Page 34 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“They were doing what mates do when they first meet, Ferdinand. Leave the boys alone,” Da said.

I heard Konrad giggling and looked over at my mate. “Something funny, mate?”

“You are most definitely not a boy. Your father knows that, right?”

I rolled my eyes. Of course he did.

“Yes, well…it has been some time since your da and I claimed one another. I guess I have forgotten what it was like,” Father said. I happened to still be looking at my mate, and when his eyes widened, I hid my smile.

“Forgotten? You have forgotten when I claimed you? I shall have to rectify that and remind you,” Father said as he moved across the room toward Da. Da laughed when Father picked him up and tossed him over his shoulder. Da was still laughing while Father was grumbling about sassy omegas as they went down the small hallway that led to their room.

I watched them go, and when I heard their bedroom door shut, I crossed the room and sat next to my own mate.

“So those are my fathers. They are still very much in love and cannot keep their hands off one another. Something that I’ve told you about more than once. Which is why I happened to find the cave.”

Konrad cleared his throat. “Umm…they’re not really going to…you know.”

“Mate? Most likely. Would you care for something to eat that you did not have to first clean?”

“I would. If you think it is okay.”

“More than,” I told Konrad. I got up from the table, going over to the workstation. I placed the bread on a platter, adding the container of honey to it. I took it to my mate, placing it in front of him. “Eat as much as you wish. There is always plenty, and there are several other loaves over in the keeper.”

Konrad smiled at me, then reached for a slice of bread. I went back to the cabinet and took out two bowls, then filled them with the stew Father had mentioned. I saw meat, potatoes, carrots, and corn. It was going to be incredibly filling, and already my mouth was watering, thinking about the tasty meal.

I placed a full bowl in front of Konrad, then one beside him. I went back and got us spoons, and while my mate dug into his meal, I poured myself a mug of tea.

A moan behind me brought a smile to my face. I was still grinning when I sat down. Moaning of a different sort reached our ears, and I looked at my mate. His face heated red, causing me to laugh. I wasn’t sure why he was embarrassed. We’d just done the same thing a few hours ago before we’d cleaned up in the small pool of water.

“I warned you. They cannot keep their hands or their shafts to themselves.” I was honestly surprised I was an only child. I knew they’d had other heats catch, but Da had talked about how the babies never survived to birth or died shortly after. I was mad for them because they were such amazing parents and deserved many children running around them.

Konrad cleared his throat. “Perhaps they will have another now that you are mated. For the longest time, I, too, was an only child.”

I wrapped my arm around Konrad’s shoulder and pulled him into my side. I gently kissed his temple, then laid my head against his.

“I know you miss them and always will. I hope that one day you will remember them and think of the happier times. Right now though, I understand what they endured is too fresh in your mind.”

“I just do not understand why, Aleric.”

“Neither do I, my mate. If I were dreaming about you and needed to go to my homeland to rescue you, why could I not have had the dream sooner, stopping you from being taken and them murdered altogether? I should have left sooner. Maybe then they would still have been alive.”

It was a question I had asked myself many times. I did not understand why. I was thankful I had been sent to rescue my mate, but why did his family have to suffer so?

“Please eat. I know it can be difficult to do so with what they are doing. The noise is a bit less noticeable in my room, which happens to be on the other side of the house,” I said.

Konrad picked up his spoon and took another bite. “Do you think your da will teach me to make this? I have not had this particular vegetable before. It is quite enjoyable.”

I grinned. “I’m sure he will. Just make sure you do it sometime when Father is busy. Otherwise, your lesson will get interrupted.” I wasn’t going to tell Konrad that I, too, could teach him to make the stew. Many meals were interrupted because Father found Da cooking and decided it was exceptionally sexy.

We ate our stew with me answering the new questions Konrad had about the mountain—they seemed never-ending—the house, and what he could do to help out. He wanted to feel as if he contributed, and I only wished to pamper him after the ordeal he’d been through.

When my mate’s bowl was empty, I took it and refilled it. He tried to argue with me about taking too much, and I quieted him by reminding him that he was carrying my child and that there was more than enough. He finally relented when I showed him the pot of stew and how much was left.

When we finished with the meal, I took the dishes to the tub and quickly washed them. Konrad tried to help, but I insisted he sit and rest. He looked tired, and I figured a hearty meal would do that. Once the dishes were cleaned and stacked, I took my mate’s hand and led him to the other side of the house and my room, where for so many nights, I’d longed for someone exactly like him.

“Wow. It’s…my room was half this size. And I shared it with the twins.”

“You like it, then?” I wanted to please my mate, and although I had every intention of building him his own place come spring, I wished for him to be happy with our space we would share until then.