Page 16

O ur mate is coming back to our domicile in order to bask in our glory. Truly, this is the grandest of all days.

Ethan did his best to keep his wince internal. She’s coming back to our temporary accommodation to work out whether I’ve got a few screws loose. Don’t go booking the honeymoon suite just yet.

But the pegasus wouldn’t be denied, frolicking blissfully in the metaphorical meadows of Ethan’s mind, while Ethan himself just tried to concentrate on keeping his car on the road.

His conversation with Chloe could’ve gone better… but it also could’ve gone much, much worse. All in all, the fact that she apparently trusted him enough to come back with him and judge his honesty for herself was more than he could’ve reasonably hoped for.

Ethan had never even thought all that hard about finding his mate in the past, beyond how it would be a feather in his cap to both become CEO and to have found his mate – it would make the family and the company look good.

The thought of finding his mate for its own sake had never occurred to him…

but now, he had to admit, it was very quickly becoming something of great interest to him.

He glanced over at where Chloe was seated next to him, looking a bit flushed. Was the car too warm?

He opened the windows a little, letting the crisp mountain air swirl through the car. Chloe smiled gratefully.

“Thanks,” she said, and his heart quickened a little in response to that single word, his pegasus doing a little fluttering somersault through the air.

He’d never quite felt this way before. To actually want to go out of your way to do little things to make someone happy, for no other reason than that you wanted them to be happy?

No ulterior motives, no attempts at networking or looking for weaknesses to exploit – just wanting to do things for that person because they were them ?

“No problem,” he said gruffly, trying to keep his tone casual.

“So, did you enjoy the lunch?” Chloe asked, a teasing edge to her voice. “I couldn’t quite tell.”

She was clearly poking fun at him, and normally he would’ve bristled, but he found that he didn’t mind it at all when it was her.

“Somehow I managed to get through it,” he said airily. “But don’t go expecting a repeat performance.”

“Noted,” Chloe said with a grin. “I’ll make sure to boil you up some tofu next time. Extra bland, no seasoning.”

“Sounds great,” he said with a straight face, even as his pegasus rejoiced at the words next time . And he wasn’t even joking, not really – Chloe could make him the blandest, most stultifyingly boring meal in the world, and he’d eat it up happily, because she had made it for him.

He’d always had a pretty low opinion of love in general and the mate bond in particular, given that he’d seen what it had done to colleagues who had previously been at the top of their game, ruthless, unstoppable – but now, he finally thought he understood.

All of that other stuff just didn’t seem as important anymore.

Not that he didn’t want to clear his name and get back in the game – of course he did.

But it wasn’t all-consuming in the way it had been even just this morning.

There was a life beyond the shiny corridors he’d spent most of his life walking down – and, for the first time, he was insatiably curious as to what it could look like.

And as to what it could taste like. Ethan had never experienced food like the delicious meals served up at the diner before. Before this, the most flavorful thing he allowed himself was steamed chicken, with, perhaps, a small amount of salt on it.

Food wasn’t for enjoying – it was for powering gym sessions and making sure he didn’t fall asleep at his desk pulling yet another all-nighter. It was a huge bother to have to eat – he’d once thought that if he could just suck nutrients up in a tube, he’d do that and waste less time.

But now…

Ethan had to suppress a shiver at the memory of the fried, salty, carb-y, tangy, meaty deliciousness he’d just experienced. And the chocolate thickshakes – he was pretty sure he could have one for every meal, and never get sick of it.

If you’re quite done drinking imaginary slurries, his pegasus sneered, I do believe that you are neglecting your mate.

She’s a grown woman who doesn’t need someone to start conversations for her, Ethan shot back, but he did want to talk to Chloe some more.

Their relationship was at a kind of weird point where it felt like the most natural thing in the world, but also incredibly awkward at the same time. He was sure that it would improve once he’d shown her his pegasus. And told her that they were mates.

Oh, yeah. That’ll be a breeze.

He mentally flailed about for something to say.

