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“You signed us up for a mating app?” he asked. Koruk had never been the kind of male who was quick to anger. That’s why we got along so well. There honestly wasn’t a mad bone in our bodies despite our chiseled features that often gave people the impression otherwise. We were big guys. Some would say intimidating in size, but underneath our stony appearance was two shifters who wanted to work and be happy and love a female more than anything else in the world.
We were simple guys.
So when Koruk asked me the question, I answered truthfully knowing that he wasn’t angry, perhaps a bit curious. “Yes,” I said.
“And you…we got a match? A female named Malinda?” he asked, showing me the screen.
“We did. Well past midnight last night, or that’s when I checked the notification.”
Koruk looked back at the phone but then put it down. “When were you going to tell me?”
My shoulders slumped. We didn’t keep things from each other. Except this. “I didn’t want you to be disappointed if we didn’t get a match, and honestly, I only had a sliver of hope. I signed us up about a year ago and, until last night, no one matched to us. I was going to tell you this morning if she replied.”
He nodded. “Well, she did.” He took a long drag of his coffee, more creamer and sugar than anything else.
“You saw it?” I asked, picking up the device and clicking on the app.
“I did. Hello? That was all you could think to say?” He rolled his eyes.
“What did she say?” I asked, reading it to my friend out loud. “Hello back. I hope this isn’t a joke. This app has earned me messages from some crazies, and that’s putting it lightly. Not replying would be stone cold. Sorry. Had to.”
We both chuckled. Wasn’t the first time we’d heard that one, but at least she wasn’t being mean about it. There were some mean humans out there in the world, and just because we could turn to rock didn’t mean we didn’t have feelings that could be crushed.
“Reply to her. She deserves that. Then let’s really talk about this before it goes further, Oz.”
She deserved a reply? I agreed, but it seemed my best friend already had a small attachment to the female. A good thing.
I replied that we were, in fact, real. We were sorry she’d dealt with some crazies and we thought she was beautiful and wanted to get to know her better.
“Let’s talk about it, then,” I said, putting the phone down. “You looked at her profile?” I asked.
He nodded and honestly, I was surprised. Koruk didn’t really do tech. “She’s beautiful, like you said. She’s a graphic artist who works from home. Oz, her profile says she’s interested in gargoyles. No one is interested in gargoyles. Hell, I’m not interested in gargoyles. Why do you think that is?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t give it a thought. The app runs screens on profiles and background checks. I’m not really sure. But the real question is, do you want to go through with this? We have decided to live this life together and share a mate. Do you want to move forward with this? Take a chance?”
My best friend blew out a long breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “We want a mate and a family. We’ve always talked about it. This isn’t really the way I expected to meet our female.”
“In this day and age? I did. And Malinda works from home, so even if we lived across the street from her, we might not ever see her unless we went out at exactly the same time and ran into each other. Maybe this is the way Fate works in this era.”
My phone beeped and I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. It was Malinda. “She replied. She said thank you to the compliment and wants to know if gargoyles are actually real.”
We both laughed. Koruk pushed his phone toward me. “Put the app on my phone too. Sign me in. I want to talk to her as well.”
I signed him in and replied to Malinda.
Female, we can guarantee you that we are as real as you. And yes, just so we’re clear, we can turn into stone. Sexy, right? LOL.
Chapter Seven
Malinda
What a way to start the day. I filled my giant thermal water bottle and carried it with me into my studio. It was really only the second bedroom in my apartment, but beggars can’t be choosers, and I was trying to save up enough to buy a house with a studio in the backyard. It would take years, but I’d get there. For now, having this extra space with excellent morning light was better than many artists had.
Since most of what I did was graphic arts, often in the advertising field, the light I so valued was blocked by curtains a good deal of the time, but when I could steal a few hours, I painted my heart out and loved it. This morning was a closed-curtain time, not only because my time belonged to a client but because the hangover hung on. If past experience offered any indication, it would not be gone before tomorrow. So, I sat at my desk and buckled down. The sooner I finished, the sooner I could go back to bed. Even the large canvas currently across the room from me would not likely be enough to make me want to stay upright.
I knew better, and it would not happen again. I was more a drink before dinner when in a restaurant or perhaps a glass of wine in the afternoon with friends than a hard partier, and I did not consider my preference to be a character flaw.
I left my phone in the kitchen, but it wasn’t as if I lived in a grand palace where I wouldn’t hear it if it rang, and when the notifications started again, I did not try to stop myself from going to see what they were. Besides, a third coffee, iced this time, might help push the headache back. Sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar, I swiped the screen and brought up the app.
