Page 74 of Sparks Flying

“Yes, her. If it were entirely about me, she’d already be marked as mine. But I have to think about what’s best for her now.”

“Lord, help me now,” he prayed dramatically. “Our boy has grown a conscience.”

I snorted and shook my head. I had never been as bad as he was making me out to be. I’d always been forthcoming with partners. I didn’t string people along. They could take it or leave it. And when I really stopped to think about it, I had all these rules in place and kept people at a distance to ensure there were no messy ties as I waited for Bailey. I knew that now, without a doubt. Because since the moment I met her, even before I knew she was mine, it’s only been her.

My life had changed in an instant and I didn’t fight it or shy away from it. I was all in, because it had always been about her.

Doc was watching me closely as this realization hit me.

“So that’s it then? You’re suddenly a changed man and ready to commit to a monotonous life?”

“That’s really all I want.”

He smacked me over the back of my head.

“Ow. What was that for?”

“Why are you wasting time jabbering with me then? Have you tried telling her that?”

No, I hadn’t, because I feared that everything I felt was moving too quickly for her comfort. And a small part of me was terrified that she might not feel the same.

Sure, we’d talked about a future together and what it meant for any hypothetical children, but it all been in theory and not a definite commitment to seeing that future turn into a reality.

“Something bad is heading our way. You need to man up and start thinking about our people, too. Aren’t you the one in charge of the safety of our Flocks?”

“You are a superstitious old man. I never realized before. And I assure you that my love life has absolutely no bearing on our safety.”

“Say what you will. Call it superstition and dismiss it, but the signs are all right there in front of you. It’s historical hydromancy.”

“You just made that up,” I challenged.

“I did not. The Ancient Greeks used stones in water to study the ripple effect. This can be viewed in hindsight throughout history, too. We can see the past and see the signs, or ripples that occur, all leading up to one given moment. While no two paths can be a hundred percent replicated, we can get close enough. We know the history of wolf and raven true matings. If you dive into it, you’ll see the outcome of those who complied and those who did not heed the warning signs. It’s all there.”

“In myths,” I argued.

“You call them myths. I call them historical evidence of a recurring truth.”

He was insane. That was the only conclusion I had to understanding his gibberish. And the fact that he was a Dean who inherited his Grimes mother’s power of water instead of the natural healing and Earth powers of the Dean Flock means I wasnot at all surprised by his water theory. Still, I didn’t believe a word of it.

“Okay, Doc,” I said, to pacify him. “I’ll try harder.”

And I would, but not because of what this crazy old man said, but because I wanted nothing more than to claim Bailey as mine and proudly scream it out to the entire world.

Bailey

Chapter 18

I really tried not to listen as Doc and Dean talked, but it was hard not to. I couldn’t help it that my ears were sensitive and keyed into voices.

I didn’t believe in superstitions. But I also didn’t believe in coincidence. Still, that wasn’t enough for me to just dive into an unbreakable bond with him. And I really wished I hadn’t heard the part about him having sex with every available female.

That was all pre-me. I knew that. It still didn’t make it any easier to stomach. And I’d almost missed the part of him admitting that he wanted to seal our bond as I focused on his past.

This week hadn’t been easy on either of us, but I felt like I truly knew him now. I trusted him and trust wasn’t something I easily gave. Aside from Dean, the only person in this world I truly trusted was Oscar.

It hurt me to realize that Oscar hadn’t called me at all this week. I didn’t expect him to know I was in this fake quarantine, though we would have had a good laugh over it. But he knew I had found my mate here. I may not have confided who that was, but he knew enough to warrant a call to check up on me.

And I realized that I was projecting more onto that than was necessary, but I couldn’t help it. Big, major, life-altering things were happening to me and it felt like the only person I could talk to about it was Dean. How the hell was I supposed to logically work through my own feelings with him?

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