“He’s been awake,” Notto says. “Aren’t you, pet?”
“Yes,” I admit. “Since you came back into the room.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s get out of here.”
“Is the storm gone?” Drystan asks, proving that he hasn’t been awake that long.
“Yes,” Keary says. “I’m sorry I broke my promise to keep you away from storms. I’ll never break it again. I shouldn’t have let myself get caught up in anything else, Drys. I’m so sorry.”
Drystan shakes his head. “It’s not your fault.”
“It really is, though. Between Rainer and you two irritating me and us moving around with a purpose, I wasn’t paying any attention to the weather and I should have been. In hindsight, I’ve felt it in the sun’s rays for a day now, but I…” He sighs. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine,” Drystan says.
“Come on,” Notto says.
Kaida climbs off my lap, and hands grab my arms to haul me to my feet. Drystan is pulled up in the same fashion. The door opens, bathing the room in a dim light. The storm has moved on, but the night is now closing in.
We head back into the main part of the library. The towel that Keary used to clean up our mess is still lying on the floor since we’d abandoned that spot in a hurry. My cheeks flush when I see it, and I look away.
Drystan stretches. His antlers and spikes and everything that made him look, well, monstrous, are gone. He looks like he always does, though sans horns entirely again.
Notto grips Keary’s neck, placing his hands on both sides, his thumbs on Keary’s face. “All we want is our mate,” he says. “Where, when, how… None of that needs to align with what everyone else is doing or what they’d want from us. The only thing that’s ever mattered is us.”
Keary closes his eyes. I don’t need to know him well to see that he’s still hesitant. Drystan’s hand finds mine. I smile as I grip his hand in return, though my attention doesn’t leave Keary and Notto.
“What else is making you reluctant?” Notto asks.
Keary’s gaze touches mine for a minute.
Notto huffs. “You think we don’t all feel the same thing you do?” He rolls his eyes. “Youknowthat monster bonds feel their mates together. Weallfeel that Rainer is part of this family, Keary.”
“But you’re going to need to learn how to share,” Drystan says. “You don’t get to have him all to yourself.”
“I’m going to point out again that none of you own me,” I say.
“I think we need to revisit the explanation of monster families with you,” Keary says. “We spoke in general terms without detail and definitely not about how it would affect you.”
Notto drops his hands from Keary. Drystan pulls me closer to them so we’re huddled in a tight group.
“We talked about how humans live longer, and I explained the way we tend tomateas a cross between animal packs and human family groups,” Keary says. “All true, but it wasn’t really detail-driven enough for you to understand personally. We say mates as if it’s some magical connection between two or more people, but that’s not exactly right.”
“Though to be completely honest, there are some monsters that form specific kinds of bonds just like that. We’re not of those species, though,” Drystan says.
“Like wolf shifters do in books?” I ask.
“Yes. Just like that. Assuming you’re talking about the kinds of shifters that you find in alpha/omega shifting books and other paranormal series where there are packs and pack structure,” Keary says.
I nod. “I am.”
“Okay good. Yes, just like that. The divine don’t mate like that. However, something that all monsters share is the ability toknowwhen you’ve found your… I need a different word than mate so I don’t confuse the conversation,” Keary says.
“You can use that word,” I say. “I understand we’re not talking about alpha wolf bonds.”
He grins. “I love that you’ve clearly read a lot of books. But anyway, try to bear with me, and I’ll clear up any answers if I’ve muddied it. You know, I think we’re going to keep using the mating pack idea because it best describes this with an idea thatyou’re already familiar with, but I’m going to throw out another book concept to you—fatedmates. You familiar?”
“The idea that two people are destined to be together by some ethereal reason, so their connection is deeper, right?”
