Page 7 of Code Mages & Empty Pages (Frostfire #2)

Luc

T hat evening, I came home to find Dawn visibly upset.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, kicking off my shoes in the hall.

“Oh, Luc, hi. I didn’t hear you come in.” She sniffed, trying to wipe her face on her sleeve.

“What happened? Did the appointment not go okay?” If Gerry had made her uncomfortable, I’d go have words with him.

Dawn shook her head. “No, the appointment was… fine. As fine as it could be, I guess. It’s just…

” Her words caught in her throat as tears spilled down her cheeks.

Before I could overthink it, I set my bag down and crossed the room to sit beside her, pulling her into my arms. She buried her face in my shirt and sobbed.

I’d never had anyone to come home to before, not like this. The way she let me hold her felt strangely…good? She clutched me for what felt like forever and twisted her fingers into the fur at my neck to ground herself. I let her.

When Dawn finally sat up, her face was red and blotchy, and I honestly thought she’d never looked more beautiful.

“What happened?” I asked quietly, trying to be gentle.

She let out a shaky sigh. “The appointment went okay. Gerry looked at the fungus. You were right, it’s probably Greenleech.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what he said.” She tried to force a laugh. “It’ll cost about twelve thousand crowns. He says I can pay in installments, and it’s removable, but it’ll take a couple of weeks. I’m sorry, Luc. I understand if you don’t want me staying that long.”

“Don’t be daft. Of course you can stay. Why would you pay for a hotel or another flat with that kind of bill coming up? Just stash your cash. You don’t have to pay rent, alright? If you want to chip in on the food, fine, but let me handle the rest so you can save for the repairs.”

She shook her head. “I can’t accept that, Luc. You’ve got all the bills.”

“And I make enough. I managed before, didn’t I?”

She still didn’t look convinced, but her shoulders dropped a little. “Thanks, Luc.”

“You’re welcome. Now, tell me, do you have any comfort foods I should know about?”

She managed a tired smile and admitted to loving cheese toasties and tomato soup. A little while later, we found ourselves at the kitchen table with some lo-fi playing. We had grilled cheese sandwiches and tinned tomato soup I’d dug out of the cupboard.

“Thank you, Luc,” she said for maybe the fiftieth time as she picked up our dishes. She loaded the dishwasher, then circled back and, before I knew it, slipped an arm around my neck and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Good night. See you in the morning.”

“Night,” I managed. I’d had hookups before, but never the comfort of shared meals, or soft, unexpected kisses.

By the Moon Goddess, it felt like something I could get used to.

The next morning, I made us porridge. Hec and I had to live off the stuff when we first moved out. We didn’t have a lot of money and had a little competition running on who could make the food look better. I still had a soft spot for it. I hoped maybe a pretty breakfast would help lift Dawn’s mood.

“Morning.” She still looked a bit peaky but tried for a smile.

“Morning,” I said, searching for something, anything, that might cheer her up. “I made you some breakfast.”

She stepped up to the counter, eyes widening. “You made this? Wow, it looks amazing.” My ears flattened back, tail twitching with embarrassment and something else. Goddess, I loved her praise. Was it normal to discover a praise kink in your thirties?

“I’m glad you like it. It’s made with almond milk. I hope that’s alright.” She reached out and touched my forearm, and the warmth of her hand nearly undid me.

“It’s perfect.” The smile she gave me was brighter than the morning.

I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual. “Uh, do you want a ride to work today?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that’d be great. Unless it’s a hassle. I know you’ve got your appointment tonight and then you’re off to Des and Mia’s…”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that,” I admitted. “But you’re going too?”

She nodded again. “Yeah, it’s the first meeting of the knitting club. Harper’s coming, and another of Mia’s friends, her name is Autumn, I think?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know her, sorry.”

She smiled. “No worries. If you want, I can drive us. I can drop you at your appointment, then we can head to theirs together?”

My tail gave an involuntary twitch.

Fucking stay put!

“If you’re sure you don’t mind fighting traffic.”

Her smile came a bit easier. “Nope. I’ll be driving across Kirkmuir anyway.”

The words came easy on our shared commute, and before I knew it, we were deep in a discussion about everything and nothing. She told me that she’d moved here from Edinburgh but didn’t say why, and that her father lived in a small town on the edge of the Highlands.

“I haven’t visited him in ages.”

I hummed but didn’t tell her that I hadn’t seen mine in nearly fifteen years except when he was in a newspaper for some new business deal.

I arrived at work in a fantastic mood and solved a bug that had kept me on my toes for days.

Maybe she’s my muse?

After we left work together, we picked the conversation back up as if it hadn’t paused for hours.

“I wonder what they’re building here,” I said as we walked past the construction site in Gillam Park.

“It’s a distribution centre for N?kken,” Dawn replied.

I snorted. “How do you know that?”

“Harper told me on my first day, but don’t ask me how she knows everything.”

“That’s impressive. I guess reception hears everything.”

“I bet she does.” Dawn grinned. “So, where to?”

“Lens & Sensibility,” I said, feeling a little smug when she burst out laughing.

“Oh, that’s brilliant. Is it an optician’s?”

“Yeah, just need to pick something up.”

