Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mason
I've been at Kory's cabin a full day, but we haven't spent much time together.
He's been resting a lot, which I can't blame him for.
My mate went through quite an ordeal. He needs time to recuperate from it.
Rather than push myself on him, I let him approach me when he's comfortable.
And while he's up and about, I make us food and work on little projects around the house.
There were some minor things that needed to be fixed from when the place was trashed, so I tackled those first. Now, I'm out on the front porch replacing a couple wood planks that seem a bit iffy.
The longer I'm around Kory, the stronger our bond gets, so I'm not surprised when I feel a twinge of lust coming through.
Looking up from my work, I catch a glimpse of my mate through the front window before he whips the curtain shut.
My shy little mouse. I smile to myself and make sure I send reassurance through our connection.
I know I still have a way to go before I earn his trust, but he needs to know it's okay to acknowledge our pull toward each other.
Kory plucks up enough bravery to open the door and step out onto the porch, but he's so focused on staying cool and collected he doesn't look down to see the boards I've laid out.
Before I can warn him, he's tripped, arms flailing as he tries to right himself.
I catch him in my arms before he face-plants into the decking.
"Careful, baby. Don't want you hurt on my watch." As much as I want to keep him in my arms, I let him go after he's steady on his feet again.
"Uh… I've been meaning to replace those boards.
I just haven't gotten around to it," Kory says, completely ignoring my term of endearment outwardly, but I can feel his warmth from receiving it through the bond.
It's going to be a lot easier to win Kory over than it is Hex.
But Kory won't acknowledge his acceptance of me openly out of loyalty to our other mate.
It sucks, but it's something I can admire about Kory. He's true to the people he cares about.
"Now, you can check this off your to-do list," I say with a wink, which makes him blush.
Before the moment can get awkward, we hear the sound of a motorcycle and see Hex riding up the drive.
The openness through the bond I had only moments before is shut down as I put up my defenses.
I have no idea what kind of reception I'll get from Hex, so I'm cautious.
If I blow things with him, I lose both of my mates.
"Don't do that," Kory says. "Don't shut us out. That's not how we fix this."
I open the bond again and wait to see what happens. I've been in some hair-raising fights with all kinds of paranormal beings, but somehow I've never felt more vulnerable.
Hex walks up the steps and our eyes meet. He wants this to work, I can feel it – I can feel him. I can't fuck this up. It's all or nothing.