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“Smart. I goofed on one of those. Maschalagnia. Ever heard of that?”
“No, well not until last night. I said no…what is it?”
“I thought it was food, and you know me and food. I like it all. So I said yes, and next thing I knew, I was hearing from all these guys who like armpits.”
“What? No!”
“It’s a thing, apparently, and I had to send a message to the app admin to help me untangle that mess.”
“Cindy!” I giggled. “Well, I guess to each their own. Anyway, after I finished all the profile stuff, I was looking at profiles when I got some suggestions.”
“Yes, and I take it you liked one of them?”
“Well, I ended up messaging three orcs who wanted someone to have a family with, so they—”
“What?”
“I said I—”
“They are looking for a breeder? And they are orcs? Ilya, you are not that desperate. You’ve got two weeks here, and after that, I’ll help you find another place to stay. Please don’t do this.”
“I never said a breeder. They want a woman to have a family with. Children. And they are offering a lifetime of security and good company and”—my cheeks burned at the words—“hot sex. I don’t need hearts and flowers. I know you do and I am sure you’ll be very happy with your new mates. But I want a secure home with men who will respect me.” I reached over and patted her hand. “It’s practical. Everyone’s expectations are on the table. Please try to be happy for me?”
“I-I—” Cindy set her cup down and hugged me. “I know how stubborn you can be. Your heart is set on this?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then make sure I have all the information. Their address and phone and names, and you call me every day so I know you’re alive. You sure they don’t want you just for sex?”
I giggled again. “Couldn’t be too bad, right?”
She shook her head. “I think there’s more to this. But I’m here or at my new home when you need me. When do you leave?”
I glanced at the clock on my phone. “An hour. I’m going to call for a rideshare.”
“No, I’ll take you to the airport. It’s the least I can do.”
“All right. You really are the best friend I have.” We hugged some more while I tried not to look as nervous as I felt.
Chapter Twelve
Saber
“We’re too early. Are you still tracking the driver?” I asked, looking over Draven’s shoulder. Of course not. He was watching a damned cooking video. I didn’t know why I expected anything else.
“The app is on in the background. She’s in the car and on her way. And you’re the one who insisted we come up here an hour before she was due to arrive. I was nervous enough at home, but now I can’t even think straight.”
Menace paced the woods behind us. While Draven and I were nervous, Menace had gone silent. His grunts were the only answers we got, which meant that he was lost in his own mind—probably overthinking and analyzing everything until he was angrier than before. Maybe not angry—more like annoyed. That was the vibe he put off more often.
He meant well. We all knew that. Maybe Ilya would turn him into mush and he would be nicer.
That was asking her for a miracle, and she hadn’t even gotten here yet.
Draven’s phone made a weird beeping noise after a while and we all turned back to the road ahead. We had instructed the Uber driver to drop her at the same place where the delivery driver brought our groceries. We had made sure to get a large order earlier that day, stocking the place for our visitor. No, not visitor. Our mate. Our chosen mate.
“She’s five minutes out,” Draven said after consulting the app. We had talked a lot over the past day or so and scoured her profile for any and all details we could get about her but, the truth was, she was still so much a stranger to us.
And yet, I had a good feeling about her. Her smile. Her openness. The way she spoke to us like men and not like creatures who were going to gobble her up in the next minute.
