The Prince’s Mate (Fate’s Gambit)

Seven

Walker

It was only once we were at the checkout counter that I realized just how much stuff I'd bought considering I'd be the only one eating and this was supposed to be a short stay, just as long as we needed to check in with all the demons. I didn't think it would take more than two or three weeks, and yet the amount of stuff I'd bought could probably last me a whole month.

Caelan didn't say anything, simply paying for it with a card Reece had given him before we came here.

Our hands were full of bags when we left the store, and I wished I could use my magic to get back to the apartment so I wouldn't have to walk with all this weight. Luckily, the apartment was only a few blocks away, so at least we wouldn't have to walk too far.

Caelan stumbled beside me, and I glanced up in surprise. His reflexes were like a cat's, and I'd never ever seen him miss a step before. He wasn't looking at me, though. His head was snapping back and forth, eyes scanning the crowd as if looking for someone.

"What is it?" I asked, and he finally turned to look at me. He shook his head, running his fingers through his messy hair and pushing it off his forehead.

"Nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew once," he said, sounding distracted, and I frowned.

"Someone you knew in your human life?" I asked.

Caelan went to nod before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. It wasn't who I thought. Couldn't be anyway."

I stayed quiet, but I surreptitiously glanced around us as if I'd be able to catch sight of or recognize if I did see them, whoever Caelan thought he'd seen. But no one was paying us any mind, and I figured he really had imagined it.

Once we got back to the apartment, we unpacked the groceries, stocking them in the refrigerator and the cabinets, while Ro'Shassz sat on the counter and judged my food choices. For a snake who didn't eat at all, he had quite a lot of opinions about food.

Since we didn’t know how to cook, we'd mostly bought things that could be heated using a microwave. I ignored Ro's bitching as I stuck a frozen pizza inside and turned to Caelan. I thought about asking him if he’d like to play a game of chess before we turned in. It was almost nine, but still pretty early for us. Otherworlders didn't need as much sleep as humans did, and while I needed a little more sleep than the average soul collector, I could manage without it.

"I'm going to turn in," Caelan said as I opened my mouth to speak, and I swallowed my words, nodding slowly.

"Sure," I said, and he walked over to the couch. I watched him with a frown as he lay down on the couch and folded his arm under his head. All I could see from here now were his legs sticking out over the armrest.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, and he jerked his eyes open.

"Trying to sleep?"

"You know there's a perfectly fine bed in there, right?" I asked, pointing to the closed bedroom door.

"I know," he said, and I sighed.

"So why aren't you in it?" I asked, as if talking to a child.

He finally sat up, leaning against the backrest. "It's your bed."

"Says who?"

Caelan rolled his eyes, and I was really starting to get tired of him acting like I was a dumbass.

"This is your fathers' house, Walker. Of course it's going to be your bed," he said, and it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"That's a stupid reason. You're taller than me, so you need the legroom. You take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch," I said, and he was shaking his head before I'd finished speaking.

"Nope. I'm not sleeping in a bed while you sleep on a couch, prince ," he said, as if reminding me of my position. It was a stupid title in a lot of ways, considering the position of the King of Otherworld wasn't hereditary and I wasn't a biological son of any of my fathers. And yet, I'd never stopped Caelan from calling me that.

"You—" I started to say, but then I was cut off by an annoyed hiss.

Ro'Shassz slithered over to us, his eyes narrowed to slits as he glanced between us. The microwave beeped, but none of us paid it any mind as Ro grew larger, large enough that he was able to nudge Caelan off the couch until he stood up. Then, Ro slid onto the couch, his length fitting almost perfectly.

"I will sleep on the couch. That bed was big enough for Reece, Arty, and Damien. It’s more than big enough for you two to share,” Ro said, and my eyes widened in horror.

Sharing a bed with Caelan?

"But Ro—"

"Nope. I don't want to hear it. I'm sleeping here, and that's final."

I glanced over at Caelan, and he raised a brow at me, his blue eyes conflicted. I didn't know what sleeping in the same bed with him would be like, but I had a feeling it would be the greatest challenge I'd ever faced.

