Bigfoot’s Mate (Mates for Monsters: Sasquatch #3)

14. Dafydd

Today…

My head feels like a herd of elephants are dancing a jig inside my skull. Note to self: drinking an entire barrel of Giir does not cure heartbreak. At all. Though, in my defense, it seemed like a solid plan at the time.

I squint at the wall of monitors in the control room, trying to focus. The screens blur together in a nauseating swirl of green and black. Is that movement in sector seven, or am I just seeing double?

My soulstone gives a pathetic little hum, reminding me exactly why I drank myself into oblivion last night.

"Shut up," I mutter at it.

Rock bottom, meet Dafydd.

The sound of footsteps in the corridor makes me wince. Every echo feels like a hammer to my skull. Maybe if I just close my eyes for a minute...

"Dafydd?"

That voice. I know that voice. My eyes snap open and I jerk upright so fast I crack my head on the low-hanging stalactite above my workstation.

"Ow! Son of a—" I rub my throbbing head, blinking to clear my vision. And there she is. Deborah. My precious. Standing in the doorway looking more radiant than ever.

Wait. What's she doing here? Didn’t she leave? Am I still drunk?

"We need to talk," she says, wringing her hands.

My heart does a backflip in my chest. "About what? I thought you made yourself pretty clear yesterday." The words come out harsher and more bitter than intended.

"I'm sorry." She takes a step closer. "I didn’t mean it."

“Didn’t man it?” I grip the edge of my desk, anchoring myself. “Which part?”

“The part about leaving. The part about not belonging here. The part about not mixing species. The part about...us not belonging together.” She takes another step. "I didn't mean any of it."

Hope flutters in my chest like a trapped bird, but I squash it down. “You didn’t mean any of it?”

“Not a word.” She's close enough now that I can smell her springtime scent. "You're better than any human man I've ever known. And you’re perfect for me.”

My soulstone perks up, humming hopefully.

"Then why?" The words scrape out of my throat. "Why would you say all that? Why would you leave me?"

Her eyes fill with tears. "Because I thought I was dying. Because I love you and I didn't want you to have to watch that happen."

“Dying?” I rub my forehead. “You’re not dying. I healed you."

"I know, but..." She wipes her eyes. "When I started having similar symptoms again—dizziness, nausea, upset stomach—I thought it meant the illness was back."

"Wait." Something clicks in my addled brain. "You're feeling dizzy? And nauseous?"

Panic grips me. Did the transfusion not work? Is she still sick? I'll drain every drop of blood from my body if that's what it takes to?—

“Yep.” A small smile plays on her lips and for the life of me, I don’t know why she thinks this is something to smile about. "Turns out it's just morning sickness."

"Morning sickness, oh, okay… Wait.” The world stops spinning. “Morning sickness! As in…”

“That’s right. You know, the kind that comes with..." She gestures to her stomach.

My jaw drops. "You're... we're... there's a..."

Words fail me completely. My soulstone, however, has plenty to say about it, lighting up like fireworks and humming so loud it probably registers on the seismic monitors.

"We're having a baby." She beams up at me. "A little Squatch."

I'm moving before I realize it, scooping her up in my arms and spinning her around the control room. Security cameras forgotten, my booming laugh echoes off the cave walls.

"A baby!" I press my forehead to hers. "Our baby."

"So..." She loops her arms around my neck. "Does this mean we’re okay?"

“Okay?” I nuzzle her nose with mine. “We’re better than okay. You're here. You're staying. We're having a baby. We’re perfect.”

"Even though I acted like a complete idiot?"

"Hey now." Keeping my arms around her, I sit down in my chair, placing her gently in my lap. "Nobody talks about my mate like that. Not even my fated mate."

Her eyes go soft. “Fated mate. I like that."

She buries her face in my furry shoulder and I swear I hear her mumble in a faint whisper, “I’m home.”