Page 15 of Briggs
“Dr. King?”
His head lifted, and a smile appeared on his face. “Yes, Todd. Did you need something?”
“You had said it would be all right if I took the rest of the day off,” I said. “Well, I was able to get in to see Dr. Braun at two. Is it all right if I go to that? I could really benefit from talking to him.”
“Of course. If things progress how one usually expects they will when it comes to mates meeting one another, I won’t be too surprised if you aren’t at work tomorrow.”
My eyes widened at that thought. “Oh no. I don’t think we’ll get there tonight. He had mentioned going for a run with me and John and maybe something to eat. I can’t see him wanting…not with me.”
Dr. King offered a smile. “Todd, let me say this first. Go to your appointment and talk things over with Garin. I’m sure he’ll have much better advice than I do. But please mention what you just said to me to him. Because you are not giving yourself nearly enough credit. You are worthy of being loved, and you should expect no less from your mate.” Dr. King was standing in front of me now and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Take things at the speed at which you feel comfortable. If you feel as if you are ready for more with Briggs, let him know. Until the two of you claim each other, he will not be able to read your thoughts.”
I nodded. Now that Dr. King mentioned that, I was even more worried. I didn’t want Briggs to be able to access those memories. Nobody should have to see or know those things. They were horrible and…no. He didn’t need to see those things.
“Are you all right?” Dr. King asked.
“Yeah. I was just thinking about all of the things I need to discuss with Dr. Braun.” I smiled up at Dr. King. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Dr. King gave me a look, but I would swear it was one of disbelief. “Very well. Enjoy your run with your mate later. And I do hope that your session with Garin goes well.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. King.”
He nodded at me, and I took that as my cue to leave. I left as quickly as I could, and minutes later, I was entering the transport building. I pushed the button on the wall and waited, wondering how long it would take for Timothy to arrive. Sometimes he was here in an instant; others it took a minute or two. It was understandable though. He had a One and a life outside of being a magical elevator for those of us who couldn’t get on or off the mountain without help.
He arrived mid-thought, only it wasn’t Timothy. He was a warlock though, or at least I thought he was? He was able to get on the mountain, so that meant he was safe, right?
“I’m Thomas,” he told me. “Do you need a ride down?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
Not even a second later, we were elsewhere, and I’d never felt being teleported from one place to another be so smooth. “Would you do something for me, Todd?”
I tilted my head. “Possibly. What is it?”
“Give your mate a chance. He wants nothing more than to have someone to love and spend his life with. He’ll help you and your cheetah through those dark nights.”
“Do I know you?” I asked.
The blue-eyed man smiled. “I don’t believe so, no. But I know you. And Briggs. Trust me when I say you can trust him completely.”
“How did…” He was gone before I could finish my question. And I realized when I started looking around for him, I wasn’t in the cabin at the bottom of the mountain. I was now standing on the front porch of the house that had been converted into Dr. Castiel’s office, which he shared with the others. I spun around again, still not seeing any sight of the blue-eyed, dark-haired man.
I opened the door and stepped in, wondering if I was going to see Henry there or if I’d been sent to some sort of alternate dimension. That was odd.
Henry’s smiling face greeted me, then he looked behind me. “Did a warlock bring you all the way here? I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”
I turned and saw that Thomas was still gone. “I’m not sure. I think he was a warlock. He said his name was Thomas. He was nice, gave me some advice.” I thought about it for a moment. “You know, he had to have been a warlock because he knew my name, and I know I didn’t give it to him.”
Henry nodded slowly. “Let me get Dr. Braun for you.”
“Thanks, Henry.”
I walked over to the counter and reached out to touch the cute little apples. They weren’t real. Henry loved to decorate for each month of the year, and apparently, August was apples. It made sense, I guessed. It was getting to be apple-picking season. Wasn’t it?
“Todd, come on back,” Dr. Braun said with a huge smile on his face. I’d first met him when he was heavily pregnant with his and Dr. Bennett’s baby.
“Hi, Dr. Braun. Thanks for squeezing me in.”
“No problem at all. I was told you found your mate, and obviously, that deserves congratulations and there are things to discuss, but also that Thomas brought you?”
