Gabe looked up and gasped at the male. “Colun?”
“Something wrong with your eyes? I can see you well, boy.”
“Not a boy,” he muttered, showing the male in front of him respect. Colun was one of the males who raised him. He had taken special interest in Gabe and treated him like a son. Colun was the reason he was still standing. When Rylan went missing, Colun kept Gabe from doing stupid things to punish himself. Deadly things.
Gabe should stand his ground, let his mentor see the male he was today. Instead he found himself leaving the porch walking up to him. The next thing he knew he was wrapped in thick solid arms. He was a boy again, crying against the shoulder that was strong enough to bear the agony of the brother who wasn’t taken but felt the pain anyway.
“I’ve missed you, boy.” Colun’s hand hit against his back several times bringing a smile to Gabe’s lips. He was still as heavy handed as ever.
“What are you doing here? No wait, I’m glad you’re here but what brought you back? You’ve been gone so long we didn’t think we would ever see you again.”
Translation—he and the others had looked for the old timers and couldn’t find them. They were certain they must have lost hope and ended their lives.
“Avoiding you children isn’t that hard. You forget we know more than you’ve learned so far. We’re around, as to what brought me here, I’m looking at him.”
“I’m fine.” His voice was gruff because there was no way he was going to acknowledge that at his age everything wasn’t working out.
“Uh huh. I think you and your lady need some help.”
Gabe turned to look at Taya before turning back to look at Colun.
“Well introduce me to her.”
They moved across the area coming back to the porch in perfect synch. Taya was going through her list of women she knew to see if maybe one of them might like him. She could see the smile on his face, but something about him reached out and said he’s been alone too long. It touched her because it was the same feeling she picked up from Gabe.
“Taya, this is Colun. I guess you could say he was the dad I never had.”
“Nice to meet you, Taya.” He held out his hand to shake hers then pulled her into a tight hug. “Welcome to the family,” he whispered for her ears alone.
She pulled back with a bemused smile on her face. “It’s nice to meet you also, Colun.”
“I better go in and greet the others. After that I was hoping the three of us could talk.” His eyes were on Taya as if she was the unknown piece in this puzzle.
She nodded her head. Maybe talking was what she needed.
He walked in and they followed behind him. The once empty foyer was now filled with Arbrins and their mates. Handshakes and hugs disguised as pats on the back were given. Then real hugs for the mates as he was introduced one by one.
“Your rooms are ready.” Selma told him with a smile.
“So you knew I was coming back?”
She shook her head and gave him a rueful smile. “Not I. The house knew and reacted accordingly.”
“I never could keep a secret from this old place.”
“Let me go settle down and then I’ll be back.” He walked up the stairs. “Gabe, I think you owe it to Taya to show her your Matra so she has all the facts before she decides.”
Every eye turned to look at Gabe including Taya.
“What does he mean show me your Matra?” Her eyes were big and the smile hovering on her lips was a little shaky making him want to hold her close.
He turned to look at his family; they all found an emergency they needed to attend to. Everyone except Rylan. He stood there meeting Gabe’s gaze head on and daring him to try and make him leave.
“Ry, you can be a pain.” His brother laughed.
“I still remember you staked outside of my door. They call it payback, bro.”
Gabe rolled his eyes because he’d been taking lessons from Aviana and Kayla. Then he shook his head because his brother was standing with his arms across his chest. The male wasn’t going anywhere.
He didn’t want to explain all of this in the foyer. It was a little too much to handle.
“Taya, do you remember when I told you I had a dual heritage? I was both Arbrin and Matra?”
She nodded her head looking at Rylan before giving him her full attention.
“You asked me if the Matra wanted to hurt you. I told you no, he wanted to protect you as much as the Arbrin did.”
Again she nodded her head.
“I’d like you to meet the Matra.”
She backed up several stops before making herself stop. Meet the other side of him. The Matra wasn’t human, she remembered that conversation vividly. So far anyone she met that wasn’t human had been out to get her. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.
“You don’t have to meet him if you don’t want to.” His voice came out low and defeated. It sounded like he was giving up the fight.
The sound of his voice ripped at Taya’s heart. She never wanted to be the reason Gabe sounded like that. Actually she wanted to be the one who held him when life got him down. For a minute she saw herself as his personal superhero making things right. Darn it, she always was a dreamer.
No, no Taya. Love is not real. It’s something others get but not you. How many disappointments do you need to know it’s not for you? But it was for Gabe. She could look at him and know he was worthy of love. He wanted her to meet his other side, his Matra. She would have to just woman up because she refused to hurt him by denying him.
“All right.”
His head lifted in surprise and he looked at her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded she was sure. Gabe wouldn’t hurt her or let her be hurt if he could do anything about it. She trusted him and he had earned every bit of that trust with his actions.
“Where will we do it?”
“Your room? Will that make you more comfortable?”
Yeah, it would make her more comfortable.
“Sounds good.” She moved over to the stairs and stopped when she realized Rylan was walking up after Gabe.
