Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
Griff: I’m doing all I can for Shae. Are my powers helping him, even a little?
Coin: Outlook good.
Griff: Really?
Coin: Duh. You’re his mate.
Griff: Thanks, man!
—Private conversation between Griffin and his coin
Griffin
I’ve been awake for the last couple of hours, just watching Shae sleep in my arms. At some point in the night, he turned around to face me and his soft, warm breath puffs against my bare chest in a tantalizing manner.
My mate is so beautiful and brave. I’m glad he allowed me to give him comfort after he woke from his nightmare.
I’d been shocked when Haku yanked me out of a dead sleep, demanding I come with him and help Shae. I’m still not sure why he didn’t go to Emma, but I’m so grateful he came to me instead.
With a giddy sensation, I peek over at the slumbering drake and softly chuckle when he opens one gold, diamond-slitted eye to stare at me.
“You awake too?” I whisper.
He closes said eye and emits a faint rumbling grumble.
“Thank you for coming to get me last night,” I tell him softly.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Master Shae.” He opens both golden eyes and studies me. “Are you truly fated mates?”
I nod and my tail goes into overdrive. “One hundred percent, forever and always.”
Haku’s nostrils flare and puff out a wisp of smoke. “It won’t be easy to convince my master, even though you could be precisely what he needs.”
“He told us what happened with his mother and his father so… I understand his reluctance.”
Even though it’s killing me inside.
My heart aches with sadness as I think of Shae’s mother’s tragic story. Over the centuries, there have been many instances of humans who have rejected Otherkind mates because of their ignorance and fear. It has brought considerable heartache and ruined the chance for happiness for quite a few. In more recent decades, things have improved slightly as Otherkind have slowly been integrated and accepted more into human culture.
There’s still a long way to go, however.
“Don’t worry, Haku. Shae is my one and only fated mate. I won’t abandon him even if he refuses our bond. I’ll stay with him and help him in any way he’ll let me.”
Haku arches his long neck and tilts his head to consider me. “That could bring you both a life of pain and torment if he rejects your bond. Denying the bond comes with consequences.”
He’s right and my gut clenches at the thought but I’m resolved to see this through, no matter how it ends. “I’m prepared for the worst, but I also have hope—and if nothing else, I have a stubborn degree of determination when it comes to the things that matter most to me.” My lips curve up into a smile. “Many have told me I possess an annoyingly endless well of inner optimism. Every time I get knocked down, I just get back up again.”
Haku snorts and shakes his head. “My master is very kind and loving, no matter how he might act. But he’s been forced to bury that part of himself for his own protection. He doesn’t trust easily anymore. It took Emma nearly a year to earn even the slightest amount of faith from Master Shae.”
Haku’s expression turns soft and almost hopeful. “The fact that he lets you touch him, and that he allowed you to comfort him last night, has convinced me that your claim to be fated mates might be true. And I suspect somewhere deep inside, he knows it too.” His wings droop. “But he isn’t consciously aware yet, let alone willing to acknowledge it. Maybe not ever.”
“How can I get him to truly trust me?”
“Keep doing what you’re doing.” Haku leans closer. “And just so you know, you’re exactly my master’s type. He has a thing for cute himbos.”
My tail is flapping against the bed so fast it’s nearly a blur.
“It’s that surfer body paired with those big puppy-dog eyes and fluffy anime ears,” Haku confides. “Maybe the tail too.”
I sigh happily. “Good to know.”
My next mission impossible: Get Shae to give me an ear rub.
Cal’s told me before that no one can resist the lure of my big, fluffy ears!
As if sensing our conversation, Shae’s breathing changes and he slowly opens his eyes, blinking at me blearily.
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
He scrunches up his noise. “Gross.”
Not exactly the lovey-dovey response I was aiming for, but oh well. I have time.
Shae promptly shoves a hand under my chin and tries to push me away. “Get away from me with your morning breath, Wolf Boy.”
I beam at him. “Did you sleep well?”
He shrugs and looks away. “Okay, I guess.”
Haku was right; prickly is definitely one way to describe my mate.
But just like Haku also said, I can sense the sweet, loving man underneath. Similar to Cal, I think this outer facade of snark and sarcasm is more a protective mechanism than anything else.
Shae yawns. “What time is it?”
“Early still.” I try to snuggle closer.
He freezes. “Are you sporting a big-ass boner right now?”
