Page 5 of Sealed With A Kiss
Rayne sat down and patted the cushion beside him. “Come sit and I will tell you a bit about my brother-in-law. I won’t tell you everything. That is his story to share. I can tell you enough to make you understand why he may have acted the way he has.”
With Willow tucked firmly in my arms, I joined Rayne on the couch. “Don’t tell me all his secrets. But perhaps a bit of insight into why he would run from me. I know he scented me. I saw the widening of his eyes and the flare of his nostrils. Before he left, I swore I saw a fire light in those dark eyes of his. I felt the pull of his beast reach for my seal. Then he fled and I didn’t know if I should follow or wait for him to come back to me.”
“I think you made the right choice by staying. Look at Willow already connecting to you.” Rayne smiled. “She is happily sleeping on you as if you have known her forever, not mere minutes.”
“It’s the bond. I already feel it snapping together between her and me. Since her father is my mate, she is mine as well.” A thought occurred to me and my head popped up, no longerstaring at the slumbering pixie but at her uncle. “Will her other parent have issues with that?”
“That’s the thing that I was going to tell you.” Rayne’s mouth pulled down as a single tear escaped his left eye. “We lost her mother ten months ago, right after Willow’s birth.”
“That explains the fleeing alpha.” I closed my eyes, overcome with the despair I felt on behalf of my mate and this napping child. “I understand now.”
“This will sound strange.” Rayne’s words had my eyes reopening to focus on him. “My oldest child, Xavier, has the gift of sight and warned Nikolai you would be coming. So, the seeds of your arrival were already planted in his brain. I think he just needed to get away from the reality of it for a moment. I hope it doesn’t ruin his chances of getting to know you.”
“I could never walk away just because he needed time.” I bent a bit and kissed Willows’s forehead. I finally found the people who fulfilled me; how could I let that go? “I’m here and I won’t be giving up, even if it takes him years.”
5
Nikolai Survolar
“Okay, I told my mate that I will bring you back to his office soon so you can take your daughter home.” Zander stuffed his phone into his back pocket and gestured to the bench in the corner of the garden. “Come sit and tell me what the hell is going on with you.”
Collapsing onto the wooden seat, I closed my eyes, breathing in the flowers surrounding me. This area of the garden was specifically designed to bring serenity to the visitor. I needed that more than I had in the last few weeks. “I can’t do this, Zander. I can’t just replace my wife.”
“Ah.” Zander sat beside me and placed his palm over the back of my neck, emitting a small amount of his energy through our clan bond that instantly eased my tension. Most of the magic workers at the center had been taught how to use their powers to calm others, but everyone’s signature was different. While Wolf’s calming was three pulses of restoring heat that radiated out of his hand and soaked into my skin, Zander’s was more likea ripple of tranquility that flowed through the clan bond. “Rayne said you ran out of his office the moment Milo entered the room. I take it he is the mate that Xavier foretold coming here.”
“I didn’t realize that everything you all said about the instant you realized your fated mate was true. The connection snapping into place, the scent of pure ambrosia, the maelstrom of emotions hitting all at once.” I turned my face to my brother. “I wanted to go straight to him and claim him.”
“But you ran instead.” Zander raised an eyebrow.
“As soon as I felt my dick grow hard for my mate, it was like I was smacked in the gut with a rush of guilt. My mind replayed every promise I had made to Stacey and every moment we shared. I never felt so conflicted in my life.” I hung my head in my hands, my elbows resting on my knees. “I couldn’t think any longer, couldn’t breathe. I just needed to get away from him and what was happening between us. Zander, if that was just the first meeting, how am I supposed to try and move forward.”
“I want to say it gets easier, but honestly, I don’t know if that’s true.” My brother placed his hand on my shoulder. “I hope it would. You need to let your therapist know what’s going on. They are more capable of helping you work out the torrent of feelings that must be overflowing inside you right now. I will tell you one thing—do not let your fated mate think you reject him. Don’t run away from what you are being blessed with.”
“But, it hurts so much.”
“I know it does.” Zander squeezed my shoulder. “I wish I could take that pain away. But I do know that one day you will heal from the grief of losing Stacey, and when you do, you will regret letting your future get away while you were mourning the past.”
“But she was my everything. How can I just forget all my promises?”
“You aren’t forgetting them, Nikolai. You are honoring her greatest wish. She told you to be happy and not waste your life.”Zander grabbed my face and had me look directly into his eyes. “I was there, remember? I heard her tell you that she knew you loved her as she loved you but that you couldn’t waste the rest of your years once she was gone. She knew they weren’t going to save her. She told you exactly what she needed to say before she went. She wanted you to live your life and I bet she would want you to embrace the chance you are being given.”
“I can’t just jump into a mating.” I sighed, imagining my mate and how my body had responded. My dragon was pushing at me to claim his as ours. He had processed Stacey’s death and was ready to move on. It was the man part of me that was still holding out. I hoped Milo would understand how conflicted I was. “Even if our connection already grows and I want him more than I ever wanted anything in my life.”
“No one says you have to leap into anything.” Zander stood and pulled me up after him. “You can go as slowly as you need to when it comes to claiming Milo. But what you need to do right now is go back and tell him your story. Explain why you ran, and ask him to give you that space and time you need to figure it all out. But do that together.”
“Okay. I’ll go do that.” I nodded and started walking with my brother back to the building that held our offices. “You think you and Rayne can watch Willow a bit longer? I want to discuss this off campus. I love everyone at the center, but you all are the biggest busybodies I’ve ever met and I would prefer doing this away from all of you gossips.”
“Definitely. You know you can count on us. Although, you probably will just create more rumors by your choice.” Zander chuckled. “You just go do what you need to to make sure your mate knows this wasn’t a rejection of your bond.”
Returning to Rayne’s office, I strode in, took a sleeping Willow out of my mate’s arms, and handed her to Rayne. Part of me felt awful removing Willow from such a peaceful resting spot. Herbody was relaxed and her fingers clung to Milo’s shirt. The same way she did when in my arms. Like she wanted a connection even in sleep. And the way my mate stared down at my daughter melted another wall around my heart. My dragon scoffed at my shock that their bond was already building.He’s our mate, of course he loves our daughter already.“Watch Willow for me just a bit longer, Rayne. I need to speak with my mate.”
“I got her.” Rayne pressed a kiss to the top of my daughter’s head when she stirred. “If you aren’t back here in an hour, we will be at my house.”
“I told you not to worry.” Zander stood behind Rayne, a hand on his mate’s arm. “We have her. You go figure your shit out.”
I turned my attention to my mate and breathed in his delicious scent, feeling the tingles of his energy over my skin, seeking out mine.
“Is everything okay?” Milo stood and stared at me, eyes wide and head cocked. Why did that make me want to kiss him even more? “I know—”
