Page 9 of Miles's Pact
Three
Miles
Devon had the day off today, which was lucky for me. It was a weekday, but since he owned the place, he had random days off instead of the regular weekends. A few years ago, Devon had bought the auto shop he'd worked in from its human owner, who'd been wanting to retire. Now, most of the employees were supes, though a few humans had stuck around. Devon had kept the original human workers, and hired supes when any of them left.
That was the way most of the businesses had changed over the last decade and change since Raiden—the dragon who watched over the town, and headed our clan—focused on turning Mistvale into a supe-safe haven.
The drive across town to the packland where Devon and Ollie lived took me about twenty minutes, and I thought about Duckie the whole time.
When Mateo and I had first been adopted by our dads, we'd spent most of our time in our owl forms. Dad was a fire mage, and his familiar was an eagle owl named April who'd watched over us—and sometimes still did—like we were her own fledglings. It'd felt easier to be owls, because then we didn't have to talk, or think about the horrors we'd suffered at the hands of the dark witches and shifters we'd been held prisoners by.
Had something similar happened to Duckie? Had a trauma of some kind scared him into not shifting back?
A knock on my window made me jump, and I glanced up at Noel's smiling face. How long had I been idling?
Noel was an elf, and he'd called the packland home when it was still a Christmas tree farm. He was a sweet man, and mated to a somewhat grumpy but kind wolf shifter named Caleb.
"Hey, Miles. What brings you to the packland today?" he asked, skipping ahead as I made my way through the clearing to Devon and Ollie's cabin.
"I'm here to see Devon," I said, hesitating to mention Duckie. I knew the news would spread like wildfire the moment I said it out loud to anyone from the clan. While Rebba wasn't a gossip, most of the clan—and especially Noel—was.
My phone buzzed, then buzzed again as Noel pulled his out of his pocket, and I closed my eyes, realizing I didn't have to worry about it at all. Because right this moment, Mateo was on the other side of town, telling the whole story—with a ton of hand gestures and playacting, because that was how my twin rolled—to the biggest gossip in town: Uncle Raph.
"You found your mate! That's wonderful. Congratulations!" Noel threw his arms around my middle, squeezing me to him in a tight hug. For such a small man, he wasstrong. I huggedhim back, the scent of pine and vanilla enveloping me before we pulled apart.
"Thank you."
"We'll have to plan a welcome party for him," Noel murmured, and I could tell he was going to run with it if I didn't stop him this instant.
"Maybe not right now. Something's stopping him from shifting to his human form, so maybe once he feels comfortable doing that?"
"Oh!" Noel blinked, his dark eyes going wide, then nodded. "Of course, I understand. Let me know when he's ready, and I'll plan something."
"Thanks, Noel."
He waved me off, and I hurried up the steps to Devon and Ollie's small porch, knocking on the door, and taking a step back.
Ollie opened the door, his smile quick to appear as his hazel eyes caught mine, and my lips curved in response.
Despite the shit deal he'd been dealt early in life—a warlock had trapped him in his cat form and separated him from his family to punish his father, who hadn't cared for him all that much to begin with—Ollie was one of the happiest people I'd ever met.
"Hey, Miles. Come on in. Devon, Miles is here!"
I followed Ollie into their cozy living room, the walls a soft beige color and covered in picture frames. A cat tree stood beside the large window, and cat toys created tripping hazards—for people like me, not for the residents of this house—all over the floor.
As I sat down on the couch, a sharp "Fuck you!" reached my ears, and I grinned.
"How's Dannie?" I asked, peering around the room to see if I could spot her.
"Cheerful as ever," Devon said with a smirk as she walked in from the bedroom. His long dark hair was in a braided knot, the streaks of bright red standing out against the black strands. He changed the colors every few months, and the red went well with his light blue eyes. "She's swearing at the other birds from her favorite spot in the kitchen."
Damn, I loved that crazy bird. She was a delight.
"What brings you here today?" he asked as he pressed a kiss on Ollie's cheek in greeting. His eyes shifted to me, so he didn't see the fond look on Ollie's face, but I did, and I wondered if one day Duckie would look at me that way too.
"If you're asking that, I assume you haven't checked your phone yet," I said as he sat down in an armchair across from me and Ollie perched himself on its arm, his balance perfect, thanks to his feline nature.
"Mm, it's charging," Devon agreed, his pale blue eyes curious. Our paths didn't cross often outside of the clan gatherings, so he knew I had to have a reason for being here.
