Lycan's unexpected mate

Family Chef, part 2

Atalanta

"So, this amia bond, does it also mean that I want to be near you, that I want to become a part of your life despite my commitments elsewhere?"

Carson's question has rendered me speechless. I try to remember what the Lycan books said but, in fact, those two people involved weren't separated afterwards. And maybe Zeus knows about this bond because he told me that we would meet again. Maybe he has already experienced the amia bond with a different pair of people.

I nod my head slightly but I realise that I need to set something straight. "But you don't feel any s****l desire for me, do you?" I ask Carson seriously.

David has just taken a gulp of his drink and my question astonishes him so much that he breathes it in instead of swallowing it. Carson opens his mouth but as soon as he notices David's problem, he pulls his hand from mine and hits David in the back to help him. I look at Tyche and mutter: "I take this as a no."

She lifts an eyebrow. "What do we know? He may be into men and David here is his boyfriend."

Diana growls at her without my consent and Tyche immediately submits to her, lowering her head and showing her neck to us. I go into our mind and chide Diana: 'What were you thinking? What's going on?'

'I need to defend him when he can't do it himself,' she explains angrily. 'Tyche may be our Guardian by oath, but I feel connected to both Carson and Zeus. And I won't allow anyone to belittle them!'

'Oh, come on, she wasn't doing that,' I try to reason with her. 'But we can't just fall for them, either. It seems that he isn't feeling anything for us, just the need to be close. He's like a child and I'm supposed to play the parent.'

She huffs at me but her temper is calming down. 'Dear, believe me, there is more to him. I tried to reach Zeus, but Carson has thick mental walls. Thicker than the average person. He had to be abused when he grew up and I doubt anyone stuck up for him.'

I take a sharp breath. Well, this is new. 'So you think that . . .'

'That he needs someone he can trust and that someone is currently David. He has to be hanging onto their friendship as a lifesaving circle when you're drowning.'

I don't know when my eyes got moist but I notice that when Diana comes over and licks my face. 'Don't cry, dear,' she tells me. 'Just be gentle and mindlink Tyche that you're sorry on my behalf, okay?'

I nod and leave our space. Then I immediately mindlink Tyche: "Tyche, please, forgive Diana for making you submit like that. It was uncalled for."

"Nah, it's okay, I understand. She has fallen in protective love with the werewolf," she answers with a chuckle. "I don't want to know how you two are going to react to your Mate when you do this for a stranger. Oh, and think of your future children. Wow, you will be a badass mother."

I cut the mindlink when she starts laughing because I'm sure my cheeks are as red as the flowers above our table. I look opposite to me and Tyche where Carson is sitting straight while nervously rubbing his hands together. David's cough has subsided but his face is still flushed. It may also be due to the alcohol in his drink.

"Everything's fine?" I ask and offer: "I can have a look at you, David. I spent quite a bit of time observing doctors and nurses in our pack hospital when I was younger."

David shakes his head negatively and rasps: "No need. I'll be fine in a moment."

I give him the benefit of doubt and gaze at Carson. "I had to ask, you know. I don't want you to feel obliged to have feelings for me." I sigh and try to give him a reassuring smile. "And the amia bond will be dissolved once we find our respective Mates, so you don't have to worry that you're going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life to do things you don't want to."

He swallows thickly and I think I can see a hint of unhappiness and hurt in his posture. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, which is a clear defensive posture, and nods curtly. "Of course, I understand. Thanks for the explanation." His voice is even but there is a subtle tone to it that is harder to recognise. He adds: "Just wondering, we both have to find our Mates, or is one of us enough?"

Can I really feel fear in him? What would he be afraid of? Could it be the abuse Diana mentioned earlier?

"No, both of us have to mate first," I tell him with a shrug. "For every bond, there have to be two. And until we both find our Mates, you are going to find your new home with me."

Now it's Carson's turn to gape at me. "Ho-home?" he murmurs.

"Yes. That's what amia bond is for," I reassure him. We look each other in the eyes and I can't turn away from his brown orbs. Truth to be told, I think I feel a desire to get to know him intimately, but that wouldn't be wise. Not now when he really needs a friend and not a one-night stand.

Tyche coughs next to me and announces: "This game will probably last for a few hours and we have barely had breakfast. How about we try to whip something up for lunch and ask the remaining sixteen questions during and after the meal?"

"This sounds like a good idea," David says and gets up. Carson moves out of his way and lets him go to the counter. "Tyche, will you do me the honour and help me with preparing our lunch?" David asks and I motion for Tyche to go.

She nods and gets up. "Of course. Let's see what's on the menu."

