Valentine’s Day was here, and the four of us, plus Gideon, were hanging out on the beach. Ezra, Jack, and I had all come up with the plan to evade the hopefuls who were sure to bug us to death throughout the day. Pearl had gone along with it. She didn’t care as long as Gideon was with us.
We were skipping school. The Kings would find out and be irate, but I needed a small break. Working so hard on my studies and fighting skills, I was about to crack. The only way I was surviving was with the assistance of the people sitting around me right now, each helping me catch up by choosing a subject to tutor me in.
I didn’t even feel guilty leaving Elly at school to deal with all the men wanting to “grace” my bed that night. She had taken it upon herself to become somewhat of a liaison between me and the herd. I think she enjoyed it. Now, she had a whole swarm of men to pick from, since they had gotten to know her better instead of just seeing her as a weak Shifter. She was now my subject, right along with the rest. The thought was still vaguely revolting.
“Are you going to see Felix tonight?” Pearl asked, digging her bare toes into the sand. It was a warmer day in February, so it wasn’t too cold for Mysticals on the beach with bare feet, jeans, and a light jacket. Really, the salty breeze coming in from the ocean felt wonderful.
I shrugged. “I just saw him two nights ago and I don’t want to give him the wrong impression.” I had learned in the past few months that he had also lost his mate. In a car accident. A year had passed since her death, and he was still hurting, like me. “I do believe him when he says he wants nothing serious, though.”
They nodded. They knew his story by now.
“What about you guys?” I asked Jack and Ezra. “Any hot dates?”
Jack shook his head. “No.”
Ezra stated bluntly, “We’ll be hiding, same as you. This is the one day a year you don’t go near a bed partner.” Yeah, I got that.
From behind Pearl, Gideon wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, his golden eyes on Jack and Ezra. “When you find your mates, you won’t want to hide.”
Jack shuddered, quickly peering away.
Ezra lifted a small stone from the sand, sending it flying into the surf. For a long time, he stared where it dropped. He blinked, his nostrils flaring. His mouth opened, only to snap shut.
“What?” Jack asked, cocking his head.
Ezra cleared his throat, then turned his face from us, saying quietly, “My mate’s dead.”
I stilled, barely keeping the wheeze at bay, shock radiating throughout my body.
“Her name was Felicia.” He ran a hand over his face, his words a mere murmur. “She was beautiful inside and out. She had the biggest brown eyes I’d ever seen and the sweetest voice I can still hear sometimes.” His deep voice turned to a gruff rasp. “She was perfect.”
We were silent as he dropped that bomb.
Never once had he ever mentioned anything like this. He had never even let on that he had been — no, wait, that wasn’t correct. He had always seemed more knowledgeable about mates than someone who had never had one.
I stared at the back of his spiked hair, realizing this was him opening up, trusting us.
Pearl placed a gentle hand on his stiff shoulder, asking quietly, “How did she pass on?”
“I met her right after my Awakening.” He shook his head. “We exchanged blood, and we both knew we’d found our mate. We got telepathy as our mate’s gift.” His whole body was strung tight, sitting like he was solid rock. “We were together for two years before she died. We were skiing in Colorado, goofing around and going way too fast. We were using our speed. She hit a patch of ice. Couldn’t stop. Her neck broke in the fall.” Mysticals healed quickly, but we weren’t impenetrable.
“I left for a while after that.” He rolled his shoulders. “Just went off the grid. A lot of people tried to find me.” Hooded spring green eyes met mine. “Including Elder Farrar. He was a regular pursuer, even though I only caught glimpses of him before I was gone.” I stared, realizing that was what their initial greeting had been about. Ezra turned his head away, his gaze haunted. “I lost it for a little while when she died. King Venclaire found me in the end, and dragged me back to reality. To King Hall.” He cleared his throat hard.
Jumping to his feet, his gaze found Jack’s. “When you find your mate, you won’t run. Gideon’s right. The magic won’t let you,” a shake of his head, “and you won’t want to.” He turned on his heel and walked away, down the beach, his jeans picking up sand as he went.
We stared at his retreating back, wondering which of us should comfort him. This was our usual. When one of us was upset, one or all of the others would bring them out of their funk.