Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
Griff: Good morning, friends!
Cal: Gah! How are you chipper even in a text?
Griff: It’s a gift. Now, why don’t surfers like to reheat leftovers?
Ruby: Dude, you don’t know how to cook anything. None of us do. Dallas makes all our food. *waves* Thanks, Papa Bear!
Griff: They hate micro waves ! And you’re right, I can’t cook. I’d starve if it wasn’t for Cap.
Dallas: You’re all lucky feeding people makes me happy.
Harper: Dallas, darling, you’re the epitome of a giant teddy bear. You love making people happy, period. Feeding them is just part of that.
Cal: Harper’s totally right about Cap.
Dallas: Enough about me, it’s time for a cat joke!
Shae: Oh god. I’m a part of this now. I willingly joined this text thread.
Ruby: Just keep reminding yourself of that and roll with it.
Dallas: What’s a cat lover’s favorite food?
Cal: Cat amari! Beat that, suckers.
Ruby: Meow shmallows!
Griff: Chicken and Claw ffles!
Harper: Fur ruitcake, perhaps?
Shae: It’s like I can’t stop myself. Claw m chowder.
Dallas: Heh. Nice try, friends, but not even close. Cat ifornia Roll is the correct answer.
—MEOW Squad Group Text Thread
Griffin
Waiting for Shae to return from his two-day quest for spiritual healing is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Time drags by so slowly that if this were The Lord of the Rings , I’d be some poor schmo of a hobbit stuck back in Hobbiton while Shae’s on his heroic journey to Mordor and leaving me in the dust.
I know most of my ridiculous thoughts are due to the fact that the bond between us still hasn’t been magically tied, so to speak. As a result, my levels of worry about and need for Shae are up in the stratosphere. Needless to say, I can’t stop anxiety from churning in my gut from the moment he disappears up that hill path to the temple.
Shae hasn’t been free from his captivity for very long, and this reconnection with his mother’s family has been sudden and so unexpected. Will he be able to handle all that’s in store for him when he undergoes the ritual with the Spirit-Healer?
Last night, I couldn’t sleep a wink as these types of questions played on a loop in my mind. By the time Grandma Coral and Aunt Anemone join me for breakfast, I’m already on my third cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar.
I might also be a smidge jittery from all the caffeine and sugar.
Grandma Coral takes one look at me jiggling my leg and slurping down my coffee and shakes her head, giving me a wry smile. “Ah, to be young.”
Anemone chuckles. “Don’t worry, Griffin. Shae will be well and back before you know it.”
Grandma Coral comes to my defense though. “I suspect it’s the mate bond that hasn’t been magically sealed that has Griffin so riled up. When it comes to our fated mates, it’s hard to control the intensity of our feelings for them, especially at first.”
“Does it get easier?” I dare to ask.
She cradles her own mug of coffee in her hands and gets a dreamy look on her face. “In some ways. Sealing the bond tends to scale down the urgency and anxiety you feel up until then, yes. On the flip side, your emotional connection with your mate deepens and becomes even more intense,” Grandma Coral adds. “The honeymoon period can be a bit rough.” She winks at me. “And very sexually demanding.”
Aunt Anemone sighs with longing. “I hope I find my mate someday soon. What you and Dad had was so amazing.”
I brighten. “You should come and visit us in Malibu again and stay a while. After all, you never know who you might meet. Plus, we have plenty of guest rooms, so you’d have a free place to stay.”
She tucks a long strand of hair behind her ear and gives me a sweet smile. “Thank you for such a lovely invitation. I might take you up on it.” Then her smile fades and her expression turns serious. “If I can aid you and your team in finding my sister, I’ll go with you when you and Shae plan to return.”
“I’ll contact my captain and see what he says. I’m sure we could use your help.”
Grandma Coral makes us breakfast, but I find myself mostly pushing my food around on my plate. She watches me, a contemplative look on her face. “You care very deeply for my grandson, don’t you? It’s more than just the mate bond.”
