On a trip to refresh Sin’s water and Gael’s plate of snacks, a couple of people intercept me, stopping my progress with a bashful, “Excuse me, Phineas?”
I look down at a pair, one of which is a chipmunk shifter and the other 3which feels like another mare to me. There’s something about the energy they give off that my instincts latch onto to identify their species now that magic isn’t working against me knowing about other supernatural species. “Hello,” I greet the two, glancing down at where they’re holding hands tightly.
“Um,” the chipmunk shifter starts. “I’m Daisy, and this is Ty. She’s a mare.”
I nod, tamping down the frustration that I didn’t get to know what Gael was before he told me because magic was actively working against us. “Nice to meet you. Is there something I can do for you?” My desire to serve my mates is pressing on me to get the water and snacks and return to them.
Daisy nods sheepishly. “Um, we were wondering if you think Gael would perform a mating ceremony for us before the end of the summit? Ty is my fated mate,” she explains, and Ty silently nods beside her.
My frustration with my own situation fades to the background as happiness takes its place, and I smile like it really is Christmas morning. “I bet he would love to. We can go talk to him. Follow me.”
Daisy smiles back at me, and she and Ty follow me to the refreshments where I get the things I need for my mates, and then I lead them back to Gael and Sin, who’re standing back to back, each in deep conversation with others. Sin is talking to a pair of sorcerers and a demon, and Gael is talking to a shifter and a mare who’re also holding hands.
I hand Sin his water and he rewards me with a biting kiss, then he returns to his discussion, then I give Gael his snacks, and he introduces me to the people he’s talking to. “Meet Helios and Frankie. They met each other about ten minutes ago and realized they’re fated mates. They want me to conduct their mating ceremony before the end of the summit,” Gael explains with a joyful smile.
I wave my hand for Daisy and Ty to come forward. “Meet Daisy and Ty. They also met a little while ago and want you to conduct their mating ceremony because they’re also fated mates.”
I guess having two pairs of shifter-mare mates pulls Sin’s attention away from his conversation, and he interrupts, “Really? Two couples have already found their fated mates?”
Gael’s eyes wander around the arena, then his power swells and he raises his hand to wave someone over. I follow his gaze to Anja, who’s already making her way toward us with a line of people behind her.
“What is happening here?” I murmur, counting the newly formed couples following her.
“What?” Sin asks, slipping his hand into mine.
“They’re all shifter-mare pairings,” I explain.
Sin’s surprise shows on his face. “I wonder why.”
Anja stops well within our personal bubble, which is how it’s always been for me and her, but I worry that Sin might be uncomfortable with her proximity. “So, we have some matings that people want officiated by us,” she starts, waving her hand at the people behind her.
Gael spreads his hands to include the two couples with us. “Yes, we do. They’re all shifter-mare pairings, so far?”
Anja nods, just as befuddled as the rest of us, but also happy. “We’re finding our fated mates!” she exclaims.
Gael matches her enthusiasm, grabbing her into a celebratory hug. “We are! Who knew our mates were supposed to be each other? This is amazing.”
“Our energies match,” Ty says from beside me, quiet in the din of the arena, but I hear her over it.
“That’s right,” I agree and poke Gael. “It’s because shifter and mare energies match, don’t you think?”
Gael thinks about it for a moment before smiling like the sun. “Yes, that’s exactly it. Our energies align perfectly. You taste wonderful with or without Sin, and I’ve never been able to eat anyone that didn’t taste like him before. You stand on your own, and when you mix with Sin, it’s ambrosia. If that’s how my people feel about shifter energy, too, then I think you’re right.”
Ty shifts a little and hesitantly says, “It’s just Daisy. Not all shifters, just mine.”
Daisy smiles at her fated mate like she’s the world.
Gael nods, leaning his head against my bicep. “Yes, exactly. We also have fated mates, did you know? My grandmother is Clan Laurel’s archivist, and she told me that mare have fatedmates. You won’t be able to eat anyone else besides Daisy for the rest of yours, so protect that woman like your life depends on it.”
Because it does. Oh, that’s not good.
Sin and I exchange a worried look, but we’re in better shape than Daisy and Ty. If something happens to one of us, at least Gael has the other.
All of the shifter-mare pairings hold their collective breath when Gael says that, and a wave of protective energy passes through the small group.
“We’ll be careful,” Daisy promises, worry and horror in that promise. “And maybe we’ll see if we have another fated mate, like you.”
Ty grips her mate’s hand fiercely, nodding in agreement. “It can’t hurt to keep an eye out.”
