Everett

My first evening spent in Felix's cabin went surprisingly well. Meleri and Magnus managed to pull together a dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread, which we ate at Felix's little four-top table. It was tucked into a nook between the living room and a back patio, but there was a huge window right next to the table, which lent it a sense of space. After dinner was done and cleaned up, Felix's siblings finally made their exit.

I worried briefly that things would get awkward when it was just me and Felix, totally alone. It wasn't, though. Felix seemed to sense my unease and pulled out Mario Kart. He was surprisingly competitive, and whenever I beat him I would be demolished in the next round as Felix's determination ratcheted up. I enjoyed that side of him, enjoyed riling him up until his dark eyes gleamed and he leaned forward like a predator on the prowl, eyes locked on the screen in front of us with deadly focus.

Best of all, it really did feel like hanging out with a good friend... except for the way my body responded to him. Felix was true to his word and avoided touching me, but I was aware of his every movement and my heart raced if he neared me at all, or even looked at me for more than a few seconds.

Finally, I put down my controller, yawning widely. "I think I'm going to turn in," I said.

Felix stretched, raising his arms high above his head so that his shirt rode up in the front, exposing a trail of hair leading into the waistline of his pants. It sent me into a minor panic. I was supposed to find my mate attractive, but all I could think about was that patch of thick, masculine hair, leading down to a bulge I wanted nothing to do with.

I stood up and said, "Well, good night." I made it a couple of steps toward the hallway before I turned back. Felix was watching me, an unfathomable expression on his face. "Will you be okay?" I asked.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward and he stood, too. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Sleep well."

"You too," I said, and fled down the hall like the coward I was.

Once I made it to my room, I shut the door and threw myself onto the bed next to my bags, trying to wrap my head around everything that had happened today.

I pulled out my phone and glanced at the time. It was almost ten. Gareth would be awake still and I had promised to call him back. Even though I really, really wanted to go to sleep, I called him.

Gareth answered on the third ring. "Finally!"

"Sorry, it's been a busy day."

"What's been going on?" he asked. His voice had a slight edge to it that let me know how irritated he would be if I didn't answer him.

I rubbed my free hand over my face and shook my head. "I'm in Lakota," I said.

"Lakota? Aren't they constantly at war? You're in finance, Ev! What are you doing out there?"

What did Gareth think I was doing, joining in on the fight? I shuddered. "My mate lives here," I said after a long pause. It was hard to force out the words.

"What! That's amazing, Everett! No wonder you've been busy. How did this happen? When can I meet her?"

I groaned. Of course he would assume my mate was a woman. That had always been my assumption, too. "Gareth, calm down. And try to stay calm, okay? I can't handle theatrics right now."

"I'm calm!" Gareth said loudly. He laughed a little and added more quietly, "Sorry. I'm calm. Talk to me."

This was why he was my best friend. Gareth was overly excitable and could be hard to keep focused, but always came through when I needed him. "My mate is a man."

The line went so quiet, I wasn't sure Gareth was even breathing. Finally, he let out a stunned laugh. "Wow. That's unexpected."

I laughed too. "Yeah, very unexpected." The words came out sounding a little sarcastic, a little bitter. I lifted my head from the pillow and let it drop down with a muffled thud.

Gareth groaned and said, "Oh, no, you haven't done anything stupid, have you?"

"What?"

"Everett, you and I both know you freak out whenever things don't work out the way you expected them to. You haven't taken that out on your mate, have you?"

"I'm not that bad!" I protested. "No, he's actually being really great about this whole thing. He knows I'm a little... hesitant... and he's letting me set the pace."

Gareth made a disapproving hmm noise.

"What?" I demanded.

He sighed. "Look, I think you're great – you know I think you're great, right? I just... if your mate lets you move at your own pace, you guys won't seal your bond for a decade."

I bristled. "That's not true," I said, letting my aggravation leak into my tone.

"It is, though. Give him a real chance, okay? And seriously, I want to meet him."

Well, that wasn't happening any time soon. "Look, I'm giving him a chance. That's why I'm in Lakota."

"Okay, good." Gareth paused. "But really, are you doing okay with all of this?"

The genuine concern in his voice smoothed my hackles. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Gareth was silent for a while. Finally, he said, "Well, I'm here if you need anything."

"Thanks. I think I'm going to sleep now. Have a good night."

"'Night."

I hung up the phone and stared at it blankly. Talking with Gareth did make me feel better. He didn't really react to the news that my mate was a male other than to make sure I was handling it okay, almost like Gareth didn't think it was that big of a deal. That attitude was probably one I needed more exposure to, since this felt like a huge curveball thrown into my life.

Then again, Gareth wouldn't have to figure out how to have and enjoy sex with a man as the price for intimacy with his mate.

I changed into my pajamas and snuck out of the room to use the bathroom down the hall and to brush my teeth. Stupidly, I stood there for a solid couple of minutes with my wet toothbrush in my hand, wondering whether it would be okay to leave it in the holder near the sink with Felix's. It seemed like a really big step, docking our toothbrushes near each other. Was I ready for a step like that?

