Dressed in borrowed clothes, covered in dirt, and with dark circles under my eyes was not it. After a day of sleep, I’d get that potion, take a day or two off work to heal properly, then I’d go looking for him. I’d find a way around his worries.
We were fated. It had to mean something. Bad things happened to those who went against fate. He’d learn that and come for me if I couldn’t get to him.
Rubbing my chest, I pushed my scooter into our yard, my ankle protesting the whole way. We had a wide driveway with a well-maintained lawn. Out around the back of the house, we hada pool. Not too far away was a lake, so Dad had installed an outside shower.
I struggled to get my clothes off now that my ankle was throbbing and didn’t want to bear my weight. The shower’s water was cold, designed for a quick rinse in the summer months when we went swimming in the afternoon, not a cooler morning wash, but there was a water heater if needed. I didn’t bother. It would take too long and I was exhausted.
The clothes I dumped in the corner of the shower cubicle. I’d deal with them when I felt better. My torn clothes I’d throw in the trash, even if I wanted to keep something with his scent on. My mom would have a fit if she saw the evidence of what I’d been up to.
Getting the scent of sex off me took longer than I would have liked under the frigid spray. My skin stung from the force of the water and from the lemon soap Mom left out here. While I was grateful for something to wash with, I wished there was something that didn’t sting the cuts and scrapes I’d picked up. Still, I was lucky Mom even used the pool and kept the shower stocked. She liked to swim sometimes if she had the afternoon off. Said it was good exercise.
There were towels in the locker next to the shower. I wrapped myself in a big fluffy one when I shut off the water.
What were the chances Mom was waiting for me again?
I tried to be quiet, but nope, there she was.
“Should you be on that foot?” She glanced at me, saw me limping worse than before, and hopped up. “Sit down! I’ll get a poultice. Do you need a healer?”
“Nah, I should be fine. I just need to rest.”
“Instead of using that damn scooter, you should have told me you were heading out for coffee with Orson! I would have driven you. The town is buzzing with talk of you two!” Her delight was evident. I knew the rumor-mill would be working overtime, just didn’t realize how quickly she would hear about it.
“About that… Mom… it’s not going to work.”
Mom frowned, her fingers still fussing with the poultice she was applying to my swollen ankle. Fuck, I’d really done a number on it. She began cleaning the cuts and scrapes on my shoulders and back with a tingly gel some vampire scientists developed. Closed them up much quicker.
“Why not? Everyone said you were holding hands and there was baby talk.”
“Maybe before.” I paused before blurting. “Mom, I met my fated mate!”
She gasped. “Orson?”
It was my turn to frown. “No. He wouldn’t tell me his name.” I knew I was scowling. “But he’s living in the woods. I was inside his house! He gave me his son’s clothes—“
“His son?”
“Adopted.” I waved that away. Having kids wasn’t a dealbreaker to me. They were his family, so I’d grow to love them. “Anyway, he was the dingo I saw. Not the first one from years ago, that was his uncle. Mom, he’s my fated mate!”
“Impossible,” she denied. “Baby, you’re all mixed up.”
“But—“
“Sully, no.” She shook her head. “You’re telling me you went into the woods, again, I might add, and came across this dingo you said chased you the other day, and you what? Kissed him?”
Blushing, I tried to tiptoe around what had happened. “He shifted to talk to me. I knew he was safe because… well, I just did, okay? We talked a bit and the pull to him was just… I couldn’t control myself, Mom. I had to kiss him! Then I knew it.”
“So why isn’t he here?”
Fuck.
“He doesn’t want to be my mate.” My emotions were all over the place. I wanted to cry again.
“That settles it, then. He can’t be your mate. I’m sorry, baby, but if he can deny what you think happened, then he isn’t the one. Besides, you’ve got Orson. He’ll make you very happy.”
By the determined set to her shoulders, I knew there was no getting through to her.
Unable to keep the news to myself, and sure I was telling the truth, I called Trisha.
