Matefinder

by Leia Stone

  I decided to hold off on telling Kai what happened until we got home. I needed to think. He wasn’t exactly easy to persuade. Asking for time to think before telling him something bought me about five minutes before he pestered me again. I finally had to snap at him.

  “It’s bad, okay! It’s so goddamn bad I can’t bear to tell you! Just give me time to figure it out. I will tell you when we get home,” I screamed at him in the hotel while we packed our things.

  He looked at me with an unreadable expression. “Are you in immediate danger?”

  I lowered my head. “No.”

  “All right.”

  I zipped my bag up.

  “I’m going to wait in the lobby for you.” I rolled my bag down the hall and was smashing buttons on the elevator when Tara spoke behind me.

  “Hey, Aurora?” The elevator opened. She followed me in with a duffle bag over one shoulder.

  Of all the people to see. “Hey.” I forced a smile.

  “I wanted to ask you about your pack mate, Max. He’s cute. What’s his story?” She smiled shyly. I promised Kai I wouldn’t tell Max I had found his mate. I said nothing about not telling Tara. I might regret this later.

  I pulled the stop button on the elevator.

  “I’m going to tell you something and you cannot act on it. You cannot repeat it. Do you understand me?”

  She swallowed and backed up a little.

  “Do you know what my gift is? That I find mates?”

  She nodded.

  “Max was mated to a woman who died during childbirth about twenty years ago. They lost the baby, too.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I mean, I thought he was nice and we had this intense connection, but I won’t pursue him now, don’t worry.”

  I placed a hand on hers. “Max is your mate, Tara.” I stared into her eyes.

  I could hear her heart pick up in speed. “What? You just said he lost his mate.”

  “He did. Werewolves mate for life, I know. But I’m telling you, I have visions of people’s mates and you are Max’s mate now.”

  Then I released the stop button and the elevator dropped one floor and dinged open.

  “I’m sorry,” I told her and walked to the lobby.

  ***

  The plane flight home was long and I was stuck in my thoughts. Trent had stayed behind to help Diya say goodbye and to tour more of India. They would be flying home in a week. I was excited and nervous to see Emma. I wasn’t sure I could look at her the same now that I knew werewolf pregnancy was so dangerous.

  The second the plane landed on the tarmac in Portland, I powered up my phone. It beeped with a bunch of missed calls and texts. I scrolled through. Lexi, my mom, Dr. Tavern. I looked closer. I didn’t even have Dr. Tavern’s number in this phone. This was my personal phone. She must have plugged it in when I wasn’t looking. I opened the text.

  -No bun in the oven- it read. I slipped the phone in my backpack. So everything Kai’s father had told me was right.

  We had just reached home. I was exhausted and I wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.

  Kai grabbed my arm lightly. “Are you going to tell me about what happened with my father?”

  I sighed. “I’m so tired from the flight. Let me sleep and we will talk tomorrow. Okay?”

  Kai looked into my eyes. He bent forward and kissed my nose. “Okay.”

  Dreams

  That night I tossed and turned. I was dreaming and a cold sweat broke out on my skin. This wasn’t like a normal dream. I was half awake and aware of Kai’s breathing next to me. I also knew that I was dreaming but I couldn’t fully wake up. I felt trapped. Suddenly I was standing in my dream in front of my childhood home. The door was open. Chills ran up my spine. Something felt wrong. I did NOT want to go inside. I tried to back up but my traitorous legs began walking in.

  “No!” I screamed.

  I heard a whimper leave my throat as Kai woke up next to me. I felt like my soul was splitting in two. Part of me was now standing at the foot of the bed staring at my sleeping body. Kai was awake now and looking curiously at my sleeping self. Then, in my dream, I was walking into the house and heading right for the kitchen.

  “No, no, no! Wake up!” I told myself. A soft whimper left my throat again.

  Kai nudged me this time. “Aurora, wake up. You’re dreaming.”

  ***

  In my dream, I knew what I was going to see, somehow I knew. My father’s body was crumpled on the floor, a pool of blood rapidly growing around him. I looked down at my shaking hands; they were covered in blood. The knife lay at my feet. He wasn’t dead yet. I could hear his sputtering cough. I didn’t want to be here! Why was I here? I tried to close my eyes but they wouldn’t. I was trapped. I began to tear up. I knew what came next and I didn’t want to hear it. His words would haunt me for the rest of my life.

  “It should have been you.” My dying drunken father wheezed. “Not my Drake.” Then the blood became too much and the life left his eyes. The refrigerator was open, and my mother’s unconscious body lay on the floor. An open jug of orange juice pooled around her. To this day I can’t eat two things: ketchup and orange juice.

  ***

  “Aurora! Wake up this instant!” Kai’s eyes had gone yellow. Fur was rippling down his arms.

  I looked again at my bloody hands and felt a presence at my back. I spun quickly to see the dark witch that was working with Layla. Prudence.

