Page 32 of Thor's Unexpected Mate

“H-Hey,” I said timidly. I gave him a good once over, noticing how beat up and dirty he looked. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” he grumbled, barely looking at me as he pulled the door closed behind him. He lifted a small box, holding it out to me. “Your new phone came in.”

“Oh.” I took it awkwardly, noticing he’d avoided my second question. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

He started to walk away and I reached out, grabbing his shoulder to stop him.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Just tired. Long night.”

“You didn’t get any rest at all?”

He shook his head. “I’m gonna take a shower and go to bed.” He gave me a quick glance, keeping his eyes low. “Call your Nana and have her send some clothes back with the maintenance guy today. I don’t think we have anything here but staff shirts.”

“Right,” I nodded with a smile. “You probably want me to stop stealing your clothes.”

I thought he’d tell me I looked good in them or maybe that he didn’t mind. Instead, he just grunted and headed toward the hallway. “See you later.”

“Okay…”

I watched him disappear into the bathroom, the water turning on a couple seconds later. Somehow, without hardly saying anything, he’d managed to take all the wind out of my sails. I felt totally deflated. That was the most depressing conversation I’d ever had with Thor. Granted, I didn’t have a lot to compare it to, but still.

Shaking my head, I checked myself mentally. He was exhausted. Expecting him to come in after an all-nighter and be thrilled to see me was silly. The man needed his rest, and I was going to stay out of his way so he could get it. Hopefully, come dinner time, the pair of us could sit down and talk things through. That way I could figure out what was going on and Thor could let me know why he’d been acting so oddly.

Everything was going to be fine.

So, I packed my new phone into my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and kicked my scooter across the living room and out the front door. A quick elevator ride and some wicked fast scootin’ brought me to the interior gardens. There was a giant glass dome covering the entire area and the moment I stepped inside, I felt the humidity spike. It was warm, damp, and absolutely drenched in tropical plants that lived inside year around. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and quite a few lizards had been planted there at some point, their tiny world managed to perfection by the resort staff. It was almost like a zoo except there were no cages.

In the center of the room was a large stone structure that had been formed into a six-foot waterfall. Opposite it was a small patio with tables and chairs. It was there that I finally found a place to sit. I unpacked my bag, ready to get some drawing done for the first time in a couple days. However, my new phone needed to be set up and calling Nana was priority number one. She’d probably chat my ear off, so better to get it done sooner than later.

The new phone was a million times better than my old one. It was the latest model with all the buttons and knobs included. It even had a nice case already packed inside the box. I spent ten minutes booting it up and logging into everything so I could re-download all my contacts. After that it was a quick flick of the finger and a swipe until I heard the familiar ringing of Nana’s phone on the other end of the line.

“Hello?” I heard her say in a shaky voice.

“Hey Nana. It’s Flynn.”

“Flynn! I was starting to get worried! You shouldn’t make your Nana worry like that! I’m too old for that shit!”

“I called you yesterday morning,” I giggled. “How often do you want me to call?”

“Don’t sass me. I’m worried about you being up there all alone!”

“I’m in a resort with dozens of other people,” I replied. “I haven’t even really gone outside except to soak in the hot spring. What could happen?”

“Well… just make sure you stay inside. There’s wolves up there, you know. I heard them howling last night.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but come to think of it, I’d heard something odd last night too. It was before Thor ran off. However, the moment he left I’d completely forgotten about it.

“Are you sure it wasn’t just coyotes or something?”

“I know what I heard.” She sounded kinda grumpy.

“Alright. I believe you.” I took a quick pause before changing the subject. “Is the maintenance guy doing an okay job?”

“The goat nearly killed him yesterday. Poor guy turned his back on him when he was getting ready to charge.”

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