by Lisa Oliver
Well that answers one question. “Okay,” Baby said slowly, “getting back to this hypothetical situation. If the shifter concerned has known about a certain person being his mate for all this time, and if that same shifter has seen evidence of that mate screwing around, because of course the mate doesn’t know he already has a mate, let alone one that is watching him…”
“Oh, boy.” Nereus chuckled.
“Then when the shifter finally meets his mate?”
“That mate had better hope he’s already well-lubed and stretched.” Teilo burst out laughing, with Nereus joining in.
“It’s not funny,” Raff said sharply, cutting the laughter short. “Baby is being serious here. Look,” he added, swiveling in his seat and putting a hand on Baby’s knee. “Shifters will never ever physically hurt their mates, okay? Ever. It’s like a god-given rule or something. But they can be rough, and pushy,” he glared at Teilo and Nereus. Baby wanted to chuckle at how contrite the pair looked.
“Shifters get funny around previous sexual history. Not funny ha-ha, but more, growly about it.” Raff huffed. “It’s like, they can be the biggest stud on the block for decades, but when they meet their mates, they never want to hear that person has experience in those matters.”
Baby had seen evidence of that himself with other shifters. “But given the situation with this shifter, if he was that upset with what his mate was doing, wouldn’t he have… I don’t know… butted in, intervened, stopped the mate from making a fool of themselves?”
“There must have been a reason why the shifter wasn’t ready. I mean, we’re only animal half of the time, and for some shifters not even that,” Raff explained.
“But,” Teilo added, with a loving glance at Raff, “and I’m not making jokes here. But when the shifter scents his mate, no matter how long he might have been able to hold himself back when he was just perving on him, once that unique scent of his mate has hit his nose, that shifter will be like a Pitbull with a bone. The animal side will push to take over. Which makes things doubly difficult, like say for example if the mate is human. The shifter would have to take the time to explain the whole paranormal world, and the concept of mates, even though the human mate would feel the pull to be with that shifter too and would probably be pushing for the physical side of things. Unfortunately, it’s only the shifter who knows how life changing a sexual interlude will be. Because our world is secret, that time must be taken, otherwise the mate is going to think their new partner is ready for the loony bin.”
“Yeah,” Nereus agreed. “It’s not as though any shifter can walk up to a non-paranormal, hold out their hand and say something like, ‘hi there, my name is Hank. I’m a Taurus, and I work at the fire station. Oh, and by the way, I can turn furry just by thinking about it and my tiger thinks you smell really good. Let me take you for dinner, bite you, and we’ll be bound together for eternity. Then we can get you moved into mine tomorrow if you’re free’.”
Baby smiled, because he knew he was supposed to, but his worry overcame any inclination to laugh. “You said that waiting was really hard for the shifter. Especially their animal side?”
“Usually, the human and animal spirits in a shifter co-exist peacefully,” Raff said. “But in your hypothetical situation, where you have a strong shifter, who knows who his mate is, when the time comes and the shifter does scent his mate for the first time, the animal side will want to take over. Not for sex,” he added quickly, and Baby realized his anxiety was showing. “For shifters, it’s all about the instincts; animal spirits don’t want to have sex with human-bodied mates. It’s the bite that’s important, or more specifically the scar that bite will leave.”
“The scar that renders a bitten person unable to have sex with anyone else again and proclaims to anyone in the paranormal world that person is claimed.” Baby nodded to show he understood.
“It does work the other way too though. I mean, I got bitten, but Raff and Teilo got tattoos from our claiming, and those tattoos are just as effective as a bite. And you can bet,” Nereus added, “if that mate is or was as promiscuous as you claim, and the shifter knows about it, that bite is going to come quickly, and probably without warning. Not even the human side of the shifter might know it’s going to happen until it’s done.”
“Ooh, like Scott and Damien, although of course they were both shifters.” Raff nodded. “Do you remember Troy telling us that time? Damien was a visiting alpha, and he knew he could scent his mate at the packhouse. And then, when he found Scott, Scott had been fighting off some rogues, and he was all covered in blood down his arm, and naked sitting on the ground, and Damien was so pissed off, he just picked the guy up clean off the ground and bit him without so much as a hello. It was so romantic.”
