Page 24 of Wanderer

“Right.” I looked at the contents of the cart. Nothing in there was enough to make a decent meal, despite my earlier offer to Oscar. I felt a sudden need to impress Gareth with my cooking. Growing up with a single parent, I’d learned a few things in the kitchen to feed us when Mom had to work extra shifts. Paxton, my older brother, had spent a lot of time making sure that I was self-sufficient so he could go to his job, or play football, without worrying about me.

“We need something that doesn’t take a lot of time,” Oscar mused as he scanned the shelves. I wasn’t sure what he thought he was going to find for dinner in the cereal aisle.

“Pasta? There’s this dish that I can make with precooked chicken. We just need mushrooms, cream cheese…” I trailed off as I found where I needed to go to get the ingredients.

My new friend followed me as I quickly assembled everything I needed and checked out. Together, we rushed to the cabin I was staying in. “Oh! We’re practically neighbors, look! There’s my apartment just over there!” Oscar lit up at seeing how close we lived to each other. “Oh, my cabin when I arrived was the one next door. They’re almost identical. Aren’t they nice?”

“Yeah, much more than I expected.”

“My apartment number’s four if you need me, okay?”

“Sure. Glad to have a friendly face nearby,” I said, as I ushered Oscar inside and began unpacking in the small kitchen. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it would do for making a simple meal.

I put everything I didn’t need away and then washed my hands before preparing the mushrooms.

“What can I do?” Oscar asked.

“You can wash up and then make a quick salad.”

Handing over the vegetables, I got to work alongside Oscar. We slipped into a companionable silence while we worked.

The knock at the door a little while later startled me into almost dropping the pot of freshly cooked noodles. I set them down and looked anxiously at the door.

“I’ll get it. You finish up,” Oscar suggested as he dried his hands.

“Thanks,” I muttered gratefully before concentrating on my task, trying to ignore the feeling of Gareth coming into my space. My skin felt tight with my anxiety. Some of it was the lingering effects of the aversion curse. I’d lived with it for so long that it was second nature to want to run away in the presence of a warlock. It was going to take time to get used to.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. What I longed to do was break into one of my animal forms. Well, my fox form. I wanted to cuddle up in a ball with my tail covering my face, hiding me from the world. I wanted the safety and security that being in that form gave me.

Oscar led Gareth into the cabin, taking his coat and the bottle of wine Gareth had clearly brought with him. He had good manners, at least. At his side, Gareth had a messenger bag. I assumed this was where he had the evidence he was hoping to show me.

I wondered if I was just stringing him along. Now that the first of my curses was gone, would I be open to hearing him out? To see the proof he’d said he had found?

Deep in the recesses of my heart, I knew the answer. Yes. He was my fated mate. It was only natural that I wanted him to be safe to be around. Besides, after all these years alone, I wanted to belong to someone. To Gareth. The person who was supposed to be the missing part of my soul.

The food was ready, and I plated it while sneaking glimpses of my mate. Dressed in gray wool pants with a cream sweater made of what looked like cashmere. He looked cool and calm, though I caught the tremble of his hands as he set his things on the hardwood floor. Everything about him looked friendly, safe, warm, inviting. The overhead light turned the highlights of his hair into gold. Damn, he was tempting.

Oscar was right, Gareth’s cheekbones were killer. They were high and sharp, giving his features a slightly birdlike feel, with a thin, straight nose under large, intelligent hazel eyes. I often noticed his eyes turned in my direction. He watched me as much as I watched him.

There wasn’t a dining table, so I placed our food on the coffee table and gestured at the others to help themselves. Gareth took a seat in the only armchair, leaving a safe distance between us, and began piling food onto his plate. “This looks delicious. What is it?”

“Um…” I hesitated. Gareth shrunk a little, which made me continue. “it’s creamy garlic chicken pasta. A recipe my mom taught me. I had to cheat and use precooked chicken, but I think it turned out okay.”

Gareth shoved a forkful into his mouth and let out a groan. “Fuck! That’s so good!” he said around a mouthful, making me smile. I loved it when people enjoyed my food.

“Oh my gods, yes! This is fantastic!” Oscar ate enthusiastically, acting as the perfect buffer.

Content that they were happy, I served myself and took careful bites. Now that I didn’t have cooking and hosting to occupy my brain, my tension was flowing back in.

They continued to empty their plates, complimenting the food, until they both sat back, looking full and slightly sleepy. “You being my neighbor is the best news of the day. I need you to feed me more often. Honestly, I’m a disaster in the kitchen. I’m useless at anything aside from basic potions,” Oscar remarked with an unrepentant grin.

Gareth opened his eyes sleepily. “That was the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time, but I promised you facts and reassurances.” His eyes met mine, and I saw affection and peace there. Sharing a simple meal together, even with our buffer, had made him happy. The very idea caused a pang in my heart. Gareth asked for so little. He seemed ready to go at my pace.

With a gentle smile, he leaned over to get his bag, exposing a patch of creamy skin and toned muscles. “Okay,” he said, pulling out a notebook. “I’ve been putting this into sections and trying to track down fated‑mate pairings near here. We’ve got two couples that fit in Greyhaven that I know of.”

“Is this so they can demonstrate it?” I asked warily. I looked at the information written in a slightly messy scrawl on the page and then at the photocopies of books that Gareth spread out on the arms of the sofa and the chair. He’d put a lot of work into this. Over my years as a cursed being, I’d done my fair share of research. This put all of mine to shame. It was meticulous and utterly undeniable.

In front of me was something I could never argue against. There were cases upon cases of mates showing how their magic didn’t work on their partner. Even before a bond, they were immune. My eyes scanned all the pages. Unknowingly, I’d gotten up and drifted closer to Gareth, drawn in by our connection and somehow soothed by all of this.