9. Sebastian

Drew was the most adorable person I’d ever encountered. I was going to kick myself for the rest of our lives for not making his first night with me more comfortable and memorable. I’d been so wrapped up in simply being with Drew that I’d not thought about offering him things such as sleep clothes or even fresh clothing for this morning. That was certainly something I wasn’t going to forget ever again. I had Drew to think about, and I would be responsible for providing for him. Not that that would be an issue of any sort.

I grinned, thinking about him upstairs in the shower. He was still here, which I actually found surprising. He didn’t know it, but I could tell from his aura this morning that he was moments away from fleeing again. My little cheetah was flighty. I didn’t know if that was in his nature or if it was because he was unsure around alphas and sires.

It took me all of a second to have a pot of coffee waiting in the carafe, and then I was left wondering what to do with the rest of my time before Drew came downstairs. It was already midmorning, and we had things we could do together. I’d managed to get only a few hours of sleep, but that wasn’t really unusual for me. I didn’t sleep much and hadn’t for the past few decades. But I had to wonder if Drew would be up for anything I suggested. He seemed skittish.

I’d been on the phone with Caspian, asking him about relationship advice because he had been in more than one long-term relationship with other paranormals, but he could only tell me that it would never work unless it was with my One since subconsciously, I would know they weren’t my One, and I wouldn’t ever be able to fully commit. I hadn’t told him I’d met my One, only that I’d met someone who I was interested in pursuing and seeing where things went. He wished me luck all the same, but when he’d started warning me was when Drew had wandered into the living room. I ended the call abruptly, and although my brother texted me shortly after, I didn’t respond until later, after Drew and I had both gone into our bedrooms.

I would have to apologize to my brother for deceiving him, but I was sure he would understand since it was actually my fated one that I was referring to, and I hadn’t wanted to share too many details until after Drew and I were more comfortable and secure in our bond. We all knew how Papa could be when it came to talks about babies and everything else that came with his three sons finding mates and having children.

I pulled myself from thoughts of my family and turned them to the gorgeous man upstairs in my spare bathroom. I wasn’t sure what he wanted for spare clothing or what his size was, so I simply used magic to bring his clothes down here with me. After getting the sizes, I placed not only his clothes from yesterday back up in the bathroom but new ones in similar styles. Clean jeans, a nice short-sleeved shirt, and, of course, clean undergarments.

Then, I turned my thoughts to breakfast. What would Drew like? He was a shifter, and growing up with shifters, I knew they ate a lot. More than I did, but beyond pizza, tacos, and chocolate cake, I didn’t know what my One liked. I wanted to kick myself for not having asked that yesterday evening. We’d talked about so much, but not about what Drew liked to eat. I knew he had spent some time on the streets, and it wasn’t a nice time for him, and that he had struggled while in the foster care system.

That thought had my mind veering off in another direction altogether. I pulled out my phone and quickly sent off an email to Master Edison. Yes, I used magic to write it in a hurry since I could hear Drew coming down the stairs. I honestly expected him to take longer in the shower, but if he was finished already, I wouldn’t complain about spending more time with him.

I turned as he entered the kitchen, looking amazing in the clothes I’d provided for him. He appeared to be shy once again, and I truly wondered if he was simply shy or just not yet comfortable with me.

“You look—”

“Thanks for—”

We spoke at the same time. I chuckled as we both stopped. “You’re welcome for whatever,” I said hurriedly.

“I was going to say thanks for the clothes. They fit perfectly.”

“Again, you’re welcome. And I cheated,” I told him. Drew looked up at me, his eyes a little wide. “I used magic to get your clothes from yesterday and get the sizes. I hope they’re to your liking. I’m not sure what all you wear, so I went with jeans and a shirt similar to yesterday.”

“They’re great,” Drew told me as he looked down at himself.

“Good.” We stood there in awkward silence for a moment before I moved over to the counter. “Did you want coffee?” I asked. “I didn’t know what you ate for breakfast, so I haven’t made anything yet, but that really isn’t an issue.”

“Coffee would be great.” Drew came over to stand next to me, and when I glanced his way, I found him looking up at me. I wasn’t sure where this awkwardness was coming from, but I knew I didn’t really care for it. It had been so long since I’d dated. I honestly hadn’t really seen a need when I could get my sexual needs met in other ways. But Drew was everything, and I needed to figure this out.

I nodded, and after pulling down a pair of coffee mugs, I poured coffee into both. “What kind of creamer? You said super sweet? Any of the flavored ones? Or just lots of sugar?”

Drew’s cheeks pinked, and I wondered what brought that on. I’d asked what I had thought was a simple question.

“Is it too much to get Italian cream? I’m really fond of it.”

