Chapter Four

"I don't want any trouble." Landyn hated how shaky his voice sounded, but he wasn't sure his legs would support him if he tried to run. The man was big. There was a chance he couldn't reach Landyn, seeing as he'd wedged himself up the edge of the overpass, but that wasn't guaranteed. "I haven't got anything worth taking, I promise."

The sigh was long and loud enough for Landyn to hear. "Look. I can't get any nearer, I have an issue with my leg. Do you think you could come closer to me so I'm not yelling for anyone in the park to hear?"

The voice was deep and warm – one might almost say kind. But Landyn was still scared and now he was confused as well. "I can't think what you'd have to say to me. You say you sought me out, but I'm a nobody. A nothing person. I have nothing. I am nothing, and I'm not doing anyone any harm up here."

"It's a nice spot if you happen to like cement. You have a pleasant view, but I imagine it must be cold once the sun goes down, like now for instance."

"It's not raining, yet. That's a positive."

To Landyn's surprise his mystery visitor chuckled. "That's a beautiful outlook to have. Look, I haven't had dinner yet. I don't suppose you know anywhere around here that does a nice meal?"

Wrapping his arms around his legs, Landyn shook his head. Then realizing his visitor probably couldn't see him that clearly, he said, "I'm not the right person to ask. The last thing I ate was a dollar scoop of fries and I can't recommend them, no matter how friendly the server was. But if you follow the road back toward the center of the city" - he pointed to the right - "I think you'll find some eating establishments down that way. They always smelled nice to me when I've gone past them."

"Hmm. Walking any considerable distance could be a problem for me, with this leg of mine. I don't suppose you'd be happy to lend me your shoulder for balance as we go? I would pay for you to have a meal as well, in return for your kindness."

"Is your leg really that bad?" Landyn scuttled forward a bit closer, trying to see the man's face. "How did you end up in the park after dark looking for me if your leg is bad? Shouldn't you be at home with your feet up, resting it?"

"I had to come and find you. In fact, it's become a matter of urgency. I did a terrible thing."

Oh no. The man sounded so terribly sad, and Landyn felt a little less scared. "I'm sure whatever you did wasn't that bad." Being kind was in Landyn's nature. He couldn't change it if he tried.

"You're not going to think that when I tell you what is was. Tell me, do you remember getting knocked over by that car a while ago? You were on your bike."

Landyn leaned back into the shadows. "You're not the man that picked me up. Your voice is different. And it's all fine anyway. I mean my bike was broken and I had to sell it for scrap, and I haven't been able to find any delivery work since, which has made eating a problem, but…but…" Landyn did not want his visitor to think he was complaining as he hastened to explain.

"That accident was all my fault. I must've been daydreaming and not looking where I was going. You'll think I'm silly, but at the time I genuinely thought I could smell pizza – isn't that a hoot? I was really hungry, and I must've got distracted. But why are you talking about it now? You can't have come to find me just to make sure I wasn't going to cause any problems, because I wouldn't, I just wouldn't. I told the guy who helped me up. I said to him I didn't want the authorities involved and I haven't told anybody. I don't have anyone to tell."

"I know whose fault it was. I was the man driving the car that hit you. I couldn't get out of the car fast enough to help, so one of my friends did it for me, but…"

"Oh, now it all makes sense." Lyndon let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were tracking me down because of something else, but please don't worry. It was an accident and as I already said, it was my fault…"

"No. It wasn't your fault at all. It was mine. I saw you and got blinded by the light. It shocked me, the way it suddenly caught my eye, and while I was still processing what that light meant, I heard a crunch, and you were sprawled on the ground. I've felt awful about it ever since."

"Light?" Landyn scratched his head. "Huh. I wonder where that came from? It was the middle of the afternoon, so it wasn't like the sun was too low in the sky or something like that."

"The light was coming from you. It was how I found you so easily tonight. You shine, please believe me. In my eyes you shine as though you've got your own personal sun shining on your head. Tell me, little shifter, do you know about fated mates?"

