His mate looked startled, but then she burst out laughing, and the cheerful sound made his heart skip a beat with joy.
“I’m Diana.”
“Diana,” he repeated. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” she said with a smile.
Our mate’s name is Diana!his wyvern cried.
Yes, I am aware,he replied, though it came out more good-natured than nasty. He couldn’t entirely blame the wyvern for stating the obvious – it wasn’t the only one here feeling a bit… well, speechless with surprise would have been putting it mildly. Calvin was pretty sure this was the most eventful day of his life so far.
Diana was still holding out the cup of lemonade, and so he reached out and took it, careful not to let their fingers touch. As much as he yearned to take her hand – and maybe kiss the back of it like some kind of old-timey gallant gentleman – he refrained, even as his wyvern protested. Whether or not she was his mate, it was inappropriate to go around kissing the hand of someone he’d just met!
The lemonade itself was almost an afterthought at this point, but his attention was very quickly brought back to it as he took a sip.
“Oh,” he said. “That isgood. Unbelievably good.”
The smile that lit up Diana’s face was radiant, her eyes sparkling in the summer sun.
He’d meant every word of it – itwasreally good. The best lemonade he’d ever tasted, he’d go so far as to say. Light and tangy and refreshing, it was sweet without being sickly, and cool from being kept in the ice box.
Beyond all of that, there was something about it that elevated it above anything that he’d ever tasted before. He didn’tthinkthat the thrill of the mate bond could change the way food or drinks tasted, but at this point, he was starting to wonder.
Maybe the lemons flourished under the touch of a unicorn,his wyvern said haughtily.It is possible.
I’m pretty sure there’s a much more mundane explanation than that,Calvin replied with just the mildest hint of exasperation.
Yes, it was known amongst shifters that unicorns had the power to grow the most delicious of fresh produce and the most vibrant of plants, but what would a unicorn be doing supplying lemons to a lemonade fundraiser stand up in the mountains?
He drained the cup to the last drop, closing his eyes and sighing in satisfaction. That had definitely been worth the two dollars, and then some.
Opening his eyes, he watched as Diana poured herself the last dregs from the bottom of the jug.
“I’m so glad you liked it,” she said, taking a sip. “It’s nice to feel appreciated every once in a while.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth she grimaced a little, like she’d said more than she’d meant to.
Though they’d only just met, Calvin got the impression that she was someone who didn’t like to show any signs of weakness – not that he thought it was a weakness to want to feel appreciated.
“I think we can all agree on that,” Calvin said, hoping to put her at ease. “And the lemonade really was amazing.”
Smiling, Diana opened her mouth to speak –
“Hey, Mom!”
Calvin looked around, to see a young boy and a very large dog walking toward them, the dog’s leash held firmly in the boy’s hands.
Well, the boy was walking, his solemn face indicating how seriously he took his duties.
The dog, on the other hand, was practically bursting with repressed energy, clearly trying to do its best to walk calmly at the boy’s side while its every instinct was screaming at it to frolic with the butterflies that were flittering about its head.
It would’ve been a pretty adorable sight in any case, but then the boy’s words sank into Calvin’s head.
He said… mom?
Our mate has a child!his wyvern bellowed, completely shattering the tranquility of the moment.We must protect it with our very lives!
Calvin winced, performing the mental equivalent of sticking his fingers in his ears until the wyvern calmed itself somewhat.
