Page 84 of Moody as a Minotaur

The same message whirled through me again and again: He was alive.Wewere alive.

We’d faced a contingent of hunters and… somehow… we’d walked away. The Eternal Magic had been sitting on our shoulders tonight, helping us at every turn. If tonight had gone differently… I swallowed hard. Fuck. I couldn’t even handle the thought of it.

It’d been a long time since I’d felt blessed, but tonight I had. Not for myself, but for Parker. I was so damn thankful Parker had been spared. If the hunters had gotten their way, I’d have missed the chance to count hisfreckles or hold him after he had a shitty day at work or introduce him to my mother or any of the other things I’d fantasized about.

I’d had a mate once upon a time. We were fated. I’d never heard of anyone being blessed with more than one fated mate, but what I felt for Parker was so much like what I’d felt for Christos.

But was that true? Would that feeling last?

No, it couldn’t. And nothing good could come from letting this go any further.

Humans might not believe in fated mates, but I wasn’t human. And I couldn’t get in the way of Parker finding his perfect match. It wouldn’t be fair. Getting involved with me would distract him from looking for his person. And if he found them while we were involved, I… I wasn’t sure I’d survive losing another person, even if I knew they were happy with their fated mate.

I would let him go. Of course I would. I only ever wanted what was best for him. And that wasn’t me.

And it would destroy me to have him leave.

I wrenched my lips away from Parker’s.

“Maybe we shouldn’t date…” I bit out harshly. I reeled away from him.

He grabbed my arm and jerked me around to face him again. “You can’t kiss me like that and pretend you don’t have feelings for me.”

“That isn’t why. But it isn’t fair to you,” I begged him to understand.

“Bullshit,” Parker said.

His lips were swollen and wet from our kisses. The blush across his cheeks had darkened to a glorious color.All I wanted to do was kiss him again. Press my lips to his face to feel how hot it was. Slide my tongue along his lips and taste him. Grip him tightly and protect him from the world.

“You don’t understand,” I muttered.

“So, explain it to me.” His fingers bit into my arm.

I groaned. I wasn’t sure I could do this. Not with the residue of the evening’s emotions still clinging to me.

“Hey,” Parker said softly. “Talk to me, okay?”

“If we have to do this, let’s sit…” I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stay standing after he left. If I was on the sofa, at least I could stay there and hope to die when I was alone again.

I don’t know when I’d become so melodramatic. I heaved out an emotion laden sigh. It was clogged with fears and worries and resignation. I scooped the beer bottles from the counter and passed one to him.

Then I retreated to the living room, turning out the kitchen light as I went. He followed right behind me. The fireplace cast a warm glow around the room, so I didn’t bother with another light. I didn’t want to know what more light might reveal.

Earlier, when we’d been walking through those dark corridors, his presence at my back was soothing and comforting. I’d known he was safe because I had a hold of him, and I wasn’t going to let him go. But now… Now I had to convince him that letting go would be the right thing.

I dropped onto the sofa. Parker sat close, but not too close. It was a safe distance. One that gave me room to think. And because my brain was a contrary beast, I hadhalf a desire to grab him and drag him closer. Ridiculous fucking emotions. They complicated everything.

I twisted the cap off my beer bottle and tossed it to the coffee table. It bounced and tumbled off. Great. I’d probably forget it was there later and step on it, but I couldn’t be bothered to get up and retrieve it. Parker removed the cap from his beer too, but he didn’t toss it away. He rubbed his thumb over it like it was a worry stone.

We sat in silence for a bit. Occasionally taking a sip of our beers. Listening to the furnace kick in. Outside, Willow Lake was asleep and silent. There weren’t any cars rumbling by the house at this time of night. The birds were all either asleep or in the south for the winter. The gas fireplace was warm now, so it’d stopped clicking and popping.

“Earlier,” I started, “do you remember when you’d mentioned Ash and Dillon’s tattoos?”

I glanced at Parker. He nodded but didn’t say anything.

“They are called mating marks.” I heaved out another sigh. I was so fucking tired. But I needed to talk to Parker about this. I needed him to understand why we couldn’t be together. For his sake. “It’s said that everyone in the world is gifted with a person who is meant to be theirs. Supes call them fated mates. Humans call them soulmates.”

Parker frowned and opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but he closed it again without speaking.