Chapter 13 #2
“We did go camping. It’s a two day journey along the path. We had to pitch a tent and everything.”
“You camped on the Path of Souls? Are you crazy?”
He smiled at her. “I’d walk any path and camp anywhere to bring you your soul’s desire, my love.”
My heart just about melted as I surged off the bed, then whirled to stare at him. “You walked the Path of Souls for me?”
He sat up and swung his legs around so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing me. “Of course, I did. Who else would I walk the Path for?”
The Path of Souls was notoriously difficult to walk.
Worse, one’s soul might cry out for many things, sometimes things you didn’t even know you wanted, which made it a terrible risk.
You could end up with something you never consciously wished for and that you’d rather give back.
It was the ultimate case of be careful what you wish for.
It was the very rare supernatural whose soul request was granted, which was another reason so few of them chose to walk the Path of Souls. To endure something so challenging with very little hope of success was enough to keep most people away.
“Hold on. Did Elliot walk the Path of Souls too?”
“Nope. He told me I was crazy, that he’d only come along to give me a cover story, and that I was on my own when it came to walking the path. He camped out at the entrance. Wouldn’t even take one step onto it.”
I snorted. “Well, at least one of you had some common sense. So… what are we talking about here? Is my surprise the same as Yukiko’s?”
“Not even close.” He chuckled. “I asked for a kitten familiar for my mate.”
I gasped.
“And my wish was granted. Sort of.”
“Sort of? Let me see, let me see!”
With a grin, he hopped off the bed, walked to the door, swung it open and whistled.
A moment later, the most adorable, rainbow-colored cat came racing in.
I fell to my knees and she leapt into my arms. “Oh, my goddess, she’s adorable.”
“Yeah, well, she keeps changing colors. And shapes, so don’t count on her always being a cat. Or rainbow-colored. Or cute.”
I giggled as the kitten batted at my hair. “So, if she’s not a cat, what is she?”
“She’s the unicorn of the supernatural world, my love.”
My head jerked up. “A Fae Familiar?”
“Yep.”
“But they hardly ever leave the Fae realm and never for a non-Fae.”
He shrugged. “I guess she wanted an adventure. But that also means you probably shouldn’t count on her sticking around. The Fae are notoriously unreliable.”
“Even if she’s only here for a day, she’s the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me.” I cuddled the kitten close and played with her for a while until she decided she was done playing and sauntered out the door.
“I wonder if she’ll be back.” I grinned up at Vorzak. “You know what? I’m okay either way. Cat or no cat, my life is pretty damn perfect with you and The Hissies in it.”
In one synchronized movement, The Hissies all reached down for me and yanked me up off the floor into Vorzak’s arms.
Before he could kiss me, though, I leaned back and said, “Hold on. I have a question.”
Vorzak and his snakes froze, The Hissies in the middle of wrapping themselves around us, and looked at me, impatience stamped all over their faces.
I snickered and hurriedly asked, “So, why weren’t The Hissies mad when I was playing with Rainbow? They’ve been very adamantly opposed to me getting a familiar and especially a feline one.”
“Well, like I said, she’s not exactly a cat. They may be a little intimidated by her.”
All five snakes reared back and hissed at Vorzak, who just grinned.
“Plus, I bribed them.”
I snickered. “With what?”
“Well, since they had to walk the Path of Souls with me, I figured they could maybe ask for something too.”
“Aw, that’s adorable. What did they ask for?”
Hissies.
Talk.
Zak.
Kiko.
Jazzy.
“Wait. What?”
“Apparently when we mated and you gained the ability to hear The Hissies, Yukiko lost hers.”
I gasped. “She never said anything. No wonder she seemed so sad when The Hissies were waving at her sometimes.”
“I know. I had no idea either. Anyway, I guess they missed her. So, now we’re just one big happy family.”
“Wait. Does that mean you can hear them now, too?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I had to listen to them all the way back down the Path of Souls. Do you know how irritating it is to listen to a bunch of snakes lecture you for hours on end for abandoning your mate?”
I burst into laughter. “They can’t have been that bad. They’re so sweet. And they’re not exactly verbose.”
“Oh, they can be. Trust me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
“I’m serious. They’ve clearly mastered their communication skills. Talking my ears off when all I want is the bliss of silence. Next thing you know, when I actually want them to talk to me, they’ll be giving me the silent treatment.”
I snorted with laughter. “You are so ridiculous.”
Hissies.
Chat.
Kiko.
Jazzy.
No Zak.
I giggled. “Okay. You might have a tiny point.”
He scowled at me. “What are they saying? They’re talking to you, aren’t they? I can’t believe they’re leaving me out of the conversation.”
“Of course not. They adore you. They would never ignore you.”
Hissies.
Ignore.
Zak.
Many.
Times.
Shit. I couldn’t stop the snort from escaping.
“I knew it,” Vorzak snarled. “This is even worse than before. At least then I could pretend they weren’t ignoring me or excluding me. But there’s no pretending now.”
I grinned. “It could be worse, you know. They could be chatting your ears off.”
He scowled. “I’m sure that’s coming up next.”
Hissies.
Love.
Jazzy.
Kissies.
Please.
I giggled. “I love you guys, too.” I dropped kisses on their heads as they darted in front of me, over and over again, until Vorzak got tired of waiting his turn.
He lifted his arms, shoved The Hissies out of the way and claimed my mouth in a scorching hot kiss that erased all thoughts from my head.
He tumbled me back onto the bed where he and The Hissies proceeded to show me exactly how perfect for me they really were.