She kissed my forehead. “Nothing is stronger than the bond between the Matefinder and her mate.”
I paused thinking of that. My mother was immune to silver and when my father got silver poisoning she could ‘share’ her silver immunity. But Gavin didn’t have any gifts to share with me and I certainly didn’t have anything that could heal him. Then my mother reached around her neck and pulled off her sacred protection pouch, putting it around me. My energy sizzled with the power as it saturated me with protection magic. This necklace was a treasured item to her; it was powerful and she told me that she had earned it. Gotten it from Nahuel.
“No, Mom, I can’t.”
She put out a hand to stop me. “On loan until you get your own.” Then all of a sudden she pulled me into a huge, tight hug, the kind that felt like goodbye, the kind that squeezed your heart. I let her lavender and sage scent wash over me.
“You got this,” was all she whispered and it gave me strength. Sometimes all we need is to know that someone else is cheering us on in this crazy world.
*
The drive to Canada was long and tiresome. I was hungry but Nahuel said we were fasting and would not be allowed anything but water and herbs for the next few days. Can I just say FML? Food was my favorite thing in the world, and being without it for a ‘few days’ was nothing short of torture. Gavin and I rode in the car with Nahuel as Jaxon followed behind in our Land Rover. Why we were going to Canada, I had no idea. But if my mother’s stories could be believed, then we were about to take some hallucinogenic drugs and trip out with some Native Americans.
‘Do you think Nahuel knows who my real mother is?’
Gavin’s voice in my head stopped my random thoughts. Oh my God, I had been so selfish. Here I was worrying about the next time I could have ice cream and Gavin was wondering big life questions like who his mother was.
Never one to shy away from opening my big fat mouth, I decided to ask. “Nahuel, do you know who Gavin’s parents are?”
Leaning over to gauge the shaman’s reaction, I saw the telltale signs on his face. Tense, withdrawn, jaw clenched. “I have a theory. We will know for sure when we get there.”
Ah Hah! He had a theory. My gaze fell onto my mate and the apprehension there. Who the hell would give up their kid like that? Especially a kid with magic powers, and not tell him what was coming. It must have been so scary for him to discover all this shit on his own. I slipped my hand into Gavin’s and squeezed.
We drove the rest of the way in silence, until finally we pulled into a thick wooded area about thirty minutes inside of the Canadian border. As we drove up to the small open clearing, I saw three teepees surrounding a fireplace and a larger tent in the back. It looked like there was no electricity, running water, or house type of shelter around here. As Nahuel pulled his truck further onto the property, I saw six hulking males decked head to toe in Indian ceremonial garb and wearing war paint on their faces. I swallowed, unexpectedly nervous. What the hell were we getting ourselves into here? As I turned to look at my mate, I saw something I had never seen from the guy before … complete and utter peace. Like his soul had returned home. His face held none of the apprehension I was sure that mine did. Instead he looked ready, excited, content.
Nahuel put the car in park and we all filed out. Jax pulled up behind us. I saw one of the flaps open to the tent and out stepped a gorgeous, tall, exotic woman. She was in her late twenties, wearing a long heavy woven skirt and loose white linen top. Her long brown braid hung down over one shoulder and her neck and arms were littered with turquoise and silver jewelry. As she stepped closer, I saw her face was also painted with red and white streaks and her almond-shaped eyes bore into my mate. I had to suppress a growl. Nahuel opened his arms and took the girl into a big hug. She seemed transfixed at staring at Gavin and he was doing the same with her. WTF. My wolf was two seconds from shifting and attacking her.
‘Down girl,’Jax told me.
I glared at my twin. He didn’t understand.
Nahuel turned to all of us. “This is Lina, descendant of Alma, spiritual leader of our tribe.”
I swallowed hard. Dammit, she was an Alpha.
Lina stepped closer and extended her hand to me. “Well met, young wolf.”
Shaking it, I tried not to point out that she was pretty young herself. I was pretty sure that Nahuel brought us here because he thought this woman could help save my mate, so I needed to play nice. Then Lina did the same to Jaxon, who totally checked her out. As she moved toward Gavin, I saw her nostrils flare. Instead of shaking his hand, she grasped both sides of his face and brought it inches from her, peering into his eyes. I was about to intervene when I saw white mist float around her feet and swirl up, spinning around her body and Gavin’s, creating a cocoon of magic. WTF? Shamans were magic users? We didn’t really know much about them, so much so that we didn’t even consider them a supernatural species. We had no documentation of what their abilities were. Other than performing our mating ceremonies, we never saw them. Gavin held strong, locking Lina in his gaze. Suddenly, his eyes went bloodshot, the white completely filling with blood. I stepped forward to rip her away from him when Nahuel grabbed my arm.
“She’s hurting him!” I shouted at Nahuel ready to throw his ass off me and douse Lina with magic. But Nahuel gave me a look that sent chills racing up my spine.
“She is the only person left in this world who can help him.”
His words crushed me and I couldn’t help the tears that lined my eyes. Looking back at the cocoon of magic, I saw it dissipate and then slowly her hands dropped down and Gavin stumbled backward, falling onto his butt, eyes wide. I ran to his side, helping him up just as the fever flared to life within me and patches of fur rose on his skin. Gavin and I shared a ‘What the hell is going on’ look.
Lina spoke over us all. “True Mates. He is a Light Keeper, one of your descendants, Nahuel.”
My mouth popped open in shock.
Glancing at Nahuel, I saw his face pinched with pain. “Haseya.”
Lina nodded in understanding and gave Nahuel a warm look of pity.
‘What the hell is going on here?’ Jaxon asked, but I didn’t have an answer. I also hated to admit that I felt Gavin retreat from me and he wasn’t using our bond to speak. What the hell had she done to him?
“What’s the Light Keeper? What is Haseya? What’s going on?” I directed my questions at Nahuel and threw in an Alpha glare for good measure.
There was silence for a beat but just when I was about to ask again, Nahuel spoke.
