Page 14 of The Naga

Quest: Yeah? Are you being careful this time?

Me: Not at all! But it's okay because he's rushing just as much, so we're on the same page.

I could easily imagine the look on Quest's face. He'd roll his eyes and give me that unimpressed lips-pressed-in-a-line look.

Me: He invited me to his place tomorrow. He has a bunch of roommates and wants me to meet them.

Quest: That is fast.

Quest: Okay, I won't tell you to slow down because I know you won't listen, so please just be careful, okay? I don't want you to get hurt.

Me: But you'll patch me up if I do, right?

Quest: Always.

Smiling, I ended the conversation with barely enough time to eat my lunch, and then I went back to work, excited to visit Khush tomorrow. I wanted to see where he lived, and meet more friends of his. I wanted to know more about him.

And, if I got the chance, I wanted to kiss him.

Six

Khush

Telling my family—because eventhough we didn't share blood, I thought of everyone in the Sanctuary as my family—I'd found my mate was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do.

It wasn't that I was worried about their reaction. My family was the most accepting group of people on the planet, and I knew they'd welcome Dustin with open arms, just like they had Touya and Bellamy.

No, the only reason it was hard was because I was awful at this type of soul-baring conversation, and they'd have questions.Why hadn't I told them about Dustin before? How much did Dustin know? When was I seeing him again?

That's why I made a plan. I grabbed Silas and led him to the headmaster's office. Touya worked as his assistant, and he raised a brow when we walked in.

"Can I see him?" I asked, nudging my chin toward the headmaster's closed door.

"Sure," Touya said, then walked over to the door and stuck his head in. A moment later, he opened the door wider, letting us in.

Headmaster Morrigan was seated behind his desk, his arms folded on top of it, one flesh and bone, the other metal. I didn't know the story of how he'd lost his arm, but I did know that tinkering with that metal arm and making new versions were Draven's—our resident tinkerer—favorite pastimes.

Headmaster Morrigan was a powerful sorcerer, and I'd always thought it was strange that he used his considerable powers to run a group home. He could have anything he wanted, and this was what he settled on?

Don't get me wrong; I loved the Sanctuary. It saved my life. Hell, it gave me a life worth living.

"Khush, is everything okay?" the headmaster asked, tilting his head questioningly. His blue eyes peered into mine, as if he'd be able to read the thoughts right from my eyes if he stared long enough.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh, what is it?"

"I…found my mate." I figured I might as well drop the bomb first instead of beating around the bush.

A smile appeared on the headmaster's lips as Silas smacked my back excitedly, and I shot him a smile before returning my gaze to the headmaster.

"That's wonderful news, Khush. I'm happy for you. Are they human?"

"Uh, yeah. We've gone out once, and I invited him to see my home today," I explained as succinctly as I could. At my other side, Touya let out a soft whistle.

"You work fast, Khush," he said, and I glanced up at him, suddenly worried.

"Too fast?"

---