Chapter Seven #2
“Your job is in the city, isn’t it? Could you even live out here?
The commute alone would be over two hours each way.
” Flint gripped his mug tighter. “And what about when I get called out on assignments? Would you be okay with your mate disappearing for days at a time to kill people? It’s not like you could come with me if you’re busy with your own job. ”
“I don’t know.” Arrow’s honesty caught Flint off guard. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. But I want to figure it out. We can find solutions if we work together.”
“Can we?” Flint’s laugh was hollow. “You’re a wolf who cares about status and appearances. I’m a snake who wears fluffy slippers and grows strawberries. You work in cybercrimes, arresting tax evaders. I’m a sharpshooter. We don’t exactly have compatible lifestyles.”
“Maybe not.” Arrow’s jaw set with determination. “But we’re fated mates. That has to count for something.”
“It counts for biology.” Flint stood abruptly, moving to the sink to dump his barely touched tea. “It doesn’t count for compatibility or happiness or...or actually liking each other.”
“I like you.”
“You don’t know me.” Flint braced his hands on the counter, staring out the window at his greenhouse. The strawberries would need checking soon. Storm better not have eaten any. “You like what you think I am now that you’ve decided I’m worth noticing.”
Silence fell. Flint could hear Arrow breathing, could smell the sharp spike of pain in his scent. His snake writhed with the need to turn around, to comfort, to fix the hurt between them.
But Flint had spent three days in London waiting for the perfect shot. He knew how to be patient, how to wait for the right moment.
“Let me take you on a date.”
Flint turned slowly. “What?”
“Tomorrow night. In Big Sky.” Arrow’s hands twisted together in his lap. “Let me take you to dinner. A real date where I can treat you the way I should have done from the beginning. Where I can ask you about yourself and listen to your answers, and prove I’m more than an asshole from the bar.”
“Arrow…”
“Please.” The raw desperation in Arrow’s voice made Flint’s heart clench. “I know I don’t deserve a chance. I know I fucked up worse than anyone’s ever fucked up before. But let me try to show you I can be better. Let me prove I can be the mate you deserve.”
Flint’s instincts warred inside him. The smart choice was to refuse, to protect himself. But he could see Arrow’s sincerity, could smell the genuine regret rolling off him in waves. And despite everything, despite the hurt and anger, a tiny part of Flint truly wanted to believe Arrow could change.
A date would be a good start, especially one in a neutral location. Flint needed to see how Arrow would treat him in public. Would he be proud to have Flint on his arm, or would his old shame resurface when faced with other people around?
“One date to start.” Flint crossed his arms over his chest. “Tomorrow night at seven. There’s an Italian place in Big Sky - Angelo’s. I’ll meet you there.”
“I can pick you up…”
“I’ll meet you there,” Flint repeated firmly. “I’m not ready to be in a car with you yet. Our combined scents in an enclosed environment would be difficult for us both. Besides, I always prefer to take my own car anywhere. If the date goes badly, I want my own transportation home.”
Arrow deflated slightly but nodded. “Okay. Seven o’clock at Angelo’s. I’ll be there.”
“Don’t make me regret this.”
“I won’t.” Arrow stood, and Flint noticed how carefully he maintained distance between them. “Thank you. For giving me a chance. I know you didn’t have to.”
“No, I didn’t.” Flint walked to the door and opened it. “Arrow?”
“Yeah?”
“If you ever treat me like you did in that bar again - if you ever make me feel small or worthless or like I’m just a convenient body - we’re done. Mate bond or not, even though I know it will kill us both, I will walk away, and I won’t look back.”
Arrow’s eyes widened. “I understand.”
“Good.”
Arrow moved toward the door, then hesitated. “Can I...is it okay if I scent you? Just for a second? My wolf is going crazy, and it might help calm him down.”
Flint’s snake screamed yes, but Flint forced himself to shake his head. “Not yet. I don’t trust you to be that close to me.”
The hurt on Arrow’s face was like a knife to Flint’s chest, but after a long moment, Arrow nodded and stepped outside. Flint watched him walk away toward Python’s car, shoulders hunched against pain that Flint felt echoing in his own body.
When the door closed, Flint slumped against it.
“Stupid,” he whispered to his empty house. “This is so stupid.”
His snake hissed agreement, but not about giving Arrow a chance. About denying themselves their mate when he was right there, willing and desperate and theirs.
But Flint had learned the hard way that just because something was fated didn’t mean it was right. He needed more than biology and mystical urges. He needed trust, respect, and a partner who saw him as an equal.
Tomorrow night would be the first test. Please let the sexy wolf pass. Please. And yes, it did strike Flint as ironic that he was praying to the same Fates he believed had made a mistake. I just need to sleep, he thought, stumbling to his bedroom. I just need to sleep.