4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

F ollowing his mate back up the hill, Fenix berated himself the entire way. What the fuck had he been thinking?

He hadn't, and that was kind of the problem.

Once he'd realized Owen belonged to him, he'd lost his damn mind. That didn't pardon him for scaring the hell out of his mate, but it was all he had. The sight of Owen tumbling down that hill would haunt him for the rest of his miserable life. It was his duty, his privilege , to protect the male, to make sure he remained safe, happy, and whole.

Instead, he'd caused him injury before they'd ever spoken a word to each other. It had to be a record, and one that no Otherling on the planet would be proud to hold.

Then he'd almost slipped up and called him by a precious endearment. Fenix scoffed. As if he had any right to utter such a meaningful term. Hell, he didn't even have the right to call himself a mate.

Built for battle, he had little experience with things like gentleness. When he wanted something, he took it, and it wasn't in his nature to ask permission first. Cleary, those tactics wouldn't work with Owen.

It would help if the guy recognized the connection between them, but he clearly didn't have a clue. Or worse, he did, and he wanted no part of it. Not that Fenix could fault him. Reverse their positions, and he'd probably feel the same way.

Gods, he'd made a glorious mess of things, and it was nothing short of a miracle that Owen even deigned to speak to him.

Halfway up the slope, he spotted the black-framed glasses a couple of yards to his right. Any pride he felt at being able to help his mate, however, quickly faded when he remembered why Owen had lost his lenses in the first place.

"Are these yours?" he asked as he stooped to pick them up by the earpiece.

Spinning around to face him, Owen's foot slipped in the wet grass, but thankfully, this time, Fenix was ready. He lunged forward and caught the male around the waist, holding him protectively until he found his balance.

"Thanks," Owen breathed, his cheeks blushing an alluring shade of pink. "Thanks for finding my glasses, too." He took the spectacles, shook off the excess water, and slipped them on. "That's better."

As they continued up the hill, Fenix kept a respectful distance while remaining close enough to intervene in case his mate slipped again. Sadly, they made it to the top without further incident. Not that he wanted anything bad to happen to the male, but he wouldn't deny enjoying another excuse to touch him.

"There's my phone." He didn't sound happy about it, though. Plucking the device out of a quickly forming puddle, he tapped roughly at the screen a few times, then sighed. "Yeah, it's toast."

"I'll buy you a new one."

Owen tilted his head and frowned. "Why would you do that?"

Because he'd do anything to see him smile. "I'm the reason you dropped it in the first place. It's only right."

Owen continued to study him for a moment before shoving the phone into his jacket pocket. "I appreciate it, but that's really not necessary." He started toward the back door of his cabin but stopped when he realized Fenix hadn't moved. "Are you coming?"

It amazed him that he would even be invited. "I'm right behind you."

The warmth of the cabin enveloped him as he followed his mate inside, and he almost groaned when the full weight of Owen's scent hit him. In the enclosed space, amplified by the rain, the fragrance was fucking potent, and his cock instantly swelled inside his soaked leathers.

Without a word, Owen hurried into the bathroom, returning a moment later with two fluffy towels. He held one out with an apologetic grin.

"I don't have any dry clothes that will fit you."

"That's okay." Fenix took the towel, but instead of drying himself off, he draped it over Owen's head and gently worked the material across his hair. "I'm assuming you have clothes that fit you ."

Owen chuckled. "Obviously."

The sound loosened the knot in his chest, and he smiled as he patted the ends of the towel over the male's angelic face. "Go change. You look like a drowned rat."

Owen laughed again at his teasing. "But I'll feel guilty if you have to be the only one in wet clothes."

"I'll survive." He didn't like the chill to Owen's skin, and the pink that colored the tip of his nose worried him as well. "Go on."

"What about you?"

Since he'd already assured him that he would be fine, it took Fenix a moment to decode the question. When he did, his heart swelled, and a tiny thread of relief coiled inside him.

"I'll wait right here."

Seemingly satisfied, Owen took the used towel, offered him the clean one, and headed back toward the bathroom. At the doorway, he stopped and spun around with wide eyes.

"Seneca!"

"She returned to the castle."

"Oh."

His eyebrows drew together, and his nose scrunched. This information seemed to concern him for some reason, but Fenix couldn't guess why. The expression lasted only a moment, though, before he shook his head and continued into the bathroom. He'd barely crossed the threshold when he whipped around one more time and marched back into the room.

"I forgot my clothes."

Fenix couldn't help but chuckle as he watched him crouch down to dig through a suitcase at the foot of the bed.

"I know, I know," he mumbled. "I'm a mess."

"You're adorable." Without thinking, Fenix reached out to muss his damp hair.

His head snapped up, his eyes widened again, and his lips began to move soundlessly. Before Fenix could work out what he'd said wrong, let alone rectify it, Owen grabbed some clothes, rushed into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind him.

Left alone, he shook his head and sighed.

