Page 37 of Scales and Seduction (Monster Match #1)
T he warmth of Calista’s farmhouse wraps around me like a familiar embrace. The scent of spiced cider fills the air as our steeping hot cups sit around the large dining table. It’s a worn, wooden thing, scratched by years of use, but it adds to the charm of the house. Calista raised us all in this very house, and now it’s just her and Silas’s younger sister, Wren, left.
Ruby sits beside me with a small, tired smile playing on her lips as we watch Loran animatedly recount a story about a potion experiment from when we were young. “And then,” Loran says, suppressing his chuckle as he tells us the story, “instead of a simple healing draught, I somehow turned my hair into bark. It took weeks to wear off.”
He gestures wildly, nearly knocking over his mug, and that sends Silas into a fit of laughter. I can’t remember the last time I heard laughter like that from Silas; it’s so unburdened and carefree.
“You never told me about this.” My eyes are wide with amusement as I glance at my friend.
Loran smiles. “I try not to advertise my less successful experiments.”
Calista sits at the head of the table, shaking her head fondly as she sips her tea. “You boys always got yourselves into the worst trouble,” she says warmly. “Gideon was the only one with any sense.”
Silas snorts, pointing directly at me. “Gid? Sensible? He once got his tail stuck in the fence and cried until Atticus cut him loose.”
I groan, rubbing my face until I feel a hand on my scales under the table. Ruby gently gives my body a squeeze, and I can’t help the way my face turns red. “That was just one time!”
Silas smirks, reaching over to jab me on the shoulder with his index finger. “Come on, Pokey, don’t get all embarrassed now.”
“What? Is that a nickname?” Ruby turns to me, eyes glimmering with curiosity and delight. God, why are they choosing now to haze me? Haven’t we gone through enough this week?
Silas grins wickedly. “Oh, did he never tell you?”
Immediately, I shoot Silas a glare. “Say one more word, and I will see to it that you never drink another drop of wine in your life.”
“Sure, sure…of course you will, Prince,” he says, clearly unfazed. “You already owe me three times your weight in wine orders after all the glamors for your pretty mate.”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” Ruby elbows me playfully. “I like it. Pokey.” She tries not to snicker, hiding her smile by turning her head in the opposite direction.
For the first time in days, there’s no talk of draugr or danger. There are no looming threats and no poison. There’s just warmth, good conversation and the presence of the people I care about the most. Ruby starts training with Calista tomorrow to find out more about her powers, but until then, I want to embrace this feeling. For now, we can breathe.
As the cups empty and the fire in the hearth burns lower, the conversation inevitably turns serious.
“So,” Loran says as he sets his cup down roughly against the table. “What’s the next move?”
“We need to know what the draugr are after and who controls them,” I say, calculating in my mind what might be most pressing to do first. “With Avalon on the council and her security force working on a barrier, we’ll be protected for the most part.”
Silas nods, his usual mirth replaced by focus, but there’s something else hidden there behind his eyes that I can’t quite read. “Are you planning on shutting down the app once you’ve found out who’s responsible?”
I shake my head, but before I can find the words to answer him, Ruby chimes in, with a grin stretched across her face. “Silas, are you going to try the app?” Ruby asks, smirking as she leans her body against mine. “I know you both mentioned how much you wish you’d find a mate.”
I’m shocked to hear Ruby talk so casually about finding a mate. It must be something they spoke about when I wasn’t around, but I didn’t think Silas would ever be interested in being with someone long-term. He’s far too uptight about his personal space, and Loran has never dated, as far as I know.
Loran clears his throat, but I see the way his cheeks tint. Both of my friends want what I have. “We need to find out who is pulling the strings before we bring more humans into this mess,” he says, glossing over the other conversation entirely, as if he doesn’t want it to continue.
I won’t press it. For now, I’ll let them handle their own life. If I have Ruby, who am I to judge what they do? They know the risks involved now more than ever.
“Where do we even start?” Ruby asks as a huge yawn pulls her mouth open before she covers it with her hand. “Sorry. I’m exhausted.”
Calista smiles knowingly, rising to her feet. The room is heavy with exhaustion, and there’s no reason to continue a plan now when it’s so late. “Let’s call it a night then, shall we? We need our Ruby fully rested for her training tomorrow.”
One by one, the others stand from the table. Silas stretches before heading out to the porch, and Loran collects the dishes as Ruby helps. The moment I push back from the table, Calista grabs hold of my wrist.
“Walk with me for a little bit, Pokey,” she says, her voice full of something devious.
“But—”
Calista pins me with a stare, and I comply with a resigned sigh. She knows I can’t say no, not when she’s being so gracious as to help us both. Still, I’m far too exhausted for much more tonight.
The crisp night air hits me the moment we step onto the back porch. Stars dot the sky in a way that feels almost too perfect and too peaceful for the last few days. “What is it?” I ask, hiding my own yawn from her view.
“You love her,” Calista says as she looks over the land with a knowing smile on her lips.
I don’t respond immediately; I don’t need to. I know she can sense it; everyone in that room can. Glancing back at the house, I peek into the window, looking at Ruby as she helps Loran with the dishes. She’s beautiful, and she’s mine. I love her with everything in me.
Calista turns to me, giving me a warm look that I wish my own mother had given me when I told her about Ruby. Though, Calista has always been the one to give me the affection she didn’t. “Do you intend on marrying her?”
I swallow roughly, hearing my throat bob. I’m completely caught off guard by the question. I haven’t thought about it. Truly, our bond is far beyond a marriage could ever be, but I want everything with Ruby that I’ve never wanted before. “Of course I have…but?—”
Calista rolls her eyes, shaking her head incredulously. “But what? You waiting for some grand moment? Are you waiting on the council, or even your mother, to give permission?”
Hesitating to agree or disagree, I allow myself just a few moments to think about what she’s implying. I’ve allowed them to make every choice for me since Atticus disappeared, and since Ruby came to the Vale, I’ve taken my life back for myself. This new freedom is something entirely new to me, something I wasn’t sure that I would ever be permitted again.
“I just don’t want to rush her. She’s been through enough, and now with her being given magical powers…” I pause, letting out a heavy sigh. “There’s so much we don’t know, and if she changes her mind and wants to go back home—” I want to say the end of the sentence, but the words hang in my throat. If she changes her mind, it will completely devastate me.
Calista shakes her head, tsking softly as she chuckles to herself. “Gideon, listen to me, okay? Life doesn’t wait for perfection. You’ll always have reasons to delay things, but, if she’s your mate… If she’s it for you...” She pauses, giving me a soft smile. “Don’t waste time. We never know what might happen to us at any given moment.”
My chest grows tight, and the lump in my throat feels so much larger at the thought of such a step forward. “Do you think she would say yes?”
Reaching up, Calista cups my cheek like she used to when I was younger. “Oh, Pokey,” she says with a sigh. “That girl already belongs to you. And you belong to her. Don’t be an idiot and let uncertainty steal your happiness.”
For a moment, I can’t breathe, and my ability to speak or even think feels so far away. Glancing back toward the house, toward the soft lights of the kitchen, I smile warmly. Inside, Ruby is laughing, and Loran, one of my best friends, is smiling at her, completely at ease. They look so happy. It looks like home.
I swallow thickly, nodding nearly the only thing I can muster. “I won’t wait,” I say quietly. “Not anymore.”
“Good.” Calista smiles, giving my cheek a final pat before she turns toward the door. “Have her here tomorrow at seven a.m. Now get her home.”
As she leaves me standing there, staring at the love of my life, my mate, for the first time, I allow myself to hope.