Chapter Four #3
“But should I? I know it’s not as easy for you, yet you make it look like you have everything figured out.”
It was funny because Ridge was anything but figured out. He had no idea what he was doing when it came to his mate. He was guarded, though. He needed to be for his job. Maybe he should let Kael see a little more of him, though.
He shifted until he managed to get them face-to-face. Kael’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t move away. They weren’t quite pressed together, but they were closer than they’d ever been, and Ridge’s cat started purring.
Unfortunately for Ridge, it was a sound that could be heard even in his human form, even when he didn’t mean for it to happen.
He was lucky because it had never happened on the job, and he doubted it ever would, considering the kind of work he did, but he’d barely ever purred before.
The only reason he was now was that his mate was right there.
Ridge hadn’t thought it possible, but Kael’s eyes went even wider. “You’re purring,” he murmured, sounding like he was in awe.
“I am. It’s my caracal.”
“So that’s the kind of shifter you are? A caracal?”
“It is.”
Kael nodded and shifted just a little closer. “And it’s purring because you like what’s happening right now?”
“What’s there not to like? You’re close to me for the first time since we met. Both me and my cat are happy.”
“Would you be happier if something happened between us?”
“You don’t have to push yourself, Kael. I’ll only take what you’re willing to give.”
“I don’t know what I’m willing to give. I don’t know what I want. Everything’s overwhelming, and I feel like I need to focus on the job.”
“You probably should.”
“But focusing on the job doesn’t mean I can’t kiss you.”
Ridge held his breath when Kael pressed his lips to Ridge’s lightly. He didn’t dare move or even breathe. He didn’t want to send Kael running, even though Kael had been the one to take the first step.
That was something else Ridge hadn’t expected. His mate was brave—much more so than he seemed to think himself.
A knock at the door made them spring apart. Kael moved so far that he almost fell off the bed, and Ridge had to grab his arm to pull him back. Poppy didn’t enter, but she did clear her throat. “The meeting’s in an hour. I thought you might like to have breakfast first.”
“We’ll be right there,” Ridge called out.
He heard her walk away, and by the time he turned back to Kael, it was to see him scurry into the bathroom.
Ridge sighed and flopped onto his back. He supposed it was better that it had ended like that, at least for now.
*
UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, the kiss was all he could think about as they headed out.
Kael didn’t seem to have the same problem.
He followed Poppy, nodding at whatever she was saying, focusing on the new people they met.
Ridge lost track of the names right away, but Kael didn’t seem to.
He eagerly shook hands and even accepted hugs, which had Ridge tensing up.
Then, of course, he was pulled into the conversation. Poppy was holding him and Kael up as an example of how demons and shifters could live together. She didn’t know they weren’t actually together, although maybe they were. Ridge had no idea.
“You really think we demons have mates out there?” a woman of about thirty asked. She sounded hopeful.
Kael grinned at her. “Maybe not all demons, but you won’t ever find out if you don’t go out, right? I certainly didn’t expect to have a mate, yet here I am.”
“How is it? How does it feel?”
Kael glanced at Ridge before quickly looking back at the woman.
“I’m not sure I can actually describe it.
I’ve never been in love before, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but as soon as I met Ridge, I knew that I wanted to be close to him.
I didn’t understand why, but maybe I should have.
I just didn’t expect to have a mate since I’m a demon. ”
“Does the bond force you to do anything?” a man asked.
“No. The bond doesn’t force anyone to do anything, not even shifters.
It just means that two people are perfect for each other in all the ways they can be.
It means that as long as we allow the bond to grow and work on our communication, we can be happy together.
It’s not a guarantee, but it’s more than you can get with any other relationship, isn’t it?
” He glanced at Ridge again. “And even though Ridge and I don’t know each other well yet, I already know for sure that he’ll do anything in his power to make me happy.
That’s always going to be his priority, and I don’t think I ever believed I would have that.
You know how difficult it can be in our communities.
We’re so isolated, and if you don’t find someone who already lives in your town, you run the risk of staying alone.
I never wanted that for myself, but I thought it might happen.
I’m sure the same goes for most of you.”
A few people exchanged glances, telling Ridge that they felt the same way.
It was a little sad. Ridge hadn’t really thought about that kind of situation before, but Kael was right.
What happened when a demon didn’t find someone they wanted to share their life with in their village?
They weren’t allowed to leave, and no one was allowed in.
That meant they might have to be alone for the rest of their lives.
But not Kael. Kael had found Ridge, and as long as he was willing, Ridge would do everything in his power to make him happy.
Ridge still didn’t know what that would look like, but he didn’t need to know right now.
He and Kael were mates, and as Kael had just said, that meant they were perfect for each other.
* * * *
KAEL FELT LIKE A FRAUD. He understood why Poppy was using him and Ridge as an example so that other people would understand that demons and shifters could coexist without hurting each other, but he and Ridge weren’t together, or at least, he didn’t think so.
Did the kiss that morning mean they were together?
They should probably talk before making that kind of decision, but this week hadn’t been the best moment for it, and it made Kael nervous.
Part of him wanted to ignore that conversation, focus on what he was doing here, and hope that Ridge would forget they needed to talk, but another part of him wanted to know what was going on between them.
They were mates, or rather, he was Ridge’s mate.
Ridge had said it meant something to him, and Kael was surprised by the fact that it meant something to him, too.
He didn’t feel the bond the way Ridge did, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want it.
He understood what kind of opportunity it was.
He knew he would never get another, just like Ridge would never get another mate.
He couldn’t give that up, and he didn’t want to.
He just wasn’t sure what to do about it.
“How was it when you realized, then?” someone asked.
He didn’t try to figure out who the person was. He and Ridge were surrounded, and Poppy was beaming at them as if she was a proud mother. It was a little odd, but it was why Kael was here.
He didn’t think Gregory had known he and Ridge were mates when he decided to send both of them, but it was a strange coincidence.
The man would probably be over the moon when he found out.
Kael was sure that if Gregory had his way, he would continue sending him and Ridge out to advocate for relationships between shifters and demons.
He had more proof through their bond that it could work, and that it did work.
“I didn’t fully realize what was happening until Ridge told me,” Kael explained with a smile.
“I could feel that there was something between us, but I never would’ve imagined it was a shifter’s mate bond.
Why would I? I always thought I would end up with a demon, although as I mentioned before, it was hard to imagine that demon.
I knew everyone in my town, and none of them fit the idea I had of the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. ”
“But your shifter does,” the woman said.
Kael could see her now. If he remembered right, her name was Samara.
She’d mentioned that she was single, so she probably understood better than most what Kael was talking about.
She’d probably tried to find someone to love in this town but hadn’t been able to, and that was what made her interested in leaving to find love.
It was something that would be within reach for a lot of demons, but it wasn’t the only thing.
If demons opened up their towns and allowed their inhabitants to leave, people could find jobs, create families, and be happy in ways they never would have had the opportunity to if they stayed stuck in their ways.
Finding a mate was only part of that, but it was a big part of it for a lot of people.
Kael smiled at Ridge. “He does, more than anyone else and more than I could’ve imagined, which makes sense. Whoever decided that Ridge was the perfect man for me, I wish I could meet them to thank them.”
There was just the faintest hint of a blush on Ridge’s cheeks, as if he was embarrassed that Kael was talking about him that way.
Maybe he was. From what Kael knew about him, he was more used to being in the shadows, watching everything from afar.
Right now, he was at the center of attention, and it was obvious he wasn’t used to dealing with that.