Page 45 of Fated to the Grizzly

“Just sent him home with a piece of my mind.” He cracks open a beer and hands it to me.

I slide him a sideways glance. I could interrogate him some more. But the truth is, I don’t need to hear anything else. Orion protected me, and that’s all I need to know.

I tip the beer back and take my first ever sip.

Urggh.I shudder at the bitter taste.

He laughs. “Might take some getting used to.”

“Think I’ll stick with soda,” I say. Then I think of all those cans of soda he stocked in his fridge, just for me. “Gosh, I miss our place,” I blurt out.

Tenderness glows in his eyes, and he strokes my cheek. “I was just thinking the same thing. You about ready to leave?”

I look around. Dad is drinking beer, and busting moves from some best-forgotten era. A bunch of other strait-laced parents look like they’re already as drunk as skunks.

“Sure am.”

Orion takes a cell phone out of his pocket and starts typing. “Hang tight for fifteen minutes.”

I don’t ask why. These days I’m starting to love surprises—ever since he taught me that a surprise doesn’t mean a giant asteroid plummeting toward the earth. It can be something good, too.

We watchthe party for a little while longer, then Orion grabs my hand. “Okay, let’s go.”

I look for my mom, tell her we’re leaving, and we sneak out, laughing joyously.

In the clearing is a shiny red truck, and standing in front of it is a tall, broad-shouldered woman.

She has the same big dark eyes and thick wavy hair as Orion.

His mom.

My gut tightens. I’ve been nervous to meet her, worried she’ll be disappointed.

But she rushes toward me and grasps my hands in hers. “My dear, you’reThe One.”

“Are you sure?” I blurt out.

She laughs. “I’ve never been surer of anything. And I’ve been waitingsolong to meet you.”

She introduces herself as Nora, but says to feel free to call her mom, or whatever I feel most comfortable with, and insists that I sit beside her in the front passenger seat.

“Mom’s just gonna drop us off today,” Orion says pointedly. “She’s got somewhere she needs to be later.”

“That’s right, honeybun, but we’ll have plenty of time to chat during the journey, don’t you worry.” She gives Orion a big, cartoonish wink.

She’s as good as her word. It takes a couple of hours to get back to Orion’s house, and by the time we arrive, I swear Nora knows every last thing about me. Apparently, I’mexactly likethe image she got from The Fates. I tell her how much I love the house and all the little touches she thought of, and she exclaims in delight. She’s adorable. I see how much she loves Orion, and how happy she is that he’s found his mate at last.

She takes a narrow turn off the main road and we pass through a confusing network of dirt tracks, but when we’re a few hundred feet from the house, Iknow. I don’t know how; I just sense it in my bones. It’s a feeling of yearning, of finding my place in the world.

We take one final turn and the house swings into view. I gasp. It’s even more breathtaking than I remember. All flashing glass panels, clean lines, and that welcoming blue-green glow.

Orion jumps out and hugs Nora. “Thanks so much, mom,” he says. “Can we invite you for dinner tomorrow?”

“Oh, you’d better!” she pinches his cheek. Then she turns and pulls me into another long hug. “Such a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I can’t wait to see you again tomorrow.”

“Me too!” I say. “I might even manage to cook something nice in that amazing kitchen.”

“Your mom is so great,” I tell Orion as she drives off.

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