Chapter 4
Four
Miles
"You know Ollie and my situation was different," Devon said, and I nodded.
I hadn't been here when Ollie and Devon met, but I'd heard their story told many times by various clan members.
"But the best piece of advice I can give you is to listen.
Listen to your mate. Don't pressure him about shifting.
Let him get there at his own pace, and in the meantime, figure out ways to spend time with him and get to know him that don't require him to shift. "
"Mateo took him to meet Uncle Raph today, so he could make sure Duckie is healthy. Then they're visiting Cam."
Devon's lips quirked up, and he nodded in approval. "That was a good idea. If anyone can make your mate feel at ease, it's Raph and Cam."
He was right about that. Uncle Raphael had an aura that made everyone feel comfortable and relaxed, and Cam could befriend anyone he wanted to.
Papa was like that too, but since vampires unnerved some shifters—it was an instincts thing—I'd figured we could wait a bit before introducing those two, though I didn't think Papa would hold back for long.
Judging by the way my phone had been buzzing since I'd gotten here, he already knew, and he wasn't happy he'd heard from someone else.
"It'll be okay, Miles," Ollie chimed in, and I met his soft hazel eyes.
"Give him time. I have to imagine it would feel strange for him to shift if he hasn't done it in a long time, and it might be adding to his unwillingness.
Be there for him, and show him that he doesn't need to shift, not unless he wants to.
Once you grow closer, he might put pressure on himself to shift because he'll want to make you happy.
You'll have to assure him that you're okay going at his pace. "
I nodded, taking it all in. I remembered when our dads had first adopted Mateo and me.
We'd been traumatized by everything that had happened, and we'd refused to talk.
Neither of our dads or Micah, our older brother, had ever pressured us.
They'd just been there, taking care of us, loving us, doing everything they could to make us feel safe.
"Thanks, guys. You've been a big help," I said, standing up, and Ollie jumped to his feet, pulling me into a quick hug.
"It was our pleasure. Don't worry, okay? Everything will work out."
"What he said," Devon agreed as he stood up as well, and Ollie grinned, then smacked a kiss on Devon's cheek.
Smiling, I took my leave, making my way back through the packland and to my car. Once I was seated behind the wheel, I took a deep breath and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
More than twenty texts filled the clan chat, though I'd been expecting more. There were a few messages in the family chat between our dads, Micah, and us, and also a few from Jai.
Curious, I opened Jai's texts first.
Jai: Yo, it's Mateo. Raph says Duckie is okay physically, but a little under-nourished, so we have to feed him better. He's upstairs with Alex now, and they seem to be getting along. We're going to see Cam at the HH next, so find us there once you finish up with Devon and Ollie!
It would be pointless to reply since they'd be gone by now, so I switched to the family chat, where Papa was, as expected, disappointed we hadn't told them first, while Dad had asked us to call him at some point today. They'd show up at our door if we didn't call in time; I knew it.
The clan chat was abuzz with news about Duckie, as expected. Uncle Raph had been the one to announce it, of course, and people were still chiming in with "Congratulations!" and "When can we meet him?"
Shaking my head, I backed out of the chat without replying, then placed my phone in the cup holder before starting the car.
While Mateo preferred flying over driving, I didn't have a preference.
They both had their benefits, but I wasn't a big fan of showing up naked, so I preferred driving unless we were going somewhere I knew I had spare clothes.
Plus, I liked keeping my phone with me, and I couldn't do that when I shifted.
The haunted house—name still undecided—was near the town center, and Cam, his mates—mostly Kai, but Micah and Ember chipped in sometimes as well—and Mateo had been working on it for months now. They were determined to make it a terrifying experience, and I wanted nothing to do with it.
While Mateo loved all things horror, I'd had enough of it in the first ten years of my life.
I had no interest in being terrified for the sake of it, and because he knew it, Mateo had never insisted I join him.
I preferred working on Neel and Pax's B&B.
The calm, cozy atmosphere they were trying to create was much more my speed.
Mateo and I had both studied interior architecture, and yet our projects were sun and moon.
I supposed that was what being twins meant, wasn't it?
We were the same, but different. We were the same person, and yet two unique individuals.
We could guess what the other was thinking without communication or telepathy, and yet we could never think like the other.
We might look the same, but no one in our clan ever had trouble telling who was Mateo and who was Miles because everything from our behavior to our speech was unique to us.
I imagined it would be the same for our bond with Duckie. Mateo had asked me this morning if I'd prefer to take Duckie to Uncle Raph's, and something had told me he should be the one to do it.
Duckie didn't need a boyfriend right now. He needed a friend. While I wanted to be his friend as well, I knew Mateo was better suited for the role, at least for the moment. I didn't want Duckie to feel pressured or to think I was waiting for him to shift. I wanted him to feel comfortable with us.