I give him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I can’t help my natural bodily reactions. You are my mate, after all. It’s only to be expected that I react this way to you. Besides, morning wood is pretty common for most guys, especially at our age.” I chuckle. “Don’t worry. It won’t spontaneously make a move on you.”
Shae draws himself away from me and awkwardly clamors off the bed in a hurry, seemingly uncomfortable with our conversation for some reason.
Trying to put us back on friendlier ground, I scramble to think of something that will brighten his mood.
Then I have a brilliant idea.
“What do you say to an early morning swim?”
He whirls around and stares at me, eyes wide. “Is that safe?”
“Our beach is private. Like I told you, the compound has both technological and magical security systems. No one’s getting anywhere near us. At least not from land.”
His brow furrows. “I doubt Margaret has figured out where I am to send a boat or anything.”
I get up and put my hands on my hips with a wide grin. “I’ll be with you and I’ll be watching out so you can enjoy yourself. I promise you, everything will be fine.” I cock my head. “You can swim, right?”
He sneers. “Excuse me, Wolf Boy, but I’m half-siren. Of course I can swim. I may not have the typical siren tail, but my legs gain scales and my feet become webbed when I’m in the water to enable greater mobility.”
My mate is so cool.
“Awesome. I can’t wait to see it.” I clap my hands together once and then rub them excitedly. “Let’s go!”
Shae hesitates. “I don’t have any swim trunks.”
I wave a hand in the air. “Don’t need them. We can go naked.”
His eyes bulge. “Say what now?”
“ Au naturel , baby. That’s the best way!”
He narrows his eyes at me. “So you’re a total perv, aren’t you?”
I laugh. “Well, I won’t deny that I look forward to seeing your beautiful body naked, but I always swim in the nude. Hell, half the time I surf in the nude too. Clothes are kind of restricting and annoying in my opinion. If I had my way, I wouldn’t wear them most of the time.”
I watch as Shae swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Right, well, I suppose that’s… okay. As long as you keep your hands and other body parts to yourself.”
I hold my hand over my heart. “I swear.” Then I flash him a grin. “Unless, of course, you need mouth-to-mouth, then all bets are off.”
He scoffs. “In your dreams, Wolf Boy.”
Oh, my sweet siren. You have no idea!
The rest of the house is still asleep except for Harper, who we discover
calmly sipping hot tea in the kitchen. As a vampire, he doesn’t need to sleep much, especially at his age, and because of his liquid diet, there aren’t many things he can ingest other than blood. But plain teas without anything added to them seem to be fine. He tends to favor many of the green and oolong varieties and has multiple tins in the cupboard.
“Good morning, friends,” he offers in his dulcet tones. His long hair is loosely pulled up into a ponytail and he’s wearing a beautiful silk robe in a dark crimson color with a black dragon embroidered on the back. His slim, graceful fingers cradle his teacup as he sips from it lightly.
“Morning, Harper,” I say, bouncing on my toes. “We’re going swimming.”
Harper arches a dark eyebrow at me. “What a lovely idea. Make sure to take some towels with you,” he scolds. “You know how you tend to forget. Please don’t be traipsing all kinds of sand into the mudroom again.”
I rub the hair on my head and give him a sheepish look. “Sorry, Harper. I just get so excited that I tend to forget the little things.”
He sighs fondly and gives me a gentle smile. “I know, Griff.” His dark eyes flit to Shae. “Perhaps Shae can help keep you in line a little bit more.”
Shae holds up his hands. “I’m not taking on that responsibility.”
Harper gives a deep, throaty chuckle. “Fair enough.”
I lead Shae into the mudroom and grab two beach towels and some flip-flops for both of us. We head out of the mudroom door to the connecting garage. From there, we use a side door that leads to a patio and a set of stairs that will take us all the way down to the beach.
Before I know it, Shae’s flying down the stairs in front of me as if he’s training for a sprinting competition, and I have to race to catch up to him.
For a moment, I’m concerned, but when I reach his side again, I get a good look at his profile and I’m thunderstruck.
Shae’s grinning , a look I haven’t seen on his normally scowling face.
He starts ripping off his clothes and flinging them in the sand, not caring where they fall as he barrels toward the ocean like it’s promising salvation.
For an all too brief instant, I get a front-row view of his perfect naked body and beautiful, supple backside before he dives into the water with a shout of pure joy. My heart starts pumping like mad in my chest and I find it hard to breathe. Seeing my mate this happy, all I can think is that I want him to be this way always. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he’s safe and protected.
By the time I regain my wits, Shae’s already out in deeper water, and I hasten to pull off my own clothes before diving into the waves after him.