"What? Did you say shifter?" Landyn wanted to shrink back into the shadows until he was completely invisible, but curiosity made him lean forward again. "You know what I am?" he whispered.

"I know you're a shifter. I don't know what type, but that doesn't matter. I also know you're my fated mate. If you came a bit closer you could use that nose of yours and you would know that for yourself."

"Is that a good idea? I mean, I mean… You're right. If I sniff you and you are my fated mate, then my animal side will know. But…" Landyn looked around the bleak space he was in. "I don't have anything to offer a special someone. I did think I'd be better settled with a proper roof over my head or something like that by now. You know, so at least I could serve you a coffee or make you a sandwich, but everything I own I'm wearing, and it's been two days since I've eaten, or is it three? I'm not sure, but I can't even offer you a seat for your poor leg and you deserve a mate who would care for you in every way."

Landyn was torn. The idea of having someone by his side would make his current circumstances so much easier to bear, but that wouldn't be fair on the mountain man with his sore leg. "I'll find another way of making money," he said quickly. "I'm not sure how, now my little delivery system is bust, but if you give me a week or maybe two. Yes, two at the most and then perhaps you could come back? That way I could see if I can work to get enough for a chair so you can sit, or maybe I could find one sturdy enough that someone is giving away. Sometimes people can be nice like that. Oh, and I can save some coins, too, and get some fixings for a sandwich. But at the very least you should have a chair."

He felt a zing of what felt like electricity zap through the air, and suddenly the man was sitting on what looked like a sturdy chair. "I'm sitting down. Now will you come closer?"

"How did you do that? Are you magic?" Seeing that chair appear had to be the most exciting thing Landyn had ever seen. He scuttled a bit closer, still keeping low to the ground so he could shift and run if he had to, but he was beginning to think he might not have to. "Is it like a sleight of hand I saw a street performer do once? Or are you actually an honest-to-gosh-goodness magic user? Is that how you know what I am?"

"I can't tell you what I am until you realize we're fated. For that, you do need to come closer so you can sniff me." The man was being very patient.

Lifting his nose into the air, Landyn inhaled deeply, and then started coughing. "Exhaust fumes and dust," he spluttered, waving a hand in front of his face. "My nose isn't that good, like in comparison to a bear or something, but those car smells get really strong under a bridge like this."

"You forgot the coming closer bit."

Landyn hadn't forgotten. He'd just hoped that his nose would give him a hint of what the man might be – the fascinating man who could make a chair appear in a park. "I don't have a good history with people bigger than me," he admitted quietly. "The thought of having a fated mate, never having to be alone again until we die… it's more than I could ever dream. I always wondered what it would be like to care for someone the way I believe a mate should."

"That caring goes both ways from what I've heard, little shifter, although you might have to give me a few lessons. Caring isn't one of the words people usually associate with me."

"Is that people in that you're famous and people know about you, or are you referring to friends or family." Landyn couldn't help it, he was scooting closer. He was hoping the man might not even notice, but the possibility of a fated mate, no matter how slim… I can't let him get away if he's truly mine. And if he can produce a chair from nowhere, then surely…please let this be the right thing to do.

The man never said anything, even though it was obvious to both of them that Landyn was moving closer to that chair. The more he came out from the overpass, the more other smells filtered through the air. Rain was coming – Landyn could smell it, and then there was the grass and the trees in the little park area.

And then, out of nowhere, the most heavenly scent Landyn had ever sniffed hit his nose, and filled it. There was metal and fire, summer heat and leather, and a sense of a being far older than anything Landyn had been with before. His anxious animal started chattering in excitement, and his body reacted in ways it hadn't done in years. The man was telling the truth – they were fated. Straightening his spine, Landyn was sure his shock was showing. "Who are you?"

"I'm yours." The big man held out his hand. "Are you ready for that dinner now? If you are, take my hand."