“You should ask Theo for more help. I know he will help you track down any information he can on your birth parents and your lineage. Maybe there’s family out there somewhere that are worth knowing.” She shrugged. “And if not, you’ll always have all of us. I know things are a little tense at the moment, but that will pass. The guys are downstairs right now working on their differences.”
I tensed, and she felt it from where her hand still rested on my knee. “They’re not fighting are they? I mean… don’t guys tend to get physical when they work out their differences?” I put the last word in quotations, seriously worried.
Rini’s laughter was good for my somber heart. “I doubt it. They’re probably just talking.” She waved her hand in front of her face, dismissing my concerns.
For the next hour, we painted our nails and talked about strictly girly things that the guys had no interest in. She filled me in on dorm gossip she’d gotten through the grapevine while I mostly listened. I didn’t know about half the people she talked about, but I enjoyed the time to zone out and focus on anything other than my messed up past or overdue homework.
“You know, I’ve never see the guys like this.” She said as she waved her hands in the air, letting the polish dry before touching anything else.
“Your guys or mine?” I immediately blushed at the blip I had let slip from my lips. Rini’s eyes went wide and then she doubled over with laughter.
“Oh my God! You admitted it out loud! No take backs! They’re yours!” The expression on her face was jubilant and triumphant, and I narrowed my eyes at her, raising a brow.
“You know very well what I meant.” I poked her in the stomach, my nails having already dried. Thank you instant dry nail polish! I did not have the patience to sit around forever waiting for polish to set. “So what’s different about them?” I pried.
“I’ve never seen them so unified and committed. I mean, they’ve always been a close group and great friends, but this is different. Do you know they never left your side while you were going through your rebirth? You’re special, Nix. I don’t just say that because you’ve become an amazing friend. I know they’re drawn to you. You’re compatible with each other, both on a creature level and a human one. I can tell.” She gave me a gentle smile, and I felt butterflies at her words. “It was the same with my guys…” she continued, “ … that indescribable pull.”
“That’s exactly what it feels like.” I rubbed a hand over my fluttering stomach. Even now I could feel the tendrils of magic dancing between of all us, and I felt connected to them on a deep level I couldn’t fully comprehend . My Phoenix called to me, and I felt her resounding happiness at our acceptance of the bond that was forming. There was no way I could deny it. My life had turned out differently than I had planned since moving to Alaska, but when had my life ever been normal?
“Are you and your bear’s officially mated yet?” I asked, curious.
“We’ve obtained the permission we need, but I haven’t sealed the deal yet, officially.” She put the last word in quotations.
“Why not?”
“I’m not sure.” She glanced up at me, and I could see the questions playing through her eyes as she struggled to give me an answer that made more sense. “I wanted that little bit of freedom, you know? The independence before I settled down and lost myself to motherhood. Please don’t take that the wrong way!” She rushed. “I want to be a mother, more than most things in my life, which is good since I’m a female shifter. That’s kind of our job.” She scrunched her nose up at the thought but quickly cleared her face. “My guys wouldn’t ever force me to breed right away; we’ve talk about it. I just wanted to live a little more before I settled down. Now, though, none of that seems as important.” She shrugged.
“You mean after watching Theo get shot?” I barely got the words out as my throat tightened.
She nodded somberly. “Barrett, Donovan, and Cayden mean everything to me. Maybe I’ve just been dumb, putting off the thing we all want so badly. In that moment, when that asshole pulled the gun, the only thought going through my mind for a split second when I stared down the barrel was that I wanted to be with my bears. Why had I waited so long to accept fate? They respect me enough to give me time after mating before we make babies. Not all women are so lucky, especially mythologicals.” Her eyes looked pained as they met mine. I knew breeding was important to shifters, but hell, it was starting to sound like some men thought that was all there was to life. Didn’t they know you could still have plenty of sex without the fear of pregnancy these days?
“So what does mating entail?” The second I said the words, my face heated. Stuttering, I tried to redeem myself, “I mean… you know what I meant… I wasn’t talking about…” Rini roared with laughter, nearly knocking over her nail polish bottle onto my bed in her hysterics.
“Do we need a more in-depth birds and bees talk, Nix?” Her smile took over her whole face, and I couldn’t help but join in her laughter, even if I was giggling at my own expense.
“You know what I meant!” I yelled loudly.
Calming down, she finally answered, “Yes, there is a ceremony that goes with the mating process. Sometimes, mating looks different depending on the cultural aspects of the species. Since we’re all bears, it’s relatively easy. For you, however, it will be a little harder since you have so many different cultures in your group of sexy men.” She grinned wickedly.
“Rini! We’re talking about you!” I huffed, trying to refocus the conversation.
“Well, the hardest part for us is done, and it wasn’t all that hard in the first place. The Council approved our mating with no issues. They barely even looked at us.” She rolled her eyes. “We’re regular animal shifters though… lowly bears.” Once again, she made quotations.
My eyes narrowed. “They seriously have an issue with you being bears?” I asked. It sounded ridiculous.
“No, forget I mentioned it.” She tried to change the subject but I reached out, touching her arm.
“Tell me.”
“Let’s just say that they care much more about mythological shifters than they do about us normal ones. It’s more work to get approved for a mythological mating, so for once, I’m glad I’m a lowly animal shifter.” She sassed before growing serious again, “Honestly, I can’t say that’s a bad thing. I don’t want any extra attention from any of the Council members. Sometimes I think it’s best to fly under the radar if you can.” She waved away my concerns then, refusing to keep talking about the subject even though I was dying to know more about the Council and her mating.
Checking her watch, Rini let out an exaggerated sigh and jumped from the bed. After stretching her back in an elegant arching motion she reached into the box and grabbed a glazed donut. Taking a large bite, she spoke while she chewed. “I have to get to class.” Her eyes looked regretful, and I was sad that our girl time was ending. Standing, I reached over and pulled Rini into a hug, completely shocking the bear.
“Thank you, Rini. I don’t know how to say this, but I’ve never had a friend like you. No one has ever cared enough about me to come after me the way you did in that clearing. I’m sorry I brought all this trouble into your lives, and I swear I am going to fix it.”
“We’ll all fix it, Nix. You’re not alone anymore. No matter what, we’re your family now.” My heart squeezed in my chest, and I almost started crying again before I was able to pull myself together. Thank God I had donuts! I’d work on scrubbing out bad habits later. I had a feeling I’d need all the comfort food in the world to deal with the rest of this day.
Nine
Nix