Delivered to My Elves (Mail-Order Matings #18)

Chapter Seven

Misty

All the wallowing had led to my downloading the Mail-Order Matings app. Something I had been fighting ever since Anita had such a great experience and pushed me in that direction. But I already had my sights set on Rob who I was convinced was my fated mate. I was just waiting for him to also realize it.

How long did I have to wait in hopes of finding someone to spend my life with? Anita had two without even trying. Or at least that was how she told it. And she got love in the package, but not everyone could be as lucky. And I really was glad for her.

But now that I wasn’t quite as freaked out by what I’d walked in on, I could recognize all the things I’d chosen to ignore over the past months. I’d come close to throwing myself on Rob, despite being given no real encouragement. No wonder I felt so foolish.

But did that mean I had to give up all dreams of a true and loving fated mating?

I told the elves I would talk to them on the phone, and surely I needed to give them at least that much. What could it hurt?

It could hurt me. They were very good-looking from the photos in their bios, way out of my league. Say I went along with the whole thing and became their baby mama. Their breeder. That didn’t sound like the way I wanted to spend my whole life. Could I? I had so many questions about their expectations from this relationship and what it meant for both them and me. If we were going to have babies together, then what about after the children grew up? Would we go our own ways then and only meet up for special occasions? Would the young and their families have to divide the holidays?

What holidays did elves even celebrate? Of course, all the lore about them being Santa’s helpers would imply Christmas was a big one for them, but somehow I doubted that the myths were the actuality of their life. But it didn’t matter what the holidays were. Only that if we did have children together, they didn’t have to put up with the nonsense I saw human children of divorce dealing with. Important topic to discuss.

As a shifter and someone who encountered various paranormal entities, I had thought nothing would surprise me, but a skim through the app with different search parameters showed me a variety of beings I either thought were entirely fairy tale/myth or had never even heard of. My elves—if I could call them mine at this point—and I were pretty darn mundane in comparison to medusas and gargoyles. Were they even able to go in public without creating a scene, or did they have some sort of shifter ability?

All the questions. And ones that might be difficult to discuss without being able to see their faces and gauge their reactions by more than just their voices. Known fact: Many paranormals can use their vocalizations to impose their will on listeners. We were going to need a video call. And with only five minutes before our phone meeting was planned, I’d also need a postponement because a glance in the mirror revealed a woman who could drive away even elves more interested in her uterus than her heart.

Put that way, it sounded bad.

Still… I sent a message to our group text.

Sorry but I need a little more time before our call. Are you both free in about two hours? Also…video call okay?

My heart hammered behind my ribs as I waited for their reply. I hoped they wouldn’t ask why I made the request because, I’m a mess right now not fit to be seen wasn’t going to make me sound better.

But to my relief, I got two quick agreements and left my phone in the living room while I headed for the shower. I supposed I could have skipped that step and just done my hair and makeup and changed, but my hair never looked its best unless it was freshly washed, and I needed every ounce of confidence I could muster.

As I smoothed scented lotion on my damp skin, I giggled a little because even in video they’d never know if I smelled good or bad. But it was part of my “date” routine; plus, I liked the plumeria scent floating around me. My hair wrapped up in a towel to absorb as much water as possible, I faced the mirror and pulled open the drawer where I kept my makeup. I’d never worn a lot of it until the big “crush,” when I had spent way too much time getting ready for work and slathering on the makeup as I got more desperate, and I almost closed the drawer again. But then I thought…why should I allow my previous foolishness to color my current decisions? So to speak.

But I used a light hand applying eyeliner and mascara, a little bronzer and colored lip oil. The false eyelashes lay in their box. I hated them and had never gotten used to them. In a moment of pique, I tossed them into the trash. I wasn’t going to need them to provide babies to the elves.

With my hair dried and in long, soft curls, I donned a pretty blue tee and the locket with my mother’s picture in it that I wore when I needed luck. Funny, I’d never worn it to the office. Maybe because Mom wouldn’t have approved of Rob? She’d always been smart about people.

Finally, five minutes before the video call was scheduled, I sat down on the sofa with my phone, a cup of tea, and my heart in my throat.