I set down the fork I’d been using to turn my scrambled eggs to mush and sigh with longing. “I won’t deny the mate bond is strong. It was love at first sight for me. But even though I haven’t known him that long, I’ve come to see all of the ways he’s beautiful and special—and meant just for me.” I lean my elbows on the table and rest my chin on my hands. “He’s so strong and brave. But he’s also scarred and vulnerable underneath it all. I want to keep him safe after everything that he’s been through. I’d gladly lay down my own life to do so.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, young man,” she murmurs softly. “I’m glad to know Shae was far luckier than his mother when it came to his fated mate.”
My ears droop. “I do worry sometimes that what I’m feeling is mostly one-sided.”
Grandma Coral exhales dreamily as if remembering something. “I felt very much the same when I first saw Shae’s grandfather. It was love at first sight for me but not so much for him.”
I sit up straighter in my seat, instantly intrigued. Anemone appears to be as well.
“Really, Mom? You never told me that about Dad.”
Grandma Coral chuckles. “Your father was quite serious in those days, very career-minded. He was more interested in building his reputation as a political liaison between Otherkind and human societies. When he came to the island for the first time, he was here as part of his work to meet with a number of our community leaders.” She smiles in recollection. “He fought the bond hard at first. I had to work my tush off to chase him and make him mine.” She winks at us both. “But I did in the end and even convinced him to move to the island permanently. He was a key leader in our community for many years.”
I tilt my head. “May I ask what happened to him?”
Aunt Anemone looks down at the table.
Grandma Coral tears up and I instantly regret my question.
“I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me,” I hurry to say.
She shakes her head, wiping the wetness from her cheeks. “Not at all. It’s been ten years, but it still feels painfully fresh sometimes.” She sighs. “It was a tragic accident. Galen had taken a trip to the mainland. We were still searching for Shae and his mother, you see. The human authorities were ignoring our requests and stonewalling us at every turn.” Her hand clenches around her empty cup. “Galen had gone to meet someone who claimed to have information. He was desperate to find our daughter and grandson and refused to give up.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out shakily. “We don’t know all the details, but there was a serious car accident. A long-haul truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into multiple vehicles. Galen and several humans didn’t survive.”
Anemone raises her head, tears streaming down her face. “We felt it when… when his spirit returned to the island. It was hours before we were contacted by human authorities, but we already knew.”
Coral leans over and embraces her daughter, kissing her cheek and whispering something in her ear before pulling back.
I swallow down the lump in my throat and sniffle. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I wish I could have met him.”
“Shae reminds me of him in some ways. Stubborn and strong, and not always able to easily express his true feelings.” Coral shakes her head and her lips tremble slightly. “Galen was one of a kind and I was fortunate to have five long decades with him. But I would have given up all that I have to be able to spend one more day with him.”
I can’t help it. The emotions rolling off her make my heart ache. Love, pain, sorrow, and longing. Her mate was the love of her life and every day without him hurts.
I start bawling before I can put some mental guards in place against all that I’m receiving right now.
Grandma Coral gets up and comes to my side, wrapping me in a warm hug. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how truly sensitive you are.” Her countenance is soft with understanding as she hands me a tissue. “Is empathic affinity one of your magical gifts?”
“Yeah. I can not only understand but also feel the emotions of others.” I sniffle. “I’m sorry. This isn’t about me, it’s about you and your loss.”
I activate my SCSS and send her a gentle blast of soothing vibes to make her feel a little better.
Her features relax and she inhales, recognition flaring in her eyes. “You also possess calming pheromones?”
I nod shyly. “I hope you don’t mind. It’s one way I can help to some small degree.”
“Thank you. That is a rare and beautiful gift you possess. I’m sure it makes you a valuable member of your team.”
“It does.” My ears droop. “Unfortunately, my old pack didn’t see it that way. My family prides itself more on being stoic and professional. They’re all very driven and focused on their work. They couldn’t understand why I struggled to control my emotions from an early age. When my magical affinity became clearer as I got older, they dismissed it as useless.” I give an awkward laugh. “Needless to say, I didn’t fit in with them.”
She squeezes me tighter. “Well, we already consider you part of the Silverstorm sept. Anemone and I are thrilled to have you become part of our family along with Shae.”
I wince. “He hasn’t exactly accepted our bond yet. You might be a bit premature on welcoming me into the fold.”
