Page 6 of Hidden Nature

“Do you want me to heat those up?” Rathal asked, holding out his hands for the soup cans.

My brows shot up as I handed them over. “You can do that?”

“There are many tricks I can do. Using magic to manipulate molecules in soup is child’s play,” Rathal answered with a smirk.

Holding the cans, he closed his eyes, and I watched as his hands began to glow with a soft light. My own magic had lit up where I made contact as I healed the vampire. I was beginning to understand it signaled the use of magic. So I shook the thought out of my head, not wanting to deal with that issue until I was someplace safe to dissect all this with Rathal.

Within moments, Rathal set the can on the counter to pop the tabs and pull the metal lid back, revealing steam. Quickly, I searched the drawers for spoons and found there were some plastic ones left in the wrapper from some sort of takeout. Taking my piping hot can of beef and lentil soup, I headed for the couch, my stomach growling at the scent of food. Being a werewolf, I found that I had to eat a lot more and a lot more often. It was still something I needed to work on remembering, but the past two days had been anything but normal. Mason was the one who always reminded me or handed me snacks before I realized I was even hungry.

Thinking of them made all the emotions I’ve been trying to hold back flood to the forefront. My omega side wanted nothing more than to break down and cry at the fact we were alone, in danger, and with a man we didn’t really know, even if our elf nature trusted him. I wanted to give into that, but I knew it wouldn’t help either of us at this point. I simply needed to get through this, and once we were home, then I could have the meltdown my omega wanted in the arms of our mates. My wolf seemed to accept this compromise and settled into the background, letting me do what I needed to ensure we would get that outcome.

“Nin mel, talk to me,” Rathal coaxed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to pull me into him. “I can’t ignore the emotions I’m getting off you any longer. They are slowly ripping you to shreds internally and that isn’t good for your mental or physical well-being. Please let me help you.”

I looked up at this new mate of mine that I’d claimed in the heat of panic and danger. How could I innately trust someone whom I knew nothing about, other than his name and that he was an elf? Yet, in my soul, I knew he was here to look after me and that I could trust him with my worries. He felt safe and everything I could sense from him confirmed exactly that.

“What if going back puts my mates and the pack in danger? The Dark Ring and now the Senate is after me just for knowing what I know and being an omega. What will happen when word gets out that elves aren’t dead and I can do what I did to that vampire? Wouldn’t it be best to just leave and hide away until I can kill the threat to my new family before returning?” I shared, searching Rathal’s eyes for answers.

He took a deep breath and pulled me into his lap, taking my soup from me and setting it on the coffee table before wrapping me up in his strong arms. Seconds later, he was wrapping a fleece blanket around me, cocooning and sheltering me with his body. Instantly, I knew this was exactly what I needed to help my spiraling nature. My wolf let out a sigh of contentment as we finally felt secure since I left the bed with all of my mates two almost three days ago. Apparently, even with my full elf nature released, I still needed to be aware of what my omega nature needed to feel safe and secure. Rathal must have sensed I was slowly unraveling and knew just how to fix it for the moment.

“Oh, my sweet mate, you have such a big heart. I can see why fate decided you should also be an omega. You might not believe me, but the fates knew what they were doing when they sent you so many mates right away when you needed them. Trust that they will be exactly what you need and will care and protect you no matter what comes your way. Is the Dark Ring a group you shouldn’t underestimate? Absolutely, but they are just humans and can be stopped. The Senate, on the other hand, might be slightly trickier, but as we learn more about that matter things will become clearer.” Rathal nuzzled into my hair, pressing a kiss to my head, just letting me soak in his reassurance. “Now get some rest. I will watch over you and keep the nightmares away.”

“Only for a little while. We need to get out of the state as fast as we can. It’s not safe to be here with them hunting me,” I argued.

Rathal lifted one of his elegant fingers and placed it over my lips. “Shh, rest. We will not linger here longer than we need to, but you need rest, or you will risk making a mistake somewhere along the way.”

As his soothing voice spoke, I felt my eyelids drooping, and my body became heavy with exhaustion. “Okay, I’ll rest… just for a little bit…”

four

When I woke up with the morning sun streaming in from the front windows, I felt more rested than I had in ages. It was as if I’d been rejuvenated through sleeping so deep my body couldn’t do anything but rest. My mind was in such a relaxed state I didn’t realize I was rubbing my cheek along the bare skin of someone’s chest. He smelled like spring, fresh flowers and clean air after being trapped in the house all winter long. If freedom had a scent, this would be it, and it was glorious.

Fingers combed through my hair, making me purr with delight at the loving touch that my body craved from our mates. With that simple thought, I shoved up from the body I was sprawled over and came face to face with Rathal. His seafoam green eyes sparkled with happiness and mirth as he waited to see what my reaction would be.

“Good morning, nin mel,” he murmured before lifting to give me a peck on the lips. “Did you sleep well?”

“What does that mean?” I asked, having heard him use that phrase often.

He smiled, brushing his hands down my arms. “It means my love, but not just a simple love, the all-consuming love you have only with your mate.”

“Oh,” I answered, blinking at him in surprise.

I didn’t really know how to respond to that since the whole idea of mates and fated love was new to me. Clearly, this was normal for elves and even werewolves, but for us humans, it was a thing for movies and books.

“It is now nine, and I was just going to wake you, knowing you wanted to get moving,” Rathal commented, pulling me out of my internal thoughts.

Sliding off him, I stood and found I was only in a sports bra and my underwear. He’d removed my wetsuit and water shoes at some point, which I was grateful for, if not slightly impressed with since I didn’t wake up during the process.

“Your magic is quite strong, my mate,” Rathal shared as he stood and pulled on his clothes. “I put you into a healing sleep, and normally, you have to be brought out of it, but you were able to wake yourself once you had gained all you could from the sleep.”

This made me freeze as I started to wiggle back into the wetsuit. Slowly, I turned to face the elf, who I’m hoping didn’t just tell me he magically drugged me so I would sleep. “You. Did. What?”

Rathal paused as he started to pull his shirt on to look at me. “By your emotions and the look on your face, I feel like I might have done something to make you upset with me.”

“Why would I be upset about the fact that we are in danger, on the run, and squatting in a building that was taken by vampires? There could have been others that we didn’t see or returned when the sun was coming up. Would I have woken in time if something happened, or would I be left vulnerable to anyone’s attack?” I asked, keeping my voice calm and cool.

He seemed to ponder my point before answering as he finished getting dressed. “While I understand your point and can see why this would be upsetting to you, I’m also slightly offended that you think I would put you in danger. You are my mate. We are connected on a soul level, meaning that if one of us dies, so does the other. If you were in true danger, you are more than strong enough to easily break out of that enchantment, but I want to also make it clear that I am a trained warrior and don’t need you to protect me.”

I so badly wanted to argue this more because I felt it had been a clear violation of my safety. I didn’t know him, and I’d never been good about trusting others to have my back. It’s why I always worked solo. Now that he pointed out his life and mine were tied together, it freaked me out more than it helped. Not only did I have to trust he would take care of himself if something happened, but if he didn’t, it would take me down with him.