Six

Six

Kezan

I was going to kill Micah. This was his doing. It had to be. I didn’t know those cat shifters, but I would bet all the clothes in my shop that they were a part of Micah’s clan.

I’d been mulling over how I’d reveal the supe world to Ezra, and apparently, Micah had decided to take it into his own hands. Cam had been there too, I remembered. It could’ve been him. Yeah, that was probable. I couldn’t see Micah doing something so big without telling me. It had to be Cam. Fuck. I couldn’t even do anything if it was him because his father was the keeper of Mistvale, the strongest supe in town. No way did I want to go against him. Not that I was planning to hurt either of the kids.

As I handed Russ some dog-safe cookies and pulled out the sandwiches I’d made for us, I puzzled over what I’d tell Ezra. There was so much to say. What if he didn’t believe me?

“I’m pretty sure I’ll believe just about anything you tell me after seeing that,” Ezra said, telling me I’d actually spoken out loud.

“Well, it was an impressive sight. I want you to know I don’t know those guys. Though I suspect Micah and his boyfriend do, and they were the ones who orchestrated it. This wasn’t how I wanted to tell you.”

Ezra nodded as he took a bite, and I waited for him to speak. “I could see you were just as surprised as me but for different reasons. You weren’t expecting that, were you?”

I chuckled roughly as I glanced at the discarded clothes. “Yeah, I wasn’t. It was all their plan.”

Ezra nodded as he took another bite, and I sighed, knowing I needed to start talking.

“Let’s start with something you know. The unease you felt when you visited this park before? It was probably because you’re human. I think there’s a wood or forest spirit living in this park who makes it a safe place for supes while keeping humans away. The small park near the town center isn’t like that,” I explained.

“What are…supes?” Ezra asked hesitantly, and I realized he’d meant it. He would believe me.

“Supernatural beings. We’ve been around as long as humans have, some even longer. Those guys you saw, they were cat shifters, but I guess that was obvious.”

Ezra started nodding before his eyes shot to mine. “Wait, did you say we? You’re a supe too?”

I smiled and swallowed hard, nodding. “I’m a lower-level djinn, nothing fancy. I can only fulfill small wishes, not like the ones you see on TV. And I can fulfill anyone’s wish, not just my keeper’s.”

Ezra stared at me, his mouth hanging open, and I fidgeted. I’d gotten off his lap so we could eat, but now I wished he was still holding me so I would know we were okay. “Nothing fancy, my ass. You’re a djinn? Really?”

I nodded and then smiled. “I can show you my bottle later if you want.”

Ezra finished his sandwich and took a sip of water before eyeing me again. “Can I ask something else?”

I nodded. I’d tell him anything.

“Why are you telling me all of this? I mean, I’m grateful, but shouldn’t you keep something like this a secret? You could get hurt if some asshole found out about it.”

I smiled at the concern in his voice before swallowing hard. I ran my fingers through my hair, watching him carefully so I could see his reaction. I hadn’t expected him to ask that, but I should’ve.

“Because…because you’re my fated mate. I’m yours, Ezra. Forever. Fate picked you for me, just like she picked me for you,” I explained, hoping he would know I really meant it and it wasn’t a joke.

“Fated mates? Is that like soul mates?” Ezra asked, brows furrowed, and I shrugged.

“I think so. Fated mates are a perfect match made by Fate. People she thinks would be perfect for each other. Every human or humanlike being has a fated mate. The only difference is, humans can’t feel their mate bonds, but supes can. So we seek our mates and can’t settle down until we meet them.”

“What happens if you don’t find them?” Ezra asked, and I shook my head.

“Most of the time, Fate decides when their paths will cross like she did by bringing you to my shop. If Fate gives someone a mate bond, she also gives them the opportunity to get together with that mate. Humans aren’t very good at recognizing their mates, but Fate can’t be blamed for that.”

“So…Fate made me visit your shop that day? She made it so Jason would recommend it to me?” Ezra asked, sounding reasonably disbelieving.

“Fate does what she does, Ez. It’s not something anyone can predict. But yeah, she brought us into each other’s lives, and now we’ll be together forever. That is, if you want to be.”

“You do realize humans don’t promise forever to someone they met just a week ago, right?” Ezra asked, and my heart sank. I nodded hesitantly, and he blew out a breath. “I’ll need some time to think about it. Is that okay? I’m not saying no, but this is a lot.”

“I’ve waited a long time for you, Ezra. I can wait a bit more,” I assured him, and he rolled his eyes at me.