“Not exactly,” Teilo added drily. “You’re forgetting the little matter of Troy asking Kane if he could lay a complaint with the shifter council against Damien for claiming his mate without consent. Or the other little matter of Scott almost dying, because Damien refused to be double claimed so Scott sent him away.”
“Bitten shifters die without their mates,” Nereus said quickly, and Baby realized he was frowning. “Damien was dying too; he was just physically bigger and older, so it was taking longer. But Damien got his head out of his ass, came back here and claimed his mate properly the second time, and Scott is now Alpha Mate of the San Antonio pack. They are both very happy by all accounts.”
It’s probably just as well I left Owen’s when I did, Baby pondered, or was it? He just had one more question. “Is it true with fated mates, when they have claimed each other, they always work out as a couple? Like, they’re happy with each other and everything.”
“The Fates aren’t known for making mistakes,” Nereus said gravely and this time Baby couldn’t avoid his piercing stare. “The one thing you can guarantee if you have a shifter mate is that they will never hurt you, never leave you, never stray and always do their best to make you happy. You would be the single most important person in their life for all time. The human side of a shifter has been known to put their foot in their mouths on occasions and have also been known to say some things that can hurt their mates when tempers flare. Being mated doesn’t make us perfect and when you put very distinct individual personalities together, arguments will happen. But when you know you can trust a mate, especially a shifter one, that makes settling any arguments a lot easier. You could do a lot worse than being mated to a shifter, little bro.”
Letting out a long breath he didn’t even know he was holding, Baby said, “Hypothetically.”
“Of course,” Nereus grinned. “Now, how about coming out and doing some training with me and Teilo while our sweet Raff cooks up some dinner. He and I always train at this time and I’m keen to see if you have any fighting instincts at all.”
“I have wandered the earth for a thousand years,” Baby said, removing Killer from his lap who grumbled but settled quickly on Raff’s lap. Getting up, he straightened his jeans. “I have picked up some skills in protecting myself.”
He made to step past Raff but stopped and looked down when Raff tapped his leg. “It will all work out the way it’s meant to,” Raff said quietly, and Baby found he couldn’t ignore the sweet man’s smile. “Fated mates always work, but sometimes you have to remind a mate, especially pushy shifter ones, that all mates are equal in a relationship, no matter how powerful some might be over others.”
“Equal.” Baby nodded. “That’s a useful thing to remember, thanks,” he added as he followed his brother and Teilo outside for a certain ass-kicking. It was better than sitting at home moping. Fates, I wish I didn’t miss or want him quite this much.
Chapter Twelve
The new house was perfect in every way. Even though Owen knew it could be decades before Baby trusted him enough to actually visit, he’d poured his heart and soul into every little detail. The carpets were thick and warm under his feet. The drapes were currently open, letting in glacial light, but they could be clo
sed with a thought, or a remote control. The fireplaces were all burning quietly, the wood boosted by magic so they would never burn away or need replenishing.
The gleaming kitchen cupboards and surfaces were empty now but could be filled with a wave of his hand in accordance with Baby’s needs. In the bathrooms, Owen made sure he’d stocked them well with herbal body washes, shampoos and conditioners, all with natural scents. He didn’t want anything to detract from his mate’s unique smell, but he was old enough to know that bubbles, and a huge tub being shared could be fun.
He wandered around the empty hall and rooms, his fingers lightly touching the wood that had been repurposed for his home. His animal spirit had been quiet enough as Owen worked on their den, but now the work was finished, the beast was starting to stir again - anxious, worried, and desperate to find Baby.
Owen knew he was putting things off. For one thing, he didn’t think he could stomach it if Baby rejected him outright, which he had every right to do. The other aspect that concerned him, was he wasn’t sure if he could stop his animal side from claiming Baby before they’d had a chance to talk, now that they had taken in his delicious scent. Owen didn’t know what would be worse – never seeing Baby in the flesh again, or seeing him, claiming him without a conversation because his damn animal side couldn’t control himself, and then spending the remainder of what would be a short life alone, before he went completely feral and the Fates had to pull him out of the tapestry of life.