“I’m just going to be on the other side of the door. Not because Gabe will hurt you. Simply to give both of you support.”
She nodded and continued up the stairs. Once again she felt like she was being accepted into the family. Too bad she wasn’t sure she deserved that kind of acceptance.
She stepped into the room waiting until after Gabe walked in before she shut the door. Knowing she was a bona fide wimp, she excused herself, went into the bathroom, and practiced breathing slowly. The last thing she wanted was to hyperventilate in front of him. Pictures of her passing out and hitting the floor weren’t making her happy.
This was life changing and she knew it. There was no way she was ever coming back from what she would see today. As if she was coming back from what Zuhun did to her. Somehow this moment seemed more. This she would remember all her life; when Zuhun’s torture became a fairytale to tell her children, this moment would still be vivid. Whatever this was had weight and meaning from which she would never escape.
She splashed her face with cold water and decided she was finally ready to get on with the rest of her life, no matter what it may have in store for her.
Her lips tilted in a smile and she went out to face Gabe.
Chapter Eleven
She pulled her feet up after kicking off her shoes and sat in a lounging position on the couch. Comfort was what she needed to face this revelation. There was a throw on the couch. Picking it up, she placed it over her body and snuggled down into it. For a moment she liked the picture of her and Gabe together. She was so cozy on the couch smiling at him while he looked at her like she was the only person in the world who mattered. With a sharp pinch to her arm under the throw she came back to reality.
“My Matra, as well as the others, has a tendency to roam around the bed and breakfast. Since we don’t get new guests unless were warned about them first we haven’t
had a problem. The town’s people don’t come here, not even the shifters.”
“So all of you are Arbrin/Matra?”
“All except for Joaquin. He’s a different mixture and he doesn’t like to talk about it.”
She nodded her head. There was never a bad vibe when he was around, in fact she almost thought he was human but it didn’t make sense since he was here.
“I don’t want you to be scared when I change.”
“I think the more you put it off the more scared I become.”
He nodded and he started pulling his shirt over his head. Was he getting naked? Patron saint of the hot naked males please let him be getting naked. Biting her bottom lip, she kept her groan from escaping as his muscular torso came into view.
Please, all she wanted was to lick his chest. She’d keep her hands to herself as long as her lips and tongue could play. Her tongue shot out her mouth and slowly licked her lips. It was the rasp of sound that came from him that made her look up.
His eyes were focused on her lips. Oh yeah, he wanted to play too. She’d been good, didn’t she deserve just one night? Heck, forget about the night; she bet he could help her reach nirvana in an hour, maybe less.
“Taya,” he took a step towards her but she held up a hand. “You need to show me your Matra while I’m ready for it.”
He nodded and stepped back. He opened the button on his pants and her heart almost stopped. Turning around, he pushed his pants down revealing that he wasn’t wearing any underwear, and then bent over so she could see his ass in glorious detail. She almost rose off the couch, the need to pet and lick it so powerful.
He stood up, his backside still to her as he began to grow taller and bulk out. His skin changed and then hair formed all over him. It wasn’t very long but it was enough to scream inhuman. When he turned around, she was expecting a monster; the scream that came from her mouth let him know that. He backed up as she scrambled over the back of the couch.
Rylan was pounding on the door.
“Wait,” she called out. “Stop, just wait.” Her voice was trembling with fear. She knew she should run but something wasn’t right and her mind wouldn’t let it go.
She climbed to her knees and looked over the back of the couch at Gabe. Was that still Gabe? He was standing still like he understood her command to just wait.
“Gabe, is that you?”
“I’m still Gabe.”
“You can talk.” Her voice came out in a squeak. Not one of her prouder moments.
He was taller than Gabe in his Matra form and thicker but it was the same intelligence in his eyes and the same feelings she always had when she was around him that made her want to stop for a moment. This was Gabe, she was sure of it, he simply looked different. His nails reminded her more of claws but he didn’t look like an animal. She thought she might see him in a scifi movie showing aliens that weren’t remotely human. She looked downward because she had to and then held her thighs together tightly. He wasn’t getting anywhere near her with that.
“I would never try to have sex with you in this form…but I have an amazing tongue.” He stuck it out. It was long and thick and her pussy was leaking with the need to feel it in her.
“That’s umm nice.” Really her body was acting like she never pleasured it.
Slowly she stood up and climbed back over the couch. Sure, she could have walked round but this way it was like she never climbed over the first time. Well, it made sense in her head.
He came closer and sat down on the end of the couch. She waited for it to break but it held his weight just fine. Reaching out slowly, he took her feet and placed them in his lap gently massaging them.
“Were you born like this?” She gave a sigh and wiggled her toes in his hands.
“Yes. But this wasn’t always the way of our people. On our planet we were two dominate species, the Matra’s and the Arbrin’s. We got along well and shared the land. Then the Sudirs came. That would be Zuhun’s people. They wanted to steal our planet or our resources, whatever they could get their hands on. War started. Eventually the Matra’s and the Arbrins’s realized we could merge together, become one. We also could take either shape so we would choose the one best for what we were doing.
