Chapter 5
On Saturday, Artem didn’t get back from the campground until late with the four-wheelers, and it took him and Kieran an hour to unload them into the workshop so they could be checked out, tuned up, and ready to be put to use.
“I’m hitting the bar in town,” Kieran said, rolling his neck. “I need a drink after sitting in the damn truck all day.”
“Yeah, all those construction detours and traffic turned a six-hour trip into a fifteen-hour one.”
“Owen and the others are already there, you in?” Kieran asked as he rocked back on his heels. “I hear it’s dollar drink night for the ladies.” He waggled his brows on the last word and Artem shook his head.
“You’re a nut. I’ll pass, I’m exhausted.” Which was true. But he was also supposed to fight tonight and needed to get ready to head out.
“Suit yourself. More ladies for me and my brothers.”
“Sure, sure.”
He finished locking up and drove his truck to his cabin, sending a text to his dad to let him know the four-wheelers were in the workshop and ready to be checked out.
Thanks for making the trip, sorry you guys had so much trouble.
No worries. All in a day’s work, right?
You bet. If you want to help me look them over tomorrow, I’ll get started after breakfast.
Yeah, unless I decide to sleep in.
Whenever you get over to the workshop, I’ll appreciate the help. Thanks again.
Sure. Night.
Good night, kid.
He smiled at his dad’s sentiment. He’d called him ‘kid’ for as long as he could remember. He sure wasn’t a kid anymore, but he still liked the term of endearment.
He changed into comfortable jeans and a tank, which he’d take off before he fought. As he put on his boots, he yawned and rolled his neck.
He wished he didn’t need to fight tonight but being cooped up in the truck all day had made his beast antsier than usual.
If he was only the sort of male who could go for a long run and work off steam, but it was just his luck that his minotaur liked to hit people. For a moment, he considered walking away from the fights. But he doubted that Nero would allow him to walk for something so shallow as being tired. Once he found his truemate, though, he’d definitely stop fighting because he wouldn’t need an outlet for the aggression anymore.
He couldn’t fucking wait.
When Artem climbed into bed at three a.m., his jaw bruised and aching from a lucky sucker punch by a wolf with mismatched eyes, he was thankful he’d managed to win all the fights and had only been matched up for three of them. His winnings hadn’t been that big, but he didn’t really do anything with them anyway. Because he’d killed that newcomer wolf, some of the fighters weren’t interested in going against him anytime soon, and that was okay with him. Hell, he didn’t need the money, he pretty much just stuck it all in a firesafe box under his bed where he could get to it if he needed it.
He rolled to his back with a groan and a yawn combined. His dad would be working on the four-wheelers around eight probably, which meant that Artem could get five hours of sleep if he wanted to help.
Assuming he could sleep, which seemed unlikely because he didn’t sleep much.
Once more he thought about telling his dad about the fights. But he didn’t want a lecture and he didn’t want him to be mad, so he pushed the thought away and closed his eyes.
Sleep, damn it.
Artem was walking in unfamiliar woods on a night with a sky full of stars and a bright moon that made everything look blue. Ahead he could see the flickering orange of a campfire, so he moved in that direction. His beast was excited, bellowing in his head as he reached a clearing with a huge firepit, and a wild bonfire that soared a dozen feet in the air.
Through the flames on the other side of the massive firepit, he could see a female with long, dark hair. He couldn’t make out her features, but he was certain as his heart clenched and his body tried to shift, that she was his truemate.
“Where are you?” he asked through clenched teeth.
He heard a whisper through the crackling fire but couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“You’re my truemate! Where are you? I’ll find you!”
She laughed and he immediately liked the musical sound. He tried to move to her, but the fire blazed so bright he had to shield his eyes.
When he opened them again, it was morning and he’d fallen asleep. As he sat up, the dream flitted through his mind like a movie. A female in woods he didn’t know, with a bonfire…what did it mean? Where was she? Who was she?
He needed answers, but he wasn’t sure where to get them.
Mulling over the situation as he stared out the window of his bedroom, he remembered his parents telling him that they’d dreamed about each other before they met, but hadn’t known where to find each other. They’d only known their truemate was near, which was helpful and not helpful at the same time to Artem.
If only she’d told him her name or where she was!
His minotaur let out a hopeful bellow.
Maybe the dream meant he would meet her soon.
It seemed like a far shot, considering there were no people checking into the cabins at the campground until next weekend, so how the hell was he supposed to meet his truemate?
He looked at his phone and saw it was after eight, which meant he’d managed to get a passable amount of sleep. The dream still lingered in his mind as he showered and dressed, then made his way to the workshop to help his dad with the new vehicles.
After saying good morning, his dad gave him a curious look. “You okay? You look…your eyes are red.”
“Red like bloodshot?” Artem asked.
“No, red like your minotaur.”
“Oh, I had a weird dream last night.”
“A mating dream?”
“Do people have sex in mating dreams?”
His dad paused then shrugged. “I have no idea!” He laughed. “I just dreamed about your mom before I met her, but it wasn’t a sexy dream.”
Artem wrinkled his nose. “Good.”
“Hey! Sex is how you came into existence, I’ll remind you. But anyway, I don’t know if our people have actual mating dreams or not, but we certainly have dreams about our truemates. Did you talk to her?”
“I tried.” He explained the dream to his dad who pondered it for a few quiet moments.
“Well hell, I’m not sure what to make of that one. It’s not our woods?”
“No.” That much he was certain of.
“Maybe it’s where she lives. Maybe she’s with her people and coming here for some reason or passing through. You never know what fate has in store for you.”
“It would be great if she could have talked to me.”
“Well, with your mom and me, she asked where I was and I told her I’d find her. I don’t know how the hell I thought I’d accomplish that, but in the end that asshole I worked for kidnapped her thinking she was someone else’s mate and brought her right to me.”
“Good thing you were there to save the day.”
“That’s what minotaurs do best. Maybe you’ll have a different dream tonight and you’ll get some more clarity.”
“That would be awesome.”
“You sure you’re okay? Not feeling too aggressive?”
“I’m good, actually. Aside from the weird dream, I slept pretty well. I’m not sure why my eyes would be red.”
“They’re not anymore, it was just for a few seconds.”
Artem hummed. “Strange.”
“That’s our people in a nutshell. You’ll find your truemate soon, I’m sure of it.”
“You and Isolde are saying the same thing to me.”
“Well, she’s an optimist like your mother. I’m a realist, but I also am hopeful you’ll find her soon.”
“Me too, Dad.”
Artem picked up the manual for the four wheelers and flipped through it while his dad worked on getting the vehicles into the computer system to track any repairs needed.
The words on the page in front of him blurred and his minotaur let out a curious bellow in his mind.
He had the sudden urge to leave the workshop.
Putting the manual down, he walked toward the open door.
“Kid?”
“I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Oh okay, well, be careful.”
Artem stepped outside and raised his head, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. As he sorted through the scents in the air, he wasn’t sure he picked up anything out of the ordinary, but he had the strangest urge to go somewhere. Find someone.
His truemate?
He let out a low growl as he stalked away from the workshop. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he was going to let his minotaur lead.
And the way he was leading was toward the cabins on the far side of the campground.
Lead the way.