Page 9 of Curse of Ancients

Tabitha nudged Carleigh. “Say something.”

Carleigh rubbed her hands down her thighs. “I’m not sure what to say. What if he has a fated mate of his own and she’s not me? I mean, Bayu is special. Like chosen by an ancient god to balance the scales of the universe special.”

“First off, he wouldn’t be your mate if he already had one. Second, his mother was human, so I think having a shifter mate who’s as brilliant as you are wouldn’t be a negative.”

“I need to meet him. Not sure what I’m going to say when I do though.”

Don’t say anything. Just bite him and make him ours.

Carleigh jumped at the voice in her head. That would take some getting used to, but it thrilled her to know she had her Gargoyle truly with her.

Harlow poked Carleigh’s arm. “You can always visit the safehouse to do a systems check.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the systems. Dad designed them, and I installed them.”

Harlow snorted. “Bayu doesn’t know that. What do you think, Tabby? Should Carleigh go visit?”

Tabitha bit her bottom lip, staring at the monitor where Bayu was now sitting quietly.

Carleigh smacked Tabby’s thigh. “What did you do?

“I may or may not have texted Silas after you called and informed him that you and Bayu are fated. Therefore, Bayu probably knows.”

Carleigh jumped to her feet and paced the small area between the desks and the door. “You… I… Holy gods.”

“That’s a good thing, C.” Harlow rolled her chair back to her desk. “If Silas explained about Gargoyles and fated mates, then you won’t have to. He won’t be kept in the dark like some mates we know.” Harlow pointedly angled her head toward Tabitha who then flipped Harlow off, and Harlow stuck her tongue out at their cousin.

“But what if Silas didn’t explain it? What if they were talking about baseball or books or—”

“Chill, C. I’ll text him and ask.” Tabitha typed out a message. Carleigh faced the monitor, and sure enough, Silas looked at his phone. Then he looked at the nearest camera and nodded once before responding.

Tabitha’s phone pinged. “Silas had the mate discussion and even went as far as to tell Bayu all about you. Bayu is looking forward to meeting you.”

Carleigh shook out her hands. “Oh, gods. I need to go home and change clothes. Put on some makeup and fix my hair. He can’t see me like this for the first time!”

Tabitha’s phone pinged again. After she read the message, she asked, “Since you’re going to visit Bayu, would you mind stopping at the store on the way? They need some groceries.”

“Of course. Text me the list.” Carleigh retrieved her purse and shut down her computer. When Tabitha stood, Carleigh wrapped her cousin in a tight hug. “Tell me it’s going to be okay.”

Tabby stepped back, keeping her hands on Carleigh’s biceps. “It’s going to be okay because you are going to make it so.”

Carleigh nodded, then turned to look at Harlow. Before she could open her mouth, Harlow pointed a finger at her. “No. No apologies for running out. This is more important than anything, and if something comes up, I have Nik and Mads. Go. Get your mate.”

Carleigh blew out a breath. Then she grinned. “I have a mate!” She pumped a fist in the air and took off, leaving both cousins laughing. Instead of going all the way home, which would have taken forever, she returned to Juniper’s apartment. As soon as she walked in, she yelled, “I found him!”

Juniper’s head snapped up from where she was focused on her laptop. “Say what?”

Carleigh dumped her purse on the nearest chair and plopped down on the sofa, bouncing her sister. “I found my mate.” She explained how things had transpired, while Juniper’s mouth hung open.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I came to change clothes and fix my makeup. I’m going to stop by the grocery store and take the items on the list Bayu and Silas sent to Tabitha.”

Juniper placed her laptop on the coffee table and jumped up. “Come on. You start on your face, and I’ll find the perfect outfit.”

Carleigh went into June’s bathroom and dug through her makeup. Neither of them wore anything very colorful, opting for subtle shades. She had just finished applying mascara when Juniper appeared in the doorway holding up a blouse and a pair of capris. “How’s this?”

“That’ll work.” Carleigh removed the shorts and tee she’d borrowed earlier. She and Harlow never met clients last minute, so they didn’t have a dress code at the office. The capris were long on Carleigh, but they didn’t look too ridiculous. She added the blouse and tucked it in. Juniper wore shoes half a size bigger, but they were going to have to do because Carleigh’s worn-out Chucks were a no-go.