––––––––
While Rory stood with the Guardian and Justin, he waited for Siofra to come to him. He didn’t know where they stood. She’d looked unsure when Baatar had called Rory out for keeping his identity secret, but she would understand.
His mate was intelligent.
Being a Gallize could not be a deal breaker for her taking a mate, not when Baatar was one also.
Rory covered his eyes with his hand. He could not keep thinking of her as his mate when he’d never given her reason to think he wanted a mate.
She put a hand up in Baatar’s face and walked around the other side of the Hummer.
Too far. She was too far away.
Rory couldn’t hear the Guardian or Justin. The farther Siofra went, the more his link to her shrank.
Baatar followed her around.
Rory interrupted Justin who had been talking quietly with the Guardian. “Where are Baatar and Siofra going?”
The Guardian and Justin could take that as Rory just being curious about the newest Gallize member of the team, but one look at his boss told Rory he had fooled no one.
Justin said, “We were just talking about Baatar. If you had listened, you would have heard the Guardian say he wants to take Baatar to Wyoming and introduce him to Adrian.”
“What?” Rory searched their faces. “Put a crazy tiger with Adrian’s insane wolf?”
Justin held his hands up. “I’m not in charge. I voiced my opinion and was overridden.”
The Guardian angled his head in his birdlike way. “Are you questioning my decision, Rory?”
“No, sir. Never. I just ... we want Adrian back.”
“As do I. It may do Adrian good to be responsible for someone other than himself.”
Great logic unless the next time someone showed up in Wyoming there was either a wolf or tiger hide stretched across the partially rebuilt cabin Adrian had burned to the ground.
Rory gave up trying to be subtle. “What about Siofra? Where is she going?”
Justin said, “I don’t know, but when I was putting the tank back in the truck I heard Scarlett tell Siofra she could help her go wherever she wanted.”
Scarlett was not taking his mate anywhere.
His jaguar growled to go after Siofra and the sound was more longing than angry.
Standing here with her out of sight was more than Rory could take. He walked away.
Justin called, “Rory? We’re not done yet.”
Without looking back, Rory said, “I’m done.”
The Guardian literally appeared in front of him. He didn’t teleport, but that man moved fast. “Where are you going, Rory?”
“I need to see Siofra, sir.” Rory tried to step around his boss, but with a lift of his hand the Guardian put up an invisible wall.
Rory growled, which was stupid when the Guardian could close his throat. Speaking through clenched teeth, Rory said, “Please get out of my way, sir.”
“Not until we have finished speaking.”
Dammit. He stepped back in front of his boss as a show of respect. “What do want to talk about, sir?”
“Your reason for going after Siofra.”
The muscles in Rory’s jaws flinched with grinding his teeth. “I want to make her my mate, but I would like to ask her first before I announce it.”
Sighing, the Guardian said, “You must be whole to do that or you’ll damage your jaguar even more.”
“My jaguar and I are now one,” Rory said, proud of that statement. He pulled up his shirt tail and held his other arm wide, exposing where under the crusted blood were signs his body was mending on its own, and quickly. In fact, quicker than he’d ever healed even in the early days of being a shifter.
The Guardian asked, “You’re saying you and your jaguar did that and not Siofra?”
“Correct, sir. I’m happy to be a shifter and proud of my jaguar. It’s hard to explain, but I now realize I’ve hated myself for a long time. That’s changed. I like being alive and having a future. It took me almost losing my jaguar to realize how much I cared about him. I’ve been fortunate he’s been there for me so long. Now, I’ll be there for him, too.”
The Guardian nodded. “Well done. Not everyone could have done that.”
“Thank you, sir. I want everything life has to offer for as long as I can live it.”
“That makes me very happy, Rory.”
“Now I need to talk to the woman I want to mate.”
“While I am quite pleased to see you and your animal joined as one, I have a new concern,” the Guardian said. “We may not be human, but we are men of honor. I am not sure you have considered what it would mean for a Cadell woman to take a Gallize mate, if Siofra is Cadell, as I suspect.”
“She is. I saw the tattoo confirming it. She may have their mark, but Siofra’s not really a Cadell,” Rory argued. He would not categorize her with his hated enemy.
“But I am, Rory.”
