Page 15 of The Jorogumo

We talked for anhour after that, not about supes or magic, just about each other.

I discovered that Liam didn't have any siblings, and his parents lived on the other side of the country. He wasn't very close to them, but they were still a part of his life, if only on birthdays and holidays.

My home situation was a little more complicated. My parents were very firmly not in the picture, hadn't been for a long time. They were still alive, but they'd never understood why I insisted on 'rejecting our heritage' by not seducing young humans to increase my powers. The moment it'd been possible, I'd escaped my hometown in Japan, feeding on humans just enough to stay in my human form until I got to the States.

That had been decades ago. Once I got to the States, I'd lived a quiet, people-free life in the woods until Headmaster Morrigan found me.

He offered me a home among supes who would understand me. I'd been hesitant to accept his offer at first, of course, but it'd been too tempting, and I'd found myself saying yes. I'd never regretted my decision.

"I'm glad you found a place to belong," Liam said with a sweet smile when I'd finished telling him my story. It was a heavy topic for a first date, but he wasn't just anyone. He was my mate, and I knew I could tell him anything, even if he didn't know what he meant to me yet.

Since he had to reopen his shop, we couldn't drag out our lunch date too much. Liam offered to walk me home when he found out it was close by, but I waved him off, because leading him to the door of the Sanctuary would basically mean telling everyone who he was to me, and I wasn't ready for that yet.

We went back to Liam's store, where I texted Touya to ask him if he could pick me up. He texted back instantly with a 'Be there in five!'

Liam and I chatted while we waited for him, and I promised him I'd invite him to the Sanctuary for our next date.

When Touya arrived, he stayed outside, somehow sensing we needed a moment, and Liam reached down, taking my hand in his and giving it a squeeze.

"I really enjoyed our date," he said with a soft smile, and I returned it, my heart skipping a beat at the look in his dark eyes. I didn't think anyone had ever looked at me with such fondness.

"So did I. Thank you for saying yes."

"I'm glad I did." He gave my hand another squeeze before letting it go, then stepped back, waving at Touya through the glass doors.

"I'll text you later?"

Liam nodded, and I made my way outside. Touya's keen eyes slid between me and Liam, and I had a feeling I'd be peppered with questions on our way back.

Not a minute later, Touya proved me right when he glanced over at me, his dark brown eyes full of curiosity. "You two seem close."

"We are," I answered steadily, knowing it would annoy him. Touya was a level-headed man, but he had his moments too.

"Haruto!" He was one of the few people who pronounced my name the way it was supposed to be. Headmaster Morrigan also said it right, and I had a feeling that was because he could speak Japanese. Liam had gotten it right after he'd heard me say it a few times too.

"If I tell you, you'll just tell everyone."

Touya gasped loudly, shooting me a wounded look with his palm pressed to his chest. "I am not a tattle-tale."

"So you won't tell your mate?"

Touya scowled. "You know I can't keep secrets from Silas."

"I know. And I also know that when you tell Silas, he'll tell Khush, and Khush will tell everyone." Khush and Silas were best friends, and there were no secrets between them. Khush was also the biggest gossip in the Forest, despite his grumpy demeanor.

Touya sighed, then shot me a wry look. "It's not like I can't guess already."

I glanced away, knowing he was right. The supes of the Sanctuary had certain...opinions about humans, mostly because we'd experienced hostility from them—or known someonewho did—at some point in our lives. Which meant that there were very few reasons for us to actually grow close to a human, and being mates was on top of that list.

"Since you haven't actually told me, I won't say anything to anyone. But if you do want to talk to someone, you can always talk to Shade."

I smiled at the thought. Shade was the complete opposite of Khush in that regard. He was cheerful and great at keeping confidence. The dark of his home hid all our secrets, and I knew he'd never reveal any of them.

"Yeah, maybe I will. I have to talk to the headmaster first."

"He was in his office when I left. Let's see if he's still there."

I hadn't even realized we'd reached the Sanctuary, and I followed Touya in, stopping to get out of the wheelchair and store it with the others before heading to the office.

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