Page 27 of Siren in the Rain

Dallas: How do cats say 10/10?

Shae: Seriously, what the hell is happening right now? Are you guys high?

Ruby: Don’t fight it. Just give in. It never stops.

Dallas: Purrfect!

Griff: Hahahaha! That’s a good one, Cap!

Cal: I actually have a cat joke too!

Ruby: If it involves the word ‘pussy’ in any way, forget about it. *cracks knuckles*

Cal: *pouts* You’re no fun.

Harper: Now we know why you can’t get a date.

Ruby: *high five*

—MEOW Squad Group Text Thread

Griffin

Once everyone has finished their food, we get down to brass tacks.

“I know this is probably a difficult subject, but we do need to ask you a bit about your background and who may come after you in order to better protect you while you’re with us,” Dallas says as he hands Shae a steaming mug of hot cocoa.

Shae wraps his hands around the warm mug and shivers. “Where should I start?”

“Wherever you feel comfortable.” I reach to put a hand on his back but pause with a question in my eyes.

He only stiffens for a moment, then gives me a slight nod and relaxes into my touch. Definitely a win. If my suspicions are correct, my mate hasn’t experienced a lot of affectionate touch in his life. It makes me want to howl with outrage and rip someone to shreds, but I tamp down the impulse. Right now is about his needs. I amp up my output of soothing pheromones to help him stay calm while he talks with us. While I’ve done this for other people we’ve rescued before, it means so much more when I can use my power to help my mate.

Shae sighs, melting into my touch, and his eyes get hazy as he stares out the wall of windows as if seeing something we can’t. “As I told Cal earlier, I’m half-siren. My mother, Tempest, was part of the Silverstorm siren sept. As far as I understand it, she met my father while she was in college. According to her, he was?—”

Shae’s voice cuts out for a moment and we wait.

He clears his throat. “He was supposedly her fated mate.”

My senses go on high alert and my hand on his back freezes.

“My father is human, and he isn’t exactly open-minded when it comes to Otherkind. He doesn’t believe in things like fated mates. So even though he was drawn to my mother, he refused to accept the magical bond between them.”

A pained whine escapes me when Shae carefully pulls away from me, but I don’t follow. No matter how hard it is, I’ll give him the space he needs.

Even without touching him, my magic can sense the jumble of conflicted emotions in him. I focus on emitting my special pheromones to diminish his psychological pain, even if only a little.

“But your mother stayed with him?” Harper asks, although his tone suggests he knows the answer.

Shae nods his head sadly. “She loved him and believed she’d be able to convince him of their bond one day. When she became pregnant with me, she thought it was a sign that their union was blessed and that soon my father would see it too.” Shae stiffens and his voice becomes more matter-of-fact. “They stayed together, but after I was born, my father wasn’t very interested in being involved in my life. He didn’t take pains to hide his disgust for his half-Otherkind progeny. It became clear to me early on that he didn’t love me, but my mom was a good buffer and kept me away from him. Her love was all I needed anyway.”

He stops and takes a sip of his cocoa. I notice his hands faintly trembling.

“May I?” I ask, reaching a hesitant hand toward him.

He studies me for a long moment, his blue eyes unreadable, and then gives a terse nod.

Sighing with relief, I touch him again and strive to convey my affection as I rub circles on his back. His rigid muscles soon relax into my rhythmic caresses, making my tail thump against the back of the couch.

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