Page 33 of Culture and Curiosities (Blue Ridge Charm #1)

Well, he’d started off in English so that was a step in the right direction. “Wren has what is called a photographic memory. The easiest way to explain it is—”

The professor held up his hand and stopped me before I could explain. “I know. This is very strange. I also know why this spell should not be used on anyone too young to mate.”

He actually sighed, sounding very much like he was from Earth. “Fuck.”

Yes, he’d learned English.

And once Wren stopped laughing we’d explain to the professor why that wasn’t a reasonable response.

“Anyone else feeling the need to ask if he’s Team Binkie or Team Badass?” Beatrice was going to be a terrible influence on Wren based on how sweetly she was smiling as she fucked with the grumpy professor.

How had she managed to have behaved so politely in the council meetings?

Professor Zorin was not pleased with the question. “Are they always so polite when they’re inappropriate?”

Clearly the team nonsense from the diner men had been transferred as well.

“Generally yes.” There was no reason to deny that when the answer would become obvious very quickly. “They’re also highly entertaining and have a fascinating culture around hospitality and inappropriate behavior.”

Leaning back against the chair, the professor frowned.

He frowned.

He wasn’t happy about it either. “Their language and cultural information also came with facial tics.”

That was unexpected…clearly the spell had some side effects.

“You’re using them correctly.” I wasn’t sure if that would make him feel better or not, but it made his frown less severe. “When you’re ready, I’ll introduce you to our visitors.”

Now that he could understand them, it would be much more useful.

“Thank you.” Studying the guests from Earth, he seemed less frustrated as the language started integrating into his mind. “First, I must ask if you are tracking the individuals who escaped through the portal? When you sent back the message of your arrival, we were expecting them to come with you.”

Individuals?

“Escaped?”

“Fuck.” Agent Murphy’s single-word response got a nod from the professor. “It’s a versatile word. Don’t let Toman tell you otherwise.”

He and I needed to have a discussion on appropriate behaviors around so many submissives. That would have to come after we handled our current issue, though.

“Yes, my mate. He said escaped.”

“The cult people?”

Wren’s question had me wanting to say yes, but I stopped myself quickly.

“That seems to be the most likely but I don’t know.”

“How many people went through the portal?” How would’ve also been a good question. “I was under the impression the portal was being guarded at all times? We didn’t have the ability to do that on the other side.”

For a variety of reasons.

Professor Zorin seemed to want to react outwardly but worked to keep his expressions under control as he spoke English.

“It was in the first days of your arrival. There was a distraction when Lehan came back through the portal to deliver your message and an unknown number of the…the prayer group…that does not seem to be the right word. The group went through the portal to find the ancients.”

Really?

“Who?”

“Who?”

Wren’s response filled my mind but the word was echoed by nearly everyone from Earth at the same time.

“The builders of the portals.” This was not good.

“They have the belief that the ancients punished us by closing the gate when our children were lost. To them, that meant the ancients who built the portals were either here on this side or on the other side. Since we have never seen anyone else unknown on our planet, they assumed the ancients were on the other side.”

It was both logical and illogical.

“How did we not notice cult members running around town?” Wren’s question was reasonable but Agent Murphy snorted.

“Do you honestly think they’d have stood out with everything else going on in that town?” His glare seemed to be a dare to have anyone disagree with him. “Last month some of them tried to kidnap a traveling circus.”

They had?

“That was a rescue and you know it.” Somehow it was Shiloh who felt the need to defend what had probably been chaos pushed by the diner men. “They were being helpful.”

“How did we miss that story? Who did they kidnap?”

Had they thought it was too boring to mention?

“I don’t know.”

I didn’t know a lot of things at the moment.

Ignoring his desire to appear boring, Wren responded to my stress by standing and walking over to curl up in my lap. We both ignored the looks from my people and the smiles from his as he rested his head on my shoulder.

“You know a lot of things, Daddy.”

His adorable and manipulatively sweet tone had me smiling through our bond as I kissed his cheek.

“Hmm…I do?”

My Wren nodded against me and petted my chest as he sent happy feelings through our bond.

“Yep, you know how to make my toys swim around. You know how to talk to the diner men. You know how to make mischievous littles be good. You know how to poof my clothes. You know how to talk to the council. You even know how to love me really good, Daddy.”

I knew how to love him because there’d never been any question about it. He was my mate. My boy. My mirrored half. He was the missing piece of my soul and the man who would complete me.

I’d just never guessed the wonderful adventure I’d needed to take to find him or the wonderfully curious package he would be wrapped up in.

“I will always love you, my sweet mate.”

My naughty boy.

My other half.

My mate from beyond the stars.

~~~

Klynn and Agent Murphy are up next.

I can’t wait to show you what’s going to happen in their book, Tropes and Tenderness, Blue Ridge Charm , book 2 , coming January 2026.