Page 26 of Miles's Pact
Nine
Miles
"It's not a long drive, so we should get there in about an hour. Nash didn't have a phone number for Duckie's mom, so there's no way to warn her about our arrival," I said, and Mateo hummed in thought. We were both in the living room, waiting for Duckie to finish up in the bathroom so we could get going. He hadn't wanted to delay seeing his mom, and I understood that. If I hadn't seen one of my dads for years, if I'd thought for years that they were dead only to be told they weren't, nothing would've stopped me from going to see them.
Mateo opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the sound of soft footsteps jerked my gaze to the hallway, and I froze as my brain screeched to a halt.
"Um," Duckie said, shuffling in place. "Do you have some clothes I can borrow?"
He was wearing a bathrobe that swallowed him whole, and he was... His dark eyes flicked between me and Mateo, and my twin spoke up as I still struggled to wrap my head around this.
"Sure. I'll get you some of mine," Mateo said, cheerful as ever, then hurried up the stairs while Duckie and I stared at each other.
He had dark, wavy hair that reached below his shoulders and had a greenish shine when the light hit the strands. His face was angular, his skin pale, and he was a few inches taller than me. His lips looked soft, and inviting and... was that a mole below his lower lip? I had the sudden urge to lick it, and I shook my head, pushing the thought away.
His eyes had slid to the floor at some point while I was ogling him, his hands fisted into the robe as he held it closed, and I already missed his new and yet familiar face. It was the first time I was seeing him in his human form, and yet it felt like I was still seeing the same person I had for the past two weeks.
"You are beautiful," I blurted out, and heat raced up my cheeks as Duckie's head jerked up, his eyes wide as they met mine, his cheeks pink.
Mateo reappeared then, and his eyes slid from me to Duckie before a wide grin spread across his face.
"Here you go." He held out a small stack of clothes—including underwear still in its packaging—and Duckie grabbed them before hurrying back into the bathroom.
Mateo waited until he'd closed the door before turning to me, grin still in place. "You look positively smitten."
I reached over and grabbed his shoulder, then pushed him as hard as I could, making him laugh. His smile softened as he got his footing back. "I'm happy for you, My."
Nodding, I glanced back at the bathroom. I wasn't sure if Duckie had shifted because he was going to see his mom or because he knew those awful men were dead, but either way, Iwas glad. Duckie might shift back later, but I'd be okay with that, like I had been before today.
A big part of me wanted Duckie to stay in this form. I wanted to have a proper conversation with him. I wanted to go on a date with him. I wanted to touch him, to kiss him. But I wanted those things when Duckie felt comfortable giving them to me, and not a second before.
The door opened again, and Duckie stepped out. While Mateo's t-shirt was a little wide on him, his pants were a little short. Yet, even with the ill-fitting clothes, Duckie looked stunning.
Mateo whistled, making Duckie blush again.
"I think you broke my brother, Duckie," Mateo joked, and I glared at him, though the soft laugh that escaped Duckie's lips made me forgive the brat.
"If you want, we can go buy you some better-fitting clothes before we visit your mom," Mateo offered, and I nodded in agreement, searching for my voice that had eluded me. It had been a long time since I'd struggled to speak.
"Would it take long?" Duckie asked. His voice was so soft; it felt like a caress every time it reached my ears.
"Not at all. We'll go to TOSS and have Kezan work his magic."
Duckie tilted his head in question, and I found my voice as I answered his unspoken question, glad to have a safe topic to speak about. "TOSS is short for The One Stop Shops. It's a shopping mall in the town center. Kezan is Micah's boss, and a djinn. His shop runs on his magic, and it always finds the perfect clothes for you."
Duckie blinked at me, a look of wonder on his face. "That sounds amazing."
Mateo grinned. "It is. You'll love it. Let's go."
Mateo insisted Duckie sit in the front since I was driving. The rain had calmed down, telling me all of the baby dragons hadhatched, and were okay. I hoped we'd get to see them soon. Veron was an adorable baby dragon, and I was excited to see the other four as well, and to see what Veron looked like now.
After a pit stop atWish For It, where Duckie insisted on buying a single outfit, despite our—and Micah's, who was in charge of the store in Kezan's absence—protests, we made our way to Tacoma. Keeping my eyes on the road and not on the man beside was a struggle, but it became easier when Mateo smacked my face to keep us from crashing.
"Sorry," I mumbled once I'd steadied the car, and Mateo snorted.
"I should've driven," he said, and I couldn't argue with him. I was way too distracted to be driving.
Duckie shifted in his seat, drawing my gaze to him once more, and Mateo sighed.
