“What kind of shifter are ye? The Shaman claims yer a serpent,” Brian said.
“The Shaman?”
“Ye know…Kieran. He’s a powerful Shaman. Tis he I asked for help to find ye.”
“Ahh, Kieran. A powerful Shaman…mmmm…maybe that explains why he has the power of the gods in him. Well, yes, he’s right…sorta. My people and I are sea dragons, creatures with the ability to breathe underwater and fly.”
“I dinna know what that is as I never heard of it,” Brian said.
“I’m not surprised. We are ancient shifters, long thought to be extinct…which is exactly the way we like it,” replied Reif.
“Then why are ye here?” Brian asked.
“Before I answer that, I want to explain more about my world so you can understand why I did what I did. When we were first created, we didn’t have mates because no one knew of us except the god who created us. After theother gods found out about us, the Fates decided we should have mates…so many of my ancestors were able to find one. But that stopped a very long time ago and, as far as I can remember, no one in Angelopoulos has found, much less claimed, a Fated Mate for at least the last thousand years.”
“Why?” asked Brian.
“I’ll get to that in a minute,” Reif said. “The reason I’m telling you this is that all knowledge of our claiming rituals for Fated Mates has been lost, so I honestly didn’t know the significance of kissing you. To me, it was just a kiss.” Then seeing anger flash in his mate’s face, Reif quickly said, “Brian, I’m sorry. I have a habit of putting my foot in my mouth. It wasn’tjusta kiss because when I saw you sleeping, I needed to touch you, to taste you…to feel my lips on yours. It was a hunger I’ve never felt before and as soon as my lips touched yours, I knew one time would never be enough. But then, I was knocked on my ass from the shock of the bond. To be honest, I was freaked out. I didn’t know what I’d done and was panicked that I might have put my people at risk. I knew my father would be furious at me for breaking the order he gave me about revealing my identity so I fled.” Reif paused to gain control of his emotions which had overwhelmed him. Then he continued.
“If I’d known what would happen to you because I kissed you, you have to believe me when I say I would’ve stayed with you. I know it appears I rejected you, especially after what you heard me say to Kieran, but I didn’t, really. It’s just I was so afraid of what would happen to my people if I didn’t find…” Reif’s voice trailed off as he realized he was about to tell his mate something he had sworn to keep secret.
Brian saw the fear in Reif’s eyes when his mate suddenly clammed up. Sensing he was close to discovering the danger he sensed his mate was in, Brian remained silent, thinking about how to get the entire story so he could help. Deciding to give Reif some space, he picked up the frying pan and said, “How many eggs do ye want? Is scrambled okay?” Turning around, he grabbed some eggs from a carton, breaking them into a bowl.
Stunned at his mate’s reaction, Reif wasn’t sure what to make of it but mumbled, “Three, and scrambled is fine.” He was grateful Brian didn’t push him, but confused as to why his matedidn’tpush him to finish his thought.Dammit! I wish I knew more about having a Fated Mate. My gut tells me to trust him but if I’m wrong, my people could pay the ultimate price for my weakness. Reif finally turned to his beast, seeking his counsel since what he said could negatively affect both of them.Fucking hell!His beast told him in no uncertain terms what he was planning to do if Reif didn’t get his act together.Well, that answers that!
Dividing the eggs and bacon onto two plates, Brian set one in front of his mate who appeared to be deep in thought. Sitting across from Reif, he picked up his fork and began eating, sneaking glances at him. Not seeing Reif eating, he tapped his fork on his mate’s dish and asked, “Did ye change yer mind?”
“Huh? What?” Reif looked down at the food, then sheepishly glanced at Brian as he picked up a piece of bacon. “Oh…no, sorry. I was just distracted. Thanks.” Chewing on it, he considered how best to tell his secret; he was pretty sure his mate wasn’t going to like what he had to say. Even in the short time he’d known Brian, Reif was sure his mate was honest and good to the core but finding out the truth about the mate who kissed and ran away wasn’t going to be pleasant—for either of them.
“For fuck’s sake, just tell me,” Brian said. “I can hear ye thinkin’ way over here.”
Sighing, Reif said, “I’m still a fucking thief…not that I want to be, but it goes back to the deal my ancestors made with the gods. They agreed we’d be hidden from all other paranormals as long as we kept our word. But then, a group of witches and vampires found out about us and we’ve been under their control ever since.”
“For how long has this been goin’ on?” asked Brian, horrified at what his mate was telling him.
“About a thousand years.”
Chapter 21
“A thousand years? Ye got to be fuckin’ with me!” exclaimed Brian.
Shaking his head, Reif continued, “Unfortunately not. I…we have no idea how they found out about us or where we lived but one day the sky turned black and five men appeared in the center of our town announcing all the sea dragons now belonged to them and if we didn’t follow their orders, we’d be destroyed.
“My father stepped forward. He agreed to steal whatever they wanted if they left the rest of us alone. So for 500 years, he was their thief until it began to affect his health. Then I took his place, but I’m always afraid of what these men will do to my people if I fail to deliver.”
“What aboot the gods? Canna they protect ye?” asked Brian, horrified.
“They could but they don’t. None of our elders know what we did to anger the gods so much that they’d forsake us, but it must have been something really bad because the Fates stopped giving us Fated Mates.”
“Ahh…the last time was aboot a thousand years ago?” asked Brian.
“Yes,” Reif said, sadly. “Through the years our claiming ritual was lost. I don’t know why, but I always thought a claiming needed a sex act between the two mates. That’s why I had no idea that just giving you a kiss…a kiss I very much wanted to give—would have claimed you. Please, believe me, Brian, I’m not the kind of mate who’d cause the death of anyone, especially my Fated Mate.”
Brian could see his mate was telling the truth. “Ay, I do believe ye, but what are we gonna do aboot these men?”
“Last year, my father re-negotiated with them that this would be my last mission. If I’m successful, my people will be free of them and we can return to our lives without their threats hanging over us,” Reif said.
“Do ye think they will keep their word?” asked Brian, doubtfully.
