12. Gage

Instead of keeping to myself and hunkering down in my cabin, every day I was out and about in Riverford. I went to the café where Cedric and I had been. Badgered Mrs. Ambrose for chores that needed doing, and she came up with a bunch, but we spent most of the time on her back deck not talking about Cedric.

And when I hung around Reed's office finding out what my new job entailed, the one that didn't have a start date until Cedric returned, I picked up snippets of conversation between Harry and Reed. Cedric's boss, the guy he'd been engaged to and who'd cheated, was giving him a hard time. That sadness was what I'd scented on him. Asshat.

Cedric might not be my mate in reality, but in theory he was. I didn't bother to think about how that would work. Would I follow him around and vet his relationships?

But that was the future and this was now. Some ass was messing with my supposed mate, and I had to stop it.

What about the kiss?My bear kept bugging me about that damned kiss, and I wanted to forget about it. Only in my dreams did it make sense, because when I opened my eyes each morning, the idea of having a mate, one who lived in a proper house and used napkins and had a bank account and a phone was too complicated.

But Cedric was my friend, and I had to help him. I had a full tank of gas, and thanks to two weeks of teaching him about the forest, I had more cash than I'd had in a long time. If I slept in the car and brought food from home, I'd have enough money for gas, and being a shifter, I needed less sleep than humans, so I could be there in three days.

Thirty minutes later I was on the highway. My bear wanted out, saying the pickup was stinky, but I told him helping Cedric was more important than his complaint.

As dusk filtered over the landscape, a huge shadow blocked out what little light there was. I slowed and stuck my head out the window. A dragon with wings outstretched so the setting sun reflected on the scales flew in circles around the car. Mr. Lucas. He couldn't help himself.

But he was my friend, my only friend at the time who gave me a home, and I couldn't stay angry at him. Or Reed who shared my silences near the bumblebees or Harry who never objected to whatever madcap scheme his uncle suggested.

I waved and continued my long drive.

But when I got to the outskirts of the city, I realized my mistake. I didn't know where Cedric lived or worked or the name of Reed's company.

Didn't think this through?My bear wasn't impressed with my lack of planning.

Oh shush. Let me think. I pulled over, but a guy yelled and pointed to the red lines on the road. Oops! I did remember those from when I lived in a city. No parking. I drove off, but the car bumped over a pothole and the glove compartment fell open. Papers fell out, ones I had no recollection of placing in there.

When I found a place to pull over, I grabbed what had to be junk from the floor. But as I flipped through it, Reed's business card fell out with the name and address of his company and a city directory. These didn't get used much apparently, as everyone looked at maps on their phone.

Thank you, Mr. Lucas. It had to have been him. I'd witnessed some of his sneaky magical methods with the people he'd matched; an otter, a unicorn, a bunny, and a koala. All matched with humans. Maybe that was why he was so keen to match Cedric and me. He had a track record and didn't want to mess it up.

Forget him. Think of Cedric.

It took a while to find the building, even with the map, because I held it against the steering wheel while driving. My shifter reflexes came in handy and I avoided an accident, plus a cop stared at me possibly because I didn't have a seat belt on. It didn't latch, but I flung it over my shoulder and smiled. Maybe he thought the vehicle wasn't roadworthy, but I pressed on the accelerator and the car purred like Reed's instead of its usual growl.

I found a parking space a block from the office. The newfangled parking meter confused me, but there seemed to be time left on the meter. I couldn't afford to pay a fine or have my pickup towed. But I was here for Cedric, and I raced into the building.

Even in my best clothes, I got stares. I didn't bother to sniff my armpits. I jumped in a lake last night, clothes and all. There was nothing I could do if my body odor put people off.

The elevator zoomed upward, and when we reached the third floor, the building gave way to a view over the city. Nice. Not as nice as the one from my cabin.

The receptionist had me repeat Cedric's name three times. And I threw Reed's name into the conversation. That must have convinced the guy I was for real.

I went to follow him, but he told me to stay where I was and disappeared behind a huge wooden door. When he came back, his stern expression had been replaced with a smile, welcoming even, and Cedric was at his heels.

"Gage, what are you doing here?"

"I heard some guy was hassling you, so I came to put a stop to it."

His face sort of melted into an awww expression which I hoped was a good thing.

But before he could say anything, a human shoved open the door. He paused as he raked his eyes over Cedric and then me. He screwed up his face, and his lips turned into a snarl.

That's not a snarl, my bear said, not impressed with the guy.

"Who are you?" He put a hand on Cedric's arm, but Cedric shook him off.

I couldn't come up with an excuse as to why I was here, but I answered truthfully. "I've come to see Cedric, my…" If I said mate, this human wouldn't understand, so I used a human expression. "My… the man who I am supposed to marry."

Yeah, fate said we were to be lifelong partners. This guy didn't know both of us had refused that option.

"What?" His whiny little screech didn't impress my bear, and I allowed my beast to show himself in my gaze. The guy trembled, and he flung himself behind Cedric who rolled his eyes.

"I'll be leaving now," Cedric announced.

The guy's face was red, and he waved his arms about until I took a step toward him, and he opened the door and raced into the office.

"That was so cool," the receptionist said. "I wish I could do that. Adrian is so full of himself." He sniggered and answered the phone.

Cedric grabbed his stuff, and we went down in the elevator together, rubbing shoulders.

"That was very sweet, but you didn't have to come all this way to piss off Adrian."

"Reed said the guy was harassing you, so yes, I did." I wasn't going to argue, and he didn't say anything else.

"Where are you staying?"

"In the car." I pointed to it parked way down the street.

"Nope. As long as you don't mind sleeping in my spare room surrounded by piles of books and clothes, you'll stay with me tonight."

He directed me to his place, an apartment in a lowrise block that overlooked a park. I looked around, trying to place him here every morning and evening, spending weekends on the couch watching TV and making dinner. It was nice enough, but the Cedric I knew didn't belong here, or he no longer did. Maybe the old Cedric did, the one who couldn't find his way around the forest.

"Adrian and I never lived together, but he was here a lot."

Oh, maybe that was why I couldn't picture Cedric living his life here.

He ordered food, and it arrived at the door. While technology had changed with phones and apps, the delivery guys still appeared, hoping for a big tip.

"Gage, can I be honest with you?"

"Yes."

"When we last saw one another, I kissed you goodbye. Just a kiss between friends. But something stirred inside me, and I wonder if it did for you too." He fiddled with his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe he was nervous.

Just like me.

I wasn't sure what the truth was, only that I looked at Cedric as more than a friend now. Was that the mating call? How would I know, I'd never experienced it before?