They both leave me and Carson sitting down, and walk to the kitchen. It's convenient that we're on our own but Tyche will still be able to hear me from the back. I wait for a short while but I can't hear anything which makes me worried. But Tyche is stronger than David so he wouldn't dare to do anything to her, right? Just then Tyche mindlinks me: "Look, there's extra padding all over the kitchen so I won't be able to hear you. If anything, mindlink me, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," I answer and blink back at Carson.

"Something important?" he asks tentatively.

"No, it was nothing," I answer slowly.

We sit for a moment in silence with our own thoughts, sipping our drinks. Suddenly, I don't know what to ask because questions about his childhood might be inappropriate and questions about his favourite food or song might sound lame.

In the end, he breaks the tension between us by asking: "So, you're training to be a doctor?"

"I thought about it when I was fifteen," I admit. "I even tried shadowing the courses in the human world because I was too young to be admitted to a medical school, but this field is so corrupted that it makes me sick."

He nods his head seriously. "I know exactly what you mean," he sighs and takes a big gulp of his tea. "Those who have power, money, connections or some of them combined, get all the attention and medical care while those who are poor, powerless or in need either die or have to be lucky enough to plead with a witch who has studied healing."

I blink at Carson, feeling lost for words. His emotions are so raw that it tears my heart.

"Are you . . ." I wet my lips and ask anyway, "Are you speaking from experience?"

He looks at the table and mutters something like: "Nah, why would I?"

"Carson, play according to the rules," I warn him. "We have agreed to tell the truth, haven't we?"

Carson rubs his left elbow and doesn't meet my gaze as he admits: "Okay, yes, I have encountered this kind of practice. And I have seen people, werewolves, sorcerers and even vampires die due to them."

Now, this is something I am shocked to hear. Not many people know that vampires can be harmed without fatal consequences. Everybody believes that, in fights, the vampires can only get disintegrated into ashes, but this is true for only two methods - losing their head and having their heart pierced or otherwise fatally damaged. Other wounds leave them injured just like the rest of us and they can recover. For an ordinary werewolf to know this . . . Who is Carson? What is his status?

"But how is that possible?" It slips past my lips without me noticing. Once it's out, I can't take it back. But the question isn't specific, so it will depend on how Carson wishes to answer.

He rubs his chin and shrugs. "You won't hurt me, right? For being a rogue and witnessing wars and conflicts first-hand?"

"Why would I hurt you? I've already told you that I don't belong to those who hunt rogues down!" I shoot back indignantly. I would never ever hurt him! What has he been through when he thinks that?

"Sorry, I'm just not used to people treating me . . . uh . . . fairly?" he apologises with a shrug.

I close my eyes to hide Diana peeking out, and lower my head. I take a breath and wonder: "So, you're a rogue werewolf, then. How long have you been a rogue?"

He stirs the leftovers of his tea and speaks to the cup rather than to me: "I left my pack shortly after I could shift into my wolf."

"And what about your parents? Weren't they against it?" I ask to better understand what relationship they had that they let their child become rogue at such an early age. But Carson's next sentence shatters everything.

"My mother was already dead and father didn't give a f*ck about me, so there wasn't anything holding me back," he admits nonchalantly, but I can grasp the faint bitterness and sorrow.

Poor boy. No wonder our souls are intertwined with the amia bond. I'm feeling highly aggrieved and remorseful that something like this is allowed in our world. I know that some packs victimize their weakest members, but no-one deserves such treatment. NO-ONE.

Before I can express my regret, he changes the topic. "Enough about my life. What about you? What is it like to be an Alpha's daughter in the Royal Guardian pack?"

He grants me a smile that doesn't reach his eyes but is as real as it can get. I offer him a smile in return and adjust my ponytail. "Well, I'm the oldest daughter, so I've got all the responsibility on my shoulders. And, I'm also the lady-in-waiting for the Princess."

Carson's eyes widen comically as he states: "So you know the Princess. Oh my, that's so great."

"Yeah, probably," I answer curtly and he blinks quickly as if realising something.

"I guess people throw themselves at the princess, right? And they try to use you to get on her good side, don't they?" he assumes and Diana purrs in our mind. She's starting to like Carson's personality even more now because he can see us for us and not for the title like all those ranked werewolves.

"If only you knew," I admit because I know that others usually tell all the compliments to my title and not to me. I'm a princess and I will soon become a queen but, still, I long to be just an Alpha's daughter who goes to solve wars, disputes and other things to packs all around the globe. However, one can't exist without the other.

"Well then, can I get to know you better? Will you let me?" he suggests and I love the idea.

I nod and feel myself blush. He's so kind and honest, and he seems to be wearing his heart on his sleeve. It's a nice change because I can be me, not the image others should know.

