Page 16 of Naughty Elf: Wink

As I lay draped over my mate, listening intently to his heartbeat beneath my ear, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, I felt the urge to say those words,I love you. I’d never said them to anyone besides my parents before, had never felt anything close to it for anyone I’d dated, however briefly. The human part of me said it was too soon to feel these huge emotions for someone I had essentially just met, but there was another part of me, a non-human part of me I was learning to acknowledge, that was all-in.

I nuzzled into his neck and breathed him in, and I swore I smelled snow.

11

Wink

If I’d thought Derek would sleep soundly just because he was wrapped in my arms, I was wrong. I had hoped, though, maybe that his beast would also find peace for one night. But I woke up around 4am to find Derek’s side of the bed empty, the sheets cool.

Rubbing a hand over my face to wake myself up a little, I rolled out of bed and tugged on my pajama pants. The floor was cold beneath my feet, moonlight spilling through the windows and limning the hallway with silver. The house wasn’t large, but even if it were, it wouldn’t have taken long to find my raccoon. There was a clatter from the kitchen, and I found the fridge hanging open, both raccoon and cat snacking on cheese.

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest and giving the two sneaky thieves a stern look. “You guys are in so much trouble.”

Derek’s raccoon chattered and held the gnawed block of cheese up for me, as if offering me a nibble.

“I’ll take that,” I said, wrapping it back up and putting it back in the fridge. Maybe we would have to invest in some childproofing locks to keep him out of there. Derek’s human half needed at least some say in what food he was eating.

I kept the two animals occupied for a while, playing with cat toys, then when my eyelids were drooping, I picked my mate’s beast up and carried him back to bed. Yawning, I said, “Just a few more hours of sleep, okay? And tomorrow we’ll see if can figure out a way to bring the two of you together.”

There was no staying awake to confirm that Derek shifted back into his skin. I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow. As much as I wanted to keep helping, it wasn’t sustainable. Now that I wasn’t an ornament anymore, I needed just as much sleep as Derek did.

I woke in the morning to Derek pressing kisses to my chest and neck. He’d hooked his leg over my hips, grinding his hard cock into me. “Morning, sleepyhead,” he said when I responded to his presence at last, rolling so I could draw him into my arms and give him a proper hello.

“Morning,” I murmured groggily, barely able to peel my eyes open, thoughpartof me was certainly up for anything Derek had in mind.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?” he asked with concern. “You don’t look so good.”

“Mm, just tired. A certain raccoon thought a late-night kitchen raid was a good idea.”

Derek huffed, frowning. “We can’t keep this up. Either I’m roaming around all night, binge eating and waking up exhausted, or you’re left chasing after me, becoming just as sleep-deprived as I was.”

“I know. I was low-key joking last night about getting a baby lock for the fridge, but maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

He bit his lip, thinking about that. “That would solve one of our problems, but… maybe we need to keep looking for my family. I feel like whatever barrier is standing between me and my beast, I feel like it has to do with them. Just because my adoptive parents didn’t have the information we needed, that doesn’t mean it isn’t out there for us to find.”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Maybe I was just too tired for logical thought, but I wasn’t following. “I’m not from around here, so you might have to explain.”

“Well, I’ve seen people who try posting on social media looking for their birth parents. Maybe we could try something like that? Someone might recognize me if I look like them. Or maybe there’s, like, a message board for shifters or something? How do we get in touch with others like me?”

“That’s a good question.” I stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, mulling that over. Shifters understandably kept their existence secret from humans, but they were often hiding in plain sight in packs, dens, flocks, or herds, whatever they called their group. “Hey, what do you call a group of raccoons,” I asked Derek.

He shrugged.

Turned out, when Derek needed to think, he baked. With a clatter, he pulled out metal bowls, a whisk, a wooden spoon, and muffin tins, plus a whole slew of ingredients.

“What are we making?” I asked, washing my hands then sidling up beside him at the counter.

His concentrated frown softened into a sweet smile. “You want to help?”

“Always, with everything,” I said, meaning those words right down to my core.

He leaned in and gave me a kiss, then reluctantly pulled away. He pulled a battered and dog-eared recipe book off a shelf and slapped it down on the counter, flipping until he found the page he wanted. “Here, let’s make these blueberry muffins.”

We didn’t talk much as we measured and poured the ingredients into their bowls of wet and dry, then mixed it all together, before folding in the frozen blueberries. I could tell Derek was debating his options, and while I knew more about shifters than he did, he knew more about the human world he—we—lived in.

Derek made a little murmur, then passed me the bowl of batter. “Here, stir this for a minute, please,” he said.

While he pulled out his phone and started typing into the search bar, I lowered my face into the bowl and sniffed. Something was missing…

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