“Long story short, after many years of war the Sudir came in with their ultimate weapon. It would rid our world of the Matra and the Arbrin. And it did. Million’s died while millions lived. Every Matra and Arbrin that were merged lived, but we were no longer two. We were now one with the ability to change shapes but to never split apart again. All children were now born as Matra/Arbrin.
“Then one day we were sent away with a hurried goodbye and a final I love you along with the old timers who were sent to watch over us until we were brought back to our planet. Instead, the planet was destroyed and we became the last living remnant of a society that simply wanted to live in peace.”
She wiped the tears that were clinging to her lashes. She thought of a young Gabe being sent away from mother and father only to end up on a new land that was hostile to half of what he was. Then to go through the torture he had with his brother. His life hadn’t been easy and still he was standing.
Pulling her feet back, she got on her knees and walked over the cushions until she was next to him. Taking her shaking hands, she placed them on his shoulders and traced until she moved up to his face then down to his chest. The more she touched him, the more she became certain that the Matra would never hurt her. Once she was done, she leaned her head against his chest and felt his heart beat. The steady beat of it reassured her, the feeling of heat coming from him made her comfortable. She climbed onto his lap and placed her arms around him before closing her eyes.
She felt like she had just come home. With a yawn she fell asleep.
*~*~*~*
There was a light knock on the door before Rylan walked in. The smile on his face could have lit a Christmas tree.
“I knew she was the one,” he whispered.
“You may know, I may think, but the important person here is Taya and she’s not convinced. Not by a longshot.”
“Then why is she in your arms?”
“Because she knows I won’t ever hurt her, no matter which form I am in. I think she can feel the way I am starting to care for her. But my caring for her and her caring for me are two different things. Ry, she’s not ready to care. If I had to guess, I would say someone somewhere hurt her bad. It’s going to take more than just meeting me and knowing I won’t hurt her to heal whatever happened in her past. She told me she was running because of a stalker. A Sudir was after her. When have you known Sudirs to kill animals and leave them on a potential victim’s doorstep or at their jobs?”
“They don’t, they snatch you, drain you, and go one to the next victim.”
“The first night she was here we walked to the gazebo. Someone took a shot at her. I think she was in deeper trouble than she wanted to admit when she fled Nevada.”
“What do we do?”
“I wish I knew.” He stood up and held her gingerly as his body shape changed back into that of the Arbrin. “Right now all I know is we both need sleep. Close the door on your way out.”
Rylan gave him a salute and a smart smile before heading for the door. Gabe went into the bedroom closing the door behind him. He laid her on the bed and then joined her. He pulled her close until she was snuggled in his arms, placed the cover over them, and went to sleep.
*~*~*~*
Now this is what it meant to wake up refreshed. Taya snuggled deeper into the warmth holding her, never wanting to open her eyes so the feeling would never disappear. Moving her leg, she ran into something rock solid but so warm she almost moaned. She closed her eyes tighter because either Gabe was in bed with her or it was some stranger. For a moment she didn’t know what she wanted. If it was a stranger, she could freak out and save face. If it was Gabe, she would be mortified. Why? Because she’d been dreaming of this since she first met him.
“I know you’r
e awake.” Gabe’s deep voice rumbled out setting the tips of her ears on fire.
“Are you supposed to be in here?”
“Yep. We both needed sleep and this was the best way to assure we got it.”
Her hand reached over and covered the wide expanse of his chest. His very naked chest.
“Is it me or do you seem to be missing a shirt?”
“I prefer to sleep in the nude.”
Gulp. Taya, do not stick your head under the cover for a peek. Taya! What did I tell you? She slowly raised the cover over her head. It was Gabe’s laughter that stopped her.
“I could just stand up for you.”
“No! No, no. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She rolled over the bed facing the opposite direction.
He rolled with her and placed a small kiss on her neck.
“You confuse me, Gabe.”
“I confuse myself. Get up, go to the bathroom, and I’ll dress while you’re in there.”
“Okay.” She got up making a point to keep her eyes away from him. She disappeared into the bathroom feeling more confused than she was earlier.
When she returned Gabe was dressed. “We slept through the whole day. It’s morning, maybe we should put in an appearance.”
There was a knock on the door before Colun’s voice came through. “Breakfast time, then we need to talk.”
Taya listened to him walk away as the butterflies in her stomach revolted. A choice was coming whether she liked it or not.
Chapter Twelve
Breakfast was just the three of them. Colun cooked, taking her preconceived ideas of males in general and throwing them out of the window. All 0f them weren’t like Mike. Just the name made her cringe. Gabe caught the movement but she gave a quick shake of her head while she prayed he would leave it alone.
He left it alone but he wasn’t happy if the look on his face was any indication.
Colun placed omelets in front of them with toast and jam along with a glass of milk. She almost wanted to laugh; they seemed big on milk around here. Then he gave her a glass of orange juice with a wink. He reminded her of her own dad, which, of course, made her homesick.
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