Mated to the Wizard

18 - Fix Him

The next morning, I wander down the stairs in a sleep induced state and pour myself a bowl of cereal. The rest of my family are out, either at school, training, or dropping Sophie off at nursery.

Stuffing a spoon of Shredded Wheat in my mouth, I only just register the knock on the front door. Groaning in annoyance, I go to open it, not even caring that I'm only wearing sweatpants and a tank top from when I was a teenager.

Gabe stands behind the door, a worried expression on his face. His hair is ruffled and he's wearing blue jeans and a black shirt. A rushed outfit.

"Hey Gabe," I smile, inviting him in and getting ready to ask him about whatever is bothering him. He walks in cautiously, looking around the kitchen. I forget he probably hasn't been in here before. "What's up?" I add as I walk back into the kitchen and pick up my bowl again.

"Did you have something to do with this?" my spoon literally falls out my mouth at the sound of his voice. I totally forgot about Everest and my telling him to give Gabe his voice back. It's deeper than I would've thought, but that's no bad thing. It sounds husky and smooth at the same time, with a very slight English accent. I can't help but run up and hug him, letting a small squeal leave my lips.

"You can talk! Oh my Goddess!" I giggle. Gabe doesn't mirror my excited expression. In fact, he looks concerned. "What?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Have you been in contact with him? You did this, didn't you?" he questions desperately trying to get answers. I swallow hard and shake my head.

"N-no. He must've just decided to give it back." I lie, not meeting his eyes and instead focusing on my cereal. If he knew I've talked to Everest, he would try and keep me away from him, I'm sure.

"But he's not the kind to do that!" he exclaims, slamming his hand on the table and seemingly buying my lie. I decide to make coffee; I won't have to look at him, and I think he needs it anyway. I pour the instant powder into two mugs and fill them with boiling water. I can practically hear the concentration in Gabe's head as he tries to figure out the meaning behind the sudden change in mood from his hybrid cousin.

I turn around and hand Gabe the steaming mug, milk no sugar, as he said when we first met. I take a seat and Gabe absent-mindedly follows suit at the other side of the table. I realise this is my best opportunity to try and understand the cause for Everest needing me dead. He's stressing about Everest anyway, and I wouldn't want to bring it up when he's in a good mood. Gabe is his cousin, so maybe he'll know? Everest never really explained why, and I didn't push. I should've, but I didn't.

"You obviously know him well, then." I start, swirling my spoon in my own steaming mug. Gabe looks up at me and nods.

"Yeah, we grew up together. He was good when we were kids, but then he changed a few years before he had Ben. Now he's not the same." He replies with a hollow chuckle, shaking his head at his coffee. "Goddess knows why the fates would pair you two. You know, you look like a sweet girl, Avery."

"Thank you." I mutter quietly, placing the spoon down on the table. We sit in comfortable silence for a minute before I speak again. "If you were close to him, do you know why he wants to kill me?" I ask boldly. I don't want to be interrogating him for answers, but Everest won't give them to me, and I feel desperate. For some reason, I feel like I'm crossing a line asking my mate because it seems like such a touchy subject. I know I shouldn't feel this way. Although, I do feel slightly invincible being around him and knowing he can't kill me without strengthening the bond. I know he has my permission to mark me in exchange for Gabe's voice, but after he acted last night, I know he won't try anything without telling me he's going to do it first. Something in him knows it's wrong to do what he wants to do, so he wouldn't force himself on me, and I just hope he feeds that side of him to figure out a different way around the problem before it's too late.