Chapter Four

"So," I say, pulling my car onto the highway. We've got about two hours to kill and I'd rather not spend it in this awkward silence. "How are you feeling, Ray?"

Ray crosses her arms over her chest, staring out the window. She makes an annoyed sound in my direction. "Do we really have to talk about this?"

"I think we do. Get all your frustrations out. Let me have it so we can work past this."

"How do I know this isn't some fucked up prank?"

I raise my brow in the rear view mirror at her. "How do you explain Casper being able to shift? You saw him, Ray."

"Some sort of holographic trick?"

"Oh yeah, because we totally have the funds for something like that. I'm not trying to push but come on, Ray. Seeing is believing and all that."

"I don't know what I saw," she says with a huff. "Maybe I'm hallucinating and none of this is real. Maybe I'm incredibly sleep deprived!"

"Ah, so we're still firmly in denial. You know that's not just a river in Egypt, right?"

"Give her a break, Zeke," Page says gently. There's a fierceness in her eyes that I recognize and suddenly things seem to click into place for me.

"Oh my gods," I blurt out, my eyes widening. "Holy shit. She's your true mate, isn't she?"

Page isn't capable of blushing anymore unless she's freshly fed, but somehow I just know that if she could, she would be. She looks embarrassed, her eyes darting over to Ray for a moment before looking back at me.

"What's a true mate?"

I let out a long sigh. "Oh, so now you're interested?"

"Shut the fuck up and tell me," Ray says with a pout.

"It's believed by most supernatural beings that Lady Fate created us. She's our Maker. She's our Mother. And when She was creating Her beloved creations, She didn't wish for us to be alone so She made soul ties that would allow us to find our soulmates. Later, the term true mate was used. It's the person your soul craves, someone you can be truly yourself around. It's the person out there that'll help you make the most authentic version of yourself."

Ray closes her eyes, tilting her head towards the ceiling, grumbling to herself. "Great. First there's supernatural and shifters and vampires and magic. And now there's also soul mates?"

"I know this is a lot," Page says gently, taking Ray's hand into her own, squeezing gently. I turn back to the road, wanting to give them their moment. "But it's true. After I turned, I was able to smell you. That's how a lot of us discover our true mates, through scent. You smell like mine, Ray."

Ray makes an embarrassed noise. "Possessive much?" She's teasing which is a good sign compared to the rest of the night. Just maybe she'll be okay. Just maybe she'll figure out how to embrace this new side of herself.

I hope so. Not only for me and Page, but also for my mate's sake. The look of unadulterated longing in his eyes when he looked at Ray was almost too much to handle. I wish there was something I could do to help them bond, to help Ray understand.

"Okay," Ray says softly, her shoulders less hunched, her stare more determined. Okay, that's gotta be a good sign, right? "If true mates are a thing, do you have one, Zeke?"

My stomach is a mess of butterflies as I think about Casper. "I do indeed."

"Really? Who?"

"You just met him," I say with a grin. "Whether you like it or not, Casper is going to be a solid part of our lives. He's not just your spark, but he's also my mate."

Ray lets out a long, dramatic groan. "So I can't just ignore all of this and pretend it's not happening? He won't just go away?"

"Nope. He's here to stay."

"I'm surprised you can handle him being in the RV behind us," Page says, shaking her head at me. "True mate instincts are no joke." She turns towards Ray. "Remember all the sex we had when I came back from my fake vacation?"

Ray's eyes widen with understanding. "Jesus, Zeke, how are you keeping it in your pants right now?"

"Some of us have self-control," I tell them with a warm chuckle, happy with how this conversation has gone. If they can tease me, it means they're gonna be okay. They're gonna figure all of this out.

Ray lets out a jaw cracking yawn. "Fuck. Tonight has been a lot. I feel like I could sleep for a week."

"Then sleep," Page says, opening her arms. "Lay on me and sleep. I'll wake you up when we get home."

"Okay," Ray says softly, snuggling up with her girlfriend. I give Page a soft smile before my eyes are back on the road. When I look at them, I can't help but feel a pang of longing, wishing I could be doing the same with Casper.

Would Casper even want to snuggle? He seemed rather snuggly in his lion form but me, more than others, understand sometimes our other forms have a bit of a mind of their own. His human side might want to take things slow, and that's okay too. Whatever he wants, I'm happy to follow so long as I get to be with him. That's all that matters.

The trip back to town is quiet and I have a lot of time to think. A lot of time to overthink. Casper seems lovely. Why would Lady Fate pair him with someone like me? I'm a banshee, someone who has to feed in order to survive. I'm practically a monster. No, I am a monster, full stop.

I pull into my driveway and watch as the RV parks on the street.

"I'll be right back," I whisper to Page who gives me a nod. I get out and make my way over to the driver's side of the RV.

"This is your place?"

"Yeah, I live in the duplex on the right. 4B." I take my house key off my key ring and hand it over to Bently. "You guys can keep your RV parked here on the road and head inside. Feel free to use the shower and eat whatever you can find. Just try not to be too loud as I have neighbors," I say with a chuckle. "I'm gonna go drop the girls off and then come right back, okay?"

"Sounds good," Bently says, taking the key.

Casper leans over so he's in my line of sight. Just the vision of him brings a warmth to my chest and I can't help but smile over at him. "Thank you, Zeke."

"Anything for you," I say with a wink. I watch as his cheeks pinken and his smile widens. Good lord, I'm already so far gone on this guy. How is that even possible?

I walk back to my car, making quick work of heading down the road and across town to where Ray and Page live. I park in their driveway and wait for them to get out before following them. At this point, it's about 4am and we're all a bit delirious, the same way we always are at the end of a hunt like this.

