Chapter Five
W aking, Jost lay in bed and listened to his parents move around the house. He heard Otto laughing and smiled slightly, then rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. Apollo. His mate. Sitting up, he opened his eyes as he threw the covers back, then stopped. He wasn’t sure what to do now that he had met his mate. The old fears rose inside him, making his breath catch. He wanted his mate. He’d wanted his mate for as long as he’d known mates existed, and now that he’d met his, he wanted to run to him at the same time as he wanted to run from him.
Then he had to be content with the fact his mate was classed as a prey species. Even though Apollo was the leader of his group, or dazzle as they were called, he was still prey. Some would laugh at the fact that a lion was mated to a zebra, but this zebra had power leaking from his pores. Jost had felt it wash over him when they first met, felt the way his body had responded, swaying to him as his mind forced him to move in the opposite direction. A strange push and pull effect, and Jost was lost in the middle of it. His human side urging caution while his shifter side wanted to jump straight in.
Sighing, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stopped again. Running a hand over his face, he looked at his feet, then scrunched his toes into the thick rug he had beside the bed. His lion luxuriated in items like this, especially as he lay in the sun. Giving himself a shake, he stood and put his slippers on, then went downstairs.
Seeing Ella, his mom, he hugged her, then sat at the table. Otto and Freya were both there, and as Ella put a plate of food in front of him, Jost murmured, “I met my mate last night.”
Silence descended for a few brief seconds, then Anslem asked, “What was that?”
Lifting his eyes to meet his dad’s, he said, “I met my mate at the club last night. You’ve met him. Apollo, the leader of the local dazzle.”
“A zebra?” Freya’s eyes widened. “But you’re a lion. How does a lion end up with a zebra for a mate?”
Jost shrugged as Ella said, “It’s fate’s way, and Apollo is their leader. An alpha.”
“But he’s prey. We’re predators. Won’t it cause some problems?” Otto looked at Jost, then to Ella. “Mom?”
“How was he?” Anslem asked. “How did he treat you?”
“He took care of me. I had a panic attack. I haven’t had one in so long, but I saw him and… it happened.”
“And he took care of you,” Anslem stressed.
“Yeah, he did. He took me out of the club, and we had a drink in a little cafe, then he called me a cab home.” Jost drew a pattern on the table. “He gave me his number. Said we could go out in public, so I’d feel safer.” Wiping a hand over his face, Jost blew out his breath. “He knew without me saying anything, and he was kind to me.”
“I’ve met him. When we moved here, I wanted to talk to him to make sure he was okay with us living here. He’s a nice shifter. Listens, and is patient. While I was there speaking to him, one of his dazzle came in with a problem and he helped them through it. He’s a teacher as well. English, I think, at the local school.” Anslem watched Jost, then gave him a warm smile. “I think he’s a good choice for a mate.”
“Er, we have the issue of the whole predator prey thing going on, Dad,” Freya said. “Lions hunt zebras.”
“We’re human as well,” Anslem reminded her. “And there must be a reason why fate decided Apollo would be Jost’s mate.”
Jost shrugged but didn’t comment. He had no idea why fate had decided Apollo would be his, only that he was. He’d felt the connection between them. Felt the instinctive need to reach out to Apollo, but his deep fear had held him back. After what he’d gone through, he was hesitant to go there again, even if the other person was his destined mate. Sighing softly, he sipped his coffee, smiling at Ella as she patted his hand. Pushing the food around his plate, Jost murmured, “I don’t know if I want to go out with him. I’m not ready.”
“Is that fair to him?” Ella asked. “You’re his mate too, and he deserves to know why you’re reluctant. Tell him what you went through and see how he reacts. That should tell you all you need to know.”
“I don’t want to go over it again. I lived it and I’m moving on now. Why dredge it all up?”
“Because it’s holding you back and stopping you from accepting your mate.” Anslem put his cutlery down and stared at Jost. “Time moves on, Jost, and you need to move on as well or face being left behind. He turned up now because maybe you need him. Meet him. Talk to him.” Anslem shrugged. “See how it goes from there. If he’s willing to go at your pace, then he’s a good mate. If he tries to rush you, then back away.”
“But you’ve met him. What do you think he’ll do?” Jost nibbled his bottom lip, his eyes flicking up to Anslem’s, then away.
“He’s always come across as a decent shifter. He cares for his dazzle and the children he teaches as the local school. Give him a chance. One date and go from there. If he treats you right, then have another date. Slow and easy with no strings attached. If he’s aware of what you went through, then he’ll understand why you’re hesitant to take things farther.”
“I’m not sure…” Jost licked his lips and sighed softly. “I want to. I think.” He reached up and rubbed his chest, which felt tight. Constricted. Just the thought of going on a date had his breath catching, his heart racing, but if Apollo was his mate, then he was Apollo’s. One date. He could manage that. Somehow. He had to give Apollo that.
