, and something about it is different. It’s somewhat softer, like he’s seeing me in a way he hasn’t before.

I swallow hard because my thoughts are still tangled from everything that’s been said between us in the past 24 hours. I honestly don’t know how to answer him without spilling the raw mess of thoughts that’s swirling in my head.

“I’m just…thinking,” I finally say somewhat evasively, my voice sounding small even to me. “About everything, you know?”

Thane sets his fork down and fixes those intense blue eyes of his on me. He seems like he’s debating something, like he’s deciding whether or not to share something with me that he’s been holding back. And then, without warning, his mask slips,

He lets out a quiet sigh, one that seems to carry the weight of centuries of silence. I get it,” he says quietly. The things I’m asking of you…they’re a lot. And I know it’s not fair,”

I blink at him, surprised by the raw honesty in his voice. He leans forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table, and for the first time, I see the cracks in his carefully curated façade. He’s not in control of this moment of us-like he always is. His rare show of vulnerability is like a beacon pulling me in, and it tightens my chest.

“I wasn’t always…who I am today,” he continues, his voice a little rougher than before. “I didn’t ask for any of this. Not the power, not the responsibilities, and certainly not the weight of being a king of a whole region. I didn’t choose this life either, but it’s all I know now.”

He pauses as he lets his words hang in the air. I don’t say anything. Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m afraid of interrupting whatever hes working through.

“It’s a life that’s left me alone for far too long,” he says, and there’s a bitter edge to his words that I’ve never heard before. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of, things I’ll never be able to take back. But you? You’re different. And I know that. I know that because every time I’m near you, I feel this tug. like the universe is reminding me that maybe I can be something more than what I’ve become.”

His voice cracks slightly, and I can see the tension in his shoulders. I can also see the way he’s clenching his jaw like he’s not quite ready to let go of whatever burden he’s been carrying for so long. The sight of it sends a pang through my chest. I didn’t expect to see this side of him–not in a million years. The powerful, guarded king. The vampire who’s been around for centuries. He now sits before me, vulnerable, broken, and on uneven ground,

I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything. Instead, I reach across the table and brush my fingers across the back of his hand that’s closest to me, offering him what little comfort I can without saying a word.

His eyes flick to mine at my gesture, and something softens in his gaze. And for a brief moment, it’s like the whole world stops, and there’s nothing between us but the quiet understanding of what he’s just shared,

Then, Hestas suddenly, the moment shifts. He stands and turns back to the kitchen counter with his empty plate in hand, his usual composure returning as if he’s put that part of him away again. But something has changed. I can feel it, and I think he can too.

sades? It’s pretty simple, really, but it’s all about the right ingredients.”

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