Duckie
The inside of the house was a mess, which was to be expected since it was still under construction. I pattered behind Mateo, avoiding the random pieces of wood and nails scattered about. It looked like a tornado had blown through the short hallway.
I perked up when I caught voices from the room at the end of the hallway, and focused on the cheerful voice. "When we get home, I want you to—"
"We have company." A softer voice cut him off, and they were quiet as Mateo stepped through the doorway.
"Hey, X, Cam," he greeted, and I could hear the grin in his voice, telling me he'd heard them too.
I peeked around his legs, spotting the two men standing near a large table.
One of them had messy black hair and green eyes, and was dressed in a button-down and jeans, while the other person had wavy black hair, warm brown eyes, and was dressed in a top that ended above their belly button—and showed off a piercing—and a black skirt that ended above their knees.
"Duckie, this is my older brother, Micah," Mateo introduced, waving toward the man in the skirt, "and this is one of his mates, Cam."
I blinked at Cam, then realized what he was. While Micah was a mage of some kind—why wasn't he a shifter like Miles and Mateo?—Cam was a dragon.
"Hey, Duckie. It's nice to meet you," Micah said, giving me a soft smile, and I ducked my head in a nod, still half-hidden behind Mateo.
"Did you see Papa's texts?" Micah asked with a raised brow, and Mateo winced.
"How bad is it?"
Cam snorted, and I glanced at him, confused what they were talking about. Noticing me watching, Cam smiled. "Their papa, Gus, is a bit... dramatic. He's annoyed they didn't tell him the moment they met you. Uncle Raph announced it in the group before they could, so that made him more annoyed."
Oh, that made sense. I supposed I could understand that. As a father, he'd hoped he would be the first person his sons would call when they found their mate.
"What do we do?" Mateo asked, giving his brother a beseeching look, and it was clear to me how close they were.
I wondered what my life would've been like if I'd had a sibling.
Would things have been different that night?
Would I have lost them too, or would we have survived together?
Figured out a way to live instead of existing the way I had?
"He'll be fine. Invite the dads over to meet Duckie—if you're up for it, of course," he added as he glanced at me. "Once they meet him, they'll forget all about it."
"I hope you're right," Mateo mumbled, and Micah smiled.
"Trust me."
"What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had work today," Mateo asked, changing the subject, and they started talking about someone named Kezan and a shop called Wish For It.
I tuned them out as I glanced around the place, taking in the bare walls, the floor... wait. Was that a trapdoor?
"We're thinking of adding a slide under it," Cam said, and I realized he was talking to me.
"Imagine. Someone's walking around, scared of what might pop out of the walls, and then bam!
The floor disappears and they're sliding into complete darkness.
Maybe there will be some spooky sounds, some cobwebs in their face, red paint dripping from the ceiling. .."
"Fuck, that sounds epic!" Mateo jumped in, and I nodded in agreement. It sounded scary, but the good kind. The one where you knew it would be over the moment you got out of the house. The type where you knew it couldn't really hurt you.
A knock somewhere near the front of the house grabbed everyone's attention, and Micah tilted his head. "It's Miles. I'll get it."
I watched him go, curious how he'd known when even I couldn't tell. Our bond was too new for me to be able to sense Miles.
Micah is a telepath. Even when he isn't reading anyone's minds, he can sense the minds around him, and recognize them too if he's familiar with the person, Mateo explained in my head, and I blinked.
Don't worry. He'll never read your mind, not unless you asked him to, he added, as if sensing my question.
Nodding, I peered at the doorway as Miles came in, followed by Micah, and he smiled when he spotted me, causing a weird twisting in my belly that I'd never felt before. Why were my reactions to Mateo and Miles so different?
With Mateo, I could relax, and hang out like I was spending time with a good friend, or maybe even a sibling. Not that I had any real experience with either.
But with Miles, I was… untethered. I couldn't speak to him, couldn't figure out what to say, and my heart went all wonky when he looked at me. I had to imagine it was because of the whole platonic/romantic thing, but I had no experience with that either.
"So, Duckie, what do you think? Would you like to help us with the haunted house?' Cam asked, and I glanced over at Mateo, who was watching me with gleaming eyes, then Miles, who had an open, encouraging look on his face.
Yes, please, I said through the bond, knowing one of them would translate.
"He says yes," Mateo announced with a grin, and Cam cheered.
"We don't have anything on the docket today. We came to measure a few things. But we're getting some supplies delivered the day after tomorrow, so you can come over then if you'd like."
I nodded without hesitation, getting smiles from everyone, and wondered if maybe this whole thing would be easier than I'd imagined. Maybe I could have a life without having to shift.