She pulled it up on Kraken Maps and drove us over. After successfully parallel parking in Pear Mill, she huffed, “On-street parking here is a pain. Call me when you’re done. I’ll wander a bit.”

“Yeah, will do.” For a moment, I nearly leaned down to kiss her goodbye, then remembered we lived together but weren’t actually dating.

Pull yourself together, Atkins.

“See you in a bit.”

The bell above the door chimed as I entered. Alpin Munro, the proprietor of the shop who’d helped me pick out frames, greeted me.

I’d lived with blurry vision for months after my contacts started bugging me. Part of my recent kick to get my life together included finally fixing that.

“Mr Atkins, good to see you. And in a few minutes, you’ll be able to see me, too.” He chuckled at his own joke.

Munro adjusted my new glasses and checked the fit. When I put them on, the world snapped into focus.

“Oh wow, that’s better.” I didn’t want to hand them back when he told me he had to make a couple more tweaks.

“If we skip this, you’ll be back in 48 hours,” he said, then handed over the case and a cleaning kit.

Damn, I hadn’t even realised how much I’d missed my eyesight. I left the shop feeling lighter than before, grabbed my phone, and dialled her number.

“Luc?” Dawn answered after two rings.

“Hey, where are you? I’m done with my appointment.”

I found her outside a cute café and bookshop called Brewed Awakening.

When she heard me call her name, she turned, haloed by that natural hair and cheeky nose ring, and I just stopped for a moment.

I’d never had a muse before, but Dawn looked the part: gorgeous, all curves and warm brown skin, and eyes that drew me in.

Dawn beamed up at me when I reached her.

“Wow, Luc, the glasses look great on you. They fit you so well.”

“Thanks.” I stared at her. I’d always figured, if I ever met a mate, she’d be another Lupinian. But by the Moon Goddess, this woman did something to me.

We swung by Dwarfoods near Desmond and Mia’s and bought beer, a bottle of wine, and everything for homemade pizzas. While Mia had her knitting club tonight, Desmond and I wanted to squeeze in a few hours of Riddles & Guilt, our favourite RPG.

Ghost, Hip, Dante, and I had a heist planned, and I already felt the itch to lose myself in the game.

Mia greeted me at the door with a hug. “Hey, Luc. Oh gosh, look at you! Doesn’t he look dashing with glasses?” Mia asked Dawn, who nodded.

“Yup, totally hot,” she agreed before the two women hugged, too.

I tried not to preen. Instead, I held up the bags to distract them. As much as I did have a praise kink, their attention flustered me.

“We brought beer and snacks for everyone.”

Later, over pizza, Mia nudged Dawn, “You’re a writer, right?”

Dawn gave her a wry half-smile. “Technically, yes, when I’m not stuck in writer’s block.”

“Could you…maybe explain how it works?”

“You want to write?” she squealed. “Oh my God, yes, of course!”

Mia hesitated, a little shy. “I don’t know if I’d be any good, but Des says I have a way with words, and I…well, I kind of started a story.”

Dawn sat up straighter. “Mia! I can’t believe you’re only telling me this now.”

Mia just grinned, “I’m not sure I have what it takes.”

“I disagree!” I jumped in before Dawn could, and Harper nodded beside me.

“You absolutely have what it takes,” she assured Mia. “Want to tell us about your book? Or do you have questions?”

The night ended too quickly. I walked with Dawn out to her car, nerves buzzing just under my skin. We stood by the curb, the quiet settling between us.

She turned to me, a small smile on her lips. “Tonight was really good. I haven’t felt this welcome in a long time.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “You are welcome here. You have all of us now. Mia, Desmond, Harper… me.” I forced a little laugh. “You’re stuck with us, whether you want to be or not.”

She laughed softly, and it settled something in me. “I don’t mind. I think I needed that.”

I didn’t know what possessed me, but I reached up and tucked a curl behind her ear. She exhaled a shuddering breath when my hand lingered a second longer than necessary. Her eyes shimmered in the low light.

“You’re part of the family now,” I said, my voice a little rough. “If you ever need an emotional support wolf, you know where to find me.”

Dawn met my eyes and for a second, everything else faded away. “Thank you, Luc,” she whispered.

I finally let go and we got in her car. The warmth of her skin stayed with me all the way home.

Inside, I reached out and caught her gently by the arm.

“Dawn, there’s something I want to say.” My voice came out soft and low.

She turned to me, lips parted and uncertainty flickering across her open face. I fought down the wild, hungry urge surging under my skin.

“I didn’t offer you my guest room to put you in my debt, or because I expect anything from you. I just want you to feel at home here, for as long as you need.”

That got a real smile out of her. “Me too. I’m so glad you let me stay.”

A reluctant grin tugged at my mouth. “Honestly, I’d rather have you here and safe than worrying about you in that old cottage.”

With another small smile and a whispered “Good night!” she disappeared upstairs.

I stared after her and waited until I was sure she’d disappeared in her room.

Living together wasn’t exactly easy, not with my rut looming over me.

I’d always prided myself on self control, but sharing space with Dawn made everything sharper.

My skin tingled, and every sense was on high alert.

I wanted nothing more than to walk into her room and lose myself in her.

Maybe a hard session at the gym tomorrow would help me get my head on straight, at least for a little while.