CHAPTER THREE-THE FIRST TASTE

The humid night air in Savannah offered little relief for Tessa as she stood in the dark corner of the balcony.

Held hostage in Rafik’s arms for three songs, her hands still wiggled with a life of their own as she drew a drag of one of her father’s Marlboro’s.

A familiar raspy, Norwegian voice came to her ears as he snatched the cigarette from her fingers. “Don’t you know those things will kill you, Tess?”

The handsome, blonde man took a puff and handed it back to her as he blew out smoke from the side of his mouth.

His ridiculous warning made her roll her eyes as she took another drag. They were both immortal creatures, and the only thing that would ever kill her was a hefty dose of bloody violence. “You first, you old bastard.”

A throaty cackle echoed through the street below as she glanced back over and laughed at him while she took in the spectacle of a thousand-year-old Viking in a well-tailored tuxedo. “You clean up well, Haldir. You should wear a tux more often. Even I’m a little weak in the knees, and I can’t stand your ugly face.”

With a tug at his collar, Haldir stretched out his neck. “Shut up, you spoiled fucking brat. I always look good.”

He snapped his fingers at her, and she gave him the cigarette, then he squinted his eyes at her as he puffed on it.

There the day she was born and just about every day after, he knew her better than most anyone. “Why are you hiding out here? That doesn’t seem like something you would do; you’re a natural-born, grade-A drama queen.”

She snatched back the cigarette and sucked back the last drag before dropping it on the floor and twisting it under her shoe. “It’s a fucking meat market in there. These people should be ashamed of themselves for selling out their children like that for a bit of power.”

A raspy chuckle came through his toothy smile at how funny things appeared through the eyes of a child as he peered across the park. “Trust me. Someday, you’re going to love all these men falling at your feet, Tessa.”

When he noticed someone approaching from the corner of his eye, Haldir straightened up from the wall he leaned on. “Well, looky here; there’s the head of your fan club. I guess hogging you all to himself on the dance floor all night wasn’t enough.”

The nervous boy had his hands in his pockets as he waited for her to finish her conversation. In faux annoyance, she rolled her eyes, but her grin gave her away. “Stalker is more like it.”

With a tug into his shoulder, Haldir kissed the top of her head. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Tess. That first taste of love is always the best. You’ll chase it all your life, but it will never be that sweet again.”

Before he turned away to give Rafik his turn with the birthday girl, he snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “Are we still playing cards tomorrow night?”

A sneaky smile came to her face as she crossed her arms and kicked at a brick. “Why? Are you in a hurry to lose a whole bunch more of your money to me? You can save yourself a lot of trouble and hand it over to me now.”

He slid his hand in his pocket and rummaged around. “Sure, hold on a second. Wait, I got something better.” Suddenly pulling it back out of his pocket, he flipped her the middle finger. “See you at dinner tomorrow, you nasty little vixen.”

“She’s all yours, son.” He patted the young man’s shoulder as he passed by, then held his finger up to his nose in warning. “Be good to her.”

A timid smile came to Rafik’s face as he nodded quickly. “Certainly, sir.” Freeing his hands from his pockets, he crossed his arms as he walked to Tessa. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

With twisted lips, she shrugged her shoulders as she tried to act unaffected by his presence, but the sound of his voice was like the Pied Piper leading her away from whatever innocence remained in her. “Why?”

No matter how she avoided looking in his eyes, he moved in front of her and made sure she could turn nowhere else. “I wanted to dance with you again.”

Her father’s advice was nearly a memory now as she grabbed the pearls around her neck and wrapped them around her fingers. “I don’t want to dance anymore if you don’t mind.”

After he glanced around the balcony, he motioned towards the bench with his hand. “Can we sit down and talk awhile?”

With a quick shake of her head, her signature untrusting sneer curled up on her face. “You don’t have to play this game with me anymore.”

Her sharp tongue cut deep, and he leaned against the half wall behind him to brace himself against the pain. “What do you mean? What game?”

The words coming from her were like a knife stabbing her throat as they found their way into the world. “I know why everyone’s here tonight, but I’m not interested. Your family will have to figure out some other way to climb the social ladder here.”

His heart sank through the center of him, and his eyes followed the sensation to the ground. “I didn’t come here for that, but when I saw you…” His teary eyes met hers, and he put his hand over his heart. “I had to touch you. To hear your voice just once, Rohi.”

He grasped her hand and rubbed his fingers over them. “But now, I want more.”

