Cody shifted back to his human form as did Dylon who snuggled up to his back, draping his arm over Cody’s waist. The serenity of the moment was only interrupted by the calls of the birds, once again reasserting their claim to the forest. Cody’s eyes drifted up through the trees to the sky above and he smiled at how everything seemed so bright, so vivid, so alive. During his descent into his personal hell, he had stopped noticing the world around him, consumed by the darkness in his mind.
Cody knew the darkness would be with him always, but now with Dylon’s strength coming through their life thread, he would have no problem keeping it at bay. It was time to start doing what the Fates intended for him and that meant they had to go to Tajikistan—sooner than later. He had a mission to complete.
Feeling his mate’s body against his, Dylon closed his eyes and waited until Cody was ready to talk. When he’d bitten his mate, Dylon became privy to Cody’s thoughts but Cody could not hear his until the final claiming act was completed—hopefully tonight. He dipped his hand down Cody’s abdomen and found his mate’s hardening cock. No matter how many times he took Cody, Dylon always needed more. Grasping the leaking cock, he slowly tugged it, just wanting to tease his mate.
Cody shoved his ass against Dylon’s groin, teasing him right back. And as much as he would have liked to pursue getting his ass filled again, he needed first to talk, something he had put off far too long. Turning over, he looked at those beautiful eyes radiating so much love. “Babe, before we go further in that direction…and believe me I want to go there…I need to talk about Tajikistan.”
Dylon grew serious. “I know,ma moitié,go ahead.”
Cody squeezed Dylon’s hand. “You’ve seen my visions and the terrible things that are done to shifters who are helpless to fight back. It took me a while to figure out why the Fates gave me these visions but when I did, I knew there wouldn’t be anyone or anything that could keep me from helping the shifters I saw.”
“I know.”
“The first visions I had of these shifters were not painful. I guess the best way to described them is to say it was more like setting the scene than anything else. But as the months wore on, the visions grew in detail as to exactly what was occurring over there. The one I had just before Colton healed you was so vivid and painful, I honestly don’t know how any of those shifters could have survived.”
“It’s their will to survive,ma moitié.”
“Yes, it must be. But the time has come. I am stronger than I have ever been before and with you at my side, I know I will be successful. But, my mate, this won’t be the last rescue you and I will be involved in.”
“I understand, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Remember when I told you how I would beat up bullies at school?” Dylon asked. After Cody nodded, he continued, “It’s why the Fates picked me to be your FatedMate. It’s in my DNA. I must defend the defenseless and that makes me perfect for what the Fates want you to do. So yes, I will be by your side when we go over there and kick some ass. I’ll keep you safe and know I’ll always be able to find you so you have nothing to fear.”
“Thanks, babe. So, what’s the plan?” asked Cody.
“First, we need to finish the claiming so our bonding is unbreakable by any force.”
“I want to do that tonight…you know, bite you.”
“Perfect.”
“We need to meet with Oracle so she can give us the limits of my gift…”
“And I have to make arrangements for our flight over…”
“We should also talk to Steel because we’ll need his brother’s help…”
“Why?” asked Dylon.
“Because Slate is over there now trying to mediate peace between the packs. Oh, and we should talk to Ian. That was his last assignment before he came here. He might have some insights for us.”
“We need to get permission from Jackson for you to go…” Dylon said.
“I was thinking Jackson and Steel should be in the meeting we have with Oracle,” added Cody. “Is that all right with you?”
“That makes sense. And maybe if we run into a problem with getting permission, she can help us.”
“Good point. What about your parents?”
Dylon hesitated. “I have to think about that. I won’t tell my father about your ability or gift any more than I would tell him about Colton and Jackson’s gifts. Hmmm…”
“Maybe we can bring it up at the meeting with Oracle and Jackson? They might have a way to handle your parents, well, your father really.”
“Yup, okay, add that to the list,” Dylon said.
“Carson has been trying to connect through our mind link,” Cody said, pausing as Dylon growled, “he wants to apologize as does Zane. Don’t be angry at him, babe, he only wanted to protect me. He doesn’t know what I’ve been going through so when he saw me chained, his fear of losing another family member overwhelmed him. Please, babe, I want to give him the chance to tell me he regrets his actions. If something were to happen to us over there, my brother would live with the guilt for the rest of his life.”
“Humph, well…”
“Please babe, it will be better for me if I know my brothers aren’t upset about anything other than me leaving.”
