Page 17 of The Naga

He nodded mutely, and I ran my fingers over his scales lightly, marveling at how smooth they felt. It would probably take a while before it all sank in fully, but for now, I enjoyed the wonder I felt as I gazed at Khush. He wasn't crazy after all. He was just really, trulymagic.

Seven

Khush

Forget telling my familyabout Dustin. Telling Dustin about myself, about what I was? That was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do.

Dustin looked like it hadn't all clicked for him yet, but at least he wasn't running out the door.

"Are you okay?" I asked after a few minutes of silence, and Dustin hummed.

"Sorry, I'm still processing," he said after another minute, and I nodded.

"I know it's a bit much, but I wanted to tell you before we went any further."

"Thanks for that. I think it would've hit me a lot harder if you'd told me after we'd been together for a while."

"So…do you need some time to think?" I asked hesitantly, and Dustin gave me a confused look. "To decide if you want to date me after all?"

Dustin blinked, then shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Did you think this would change my mind?"

I shrugged. I hadn't been sure what to think. In all the stories I'd read in the group Keoni shared with me, the human had accepted their supe mate, but I'd still been worried. Unlike most of them, I couldn't be totally human. This was me in my default setting, and I'd been worried it might be too much for Dustin.

"My feelings for you haven't changed, Khush. But I'm really happy that you felt like you could share all of yourself with me," he said, a smile curving his lips, and I glanced away, suddenly embarrassed. "I'm curious, though. Why did you tell me? I mean, considering people don't know about the existence of supernatural beings, I'm guessing it's a well-kept secret. If you guys tell your new dates about it, how is it still a secret?"

"Are you going to tell anyone?" I asked, and his eyes widened as he shook his head.

"Of course not. But what if you told someone and then you broke up? Wouldn't they?" he asked, and I debated over whether or not to tell him the truth just yet.

While on one hand it felt like the right thing to do so I wouldn't put too much pressure on him, on the other hand, I didn't want to downplay how important he was to me.

"Well, I suppose no one would believe them even if they did, huh?" Dustin said, offering me the perfect out. Of course, I didn't take it.

"Yeah, that's true. But even so, we don't tell just any human about it," I said, swallowing hard. "I told you because you're special, and no, that's not just a line."

Dustin bit his lower lip, his blue eyes bright with curiosity as he asked, "How am I special?"

Okay, it was now or never. I hadn't scared him off yet, and I hoped this wouldn't be the thing that did it.

"Well, every supernatural being has a perfect match. A person—and sometimes more than one person—who belongs with them, completes them. They're called fated mates, and you're mine," I explained as succinctly as I could, trying to downplay the enormity of it.

"Fated mates?" Dustin murmured, a questioning lilt to his voice. "You mean like soulmates?"

"Yes. Humans can't recognize theirs except on a deeply instinctual level, but different supes recognize their mates through different senses. I knew it was you the moment we shook hands," I explained, and Dustin blinked.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any crazier..." Dustin muttered, and I sighed.

"I'm sorry. I know this is a lot."

His eyes shot to mine, and he shook his head before stepping closer to me. Surprising me, he took my hands in his.

"It's a lot, yeah, but it's good, Khush. See, the thing is, I have a habit of rushing into relationships, and it's gotten me heartbroken more than a few times. So hearing that we're a perfect match, and that maybe you won't think I'm too much because of it? It makes me feel relieved. Relieved and excited," Dustin said with a grin, his eyes bright as he squeezed my hands.

Relief swept through me at his words, and I couldn't stop myself from pulling my hands from his grip so I could hug him instead.

He laughed softly as I wrapped my arms around him, and then wrapped the end of my tail around his legs too, holding him as close as I could.

"You could never be 'too much' for me," I whispered in his ear, fully aware that Silas, Keoni, and anyone who'd caught wind of this was eavesdropping on us fromsomewhere. I wouldn't expect any less from them, since I would've done exactly the same thing in their place.

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