He was still trying to understand how things had gone sideways so fast when Owen burst back into the room. He still wore his wet tee and jeans, but he'd removed his shoes, socks, and jacket. Stopping a short distance away, he blinked up with big, owlish eyes through his water-stained lenses.

"I felt…when you…I felt…"

Well, it didn't tell him much, but he could work with it. "What did you feel?"

"When you touched me just now."

He still didn't have a clue what the guy was trying to say, but he nodded encouragingly. "Tell me."

Instead of an answer, Owen shuffled closer and lifted his arm. His fingers curled slightly in hesitation, and his hand shook as he reached toward Fenix's chest. Right before making contact, he looked up, his gaze beseeching.

"Can I?"

Confused but willing to play along, he nodded again.

His touch was tentative at first, barely a brush, but eventually, he stretched his fingers out and pressed his palm flat over Fenix's heart. Then he jerked back, cradling his hand to his own chest as if he'd been scorched.

"Are you okay?"

Owen bobbed his head slowly. "I can feel you."

"I'm sorry. I don't understand." And it burned his ass to admit it.

"I can feel you," his mate repeated in a tone somewhere between awe and fear. "I can feel your magic."

It was an explanation of sorts, but Fenix still felt like he had walked into the middle of the story. His mate was an accipere . While he had admitted to being unable to control it—not at all uncommon for a young mage—surely, he could sense the magic in those he syphoned from.

So, why did he seem so shocked?

"I feel something else, too," Owen continued. His gaze softened, his mouth went slack, and his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. "Am I? I mean, are we?" He waved a hand back and forth between them, then abruptly stopped. "Never mind." Sighing, he shook his head. "Don't answer that."

"No, keep going." He knew he would have to explain their connection at some point, but it would be easier if Owen came to the realization on his own.

"Fuck, I feel so stupid."

"Are we what?" Fenix urged. "I promise, nothing you have said sounds stupid."

Owen studied him for a long time with an unreadable expression. Then, with a decisive nod, he straightened up, took a deep breath, and blurted, "Are we mates?"

"What do you think?" He realized that probably sounded evasive, but he really did want to hear Owen's opinion.

"I think it explains why you tried to eat me."

Fenix growled. "I wasn't trying to eat you."

"Why not? Am I not good enough?"

"What? That's not what I meant."

"So, you don't want to eat me?"

What the fuck was even happening? "Not for dinner."

"How about dessert?"

Fenix snapped his mouth shut and breathed deeply through his nose. "You're fucking with me."

The little shit gave him a big grin and shrugged. "Actually, I'm flirting with you. I'm just not very good at it."

Surprised by the comeback, Fenix barked out a sharp laugh. "On the contrary. You're doing quite well, talei. "

"Ah, there it is." Owen's grin grew a little wider. "You stopped short of saying it earlier. What does it mean?"

Damn, he hadn't meant to say that. It had just kind of slipped out. He still didn't know if he had the right to use it, but he damn sure wasn't going to take it back.

"There's no direct translation, but I guess it's similar to treasure." It was so much more complex than that, but he didn't want to overwhelm the mage while they were still getting to know each other.

"It's pretty. What should I call you?" His eyebrows drew together, and he frowned. "I don't know any fancy endearments. I mean, I could call you sweetheart or something, but that's about it."

Fenix chuckled. "You can call me whatever you want."

"Really? What if I wanted to call you pookie?"

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I'd get used to it." His mate's answering laughter was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. "Does that mean you're okay with being my mate?"

Owen tilted his head, looking adorably confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He had been around long enough to know that not all mated pairs lived happily ever after. Fate only brought them together. The rest was up to them.

"For starters, you don't even know me."

"And you tried to eat me."

Oh, for the love of… "I did not try to eat you."

"Sure seemed that way."

"Owen," he growled in warning.

His mate blinked up at him innocently. "Yes, pookie?"

Fenix stared at him for a long time. "Go get dressed. I need to return to the castle."

"Oh." His face fell, and his shoulders slumped forward. "Yeah. Okay."

"You're coming with me."

Owen's head snapped up, and his eyes lit with hope. "You're not mad?"

Actually, he was amused as hell, but his mate didn't need to know that. It would only encourage his mischievous behavior. Which wouldn't normally be something he'd wish to curb, but he hadn't been lying. He really did need to get back to the princess.

"I'm not mad, talei. " To prove it, he gently caressed Owen's cheek with the back of his hand, loving the way the male leaned into the touch. "I have to return to my duties, though."

Owen nodded. "I can stay here."

"No."

"It's not a good idea for me to be around that many people."

Few Otherlings had the ability to block unwanted magical theft. Even those who did likely wouldn't be on guard for an attack at the Manor. Not that Owen had or would assault anyone on purpose, but without some level of control, things could go wrong quickly.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"It's not me I'm worried about."

Fair enough. "Do you trust me?"

To his credit, Owen didn't answer right away. Eventually, however, he nodded, just a single dip of his head.

"Then get dressed and come with me to the castle."

He didn't have all the answers, but did know one thing for certain. Owen belonged by his side, and anything less was unacceptable.