"Why are you blushing?" he asks sincerely. "Can't a young man be more interested in a mere lady-in-waiting than in the princess?"

I chuckle and shake my head no. Something occurs to me just then. "Anyway, when you say young, how old are you? You haven't told me, yet."

Carson makes a face. "I could ask you the same thing but it would be impolite. If I tell you mine, will you at least tell me if you're younger or older?"

"I am willing to tell you my age under the condition that you agree to meet me again in a place of my choice," I bargain and bat my eyelashes in a puppy look.

"Deal," he says almost immediately and offers me his hand. I shake it firmly and keep my hand in his because somehow it feels right. And he lets me! Neither of us speaks for a while so I prompt him: "So . . ."

"Oh, yes. I turned twenty in June," he says calmly.

"Then I'm younger than you," I lie easily because we, Lycans, celebrate only the decades. But the celebrations are grand and the whole pack gathers for a party held at the palace. To keep track of the years in between, we have small family celebrations with a cake and the parents always get a day-long vacation from all their duties.

Carson gulps nervously. "How much younger than me?"

"I'm nineteen," I offer, "well, almost nineteen. My birthday is coming soon."

"Gosh, you gained your wolf just a short while ago," he breathes out in awe. "Can I see her? Please? She's surely as gorgeous as you are."

I am sorry that I have to interrupt his excitement even though I like the flattery. "Not yet, Carson," I inform him carefully. "She's my most treasured part and I can't show her to strangers just like that." And, moreover, Diana is a Lycan, not a werewolf, so I would have to kill Carson if he ever saw her without my father's approval.

He nods his head ruefully with understanding etched in his posture, and he almost whispers: "I understand. We have just met officially for the first time."

I try to cheer him up with: "But Diana is very happy to have met you through my eyes. She thinks you're a good man and she likes you."

Carson's eyes light up and his face projects a megawatt smile that threatens to split his face in half. I grin as time seems to slow down and I almost completely ignore the fact that Tyche and David are returning with four plates full of food.

They both see us like this, holding hands on the table. David nods his head knowingly as if he knew exactly what was going on between me and Carson, while Tyche creases her forehead with a deep frown, presumably wondering what has been happening these past few minutes. Their emotions are laid out for me on a silver platter. But Carson remains a partial mystery all this time. Sometimes, he's like an open book and, sometimes, he's harder to read than my own father.

I pull my hand away from Carson and ask: "What are we having? It smells delicious."

Tyche sets her plates in front of me and her seat while David does the same for Carson, who looks at him with approval. "That was quick," he says and David shrugs.

"Tyche was a great help. She has a better sense of taste than me, so this time it shouldn't be underspiced," David says. Meanwhile, Carson has got up to let David slip to his seat. They seem to work together very well, just like me and Thaumas - we don't need words, we just know what the other is about to do. However, no-one paid attention to my previous question.

I look at Tyche who nods her head. "He would make it so bland that my heart ached. But, otherwise, he's a good cook." She points to my meal. "You should try it while it's still warm. They have a special homemade sauce for the steaks that tastes better than anything I have ever eaten."

I laugh because I don't trust her on this. She has travelled the world and tasted local meals from many different countries and every time she has tried something new, it was the best in all her life. Only on the second or the third time did she place it in the category "to eat" or "never again".

David smiles. "Bon appétit," he wishes to all of us and we all reply back.

"And now I would really like to know what we are having," I point out matter-of-factly.

"Oh, your dish is called steak salad," David explains. "Tyche said you liked blue cheese so we prepared you that. And she has taken a beef Taco."

"What about you, guys?" I wonder. My and Tyche's portions are big enough to satisfy a starving werewolf, but the guys have much smaller ones. Could it be that they aren't hungry?

"What about us? I've got a sandwich and David here a wrap," Carson says calmly and lifts the sandwich to his mouth. He could have told us something more because this was quite obvious, but I accept it because I'm starving.

I take the utensils and dig into the steak. The meat is tender and juicy. Tyche was right about David's cooking skills. And her keen sense of herbs made this perfect.

A moan escapes my lips as I savour the taste with my eyes closed. Tyche next to me chuckles and I can feel a pair of eyes fixed on me. When I open mine, the men are looking at their meal and not at me.

Carson sets his sandwich down and points out with a serious expression but jerking the corners of his lips: "If you need some privacy with the steak, I suggest that you go to the kitchen. Nobody will bother you there."

I don't take his bait and reply easily: "Oh, why would I? I like your company and, if anything, I can take this matter to my home. Are you willing to accompany us?"

This leaves Carson open-mouthed. So, it really is true in his case – the best defence is the actual attack. And we have talked about meeting under my conditions. Unfortunately, I can't take him to my home as it would be his death sentence. What should I do now?