I imagine what Cade must have looked like in clothes from his youth and use my towel to cover my hardening cock. I can’t keep popping wood every few minutes. I need blood to circulate throughout the rest of my body, mostly to my brain.
I turn away from him so I can finish drying off, then motion for him to follow me. “They should fit your waist. We can talk once we’re dressed.”
We put on clothes and go to the living room, sitting on the couch facing each other.
“So…fated mates?” I say, breaking the silence.
“Yep,” he says, the ever-present smile on his face. “Shifters have mates that are specifically made for them. Sometimes we find them early, sometimes we find them later in life, but in our lifetime, wedofind them and we’re together forever.”
“You said I could send you away if I wasn’t interested.” Cade gulps but dips his chin. “Wouldn’t that, like, hurt?”
“Initially, yes, but the pain fades with time and distance.”
Sending him away is the last thing I want to do. We just met, but I feel like my heart rearranged in my chest to make room for him. It’s sudden and probably reckless as fuck and makes no fucking sense, but I’ve been careful all my life. Doing the things I was supposed to do and acted the way I thought I should.
But being with Cade? The few hours we just shared? That’s out of the norm for me. I want to see where that goes. Not just the sex but talking to him and being with him.
“So you’ve been trapped as a recliner for what? Fifty years?” I ask, not able to wrap my head around it. “What did you possibly do to earn that?”
Cade tucks his chin to his chest, his eyes swimming with regret. Whatever it was must have been really bad.
“Something cruel and I refused to apologize,” he says slowly. “My friends and I were pretty reckless, doing shit that we shouldn't have just for a laugh. They convinced me to play a trick on Blossom, not believing that she would retaliate. I separated a fated couple, a pair of owls that had been together for decades. They were Blossom’s. She’d had them for years, after she’d found them both injured one night.”
“What did you do?”
“Sent an owl on a parcel delivery mission that pulled him away from his mate. It wasn’t a real delivery and being away from his mate hurt them both. She almost died when he didn’t return after a month.”
My eyebrows scrunch. “Why is that so bad? I mean, that’s fucked up, but fifty years as a recliner?”
He nods, his throat bobbing as he swallows. “She wanted me to think about my actions and why a fated mate is so important. The owl was gone for so long that his mate got heart sick. Had that owl not turned back when he couldn’t find the address I’d given him, he would have lost his lifelong partner.
“I crossed Blossom by fucking with her animals and when she found out it was me, she cursed me.”
Fuck, that’s heavy. I’m sure he didn’t mean it, but I think I’d want to do the same if I were in Blossom’s shoes. Animals aren’t just pets, they’re family. I can only imagine how she felt watching her owl waste away while waiting for her mate to return. Day after day of witnessing her sweet pet’s pain, only for the person who was behind it refusing to apologize?
Okay, yeah, he earned that punishment.
Sighing, I cross my arms over my chest. “You know you owe Blossom an apology, right? Her and her owls, if they’re still alive.”
“They’re protected by a witch,” he says. “I’m sure they’re living a life of luxury. They’re her family.”
A thought occurs to me and I gasp. “Oh god, what aboutyourfamily? Did she tell them you were a recliner prisoner?”
“No family,” he says solemnly. “My parents had passed years before and I was an only child. That’s why I fell in with the crowd I did. They were up to no good, but they accepted me without question. Or at least I thought they did. When it was all said anddone, they placed all the blame on me so Blossom wouldn’t curse them as well.”
I reach forward and take his hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve to go down alone, but also…peer pressure?"
He barks a laugh. “Yeah, I know betternow. But then, I just wanted to be accepted.”
I understand that more than I’d like to say. Before I met Sawyer when we were sophomores in high school, I just wanted to fit in. I hung out with people that thought teasing me was okay and tried to get me to do things I wasn’t comfortable with, like smoking cigarettes, cheating on tests, and skipping class.
It’s not a crime to want people in your corner. But what he did wasn’t okay. He’ll have to tell Blossom that he understands he fucked up and hope she forgives him.
Though, fifty years is a long time to hold a grudge.
“Before we go visit Blossom,” he says, “can you show me the world as it is now? I only got a few glimpses of people and things when Blossom had her garage sales. I want to immerse myself in this new world now that I’m free.”
“Of course. We can get coffee and walk around downtown if you want. We can take it slow, since I’m sure everything will be a shock for you.”