Rory and the Guardian turned to find Siofra standing there, eyes downcast. “I’m half Cadell, at least. I talked to Scarlett about it and she said she’d help me find out the truth. I know my father was Cadell, because Scarlett explained how the fathers mark their daughters.”
“Scarlett knew this?” the Guardian asked, just as surprised as Rory. Clearly, the Guardian had more to learn about their new intel resource.
“Yes,” Siofra confirmed. “That explains my father, but my mother ... I don’t know. He said she abandoned us.”
Rory asked, “Do you know if you have an older sibling?” Sure, she was Cadell, but he’d never known a Cadell born with so much power to be overlooked by that group. It probably happened because Siofra’s power didn’t surface when she was younger.
Her lips moved into a frown. “Not sure why you’d want to know that, but I recall my father saying my mother took my brother and left. He would have been older than me.”
Rory checked the Guardian’s face to see understanding dawn there.
Sounding heartbroken and still unable to meet his gaze, Siofra said, “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, Rory, and give you a chance to explain about your phone call with Scarlett. I am going to do my best to let go of my past and judge people around me based on their actions, not someone else’s. Now you know everything about me. I don’t fit into anyone’s world. Thank you for saving Baatar.” She turned to walk away.
Rory pushed against the Guardian’s invisible wall to find it gone. He rushed after her with his emotions tangled into knots.
Cadell or not, Rory knew the only thing he had to know and that was how much he needed Siofra. Not as healer, but as his mate. He called out, “Don’t go, Siofra.”
She turned back and rubbed her forehead. “Why?”
He walked over and stopped short of reaching for her. Damn difficult, but he wouldn’t hold her unless she gave him an indication she wanted to be held. He had to find the words and not screw this up. “First, I want you to know that my jaguar and I are bonded like never before. We’re able to heal.”
Her face lit up, but she still wouldn’t look at him. “That’s wonderful, Rory.”
He smiled. “That means I don’t need a healer.”
Her face fell, but she recovered. “Hey, really good news.”
“I’m glad you think so, but there’s one thing I need above all else.”
“What?”
“A mate.”
Her lip quivered a second. “Thought you said you never wanted a mate.”
What had he done so wrong that she wouldn’t even look at him right now? “I did say that before I figured out a lot of things, like the fact that I no longer hate being a shifter. I had to be whole before I could ask anyone to share a life with me. I want someone to stand by my side and build a home with me. Someone who calls me on my shit and makes me laugh when no one else can. Someone I can take care of in return. Someone who loves my jaguar. Only one woman can fill that role and it’s you. I want you as my mate ... if you’ll have me. My jaguar loves you and I love you, Siofra, more than I’ve ever loved anyone, including my family.”
Tears spilled from her eyes.
His jaguar had settled down and Rory could feel his animal purring.
She might deserve better than a surly jaguar shifter, but Rory wanted a chance to show her he could be a loving mate.
He wanted everything with her.
“You still want me even though I screwed up?”
“Are you kidding?” he whispered. “I’ve screwed up almost everything for half of my life. Baby, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and my jaguar.”
Her throat moved with a hard swallow. She held back her tears and pointed out, “You don’t want children, but I do.”
Giving her a wobbly smile, he said, “That’s another thing. I want them, but only with you. I know you can’t have any. We’ll adopt. Nothing will stop us from having a family.”
Now the tears poured. “I love you, too, Rory, but I am a Cadell. We both know it now.”
“Does it bother you that I’m a Gallize?” he asked with a load of worry. Could that be a deal breaker for her?
“No, of course not. I’m the one with the bad blood. Scarlett told me the truth about them. They’re horrible people and I was born one.”
He wondered how Scarlett knew so much about the Cadells, but that question was for another day. Right now, he needed Siofra to know just how he felt. “Your blood is beautiful. You’re not like the Cadells who have tried to extinguish us for generations. Plus, you’re now our new secret weapon who can coach us on what they do. You’re not less, but so much more. Your energy is powerful enough to bond with mine and I’m not sure the run-of-the-mill Cadell could even do that. I want you forever, Siofra. Will you accept me as your mate?”
She finally raised her watery gaze to his, gripped the hands he held out to her, and stepped up to him. “Yes. I accept you as my mate.”
