Page 26 of Arctic Panda's Secret Mate
“Haisley?”
Haisley had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud at her ridiculous imagination. As mentally ill as this man must be, he hadn’t tried to hurt her, and it was hard to imagine their tight-knit family being evil. But she wasn’t going to put herself further at stupid risk.
Tristan tapped again. “I’m not going to break down your door,” he said, as if he’d guessed what she was thinking. “And I’m not going to turn you in. I just…I’m sorry I’ve done this all wrong.”
“Tristan?” That was theYas, Queenvoice from the kitchen. “Did I hear something break? Chef said there were cookies?”
Haisley heard Tristan scramble away from her door.
“Yes, Magnolia. Sorry, I just dropped a tray. You’re welcome to try one of the cookies. They’ve got carob, which is fine if you aren’t expecting chocolate.”
Their conversation dropped to a murmur, and Haisley shortly heard another voice, Corkscrew Guy, join in. “Did someone saycookies?”
He was chided by a low voice that Haisley couldn’t make out.
The chatter was too muffled to follow from there, but it sounded merry and upbeat.
Haisley’s hammering heart gradually slowed. They weren’t going to come carve her into little pieces. Tristan hadn’t given her up to them, even if hewasderanged. She played their conversation over and over in her mind, hoping for any explanation. Was it a joke? Was he pranking her back?
She couldn’t get over the possessive way he’d said,You are my mate. Normal people didn’t say that. Normal people didn’t claim they werepanda bears. Nothing about this was normal at all.
The worst of it wasn’t that she was stuck without snacks until they all left again, the worst of it was that she felt stupid and betrayed and deeply confused.
Much, much later, when their distant noises finally went away, Haisley waited a little bit longer to be sure, and then cautiously opened her door. The hallway was dark, but there was a little plate in front of her room, piled with snacks that wouldn’t spoil and topped with one carob cookie.
He’d saved her one! Haisley told herself that a single act of kindness didn’t make up for being a complete loony.
It probably wasn’t drugged, but Haisley didn’t eat it, just in case.
23
TRISTAN
Tristan spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, wondering how he could possibly convince Haisley to give him another chance. She hadn’t hit him very hard, despite the ringing tone of the tray across his face, and he couldn’t blame her for doing it.
He’d just told her something that must seem impossible, and instead of drawing out his reveals in a natural way as she had time to get used to magic in the world, he’d laid beinghis mateon her at the same time, and looked like a crazed stalker instead of…
I’m a bear,his bear provided.
Thank you,Tristan said sarcastically.
You’re welcome,his bear said politely. For a bear that loved puns, he often missed sarcasm.
He went downstairs feeling blurry and grouchy, and found that everyone else had already eaten breakfast.
Lydia was zipping a coat over her enormous belly. “I love you, Wrench, but I am starting to feel absolutely smothered here. I will be perfectly safe for a few hours withthe girls. You can stay here and plump pillows without me. I am pregnant, not invalid.”
“We’re heading into Fairbanks to go shopping for last minute gifts!” Magnolia called to Tristan, looking like royalty in her purple wool coat. Fairbanks was the closest town. “Tristan, did you want to join us?”
Tristan was divided. He wanted to stay here, close to his mate, even if she had hit him with a cookie tray, but he still had to get gifts. He couldn’t assume that Haisley would still be willing to help him bake after their rocky parting the night before. But it was only the women of the party that were dressing to go and Wrench was giving him a very warning look.
“I’ll need Tristan’s help in the kitchen, my darling,” Chef said, before Tristan could formulate an answer. “You will have to do without him to carry your indulgences.”
Tristan caught a sly sideways wink from Chef that left him baffled. Was Chef trying to get him out of shopping?
“I’m sure I will manage!” Magnolia said. “We’ll keep it to an all-girl’s day out. Oh, Gizelle, will you be coming after all?”
Gizelle was walking down the stairs with an arm in Conall’s. “I can go alone,” she assured him. “It is a lady’s-only trip. You will besafehere without me. I want to do this.”
