Six

Khush

Telling my family—because even though we didn't share blood, I thought of everyone in the Sanctuary as my family—I'd found my mate was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do.

It wasn't that I was worried about their reaction. My family was the most accepting group of people on the planet, and I knew they'd welcome Dustin with open arms, just like they had Touya and Bellamy.

No, the only reason it was hard was because I was awful at this type of soul-baring conversation, and they'd have questions. Why hadn't I told them about Dustin before? How much did Dustin know? When was I seeing him again?

That's why I made a plan. I grabbed Silas and led him to the headmaster's office. Touya worked as his assistant, and he raised a brow when we walked in.

"Can I see him?" I asked, nudging my chin toward the headmaster's closed door.

"Sure," Touya said, then walked over to the door and stuck his head in. A moment later, he opened the door wider, letting us in.

Headmaster Morrigan was seated behind his desk, his arms folded on top of it, one flesh and bone, the other metal. I didn't know the story of how he'd lost his arm, but I did know that tinkering with that metal arm and making new versions were Draven's—our resident tinkerer—favorite pastimes.

Headmaster Morrigan was a powerful sorcerer, and I'd always thought it was strange that he used his considerable powers to run a group home. He could have anything he wanted, and this was what he settled on?

Don't get me wrong; I loved the Sanctuary. It saved my life. Hell, it gave me a life worth living.

"Khush, is everything okay?" the headmaster asked, tilting his head questioningly. His blue eyes peered into mine, as if he'd be able to read the thoughts right from my eyes if he stared long enough.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh, what is it?"

"I…found my mate." I figured I might as well drop the bomb first instead of beating around the bush.

A smile appeared on the headmaster's lips as Silas smacked my back excitedly, and I shot him a smile before returning my gaze to the headmaster.

"That's wonderful news, Khush. I'm happy for you. Are they human?"

"Uh, yeah. We've gone out once, and I invited him to see my home today," I explained as succinctly as I could. At my other side, Touya let out a soft whistle.

"You work fast, Khush," he said, and I glanced up at him, suddenly worried.

"Too fast?"

Touya shook his head, then patted my other shoulder much more gently than his troll mate. "Not at all. Not unless your mate says so, at least."

I nodded. Dustin had sounded pretty excited, hadn't he? Or had I imagined it?

"Are you going to tell him?" Headmaster Morrigan asked, and I nodded.

"I don't want to hide my real self from him any longer than I have to. It'll probably freak him out, but I think he'll accept it." Accept me .

"I'm sure he will. Fate wouldn't have picked him for you otherwise," Silas said, and I nodded.

"So, what do you need from us?" Touya asked, and I smiled, grateful I had a family like these guys. It was almost worth all the shit I had to deal with as a kid.

"Calm the fuck down before you give yourself a heart attack," Silas said, smacking my back.

"Do supes even get heart attacks?" Touya asked, glancing up at his mate, who shook his head.

"Just a figure of speech."

It was almost time for us to head out, and this time I'd decided to take Silas with me, mostly because he was still miffed I'd told Keoni about Dustin first. I figured this would make it up for it a little.

"Come on, Sy. We gotta go," I said after checking my phone once more.

"I'll be right back," Silas said, then kissed Touya like he was going off to fight in a war or something.

I shook my head as I pushed the Sanctuary door open—we had a permanent door that opened near the coffee shop we were meeting at, so we didn't need to ask the headmaster for a portal—and wheeled through, leaving Silas to follow after me.

"Wow, you're in a hurry, huh?" Silas commented as he fell in step beside me, and I shot him a look.

"Like you wouldn't be."

"Touché."

We arrived at the coffee shop with a few minutes to spare, and this time I decided to wait at one of the outdoor tables instead, mostly so I could see Dustin sooner. It was strange how quickly my feelings for him were developing, and it almost scared me. Knowing we were mates helped a little, but I still couldn't stop worrying that I might be rushing us too much.

After all, Dustin didn't know we were mates yet. What if he thought we were going too fast, and it scared him off? What if he didn't show up today?

Just when I'd managed to push myself down a spiral of anxiety, I caught sight of someone bright and vibrant in our seemingly colorless surroundings. I straightened up in my chair as Dustin came closer, raising a hand in a wave.

A smile spread across his lips, and he quickened his steps, his off-shoulder loose white top fluttering in the breeze. His shorts ended just below his mid-thigh, offering me a stunning view of his leanly muscular legs.

"Khush, hey," he greeted as he stopped before me, and I smiled up at him. I found it easy to smile when he was around.

"Hey, Dustin," I murmured, and we gazed at each other for a moment, just smiling.

Then Silas cleared his throat like the rude asshole he was, and I shot him a glare before turning back to Dustin.

"Dustin, this is my friend, Silas. Silas, this is Dustin," I introduced. Silas was in his human form, his mask firmly in place over his mouth to hide his tusks. He'd started keeping it off more and more often at the Sanctuary, but he still had to wear it outside to keep the secret intact.