“Not at all. I suspect it’s only a matter of time.” She steps back and rests a hand on my back. “Shae isn’t his father. He’s too smart to make the same kind of foolish decision Bryce did. And while witnessing how his mother suffered over the years had a profound impact on him, he also understands that you are nothing like his father either.”
Hope surges inside me. “You really think so?”
“The two of you are superbly matched as a pair and are meant to be. Don’t give up, young Wolfkin. Believe in my grandson—and wait for him. I have a feeling it won’t be too long.”
Some of the anxiety that’s been churning inside me ever since Shae went to the temple settles at her words. “I plan to. He’s it for me. There’s no one else, and there never will be.”
She nods. “The bond is incredibly powerful in every way. It seeks to bring you together forever. Shae will come to recognize it too, in time.”
I glance out the window. “Do you think he’s doing all right?”
By now, the ritual ought to have started.
Not knowing exactly what happens during the process makes me a little edgy, but I also believe in Grandma Coral. She wouldn’t do anything to harm her grandson, so I’m going to trust her judgment.
Besides, if this ritual can help Shae recover from all that he’s been through, then I’m one hundred percent behind it.
The rest of the day I spend wandering around the island and meeting different members of the sept. I’m intrigued to discover there are a number of interconnected families on the island and quite a few interspecies couples. Everyone’s incredibly friendly and welcoming, and I ponder the notion of potentially moving here with Shae.
Will he want to stay on the island someday with his maternal relatives and the rest of his sept?
While life here moves at a slower and more laid-back pace than the mainland, I think I could get used to it. After all, I would have easy access to the ocean for surfing and swimming still.
Oh, who am I even kidding? I’ll move to Timbuktu if that’s where Shae wants to go. As long as I can be with him, I don’t care where we’re at.
Although I would miss the ocean if he wanted to move somewhere landlocked. But I suspect that, given his half-siren nature, he’s unlikely to want to do that. I’ve seen how much he relishes his time in the sea, and I don’t believe he’d give that up after so many years of deprivation.
Wherever we end up, I’ll make sure he’s able to swim every day for the rest of his life if that’s what he desires.
The afternoon moves about as slow as molasses while I wait for the hours to tick by, hoping with each passing minute that I’ll be closer to seeing Shae again.
When the sun begins to set in the sky, I head to the base of the path leading up to the temple and hot spring. Once there, I pace back and forth, waiting for my mate to return to my side.
The horizon has turned deep shades of red, purple, and orange when I hear the recognizable tread of my mate coming down the trail. Then I catch a whiff of his wonderful scent and my tail starts swishing like mad.
It’s everything I can do to restrain myself from racing to meet him, but somehow I instinctively know I need him to come to me right now. This experience has been all about him, not me.
When he comes around the bend, he spots me and breaks into a blindingly beautiful smile. It, along with the joy I feel radiating off him, hits me like a punch to the solar plexus, and I can’t breathe for a moment.
He’s so damn gorgeous. Radiant even.
And I’ve missed him so damn much.
But I can tell a change has happened within him, my powers sense it even from a distance. My heart does little flips in my chest as I let myself indulge in all the dreams I have for Shae, and for us.
He starts to run the last few hundred meters on the trail and then, to my delight, takes a flying leap into my arms. I catch him and twirl him around, but I nearly fall flat on my ass when he uses both hands to hold my face steady in order to plant the mother of all kisses on me.
His mouth devours mine with almost desperate fervor, sucking down my whimpers of need.
I lose complete sense of the world around us and all that remains is me and him.
Eventually, I need to come up for air and I pull back, gasping in a lungful of oxygen. My cheeks hurt from smiling, but I can’t stop.
“I missed you so bad,” I whisper.
“Fuck, I missed you too, Wolf Boy. Why does it feel like I’ve been gone for ages when it’s only been two days?”
Indeed. My gold coin’s been getting annoyed and extra sassy with me the last two days that Shae’s been gone. Of course, that may be because I was asking it the same questions about whether my mate would be all right every few minutes.
“Were you good while I was gone?” he asks as he pets my head in the way I’ve always loved and gives my ears a good scritch.
I lean into his caress and can’t hold back my noises of contentment.
It’s a Wolfkin thing, okay?
