Tails and Tentacles (Miracle: Salvation Isle #5)

5. CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

This had to be a dream. Nothing else made sense. It would explain the fear he’d felt at the beach as many times dreams changed at a whim. That odd sensation of wanting to flee yet yearning to swim closer, had confused him, but not if he was dreaming. Right?

The fact that every hair on Channing’s body was straining to get closer to Baz despite his daughter being in between them on the floor made it even more plausible. After all, in what universe would Channing not only invite a stranger into his home but allow him to sit right next to his daughter with no chance of protecting her from the large, muscular man?

Admittedly, since Baz was his mate, it would also justify all that happened as well, but what were the odds that his mate just swam right up to the small, remote island? It was already miniscule, but that he’d been wrapped around a dolphin as if he’d been catching a ride meant it was zero to none.

That said, even though he most likely was dreaming, Channing desperately wanted it to be real. Before going off to university, he would have never imagined wanting a child. It was one reason he’d fled his parent’s home, who had been doing everything in their power to marry him off so he could start a family.

But the moment he’d given birth to Selah, Channing had been completely head over heels in love. She was his life. The very reason for his existence. Meeting his mate, having him accept Selah as theirs, was… everything to him. It made him whole. Maybe his parents were right. Sort of.

Finding just anyone to have a family with, like they had as they weren’t mates, wasn’t even remotely close to what it felt like to be near his mate. To smell him. Drink him in visually. Even the slight touch of Baz’s hand on his knee had been so much more than he’d ever experienced with any of his ex-boyfriends.

“Are you real?” he finally asked when Selah had thrown one of her toys at Channing to get him to play. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt heat flooding his face.

Baz didn’t laugh. He just reached over Saleh and cupped Channing’s face with one hand. “I get it. This seems so…”

“Surreal,” Channing breathed out.

“Exactly.” Baz leaned closer, but before he got too close, Saleh threw a ball at him with a determined look on her face.

Not having the words to tell Baz what she wanted, instead she looked pointedly at the ball that had bounced across the tiny living area then back at him, only to return her gaze once again on the ball. Grinning at his daughter’s antics because it was too damn cute to even attempt to do anything else, Channing waited to see what Baz would do.

He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling lightly when Baz crawled across the floor and grabbed the ball in his large hand. He nearly toppled over with glee when Baz sat a few feet from Saleh and rolled the ball right to her.

She giggled with happiness and pushed the ball in Baz’s direction. Because she still wasn’t that coordinated, it ended up taking a sharp left turn toward the door, forcing Baz to crawl over to it when she pointedly looked right at him as if daring him to just sit there.

Baz didn’t even appear to be put out in the least, as he went over to the ball and rolled it to her again. He even clapped when she not only caught it with her hands, but also got it back to him. “Good job,” Baz praised, expression beaming with pride as if he’d been the one to accomplish a great feat instead of Saleh.

Was it possible to fall instantly in love? Channing had no clue, but he was fairly certain watching Baz interact with Saleh, even if it had only been a few minutes, made it happen. Tears pricked his eyes as he’d never imagined he would ever find his mate, much less that his mate would not only be okay with him having a child but accept her as his.

He might be watching their natural interaction with his own eyes, but it didn’t seem possible. Within minutes they were giggling together as Baz taught her to bounce the ball, sending it in crazy directions. She’d laugh even harder whenever Baz crawled after it, as if it was how he generally moved around.

His hand went to his chest as it tightened in happiness. Damn, but they were so cute together.

“What about dada?” Baz asked Saleh. “We should include him in the fun.”

Saleh didn’t hesitate as she bounced the ball in Channing’s direction. It didn’t land anywhere near him after hitting the corner of the wall that led to the small galley kitchen, but it was clear she fully expected him to go after it. When he got to his feet, she frowned at him, shook her head, and said, “Dada,” to get his attention.

That caused Baz to give a deep, throaty chuckle. “I think she wants you to crawl like we are.”

Dropping onto his knees, Channing crawled. After about fifteen minutes, they were all giggling so hard he couldn't imagine Baz had only been a part of their lives for less than an hour. They could have played all day, but a soft knock on the door interrupted them.

Baz stood and opened the door. His frame was blocking the doorway, as if protecting Channing and Saleh from whoever was there.

“I heard laughing, so I’m hoping all is going well.”

Channing froze as he recognized that voice. “Braydon?” he exclaimed, rushing to the door to see if he’d hallucinated his best friend.

Baz moved to the side to give him room. Sure enough, standing at his front door was his best friend. Not even thinking, he rushed to Braydon and threw his arms around him. Braydon hugged him back just as fiercely.

There were two growls of warning. One from right next to him and the other from just beyond Braydon. When the man he didn’t know yanked Braydon from his embrace, Channing felt himself take several steps back until he was partially shielded by Baz.

“Karim,” Braydon warned as he smacked the man’s thick bicep. “Stop it.” Then he glanced back at Channing before rolling his eyes. “Sorry, my mate’s a bit… protective.”

Yet even though he said the words, it was obvious Braydon was happy that his mate was. Considering he felt better when Baz placed a hand across the front of Channing’s body and pushed him fully behind him, blocking Karim from getting near him, Channing couldn’t exactly blame the way his friend enjoyed being protected by his mate.

“Anyway, the reason we interrupted is because Karim generously left right after we arrived and brought back a boat.” He must have seen the panic Channing felt at the thought of being back out there, where the humans might once more attack them. “Don’t worry, Channing, he brought reinforcements. We’ll be perfectly safe. I promise.”

Baz let out a low growl as one arm went around Channing, even as he bent down and scooped up Saleh, who had crawled over to them and had been doing her best to get between them. In that instant, he fell even deeper for his mate. That he clearly would lay down his life for Channing was normal for a mate, but that he would do the same thing for Saleh meant everything to him.

“No one will ever get close to you again,” Baz stated, as if he alone could stop it from happening. “I swear it.”

If only it were that easy. Mates might prefer to be near each other, but that wasn’t always possible. There would be times when he wasn’t around. For that matter, even if he had been around the day the humans had rolled into town with their overwhelming forces and weapons, there would have been nothing he could have done.

Still, just hearing his mate make that promise released the tension that seemed to be a living, breathing thing inside of him since he and so many other shifters had been captured.

The thought of that day brought the memory of Braydon’s family to the forefront. Glancing back to his friend, he asked, “Please tell me you were able to free Ellery, Zayan, and little Maylee.”

Braydon reached out and touched Channing’s arm in reassurance. “We did, but we still haven’t found my sister or brother-in-law.”

Tears pricked Channing’s eyes at the thought of Saleh having to live without him. It wasn’t fair. Not that the humans gave a shit about them. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he put his arms around his best friend despite the growl of warning coming from Karim. Although, part of that might be because Braydon was glaring at his mate as if he was going to kill him if he kept it up.

Baz, on the other hand, only stepped closer to protect him if needed. But he seemed to understand Channing’s need to comfort his friend and wasn’t about to interrupt.

He was certain the man couldn’t be perfect, but so far, he’d proven to be the mate Channing needed.