"Nice to meet you," Dustin said as he shook Silas's hand, and Silas looked almost impressed at his grip.

"You too."

"Would you like to get some coffee?" I asked, and Dustin pursed his lips.

"Maybe later? I'm too excited right now. I think the coffee will push me over the edge," he said with wide eyes, and I chuckled.

"As you say. Come on then, it's this way," I said, then took a deep breath as I turned my chair around. Fate, please make sure nothing goes wrong.

Dustin

I looked up at the building we'd come to a stop before. It looked abandoned and definitely nothing like a group home of any kind. I glanced over at Khush to make sure it was the right place, and he smiled up at me.

"Come on," Khush said, and Silas pushed him up the ramp as I followed behind. I watched as Silas turned the handle, and the door opened without a sound. If I hadn't been thinking with a lovesick brain, I might've worried if I was walking into a serial killer's lair, but since I was, I followed behind them without a word.

The door closed behind us, and I blinked in confusion at our surroundings. The inside looked nothing like the outside. Here, everything appeared well-maintained. Soft brown walls surrounded us with around a dozen or so doors spaced evenly apart. Each door had a label, and I read the few I could see from where I stood.

Headmaster's Office .

Forest .

Ocean .

Mountains .

I assumed the residents had picked different names for their rooms, though I couldn't figure out why.

"Uh, Dustin, there was something I wanted to show you," Khush said, and I glanced back at him. He'd said that yesterday too, and I was growing more and more curious about what it was.

"Of course. What is it?" I asked, my brows furrowing at the worry on his face.

"Uh, come with me," he said, and I followed him through the door marked Headmaster's Office.

The space inside definitely looked like an office, with a desk full of papers and sticky notes and a desktop with a loopy screensaver playing on it. There was another closed door behind the desk, and I guessed that was where the actual headmaster was, while this desk was for his assistant.

"Okay…I'm not gonna lie. You're starting to freak me out a little bit," I said, tugging at a strand of my hair. When I'd left my house, I'd thought I would get to meet Khush's friends today, and maybe see his room if I was lucky.

I hadn't expected this, whatever this was.

"Sorry. I'm just a little nervous. Tell me, what are your views on magic? Do you think it could be real?"

I blinked at the sudden change of topic, then assumed he was trying to distract himself from whatever had his nerves all jangled.

Humoring him, I thought about the question for a long moment before answering. "I guess I think about it the same way I think about God or anything else. If I see it with my own eyes, I might be inclined to believe it."

Khush nodded as if I'd revealed some big secret to him, then took a deep breath. "Okay, I'd like you to listen. It'll sound crazy, but just hear me out, okay?"

"Okaaaay?" I answered hesitantly, dragging the word. The lovey haze might have started to clear from my brain a little at this point.

"The place we're in right now, it's called the Sanctuary. The headmaster is a sorcerer, and this Sanctuary is the home of supernatural beings who can't live in the human world. Beings like me," Khush said, and I blinked at him. Shit.

Khush might not be a serial killer, but he was most definitely crazy.

This was what happened when I jumped in feet first. I ended up in a room alone with a crazy—and also crazy hot, unfortunately—man who thought he was a supernatural being.

"Uh, Khush…"

"Yeah, I know it sounds senseless, trust me. But you'll trust your own eyes, won't you?" he asked, and I blinked as he grabbed the cloth covering his lap, unhooked it from near his hip, and then pulled it off, revealing a sack of sorts where the seat of the wheelchair should be. Were his legs folded in there or something? That looked uncomfortable.

"I'm a naga, an Indian snakeshifter," he said, and my jaw dropped as he raised himself up with his hands braced on the wheels of the wheelchair, and a green tail spilled out of the sack.

A moment later, he was 'standing' in front of me, the top half the Khush I knew, while the lower half was thick, scaly, and a soft, fern-green color. I blinked, and his eyes were different too. Instead of the light brown before, they were yellow and black, with vertical pupils like a snake's.

Was I seeing things? This couldn't possibly be true, could it? Magic was real? What. The. Fuck?

"Dustin?" Khush asked, keeping his distance as if worried he'd scare me. I wasn't quite sure if I was afraid or in awe, but I couldn't deny what I was seeing. Khush was half human, half snake. A snakeshifter, he'd said. A naga.

"Uh, wow," I murmured when I finally found my voice, then took a step closer. With the way his tail was coiled under him, Khush was suddenly taller than me (his wheelchair must have been magic too, to be able to hide away all that bulk) and I loved it. It felt right, somehow.

Khush held still as I stepped closer, and I reached out, my fingers inches from the tip of his tail as it curved up toward his hip. "May I?"

He nodded mutely, and I ran my fingers over his scales lightly, marveling at how smooth they felt. It would probably take a while before it all sank in fully, but for now, I enjoyed the wonder I felt as I gazed at Khush. He wasn't crazy after all. He was just really, truly magic .