Page 26 of The Prince's Mate

"Ro picked them," I said, a tad dumbfounded, before leaping to my feet and grabbing his arm. "Pops! What am I gonna do? I'm freaking out! I've never been on a date before.”

"Hey, hey, calm down," he said, dropping the clothes onto the bed and putting his other hand on my shoulder. "Take a deep breath, little one."

Pops' old nickname for me helped almost instantly, and I took a deep breath. "Sorry. I guess I got a little overworked."

"No worries. You'll have a great time, Walker. Don't worry. Caelan isn't a stranger, remember? You've got this," he said, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that I was freaking out because it was Caelan. Because I was going out with my mate. There was no room for error. I'd already messed up one too many times when it came to Caelan, and I couldn't afford another fuckup.

"Is that why you came here? To give me fashion advice and stop me from freaking out?" I asked, and Pops chuckled.

"Yes and no. I wanted to see how you were doing, but I'm also here because of what happened to Caelan. I need to talk to him, and then I'm going to ask some of the demons to keep you two safe until we know what's going on," he said, and my brows shot up into my hairline.

"You're siccing the demons on us?"

"For your safety. It's either that, or you two pack up and come back home. Your choice," Pops said, and I thought about it for allof ten seconds before deciding having a demon tailing us was the lesser of the two evils.

Figuring out our relationship was already an uphill battle, and I knew it would only get worse if the Otherworlders started sticking their nose into our relationship.

"Okay. Does that mean we don't have to check in with all the demons, or is that still happening?" I asked.

"I think you should do it anyway. If the person who captured Caelan really wants to try again, why not give them a chase? Maybe it'll make it easier for us to get them."

"Yeah, I don't want them to think we got scared either," I said, and Pops nodded.

"Let me talk to Caelan. Don't leave the apartment until a demon comes to pick you up. I'll text you their name and picture, so make sure it's them before you leave, okay?"

"Yes, Pops," I said placatingly, and he raised one brow at me that immediately made me duck my head.

"Sorry," I said, and he smiled.

"It's okay. Now get ready for your date. I want to hear all about it later," Pops said, and I grinned at him. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, and I breathed deeply.

I quickly changed my clothes and walked over to the mirror to get my hair in order.Huh. I really do look good,I realized, eyeing myself in the mirror. My hair was still a mess, but the clothes looked good on me. I brushed my hair into something resembling order and debated for a moment before putting on some lip gloss and the slightest hint of eyeshadow. My dads had always taught me that wanting to look good was never a bad thing, and Dad had passed on his love for nail paints and makeup to me. If I had more time, I would've painted my nails now. Maybe after I got back, I would put it on. There was just something so satisfying about decorating your nails, like a reflection of yourself.

When I was ready, I took a deep, steadying breath and walked out of the bedroom, screeching to a stop when I got a good look at Caelan. He wore black pants and a pale blue shirt that clung to him, a leather jacket thrown over it. He was back in his human form since we were going outside, and his black hair was styled perfectly to look just a little mussed.

"Wow," I murmured, and he blushed, ducking his head. I'd never known Caelan to be this...shy, and I wondered if it was because he was with me or if that confident playboy thing had been just an act. Whichever it was, I was curious to find out more about Caelan. I wanted to know everything about him.

Ro'Shassz

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be here, but it was also my duty to keep Walker safe, so I had to suck it up and do it anyway. Sneaking into Walker's jeans' pocket had seemed like a good idea when I did it, but now I wasn't so sure. Damn, maybe I would've been better off staying at the apartment and catching up on my TV shows. Fuck Walker and Caelan for turning me into a freaking mother hen. I hoped they both went to bed horny and unsatisfied for what they were doing to me.

Step Twelve: Avoid losing my mind while I accompanied Walker and Caelan on their first date.

Thirteen

Caelan

"Where are we going?" Walker asked after we'd been standing there staring at each other for two full minutes. Walker always looked good, but I didn't think I'd ever seen him all dressed up like this. He even had some makeup on, which made him look even more beautiful. I was having a hard time looking away, but I forced myself to, worried I'd spook him somehow. A small part of me still thought Walker might change his mind about getting together, but I was trying my best to ignore it.

"It's a surprise," I said, waggling my brows at him. To be honest, I was a little worried he wouldn't like it, but I imagined I'd feel that way no matter where I ended up taking him.

"Pops said we have to wait for the demon bodyguard," Walker said, sticking his lower lip out in a pout, and I winced.

"Ah, sorry about that. I honestly never expected that Andras could still be alive," I said, and then regretted opening my mouth because what if Walker asked me more about him? I wasn't ready to share the fucked-up mess that was my human past with Walker. If I could get away with it, I never wanted to tell Walker any of it so I could keep him as far away from that darkness as possible.

"Nothing for you to apologize about. It'll be nice to have someone watching our backs anyway, make it easier for us to enjoy each other's company," Walker said with a small grin, and I nodded.

There was a knock at the door, and I turned toward it, but Walker cut me off before I could do much more, stalking confidently toward the front door. Usually, I had confidence to spare, but my encounter with Andras and now this new thing with Walker had all but stripped me of it, and I was a floundering mess. I just wanted to put the reins in Walker's hands and follow his lead, but I couldn't do that. I was the older one, the more experienced one. I should be the one taking the lead, shouldn't I?

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