“Oh, my Goddess!” the three ladies sing in tandem, and I blush more.
“Guys!”
“No, no!” Aurora shifts closer to me on the couch. “This is interesting. You're saying you've been unlocking your powers without having sex? That's incredible.”
“Not when you say it like that!” I exclaim, embarrassed. “I'm twenty-seven and still a virgin. I'm not exactly proud of it. I'm still a rookie.”
“You're saving yourself for the right time,” Rissa observes, to which I grimace.
Saving myself for the right time?
I don't know if there's a right time when those nightmares have plagued me, my own voice echoing that my love will cause destruction.
I know that if I let Thane in, he'll only be destroyed by my love, and I'm afraid of that.
“How do you feel about him, honey?” Yvonne asks, and I sigh.
“I thought I hated him, but it's hard to carry on hating him when he's been nothing but good to me,” I sigh again, my eyes fixed on the bracelet. The rejection it represented once no longer holds weight, and instead, it reminds me of something I can't have with Thane.
Forever.
I'm afraid of that word because I know what it means if I allow myself the liberty of exploring my true feelings for him.
“You said you're going out tonight,” Aurora mentions, one brow arched as if she's in deep thought.
“Yeah. But only as friends.”
“That doesn't matter,” she clicks her tongue, then grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. “I have the perfect dress for tonight.”
“Ooh! Fashion show?” Yvonne exclaims excitedly as she claps her hands.
“Aha! Come on, ladies! Let's raid my closet!”
***
The witches of Snehvolk are the kindest she-wolves I've ever met, and so supportive of my night out with Thane. Dressed in a borrowed black turtleneck dress and matching coat paired with thigh-high boots, I'm surprised by my own reflection in the mirror as I paint my lips with a crimson red lip gloss Yvonne gifted me.
I have to consciously remind myself that this isn't a date, but rather a casual dinner between two friends. I've hardly madepeace with my situation, only recently accepting that I'm a witch. Being Thane's mate is something I can't deal with right now, especially if my nightmares come true if I explore my feelings for him.
When I'm ready, I leave the bedroom where I've been staying. Living in Thane's grandfather's place these past few nights has been strange, only because of the house's immense size. It's so big that I've only met Elder Charles once in four days, and that was when he welcomed us on our first night here.
It'd been a warm welcome, and to my surprise, the elder wasn't as imposing as I thought he'd be. He seems to be giving us space in his house, although there isn't a need for that.
Thane has been giving me space, too, staying in the bedroom across the hall. I'm not sure how I feel about the distance between us anymore, except that it's becoming harder to accept that my nightmare could come true.
I don't want it to come true.
Especially when I find Thane in the living room waiting for me, his long dark hair slicked back to show off his sharp facial features framed by a neatly trimmed, full beard of dark, silky hair.
He's a sight to behold in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black bomber jacket.
All black is a deadly combination on his build, dripping in a type of timeless magnificence and elegance that reeks of his authoritative nature.
And when he smiles crookedly, that's my undoing, a tiny dimple peeking from his beard on the left side of his cheek.
Good Goddess!
I'd have to be blind or mentally impaired to ignore what the sight of him does to my body. It seems only natural to lose my breath as I approach him, my knees weakening underneath the knit dress and quivering in the boots.
