Page 27 of Warwick

I shook my head. “No. But I was going to fix some lunch.” My stomach growled again. I’d not finished breakfast, and I’d been busy since. My stomach was letting me know it was past time for a large meal.

“We could go to the council for lunch if you’d like. Or perhaps you want to go eat somewhere down here? I know there are places, but I’ve not been to any of them.”

I slowly nodded at Warwick. I could understand why. He’d mentioned earlier that most people tended to avoid him. That had to be difficult on your self-esteem.

“Or we could go up to the new house and I could fix something there?” It wasn’t that I was ashamed to be seen with Warwick. I simply didn’t wish for him to feel uncomfortable about going out to eat where there would be several human tourists. “What do you like to eat?”

“I’m not picky. I’ll eat anything I’m offered. But I’ve already messed up more than once today. I’m not going to let you cook for me. Not yet anyway. I was told I needed to treat you, so I will. What do you wish to eat?”

That was new. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had someone who wanted to provide me with a meal. Well, other than Grandpa Lev. I didn’t even hesitate though. “There is a Chinese place in Timber Valley. Are you okay with going over there to eat? Or we can bring it back here.” I glanced around. “Or maybe not. Perhaps we should eat there since you sent all of my things up to the other house.”

“Did you wish for your things to be returned here? I thought it would be much easier to pack and move my way.” Warwick tilted his head to the side to look at me. “Is that tiny car in the driveway yours?”

I grinned. “Yes. But I don’t expect you to try and fit into it. I know you won’t. When I bought it, I didn’t have a mate in mind, only that I wanted something cute and fun. I wasn’t thinking about anything beyond that, and I discovered it isn’t really the greatest in the winter here.” I should probably get rid of it, now that I thought about it. If I was going to be mated to Warwick and we were going to live up on Treasure Ridge, I wouldn’t need it for the most part.

“How about this?” Warwick said. “Since this place is now packed and moved and you want Chinese, we can drive back to the cabin to park our vehicles, and then I’ll take you up to our new place, and we can enjoy whatever Chinese food you want. I’ll go to the restaurant with you if that’s what you truly want, but I have to warn you that I don’t usually get positive reactions most places.”

That was just sad. I didn’t want for Warwick to feel out of place nor for him to be uncomfortable. “Going to the new house sounds good. And since I was told I had some time off, maybe I can go for a run after lunch. Did you want to do that?” I had seen Warwick in his hellhound form a few times, but I would love to run with him. Having a mate to run with would be a new experience, and I was looking forward to it.

“I would like to run with you.”

That made me smile again. “Shall we go, then?” I glanced around the place that had been my most recent home. I would need to come back and give it a good cleaning, but I wasn’t upset about starting a new chapter in my life. I knew I still needed to let my grandparents know that I’d met my mate, and I had to wonder how they were going to react. Would they approve of Warwick? Would they like him beyond him being an enforcer? Would they be welcoming?

I went to grab my keys only to realize that my entryway table and everything that had been on it was gone.

“Umm, Warwick?”

“Hmm?”

I pointed to the wall. “Where’s the table? Did you send it up to the other house too?”

Warwick looked confused. “Yes. Did it need to come back as well?”

“No, but my wallet and keys were on it.” I took a deep breath. He had only been trying to help. I understood that.

“I can bring it back. Or you can ride with me.”

I nodded. “I’ll go with you.” I figured why not. It wasn’t like we weren’t going to the same place anyway. I followed Warwick out the door and hesitated for a moment once outside. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but the massive pickup shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. My mate was as big as a dragon shifter. “Has your truck always been so tall?”

Warwick glanced at me. “That’s the way it came from the dealership. I haven’t done anything to it.”

I was a bit surprised when Warwick walked to the passenger side. He opened the door for me, and when he did, the running boards dropped down. I stared at them, surprised. “Oh.”

“Is there a problem?”

I glanced at Warwick and shook my head. “No. I was just trying to figure out how I was going to get up into it. I didn’t realize there were steps.”

“They retract when the doors are closed. There’s also a handle for you to grab on to.”

I nodded and reached for the handle that Warwick had indicated. I stepped up and couldn’t help but smile when I felt Warwick’s hands on my waist. I sent him a grin, and after I was securely in the cab of the truck, he closed the door.

I looked around, not at all surprised at how large the thing was. Warwick wasn’t a small man. And in all honesty, it didn’t look like some monster truck. It was just…well, a lot bigger than my tiny car.

“So where is this Chinese place you like to eat?”

“Oh. I thought we were going to the new house?”

Warwick looked at me as he started the truck. “That was the plan. But I thought we were eating there? I’ve never been to the place you’ve mentioned, so I can’t get the food you would want. I thought we would go through the drive-thru and take it to Treasure Ridge. Unless you wanted to eat at the restaurant?”

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