Cupid's Fated Mate

by R. E. Butler

  “Oh!” Genevieve said. She hugged Roi tightly. “I’m so happy for you!” Then she hugged Dreama.

  Even Mrs. Claus’s amazing hug couldn’t compare to the sweet warmth that emanated from Genevieve’s embrace. Genevieve loved her son, and every ounce of that affection was poured into the hug she gave to Dreama. She had no memory of being hugged by her own mother, and the genuineness of Genevieve’s action made tears spring to Dreama’s eyes.

  “Oh, dear, did I say something wrong?” Genevieve asked as she held Dreama at arms’ length and let her gaze pass over Dreama’s face.

  “No,” Dreama said, wiping under her eyes. “Not at all. I was just thinking that you have a wonderful hug.”

  “Oh,” she said and smiled. “Thank you.”

  Rod cleared his throat noisily and then hugged Dreama swiftly. “Welcome to the family, Dreama.”

  Her eyes stung again, and Roi put his arm around her and said, “Baby, it’s going to be okay.”

  “I’m not usually this emotional. It’s been a long day already,” she said.

  “Come sit down so we can talk. I think there’s more news aside from you two being fated mates. Am I right?” Genevieve asked.

  “Yes,” Roi said.

  Rod said, “Let’s sit and talk.”

  Dreama and Roi sat on the couch, and his parents sat on a matching love seat. Roi took Dreama’s hand and said, “Dreama’s father is Sandman.”

  His parents’ brows both rose. His father glanced at his mother and said, “But Sandman isn’t allowed in NPC. If you’re able to be here now, does that mean you’re human?”

  Dreama shook her head. “I’m powerful like my father, which makes me a magical creature by Santa’s definition. Because of Merri’s family emergency, he lifted the ban for only me for twenty-four hours. That time is fast dwindling, and then I’ll be locked out of NPC permanently.”

  Roi squeezed her hand. “I’m going to go with her.”

  Genevieve gave them a watery smile and leaned against Rod, who put his arm around her. “Of course you are. She’s your fated mate.”

  “How much time do you have?” Rod asked.

  Dreama twisted her wrist to look at her watch. “About thirteen hours. But we have to meet Rhys and Merri at the hospital where her dad is and bring them home first, so a little less than that.”

  Rod was silent for a moment, and then said, “With the quads finding their fated mates, it was just a matter of time before you found yours, Roi. And to be honest, it always seemed like a probability that one of you might find your fated mate and need to leave NPC to be with her.”

  “We’re sorry you’re leaving, but also not sorry, because you found your mate and that’s nothing to be upset about,” Genevieve said.

  Dreama looked at Roi, and he smiled at her. He said, “I told you they’d like you.”

  “We’re family now,” Rod said. “We’ll stay in touch, and we’ll come visit on Christmas Eve, too, if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh, yes! Grandbabies to spoil!” Genevieve stood and opened her arms to Dreama.

  “Thank you,” Dreama whispered as she embraced Genevieve.

  “Oh, honey, for what?”

  “For being so kind.”

  “I’m sad that my only son is leaving, but I’m happy he found you. I’ll just cry in private later.” Her gentle smile made Dreama feel warm from the inside out.

  Roi joined in the hug. “Oh Mom,” Roi said. “You’re both amazing. I hope that Dreama and I are great parents like you are.”

  “I’m sure you will be,” Rod said.

  “If you’re hungry, I have dinner ready,” Genevieve said.

  “That would be wonderful,” Dreama answered, leaning against Roi and hugging him tightly.

  “I’ll help set the table,” Rod said, following his mate into the kitchen and leaving Roi and Dreama alone. The only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.

  “I told you they’d like you.”

  She leaned back. “I like them, too. They’re so sweet.”

  “Let’s eat. Then we’ll go talk to your father.”

  “Then you’ll be in the hot seat,” she said.

  “I’ll be my most charming self, and I hope he’ll love me.”

  “I know he will because you’re my fated mate.”

  Roi brushed his lips over hers. “I don’t know how I managed without you in my life. You’re amazing.”

  “I’m in good company.”

  Chapter 6

  Roi had never doubted that his parents would love Dreama. She felt nervous about meeting them, but he thought a lot of her anxiety stemmed from her problems with her mother. He couldn’t imagine a parent choosing a mate over a child, but he was thankful that she’d been raised by a loving father. There were certainly plenty of kids out there in the world who had no parents to watch over them.

  When their meal was over, and the time to head to her father’s drew near, she became emotional again, and through their connection as fated mates, he felt her anguish. He reached for her, but she took a step back.

  “I don’t think this is right,” she said.

  Roi frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “I have to talk to my father.”

  “That’s what we’re about to do.”

  “No. Alone.” She gave him a sad smile and disappeared.

  He reached for her as she evaporated before them. “What the hell!” he yelled.

  “Where did she go?” his mom asked.

  Roi’s scowl deepened. “To see her dad.”

  “I thought she was taking you with her?” his dad asked.

  “So did I. Damn it!”

  He had no way to contact or follow her. He was trapped in NPC, and there was less than eleven hours until she’d be locked out of the city. With a roar of frustration, he raced out of the front door and headed straight to SC’s home. If anyone could help, it was SC.

