Zane waited until his brother and Kieran sat down; then plates were filled and the only sounds were silverware clinking and then scraping to get the last bits of food. Finally, Zane sat back in his chair and realized Oracle wasn’t there. “Hey bro, I thought Oracle was waiting for us?”
“She was, but when Kieran told her you were going to shower and eat before meeting her, she decided to go back to her suite so she could answer some emails. She’ll be back shortly.”
Kieran looked up from his phone. “Macushla,Theo, Norm and Fionn are going to Brian’s for a ride on the lake to see Nessie and they want me to join them.”
Logan looked at Zane. “Should I be worried about my mate being attacked by the people who are after David?”
David answered instead, “Michael is dead, his men are in custody and the only one left who’s a threat to me is the High Priestess and she’s in Tuscany as far as I know.”
“Do you have any reason to believe she might be here?” asked Logan.
“I don’t think so, because she wouldn’t know about Michael yet,” David replied.
“Bro, why don’t you send some enforcers with them?” asked Zane.
“Macushla,that’s a good idea,” Kieran said. “Please, Fionn has been so depressed and for him to want to go is amazing and Brian can protect us too and I think it would do a world of good for him to get out in the fresh air.”
“I agree, babe. You can go as long as Groose goes too, with whoever he picks. But you have to promise you’ll follow his orders without question,” Logan said.
Beaming, Kieran replied, “Of course,macushla!” Kissing Logan, he jumped up from the table and headed to the bedroom.
“Ki, are you changing your outfit again?” Zane called, chuckling.
“Absolument! I bought the perfect outfit to go boating! Wait till you see it,” Kieran yelled, his voice fading as he shut the bedroom door.
Logan watched his mate leave, then, grinning at his brother, said, “I love him so much.”
Wrapping his arms around David, Zane replied, “I know exactly how you feel, bro.”
Chapter 32
Oracle knocked briefly before entering and joining Logan, David and Zane in the living room, sitting down in a chair facing them. Giving a quick glance at Logan, she turned her attention back to the newly mated couple. “Zane, before I continue, do you want Logan and David to leave?”
“No, why?” Zane asked.
“Because I will be telling you what gift the Fates have given you and it is your choice if you want anyone else to know it,” responded Oracle.
“Oh. Well, you should know when David and I claimed each other, it appeared David received my gift…whatever it is…and I received his abilities, although we only know what one of them is,” Zane said.
“I am aware of that,” replied Oracle. “What about your brother? Do you mind if he stays?”
Zane looked at David. “Do you mind if Logan hears about our gifts?”
“Not really, since I know about his gift,” David said.
Giving David a quick kiss on the lips, Zane said, “Nope, no problem about Logan staying and hearing what you have to say but I have a couple of questions first. When I claimed David, I received his ability to bop from place to place but I also felt another ability that was given to me. My mate doesn’t know what it is, do you?”
“Yes, and I will get to David’s abilities shortly, but first, you. The Fates selected you, Zane, because of your strong sense of right, not to mention your deep-seated need to protect the weak…even at your own expense…to be the mate of the most fragile and important shifter on earth. I know he has told you some of what his life was like when he grew up, but even David could not do justice to the horror he was forced to endure in the name of the Four Gods.
“Unable to interfere with individuals’ decisions on earth, the gods and Fates watched as David grew up, knowing he deserved a mate who would keep him safe in a world filled with hate and evil intentions. Determined to find David a worthy mate, they picked you after seeing you grow into the man you are today.”
“I’m not sure they’re correct about me. I’ve made lots of stupid mistakes in my life so far and I’m sure there are more to come in the future,” said Zane.
“Sweetie, the gods and Fates didn’t choose you because you never made a mistake, they chose you because of how you handled them. It takes a lot of courage to admit to wrongdoings and you have that courage in spades, but what is more important than that is your innate kindness towards those who are suffering. When your friend was under attack in school, you rushed in with no thought of the consequences and saved him. And when the dust had settled, you refused to tell what really had happened to save your friend from more embarrassment, paying the price for your silence with a suspension.
“When your father punished you for fighting at school, you took it, protecting your friend. And after returning to school, you made it known if anyone messed with your friend, they would answer to you. That is what the gods and Fates wanted in David’s mate. Kindness, courage, protectiveness, and loyalty…qualities not found together in most shifters…but you have them all in spades as demonstrated during a very rough time in your life. It was these traits in you that led you to ask Logan to talk to Dakota that summer after your family was killed. Because you saw the suffering of your brother and sought help for him, you saved Dakota’s life who, in turn, saved the life of my son, Slate.
“David needs such a defender, someone who sees his suffering and moves to lessen it, someone who feels his loneliness and chases it away, someone who senses his need for security and gives it to him, and someone who hears his cry for love and surrounds him with it until he no longer thinks he is unwanted. It is a tall order for any one person to give to another, but you, Zane, possess all of it and that is why the gods and Fates gave David to you.”
