Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Abydos
“Thank you for your time, Abydos,” Sakkara said solemnly, shaking my hand as we stood in the front foyer. “I appreciate you not only meeting with me but also considering my suggestions.”
“Yeah, well…” I shrugged awkwardly, finding it strange that this male, our D’malk, could still make me feel like that wounded young male who needed saving. “I can see that all of you have found happiness here in Eastshore. If my guys want a chance at that, I’m not going to stand in their way.”
I’d been right about the purpose of this meeting; Sakkara had come to pick my brain about the possibility of inviting the orcs who worked for Vengeance Mine out here to Eastshore to live among more of their kind.
The other male nodded solemnly. “If they make that choice, it could cause you a headache to lose them, so I want you to know how much this means to us. To us all. Having our brothers around us brings us peace, and this town is welcoming to us.”
“Yeah,” I repeated, my eye caught by the little tray of pumpkins and scented candles Riven had arranged on one of the tables. “It is.”
Eastshore was cozy as hell, and to my surprise, I had no desire to leave. It made me feel…comforted.
To my surprise, Sakkara clapped me on my shoulder. “We are grateful that you’re here, and I’m happy for your new stage in this life. Riven is a delightful female.”
“She is.” But why in the hells would Sakkara announce that? My Kteer growled, offended by the idea of another male—even a happily Mated one—admiring my little human. I frowned, hating how itchy and on edge the mention of her made me.
She was in the kitchen right now, preparing our lunch.
I could hear the cleaners in my bathroom and the sound of a car on the driveway outside, but for this?
I didn’t need to hear Riven to know where she was in my space—I just knew.
And the thought of Sakkara calling her delightful really pissed me off.
Luckily, I didn’t have to pretend to be polite, because the other male reached the door then. He nodded to me once more before he stepped out onto the porch where he’d presumably left his car.
My phone began to ring, and I dug it out of my pocket. “Sylvik, perfect timing,” I greeted him as I picked up. “My last meeting just left. How can I help you?”
“Yeah, I know he just left, I’m looking at him!” My assistant sounded a little panicky. “Are you alright, Abydos? There’s a bunch of cars out here.”
Frowning, I yanked open the front door to watch Sakkara driving off…and a rental SUV pulling in. Slowly my expression eased into shock. “Sylvik, are you dropping by for a surprise visit?”
“Someone had to check on you.” The SUV turned off.
“Abydos, you’re not acting like yourself—what are all these people doing here?
” The door opened, and sure enough, Sylvik climbed out, still holding the phone to his ear as he marched toward me.
“I’m not sure if you’re sick or what, but it was getting concerning. ”
By this point, he was almost to the steps, so I hung up on him and shoved the phone in my pocket with a little grin.
“Gods below, he’s smiling?” I heard him mutter, then he was barreling up the steps toward me.
Since he was moving so quickly, I reached out my hand to steady him on his shoulder, and his jaw dropped. “Abydos, what’s going on?”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
A little panicky, Sylvik turned to gesture to the drive, then the house. “You don’t like others in your space, and there are three cars out here—”
“You’re one of them. Sakkara just left, and the cleaners’.” I jerked my chin to each. “Riven’s and mine are in the garage.”
My assistant just continued as if I hadn’t interrupted him, gesturing animatedly. “—there are pumpkins on the porch, Abydos! You don’t ever decorate for holidays!”
“Riven did that. She wanted the place to feel autumnal, apparently.”
“—And you’re touching me!” Sylvik’s pitch had risen, and he clasped my forearm, as if to hold my hand on his shoulder. “Since when are you okay with touching?”
My brows rose in surprise.
Was that how the younger male thought of me? Really? I wracked my brain, trying to remember times in the past that I’d touched him, touched anyone…and I couldn’t remember any beyond the necessary shaking of hands.
Huh.
So I shrugged and squeezed his shoulder. “Thank you for being concerned, Sylvik. But I’m okay.”
My assistant was peering at me. “No, I don’t think you are,” he mumbled, eyes squinting as he studied my face. “Have you seen your eyes, Abydos?”
Confused, I dropped my hand and stepped back, frowning. “What do my eyes have to do with anything?”
“They’re glowing.” Sylvik’s own dark eyes widened. “By Palton’s Spear, Abydos,” he whispered, “you’ve found your Mate?”
I gaped. “My Mate?”
“It’s the Heat, isn’t it?” My assistant’s expression broke into a delighted grin. “Congratulations! Who is she? Can I meet her?”
Mate?
The memories slammed into me—Sakkara speaking of this new stage in my life, Tarkhan talking about the Mating Heat—and I stumbled away from Sylvik, crashing into one of the support columns.
Mate.
Did this explain the itchy, unsettled feeling I’d been experiencing? Was this why my Kteer felt as if it paced in my chest, causing me to growl and snap in irritation? Was this the Heat?
Mate.
Holy.
Fucking.
Shit.
There is a knowing. I remembered my father telling me that once, when he was deep in his wine and mourning our mother. There is a knowing. Soul meeting soul.
Slowly, I slid down the column to rest my ass on the top step, my mind a haze.