I shook my head and then used magic to produce a bottle of creamer for him. “This one? Or perhaps this one?” I offered two options, one dairy, one nondairy. Drew zeroed in on the one that was dairy, and with a thought, I had the other one gone. I drank my coffee black, and when I picked it up and took a sip, I noticed Drew’s look of horror on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I set my coffee back on the counter.

“You drink it black?”

I chuckled. “I’m not overly fond of sweets. They’re all right on occasion, but only in limited quantities.”

The horror on his face only grew. “You don’t like sweets? Any?” I shrugged. “Donuts?” I shook my head. “Ice cream? Anything at all?”

I was laughing now. It was obvious that my One had a sweet tooth. Or perhaps lots of sweet teeth. “Every so often, perhaps a small piece of cake or even pie.” I shook my head. “But it’s not something I crave or have often. I don’t mind others eating it. My cousin is quite fond of sweets, and so is one of my brothers. It’s simply not something that I really eat often.”

Drew continued to stare at me for a moment before he shook his head and then focused on making his coffee. When he had cream poured into it, I held out a spoon, and he offered me a smile that looked forced.

“What would you like to eat?” I asked, hoping to change the subject. “Anything you want,” I added. Drew seemed hesitant. “You have to remember, although I’m not a shifter, my omega father is, and I have a shifter brother. And I work with lots of shifters.” That gave me an idea. “Would you like to go to the council and have breakfast in the cafeteria? They’ll have breakfast up for another hour.”

Drew’s eyebrows rose. “We can do that?”

It took me a moment to remember that although he worked in the council store, he didn’t visit the actual council building. “Yes. They always have a huge selection of various breakfast things, as well as nontraditional breakfast foods. Things like steak, chicken, things of that nature.” The dragons and hellhounds could and would eat a steak for absolutely every meal they could if at all possible.

“And you can get me in? I only work in the store, and we don’t have badges, and I know they’re required.”

That settled it. Drew wanted to eat at the cafeteria, and that’s where we were going to go. “Yes, I can. And as my One, you will get a badge. You’ll be allowed to come and see me at work. Everyone on the mountaintop can get into the building with a guest badge. Yours will be a mate badge.” My other cousin, Benjamin, was always excited when his One, Eli, came to visit him at work. Although, Eli only did so rarely. He was an amazing daddy to their twins and refused to put them into the childcare center. étienne often watched their boys for him, though, if he needed some time away. “What do you say?” I asked one final time.

“Yeah. That would be nice. I know you’re a warlock and all of that, and you can probably do anything with your magic, but I feel bad about that.”

We would certainly be revisiting that subject soon, but for now, I was going to let it go. I needed to figure out how to make my One feel more comfortable around me and with me. “Would you like your coffee to go?” I asked. Drew.

“Is that all right? We could drink it on the walk over?”

I chuckled and seamlessly picked up Drew’s coffee, which was now in a travel mug for him. “Your coffee, cutie.”

Drew smiled, and his cheeks turned so red I had a flash thought that he acted exactly like a virgin. I knew for a fact he wasn’t, but it gave me the thought that perhaps my One had never had any sort of relationship that he willingly entered into. That was also something I’d gently discuss with him later. I picked up my own travel mug of coffee and then held out my empty hand. “After you.”

Drew nodded and quickly started walking toward the front door. I sighed, wondering why he now seemed as if he couldn’t wait to get away from me. My little cheetah and I were going to have to have a talk after breakfast, and I needed to find time to read my email without appearing rude. I had felt my phone vibrate in my pocket a little while ago, and I had a strong feeling that it was Master Edison replying.

I caught up with Drew at the front door, and when he opened it, we were met with bright sun and a warm breeze. Drew looked back at me with wide eyes. “Is it afternoon?”

I shook my head. “No. Around ten. Did you not check the time?”

Drew sighed. “I’m supposed to be at work,” he told me. “Can we do supper tonight, maybe?”

I stopped Drew with a hand on his shoulder. When he looked back at me, I offered a smile. “You were supposed to be at work. You met your mate yesterday, and that means you will have the next few weeks off of work at minimum. That’s how the council works, and that includes the council store. You and I are supposed to be working on our bond, Drew.”

Drew looked confused. “I know about that. But don’t we have to be mated to have our bond?”

I chuckled. “Yes. We’re working on that as well,” I told him. I reached for Drew’s hand, and when I laced our fingers together, immediately, my hand tingled. The vibrations coursing throughout my body were there since I was in close proximity to my One, but they weren’t intense. Not that I expected them to be yet. Even if the goddess hadn’t granted us some additional time.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You may ask anything. I have no secrets from you unless something the council tells me must remain absolutely secret.”

Drew’s aura changed again, and I wondered if he always had so much anxiety or if it was simply because of our new situation.

“Last night.” Drew paused, and I waited patiently for him to ask the question. “You were on the phone, and I interrupted.”