Caelan

I knew it. Ro'Shassz was scheming. I'd suspected it, and it had seemed more likely when he'd made me eavesdrop on Walker's conversation with his dads. Now, I was sure. Ro was trying to set Walker and me up, and I didn't know what to think of that.

When Damien had become king and Ro'Shassz had been created, I'd reacted badly. Ro'Shassz made me anxious. He shared a direct link with Day, a closeness I'd never have with him, and a part of me had been worried Day wouldn't need me anymore. It was a stupid fear, and I knew that, and yet it had controlled my every interaction with him until all we did was try to tear the other one down. It had mellowed out to just teasing or bitching, but we'd never been friends.

I had no illusions Ro was doing this for me. He loved Walker, and he wanted him to be happy. Since Fate had tied us together, he was forced to accept me as Walker's mate, and that was the only reason he was helping me. I didn't mind, though.

Ro closed his eyes, stretched himself out across the couch, and went to sleep. Or at least he acted like he was asleep. Letting out a sigh, I glanced over at Walker.

"I guess I'll be in the bedroom," I said, and he nodded with something akin to a grimace. Turning around, I grabbed my bag and carried it into the bedroom.

After I'd cleaned up, I put on my pajamas and an old t-shirt. I usually slept in the nude, but there was no way I would've done that with Walker in the same apartment, let alone the same room.

Sighing, I crawled into the bed and burrowed myself under the sheets, folding my arm under my head and closing my eyes. The smell of warm cheese and tomato wafted into the room, and I wondered what it tasted like. There were so many modern foods that I wished I could taste, but being unable to eat was one of the few downsides of being an Otherworlder. Reece was determined to figure out a fix, but he hadn't managed to do it yet.

It was an hour before Walker came into the bedroom, his footsteps barely audible as he headed over to the closet. Grabbing some clothes, he disappeared into the bathroom, and I closed my eyes again, willing myself to go to sleep.

He was back in a few minutes, smelling like the lavender body wash he'd bought earlier. I followed him with my ears as he walked around the room, opening and closing the closet before I felt his weight on the other side of the bed.

He shifted around for a bit before settling in, and I kept my breathing slow and steady, pretending to sleep like the coward I was. I knew Walker was trying to make amends, and he honestly regretted what he'd said, but I didn't know how to get over it. I wanted to, but every time Walker spoke to me, I found myself bracing for words of disdain, for him to tell me again that he hated me.

"Caelan, are you awake?" Walked whispered after a while, and I opened my mouth but stopped. What would happen if I said yes? Some painful small talk? Would Walker try to apologize again? Would I tell him it's okay? Or would I finally blurt it all out? Would I tell him what he meant to me, how much it'd hurt to leave him all those years ago, and how much it had hurt when he'd treated me like I was a bug under his shoe?

What would he say if he knew? Would he apologize? Would he want to see if we could truly build something together? Or would he tell me that the two of us could never happen, and that I was delusional for thinking otherwise? Would he hate me even more than he already did, because I knew he did, or would he figure out a way to love me?

In the end, I said nothing, and after a while, he sighed and shifted around again. I imagined he had his back to me now, both of us on the same bed but so far away from each other. Were we destined to be like this forever? Close but never together?

Ro'Shassz

Oh my God. Even the serials Nox secretly watched didn't have as much drama as Caelan and Walker's life did, and they managed to create it all on their own.

I was pretty sure Caelan had figured out what I was up to. I hadn't exactly been subtle with the sharing-the-bed idea, but he hadn't tried to stop me, so I figured he was onboard with letting me do what I was doing.

I wasn't dumb enough to think that getting them into the same bed would be all it'd take considering the number of issues they had, but I figured it couldn't hurt. But I wasn't quite sure what to do next. I might need to get some help on this. The question was, who to ask?

Step : Figure out who can help with Plan Caeker. But first, find a better ship name for them. Maybe Day would have some suggestions…