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Sage let his gaze travel around the lobby of The Stables. He’d never seen anything quite like this—his years in the Navy had brought him all over the world, but usually with sparse accommodations. This was a level of grandeur he’d never envisioned, especially given that the service provided seemed a little seedy at its core.
“Dad,” Carina said. She tugged once on his wrist. “Look, there’s some comfy chairs over there. I’ll just go read, okay?”
Before Sage could agree, Carina walked confidently across the lobby and sat on a red, tufted pouf chair. He watched his nine-year-old daughter with a mix of pride and sadness. In a year, she might be on her own. Sage swallowed the lump in his throat. This whole trip was because of her. And although Sage could tell that Carina knew the somber importance of the journey, she was as quiet and self-possessed as ever. She’d always been an easy kid. It broke his heart to think that he might not be around to see her grow into a woman.
Sage couldn’t believe how nervous he felt. He shook his head, thinking of how his fellow sailors would laugh if they saw him now. For two years, he’d been in charge of a SEAL platoon of fifteen other men. They’d been to hell and back, and Sage had stayed strong through all of it. But now, getting nervous at the prospect of mating with a púca? That was total bullshit.
“You gonna stand there with your trap open or are you planning to have a blather with us?”
Sage straightened his shoulders. At the other end of the long hall, two people stood behind the front desk. Wait, he thought. Are they still technically people? Or are they púca even in human form? This is fucking confusing! He couldn’t remember what that memoir about the púca his daughter had read said about it. It’d been all over every television station and bestseller list for weeks now.
Sage walked over to the desk without replying. The man who’d called out to him was young and had the strapping good looks of an action-movie star. The woman standing next to him was even better. Sage realized that even though she wasn’t smiling, she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. Her long, dark hair was shiny and full, and her dark eyes sparkled with intelligence and humor. She hadn’t even opened her mouth, but Sage could tell that she was both sarcastic and incredibly observant.
“Hey,” Sage said in a low voice. “I’d like to fill out a mating application.”
The woman raised an eyebrow at him. Her lips twisted into a sexy smirk, and she pushed a clipboard over the counter toward him. A quick glance down told Sage that the paperwork was much more businesslike than he’d expected. Although, upon further reflection, Sage wasn’t exactly sure what he’d been anticipating. The forms were complicated, almost similar to everything he’d had to fill out before starting chemo. It didn’t seem romantic at all.
“You can fill it out over there,” the woman said, pointing behind Sage toward the red pouf chairs where Carina sat with her book. “If you have any questions, just ask.”
He nodded. “Thanks.”
Sage took a seat in a chair across from his daughter. His mouth hardened into a line as he picked up a pen and began to write. There was a detailed medical history section, and he let the pen hesitate over the paper as he thought about how to summarize his situation in the few brief sentences that the space would allow. Maybe it was better to skip that part for now. If they asked him he’d tell them the truth, but there was no need to blow his chances of finding a willing mate. He moved onto the next section. They really didn’t give you a lot of space, despite the in-depth questions.
“Is there more room?” He glanced up at the young woman. At rest, her face had a sullen look about it that still managed to be alluring.
“You can write on the back if you need to,” the woman replied. “You’re American?”
Sage tapped the questionnaire with the nib of the pen. “Yeah. From Jacksonville, in North Carolina, by the coast.”
The woman stared. A twinge of arousal tightened his pants around his crotch. He inhaled sharply and tried to return his attention to the mating application. All the information they wanted spelled out his entire life story, but the way the sexy woman at the desk was looking at him, it was almost as though she could see into his soul. Sage kind of wondered what sort of powers púca had, and if she really could.
* * *
MAELÍOSA POUTED AS the man went back to filling out the application. “Curious fella,” she said in a low voice to Kieran. “You ever see someone with a babby before?”
Kieran shook his head. “Not in here,” he said. “Wonder what the deal is.”
Maelíosa shrugged. Normally, she would’ve felt like snickering—was it really appropriate for a potential client to bring in his kid? She wouldn’t have let Darcy hang around The Stables, and Maelíosa thought that Fallon would probably agree with her. But there was something about the man that made him strangely appealing. Or at least, strangely immune to her scorn.
The silence of the lobby was punctuated by the scratching sound of the man’s pen gliding across the application. Maelíosa watched as he wrote information down with an incredibly intense look on his face. She wasn’t used to clients like this. Most of the applicants who came into The Stables were happy, blushing women who came in with their friends, tipsy from a drink at Tí Joe Watty’s, daring each other to apply for a púca mate. This man was serious, sombre. He crossed the room and handed his application off to Maelíosa, and a tingle shot up her arm as their hands touched.
“Right then,” Maelíosa said, trying to sound casual. She looked down at the papers in her hand. “Thanks, Sage.” Tucking the papers into a brown envelope, she turned to face him. His expression was curiously hard again, and Maelíosa felt a flicker of annoyance. Why isn’t he enjoying himself? Mating is supposed to be exciting. For a moment, she wondered if he was nervous that female púca wouldn’t be attracted to him. Then she realised that was impossible—the man was bloody gorgeous. No. That can’t be it. Maelíosa’s mare pranced nervously around and she tossed her head, trying to stay focused.
“Well, what now?” Sage shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“Someone will call you for an interview in a few days,” Maelíosa said. “And if you’re a good fit, you’ll go right onto the waiting list.”
Sage’s expression grew stonier. “And how long is that waiting list?”
“About a year and a half, mate,” Kieran interjected. “At least a year.”
“That’s not possible,” Sage said, his voice rising. His hand curled into a fist and Maelíosa flinched as he brought it down hard on the front desk. “I’m not waiting a fucking year!”
“Sir, this is our policy, and if you’d taken the time to research before visiting...” She trailed off, suddenly sensing the man’s anger was more powerful than her own authority. “We need to verify the information you’ve given us, find a suitable match, and make sure you’re both ready to take the final step, because mating is for life. I’m sorry, but that’s our policy.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Sage gritted out. “I don’t have a year.”
Maelíosa shook her head. “I’m sorry. Our policy is in place for a number of reasons, most of which are designed to protect you.”
She thought of the mess Tomas had made with Cyn and the world of pain it’d brought to her father’s relationship. The Stables was designed as a safe, controlled environment where potential mates could get to know one another before they crossed the veil and went through with the mating ceremony. They didn’t want another bloody disaster on their hands. Mates were selected with care and given time to make sure they were right for one another.
“Then I demand to speak to your supervisor,” Sage said sharply. His voice was powerful and commanding—Maelíosa felt a little shiver go down the small of her back. With the exception of Fallon, there was no man willing to stand up to her the way that Sage was right now.
“Hey,” Kieran shot back, and leaned across the desk, looking menacing. “If you can’t shut your cake-hole, I’ll throw you out of here myself!”
Maelíosa tugged Kieran’s sleeve. “Kieran,” she whispered loudly. “Cut it out.”
The grey-eyed girl had closed the book on her lap and was hanging on every word of their exchange.
