Page 53 of Sight of Fate

“Mexican food. Any kind. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales. I could go on and on.” I lean in closer. “Tell me there’s some place in town. Please, pretty please. With sugar on top.”

“That’s Andros’ favorite too. If we don’t have it at least once a month, he gets irritable,” he says with a laugh. It dims after a second, as if he’s not sure he should bring him up. “I’ll send you a list.”

“Favorite color?” I’m not sure what to say about Andros. “Mine’s green.”

He peers into my eyes. “Used to be blue until I peered into your gorgeous green eyes.” His gaze drops to my blouse and clears his throat. “Definitely green.”

I smile. “Macklin was a huge help today. I’m not sure I’d have chosen something so bold without him.”

He takes a drink of wine, then turns to me. “What do you think of Macklin?”

I blush as my mind conjures the incredibly handsome man. “I like him. He’s thoughtful and kind.” Sexy. The blush spreads from my cheeks down my chest and I take a bite of food and stare down at my plate, hoping my thoughts aren’t on display.

Teague leans in. “You know, it’s pretty common for supes to have more than one mate.”

I choke on the bite I’m swallowing and immediately start coughing. He curses and hands me my glass. I take a few sips, but it still takes several minutes to clear my throat.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said it,” he says, patting me on the back. He mutters something about patience. “Are you okay?”

Two mates. I nervously laugh, but I’m kind of panicking at the idea. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Talk to me,” he says, putting down his silverware. “I want to know what’s bothering you.”

I shake my head. “It’s hard to explain. Before I came here, I worked in coffee shops, lived out of my car, and showered at twenty-four-hour gyms. My life was quiet. Contained.” Except for Hank, but I’m not ready to talk about him.

Self-conscious, I twist the white napkin lying across my lap. “Now, I have a job in an office, interacting with people. There are wolves and shifters and magic and witches. A whole world I didn’t know existed but somehow belong to.” I pause. “And you. My boss. My mate. Who looks like he should belong to somebody else, but for some reason, insists I’m his forever.” Why did I say that? I shake my head. “My life went from ten to a hundred miles an hour in a blink of an eye. It’s a lot.”

Mine. The sudden urge to claim him overwhelms me, but I shove it away.

“First, let’s clear something up,” he begins, his jaw tight with anger. “You’re mine. And I will never belong to anybody else. Only you.”

He picks up my hand and places a kiss in the middle of my palm. The connection between us vibrates. “The second I saw you, sitting in your car, tears running down your face, I was hooked. You take my breath away. Every damn minute. But beyond the physical, do you want to know why I’m falling for you? It’s because you constantly push at your own boundaries until you’ve smashed through them. You’ve been here ten days, and it blows my mind to see how far you’ve come in such a short time.”

My mouth falls open, and my heart thuds with every word he utters. A battering ram against the doubts and fears weighing me down.

Teague brushes a finger down my cheek. “When you first got here, I couldn’t touch you. At all. Now you lean into my touch. You say you’re terrified of your visions, yet you choose to help others again and again. There’s a freedom in overcoming your own limitations, but I think you’re having a hard time seeing everything you’ve done.”

“I’m not used to spending so much time with other people,” I say haltingly, wanting him to understand. “Sometimes it’s hard to think, much less see yourself through a different lens.”

He takes a deep breath. “I’ve been trying to take it slow. Give you time. But maybe you need some space?”

I nod, and he takes a drink of his wine. “This is probably a good time to tell you we’re leaving tomorrow to rescue Mavros. I won’t be in the office Monday or Tuesday, but I know you’ll hold down the fort.”

“I didn’t realize it would happen so quickly. Who all is going?”

“Macklin and me. Along with Ames and Rhory, the two dragon shifters who own the ranch with the hatchlings.” He chuckles when I give him an incredulous look. How is this a real conversation? “Plus, a couple of vampire friends who are chasing down several disappearances and want to see if the cases are connected.”

Alarmed to hear supes are disappearing, my brow puckers. “Is there anything I can do?” I pause, and a frisson of alarm cascades down my back. “Andros isn’t going?”

“He’ll be here, but not in the office,” I reassure her. “And he doesn’t really like people that much, so I doubt you’ll see him out.” He picks up his fork. “Now, what should we have for dessert?”

Chapter Twenty-Three

CHARLI

Teague continued to be attentive for the rest of our date, spoiling me with dessert, holding my hand on the way home, but the passionate kiss I’d been anticipating never happened. All I got was a peck on the cheek and a searching look as he said good night.

Why do I feel like I want to throw a tantrum? Because I’m an idiot. I felt sexy. Desirable. The heat in his eyes when he saw me was fire. Literally scorching. I felt it. Felt him. I could almost picture what he wanted to do to me.