Page 13 of The Jorogumo

Liam's eyes widened; then he snapped his fingers. "Dustin and Touya, right?"

I nodded, smiling at how quickly he'd come to that conclusion. My mate was a smart man.

"So the big guy who didn't come into the store that day, he's a supe like you?"

"He's a supe, yes, but not like me. He's a half-troll. His mom was human," I explained, and Liam blinked.

"Wow. So humans and supes can have kids together?"

"Only in very particular cases," I hedged, not wanting to explain the whole mate thing just yet. He was taking the supernatural revelation pretty well, but I didn't want to overwhelm him by declaring we were fated mates, at least not until he had a chance to see how well we fit together.

Liam nodded, then made a thoughtful sound. "It's a wonder more people don't know about supes, especially if you don't mind dating humans."

"Ah, well, we're very picky about the humans we tell. That said, please don't tell anyone what I've told you."

"As if anyone would believe me even if I did," Liam said with a snort, then gave me a serious look. "But I promise I won't. If I've learned anything from comics, it's that humans can't be trusted with anyone they think might be more powerful than them."

Yeah, I wasn't going to argue that.

Liam glanced at his watch, then raised a brow at me. "So, you wanna go get that coffee?"

I nodded quickly, making Liam grin, and slid back into my wheelchair, adjusting myself until all my legs were firmly packed inside and the blanket hid everything from view. The blanket was heavy and imbued with magic so it wouldn'taccidentally fall off, because Draven was a fucking genius and thought of everything.

Following Liam toward the front door, I took a deep breath and made a wish that this date would go well. I wanted to get to know Liam better, and I hoped he still felt the same.

Liam

Today had been unexpected, to say the least.

The man I'd been crushing on wasn't human. Instead, he was a mythical being with a half-human, half-spider body.

When I'd asked to see all of him, I hadn't expected to find him so...fascinating. While his lower half did resemble a spider's, it suited him well, his torso seamlessly molding into the bulb that extended backward, with his legs coming out of the sides.

While he'd mostly just stood in one place while I took him in, I was sure he moved fluidly with those sleek legs, barely making a sound.

As I held the door to The Baking Bee open for him, grateful they also had a ramp, I shook my head and forced myself to focus on the present. I'd have time later to think about everything Haruto told me.

Closing the door behind us, I dragged in a deep breath, humming at the scent of coffee and chocolate.

The Baking Bee was a small, cozy bakery with walls the color of a latte and covered in cartoony bees flitting about. There was a mix of bench seats and cozy two-person tables, and music played in the background, loud enough to be audible but not so much that it'd disrupt conversation.

I could spend all day in this bakery if I let myself.

"Wow, it smells amazing here," Haruto murmured, and I grinned at him.

"Right?"

Reaching the counter, I grabbed a menu and handed it to him. "Something sweet with the coffee since we're skipping lunch?"

Haruto nodded with a smile, and took the menu from me with a murmured thanks.

I looked up to find Dawn watching me with a smile. She was the co-owner of this fine place, while her husband was responsible for all the delicious baked goods. Dawn, her husband Saxon, and I had been friends since I started working at the store.

"Who's your friend?" she asked curiously, pushing back her curly brown hair.

"Dawn, this is Haruto, my date. Haruto, this is Dawn. She's a friend, and co-owns this fine establishment."

"Hello," Haruto greeted her with a small smile, and she grinned back at him.

---