  * * *

  “Oh, honey! What are you doing here?” Sandman said.

  “Can I get rid of my power?” she asked.

  His brows rose so high they disappeared into his hairline. “Excuse me?”

  “I mean, can I say I don’t want to be a dream walker anymore and give up my power? So I can be human.”

  “No. You are what you were born to be. You can’t get rid of your power any more than a human could change his eye or skin color. It’s a part of what and who you are.” He gestured to the chair across from him.

  She slumped into the chair with a sigh. She’d been hopeful that she could simply will away her power and become human. Not that she had any frame of reference for it, but it had popped into her head, and she’d decided to talk to her father, alone, first. She knew if she told Roi that she wanted to stop being a dream walker, he would have protested. She’d never met a more selfless male in her life.

  “What’s going on, honey? Is this about going to NPC?”

  “Yeah. When I got there, I met my fated mate.”

  He nodded with a smile. “I knew there was a reason for you to go to NPC. I just didn’t know what it was. Congratulations, honey. Where is the male? I’d like to meet him.”

  She put her head in her hands. “I left him with his parents in NPC.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because his whole life is there. He’s a quad and part of the sleigh team, his parents are wonderful, he’s got an important job, and he has a lot of friends who are like a big, extended family.”

  Sandman scowled. “Did he say he didn’t want to leave NPC? I’ll skin him alive.”

  “What? No! Of course not. He’s entirely selfless and amazing. He was ready to walk away from everything for me the moment we met. I’m the one having a crisis of conscience.”

  Her father leaned back in the chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Dreama, but there’s literally nothing you can do to change the fact that you’re a magical creature and therefore not allowed to be in NPC once the
twenty-four hours is up. Santa’s unwilling to change the ban, I assume?”

  She nodded.

  “Then it is what it is. I’m sorry that you’re feeling guilty, but you shouldn’t.”

  “Part of me knows I shouldn’t. I thought I could change myself so we could be in NPC, but since I can’t, then I need to go back and bring him here so you can meet him.”

  “I’m sure he was upset that you left so abruptly.”

  There was an odd rumbling sound, and a chill swept through the air, making goose bumps rise on her skin. There was a flash of light, and Santa appeared.

  He cleared his throat. “Hello, Sandman.”

  “Santa,” he said, standing and shaking his hand. “Welcome to my home. I take it that a certain worried quad sent you here?”

  He hummed in agreement, his whiskers twitching with the sound. “Why did you leave and not take Roi with you?”

  Dreama was suddenly embarrassed for leaving the way she did. “I wanted to know if I could be human.”

  Santa frowned, causing his brows to draw down. “You’re not human.”

  “I know. I thought maybe I could become human, like, if I got rid of my powers or willed them away. I know it’s stupid, but I just can’t get over the feeling that living in NPC is the right thing for me and Roi, even though it’s impossible.”

  Santa stared at her. There was utter silence for several moments, and then he said, “Actually, my wife found something in our archives that we think will change the situation. If you’re willing to trust me, Dreama, I think that everyone will be happy.”

  “Of course I trust you,” she said. “You’re Santa.”

  “Would you come to NPC?” Santa asked, looking at her father.

  Sandman nodded. “Certainly.”

  Santa spoke those same words that she didn’t understand again, and her father smiled.

  She asked, “Can we all go now, even my father?”

  Santa nodded. “He has a twenty-four hour pass, too. Now, let’s go before your mate is so worried that he shifts into one of his animals and destroys my house.”

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t be sorry,” Santa said. “You were trying to be noble. Roi will understand when he hears why you left. I’d say the two of you are perfect for each other, both willing to leave everything behind to make the other happy.”

  “As long as we can be happy together, that’s all that matters,” Dreama said. Hope bloomed within her as she followed her father and Santa to NPC, transporting into his home. She hoped that Roi would forgive her.

  * * *

  Roi paced in front of the fireplace, intermittently growling and snarling with each step. He was holding onto his humanity by a thin thread. Roi had no idea where Dreama went, so he’d rushed straight to SC’s to ask for help. SC was the only one in NPC who could leave at any time during the year, but he could only leave by himself and couldn’t take anyone with him. Although only minutes had passed, it felt like an eternity since Roi’s mate had vanished and SC had gone to speak with her on Roi’s behalf.

  Mrs. C had called Roi’s friends, and Mire, Declan, and Jack had appeared quickly. Roi knew they’d come because Mrs. C worried that he might shift and go on a rampage. Not that he’d ever hurt her or anyone else, but he might tear through the forest and cause damage. Shifting and releasing his agitated energy wouldn’t make him suddenly able to be with Dreama, but it might make him feel a little better. Maybe.

  “You know she didn’t leave you permanently,” Declan said. “You still have hours before she’s locked out of the city.”

  Roi lifted his head to the ceiling and blew out an exasperated breath. “I know. I mean, I know that in my head, but my beasts are going nuts because we can’t be with her at this moment.” He leveled his gaze at his friends. “What if she gets hurt and can’t come back to get me? I’d be trapped here, and she’d be out there. It’s unacceptable.”