Mate.
My claws dug into my chest, my breaths coming too fast. I rested my other hand on one of the large pumpkins, trying to settle myself.
Mate.
Yes.
Yes. There is a knowing. And this was the truth. I understood it now. By all the gods, how could I have missed it?
Riven Starr, my little human…was my Mate.
I remembered watching my brothers and their Mates at Halloween—had that only been a handful of days ago?—and wishing I could find that same peace and happiness. I wouldn’t have presumed to dream of a Mate…only the gods could grant such favors. All I’d wanted was to find contentment and peace.
But all along, my Mate was in my arms.
Mate.
Dimly, I was aware of Sylvik lowering himself to sit beside me. “You didn’t realize, did you?” he murmured.
Mutely, I shook my head, my gaze flicking over the tall trees that lined the driveway. I was glad I hadn’t yet had the chance to hire Memnon’s landscaping company to come tame this wildness; perhaps I would leave it untamed.
I’d done enough to fuck up the land, after all.
My assistant cleared his throat. “So who is she?”
“Riven,” I whispered, eyes wide, not really seeing. “She’s mine.”
Sylvik made a noise that might have been laughter. “Then I get credit for finding her. Shit, Abydos, I thought you were going to fire me for sending a human female to your home.”
“I considered it,” I murmured. “I was livid when she stepped inside my…my bubble.” That’s what I’d been doing; living in a bubble, afraid to let anyone in. “I was ready to fly to Colorado and beat your ass.”
A snort. “And instead, you’ve only left Eastshore once in the last two months. That’s part of why I came out here, you know. Garrak is concerned as well. We thought either Eastshore was the most remarkable place, or you were being held hostage.”
My lips curled. “Both. Even when I was gone, I couldn’t stop thinking of Riven.”
“My mother told me that’s normal. Until you claim her as your Mate, until your Kteer is calm, you won’t be able to settle.”
Slowly, I turned to the other male. “Your mother…told you this?”
He shrugged. “Sure. Mom and I had plenty of conversations about this. She wanted me to find my Mate and bring her grandchildren.”
It was such a normal thing. A conversation that I didn’t think I’d ever have. A Mate. Kitlings. Did Sharon want grandchildren? Because the thought of Riven’s body swelling with our kitling suddenly struck me as the most compelling necessity.
I wanted that.
I wanted her.
But…she was my employee. Would she be amenable to being more?
Even as I considered it, my Kteer growled.
I had to convince her to consider me as a Mate, not just her boss.
Suddenly, the memory of what we’d shared last night made me feel nauseous.
The way she’d called me sir and agreed to wear short skirts for me…
the way she’d claimed it was her job to act as a liaison, the way she took care of me…
Did she only think of me as her boss?
“Abydos?” Sylvik said quietly. “What do you need?”
Blankly, I looked at the nature all around me. What did I need?
I needed to give Riven a reason to choose me. Not as her employer, but as her Mate. What did that mean? I wanted to shower more gifts on her, to give her everything she could want, so she wouldn’t want to work for me, and instead would live here with me as a partner.
She needs this job.
Sharon had said that. Hells, Riven herself had told me that, during that first disastrous interview.
Sylvik’s initial background checks had told me the same thing; Riven was drowning under the medical debt from the treatments she’d undergone last year.
The cancer which had taken part of her breasts, but hadn’t managed to break her spirit.
My brave, perfect, beautiful human.
My Mate.
What did I need?
I took a deep breath. “I need you to work your magic. Find all of Riven’s debts, pay them off. I don’t even know which hospital did her surgery, or where she did the radiation…but you’ll find it.”
“Sure I will.” Sylvik stood, brushing off his trousers, although I knew my porch was clean. I was sitting here, wasn’t I? “Research is what I do best, boss. If you don’t mind, I’ll get a room in town and leave again tomorrow—”
“Don’t be stupid,” I snapped, now standing myself. “This place has extra suites, and you can stay as long as you want. I’ll show you around Eastshore.”
My assistant’s brows had risen in surprise. “Really? You will?”
I shrugged and turned toward the front door. “It’s a pleasant place.”
“Pleasant? Gods below, Abydos, Mating has changed you.”
Except, I wasn’t Mated yet. I needed to convince my Mate to choose me.
Soon. Mate.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you to Riven and ask if she can add one more for lunch.”
Ask her. For the last ten years, I’d made demands. Not just of my men, but of myself. Before Riven came into my life, I wouldn’t have considered asking my chef if I could invite someone else to lunch.
Of course, before Riven came into my life, I hadn’t considered sitting down with one of my employees and sharing a meal. Discussing not just business, but our feelings and opinions. I hadn’t considered opening my heart and mind the way I had with Riven.
Hadn’t considered touching skin-to-skin, kissing, sharing pleasure.
Hadn’t considered loving.
Huh.
Lifting my chin, I entered my home. Yes, this was my home now, because Eastshore was where my Mate lived, and I would be with my Mate. It wouldn’t be a hardship to make a home in this town, where my people were welcomed and humans smiled at us.
I would be home with my Mate, assuming I could think of a way to convince her to have me.
Soon.