I can control myself, his animal side grumbled. Owen could feel him moving restlessly under his skin. You take too long to do anything. Our people aren’t like that. We move as the tides, the weather, the traveling herds, and our instincts direct us. A hunter does not wait for the buck he spies through the trees to grow feeble and fall to the ground before unleashing his spear or arrow.
“One would imagine not, for the meat from an ancient buck would provide few nutrients for a young hunter’s belly.” Owen headed to his oracle stone. He had to at least know that Baby was all right. “It would take many millennia for our mate to age much more than he appears now. You keep forgetting our mate is not prey, nor a threat to be overcome by intimidation and teeth, which seems to be your intention.”
The room his oracle stone was kept in was small, with nothing more than a wooden bench and the altar where the stone stood. As always Owen was mesmerized by the light that sparked from it, reflecting and boosting the energies of his domain. He crossed to the bench, closing his eyes as he sat, his hand reaching automatically for the stone surface.
I need my mate. Owen sighed as his animal half intruded his thoughts once more. The waiting you inflicted on us both before was torture enough, but now I hunger, deep inside, I feel the craving that will never die. Tell me at least, you feel it too.
“I do, my friend. I do. But Baby is…” Owen hesitated to use the word damaged, although it was the first one that came to mind. “Fragile in mind and soul. He longs for acceptance and love even when he believes he’ll never be worthy of it.”
There is nothing wrong with our precious mate!
Owen chuckled softly. “I will find him. We will go to him right now, if it’s possible. But please, don’t jump on him the moment we see him. Exercise some restraint. I’m cautiously optimistic we might get another chance with him, but I fear it will be our last.”
His animal spirit grumbled, but Owen could feel his acquiescence through their bond. “Now, let me focus.”
Tapping into Baby’s energy was as natural as breathing to him now, but Owen tilted his head, frowning as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing in his mind’s eye. His mate was in a clearing, a large stick in his hand. Another man was attacking him, with a similar weapon. Baby was doing his best to defend himself, but he was losing ground. As Owen watched, the stranger swept the stick around Baby’s legs, causing his mate to stumble and fall. The stranger’s stick was raised…
Owen let out a roar as he shifted and disappeared. He might need cues as to where Baby was located in the past, but his animal spirit had his scent now. Their bond, no matter how fragile, was still formed, and Owen gave up control to his spirit animal, determined to get to his mate before the stranger’s stick found its mark.
A blink and they were in the glade. Owen could make out shapes of more than one person, but his animal side was already running, his lips curled back, his huge feet pounding the grass as if it was nothing. The stranger was dead. He just didn’t know it yet.
/~/~/~/~/
Baby laughed as he lay flat on the ground, staring up at the sky. His chest was rising and falling at a rapid rate, and he didn’t think his heart had beat so fast in his life. “I’m out of shape,” he gasped. “Fuck, tell me I didn’t do so bad, after all that effort.”
“You did good, for a young god with no fight training to speak of. You have good instincts.” Teilo swung his bo stick from off his shoulder, pointing it down so Baby could use it to stand up.
Reaching up, Baby was just about to grab it when he felt the sign of a god arriving. The energy signature was familiar. Twisting his head around, he expected to see Owen striding towards him, but his eyes just about bugged out when he saw what was coming instead.
“Holy fuck, who the hell is this?” Teilo leaped over Baby’s prone body, his stick held up as to ward off the newcomer.
“Don’t hurt him.” Baby rolled and managed to get to his feet. “Don’t hurt him.”
“He’s about to do me some serious damage,” Teilo yelled as he bent his knees slightly and braced himself. “Nereus, stop snogging on Raff and get your fat ass out here!”
“Owen don’t.” Baby sprinted between the huge animal and his brother in law. “It’s not what you think. It’s not what you think!”
“What the fuck?” Nereus came running out of the house, sliding to a stop, with Raff beside him. “Raff, angel, get back in the house.”
