Page 19 of The Jorogumo

"You're allowed to be as excited as you want, Liam. It makes me happy to see how thrilled you are."

Liam blinked at me, and his lips curved up in an almost shy smile as he nodded.

"Would you like me to walk at your side or behind you?"

Warmed by his thoughtfulness, I smiled. "Either works, but if it gets crowded, walking behind me would be easier."

"Got it."

We started heading toward the Sanctuary, and Liam told me about some of the more...interesting customers he'd had this week. Liam had a way with storytelling, and some entertaining-as-fuck customers, like the woman who was determined to find some "proper" comics for her very embarrassed daughter. Liam told me he'd promised the girl she could exchange the stuff her mom bought for what she wanted later, as long as she kept the comics in good condition. I wasn't the least bit surprised by that, because that was who my mate was. I felt lucky Fate had thought I was worthy of him. I just hoped he'd feel the same when I told him the truth.

"We're here," I said a few minutes later, and Liam glanced around, his eyes sliding right past the entrance to the Sanctuary.

"Where?"

"There," I waved toward the closed-down-looking building with its large wooden doors, and Liam blinked, surprised.

"I've walked past this building so many times, and I never wondered about what might be behind that door."

"It's part of the headmaster's protection around the place. Keeps people from wandering in," I explained as Liam pushed my wheelchair up the rather steep ramp. Silas had been putting off on improving it, mostly because it might mess with thewards already in place, and with all the things going wrong in the Sanctuary already, it wasn't worth the risk of messing up something else.

Reaching the door, I glanced up at Liam, nervous and excited all at the same time.

"Ready?"

Liam nodded quickly, eyes shining with anticipation, and I exhaled slowly before turning and placing my hand on the doorknob. I turned, then pushed, opening the doors wide into a dark hallway.

Fate, please let everything go well, and I promise I'll tell Liam he's my mate.

Liam

I stepped into the dark hallway, Haruto at my heels, and then jumped when the door behind us slid shut.

There was a moment of complete darkness and silence, the air thick with the scent of damp, stone walls, and then yellow lamps flickered on, lighting the path down the short hallway.

Beside me, Haruto removed the blanket over his lap, and I took it from him, grunting at its weight. Haruto stepped out of the wheelchair two legs at a time, then folded the blanket into the chair and slid it into a closet.

When he stood to his full height, I had to raise my head to look up at him, and it made something warm and fluttery go off in my belly.

"How about you lead the way?" I suggested, and he nodded.

We went through another doorway that led into a brightly lit hallway lined with doors, the scent of cold stone dissipating. Each door had a plaque on it informing peopleof where it led, and from where I stood, I could see Office, Forest, Lakes, and Ocean.

"This is where the headmaster and Touya work. He's the headmaster's assistant, and helps with the daily running of the Sanctuary," Haruto explained, waving at the office door.

"Forest is where I live. Each area is named after the landscape inside, and houses different types of supes. Over there are the Desert, Mountains, Arctic, and Darkness. There's also the Library, and the Dining Room."

I nodded, absorbing everything he told me. There wasn't a single person around, but I got the feeling that was intentional. Whether it was because Haruto had told them to give us a moment or because they were wary of me remained to be seen.

"Come on. I'll show you around Forest."

Since that was where Haruto's home was, I nodded quickly, following after him as he opened the door and stepped inside.

Warmth and the scent of freshly cut grass greeted me as Haruto closed the door behind us, and I glanced around, stunned.

I felt like I'd just stepped outside, and right into a forest. Grassy plains led into a highly wooded area, with trees of all kinds growing in a disorganized order the way they only did without human involvement.

We really, truly were in an honest-to-God forest. Wow.

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