Page 31 of Miles's Pact
"I want you to be happy, Duckie."
"I am. And Mateo and Miles live in a town that's watched over by a dragon, so I've never been safer. No one can hurt me or them there."
"That's good."
"I'm sorry I didn't find you until now. I was afraid to come back here," I admitted, and she leaned forward, pulling me into a warm hug that was so familiar and yet so different. She was smaller than me now, but she smelled the same. Like home and safety.
"That's okay, baby. I'm glad you're here now. And I'm sorry about the way I reacted. I'm glad you found your mates. They seem like good boys."
I smiled as I pulled back, thinking about the last two weeks. "Yeah, they are."
"Aww, that look on your face," Mom teased, making me blush. "I know some people have more than one mate, but I've never heard of them being brothers. How does that work?"
"It's not the same. My bond with them, I mean. With Mateo, it's platonic. He's aroace and not interested in a romantic relationship, and my feelings for him aren't romantic either. He's more like a best friend, or a brother. Miles... Miles is different."
"Ah, it's romantic with him, huh?"
I shrugged, because so far we hadn't done anything yet that could be considered 'romantic.' Going on a date when one of youwas a bird wasn't easy, after all. But Miles had been happy to follow my lead, to let me set the pace, and I was grateful for that.
But now... things were different now. I'd shifted, and my world hadn't ended. I could go out with Miles. I could touch him, maybe even kiss him, if he was up for it.
Mom and I talked for a while after that. I told her about the various places I'd been, leaving out the fact that I'd been in my duck form the whole time.
She told me a little about her life here, but it was clear we were both holding back a lot to spare the others' feelings. Maybe someday we'd be able to communicate more honestly, but for now, I was glad I was here, talking to Mom. I'd never thought that would be possible.
"Why don't you call them back, and I'll make dinner for everyone?" Mom suggested after we'd exhausted our latest topic of conversation—Mom's current job at the local nursery—then got up before I could say anything. "Chicken and gravy okay?"
"Like you used to make?" I asked, unable to hide my eagerness, and she nodded. "Yes, please. I'll text Mateo."
Entering the code Miles had given me—which I realized was the date Mateo had brought me home—I used his phone to text Mateo, who replied within a minute to tell me they'd be here soon.
While I waited, I walked up to the mantel to look at all the photos mom had displayed. Most of them featured all three of us, and some were of me in various milestones. A baby picture, my first day of kindergarten, first day of school, me on a bicycle.
"I have a lot more in albums, if you'd like to look through them later," Mom said, and I turned to find her watching me from the kitchen doorway. "I bet your mates would enjoy seeing them."
"No, thank you." With a laugh, she disappeared back into the kitchen, and I shook my head, knowing Miles and Mateo wouldbe seeing all my embarrassing baby pictures before the night was over.
The sound of a car coming to a stop in front of the house caught my attention, and I walked across the room to open the front door.
"Hey, Duckie. All good?" Mateo asked, and I nodded, giving them a hesitant smile before closing the door behind them.
Miles gave me a once-over, his concern-filled eyes lingering on my face. I smiled at him, and he returned it, making my heart and another part of my anatomy react. I blinked at the strange new reaction, and hoped they couldn't sense it. While I wasn't clueless about things like romance and sexual attraction, I'd never experienced it myself, at least, not physically. It was hard to do that when you were a bird, after all. But now that I'd shifted back, my body felt more than ready to make up for all the years of physical intimacy I'd lost out on.
My mom called out then, asking me to make my mates comfortable, and her voice was enough to get my body in check. For now.