Shae chuckles as I set him back on the ground and takes hold of my hand. “Come on. It’s getting dark. Let’s head back to the villa. I’m sure Coral and Anemone are waiting too.”
We’re quiet on the way back, but it’s a comfortable silence. We don’t talk about what happened at the temple, and I’ve promised myself I’ll wait for Shae to start that conversation with me if and when he’s ready. I understand that the ritual is deeply private and personal for him. If he’s not ready to talk about it yet, that’s just fine with me.
I sneak quick glances at him along the way and am reassured to see that he looks healthy and happy—happier than I’ve ever seen him. It gives me genuine hope that the healing ritual was at least somewhat successful.
Before long, we return to the villa to find Grandma Coral and Aunt Anemone waiting for us. They both embrace Shae.
“Welcome back,” Grandma Coral says.
Shae leans down and kisses her forehead. “Thank you for arranging all of that. I’m not exaggerating when I say I feel like a new man.” He grins. “It was even more amazing than I could have imagined.”
Relief spreads across his grandmother’s and aunt’s faces, and I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. Warm tendrils of joy spread in my chest and I want to howl with happiness or attempt to breakdance—emphasis on the “attempt” part.
“I had faith that the magic of this island and our Spirit-Healer’s gifts would provide a lot of relief.” Her smile is soft. “It helped me when I lost your grandfather.”
After what Coral told me, now I understand. I should have connected the dots earlier, but I’d been too tangled up in my worry about Shae.
“Come, we’ve prepared a feast for dinner. No doubt you’re quite hungry after everything,” Coral says.
As if on cue, Shae’s stomach grumbles and then mine decides to mimic his.
He arches an eyebrow at me.
I pat my belly awkwardly. “It’s not my fault. I was too anxious to eat earlier because I was worried about you.”
Shae shakes his head, a fond look on his face. “I was just fine, but I appreciate your concern.” He takes hold of my hand again and I marvel at the natural gesture. “Come on, Wolf Boy. Let’s go and fill our bellies.”
Grandma Coral wasn’t lying about a feast. We gather around a dining table is lined with dishes laid out like our own personal buffet. There’s plenty of fresh seafood—a staple of the island—vegetables, pasta and rice dishes, salad, and so much more.
Shae and I fill our plates, and Coral and Anemone follow.
We wolf— heh— down our food and go back for seconds, savoring the next round more slowly.
The women casually chat with us about the goings-on of the island, conspicuously steering clear of asking Shae any details about his experience. I totally want to give them two thumbs up each for that. They clearly recognize some of the same positive signs I did earlier and are still giving Shae appropriate space and privacy.
After we finish our meal, Shae and I volunteer to clean up. Coral and Anemone say their good nights before disappearing into their respective parts of the villa. I suspect they may have had sleepless nights as well, even though they’d never shown any sign of it to me.
When we’ve finished cleaning everything, we head to our room. Shae tosses his knapsack in the corner and sits on the edge of the bed, stretching his arms overhead with a yawn.
“Tired?” I ask.
Shae gets up and saunters toward me with a surprisingly sensual gleam in his eyes.
I lick my lips.
He takes hold of my shirt and pulls me close. “I thought about you a lot while I was gone.”
“You did?” My voice comes out oddly squeaky.
A slow, sexy grin spreads across his face. “I also thought about your naked body. I’ve been admiring it a lot when we go swimming.”
My tail begins to wag so fast that it’s probably a blur.
When he presses his groin to mine, I gasp at the feel of his firm length nudging me with obvious intent.
Does Pearl accept donations? Because she deserves a major tip!
“My healing ritual seems to have worked on my dick,” Shae says, his voice throaty and deep.
Gah! So damn sexy!
My own cock quickly rises to the occasion.
Shae smirks. “That’s right. Who’s my good Wolf Boy?”
Me! It’s totally me!
He leans in and whispers in my ear. “I want us to get each other off.”
I’ve dreamed about a moment like this. It’s so very tempting and I want to give in. But one thing holds me back.
