Page 25 of Roman
He was quite a bit taller than I was, and I was all right with that. I smiled up at my mate, and when he returned it, I felt my heart flutter. How was that even possible? I didn’t know what was happening to me exactly, but I wasn’t going to complain about it in any way.
“Do you like spaghetti?” Roman asked suddenly.
I nodded. “We’ve had it several times since we’ve been here.” It looked like Roman was suddenly relieved.
“Shall we?”
I could only grin up at my mate. When he took a step away, then held out his hand, I reached for it. His hand dwarfed mine, and immediately, my mind went to other places. Where else was he going to be a lot larger than me? Eventually, I would find out, but when? I glanced back at Konrad as I walked out the door and found the dragon omega giving me a thumbs-up. I didn’t know what to make of the gesture, exactly, so I smiled at him before he disappeared as I stepped through the door.
“I had no idea if you even knew what spaghetti was or if you liked it. But I didn’t have a whole lot of ideas for quick meals to make for you.”
“I like all kinds of things, and spaghetti is something that even Evan will ask for. We didn’t have it in our realm though, but I’m honestly not sure why. We had almost all of the things that are in it.”
“Can I ask about that over dinner? If you don’t wish to talk about your realm, I understand.”
“Oh no. I don’t mind talking about it. I wasn’t unhappy there or anything. Even after our parents went missing, I didn’t have a terrible life.” That sounded worse than it was, but I couldn’t find fault in my life. Sure, I missed my parents, and life was sad for a bit after they went missing. But Evan and I weren’t, and we had to continue on. There was no other choice because neither one of us would give up simply because our parents went missing.
“I never wish to cause you pain. I’m interested in learning about your world, but only what you wish to share.”
I shrugged. “I’m pretty much an open book. There really isn’t much to tell. My parents went missing when I was fourteen. Evan was nineteen then, and I was really lucky that he was in our village instead of out trying to find his mate. I think the reasonthey left was because they knew Evan was there to watch after me.”
“I’m sorry that happened to them.”
I shrugged again. “I appreciate that. There is nothing to be done to change the circumstances though.”
We were at the transport building, and Roman opened the door for me. “Have you been down off of the mountain yet?” he asked. “How long have you been here? I don’t think I asked.”
I thought about everything we talked about yesterday, and I didn’t remember us talking about much beyond very basic things. “Yes, I’ve been off of the mountain a few times. For the most part, I’ve mostly been here on Treasure Ridge though. Everything I need is here, so there’s not much of a reason to leave.” I stepped into the small building and waited for Roman to join me. “I’ve not been here too long. Not even a year yet. How about you? You don’t sound like you’re from around here? I’ve heard others that are from this area, and your voice sounds different.”
Roman chuckled. “No, I’m not from here. I was born in Georgia, which is in the southeast. I’ve been here for a few years, but I’ve spent the past twenty years moving around a lot with my brothers.”
Roman reached for the phone that was on the table, but I stopped him by holding out my other hand. “If you trust me, I can get us down off of the mountain. You want to go into the cabin that’s down at the bottom?”
Roman nodded. “You can do that? Are you sure?”
“I am. I’ve been there more than once, so I know where to take us. If you feel more comfortable about it though, I can understand that. You don’t really know me, nor of my abilities when it comes to using my magic.”
Roman’s hand that had been reaching for the phone moved to my cup my face. “I completely trust you, Beau. Ourrelationship is going to struggle if I don’t. I do, so I’m not worried about you using magic to get us down off of the mountain. And yes, to the cabin that is just off of the mountain. I’m parked there.”
I nodded. I could do this. I was actually quite good with my magical abilities, but now I was nervous. This was my mate, and of course, I wanted to not mess things up. I looked up at Roman and thought about where we needed to go, and since he was not only holding my right hand but touching my cheek, I had more than enough contact with him to get us both down in the cabin below the mountain.
The room changed, and Roman’s eyes grew a little before they returned to normal.
“You aren’t hurt, are you?”
“No.” Roman dropped his hand from my cheek and turned his head. “Is it always going to feel like that with you?”
I bit my lip and tried not to laugh.
“That came out a bit wrong, I think. But with the hellhounds, you come out on the other side like you’ve been punched. With warlocks, it makes my stomach do flip-flops. With you though, it just felt like a bit of a tingling sensation.”
I smiled. “Well, it might not feel like that with other fae, but I think maybe it’s because you’re my mate. It is my understanding that we are very much like the warlocks of this realm. In fact, we were once here. I only know what we’re taught, but I can’t say exactly why it all feels different. We’re different species though, so maybe that’s it?”
Roman just grinned. “Possibly. Are you ready to see the house?”
It was my eyes that grew this time. “We’re going to your place?”
I could tell that Roman seemed a bit flustered at my comment. “I guess I didn’t specify, and I should have. I doapologize. I had intended on taking you to the house for our meal so we could talk uninterrupted. But I’d not call it my place. Ours. Master Edison showed it to me this morning.” Roman sighed. “That’s a somewhat long story and one best shared once we’re comfortable for a bit.”