I pull Page into a hug before turning towards Ray, doing the same for her. "One last thing," I say, smiling when Ray groans. "I know, I know. I'm the worst."

"You are," she agrees but she's smiling when she says it.

"After you get a good amount of sleep and properly wake up, I want you to do some introspection. I know it's not the most fun thing in the world but I think if you sit down and actually feel what's going on inside of you, you'll discover the bonds we've been talking about."

Ray gives me a reluctant nod. "I don't promise a damn thing," she says but then her voice softens, "but I'll give it a try."

I put my hands on her shoulders, squeezing. "Thank you. We'll talk soon."

"Keep us posted about Casper," Page says as I get into my car. I give them one last wave before heading back to my place.

My stomach is tying itself into knots during the entire drive. Nerves, anticipation, excitement, worry. So many things are playing over and over in my head and all of them are about Casper.

I never imagined myself getting to have a true mate. Sure, my parents were mated and seemed happy enough, but they're both banshees. They understand the struggles and what comes with being a banshee. Casper is a familiar, and an adorable one at that. Will he think of me as a monster when he sees my true face? Will he be disgusted by my need to feed?

I really don't think I would survive being rejected by my true mate. I think out of everything, that would be the thing to break me. I guess only time will tell. Surely Lady Fate wouldn't have brought us together if we were destined to fail. Right?

As best as I can, I push my anxiety away as I pull into my driveway. After a steadying breath, I get out of my car and make my way up to my front door. I'm not sure what I was expecting but what I find isn't that.

My front door leads straight into my kitchen and I find Harbor and Bently sitting on the floor, a bag of shredded cheese between them. Bently has changed into sweats while Harbor is wearing my bathrobe, complete with a towel wrapped around his head.

"Hi," Harbor whispers, waving at me. He shoves a handful of cheese into his mouth, grinning up at me. "Casper's already passed out on the couch."

I look past the breakfast island towards my living room, finding my mate asleep. He looks incredibly adorable. I walk closer, leaning my hip against the island, just watching him sleep. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of warm feelings welling up inside of me. I didn't think I had such soft feelings inside me. I didn't realize I was capable of this level of softness. It clashes with what I've come to associate with being a banshee.

"Thanks again for letting us crash here," Bently says softly, not wanting to wake Casper. I blush, realizing I've been caught staring. I turn away, giving Bently and Harbor my attention.

"It's no problem at all. I'm happy you're all here." I run my fingers over my short hair, letting the soft strands soothe me. "I should probably head to bed. It's been a long fucking night."

"Harbor and I are gonna crash in the RV. If you want, you can probably carry Casper to bed with you," he says with a soft smile.

"I wouldn't want to disturb his sleep."

Harbor rolls his eyes. "What is it with you guys all pussy footing around your mates. Take him to bed, Zeke!" He picks up the bag of shredded cheese, taking it with him out the front door, not caring he's still wearing my robe and towel. I can't do much more than stare at him as he goes with wide eyes.

Bently gives me a look that conveys ‘what are you gonna do' before following behind Harbor.

Casper's cousins are strange but I'm already growing quite fond of them. They seem to have a strong bond, one that I'm a little jealous of. I'm an only child and always wished I could have grown up around other kids. Thankfully, I found Page and Ray in high school, the three of us thick as thieves ever since Mr. Southburn assigned us together for a group history project.

I kick off my shoes, hang up my coat, and clean up the random cheese from the floor before heading into the living room. Carefully, I squat down so I'm face to face with Casper.

His face looks so surreal, so innocent while he's sleeping. Normally, I would hold myself back but this is my true mate. I give into the impulse to touch him, gently moving his hair off of his face. The strands are ridiculously soft, his curls adorable how they bounce as I move them. My thumb strokes his cheek and I smile as he moves into my touch, chasing my hand even in his sleep.

"Casper," I whisper, watching as his lids flutter for a moment before they're slowly opening. His pretty brown eyes stare at me before his lips spread into a soft smile. "Hey."

"Hi," he whispers back, yawning as he speaks, "glad you made it back safe."

"Me too. Would you like to move to my bed? It's far more comfortable than the couch."

"I'd like that."

I place one arm under his knees, the other around his shoulders. I haul him up into my arms and he comes willingly, tucking his face against the side of my head, his arms going around my neck, holding on as I walk him from the couch into my bedroom.

While he's here, so close, I bury my nose against his hair, breathing him in. Casper smells citrusy, like fresh, juicy oranges. It's a smell I'll never get tired of, a smell that makes me think of summer days spent outside, eating oranges as sloppily as I see fit, knowing my dad will hose me off before letting me back inside. The smell makes me happy.

"Here you go," I whisper, gently putting Casper in my bed. He shimmies himself under the comforter before burying his face against my pillow. I can hear him sniffing and I can't help but chuckle. Apparently sleepy Casper isn't very subtle, but that's okay, I find the gesture incredibly adorable.

I quickly change into some pjs before sliding into the space beside my mate. I turn on my side, facing him, once again just taking him in. It's hard to believe I started the day planning to help a ghost find peace and somehow ended the day with my true mate in my bed with me. Lady Fate runs on Her own schedule, that's for sure.

"Sleep well," I whisper, leaning forward and kissing the side of Casper's head. He makes a happy little hum before tucking himself closer until our bodies are plastered together. He sighs and the noise resonates within my very bones. He's at peace here with me and I can't help but feel the same.

I give him a gentle squeeze before finally closing my eyes and letting myself find sleep.