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Sitting in the terminal at Pearson with my jumbo latte! My flight leaves in two hours. I should probably try to keep this message low-key and casual, but I’m just tired and wired enough to say things I shouldn’t. I can’t wait to meet you in person. Is that saying too much? If it is, just tell me. Save me from making things awkward. (Or more awkward.)
She was in the air with her phone powered off by the time I saw the message. I replied immediately, telling her it’s not awkward and I feel the same way about her. Then I sent a separate text to let her know Rosetta and I would meet her at the outpost I’d noted in my directions.
Rosetta wasn’t part of my original plan. Having her there is insurance. A way to soften the shock that might cause Natalie to get into her rental car and drive straight back to the airport after seeing me. Because I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.
Natalie texted when she landed; just a quick one to let me know she was safely on the ground and headed my way. No more mention of her excitement to see me, but the triple blushing face emojis were a good sign. Women have a definite advantage when it comes to emojis.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Rosetta says from the passenger seat of my pickup truck, where we’re parked at the outpost.
The outpost sits just outside of Fate’s Falls and is staffed by shapeshifters. They predominantly assume human form while manning the station. Most of the time, their job consists of coordinating deliveries with our in-town drivers, since all mail and packages are processed through the outpost. Sometimes the outpost staff act in a park ranger capacity, redirecting travelers who’ve taken a wrong turn on the mountain roads. They never have to act in a security capacity because only those approved by the Oracle are able to pass the boundary. Those who aren’t won’t even see the road leading into town.
“You’re quiet too,” I say, keeping my eyes on the empty road ahead.
“I guess we’re both nervous about Nat’s reaction. Maybe I should’ve met her here by myself, instead of with you.”
That would’ve required Rosetta making the offer, which she didn’t, but now isn’t the time to point out her lack of consideration where Natalie’s travel plans are concerned.
“I’m surprised you didn’t pick Natalie up at the airport,” I say instead, though it’s another criticism that’s been on my mind since Rosetta told me her cousin was coming to Fate’s Falls for the wedding, and that she hadn’t disclosed we’re a town full of non-humans.
“Because I want the baby news to happen at my house, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold it in during the long drive, during which Nat would undoubtedly ask a million questions.”
“Understandable. I’ve talked to her a lot in the past couple of days, but always making sure I steer the conversation away from anything that could lead to questions I don’t want to answer honestly until we’re face-to-face.”
Rosetta gives a small, commiserative smile. “Soon it’ll all be out in the open.”
“And you firmly believe Natalie will accept everything she’s about to discover?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked her to take a five-hour flight across the country, followed by an hours-long drive into the mountains to a town she wouldn’t have been able to see or enter.” Rosetta’s mouth twitches from side to side, then she sighs. “Okay, I haven’t fully disclosed everything to you either. I consulted the Oracle before I called Nat. I had to know if she’d be allowed past the boundary to attend my wedding.”
“That was very responsible of you.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not completely self-absorbed.”
“Of course not,” I say, though it’s not a completely honest opinion. Rosetta merrily goes about her life without pausing to consider others, the exception being Dak. She has always prioritized his happiness. That gets her a pass in my books. “With the wedding and baby stuff, taking that preemptive measure with the Oracle could easily have fallen through the cracks.”
She narrows her gaze at me. “Riiight.” Self-absorbed though she may be, she’s still damn perceptive when she pays attention. She knows I’m being consciously neutral. Sucking up, if you will.
“What did the Oracle say?” I withhold the other question I want to ask—why she didn’t tell me this information sooner. As in, during our conversation in her workshop two days ago, when I revealed that Natalie is my mate.
“The Oracle said there are no visitor passes for Fate’s Falls. For a being as old as time itself, she’s pretty snappy. Doesn’t miss a beat.”
“What else did the Oracle say?”
“What makes you think there was more?” Rosetta’s intentional torment and obvious amusement in dishing it causes my tail to whip upward. She glances at it in the space between us in the front seat. “I always forget you have a tail, but not during this little blip of a trip.”
Tail movement is primarily involuntary, and more noticeable when emotions are heightened. Everything has been running higher since I spoke with Natalie. All of my instinctual Minotaur traits are amplified.
When my only response is a bullish huff, Rosetta laughs, at which my tail whips sharply to the right.
“It’s pretty. So floofy at the end.”
“It is not pretty. Or… floofy.”
“Chill, Constantine, your masculinity is intact; I was only talking about your tail. But you know what?” She twists on her seat, tapping her cheek while her gaze wanders over my clenched-jaw expression. “Now that I’m stuck in this truck with you, getting a good, up-close look, your hair is pretty, too. So shiny. Looks like you don’t have a single split end on those long, wavy locks. Tell me your beauty secrets. Do you deep condition?”
There’s no withholding yet another gruff release of breath, this one louder than the last. “Is this how you speak to Dakgorim?”
“God, no. He’d lose his shit. But I have told him he’s cute plenty of times. And sexy, of course.”