“You’re what, twenty-five? You’re not that old, you know.”

“More like two hundred, actually.” I grinned as his eyes widened and he shook his head.

“You’re joking. Right? Right, Kezan? You can’t be one hundred and sixty-eight years older than me!” he cried, and I laughed, making Russ snap his eyes open. When he knew there was no danger around, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

“Would you like some dessert?” I asked instead, and Ezra nodded, a smile on his lips.

“Sure. What do you have?” he asked, and I pulled the cake boxes out.

“Ooh, I love that bakery. They have the best cakes in town,” Ezra said with a smile, seemingly over his surprise. So of course I had to poke him again.

“Of course they do. The baker is a witch.” I watched with delight as his eyes went wide again, then he straightened his glasses and narrowed his eyes at me.

“Just how many supes are there in this town?”

Ezra

“More than I know of, I’m sure,” Kezan said, and I shook my head in wonder. Magic was real. A part of me still found it difficult to comprehend, but I couldn’t ignore what I’d seen with my own two eyes. Those two men had turned into cats right in front of me. There was no way to fake something like that. And why would they fake it anyway?

“This is all so…unbelievable,” I murmured as I took a bite of the cake, though I barely tasted it. I was now thinking about all the people I’d ever met, wondering which of them could’ve been supes.

Then there was the fact that I was Kezan’s mate. I’d heard the term before from Brittany. Apparently, fated mates were huge in shifter romance novels. I’d never imagined those stories were based in truth.

“Is it too much? Would you…would you like to leave?” I looked up at Kezan, and the worry in his wide brown eyes sent a wave of protectiveness washing through me. I’d never felt like this just days after meeting someone. Was this an effect of the magical bond between us, or did I truly care that much about Kezan already?

It didn’t matter which it was because the one thing I was sure of was that Kezan mattered to me. A lot. As quick as it was, I knew I needed him in my life, and more than that, I needed him to be happy.

“I’m okay, Kezan. Just a bit overwhelmed. This doesn’t change anything, though, okay? I still want to date you,” I assured him, and Kezan’s shoulders relaxed, and his eyes lit up, telling me I’d made the right call.

“You do? That’s good to hear. I was worried it was too much. I mean, I know you said you needed time to think about the mate stuff, and I’m totally fine with that. But I don’t think I could just stop seeing you until then,” Kezan confessed, and I smiled.

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t have to, right?” I asked, and Kezan grinned with a nod.

Russ sneezed in his sleep, startling us both, and I laughed as I offered Kezan a bite of my cake. With a smile, he wrapped his lips around the spoon, taking extra care to take the whole bite.

I pulled the spoon away and pressed my lips to his, smiling against them when I saw his eyes widen. I wrapped my free hand behind his neck, pulling him to me as I deepened the kiss. I felt the damp ground beneath my knees, even through the blanket, but I ignored it as I sank my tongue into Kezan’s mouth, tasting the sweetness of the cake and a deeper taste that was all Kezan. He moaned against me as he shifted closer, and suddenly his hardness was pressed against my leg. I groaned into his mouth.

With a gasp, he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine as we caught our breaths. I met his eyes, a small smile lingering on my lips. He looked beautiful with his hair slightly mussed and his lips wet with spit, their color a deep pink that made me want to bite them, to nibble on and taste every inch of them.

“How about we get out of here and continue this somewhere with a bed?” I asked, and Kezan’s eyes widened. He swallowed twice before nodding, and I would’ve thought he wasn’t ready if it weren’t for the fact that he still had his groin firmly pressed against my leg.

We cleaned everything up as Russ hopped around us, doing his best to help us by tugging away the blanket every time we tried to fold it.

“Russ, down,” I ordered when I realized he wouldn’t listen any other way, and he gave me a look as if I’d betrayed him in the worst possible way before slumping to the ground. Kezan grabbed the blanket and quickly folded it before packing it into the basket with the empty food containers.

“Come on, Russ,” I said, and he hopped up, waiting patiently as I attached the leash to his collar.

The walk back to the car was uneventful except for Russ sniffing at every little thing he found. Once we were in the car, I turned to Kezan. “Your place or mine?”

Kezan glanced at me from below his lashes, chewing on his lower lip for a moment before he took a deep breath and answered. “I thought we could go to mine. Maybe…maybe you’d like to see my bottle?”

His bottle. He’d mentioned it before. Was it like the lamp the genie from Aladdin had?

“You’d like me to see your bottle?” I asked, and Kezan gave a cautious nod. “Then let’s go to your place.”