“I want this more than you know, and I’m honored that you want to experience this with me. But becoming physically intimate with you has deep meaning for me.” I swallow hard. “I have a strong emotional and magical connection with you already. I’m your mate and I love you, but I don’t want to do this yet if it doesn’t hold the same kind of meaning for you. I think we should wait on such things until you’ve decided whether you want to accept our mate bond or not.”
No matter how much my cock wants to sob in frustration.
Shae’s gaze never wavers from mine. “I know that, Griffin. While I won’t lie and say that I don’t still have some fears about this bond between us, I can’t deny it anymore. And I don’t want to reject it. I realized some things while I was alone on the hilltop.” He reaches up and cradles my face in his hands. “I want to be with you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. So, when it comes to our fated-mate connection, I’m not going to keep running from it.”
“What are you saying?” I whisper, my whole body starting to tremble.
The way he looks at me is so tender it takes my breath away.
“It means I’m ready to accept our bond.” He strokes my cheek, sending a zing of awareness through me. “I love you too, Griffin McIntyre. You won me over with your sweet nature and your anime-level cuteness that seriously pushes all my buttons.”
It feels like glitter bombs of love are exploding in my chest as I slowly digest his words.
Then my eyes widen and I fumble for the gold coin in my pocket. I shake it like a proverbial Magic 8-Ball and ask, “Does Shae really love me and want to be my mate? I’m not dreaming, right?”
Shae rolls his eyes fondly.
The writing on the coin from last time disappears to be replaced with All signs point to ‘fuck yes!’ Congratulations. You’re not dreaming, fool.
Shae snorts.
I tackle him onto the bed and, unable to control myself, lick his cheek.
He freezes and I do too.
Oh no. I let my Wolfkin side take over a wee bit too much.
I licked him. Now he’s mine , my inner wolf tells me.
Waaah! He’s gonna think I’m so weird!
“Uh… did you just lick my cheek?” he asks, eyes wide and mouth twitching.
I roll off him and cover my face with my hands. “Sorry! It’s a Wolfkin thing. I swear, I’m not a total freak.”
He gently pries my hands away from my no doubt flaming red face. “Want to explain what that was all about?”
“Like I said, it’s a Wolfkin thing,” I mumble awkwardly. “It’s a sign of affection usually reserved for family and loved ones.”
“I see.”
“Did it creep you out? I promise to try to never do it again.” I hate the faint whine in my voice, but I can’t stand the idea of Shae possibly being disgusted with me.
“Slow down, Wolf Boy. I will admit that it was… unexpected, but it didn’t creep me out.” He gives me an amused smile. “It didn’t exactly turn me on either, so I don’t think I’m into it in a sexual way, but otherwise I’m okay with it every now and then.”
My ears and tail droop. “I totally ruined the sexy mood we had going, didn’t I?”
“Only a little.” He leans in and kisses me, a quick peck on the lips. “But my dick is making up for lost time and isn’t going down anytime soon.” He gestures to the very evident tent in his pants. “I’m still raring to go down below.”
I gulp, my mouth suddenly dry. “What do you want?”
There’s a mischievous twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes. “I want to go in the ocean with you.”
“What?” I’ve suddenly lost the thread of this conversation.
He reaches out to caress my cheek, my lips, and my nose, and I shiver all over. “I want to go skinny-dipping with you and we can get each other off in the water. What do you say?”
It’s all I can do to restrain myself from wanting to howl at the moon.
Instead, I say the only thing I can. “Let’s go.”
With matching grins, we race outside on quiet feet and then follow steep stairs that lead down to the water. We toss our clothing every which way as we go, laughing with unabashed joy.
The moon is clear and bright in the sky, and I fancy the stars twinkling above are shining just for us.
When we run into the water, it’s ice cold and might wither a human man’s enthusiasm , but it doesn’t cool our passion at all. Otherkind bodies for the win!
When Shae swims to my side and I take his naked body into my arms, it’s everything perfect and right in the world. I want to carve this memory in my mind to remember it always.
The wet glide of his skin against mine is sensual and downright divine. In fact, I have to reach a hand down all too soon and grip the base of my shaft, fearing I might come before we even get started.
His mouth goes to work on my sensitive neck, nibbling, licking, and sucking, and I can’t stop moaning. “I had a dream about you last night,” he murmurs into my skin.
“You did?” I gasp.