  Mrs. C set a tray of mugs of hot cocoa on the coffee table. “SC will figure things out.”

  “I’m sorry if I scared you,” Roi said, glancing at his friends and then at her.

  “You didn’t,” she assured him. “I just didn’t want you to turn into a bear and claw up my floors. I knew the other quads could help you get a handle on things if you needed it.”

  His beasts surged again, rolling under his skin. His fingers ached from the claws, and his head felt like it might split in two. He needed his mate. Now.

  He paced again, from one side of the big fireplace to the other, and then back. He was aware that he looked like a loon, but he couldn’t stop the worried rumble of his beasts or the need to be moving, just so he was doing something.

  His heart clenched, and he spun with a hopeful growl as SC and Dreama appeared with another male. Roi rushed to her, grabbing her in his arms and carried her to the far side of the family room. She grabbed hold of him, her arms tight around his neck. A quiet sob rose in her throat.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she whispered thickly.

  He kissed her lips, her cheeks, and her forehead, taking a moment to inhale her sweet scent and reassure himself and his beasts that she was really there with him.

  “Why did you leave me?” His voice was hoarse with emotion.

  She lifted her tear-stained face to his and said, “I wanted to be human so we could stay. I thought I could get rid of my power somehow and live with you here.”

  “Why would you want to change yourself? I don’t understand.” He smoothed his fingers over her cheeks to brush away the tears. “You don’t have to change what you are to be with me.”

  “I can’t, anyway. I am what I am, and nothing will change that. I just felt like living here was the right thing for us, but the only way to do that is if I’m not magical.” She blinked rapidly and gave him a watery smile. “Please forgive me for stranding you here while I went on a delusional trip to my father’s.”

  “I do, baby, I promise. You’re perfect the way you are, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m honored that you wanted to change things so we could stay, but it’s not the way it’s meant to be for us, and that’s okay. I get to make a life with you. That’s the important thing.”

  The male – who he guessed was her father – cleared his throat noisily. Roi set his mate on the floor and turned to face her father. Sandman, a person who Roi hadn’t known existed a day earlier, stood in SC’s house with a curious expression on his face.

  “Dad, this is Roi, my fated mate. Roi, this is my father, Sandman.”

  “My friends call me Sandy,” he said, extending his hand, which Roi shook.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Sandy.”

  SC said, “My mate was looking in our archives for something to help with this situation. Both of you are happy to give up your own world for the other, and to me that’s the most honorable action a couple can do for each other.”

  Dreama sucked in a breath and gave Roi a hopeful smile. He didn’t dare hope that they’d found a solution in the archives that could help them. He was holding his breath so hard that his lungs burned.

  Mrs. C said, “Let’s sit down.”

  Roi led Dreama to the couch where they sat. Her father sat on the other side of her. When everyone was seated, Mrs. C lifted a large, leather-bound book from the coffee table. A scroll pattern stretched across the thick cover, and an embossed snowflake decorated the center.

  “As you know,” SC said, “because we’re both immortal, we’re unable to have children of our own.”

  Dreama looked at her father. “You had a child.”

  “Your mother is mortal. Two immortals can’t conceive,” he answered.

  “Exactly,” Mrs. C said. “At any rate, when my husband put the ban on NPC, we never anticipated that one of our people might mate with a magical person. Lifting the ban isn’t an option, because if we need to put it back in place, Dreama would be trapped out of the city, which isn’t acceptable. We thought we’d hit a dead end and were going to have to say goodbye t
o you both, but we found a way around the magical ban.”

  “How?” Dreama whispered.

  “My wife and I will adopt you,” SC said.

  “Excuse me, she has a father,” Sandman said.

  “Of course that won’t change,” Mrs. C said. “But Santa and I would perform a ceremony where we would declare ourselves her guardians and adopt her into our family. She would be imbued with a little of our power in the vows, which would bind us together.”

  “You would still be a dream walker, but you’d be stuck in NPC three-hundred-sixty-four days a year,” SC said.

  Mrs. C elbowed him. “Don’t say stuck.”

  He smiled. “Right. I thought stuck was better than trapped.”

  “Wait, wait. What?” Dreama asked.

  SC said, “Think of us as your godparents. While you wouldn’t be able to be a dream walker outside of NPC, you could still help the children of our city if you’d like.”

  Roi was both thrilled and still swimming in disbelief. “For real?”

  “If that’s what you both want,” Mrs. C said. “It has to be a mutual decision. This choice changes where you’ll live, so it’s not something to jump into.”

  Dreama turned to Roi. “What do you think?”

  “I told you, baby. I’m happy wherever you are.”

  “It’s up to me?” Her eyes widened, and she bit her lower lip.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  She looked at her father and he said, “You know I’m happy for you, honey. You told me you felt like you belonged here, and I think you’re right. As long as you promise to stay in touch with me, and you can come visit on Christmas Eve. It won’t be the same, and I’ll miss the hell out of you, but this is the right choice for your future.”

  She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him hard. “You’re the best father.”

  “Only because I have the best daughter.”

  She turned to face the group and said, “Thank you so much for the offer. I’m honored to be included in your family.”