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I can’t imagine the word cute sits well with the massive, permanently scowling orc, and I have no desire to lead her into further conversation about his sexiness.
“Oh, look, there’s a car coming!” Rosetta sits up straight, pointing at the road beyond the windshield. “That has to be Nat.”
The minor irritation Rosetta stirred up vanishes, replaced by a buzz of anticipation. With each second, my heart beats faster, harder. My body and soul know my mate is nearby. My wait is almost over.
Four
NATALIE
Thank goodness Constantine sent detailed directions. He told me some of the small mountain towns don’t show up on the satellite map and he was right. There were no results when I typed “Fate’s Falls” into my rental car’s GPS. Literally none.
I love Rosetta like a sister and a best friend, but Constantine’s number is the only useful information she’s given me for this trip. Her text replies have fallen into three categories: brief, evasive, and emoji. Not a big deal if I were back home, going about my normal, predictable life. But I’m here, thousands of kilometers from my safe little studio apartment on the third floor. I’m driving up an actual mountain, on a narrow road bordered by trees as tall as my apartment building. Maybe taller.
If I took a wrong turn or had some sort of freak automotive failure, I’d be screwed. There hasn’t been a single town since I began my ascent. But there have been plenty of wildlife warning signs. Deer. Moose. Bears. No thank you to those and all others. I’m not a fan of big furry things.
So, yes, I’m a bit peeved with my cousin for leaving me hanging. For potentially putting my life in danger. Even so, I’m still relieved she’s going to be there with Constantine when I arrive.
I haven’t stopped thinking about my phone calls with him. It’s likely I’ve built our connection up in my head, made more of it than it actually is. Rationally, I blame my recent lack of dating. Of course, I’d respond to a friendly, helpful, deep-voiced man. I’m only human.
Still, we spent hours on the phone the past couple of days. He called multiple times. We texted too. They weren’t just casual conversations between two people whose best friends are getting married. Honestly, we barely even talked about Ro and Dak. We talked about my art, his businesses, our likes and dislikes for lots of day-to-day stuff. Lots of getting to know each other. Yet, even from the first call, it felt as if I already know him.
The way we connected so naturally… that’s how I’ve always expected a real relationship to feel. The long-term, there’s no doubt it’s going to last forever, kind.
I definitely need to leave my apartment more. Interact with people, face-to-face. Put myself out there, in the dating trenches, until I find somebody I’m comfortable with. Someone who’ll be easy to talk to and give me tingly feelings. Somebody like Constantine.
Sighing, I glance at my phone where it’s sitting in the dashboard mount I brought along. According to the route I manually programmed into the map app, the Fate’s Falls’ outpost should be directly ahead.
“Continue on this road for five-hundred meters, then your destination is on the right.” By the time the artificial voice has finished her instructions, there’s a single-story building within view.
I assumed it’d be small gatehouse at the edge of town. I assumed wrong. The closer I get, the larger I realize it is. The front portion of the building looks like a log cabin—like an old-time outpost—but the rear section is sided with metal and there are two large bay doors, the kind you’d see on a warehouse. This isn’t just a security guard’s station for a gated community.
Maybe I’m in the wrong place. Seems unlikely, given the specific directions I received, but out here in the middle of nowhere, it kind of feels like anything is possible.
Heart racing, I pull into the parking lot, the gravel crunching under my tires as I park across from the only other vehicle in the lot—a large, dark, four-door pickup truck. With its tinted windows and the sunlight shining in my eyes, I can’t make out the passengers in the front seat of the cab. I hold my foot on the brake pedal and keep the engine running.
My pulse kicks even higher as the truck’s passenger door opens. Then everything in the world is right because my cousin is running across the parking lot, waving her arms, calling my name. I put the car in park and turn off the engine, hopping out as she reaches the driver’s door of my rental.
“You’re here!” Squealing, she pulls me into a hug before I can even close the car door, bouncing me around in a semi-circle before releasing me and standing back, still holding my hands. “I didn’t realize how much I missed you, but holy shit, I’ve missed you!”
“You’ve been too busy being in love to miss me, which I’m very happy about, and I’m sure your parents will be, eventually, too.”
The twist of her previously smiling lips tells me I should’ve left her parents out of this reunion moment.
“Sorry. Forget I mentioned them. The next couple of weeks are all about you,” I say, checking her over, head to toe, then back again. “Mountain air, love, and constant boinking agree with you, Ro. You’re practically glowing.”
A laugh lighter than the brilliant sunshine overhead floats from her fresh smile. “I have literally never been happier. And every day when I wake up, I’m even happier than the day before. I didn’t know life could be like this.”
I should be overjoyed for her, not overflowing with jealousy. Green is not a good color for me. I’ll get over it. A deep-voiced distraction would help, though. “Is Constantine just going to wait in the truck?” I ask, attempting to twist around to face the vehicle that’s now behind me. “I know you’re going to think this sounds silly, but we’ve talked a lot the past few days, and I’m excited to meet him in person.”
Rather than let me shift position, Ro blocks me. “It’s not silly at all, and I know he’s super excited about meeting you, too, but there’s something I need to tell you before he comes over.”
“What is it? God, Ro, you should see your face. It must be horrible. Is he—” No. I refuse to say any of the superficial words aloud. “Is his great personality compensating for something beyond his control? It has to be something external if you think you have to prepare me for it. You wouldn’t have me staying at his house if he’s a monster.”
Ro makes a strangled sound, her fair complexion burning bright red. “Boy, do you know how to pick the words.” Shaking her head, she retrieves her phone from her jeans’ pocket, swipes and taps a few times, then takes a deep breath. “First, I’ll show you a picture of my fiancé.”
“Seriously? You’re going to dangle that mysterious comment, then leave me hanging while you show me a picture of your fiancé?” This is getting weirder by the minute. I already know Dak’s not a garden-variety white guy, otherwise her parents wouldn’t have taken issue with his skin color.
Constantine must be the same nationality as her fiancé. Though, why she thinks she needs to ease me into it is beyond me. There’s not a racist bone in my body. She knows that. Probably better than anyone.