Her shoulders pitched up and down, and she lost focus of the entire world as the Fates wove their magic around them. “What’s happening to me? Are you using some kind of spell on me?”

Whispered no’s came from his mouth as he came closer, and his fingers bent into his palm as he resisted the urge to grab her like his soul begged him. “I could do nothing to harm you.” His body hovered against hers as he glanced down at her lips. “I’m your mate.”

As Rafik’s shivering fingertips caressed the delicate curve of her jaw, she closed her eyes. “You can’t be.”

He edged closer to her face, and his nose grazed her skin as he savored the calm before the storm. “Why not?”

The little pink tongue that crossed her lips to moisten them told the truth despite what her voice tried to convince her of as she panted against his mouth. “I don’t believe in that.”

With his hand around her cheek, he tilted her face to his. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

The moment her chin slid back and forth across his palm to answer him, he smiled as his lips brushed hers. “You were waiting for me, weren’t you?”

Her entire body shivered against him as the anticipation of his kiss overwhelmed her. “Yes.”

He admired Fate’s masterpiece that he held in his hand before he kissed her for just a moment, but that was all Tessa needed to ignite the fire inside her veins.

When he pulled away, her knees buckled, sending her back into his chest. “Are you alright, Rohi?”

The first happy tear she ever shed escaped her eyes as they fluttered open. A drunken smile came to her face, and her smooth Southern drawl demanded more. “Oh, won’t you please do it again?”

“As you wish.” His hand slid to the back of her head then he sucked her bottom lip between his. He took his sweet time moving against her lips as she whimpered into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Hot cocoa had nothing on Rafik; it wasn’t even close. His lips were like chocolate and candy canes and birthday cake and every other pleasant thing that ever met her tongue.

When the sounds of giggles and feet reached her ears as another couple came to make out on the balcony, she pulled away from him and licked the last traces of him off her mouth.

Panic set in when she freed from his embrace, and he grabbed Tessa’s wrist as she attempted to make her escape. “Please, don’t leave me, Rohi.”

She shook her head but never once struggled to break his grasp. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

He placed his fingertips in the center of his chest as he explained why he spoke of her so lovingly. “It means soulmate. I feel you here; can’t you feel it?”

Her bottom lip trembled as she nodded her head yes. While her shaking legs struggled to decide which direction to take her in, she tried to bring herself back to reality. “I don’t want this. I’m too young to find you.”

He pulled her to him and backed her to the wall as he laid claim to his mate. “It doesn’t matter what we want; this is as providence decrees.”

Every word from his mouth was wrapped in magic, and she couldn’t think of a single objection as his arms swallowed her up into them. He curled her hair around his fingers and breathed in the gentle hint of summer strawberries as he brought them to his nose.

They clung to each other in silence on the dark corner of the balcony until her heavy eyes betrayed her. The warm spicy scent of cloves and cinnamon that dripped from Rafik’s pores rocked her to sleep as she rose and fell against the comfort of his chest.

He pressed his lips against her forehead as he racked his brain to find a way to squeeze out a few more minutes with her. “May I kiss you again before you go?”

An uncomfortable blush came to her cheeks as she nodded. He pressed his lips to hers and moved his hand up her cheek. “Good night, Rohi. I will relive this night in my dreams until you are in my arms again.”

Not wanting to let the entire world in on their secret, she took back her hand as they entered the ballroom and walked to her family’s table.

Her brother’s eyes rarely left her, so he shook his head and spoke to her in her mind as she tried to slide in unnoticed. ‘Where have you been all evening, Jezebel?’

She narrowed her eyes, warning him to say nothing else, and wrinkled her nose as she answered. ‘None of your goddamn business. Can we go now? I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.’

Although she had an eventful night, he had his fill of fake smiles and ass-kissing, so he turned to his father. “Is it alright if we leave?”

Even at their young age, they were more than able to fend for themselves against even the trickiest witch. There weren’t many creatures alive that could take on twin Firestarters.

Jasper glanced back and forth between his children and raised his finger as his pointy eyebrow cautioned them to do as he said. “Go straight home. I mean it.”

As they approached the Idrissi’s table, her eyes snapped to Rafik’s, and she shot him a timid smile. He touched the middle of his forehead and placed his hand over his heart, making her peek away bashfully before she slid her hand to her chest in reply.

The twins joined their hands as a black cloud swept over their feet while they walked, and the ballroom splintered into shards of existence that spun around them until the children vanished into nothing.