I chuckled. “You didn’t,” I told him. He looked at me with wide eyes. “Not really,” I said. “I was talking to my oldest brother, Caspian. He’s also a warlock, and he’s had a few long-term relationships in the past. I wanted to ask him for a bit of advice since I’ve never really seen a need to have any sort of relationship since I hadn’t met my One yet.”

“You’re a lot older than I am, right?” Drew seemed deep in thought. “You said you were.”

I chuckled again. “Yes, Drew. I’m quite a bit older than you are. Does that bother you?” Was it possible that was the reason Drew seemed so hesitant and unsure?

“No. Not really. I just think it’s unfair,” he said. “To you,” he rushed out. “It’s not fair to you that you had to wait for me for so long, and then you get me.”

I stopped, pulling Drew to a stop with a tug on his hand. “Let me first say that there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing,” I said, possibly a bit too forcefully. “You are an amazing person. You have a lot to offer, and you and I were chosen to be together forever. I see that as nothing but a wonderful thing.” A thought hit me. “Are you upset with your mate? With me?”

“No,” Drew said. “I just…you have this crazy powerful and wonderful family, and I don’t even know who mine is. And I have next to nothing. What could I ever offer you?”

“Who my family are is a bit irrelevant. I can’t change who they are any more than you can yours.” I shook my head when he opened his mouth. “Even if you don’t know your family tree, that means nothing to me. We’ll create our own, together.”

I tilted my head to the side. Did he really think so little of himself? I would have to work on changing that. And I figured a quick chat with my cousin Benjamin might be helpful in helping with that. Eli had come from a somewhat similar background but still different. And I know that Benjamin and Eli had to work out the differences between not only their ages but who they were and their family history. Drew and I would figure it out. I was certain of it.

Drew took a deep breath and then let it out before nodding. That was a start. I smiled, leaned down, kissed his nose, and then stood back up to a surprised look on my One’s face. We were going to have our first kiss very soon. I tugged on Drew’s hand, and we were once again on our way to the council building.

“You said you liked being an enforcer, but your family were all lawyers.”

I looked over at Drew. “Yes. Every so often, it’s good for a change, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Drew seemed to get lost in thought, and I gave his hand a squeeze to regain his attention.

“Did you want to go to college?” I asked. “There’s one not far from here, and you even mentioned that Roman was teaching there now.”

Drew looked like a deer caught in headlights in the middle of the road. “No. I…it’s not for me.”

“No?” I asked. I wouldn’t push, but I would certainly be his biggest supporter if he ever wanted to do something. “Well, if you change your mind, just say so, and we’ll get you enrolled.”

Drew’s shoulder moved. “I wouldn’t even know what to take. I did finish school, but it was a struggle. I assumed I’d keep working at the council store unless they need the position for someone else. Then I’ll have to figure something else out.”

“We can talk about it more later if you’d like,” I said as the back of the council building came into view. It wasn’t a long walk to and from work for me. “But you’re welcome to go to college, continue working, or spend your days hanging out with friends. Maybe with Oscar, did you say? Or…there was someone else?”

“Chase. But I only know Oscar because he’s mated to Monroe, who is now the store manager. Chase is mated to Reinhold.”

“Ah, yes. The dragons of Treasure Ridge. He’s a wonderful man, and I’ve met his mate a few times. They have adorable twins.” So did my cousin and his One. And of course, with that train of thought, I had to wonder if Drew and I would have twins. It wasn’t normal for a warlock to have twins, but with shifters, they happened frequently.

“I think I’ve seen their twins once or twice. There seem to be lots of people with twins here.”

I chuckled. “True. My cousin and his One have twins. So far, that’s all they have. I’m not sure if Benjamin and Eli are planning on having more children or not. My uncles would be thrilled if they did though. But Calum and his mate have an adorable little girl, who was born in April.”

Drew looked at me with wide eyes. “Do you have a large family?”

I nodded. “Very much so. My great-grandparents had eight children, and several of their children had at least five. Some only two or three, but yes, I come from a large family, and with our family’s background, we’re very much involved in the council.” We arrived at the front door, and I swiped my badge, input my pin, and the door clicked. I pulled it open for Drew. “Shall we get you a badge and then breakfast? We can continue our conversation while we eat. And then I think we should check out a house or two. What do you think?”

Drew stepped through the door and stopped. His eyes were wide as he looked around the place. I could understand that. It was a lot to take in at first.

“Umm…sure,” he whispered as I stepped up behind him. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders as we walked up to the desk, and I smiled at Slater. He had what I thought to be the most boring job at the council, but he seemed to love it. But if sitting at the door, protecting it from unknowns all day, as well as handing out badges, was what he wanted to do, I wasn’t going to say anything. Someone had to do it, and I was glad it wasn’t me.