Page 69 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“I’ll help. I can cook.”

Monroe shook his head. “I’m simply going to look at what’s available and then use magic. I need to feed you, and that will be so much quicker.”

Oh. Well, that was handy, wasn’t it? Did I really end up with a mate that had magic like Eli did? Did that mean that Monroe could change diapers with magic? I seemed to remember Eli mentioning that Benjamin did that for him at times. Or maybe it was make bottles. I couldn’t remember because like so many things in my life, I’d made things difficult. I’d pushed both Eli and Chase away when they’d been sincere and only wanted to be friends with me. I’d been horrible to them, and I knew I owed them an apology.

Fingers ran through my hair, and I blinked as I looked upward. Monroe was standing there, concern on his face again. I quickly looked down at the table but didn’t see anything, so I looked back to my mate.

“What’s wrong?”

“I asked you how you like your eggs?”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I was thinking. Umm…scrambled with cheese if we have it. If not, just scrambled is fine with me. Is there bread for toast?”

“There is. Did you wish for some?”

“Yes, but seriously, I can make it,” I said, starting to get up. Monroe’s hand that had moved to rest on my shoulder held me in place.

“Nope. Anything else you’d like?” he asked. I suddenly smelled eggs, and when I looked down, I saw a plate full of them, along with several pieces of toast as well as a bowl of fruit.

“Wow. No, this is good. Are you going to eat?”

Monroe shook his head but did sit down beside me. “I ate a very large breakfast at Alpha Forest’s house. I will have tea with you though,” he told me. A mug suddenly appeared in front of him, and I wondered if I could get one of those as well. It seemed he already knew what I was going to ask because another suddenly appeared in front of me.

“Sugar? Cream?”

“Just a hint of sugar is perfect,” I said. Monroe winked and then picked up his mug, his eyes never leaving mine as he took his first sip.

“You should eat before the food gets cold. After that, we’ll talk some more.”

I was certainly on board with that. With the way my stomach was growling at the scents coming from the plate, I wasn’t going to delay eating. The sooner I ate, the quicker I would learn more about my mate. I called that a win for me in all ways.

Chapter 5

Monroe

Iwas positive that two years ago, I wouldn’t have been ready for my mate. Being left behind while my younger brother was picked ahead of me to come to the human realm was quite a kick to my pride. I did a lot of self-reflection and knew that the only reason I was able to step up and take responsibility for Mason and a newborn Mae was because I’d spent so much time really thinking about my actions and who I was. I’d not liked who I realized I’d become. When our parents passed, I honestly didn’t even think twice about stepping up and taking care of Mae and Mason. It had been rough, sure. But they needed me, and I felt a connection to them.

I was feeling that and so much more with Oscar. My mate had been through things that nobody should ever have to go through. He was a fighter though, and even after everything he’d gone through, he went back to the pack that had sold him for his younger siblings. In my opinion, he more than deserved to have someone take care of him for a change. I wanted to be that person. I had a feeling he was going to fight me every step of the way, but I was willing to be patient. He was fiercely independent, after all.

I had time. We had the rest of our lives. Granted, the tingles that were going through my body were telling me that I only had days before I was in excruciating pain, but that wasn’t the point. Oscar had already said he was willing to go through with us claiming each other. The way he mentioned it was incredibly unromantic, but I hoped to change that.

I had no experience. None. Not even a kiss, so this was all going to be completely new for me. I would figure it out though, and I was certain my mate would help me. He’d reached for me several times already. He didn’t seem to be shying away from me, so that had to mean something, didn’t it?

“Do you use magic often?” Oscar asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Sometimes. I don’t use it for everything. And I definitely don’t if I’m not fully awake. I’m too afraid I’ll mess something up and hurt someone by accident. I could never forgive myself for that.” That was exactly why I didn’t use magic in the middle of the night when it came to taking care of Maelie. Unless I knew for a fact that I was completely awake, I did everything the way we learned it when we were young. I couldn’t risk hurting her. Or Mason for that matter. More than once, we’d heard stories about how explosive fae magic could be when not used correctly.

“I can understand that. I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone either.” Oscar stood and took his empty plate to the sink. I watched as he rinsed it, then opened what I knew was a dishwasher before placing it and the fork inside. I saw his mug was empty and took both of ours to him, putting them on the top rack where they would be washed later.

“Did you want to go out? We could go explore the mountain,” I suggested.

“Umm, do you have a coat? Are you going to be warm enough?” Oscar asked. “It’s December in Montana, on top of a mountain.” Oscar glanced toward the windows before he shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I’d say there’s at least a foot of snow outside.”

“I can have a coat in moments,” I told him seconds before I was wearing one. He had one on but had taken it off and dropped it by the front door when we first arrived. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Well, then there’s really no excuse to not go out and explore a little, is there?”

I shook my head. I wanted to spend the day with him. I already knew that a whole lot of our time together would be “practical” and spent “parenting” when, in reality, neither of us were technically parents yet. We had been thrown together because, for whatever reason, we were going to be perfect together. I could see it on some level.