  “I always knew you had a dark side to you, Aurora. But imagine my surprise when I find out you’re not just a murderer, but that you killed your own father!” She laughed and clapped her hands together in glee. My stomach rolled.

  “Kai! Sylvia!” I screamed.

  Prudence flung her hand out quickly dousing me with mist. I felt like cement had been poured down my veins; I couldn’t move.

  ***

  Kai was shaking my body now. I watched, helpless. Emma ran into the room. Kai must have summoned her.

  “Get Max and Sylvia!” Kai roared.

  Emma paled when she saw my limp frame in Kai’s hands.

  ***

  I felt so heavy. Prudence walked back to my parents’ old room and reappeared with a little girl. She looked scared. She must have been four years old and had long inky black hair. She clung to the witch.

  “Auntie, why am I here?” she asked Prudence.

  The witch looked at me. “Because your mommy owes me a favor, little one.”

  I lifted my right leg up a few inches and stepped forward.

  Prudence pulled a small knife out and pointed it at the little girl. “Don’t push me!” she yelled at me. I stood still, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. “Do you have any idea what I am capable of?” she asked me.

  “I can bring people back from the dead! I can make a poor fat man rich with women and gold. I can even bleed a child to make a woman fertile.” She smiled wickedly.

  “No!” I screamed. I tried to use my magic but it was no use. I had a blanket over my powers.

  ***

  Back with my body I sensed Sylvia. She entered the room and grabbed her chest. “No! I should have taught her more. She should be learning protections spells. This is what happens when someone with her power doesn’t know how to be a witch!” Sylvia was beside herself. I have never seen her this flustered.

  Kai was barely holding onto his human form. “Fix it! What’s happening?” he roared.

  Sylvia pulled her shaking hand from her purse and began lining the room with salt. “Dark dark magic. Old magic. I can’t fix this. Her soul has been split. And I haven’t taught her enough to fix it herself.”

  ***

  Back in my dream, I stared at Prudence. “Let the child go!” I roared.

  She smiled and put her dagger down. “Okay, would you rather I used Emma’s baby?” The glean in her eye made me sick. There wasn’t a scrap of humanity left in this woman. I couldn’t reason with her.

  “If you touch
Emma, I will kill you.” I glared. “Well, I’m going to kill you anyway.” I looked at the little girl. Her lip was quivering, her head down. Could you kill someone in the dream world? I didn’t want to find out. A thought struck me. I closed my eyes and concentrated. ‘Nahuel, help! I need you.’

  ***

  Kai breathed in deep through his nostrils just as there was a knock at the door. Max had gathered in the doorway to the room. He left to see who was at the door and returned with Nahuel. Kai growled and hugged my body protectively. Nahuel creased his brow and looked at Sylvia then again at Kai. “You’re not doing a very good job at protecting her are you?” he mused aloud.

  Kai growled again. “Why are you here?”

  Nahuel pulled a feather and a dried sage bundle from his satchel. “Your mate invited me. She woke me from a nice dream.”

  Kai didn’t trust him. I could see that but I could also see his desperation. Nahuel put the tip of the sage bundle to his bare palm and it ignited with flames.

  “Show off,” Sylvia murmured.

  He blew out the flame and a long stream of smoke rose up to the ceiling. He began fanning the smoke with the feather.

  “Listen to my words, Kai. You are Aurora’s one true mate, her Alpha, her pack leader, her soul mate. Like two drops in the ocean, I cannot tell where one begins and the other ends. You must use your link with Aurora to go into her mind. Take her mind into your power. Flood her with your presence. Saturate her every being with your love. Free her from the binds that hold her. Remind her that nothing can hold power over her without her permission. Tell her that she is the creator of her destiny.” Nahuel came closer to Kai and grabbed his ankle with a firm grip.

  Kai flinched.

  “Let yourself go. I will keep your spirit grounded to this world. I will keep your soul together. I will protect you,” Nahuel said.

  Kai swallowed hard. I could see his pride flaring up. He didn’t think he needed the protection. He didn’t want to seem weak. He didn’t want to trust an outsider. He also didn’t want to lose me.

  Max stepped into the room. “Kai, do as he says. If he makes a move to harm you, I will kill him.”

  Nahuel tried to stifle a laugh. I wanted to tell Max that I had seen Nahuel stop time and so I was pretty sure he would be hard to kill.

  Kai nodded and rested his forehead on mine. My skin was grey and sweat beaded my forehead.

  “Meri Pyari, let me in,” he whispered.

