Chapter 1 #3
“Umm, I guess. Although I’m not sure why you’re here.
I’ve not done anything except take care of my siblings for the past year.
” I stepped aside and let them enter our small home.
They truly were the last people I’d ever expected to see standing outside my door.
The last I or anyone else in the village had heard, the portal between our world and the others had been locked shut.
If they were here, perhaps that meant it was now reopened, and there was the possibility of others being able to find their forever mates somewhere else.
That wouldn’t be for me though. I had responsibilities here, and I wouldn’t even consider leaving Mason or Maelie behind.
Mason saw our visitors and quickly came rushing to me, wrapping his arms around my thigh while trying to both hide behind me as well as see around me to look at our visitors.
Maelie chose that moment to toss her cup and then scream because it was now on the floor, so I did my best to get to the cup to give it back to her.
Only, it was suddenly back on her tray, and Mae was giving me a confused look.
I turned back to the fates and nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Thomas lowered his head just a little before he held out his hand toward the table. “Perhaps we could talk?”
I nodded. “I’m not sure what you want to discuss. I’ve not done anything except take care of Mason and Maelie. We were under the impression the portal was locked and wouldn’t be reopened for a long time.”
I was almost positive it had been a little over three years since Montgomery left, but I couldn’t be for certain. My understanding was our time here was a lot different than what was up in the human realm.
After they sat down, I set Mason in his chair and stood behind him. He looked up at me, worry on his face.
“What about breakfast? You were going to make porridge.”
I ruffled his hair again. “I will in just a bit. Did you want some fruit now? Or we might have some bread from the bakery left.” I really hoped we did. I desperately needed to go through the store and do my own shopping, but I’d just not had the time recently.
“I can help with breakfast,” Thomas said. Seconds later, there were several types of foods on the table, and Mason looked up at me with wide eyes.
“What do you say?”
“How did he do that?”
I chuckled. “The same way I could have just as quickly fixed your porridge but didn’t. Magic.” I gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Now, what do you say?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome, young Mason.” Thomas looked up at me. “Would she like some eggs?”
“They’re one of her favorites,” I told him.
I could easily use magic to make her eggs, but I didn’t have any and didn’t wish to take from someone else.
I couldn’t simply magick eggs out of nothing.
I could bring them here, but then whoever the chickens belonged to, they would be short eggs.
I desperately needed to do the shopping.
The eggs suddenly appeared on Maelie’s tray, and she immediately grabbed for them before I could check the temperature. I gasped, worried she would hurt herself, but she shoved the eggs in her mouth and chewed with a grin on her face.
“They’re not hot,” Thomas said. “Quite cool, to be honest. But she’s young, and even I know that young children don’t seem to mind having cold food.”
He wasn’t wrong. They often took so long to actually eat that by the time they were finished, everything was ice cold.
“What can I do for the two of you? I have to get Mason and Maelie to the childcare center not long from now before I go to work.”
Thomas looked thoughtful before tilting his head. “Until we entered the realm this morning, we were unaware of what had happened to your parents. I am sorry for your loss.”
I shrugged before using magic to make myself a cup of hot tea. It looked as if I wouldn’t be getting breakfast before I needed to leave, but I could at least have some tea.
“It might be cold of me to say, but I don’t miss them.
” I shook my head while staring blankly at the table, where Mason was shoveling in some sort of flat bread that was covered in brown liquid.
“We don’t know exactly what happened to Ma, but she struggled with her pregnancy with Mae.
She didn’t survive the birth, and Father only a week longer. I’ve had Mason and Mae since.”
“I’m really sorry,” Canyon said.
“Thanks, I guess. If they’d been better parents, they might be missed, but we’ve survived. Everyone stepped up, and now here we are.”
“Yes,” Thomas said. He stared at me for a moment, causing me to squirm a little. “Are you happy here? Do you still wish to go to the human realm?”
My eyes widened. “I’m content,” I said quietly. “I no longer have the ability to up and leave. I have…” I looked toward Mason and Mae. “Yeah, I have others who depend on me.”
Thomas and Canyon shared a look. “There is a paranormal council in Montana,” Thomas said. “They have a store, and although it does have a manager already, he would much rather go back to teaching at the local college. There is an assistant manager for the store, but they could use another.”
Why was he telling me this? “And? How does this relate to me?”
“Your mate is in Montana, and his situation is much like yours, so don’t think for a moment he wouldn’t be accepting of the little ones being part of the package.”
My mate? I felt my mug slip from my fingers but never heard it crash. I had a mate? And he was in Montana? Could this possibly be happening?