Page 12 of Jacked-up Mate
“Something like that. Or not see me again. Decide I wasn’t worth the trouble.”
“What trouble?” He took my hand in his, and a surge of calm pushed through me. He had a way of doing that. “It’s different. I’ve never known this was possible. But who in the world thinks a pumpkin is horrible? It’s kind of cute, actually.”
“I’ve never thought of it as anything but what it is, a curse.”
“Have you always been this way?” He gently touched my ankle, and I hissed. “I think some salve might help later on, but tonight, are you opposed to some pain relievers?”
I shook my head, trying to be a big bad alpha, but that was hard when my ankle felt like it was cracked in half. “I usually don’t take them but, tonight, yes. In the medicine cabinet above the sink.”
While Foster left to get the pills, I wracked my brain, hoping that the bathroom was clean enough. I kept up with my chores but there was always the chance I’d missed something. I listened to the sounds of him walking, climbing the stairs, opening the cabinet and closed my eyes. He was here. The omega of my dreams was here, in my space. Walking around my house. Not demanding an exorcism.
I laughed a bit and jostled my ankle.Shit, that hurt.
“What are you laughing at?” He came back with a bottle of pain relievers and a glass of water.
“I was wondering why I never thought of an exorcism for this.”
“Because you’re not demonic? How about a movie?” He continued to surprise me.
“It’s okay if you leave. I’ll be fine.”
“What? I’ve been wanting to have a night date with you for a week. Let’s find something cozy to watch.”
“I have cookies in the jar if you want. I could get up and make some hot chocolate.”
“Are you serious? No. I’m here to help you. And I have a whole meal for you in the car.”
After urging me to eat all the delicious food, he went into the kitchen then came back with hot chocolate and warmed-up chocolate chip cookies. He found a movie on one of my subscriptions and sat in my regular chair like he belonged there. He did, I realized, glancing over at him. He belonged with me.
My snack tasted a little less pumpkin that night.
“Were you born with this?” he asked.
“No. I was cursed by a mage.”
“Really? Start at the beginning.” He paused the movie. “I want to know everything.”
Chapter Ten
Foster
My alpha’s story was truly heartbreaking. “Every night?”
“Yes. I offended the mage, and this was his vengeance. You can’t tell me you’re not repulsed.”
“I certainly can tell you that. You’re you, and this is just another facet of you, even if it is a curse. But it looks awfully uncomfortable. There’s no way to get it off?”
“Not that I’ve found. It’s part of me until the sun rises and then it’s gone again.”
We were sitting side by side on the sofa, talking just like normal people about a difficult situation. “Maybe we could hit it with something and it would break?”
He shook his head and had to grab at it to stop the swing. “Oh no. I have tried that and it resulted in a lot of pain and zero success.”
“Wow. Well, could be worse, I suppose. It could be all the time, right?”
He shuddered. “Yeah, that would be much worse. If it were to happen.”
I couldn’t even think how difficult it would be. At least, he could go about his life during the day before retreating. “It doesn’t hurt your neck to sit up with that heavy thing on you? I mean, it looks heavy.”
