Laughing, Oracle said, “No, if it doesn’t work, you will simply hit the door.”
“C’mon,” urged Zane, “you don’t want me to tell Ki you were chicken, do you?”
“Fuck off,” Logan said grinning, “you better not piss off my dragon. C’mon, I’m game.”
David swiveled his head to watch his mate and Logan walk over to the door, wondering if it would work. Crossing his fingers, he waited till his mate got into position.
Zane grabbed his brother’s hand and, after saying ‘Ghost Walker,’ pulled Logan with him; both walked through the door and out of sight. Dropping his brother’s hand, Zane looked at Logan and said, “Is that not the coolest thing ever?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Logan said, “Yeah, it is, but I still like my gift better.”
“Well, I like mine. Not that I don’t think yours isn’t cool, I mean your dragon is pretty bad-ass but to walk through walls…man,thatis fucking cool.”
Chuckling, Logan said, “C’mon, let’s get back in there so you and David can hear the rest of what Oracle has tosay. And if you don’t mind, I’ll go through the door the old fashioned way.”
Shrugging, Zane walked through the door and returned to his seat next to his mate, where he wrapped his arm around David once more. “Thank the Fates for me, Oracle, I love my gift.”
Smiling, Oracle replied, “I will. Any more questions about your gift before I talk to David?”
Zane looked at his mate who shook his head, after which Zane said to Oracle. “Nope, we’re fine. Logan, any questions?”
“Just one…I assume if Zane is holding the hands of two different people, all three of them will be able to move through any solid matter, is that correct? Or is it limited to just one other person?”
“Good point. There is no limit as to how many people can accompany Zane or David through a solid object, but it is important that they never lose contact with him,” Oracle replied.
“Uhh, right, I think I’ll keep it to two right now,” said Zane, “otherwise I’d worry something might happen.”
“A sensible approach,” Oracle said. “Now, to answer your question about what abilities you received from David.”
Chapter 33
This was the moment David had dreaded since he first discovered he had a Fated Mate. Everything in his mind screamed for him to run away. If he could avoid finding out what other abilities he had, it might keep him from becoming that evil creature in the myth the High Priestess insisted he was. Suddenly, he found himself sitting on his mate’s lap, held securely as Zane’s soothing alpha power wrapped around him and infused his soul with love and strength.
“Babe, no matter what Oracle says, I will always choose you. You are my everything and I can no more live without you then I can live without the sun, the moon and the stars. I love you…today, tomorrow and forever…always!” whispered Zane into David’s ear.
His mate’s words and touch helped David quiet his doubts as he sat there, trying to calm his breathing. At that moment, he felt his heart overflow with the love he had for Zane. “I love you, too,cuore mio!” David whispered back.
“David, do you wish to speak to me in private?” asked Oracle.
Shaking his head, David sighed. Trusting his mate would still love him no matter what, he replied, “No, go ahead, please.”
“David, I know there is a lot about your life you do not know and that worries you, but there is no reason for that.”
“But the High Priestess told me…”
“Yes, I know what she said and it was not true. Let me start from the beginning. A long time ago, the gods knew there was a possibility that evil would take root and grow until it threatened the very existence of everything good so they came up with a plan to combat it in case it occurred. For many years, evil tried to triumph but each time it was beaten back by all shifters regardless of who they were. As the years passed, it seemed as if the gods had nothing to worry about.
“But evil was able to sneak in and find a foothold in the dark corners of the shifter world, first gaining the souls of shifters who were weak, then reaching out its tendrils to snag others.”
“Why didn’t the shifters fight it?” asked David.
“They did, and evil failed many times until it finally realized it could only succeed if it embedded one of the seven deadly sins into their souls. Greed proved to be the most successful. Soul by soul, evil planted that seed and made sure it flourished until it became the driving force in the shifter world. Evil was insidious, beginning first by granting simple wishes until they were perceived to be rights, driving shifters to acquire them no matter what the cost to themselves or others.
“Once greed became the reason for a shifter’s decision to satisfy a small need, it grew until it consumed the soul, giving evil another soldier in its campaign to take over the world. By the time the gods understood what was happening, evil was firmly rooted in the shifter world and greed became the new normal. Appalled by what was happening, the gods put their long-dormant plan into action and the Fates singled out your mother to give birth to the one who would carry it out.”
David’s eyes grew big. Then, he asked, “Why my mother?”
“Because of the purity of her soul,” Oracle answered. “After a discussion among the gods, it was decided, your mother would be impregnated merely by a touch. The gods were gratified when they saw her leave her family to make a new life for you away from the judgment of society.”