“I am not missing this,” Raff said shaking his head, stubbornly staying by Nereus’s side. “How often can we say there’s the biggest polar bear in existence running down our Teilo.”
“Running down being the operative word,” Baby yelled frantically. Owen was getting closer. He had a matter of seconds before there was going to be one humungous furry pile on the grass. “Move it, guys. Get back in the house. Owen, for fuck’s sake stop!”
Baby could see it. That split second of recognition, followed by the realization the bear was moving too fast, and had too much bulk to stop before hitting anyone. Whirling around, Baby grabbed Teilo by the bicep and forced them both to relocate. Not far. Just back with Nereus and Raff by the back door. “Stay here,” he said urgently, as he ran back just in time to see Owen slide a good ten feet, before his feet must have hit something hard and he tumbled over, hitting the ground with a thump and then rolling onto his side.
Running around the large rump and avoiding the splayed legs, Baby hurried to the head end, sinking to his knees. The bear looked dazed, but his eyes were still open, and he was trying to catch his breath. “Oh Owen, you silly goose. That man you were just trying to eat was Nereus’s mate, Teilo. He was showing me some training moves with his bo stick. It was all in fun. I’m not hurt.”
Owen made a noise that sounded a bit like a Wookie having a rotten day and Baby felt bad for the giant fur ball. “I understand. I really do. You thought you were protecting me, didn’t you?”
The move was slight, but the bear nodded. Shuffling closer on his knees, not caring about grass stains, Baby reached out hesitantly, letting the tips of his fingers stroke down wide furry cheeks. “That was so sweet of you. I understand about what happened at the ice cavern too,” he said, keeping his voice low. Wolves were notorious for eavesdropping. He’d learned that at the Tulsa pack. “That bossy Owen kept you from me and you didn’t like it, did you?”
I’ve hated every second of the thousand years we’ve been apart.
Baby almost reared back. Hearing voices in his head apart from his own was unexpected to put it mi
ldly unless he was in his Mer form. But the bear nudged his hand, and Baby stroked over the fur, marveling at how thick and warm it was. Leaning closer to Owen’s ears, Baby whispered, “You can’t claim me on my brother’s lawn. There’re all sorts of eww yuck just thinking about that. And me and Owen, we have to speak, actually have words, because he didn’t do the right thing in spiriting me off to that place you call home. I was expecting a date, a meal out, and things like that before any other stuff happened.”
Talking. Talking. He opens his mouth and stuffs things up. Can’t you just listen to me. My soul yearns to be bound to yours.
“I know, big guy. I can feel it too.” And Baby could. He’d felt it before, that sense of missing something vital, but until he saw Owen rushing to his defense on four sturdy legs, he didn’t know what it was. “This one time. Let Owen have his human form back. If you tried to bite me now, you’d take my head clean off with those giant teeth of yours.”
I wanted to protect you.
Baby leaned close enough so he could kiss the edge of Owen’s ear. “You did an awesome job,” he chuckled softly. “I think Teilo just about shit his pants when he saw you coming.” He and the bear chuffed together and in the first time in what felt like forever, Baby felt truly close to someone.
“Er, Baby?” Nereus’s voice came from near the house. “Is this the hypothetical you were talking about earlier?”
“Sure is.” Baby sat up a bit, but he couldn’t see over Owen’s massive shoulders. “He’s going to shift back in a minute.”
“I hope he’s not too much bigger than my mates in human form,” Raff called out. “I’m not sure we’d have any sweats here that fit him if he is.”
I’ll take care of clothes. Soon, mate, promise?
“Soon, mate, promise.” Baby stroked the furry ears one last time and then shuffled back. He’d seen a number of shifters change form before, but never one as big as Owen. The shimmer he expected. But seeing Owen’s human form appear in a t-shirt, jeans and boots and even the dark glasses he wore, Baby didn’t expect. He also didn’t expect for Owen to jump to his feet, pull Baby up onto his, and then proceed to hug the stuffing out of him, lifting him clear off the ground.