As Anslem said, he was Apollo’s mate, so to cut him off without giving him a chance didn’t seem right to Jost. Yes, he was scared, but he had to give Apollo a chance. It was the right thing to do. He couldn’t deny Apollo that. They only had one mate and to say no to Apollo would hurt them both, Apollo more, and that wasn’t the kind of shifter he was.
“I’ll go on a date with him. Maybe the diner in town for lunch.”
“It’s in public, so they’ll be plenty of people around. You’ll still be able to get to know Apollo, but you’ll have the security of knowing there are others around.”
Nodding, Jost bit his lip, then sighed softly. “I want to try, but I don’t as well.” He rubbed his chest again, then looked up at Anslem. “He deserves a chance, right?”
“He does, and as I’ve said, be up front as to why you want to take your mating slowly.” Anslem pointed to his food. “Eat up while it’s warm. We have things to do today.”
“I need to go to the stationery shop for some crayons and pencils.” Jost began to eat his food, smiling at Ella when he noticed her watching him. She returned his smile and patted his hand. “I want some flash cards as well, to help teach the alphabet. The ones I have need replacing.”
“Keep the receipts, so you get your money back.” Anslem sat back and pushed his empty plate away. “Want a lift into town? I need to drop Freya at her dance class.”
“I need some flour as well. I want to bake some muffins this afternoon, and Otto needs to tidy his bedroom.”
“Aww Mom. It’s fine. I don’t need to clean it.”
“If you consider not being able to see the floor because of the crap covering it as fine, then okay. But when we have rats and mice making their homes in there, don’t come screaming to me or your dad, because we won’t help you.”
“Rats!” Freya screeched. “I will set fire to your stuff if you don’t clean your bedroom. I’ll throw it all out of the window and burn it.”
“Then I’ll grab your makeup and hair shit and lotions and potions and throw them on the fire.”
Jost winced as they screamed at each other and looked at Anslem, who shook his head. “Children,” he rumbled, giving them both the look. The look that said if you don’t stop, there’ll be trouble. Both stopped, then apologized, and silence descended in the kitchen until Anslem murmured, “Thank you. Always nice to have a quiet family conversation in the morning.”
“Sorry, Dad, but he started it!”
Jost chuckled softly as both Freya and Otto began to blame each other. He loved his siblings, but some days he wanted to love them from a distance where he didn’t have to listen to them shouting at each other. “This is really nice crispy bacon, Mom. Thank you.”
“Why couldn’t I have had three of you, Jost?” Ella blew on the coffee she held in her hand before taking a sip. “They were so much easier when they were younger.”
“When you could put them in the cribs and walk away?” Jost smiled when Ella mocked being shocked. “You may have mentioned it a time or two.”
“Those were the days. I was lucky all three of you slept through the night from an early age. Now I have this to deal with.” Ella used her cup to point at Freya and Otto, who were now glaring at each other from across the table.
“Have them help Ged Campbell on his farm as punishment. They’ll soon behave after mucking out the stalls for a few hours.”
“Jost!” Freya’s mouth fell open. “How could you? It would take me days to get the scent of manure from my hair.”
“Don’t pick fights with Otto, then.”
“And I thought you were the nice brother.” Freya narrowed her eyes at him. “How could you say something so mean to me? And here was me hoping Apollo was the perfect mate for you.” She winked, then smiled. “Make him take you on lots of dates. You deserve it after you know who.”
“Thanks, Freya.” They annoyed the hell out of him some days, but he did love his siblings.
“You should go ice skating as well. Plenty of hands on time without it leading to anything. You can see how you feel.” Otto shoved some food into his mouth, then stopped when he noticed everyone staring at him. “What?”
“I think that’s a really good idea, Otto.” Anslem smiled. “Thank you for suggesting it.”
Otto flushed and ducked his head. “You don’t all have to look at me like that.”
“I’ll suggest it to him and see what he thinks, but I kind of like the idea.” Jost gave Otto a small smile, who nodded back at him. “Any other ideas?”
“The local fair is coming to town soon.” Freya sat up, her eyes sparkling. “All those scary rides.” She wriggled her eyebrows, then leaned back in her chair with the back of her hand on her forehead. “Oh, Apollo! I’m so scared. Hold me.”
Jost burst out laughing and he shook his head at her, but he liked that idea as well. He could hold his mate, and Apollo wouldn’t expect it to lead to more. “I like that too.”
Ella grinned. “It’s a good idea, and as Freya said, you get to touch Apollo and judge how you react.”
“And he won’t automatically expect more from you.” Anslem sipped his drink. Hadn’t Jost had that exact same thought?
“I think the ice-skating date will be nice. I’ll ask him.” Jost smiled. He had a great family.