Page 66 of Siren in the Rain

I reach up and run a hand through his glorious hair, admiring the way it sparkles faintly in the light.

Shae arches an eyebrow. “I’m starting to think you have a bit of a hair fetish.”

I grin unrepentantly. “Only for yours, baby.”

He gives my chest a light push with his hand and rolls his eyes. “Ugh. That was cheesy.”

My tail swishes. “I tell it like it is.”

Now that Haku’s gone off to reunite with his own relatives, it’s just me and Shae for once. I bask in the special nature of this moment and listen to my mate’s steady heartbeat and soft breathing.

Indulging in this precious moment alone together, I rub a hand lazily up and down his back. “This is nice,” I murmur.

After a long, silent moment, Shae pulls back slightly and searches my eyes.

“What?”

He swallows. “Uh, I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier, but… thanks.”

My head cocks in confusion.

He pokes my ribs right where I’m ticklish and I squirm. “For coming with me, Wolf Boy.”

That makes me bat my eyelashes at him. “Awww! You’re using pet names again. Love it.”

He flops back and covers his eyes with his right arm. “Fucking hell, Griff. I can’t even when you make faces like that.”

My tail thumps for all its worth. “What face?”

“Your stupidly adorable face that vanquishes any and all grumpy sarcasm directed at it.”

I nod knowingly. “Cal tells me it possesses many superpowers.”

“No shit,” Shae grumbles and then sighs again. “But in all seriousness, I’m not sure if I could have done this by myself. I would have been a nervous wreck. Having you here makes me feel… safe and secure.”

Now my ears join my tail and flick happily. Shae doesn’t realize it, but he’s given me a huge compliment as his mate.

I gently take hold of his hands and bring them to my lips, softly kissing his knuckles and making him gasp. “Whatever you want, you only have to ask. As your mate, I’m your partner for life. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.”

For once, he doesn’t flinch away from my gaze when I mention our connection.

“Coral told me more about what it means to be fated mates.” He frowns. “And what can happen if either party rejects the bond.”

I still at his words. “Does that bother you?”

He takes a deep breath and lets it out in a rush. “Fuck if I know. I think I’m just confused about a lot of things right now. The only thing I’m not confused about is that I like you.” He gives me a faint but genuine smile. “In fact, I think you’re a pretty good guy.”

My heart full to bursting, I can’t hold back a huge grin. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

He scoffs but then snuggles closer again. “I… want you to tell me more about yourself.”

“Like what?”

He’s quiet for a moment. “You know so much about me and my past, but I know next to nothing about you and yours. What’s your family like? How did you end up working with Dallas and the others?”

I inadvertently tense for a second and then relax. Deep down, I knew this was going to happen at some point. Of course Shae would have questions. I don’t want to keep any secrets from my mate, but I also want to make sure I don’t upset him either.

“My past is somewhat complicated, as is my relationship with my family. Wolfkin usually live in packs, like werewolves, but since we don’t shift, we tend to build communities organized around amassing wealth and prestige through members with elite careers.”

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