I realized I was being ridiculous. I was staying here for two weeks and carrying my toothbrush back and forth between the bedroom and the bathroom several times a day was inefficient and unnecessary. I put my toothbrush in the holder and stared at it for a good half-minute before finally leaving the bathroom.

I glanced down the hallway in both directions and was relieved to find that I was alone. Felix's door was shut, though I could see light shining through the gap between the floor and the bottom of the door, so I knew he was awake. Feeling like that door would open any moment, I hurried back to my room and closed myself in for the night.

I didn't sleep well. This was my second night after having found Felix and already it was hard to sleep without him by my side. I thought it was worse than if I had gone home, since here his scent was constantly in my nose. Even in this guest bedroom that I was sure he didn't enter often, I was painfully aware of the scent of him and of the fact that he was in the room right across the hall.

I changed into weekend clothes – a t-shirt instead of a button-down and jeans instead of slacks. I liked to go around my house barefoot, but that seemed way too personal here, so I reluctantly put on a pair of woolen socks that seemed like they belonged in this quaint cottage of Felix's. I snatched up my phone and saw that my mother had texted me to check in. Since I had no idea what to say to her about myself, I typed that I was fine and turned the conversation back to her, asking about how her weekend was going.

Finally, I left the bedroom. It was a little after seven in the morning and I really thought I would have a while before Felix appeared, but he was already in the kitchen, scrambling eggs.

He glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled casually, though the way his eyes swept over my body really detracted from his casual air. "Do you mind having spinach and sausage in your eggs?" he asked.

"No, sounds good," I said. Actually, I hated cooked spinach, but it was healthy. I had a personal rule about turning down healthy food when it was offered to me.

"How did you sleep?" Felix asked.

I sorted through various responses in my mind, looking for something that was both true and that didn't reveal how hung up on him I was. "Well enough," I finally said.

Felix snorted. "That bad, huh? I didn't sleep great either, but that's not surprising when I just spent thirteen days asleep. Things are bound to take a while to get back to normal."

How did he seem so unbothered by what had happened to him? I was astonished by how casually he could talk about it. I didn't like standing awkwardly in the kitchen, watching Felix work, so I collected the dishes and knives Felix must have used to prepare our breakfast before it hit the pan. While I washed the dishes, Felix got our breakfast plated. He split the food between four bowls, making me frown.

"Are you expecting Magnus and Meleri for breakfast?" I asked.

Felix glanced at me, looking amused. "Aren't you?"

And he was right. We weren't halfway done eating yet when the front door opened.

"Wait!" Meleri said in a loud whisper. "What if they're exposed?"

Magnus yelped and the door slammed shut. I heard them whispering back and forth from outside, debating how to handle the situation. Felix and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"No one's exposed!" Felix called.

The door opened again and moments later, his red-faced siblings entered the kitchen. Magnus relaxed when he saw the extra bowls sitting out, waiting for them. Meleri shot Felix an irritated look and didn't touch her food.

"What?" Felix asked when it became clear she was content to glare at him indefinitely.

"We need a system. How are Magnus and I supposed to know if it's safe to come into your house? We've never had to handle one of us being mated before."

"Knock?" Felix answered in the way someone would answer the question "What's two plus two?"

Meleri scoffed. "We're family! And you insisted when we let you move out here alone that we should consider it our home, too. Does all that change just because you have a mate now?" She glanced at me and seemed to realize she was being rude. "Sorry, I have nothing against you. We just need to figure out what the new rule are. My vote would be that you guys keep anything we shouldn't see behind a bedroom door."

"This is my house, Mel," Felix said sternly. "Just knock. Or, better yet, let me know when you're on your way."

As the conversation continued, I grew more and more uncomfortable. Even though just two days ago I had made it clear to Meleri that I wasn't planning on sticking around, she was assuming an awful lot about my relationship with Felix. Did she really think it would only take one night in his house for me to jump him in the living room?

Magnus took a break from shoveling food into his mouth to glance at me. My expression made him frown and he said, "I, for one, am good with knocking. At least whenever Everett's around."

I knew he was trying to help end Meleri and Felix's discussion, that he was trying to make me less uncomfortable. The reminder that I was leaving put me off my breakfast, though. I glanced at Felix and quickly looked away again. He was glaring at Magnus, whose cheeks pinkened again.

"God, Magnus, what's it going to take to teach you to think before you speak?" Meleri asked scathingly.

Magnus, blushing and clearly uncomfortable, folded his arms and tried to look stern. "Unless Felix or Everett specifically ask me to avoid... certain topics... I'm going to bring them up. I can't just not talk about what's happening here."

Meleri adopted an expression of complete exasperation. "Fine, whatever. I'll knock." She finally reached for her fork and took a bite of her eggs, somehow managing to look imperious as she did.

I didn't know where to look anymore – definitely not at Felix, though I was certain he was watching me now. Even though I had completely lost my appetite, I focused on eating my food.