"You mean they did it, right?" Mistral asked. "Sorry, I still have trouble with all these ridiculous mortal words."
Nautilus shot him a deadpan look. "Yes."
I struggled not to laugh as Kamari buried his face in his palm. I guess this was one way to learn that spirits basically had no shame about that sort of thing.
"Wait, if they had sex, does that mean the omega is pregnant?" Mistral asked, pointing at Kamari.
"Do not call methe omega," Kamari snapped. "My name is Kamari!"
Mistral preened his feathers. "Geez, sorry. Touchy..."
Kamari ignored him and continued blowing up. "And no, for your information, I'm not pregnant. I was the one penetrating Zak. That's a thing that's possible, you know!"
With a pout, Mistral complained, "Nautilus, this mortal isyellingat me. Do they always do that?"
Nautilus smiled, obviously amused. "Only when they feel it’s necessary."
I grinned. I was proud of my mate for standing up for himself, especially to a spirit who could smite him instantly, even though I didn't think Mistral was the smiting type. He seemed more like the nagging-you-to-death kind of guy.
Animus, on the other hand...
"So," I began hesitantly. I didn't want to ruin the lighthearted atmosphere but I had a nagging suspicion everything wasn't fixed just yet. "Does this mean you're better, Granddad? Will the coast go back to normal?"
The humor evaporated from Nautilus's face as he raised his dragon muzzle to the sky. The eye of the storm had grown larger, revealing a brighter flash of clear blue sky directly above us, but dark clouds still circled the island. If I listened closely, I still heard the tumultuous crash of waves beyond the shore.
"I'm afraid I do not have the answer, Zakariel," Nautilus murmured. "Animus's attack drained my energy. The only reason I'm able to have this conversation is because you and Kamari lit a spark in my magic."
Frustrated, I asked, "Can we just beat up Animus?"
Mistral snorted. "If you want to die painfully, go ahead and try."
Kamari let out a low growl and clenched my hand in a clear display of protection and possessiveness. "Not while I'm around."
My heart surged with affection for him. I was touched. Did he really care that much?
Mistral shook his head. "Not happening. Two mortals, even a pair of fated mates, don't stand a chance against Animus. Sorry."
Anger and helplessness made me grit my teeth. Even with my special abilities, I couldn't do anything. I hated it.
"What about you, then?" Kamari asked, shooting Mistral a sharp glance. "What if you and the other spirits teamed up to defeat Animus?"
"He can't bedefeated," Mistral said impatiently. "That's the problem. Just as we cannot die, neither can he. He will always exist in some form, even if it's a dormant trance like the one Nautilus was in."
"Then you're saying there's nothing we can do?" I demanded.
With a sudden weariness about him, Mistral slowly shrugged. I realized with a pang of guilt that we might've been too harsh on him. He didn't want this to happen any more than we did, and he was just as powerless to stop it.
But were we truly powerless? The magic from my night of intimacy with Kamari was enough to wake up Nautilus. If fated mates possessed that kind of power, why couldn't we harness it somehow?
"I have a stupid question," I said. "Sorry to be blunt, but if me and Kamari having sex somehow sparks fated mates magic, why can't we just do that over and over again to bring Nautilus's powers back and ward off Animus?"
Kamari swallowed a small startled noise. His cheeks were so flushed he looked like he might catch fire.
To my surprise, Nautilus stroked his dragon whiskers in thought. "That is a possibility." He chuckled. "Did you know that when I first met your father and his mate, that is how they summoned me? They were on the beach and--"
I groaned and slapped a hand over my face, trying not to think of the mental image. "I got it, thanks."
Kamari got over his embarrassment faster than I did. He turned to me, hope in his eyes. "I mean, if it could work, we should try it." He bit his lip, then gazed up at Nautilus. "I have a question as well."