“Oh, yes,” he purrs. “It was deliciously dirty.”
“Tell me more,” I plead as my hands frantically move over his naked back.
He wraps his legs around me, his shimmering scales sliding against my skin and producing a friction I find pleasurable.
I reach down and cup his supple backside, making him buck his hips against mine, and we both groan when our bare cocks touch for the first time.
It’s a little disappointing that I can’t see anything in the darkness of the water, but I instead decide to focus on everything I can touch, taste, and smell.
Wrapped around each other, we grind our hips together and kiss for what seems like hours, then Shae pulls back with a frustrated noise.
“Fuck. This must be what they call edging.” He mock-glowers at me. “Enough with all that. I need to come.”
Is it wrong that I adore when he gets all imperious and demanding like this?
He wraps his arms around my neck. “You keep us afloat and I’m going to grab hold of us and jack us off together.”
I’m not sure if what he has in mind will work or if we’ll both end up drowning, but if we do? What a way to go.
My legs are pretty powerful in the water since my thigh muscles are well-developed from years of surfing, so I’m able to do my very important job here.
Shae keeps his legs wrapped around my hips but shifts both hands to encircle our cocks, making us both groan in unison. The sensation of our naked erections touching for the first time is pure bliss and I almost stop treading water because I’m so awestruck.
Focus, Griffin! Dying now would be the worst cockblock of all time.
“Fuck, you’re big,” Shae whispers, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I pant, relishing his smooth length sliding against mine.
“I need to use both hands. Damn,” he says as he begins to stroke us.
It’s tentative and a bit awkward at first, but Shae soon gains confidence and we’re caught in a delicate balance of trying not to go under while rutting against one another and straining to find our release.
I have to fight back tears from the sheer overload of feelings I’m having on top of the ones I’m sensing from Shae. While emotions aren’t always easy to translate or fully understand since they’re very subjective, one thing comes through loud and clear.
Shae loves me too. He’s ready to accept our mate bond.
That truth feels almost as good as an orgasm. For me, at least.
Finally being able to share this intimate physical connection with Shae makes my soul sing and I abandon myself to the pleasure, letting everything else disappear. While I wish we could stay like this forever, our mutual need is so great that it isn’t long before we’re both toppling over the edge into orgasmic bliss.
Breathing heavily, Shae releases our now spent cocks and wraps his arms around my neck again, taking my mouth in a wet, lazy kiss that sparks so intensely after that orgasm that my brain nearly short-circuits. When my mate’s satisfied with owning my mouth like a fucking pro, he drops his head on my shoulder.
“Holy fuck, that was amazing.”
My tail starts wagging like mad.
And let me tell you, that’s super weird in the water.
I nuzzle the top of his head. “It always feels better with a partner, but especially with a fated mate.” My eyes get a little teary. “Our bond’s special—and what we just experienced was totally magical.”
“Yeah, it was,” he agrees softly and then arches an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t do too badly for a newbie, did I?”
“Total natural,” I assure him with a grin.
With a sigh of contentment, he lays his head on my shoulder again. “I’m glad we came here. Already I feel like I’ve reclaimed a big part of who I used to be before… everything.”
I stroke his back. “I’m glad we came too. This island will always hold a special place in my heart for helping you get so far on your personal self-healing journey.” I hesitate. “Do you think you’d want to relocate here permanently someday?”
He considers my question for a moment. “Hmmm, I don’t know. Maybe? There’s a lot to love about this place, and I do want to get to know my maternal side of the family better. There are some other relatives I haven’t met yet, too. Coral told me she wanted to keep things simple and not overwhelm me on my first visit.”
“She’s pretty awesome.”
He chuckles. “That she is.” He starts to trace a finger across my chest, drawing patterns on my wet skin. “I’ll admit, I like the safety the island provides, and the peace I’ve found here is something I’m not sure I could achieve back in LA. But, at the same time, I still have some things I need to do that I can only accomplish back on the mainland.” He leans back and gazes into my eyes, a determined look on his face. “First and foremost, we have to find and rescue my mom.”
I don’t try to hold back my answering grin. “And second?”
The expression on his face is calculating and, dare I say, a teensy bit evil.
“Revenge, darling.”