Chapter Six #3
Damn. Ridge shouldn’t have kept his distance from Kael.
He’d done so because it had been obvious that Kael didn’t want him close, but he should’ve done more to be there for him.
At the very least, he should’ve been there to listen when Kael needed to talk.
Knowing him, it had to hurt to have people watching him like he might snap, or talking about him like he would hurt someone.
He wasn’t even that different from a human, for fuck’s sake.
Why would having a tail and green hair make him dangerous?
Ridge was dangerous, and he looked perfectly normal.
Kael shook his head. “Look, we need to talk. We might as well do it now that we’re both here.
There’s no reason to delay this any further.
I’m fine. I’m glad I finally stood up for myself, even though I didn’t realize it was something I could do.
I don’t know how much good it did, but I feel better, and I definitely feel good enough to talk. ”
“Does this mean you’re planning on staying?”
Kael blinked. “Of course I’m staying. Why wouldn’t I?”
Ridge glanced around them, then back at his mate.
“You just said that you don’t feel like you belong.
People look at you like you’re dangerous, like you might want to hurt them, just because of what you are.
I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to leave.
I’ve even been thinking about how to make it work so I could come with you.
I think that maybe if we contacted Poppy, she could help us.
We might be able to move into her town.”
Kael’s hands landed on Ridge’s arm. “We’re not moving. There’s no need for you to try to figure out how to make this work because it doesn’t need to be fixed.”
“You said that you’d be more comfortable somewhere else, though. Somewhere surrounded by demons, people who don’t judge you for how you look.”
“Well, yes. Who wouldn’t be? But it doesn’t mean I’m leaving. Nymon is here, and I’m not going anywhere without him. He’s not going anywhere without his mate, and we both know that Tex wouldn’t want to move. I don’t want him to move. There’s no reason for any of us to.”
“You could find a place where you truly feel at home.”
Kael’s smile was small but soft. “I think I already have. I won’t say I’m fully comfortable here, and maybe I never will be completely, but I won’t know for sure until I give this place a real chance.
Besides, things have changed, haven’t they?
I was alone before. I had Nymon, but he has Tex, and that’s how it should be.
But maybe now that I have you, it’s going to be easier to feel like I belong. ”
“Does that mean you want to give us a chance?” Ridge was almost afraid to ask.
He’d been building up problems in his head since he’d met Kael, trying to find solutions for things he wasn’t sure would even happen.
It felt like fate was handing him everything he could’ve wanted on a silver plate, and it was hard to believe it was real.
It felt almost too easy, although it had been anything but.
“Do you know why I kept my distance from you when I first arrived here?” Kael asked.
That felt like it was coming from out of nowhere, but Ridge was curious.
Kael hadn’t known for sure they were mates until Ridge had told him, and Ridge had wondered ever since why Kael had worked so hard not to be in the same room as him.
He’d thought that maybe Kael could feel the bond and wasn’t ready for it. “Will you tell me?”
Kael looked around. To Ridge’s surprise, he reached out and grabbed his hand, then pulled him toward the building. It looked like he was done talking in the middle of the street—or at least, that was what Ridge thought until he heard Kael’s voice again.
“I knew there was something there. I could feel it, even though you hadn’t said anything.
I didn’t know what it was for sure, but I had Nymon and Tex right in front of me.
I’m not an idiot. From the way Nymon talked about Tex and how drawn he’d felt to him even when he couldn’t be sure that the wolf he was talking to was a shifter, I knew there was a good chance I was your mate.
It was kind of terrifying. I didn’t know what to do about it or what it meant.
I did know that if I acknowledged it, if you confirmed it, I would have to stay here, whether or not I was ready. ”
“I never would’ve forced you to stay,” Ridge said.
“I know that now. I was torn, though. Part of me wanted to return to an easy life, to the life I’d always known.
I could live in a place where people don’t watch me like I have two heads.
I could live in a place where people aren’t afraid of me or what I can do.
I hated the way that father pulled his son away from me earlier, because I would never hurt anyone, let alone a child.
My life was much easier when I lived in Starhaven, and for a time, I did consider going back.
Hell, I thought about asking Poppy if I could move in. ”
“But you didn’t.”
“I didn’t. I don’t want to leave Nymon, even though I know he’s in good hands, but I also don’t want to give up.
I get to decide where my place is. I’m not going to let some random woman I don’t know and will never talk to again decide what I should do or where I belong.
That’s a decision I get to make, and I’ve made it. ”
* * * *
KAEL WASN’T SURE WHERE the words were coming from. Maybe it was because everything was happening at once, but he’d realized that ever since he’d moved away from Starhaven, he’d let his fear guide him instead of truly allowing himself to build a new home.
He’d left Starhaven because he’d been afraid of ending up alone without Nymon.
He’d been spending most of his time in his apartment because he was afraid of other people and how they would see him, how they would react to him.
He’d been avoiding Ridge because he’d been afraid of what would happen if he didn’t.
He’d suspected they were mates and hadn’t known how to deal with that.
He still wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with it, but he knew that he wanted to try.
He wanted to see what would happen next, what future he was building now that he was away from Starhaven.
It was all a mess, but it was his mess. It was his life.
He was the one deciding what he wanted, and right now, he wanted a chance.
He wanted to see what would happen next between himself and Ridge.
“So you’re staying?” Ridge asked.
They’d almost reached the building. Kael wasn’t sure what would happen once they got inside, but he was actually glad they’d had this conversation out here instead of in Ridge’s apartment.
It helped to feel the breeze on his skin and smell the greenery around him.
He was a nature demon. That was never going to change, and eventually he would have to leave his apartment and find somewhere with a garden—somewhere he could have plants and maybe find work related to that.
Tex had hinted that one of his friends’ mates was interested in plants and maybe opening a shop, and Kael wanted to be part of that.
He hadn’t allowed himself to make plans because he’d been convinced this wasn’t his place, but he’d decided otherwise now. He belonged here as much as the woman in the pizzeria did, and he wasn’t going anywhere. He was here to build a life, hopefully with Ridge.
Moving had been terrifying, but it had given him so much.
He still had Nymon in his life, and he wouldn’t have if he’d stayed in Starhaven.
He was making new friends, including Nymon’s mate.
It had given him Ridge, and hopefully, a community.
Not everyone would love him, but that was okay.
Not everyone had loved him when he lived in Starhaven, either.
Actually, a lot of people probably hadn’t liked him.
He hadn’t cared because he’d had Nymon, and the same could still be said.
He still had Nymon, and now he had Ridge.
That would be enough for him, at least to start.
It would be enough for him to feel like his place was here rather than back in Starhaven.