Page 74 of The Hunger
“I’ve been telling Piepen that since the first night.”
“But that was before you found your mate.”
Fenris’s hand gently squeezed mine.
“He’s in my office, waiting for you. Join us at the bar when you’re done.”
Mom led Dad down the steps. I stared after the pair then looked at Megan and Oanen.
“Oh, I so want to be there for this talk. Please don’t send me away,” Megan said with a grin.
“Only if you swear on your soul that you’ll do everything in your power to help me convince him.”
She nodded. Oanen looked doubtful, and Fenris grinned far too much to convince me he would behave.
“Fine.”
Piepen was fluttering in the air near Mom’s desk, his back to the door. Fenris coughed at the immediate sight of bare brownie butt.
“Piepen, what you did was dangerous,” I said. “You know you can’t expose yourself to humans.”
Fenris started choking. Oanen hit him on the back hard enough to end his humor.
“I know. But, I had to do something drastic to get your attention and show you what you mean to me,” he said in his once again squeaky voice.
“I’ve never misunderstood what you feel for me, Piepen. But you’ve turned a deaf ear to my repeated attempts to share my feelings. I care about you as a person, but that’s it. I feel no romantic interest for you.”
“None?”
“None.”
“Maybe you just need more time and a reminder of what I have to offer you.” He started to reach for his enormous belt buckle.
Megan stepped forward.
“Time’s not going to help, my friend. Eliana’s mate found her, and she’s already lost her heart to him. Sometimes we can fight against our nature and the way the gods made us. But when it comes to destined mates?” She shook her head sadly. “Some things are just impossible to fight. Don’t let it get you down, though. That just means that your fated forever is still out there, waiting for you, right?”
Piepen’s little shoulders sagged, and he slowly flew closer to me. His gaze dipped to the bright glow illuminating the valley between my breasts.
“I don’t regret giving my mark to you. It’s pretty, even if it doesn’t light you up from the inside.”
“Wait, what?”
He gave me a sad smile.
“Some of our women look just like lightning bugs when they fly at night. I would have liked to make your insides glow, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
Fenris didn’t laugh, but I could feel his and Megan’s escalating humor. Oanen’s, too, the traitor.
“Thank you for understanding, Piepen,” I said, ignoring his last remark.
He nodded. “I guess I better get back to Piewhistle.”
“You’re still watching him?”
“Yeah. Even if you’re not mine, princess, I care what you think of me. I want to make you proud, and the baby’s really cute. Madeline and Marshal are helping me take care of him. So is Merrifolds.”
His hand twitched like he wanted to reach for himself. For the first time ever, that didn’t bother me.
