Page 53 of Hidden Nature

Mason slung an arm around my shoulders and hugged me tight, kissing me on the lips. “Sorry, snuggles, but you’re not gonna win on this one. We are going to meet an unknown elf that can cloak themselves. I want all the backup we can have.”

“All right, everyone into the car. Seems we have a meeting with an elf to make,” Colt ordered as Rath jogged up to us.

The garden wasn’t far from the zoo, so we made good time, but we waited for Zander to join us before heading into the garden. Thankfully it didn’t take him long as a town car pulled up and dropped him off.

“I leave you guys for a few hours and now we are meeting up with a stalker?” he demanded, arms crossed. “Just so we are clear, I’m not getting left behind ever again, no matter how much attention I draw. What if something happened to any of you or Finley and I wasn’t there to help?”

Knowing he needed some reassurance, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest so I could listen to his heartbeat. “You’re right. We do this together as a team from here on out.”

“Did someone record that?” Mason asked. “Snuggles, can you repeat that so we can remind you when you try to argue with us later?”

I glared at him over my shoulder, then pulled away from Zander. “Now we’re all here, I think we should get going.”

“Yeah, let’s hurry up and meet the stalker elf. Sounds like a lot of fun,” Colt grumbled. “How is it that no one argued against this?”

“Because Rath warned us that they would be seeking her out,” Lane pointed out. “Besides, they haven’t done anything but observe.”

Colt just huffed at that statement and led the way into the garden grounds. It wasn’t a large area, but you could tell that the people who ran it took amazing care of it. There were beautiful stone buildings you could wander around with crawling ivy and well-marked gravel paths. One path took you into a garden that made me think it was straight out of a book. A sign noted it was called the ‘Secret Garden,’ which I felt was appropriate for the space.

“This will be the perfect place to meet,” Rath shared as we took in the space. “I explained to him that we are your nos, and yes, you are a hybrid elf who was bit by a wolf.”

I mulled that over in my brain. “It’s funny that I see it the other way around, but I guess I’ve always been an elf even when I thought I was human. It is sometimes hard to remember that I was never once human.”

Rath reached out and brushed his fingers along my cheek, sympathy in his eyes at my words. “No matter what you are or how you see yourself, I’m glad you found me. Together we will all find our way through this journey and discover many realizations about ourselves along the way.”

“Sídh n- with cin, cousin,” a soft voice called out.

My mates snapped to attention, hiding me behind them as they circled me, making it so I couldn’t even see what was going on.

“Sídh n- with cin,” Rath responded. “I would ask if you can speak English, that you do for this meeting. My gwanur and mate don’t know our language.”

“She called you cousin, but you act like you don’t know her,” Colt muttered.

A tinkling laugh filled the air. “It seems they know nothing of our customs either. My dear wolf, all elves are born from the same goddess, therefore making us all family. We call each other cousin in honor of the ties we share whether we are blood-related or not.”

“Can one of you please move,” I asked with a sigh. “We did ask her here to talk and that’s what I would like to do.”

Colt and Elias both growled at my request, but Lane stepped aside, allowing me to exit the circle of protection. There stood a woman about my height, a slightly muscular body with hair that was such a dark blue it was almost black until the sun shone on it. Her pointed ears peeked out, accented with dangling gems that made them look dainty. She wore tight jeans and a T-shirt with an oversized sweater falling off one shoulder. Her face was delicate, almost like a China doll with striking aqua eyes that were slightly larger than normal for humans and slanted. On her forehead and chin was scrawling line work in a beautiful pattern that only added to her beauty. If this is what most elven women looked like, it made me question if I was really one myself.

“Hello, young cousin, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ayla Dorgella,” she said with a slight bow, her hand over her heart. “When I caught onto your power signature, I couldn’t stop myself from coming to see who could possibly be holding that much magic within them. Then I learn that you’re not only powerful but also a shifter… Pray, how did that happen?”

While I didn’t think that Ayla wanted to do me harm, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be trading that kind of information here and now. “As I’m sure you know, life is full of surprises, and that story will have to be told another time.”

Ayla flashed me a bright smile that was all teeth and followed by a soft laugh. “Wise and powerful, young cousin, this is most intriguing.” She paused and took in the men around me, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “You called all these men to you as well so soon after you came into your power. Something like that hasn’t happened since before the battle with the Dark Elves. Can I ask who your lineage is?”

“Can I ask yours?” I countered. “You seem to be asking all the questions, but I have some of my own. How about a trade. Question for question?”

Ayla approached, her movements fluid and silent as she came to a halt right in front of me and held out her hand. “I can agree to those terms.”

“One rule, if the question could endanger my mates or me, I can refuse to answer,” I added, meeting her gaze unmoving.

“Oh, dear cousin, I think you and I will be such good friends,” Ayla cooed. “I agree to your terms and ask that I get the same right to refuse.”

Nodding, I grasped her hand, and we shook on the agreement.

“Now for my first question, what is your name?” Ayla inquired.

“Finley.”