"Would you mind if I tagged along?" The voice startled me, and I started to lose my footing on the icy slope of the drive. I tried to right myself and reclaim my balance, but he was quicker, steadying me before I could get too far. “I’m Avi, by the way.”
“Farren,” I offered as I tried to hide my mortification.First impression, hiding away in my room all night. Second impression, nearly face planting from fear of a simple question."Did they send the beta to help ease me into it all?" I asked, eyeing the man with his hands on my arms. When he saw I was stable, he let go and shrugged.
"It was my suggestion, but yeah. We wanted to make sure you were doing alright." His smile was genuine as he studied me. The fact that he was easy to read would have been enough to make me trust him, then his scent wrapped around me like a warm hug, giving me a sense of familiarity that I could only attribute to the fated mates thing. The smell of the sea drowned out the fresh, crisp air of the mountains. And damn, I wished I could bottle it to keep it with me always.
'You're mated. You don't need to bottle it. You have him,'Zehra pointed out. I groaned, being careful to keep that part in my head, and ignored her commentary.
"You mean most mates don't just clam up and run off?" He gave me an amused smile.
"I wouldn't know. You're my first," he laughed, tucking his wavy hair behind his ear, revealing the silver earring dangling from his ear lobe. He moved and walked, hell, even talked, like he was comfortable in his own skin. I instantly liked that about him. It wasn’t often you found someone so open, and it was refreshing. With his eclectic taste in clothing, he stood out, but he seemed like it never even crossed his mind for that to bother him.
"Same." I laughed, or I wished I could call it a laugh. It was probably more one of those awkward chuckle kind of things. "Obviously. And no, I don't mind if you want to walk with me. I'm off for some coffee and fresh air since it's a nice day."
He gave me a side eye. "Nice?"
"It's always nice when the sun shines. It helps the snow and ice stay away. We're high enough up in these mountains that we're used to the cold by now. You'll get there. But I do suggest a bit more clothing next time," I teased, tugging on the billowy white button-up he was wearing. Even his jeans had a few holes. If it weren't for his boots, I'd have refused for his own sake. The last thing I needed was for my new mate to get frostbite. I had my dragon side to keep me warm, but he didn’t have that luxury.
"We're working on that," he promised with a grin. I was quickly becoming addicted to his small smiles. "I'll be fine. I'm a witch, so I'll just conjure up some flames to follow us around for a bit if I need."
"You know, I've never thought of that," I said. I pictured a small Calcifer following us around, like inHowl's Moving Castle. "Then again, I think snow must be in my blood. It feels so much more refreshing than constant sun or rain. I’d never make it somewhere warm and sunny."
"I grew up on the coast," he countered. "I'm the opposite." We weren’t talking about anything important, but this still somehow felt meaningful. Conversation was easy with him, but I didn't think it was the calming effect betas had on us. I thought it was just something inherentlyhim.
'He's a good fit for you. You're far too tense most of the time. Maybe he can help with that.'I could practically envision the toothy, scaled smile she was giving me right now. She even sent a vision of him naked, nearly making me fall again.Freaking dragons.
'I'm not tenseallof the time. It's called being vigilant, and you're welcome because that's what kept us alive this whole time,'I shot back before we reached the bottom of the sloping drive.‘Behave.’
‘Where’s the fun in that?’
"I don't know how much of the town you've seen. But if you need clothes, there's a shop over on Pine Drive." I pointed to our right. "Over to our left is a residential area and a few unopened shops. I think the owners assumed we'd be bursting with residents by now, but the most we get are tourists, which is why West does a full dining schedule. At least for now."
"For now?" he questioned, quirking a manicured eyebrow.
"Molly is retiring, and I think he's in denial about finding a replacement. I can cook a bit, but I'm certainly no Molly."
"Levi can cook," he said absently. “The omega.” I was glad he clarified because we hadn’t done the traditional introductions.
"Definitely tell West," I told him. “Even if he’s only moderately skilled, that’d be a good fit for him. Molly’s the kind of person who’d stick around until she was confident her replacement could handle it, so he’d get a lot of lessons out of her.”
"Will do." He smiled, turning back to our walk. "What's all in the center of town? It looks busier than I’d thought it would. Don’t most residents have to commute to work?"
"There’s a good chunk who do. There are a few bigger cities within an hour’s drive, so they can work at universities and resorts and stuff like that. But here we have a bookstore, diner, one fancy restaurant—or so they like to convince themselves—a pet store, hardware place, a grocery store, and a gas station. There are a few other small shops, but those are the important ones. We're heading to the diner since it's the only place we can find coffee. I'dkillfor a coffee shop."
"Coffee addiction. Noted," he joked, taking my hand to help me over another patch of ice. This time, I didn’t need help, but I didn't mention that. Instead, I gauged how I felt about his touch. My heart raced at the contact. That simple moment of skin against skin sent a jolt of anticipation through me while butterflies swam in my stomach, which was so ridiculous. How could one touch be so intoxicating? I couldn't imagine how his full attention, hands roaming over my body, taking what he wanted from me, would be.Shit, maybe I do need to get laid.
He took a deep breath of the air around us and smirked, then his own lust filled the air, making it hard to ignore. I groaned, knowing damn well he could tell that I was turned on.Fucking omega pheromones.I'd never put much stock in all this alpha, beta, omega stuff. Sure, I could scent strong emotions like everyone else, and we had to deal with our heat. But I hadn’t realized how different that experience would be when I was getting that sensory information from mymates. I had a feeling that all of those normal experiences would become something all-consuming, extraordinary, when shared with them. Just the smell of the sea and his warm hand in mine, and I was a hot mess, wanting to snuggle into his side and revel in his presence. I was touch starved, and he had no clue what he'd given me by just holding my hand.
"So where are you guys from?" I asked. It was an attempt at distracting myself from my pitiful inner musings, but he didn't need to know that.
"I grew up in California, then I moved east for school and then work," he said, keeping it vague. "Did you grow up here in Emberwood?" It was small talk at its best, but I was glad for some insight into my mysterious mates.
"No. I moved in with West ten years ago. He needed help and someone reliable. I happened to be homeless at the time, so it worked. He's the crazy uncle I never asked for, but now that I have him, I wouldn't know how to live without him," I said, smiling to myself.
"I could see it. He's blunt and sarcastic, but there’s a sense of humor there. He’s not just some asshole," he said, giving my hand a squeeze. He didn't ask me to elaborate, just like I didn't ask him for more details. Something was shadowed his eyes, and I knew he had just as much behind his mask as I did. At some point, we'd all have to lay our secrets out, but I certainly wasn't there yet. For now, I'd get to know my mates and take it a step at a time.
"Blunt is an understatement. He tried to tell me about his latest dating escapade this morning," I said, shuddering at the memory. "I think he just likes to get a rise out of me."
"Oh, definitely," he laughed. "Though he did threaten us pretty good, so I can tell he's protective too."