  ***

  In the dream world, Prudence was preparing an altar of some kind. She lit candles and began chanting. The little girl seemed frozen now. She was unable to run. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the woods behind our house. A large ball of light was floating towards me. I tried to run to it but I couldn’t. The light became brighter. “Kai!” I looked down at my body. This was a dream. I didn’t need a body, right? I shed my body and I too became a ball of light. My ball of light raced towards Kai’s light and the two balls crashed together sending out sparks like fireworks. I opened my eyes in the dream. Prudence was grabbing her dagger now. I looked down at my body, except it wasn’t my body, it was my wolf’s and it wasn’t just me; Kai was with me, inside me. We were one.

  ‘It’s a dream,’ Kai told my wolf.

  ‘I know.’

  I tried to move my paw. Nothing happened. The witch was walking the little girl over to her altar. She hadn’t noticed me yet.

  ‘Aurora, do you know why I love you so much?’

  ‘Because you’re my mate, you have to,’ I joked.

  ‘No, because you don’t let anyone tell you what to do. I have never shared this with you, but I fear that you too may be an Alpha. You may be more dominant than me. I sense that. I knew from that first day that you may actually have the power and strength to lead this pack, to be stronger than me. It terrifies me and excites me all at once. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do. You’re a free spirit.’

  His confession knocked into me like a ton of bricks. I felt his Alpha power merge with mine and a growl ripped from my throat. Prudence turned to look at me and stumbled backward. I leapt from where I had been cemented with fear and landed on her chest, knocking her into her altar. A candle fell onto her hair and lit it on fire. She began to scream. The little girl fell over, broken free from her spell.

  “Wake up! Wake up! Go back to your body! Tell your mother what happened here and run away,” I screamed at the girl. The little girl ran for the front door. The second she crossed the threshold outside, she disappeared. Prudence was chanting now as her body lit on fire. I ran for the door but a blast hit me from the back and I fell forward shifting back into my human form. The door slammed shut and smoke began building in the house.

  I stood up and faced her. “One day I’m going to learn to fully use my magic. I’m going to find you and I’m going to incinerate you out of existence.”

  I leapt to the right and slammed my body through the living room window. I felt Kai’s power pushing me through the glass. I was about to reach the ground when I slammed back into my body and out of my dream.

  ***

  I opened my eyes. Max, Emma, Sylvia, Nahuel, and Kai all stared at me.

  “Well, I might have a hard time sleeping from now on,” I told them.

  Kai let out a sigh and grabbed me, holding me close.

  After promising Sylvia I would attend weekly witch circles and spell castings, she left. After promising Nahuel I would wear a special protection amulet he made me, he left as well. I glanced at Kai.

  Kai had been patient. He had given me time to think things through. I owed him an explanation. I slowly pulled the paper I had taken from his father. I unfolded it and handed it to him. I watched his features change as he read the paper.

  “Okay, what the hell is this?”

  “RAIDOS has figured out that I can’t impregnate vampires so long as I stay unmated. I’m infertile. I love you, Kai, but we can’t marry. If we do, I become fertile and so does my blood.”

  I told him everything. About the device the vampires had to drain and sell my blood, about my fear and desire to have children. When I was done, he took my face in his hands.

  “This doesn’t mean we can’t marry.”

  Hope sprang up inside my chest. “It doesn’t?”

  “It only means we have to take out the vampires that want to hurt you.” The tone of his voice gave me chills.

  Sometimes I wondered just how dangerous the man I shared my bed with could be. I swallowed hard. “You have that look in your eye. The crazy creepy look that says you want to go on a killing spree.” I tried to make a joke. His face remained sinister.

  “Vampires are like bees,” he told me, as I saw a plan hatching in his mind.

  “Bees?”

  “Bees. They spend their whole life obsessed with their hive and honey. Money and blood for vampires.”

  “Okay.” I could kind of see where he was going. Sure vampires and bees had some similarities. “And this helps us how?”

  “They are also obsessed with their queen. Their pathetic little lives revolve around one bitch. Take out the queen, take out the hive.”

  Oh, shit. Kai was going to go after Layla.

  “What are you going to do?” My heart was pounding.

  Kai smiled. “Don’t worry. You just plan our wedding. We will be mated, Aurora. No one is taking that from me.”

  And in that moment I didn’t care. About any of it. I was loved. I smiled and folded myself into his arms as he kissed me long and deep. After everything that had happened in my life, with my broken childhood, to my car accident and my newfound abilities. It was all a part of a greater outcome. This was where I was meant to wind up. I belonged in Kai’s arms. I was some crazy witch werewolf hybrid who was hunted by vampires and had the ability to give them evil bloodsucking children, but it didn’t matter. Kai and I were made for each other and no one was taking from us what we deserved. We deserved it all. We would have everything we wanted in life and God have m
ercy on whoever got in our way. A growl left my throat and Kai nodded.

  “Yes, Meri Pyari. We will fight for what we want in life. Let no creature stand in our way.”

  Mist began to rise off of my skin and I felt patches of fur break out on my arms. If the vampires wanted a war, then that’s what they would get.

  Stay tuned for the next series in this installment.

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