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“Then he’s the one I need to cozy up to,” I joked, shocked when his face tightened again. What did I do now?
Koa turned and headed downstairs again, and I joined Orion on the upper landing. “Don’t mind him,” he soothed. “Sometimes he’s a bit intense, but the food is great.”
I couldn’t help a giggle. “You’re terrible.”
“And here’s your room.” He held the door open and waved me inside.
“This is wonderful.” I marched into the center of the room and turned in a circle. “You’ll never get me to leave this space.” I slapped a hand over my mouth then let it drop. “I don’t mean that, of course. Just that it’s a beautiful room.” The log walls and artisan quilts…sheer curtains letting in the light from outside. “You two made the furniture, didn’t you?”
“Mostly me, but Koa helped when I needed it.” His eyes twinkled. “You are so surprised by our home. Did you think we lived in a cave and were going to roast a carcass over the fire for your dinner?”
“No, I mean…I knew you had the cabin but wow.”
“Wow is just what were were going for.” His grin made me wonder if he was teasing, but nonetheless, wow was what they achieved.
Chapter Fourteen
Koa
I had not a single damned minute of sleep that night. Druscilla was Orion’s mate. He had done it. Under some crazy circumstances, but Fate did have a way of getting her bidding done that none of us understood.
I lay there, arm draped over my forehead, trying to shelter my eyes from the brightness of the moon as it pushed its rays through my window. I was angry with her. Not angry, confused.
Because there was a chance that Druscilla wasn’t my mate but only Orion’s.
When I pictured a future, it was me, Orion, and our mate, but in less than a day, all of that had changed. Fear made my spine quiver.
I hadn’t touched her yet and, until I did, there was a chance she was only Orion’s mate.
Rolling over and punching my pillow, I came to terms with the fact that maybe all this time, we had been wrong. Just because we were best friends and our beasts thought so, didn’t mean we would share a mate.
It seemed like the moment my exhaustion gave in and my eyes closed on their own, the sun replaced the moon and barged into my room, telling me that it was morning.
If she was my mate, this was my chance to impress her. My beast wanted nothing more than to be in his skin, showing off his broad build and strength. Show her what we really were.
We would work up to that.
Once morning broke, she would begin asking us questions, but with that knowledge, another conundrum emerged. It was one thing to be careful and tread lightly on the answers to her questions—answers for a stranger.
Druscilla was no stranger—not anymore. Not to Orion. He would want to hold nothing back. No secrets from mates. Or each other.
After a cold shower and time to think more, because I needed more than eight hours of that apparently, I decided that even if today was nothing more than doing what was best for Orion’s mate, then I would do it.
I made a pot of our best coffee and put strips of bacon and egg bites into the oven. I sliced my homemade bread from the day before, buttered it. Instead of throwing it into the toaster, I would brown it right in a skillet. It was the way my mother did it, before she and my father were killed. She didn’t believe in the latest gadgets, not even a microwave. She was old school and claimed that the old ways meant that even toast was a labor of love.
Soon Druscilla came out of the bedroom. She was dressed casually in tight jeans and a cream sweater. No jewelry and instead of shoes, furry socks.
Wonder what she would think of our furry coat of hair?
“Good morning,” I called out, turning to meet her gaze while I pulled the bacon from the oven.
“Good morning, Koa.” My beast stirred at the sound of my name pouring off her luscious lips. “Everything smells amazing.”
I nodded. I didn’t know how to talk to this woman. She calmed me and yet, made me incredibly nervous. Orion should be up. This was his mate. He should be filling her plate and feeding her. Serving her coffee. Ensuring she was full. “Thank you. Are you hungry? Do you like coffee?”
If he wouldn’t do it, I would.
There was still a shard of hope in me.
