The Soul Mate by Madeline Sheehan Read Free Book Online Page A

to Gerik. He left quickly,
walking toward the fire pit.
    “Where have you been? And why are you
smoking?” Gerik asked. “I thought that after…" He trailed off. I
mean, I thought we were good.”
    Good? What did that mean?
    “Everything is fine.” I tried to walk around
him but he mimicked my footsteps and blocked my way.
    He shook his head. “You are avoiding me.”
    I sighed. “I’m not. Honestly.”
    Skepticism crossed his features.
    “I’m really not. I just needed some…” I
paused thinking of how Simza had almost accidently betrayed some
magical Roma secret in my presence and had been shushed by her
mother.
    I shot him a hard look. “I needed some Gaje
time.”
    He rolled his eyes. “You can’t take it
personally Trinity, you’re not one of us, you can’t expect an
entire culture to change their ways overnight because you have hurt
feelings.”
    “No,” I said, agreeing with him. “I
don’t.”
    “Then what’s the problem?”
    “Gerik, it isn’t them I expect anything
from.”
    He narrowed his blue eyes in confusion while
I continued to stare at him.
    “Me,” He said flatly as realization hit. “You
expect it of me even though you know I can’t, yeah?”
    "Can’t? Or won’t?” I shot back.
    Gerik drew himself to his full height, his
legs spread wide and his jaw set in a hard line. He laced his hands
behind his neck causing his t-shirt to pull up, exposing his
abdomen. My breathing increased as the thin cotton stretched tight
across his broad expanse of muscled chest.
    I drank him in, the sight of him, the smell
of him, all instantly steering me away from my anger. All my
previous hurts fled as the magic that compelled me to react to
Gerik in this manner infused me. Unwillingly I took a step closer
to him.
    My reactions to him never went unnoticed.
With his hands still around his neck, he took a step forward as
well, his eyes now burning gray.
    “Let me come home with you tonight,” He
whispered.
    My body screamed yes. The blood streaming
under my skin itched and burned to move forward, to touch skin to
skin, and fuse with this man.
    “I can make you feel better Trinity. You know
I can make everything better.”
    My will broke and although Gerik’s facial
expression hadn’t changed, his eyes shone brilliantly with
triumph.
    “Are we interrupting?” Shandor’s head
appeared in between us. He was grinning like a jack-o-lantern.
Behind him were two of the Horváth triplets, an arm slung over each
of them.
    “Oh Gods,” I mumbled, shaking my head
clear.
    “And sometimes you make everything worse,” I
pointedly told Gerik.
    Gerik continued to stare at me until I felt
like I had empty holes where my eyes had been. I had never thought
of him as anything but Gerik, but for the first time he looked
frightening. Between his height and his impressive muscular
stature, he was a formidable sight. Add the ridged set of his jaw
and the moonlight glinting off his eyes, he looked downright
scary.
    He turned abruptly then, nearly knocking into
Xan and Fifi. His long legs ate up the distance back to the living
lot in a matter of seconds.

CHAPTER SIX
    “Gimme the bottle Xan!” Fifi whined jumping
on Xan’s back.
    “Chill fată.” He took a swig and passed the
bottle upwards to her.
    “You okay Trin?” Xan’s dark eyes missed
nothing.
    I didn’t answer him.
    “I do believe this is a first frate. A fată
ignoring you!” Shandor mocked from beneath the eager lips of the
youngest triplet, Magdolna.
    Fifi burst out laughing, causing her to lose
her footing around Xan, who hadn’t been holding onto her. She
landed hard on her bottom. Still studying me, Xan reached down to
snatch his bottle back from her. “You’re free to join us if you’d
like.”
    I snorted. The thought of being the fifth
wheel in their drunken orgy didn’t sound the least bit fun. I shook
my head and turned to go.
    “You think you’re too good for us, Gaje?”
Fifi’s pretty face was scrunched up in a scowl and