Power spun up between the two of them and shot out from where they stood. Bright light flooded overhead, exploded and sparkled down around them.
Rory could feel her energy bind to his and flood his body in a way unlike his Gallize power alone, even more powerfully than when he’d joined fully with Ferrell.
Her face glowed and she gasped. “That was incredible.”
She’d taken his energy in to bind with hers. She leaned up and kissed him. This was no mere happy kiss, but one of a forever union.
The kiss continued until the sound of cheering broke through.
Rory recalled cheering for Cole when he’d witnessed Cole and Tess bonding, but he’d had no idea just how magical it had been for two souls to unite as one.
Baatar strode up. “Siofra? Are you sure?”
“Very. I love Rory.”
Grumbling a moment, Baatar sent Rory a menacing look and warned, “You had better never hurt her.”
Siofra glowered at him. “Way to ruin a great moment. Go away, brother, or I will make you regret those words. Go stand with your other brothers.”
Baatar scowled harder and stomped away.
Turning back to Rory, Siofra said, “Did you mean it about the children?”
Now Rory groused, “Do you think I’d lie to you, especially about that? I know you think you’re infertile, but we’re bonded now. That might make a difference. I’m ready to prove everyone wrong,” he said in a husky voice. “In fact, we can start working on making a baby as soon as we get alone.”
Nibbling on her lip, she whispered, “Too late. We might have one on the way.”
“Really?” Then he squinted at her and noticed what he’d missed earlier.. “Your eyes changed colors.”
“Yes,” she squeaked. “Sure you aren’t angry?”
“Hell no! I’m amazed and in the best way. Wait, did our bonding hurt the baby?”
“No. It’s hard to explain, but I can feel the bubble of a small new life energy inside me.” Her eyes overflowed again. “I never felt that the other times. No guarantees, but I hope this one survives.”
“I hope so, too. Best fucking Friday ever.” He lifted her and kissed her again, then turned to his brothers, which now included Baatar. “Meet my new mate, Siofra.”
They applauded and yelled again.
Baatar stood off to the side, arms crossed, undecided.
Then Rory added, “Oh, and we’re expecting.”
“No shit?” Justin shouted. Then he groaned. “I’m gonna catch hell from Eli. I want time off, boss.”
The Guardian wore a grand smile. “You will have time to catch up, Justin.”
All that chatter brought Baatar out of his stormy mood. He unfolded his arms and started for them.
Scarlett came rushing up to Siofra. “Are you sure you want to do this, because I could help you?”
Rory’s arm tightened around Siofra, who laughed and told Scarlett, “This is exactly what I want, more than anything. He is the father I want for my children.”
Baatar stepped up and ordered Scarlett, “Leave sister alone. Do not ruin special moment.”
Siofra rolled her eyes.
Scarlett wheeled around on him. “Don’t try to tell me what to do, tiger. I’ve been a shifter longer than you, so you don’t scare me.”
Rory complained, “If you two aren’t going to congratulate us, then please move on.”
Baatar dismissed Scarlett and hugged Siofra. He told her, “I will make best uncle ever.” He looked over at Rory. “You had better be best father ever.”
Siofra said, “Stop threatening my mate.”
Rory laughed. When she gave him an arched eyebrow, he said, “Never thought I’d be so happy to be mated. Baatar just needs some time to acclimate to all of us.”
The Guardian walked up and everyone backed away from Rory and Siofra as if an invisible arm had pushed them a few steps.
Baatar gave the Guardian a wide berth.
Yep, that tiger shifter had a few things to learn about the Gallize and their boss.
Addressing Siofra first, the Guardian said, “I have observed many unions over the years. Your power is quite special.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I’m just glad it was strong enough to bond with Rory and happy you all seem to be accepting.”
Gifting her with a smile that could belong to a doting father, the boss said, “There is no doubt you were powerful enough. I believe you just may be a Gallize female.”
A hush fell over the crowd.
Rory swallowed. “Truly, Guardian?”
“It is possible. That explosion of power between the two of you was as genuine as any I’ve seen. We don’t know who her mother was, but we may find out.” Speaking to them both, he said, “Knowing that you are mated and expecting a child are the greatest gifts I could wish for two people who love each other. Welcome to the Gallize family, Siofra.”