Chapter Eight

“She wants to video chat.” I waved my phone. It had chimed as I was getting some tools from the truck. And of course I’d opened the app right away. “To learn more about us.”

“Really?” Oz turned from where he was stacking some stone preparatory to working on a more standard wall. “That’s certainly promising. Does she say when?”

“No.” I read it aloud. “Thank you for your reply! I know virtually nothing about your people, but I’d like to learn more about you. Would you mind if we planned a video chat?” I shrugged. “So right away?”

“I think that’s what she means,” he said. I mean, she doesn’t say we have to wait. And the sooner the better, right? If she’s curious about us.”

“Do you know how to do it?” Because I’d made it this far in life without chatting to anyone in video mode. It wasn’t exactly a requirement for my part of our work, and if anything technological was needed, Oz took care of it.

“Oh sure.” He stood up and dusted his hands on his jeans. “Pass it over here. Do you think we should wait until after we go home and clean up?”

“What if that makes her think we aren’t that into her?” I’d never thought we’d have a woman interested in us. “We can’t let her get away.”

He chuckled. “It’s not like we’re going to tie her up and carry her off. She’s over a thousand miles away, you know. She can escape if she wants to.”

“Do you think she will?” Horror suffused me at the thought. “You don’t think she’ll like us?”

“Well, why wouldn’t she. But we don’t need to be something other than what we are.”

“What are you saying?”

“Let’s call,” he said. “I’ll dial her up right now. If we wait, we’ll just get nervous.” He meant me, but I wasn’t going to be anything but grateful. Oz tapped some buttons on the screen, and after several seconds, she appeared, but she didn’t look the same as she had before. The image on her profile appeared to be a professional shot, with her hair styled, makeup, and a button-down blouse and jacket. She even had a scarf tied around her neck. But the woman who faced us now was anything but fixed up for a photo.

She was definitely the same person, with the dark-brown hair and lithe, curvy figure, but unlike in the still photo, Malinda was anything but put together. But I didn’t mind in the least because she looked like she’d just gotten out of bed, and that image embedded itself in my brain and would not be easily removed.

My gargoyle, who was a stoic fellow and rarely had anything much to say, was on alert and more than interested in this female who he declared our mate the second her face appeared on the screen. In fact, he’d been muttering that in the background since we knew she existed.

I’d spend a lot of years trying to convince myself that I was fine on my own. Or, with my friend, at least. We had one another for company, a successful business, our beautiful stone home we’d built with our own hands… Really, few people, paranormal or otherwise, could say the same.

But now that I’d seen her, all that preparation for a single life was out the window. I felt raw and vulnerable and as if I’d die without her. Not good. Malinda hadn’t even agreed to see us yet, so it made no sense to be this way, but I couldn’t seem to turn it off.

“Hi,” she said, nibbling on her lip and turning it even pinker. “I didn’t think you’d call so soon.”

“Oh.” Oz glanced at me. “Is this a bad time? We can call later or tomorrow?”

“No, it’s fine.” She pushed her hair back from her face. “As long as you don’t mind me without makeup or anything.”

Other than dark shadows below her eyes that concerned me, she looked beautiful, and I wanted this conversation to go on forever. Or at least until we convinced her to come here and stay forever.

Way to jump in with both feet.