Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96

The sun beats down on the bustling farmer’s market, casting a warm glow over everything–multitudes of flowers in vibrant colors, the scent of various fresh produce, and the hum of a hundred conversations mingling in the air. The smell of fresh earth and growing things fills my senses- small reprieve from the chaotic whirlpool of thoughts that has been plaguing me.

I’ve spent the better part of the last twenty–four hours trying to make sense of his bite, this inexplicable pull between us, and the way my body reacts to Thane on a visceral level, and yet nothing still makes any sense.

1 glance at him from the corner of my eye, and the reality of his presence hits me again. He’s walking beside me, close enough that I can feel the heat of his body and the weight of his attention. And even though he doesn’t speak much, and his focus is on the market around us, I can feel his gaze on me every so often. His silence is a constant reminder of the tension between us–unspoken, but undeniably there.

I try to ground myself in the mundane, focusing on the rows of fresh flowers in front of me at the stall I’m standing at, their petals soft and bright. The market should be a place of normalcy, but there’s no escaping the pull of Thane Draeven at my side. Every brush of his sleeve against mine, and every step we take side by side, makes me hyper–aware of how much I want to push him away, while wanting him close at the same time.

For a moment, I look away and focus on the honey stall two spots up ahead. Thane, as usual, is calm and collected beside me, his eyes scanning the scene, but can’t ignore the way my heartbeat quickens whenever he’s close. It’s like my body has betrayed me, responding to him in ways I can’t control.

The truth, his fangs sinking into my wrist, the undeniable pull of whatever this is between us–it all flashes through my mind in disjointed fragments. I hate it. I hate how it’s stirring something inside me that I don’t want to feel.

But I can’t ignore the truth either. Not when my body practically aches for him. It’s like constant tug at the back of my mind, and the more I try to push it away, the stronger it becomes.

The beat between us is palpable, but I’m trying, so damn hard, to keep a wall up between us, I won’t let him get close. Not again. Not yet. Not until I have a clearer understanding of who he is, what he is, and what this connection between us means.

I stop in front of another stall, pretending to be interested in the assortment of colorful jars of honey stacked, in neat rows. Thane doesn’t speak, but I feel his presence shift to just behind my right shoulder. I instinctively glance at him, but I don’t expect what happens next…

He reaches out, and with a single finger, he brushes against my cheek in a small, almost intimate motion that sends a shiver down my spine. He then tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear, and even though the action is simple and natural, it feels for too personal for why I’m trying to keep him at arm’s length.

I look up at him, expecting a smirk or a soft chuckle, but his face is impassive and unreadable. Still, the moment between us feels charged, and I can’t ignore how it lingers,

We move to the next stall, and Thane places his hand lightly at the small of my back asywe weave through the crowd, and the gesture feels possessive, like he’s claiming me in a way I’m not prepared for.

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