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

Chapter Twenty-Two

Callon

Our mate lay in our arms, sleeping sweetly, her long blonde hair spread across the pillow. It was not light out yet because of the short days, but it didn’t matter. I would gladly spend the rest of the winter here and only get up for food and water. Or coffee. We really did need coffee, or at least I did.

And while thinking of coffee, I decided that the best way to avoid having to leave our bed was for me to make breakfast and bring it back with me. Easing free of Misty, I slipped out of the covers and tiptoed into the bathroom to clean up. A quick shower later, I was in the kitchen setting up the coffeepot. Would Misty think we were old-fashioned with our stovetop percolator and lack of microwave? It wasn’t that we couldn’t have one, but neither of us felt they were good for much more than reheating, and we weren’t big on leftovers. Mostly because we tended to eat everything we cooked.

I stirred up the coals and added wood to the fireplace before returning to the kitchen to consider what I could prepare for our mate. Our. Mate. I’d never tire of the phrase as it concerned Misty. She’d been incredible last night, and now I understood why mates were such a big deal. Nothing had prepared me for the intensity of lovemaking or the sweetness of her kisses. We had dated other women, even elves from other villages, and I’d have sworn that the reason it never worked out was because the females were not interested in having two mates or just didn’t like us in general.

But, as I measured the dry ingredients for my special waffles, I recalled the past attempts and recognized that the rejections had been as much on our part as the females’. There just hadn’t been any chemistry, and we sure as heck never glowed. I set the waffle iron on the stovetop to heat. I always used buckwheat and regular flour, sifting them carefully along with baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to get any lumps out before adding melted butter and milk and a good splash of vanilla.

While the waffle iron heated, I fried bacon and cut up some fruit to serve on the side. Our mate had burned a lot of calories last night, and I was taking my duty to help her stay healthy seriously.

“It smells amazing in here.”

I pivoted on a heel to see Misty standing in the doorway of the kitchen wearing only a long T-shirt—one of mine. Was there anything sexier than that? She hadn’t combed her hair yet, but on her, bedhead looked amazing. I set down the fork I’d been using to turn the bacon and held out my arms. “Good morning, mate.” She came closer, and I enfolded her in a warm hug. “I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”

“Really? Nobody’s ever done that for me before.”

“It’s a special morning.” And nobody had ever done a lot of things for her. We’d have felt the same way about her even if we hadn’t been her first, but the fact that we were made me very happy. I’d never thought of myself as possessive, but turned out that where a mate was concerned, I was one jealous elf. I’d seen it among our friends and laughed at them. “Coffee is about done. Would you like a cup?”

“Yes. You’re a saint. But I’ll get it myself. You’ve got your hands full with the bacon and…is that a waffle thingy?”

“A waffle iron, yes. You’ve never seen one?”

“No. I knew they existed, but never encountered one in the wild. Want to know a secret?”

I nuzzled her throat, inhaling her changed scent. Mating did that, I’d been told, and the complex fragrance confirmed it. “Tell me, please.”

“I always order waffles when I go out for breakfast.” She tipped her face up and kissed me, slowly and thoroughly, before stepping back. “I didn’t even know they could be made at home.”

“Oh, in that case, would you like a lesson? Waffles are my specialty, and this iron was my grandmother’s.”

“No guarantees on my skills, but I’m willing to try.”

I wrapped Misty in an apron we kept for messy cooking and guided her over to the stove. Standing behind her, I showed her how to open the iron and ladle in the correct amount of batter. I helped her flip it over halfway through cooking and when it stopped steaming, it was done.

Misty clapped her hands and gave me a big kiss. “That was so cool. How long has this been going on? Is it like the secret menu at fast-food places—nobody knows how easy it really is? A single waffle at brunch costs so much.”

“I don’t think it’s a secret exactly, but maybe people don’t know how it’s done. I think most who do it use an electric iron.”

“Oh no. I like this one.” She proceeded to make a few more with only a little help from me, and only stopped when she’d scraped up the last of the batter.

Aerin appeared, yawning and stretching, just as we’d set the food on the table. He sniffed appreciatively and headed for the coffeepot. We all sat around the table as if we’d been mates our whole lives, laughing and talking and eating.

And I had never been happier. Ever. We were mated and ready to start a life together. Misty wasn’t here to be a breeder. She was our mate, a gift from Fate, and although I hoped we’d have many babies together, even if we didn’t have one, I had no doubt our life together would be wonderful.