I may not be a siren, but I’m still a pretty damn good swimmer, and an even better surfer. I’m hoping I’ll get to teach Shae my passion at some point, but for now, we glide through the icy waves of the Pacific Ocean.
It’s early fall here in California, and the Pacific is much too cold for the average human to swim in, at least without a wetsuit. But most Otherkind species run hotter than the average human, and my core temperature is not easily affected by the colder temperatures of the ocean. As a Wolfkin, I’m well equipped to handle even arctic climates. Those of my kind who live in more northern regions tend to also naturally grow a thick pelt of body hair in the winter.
I’m rather grateful that I live in a milder climate because otherwise I’d have to invest in Nair hair removal cream stock. Granted, I still have a bit more hair on certain parts of my body than the average human, but it’s fine and golden, so it doesn’t stand out quite as much as darker hair would. Also, I’ve been told it’s rather nice and very soft to pet.
With long, powerful breaststrokes, I finally make my way to Shae’s side, where he is now lazily floating on his back in the water, his face upturned to the sun with a beatific expression.
“Pretty awesome, isn’t it?” I say softly.
His gorgeous blue eyes open and he smiles at me in a manner so radiant I can’t help but gasp.
“I’ve longed for the sea. My mother and I used to come every day.” His expression clouds. “But after she died, I wasn’t allowed to anymore.” He turns his face away, looking off in the distance. “No doubt they didn’t want me swimming away and escaping.”
He kicks a leg in the air and I marvel at his beautiful limbs. Just like he told me, they’re now covered in blue and silver scales, colors similar to his hair. They have an iridescent sheen that shimmers in the reflection of water and sunlight. In addition, his feet have grown longer, and web-like flippers have formed at the end.
No wonder he can move so fast!
“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper breathlessly.
Shae’s cheeks flush. “Uh… thank you.” He hesitates. “You don’t find it… weird?”
I shake my head and my ears flick water off them. “Not at all. I’ve grown up with many different Otherkind, and all the different species among us are unique and beautiful in their own ways.” I sigh. “If only humans could learn to see this as well, the world would be a much happier place.”
“I haven’t spent much time around fellow Otherkind. Not since I was very young. My mother had some friends, of course, but she didn’t see them often because my father was so against it.” He frowns. “Why she would change herself and abandon her friends for him, I’ll never know.”
An ache in my chest twinges at his words. “She loved him. We all do foolish things for love.”
He scoffs. “Not me. I’m never going to fall in love.”
I wince, trying not to take his words personally, but he seems to notice and regret flashes over his face for a moment.
“Sorry. I know you think we’re fated mates, but I’m sure it’s just an honest mistake. I don’t believe in that crap. It certainly didn’t work out in my mother’s favor.” His voice is bitter. “I still can’t help but think my mother would have been better off if she’d never met my father.”
“It’s true,” I say slowly, “that not all fated mates end up happily ever after. But that’s rarely the case between two Otherkind. More often, it’s when an Otherkind and a human are fated mates, and one or the other struggles to accept being with a member of a different species.”
Shae shifts to float on his back, a peaceful look on his face, and I mimic his position, letting the water carry my body.
“Humans suck,” Shae mutters. “Especially my dad.”
I don’t entirely disagree, but I also know that it isn’t always humans who reject mate bonds.
“While humans are usually the ones who snub such connections,” I explain carefully, putting on my serious voice, “once in a while it’s the other way around. Many Otherkind have had horrific experiences with humanity. They have been persecuted, maligned, abused, and neglected. Sometimes they’re unwilling to even entertain the notion of partnering with someone from a species that’s been so cruel and antagonistic toward them. It’s deeply tragic that your mother ended up in a situation like that, but I’m so grateful that you’re here—my fated mate, the only one I’ll ever have. And if I have to spend the rest of my life proving to you that my love and devotion for you are real, then I will.”
Shae gapes at me. “L-love?” he stutters. “You barely know me! You can’t love me.”
And yet I do, with every fiber of my being. His beautiful but battered soul calls to me in a way no other ever has.
“Enough talk,” I say, deciding I’ve pushed Shae far enough for now. “Let’s swim. Race you to the pier!” I yell and take off.
After a moment, he follows, and we splash through the water for the next few hours, racing one another across the waves—and I bask in the satisfaction of knowing I’ve been able to help bring my mate some joy by taking him somewhere he loves.
I only hope the sea can help begin to heal some of the deeper wounds no one can see.