“What do you think of the car?” he asked, before kicking himself. Chloe wasn’t some client he was trying to impress! But he was quickly coming to realize that he really wasn’t good at genuine small talk.

Chloe raised one eyebrow, looking around herself. “Nice,” she said noncommittally. “Pretty much exactly what I would’ve expected.”

He supposed that that made sense. The car had been chosen to fit in with his carefully crafted image, after all – a black BMW, expensive but tasteful.

He normally didn’t think too much about the car, given that it was more of a status symbol than anything else…

but he’d been somewhat grateful for it last night, since at least he’d been comfortable on the drive up here while his pegasus had made snitty comments about simple-minded ghosts in one ear, and Curtis had freaked out about how fast his no-horse wagon could go in the other ear.

“It’s comfy,” Chloe went on, as if reading his mind. “I could get used to it.” She blinked suddenly, before stammering, “Not that I’m planning on living in your car or anything! I mean…”

Ethan laughed, glad that the tension was broken at least somewhat. “It’s okay, I get it,” he said. And he did.

He really had spent his life taking nice things for granted, not particularly caring what other people thought of him unless their good opinion would help him get ahead.

Seeing the way that Chloe leaned back happily into her seat, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly for a moment as she sank back, was really bringing home to him how much the things that hadn’t mattered to him would make all the difference in the world to someone like Chloe, who spent her days working hard at an important job, and who just wanted to be able to relax and be happy at the end of a long day.

Perhaps a little self re-evaluation is in order, he thought. Things that had once seemed to be of the utmost importance now seemed meaningless. Chloe’s happiness was worth infinitely more than the opinion of some jackass in a suit.

The forest grew more dense and the asphalt road turned into immaculately maintained dirt, and Ethan slowed down.

“Oh, wow,” Chloe murmured as she craned her neck, trying to see to the tops of the majestic trees that towered overhead. “I’m so glad I decided to move out here. I can’t believe that all of this will be right on my doorstep!”

It was pretty impressive, Ethan had to grudgingly admit, even though it wasn’t his usual thing.

There was a small part of him – the pegasus part, mostly, but not entirely – that truly loved the monthly trips to his cousin’s ranch, the feeling of flying in the fresh country air, the freedom that it all entailed.

Coming back down to earth and shifting into his human form always felt a bit like willingly allowing himself to be shackled to the earth and to his job, giving up the joy of flight and an untroubled mind for a desk and fake smiles and stressful meetings.

Chloe continued to stare out the window, marveling at the scenery.

“If you like this,” Ethan said, “then I think you’ll like what’s coming up in a minute as well.”

Chloe turned to face him, blinking her big, beautiful hazel eyes. “What’s that?”

He smiled, genuinely happy to see her excitement. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Chloe pulled a face that he could only really describe as a pout, and he laughed out loud.

Even though he was still concerned about how Chloe would react to his shifting – not to mention the fact that they were mates – he had to admit that he was having a good time.

A great time, in fact. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this happy.

He pulled the car into the designated space, and the two of them hopped out, walking around the bend.

Chloe’s stunned intake of breath marked the moment when the B&B came into view.

It was pretty impressive, he had to admit, with its giant porch, gargantuan turrets that pierced the sky, and charming porthole windows.

The lovingly tended gardens spread out in a dazzling array of color, the star attraction a truly stunning red maple with luminous scarlet leaves.

Around all of this loomed the ancient forest, awash with vivid fall colors and brilliantly deep greens.

Ethan felt like he was seeing it with new eyes now that he was here with Chloe. When he’d arrived he’d categorized the B&B’s features dispassionately, but now it felt like it was coming alive before him, the colors more vibrant, the history and its loving restoration more evident.

He had stayed in more luxury hotels than he could count, but they were generally pretty stark, devoid of any actual personality or warmth. This place, combined with the stunning gardens and surrounding forest, made something in his heart sing that he’d never known before.

“It’s gorgeous,” whispered Chloe.

When he’d first arrived, Ethan had been way too preoccupied with the issue of Curtis to take much notice. But now, he had to admit – Chloe was right.