His face brightened when she used the term mate. "Deal." He took her hand and led the way out of the prince's quarter toward the transport tunnel. "Let's head to Level Six. You can meet some of the wolves and vendors, grab something to eat and even swing by the hospital before we check on Magnus."
Serenity felt a warmth expand in her chest. He noticed that she hadn't had a chance to eat and picked up on her impatience to see the children. "What about us?" she asked.
Micah smiled. "We have the rest of our lives my one and only. Until the threat to the children and prince are gone, I think I can share you." He paused. "Just a bit though," he said seriously.
"Thank you," she said simply.
"Let's go." He pulled her into the tunnel and together they floated up toward Level Six.
CHAPTER THREE
Micah couldn't believe his mate was walking at his side. Not only was she absolutely stunning with her dark brown curls and lavender eyes, her selflessness shined from her soul like a warm sun.
He led her by the hand until they found a table tucked away from the mid-day crowd. "You wait here, I'll grab my favorites for you to try," he suggested. She smiled up at him and nodded.
"Hey Micah, who is that with you?" Marcy asked as he approached her stall. She was one of his favorite vendors. Her specialty was sweet potato fries drizzled in brown sugar and cinnamon. "That beautiful soul is my one and only, my mate," he said proudly.
Around him voices died down. "You finally mated?" Old man Richter asked.
Micah grinned at him. "I sure am."
"Good for you boy. Tell your lady she is welcome here any time," he offered.
"Many thanks," Micah said waving.
Marcy had a shielded expression on her face as she handed over his treat. She leaned in toward him. "Be careful with her Micah, you just broke a lot of hearts."
Micah frowned and looked around. He was shocked to see some of the ladies he knew dabbing at their eyes. He turned back to Marcy. "But they knew I wasn't their mate," he said taking his time reaching for the napkins.
"Which made your kind words all the more special." Marcy shook her head. "Give them a few days to adjust."
He winked at her. "You always take good care of me," he teased.
Even though she was old enough to be his grandmother she blushed before shooing him away. "Go on with you now."
Micah quickly grabbed some crepes and headed back to his mate. She eyed him suspiciously. "You seemed very chummy with that vendor."
He shrugged and sat down across from her. He handed her the sweet treats before murmuring a soundproof spell creating a bubble of privacy around them. "It's not easy being a female in Noctem Falls. It's getting better with Gavriel actively taking a huge role in setting things right. But before Aiden came to visit with his crazy mate and Bethy, the people here romanticized the Victorian Era, including how they sometimes treated women."
Serenity froze holding a fry in front of her. "You're joking right?"
He shook his head. "Everyone was very proper of course and publicly respectful, but I don't think many of the women here heard a kind word behind closed doors." He hummed as he chewed his fries. "So good! Anyway, when I first got here I would wink, flirt and compliment every woman I met. You could see it in their eyes that my silliness gave them just a moment of pride. A unit warrior had called them beautiful. They stood straighter or smiled more. Pretty soon I had a reputation for being a womanizer, but the ladies knew the truth. In all the years I've been here, I've never gone hungry or wanted for anything. Those same ladies would arrange for baskets of food to be delivered to the Unit Level or take in my wash if I was running behind on my home chores. Duties that they normally performed daily, but for the first time, it was something they wanted to do." He looked up at his mate. "I have many friends in the ci
ty and about ninety-five percent of them are female."
Serenity's eyes were filled with sympathy. "It's nothing like that in Storm Keep. Women are on a pretty level playing field with men. What matters more than gender are your test scores." She eyed him carefully. "Wait a minute, how are you still here?" She looked him up and down. "You must have tested extremely high."
"You can see my magic?" he asked curiously.
"Sort of. More like a range of color. Yours has amazing depth."
He shrugged. "Like most unit warriors I fudged my test scores so I could come back to the city after testing." He winced then looked at his mate. "And I sort of slept with the proctor's wife."
She started to choke on her crepe. She pounded on her chest before looking up at him. "You what?"
"They weren't mates," he said quickly. "I would never, ever sleep with a mated woman. They had married at her parent's insistence to have more powerful children. I was a weekend delight."
Serenity leaned in. "Which proctor?" she asked her eyes dancing.