Page 25 of The Prince's Mate

The 900 years I'd spent in Otherworld had helped me overcome everything Andras had put me through, and I knew he wouldn't be able to break me as easily now. I wasn't a scared kid anymore, I wasn't alone, and I wasn't going to let Andras get away with everything he'd done—everything he was probably still doing to others—any longer.

"Caelan, you okay?" Walker asked, and I glanced up at him, pushing away all the thoughts clogging my mind. I slid over so he could sit on the couch beside me, and he smiled before taking the seat.

"I'm fine," I assured him, my eyes flitting to my hands curled in my lap. Now that we were here, now that all the lies and pretenses were gone, I didn't know how to act. I knew how to act when Walker was angry at me, or annoyed, or when he just didn't pay me any attention. I didn't know what to do when I had all his attention, when he'd kissed me just minutes before, when he knew what he meant to me.

"I'm glad you switched back," he said, and I shot him a curious look. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over the edge of my ear, making it twitch. "You look more likeyouin this form."

The first thing I'd done when I'd felt my magic fully restore was to change back into my true form, because like Walker said, I felt more like myself when I had my fluffy ears and tail, when I could turn my fingers into claws.

"Thanks," I mumbled, and we were quiet again. For some reason, I'd had this fantasy that the moment Walker knew, everything would suddenly be perfect. We'd slot in like puzzle pieces and live happily ever after. It was a stupid hope, but sometimes it was all I'd had.

The reality was mighty different. I couldn't have felt more awkward if we added Walker's dads into this mix, and I had no clue what to do next. I was the older one of us, shouldn't I know better?

"Why is this so awkward?" Walker asked, braver than I was, and I shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Maybe because we haven't actually spent that much time together in recent years?" I suggested, glancing at him.

"And whose fault is that?" he asked with a raised brow.

Mine, of course. Everything that had gone wrong between us had been because of me.

"Shit! I'm sorry, Kitty. I'm trying to be better, I swear."

I dipped my head, then snuck a peek at him again. "You called me Kitty."

Pink colored his cheeks. "Yeah. Would you rather I didn't?"

"No, no. I...I like it. I'm just curious why," I said, and he shrugged.

"We were so close when I used to call you that, and I guess I just want us to be like that again," he said, and I sighed.

"Me too, Walker. Me too," I agreed, and he smiled at me. My eyes roamed over his face, and I took in everything now that I could without fear of his annoyance. His dark hair was a mess like always, his amber eyes bright, the green flecks shining when the light hit them a certain way. He had freckles on his nose, barely dark enough to be visible, but I could count all fourteen of them. He still had the tiniest bit of baby fat clinging to his cheeks, rounding them out slightly, and I was pretty sure he'd punch me if I told him I wanted to pinch his cheeks.

"What do you think about going out on a date?" I asked, realizing we'd just been staring at each other for the past few minutes. Lord, I really hoped Ro'Shassz wasn't anywhere around. He'd have a field day with this.

"A date?" Walker asked, sitting upright on the couch before folding one leg and turning around so he was facing me. "I've never been on a date."

I blinked, knowing I should've expected that but still kinda surprised. I'd assumed Walker had been with other people, mostly because unlike me, he didn't know we were mates, so he was free to do so.

"Would you—" I started to ask again, but he cut me off.

"Yes!" He grabbed my hands in his, almost jumping in his seat from excitement. "I'd love to."

Walker

Caelan was taking me on a date. No biggie, right? Then why did my skin feel like it was buzzing? Why couldn't I sit still? Why couldn't I decide what to freaking wear?

"Here," Ro said, and I looked up at him as he dropped three pieces of clothing in my lap. He'd carried them over with his tail—growing in size to do it—and I stared down at the light jeans, dark brown shirt, and a tan sports jacket.

"Thanks, Ro. You're a lifesaver," I said, and he shook his head, shrinking back to his usual size.

"I'd expected this behavior when you were sixteen, Walker. But I guess you're a late bloomer," he teased, and I rolled my eyes at him, even though he wasn't wrong. I hadn't been all that exciting as a teenager. Back then, I'd still been a little wary of the human world, and I'd kept my distance from most people, even the high school kids I'd studied a semester with to see what it was like. I'd quickly realized I much preferred Pops to teach me things, and I hadn't lasted long in the human realm before I'd been ready to go back home.

As if I'd summoned him, magic stirred in the room and then Pops was there, his long hair in a braid, his green eyes bright as they latched on to me. "I heard through the grapevine someone has a date tonight," he said without preamble.

"It's me. I'm the grapevine," Ro piped up, then tilted his head at Pops. “Hey, Arty!”

"Hello, Ro,” he greeted the little jerk before turning to me. “I thought I'd pop by and see if you needed any help" He picked up the clothes from my lap. "Hmm. Good choice."

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