He remained quiet, allowing me to comprehend the gravity of his words. Two people who live forever may not want to stay livingforever.
“Oh,” I whispered.
He nodded, not commenting further on the topic.
I drummed my fingers on my legs while I deliberated my next question—versus everything he had told me. “You said a mate is immortal after they mate. How does someone become ‘mated?’”
“Sex.” Finn smirked.
I stared wide-eyed. “What?”
He explained, “We don’t mate with the first person we sleep with. The magic ultimately picks. A shifter could be alive for three thousand years and not have a mate yet. Or a shifter could only be nineteen and suddenly find their mate. It happens when it’s supposed to.”
“So you know during intercourse,” I mumbled, confusion still riding me hard.
“Not during.After.” His gaze was kind, attempting to clarify. “The mating does occur during sex, but we don’t know until after. A simple scratch from a different shifter proves if they are or not. If they heal immediately, they’re the mate to the shifter they had sex with.”
I stared for a full minute until I comprehended his words. “The other shifter must be used because a mated pair can hurt each other. The scratch wouldn’t heal if he personally did it, resulting in a non-answer because humans aren’t immortal and shifters can hurt their mates.”
“Exactly.” He peered back to the waterfall.
I stared with him, the water mesmerizing as it fell in a rush of wild beauty. I whispered, “What’s it like? Being immortal.”
“As you would imagine it would be. It can be daunting but also miraculous. I’ve seen such beauty. There are no words that could do it justice.” His jaw clenched, the muscles on his face jumping. “But I’ve also experienced horror.”
I swallowed. “The war.”
He nodded once in a curt jerk. “And everything that is war. Nothing about it is kind or gentle. It leaves its unpleasant mark long after it’s over.”
The blue rush of the water continued to entrance me, loosening my cautious tongue. “Then why are you a weapons distributor? Thebiggestweapons distributor…”
“Weapons don’t kill. People do.” Finn grunted, his arm tightening over my shoulder. “After the war, Godric removed all the weapons that were being abused or could annihilate the entire world. But people still need something to defend themselves with. Evil won’t go away. It never does. So I provide individuals with weapons that help keep the lawbreakers at bay.”
“You aren’t worried about them falling into the wrong hands?”
“That is inevitable. But the punishments for criminals are much more severe than they used to be. Death makes them think twice before acting to steal my merchandise. And the Corporate Army is amazing at what they do—not all thieves die. My friends and I learned a lot from the war, and we know how to keep people safe now. The world has never known peace like it does now under our reign.”
I nodded. “You’re correct. It hasn’t.”
His eyes flicked in my direction, a smile flirting on his lips. “What made you want to become a history professor?”
“Everything about it.” I rushed to speak, excitement lacing my tone. “If we ever want to move forward, we need to know the past—the good and the bad. And the students in my advanced class are hungry for knowledge about the world as it once was. They remind me ofmewhen I was taking that class. The era doesn’t matter. They just want to know more—the languages, the cultures, the architecture. It is addicting when you truly think about it, how societies have changed over time.”
Finn was fully grinning, his eyes alight on my face. “Youare addicting, Mina. There’s such light in you.”
I blushed and turned my attention back to the waterfall. I replied politely, “Thank you.”
He started chuckling, his shoulder shaking against mine.
I cleared my throat. “Stop that.”
“It’s too much fun. You are a delight.” He stood to his feet and held his hand out for me. “Would you like an ice cream before we go?”
My eyes widened. “Oh, yes. I’d love one, please.”
Again, his gaze wandered over my features. “Beautiful.”
I placed my right hand in his and allowed him to help me to my feet. Then I peeked at him from under my lashes, asking, “Finn…have you already found your mate?”
