Page 28 of Secondhand Garagyre

Leashesfully secure,Ilift both of my boys out of the truck and set them on the ground before stepping up onto the sidewalk and walking up to the front door,Laithogtrailing protectively behind me.Myeyes flit over the front of my shop, checking for any disturbances.Relieffills me whenIdon’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Pausing,Idig my keys out of my purse and go to unlock the door whenLaithog’swords stop me. “Paisley, has the one you callBradleyever been inside your place of trade?” he asks, interest heavy in his tone.

“Nowthat you mention it, no.Bradleyhasn’t ever been inside.He’salways stopped me on the sidewalk out front or ambushed me out back in the alley.Whydo you ask?”

“Mmm,Ithought not.Thestones you’ve displayed in the front windows are in clear view of the sky.Meaning, the moon charges them monthly, even if you sell a piece,Iwould hazard a guess that you fill the vacant spot as soon as possible in order to create another sale.”

Noddingmy agreement to his statement,Ipull the front door open and we all enter the building as he continues his explanation. “You, however unintentionally, have protected your space from those that would do you harm.Theturquoise jewelry you’ve exhibited out front is a protection stone.Sincehe wishes you ill will, he may not enter this place.Iam sure he is not cognizant of that, though, most humans aren’t sensitive tothe metaphysical.Itprobably never enters his conscious mind to come inside, since the stones repel negative energy.”

I’mastonished.Eventhough natural stone jewelry is howImake my living,Inever really gave a lot of thought to the ancient uses of the crystals, asLaithogcalls them.Ithumbles me a bit.LeaningdownIunsnapMerryandPippin’sleashes, letting them loose to muck about as they so choose, replying toLaithogasIdo.

“Ihave to say thatI’ma bit embarrassed.Jewelryis howIsupport myself, butI’venever researched the alternative uses for any of the natural stones.Humansthat use rocks, stones, crystals, whatever you want to call them, are considered to be witches or wiccans in today’s world.Itmakes you different, not that it’s bad to be different, because it’s not.It’sjust something that hasn’t ever really entered my mind or interested me…until now.”

Asmall smile creases his handsome visage andIhave to force myself not to cringe.Laithog, observant creature that he is, notices the look on my face and wraps his tail around my waist, squeezing lightly to comfort me. “Iam still here, little flame.Allis well.”

Iroll my eyes at his choice of endearment for me even though his words are a comforting balmIdidn’t knowIneeded.Thetension that began coiling inside me the moment we left my house dissolves instantly with the reassuring weight of his tail.

Asoft sound, reminiscent of the sexually arousing sound from earlier, begins to hum from within him.Thistime, instead of arousal, a sense of calming reassurance sweeps over me, eliminating my anxiety as if it had never been.

“Doyou have a sound for everything?” a slight edge to my voice asIquestion him.

Hesnickers a bit at that. “No, littlePaisley.Onlythe two.Oneto soothe and one to inflame.Itis a male’s responsibility regarding the first, and a privilege earned for the second,” he responds with a playful leer.

“Ugh!Enoughwith that!There’sonly so much this human woman can take.Ihave a few things to check on the computer, andIneed to call my parents.Doyou feel up to meeting them today?Ihaven’t seen them in a bit over a week.WhenItell themI’min town, they’re going to want to have lunch somewhere,”Isay asIround the counter, walking through the doorway that leads to my office in the back,Laithog, as usual, right on my heels along withMerryandPippin.

Shakingmy head,Ifight back a snicker of my own at how strange my life has become in the last twenty-four hours.

“Youwish me to meet your patriarch and matriarch?”Theincredulous, yet hopeful, tone in his voice makes me stop abruptly, beforeIwhip around to face him.Ihear the snap ofLaithog’swings grabbing the doorjamb as he grinds to a halt, trying to keep from bowling me over.

“Yousaid we are tied together for the rest our, for me unnaturally, very long lives.Correct?”

Athis decisive nod,Igo on.

“So, yes.Iwant you to meet my parents.Allthings happen for a reason,Laithog.Yes,I’mstill getting used to the different species thing, and the permanent bond that ties us together, butI’mnot going to punish you for either of those things.Icanfeelyou.Whatevermagick is in this bond of ours,Ican now feel your emotions, andI’mguessing you can feel mine.”

Abrilliant smile pulls his lips back from his teeth and his glamour flickers for a brief second as his joy fills my chest. “Iwas unsure if you would experience the full scope of a mate bond, since you are human…but it appears that you’ve bonded to me just as fully as a femaleGaragyrewould!”

Scoopingme up in his arms, he hugs me to him as a manic purr reverberates from his chest.Leaninginto his hug,Iwrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.Lettinghim hold me and soaking up the happiness that’s overflowing into me from him.

It’shard to be sad when your soul is being inundated with elation.

Chapter Thirty

LAITHOG

AfterIfinish embracingmy mate out of sheer delight, she set about checking whatever it was she needed to on hercomputer.Itmust be said that there are many things in this new world thatIdo not understand, but must learn soIdon’t become a hinderance to my mate.Ourbond should be one of equal status, not one where she has to coddle me every step of each day.

Itis good thatIam not a stupid male.I’vepicked up on several things after listening toPaisleyfor the last six months, as well as observing her for the last day.

WhilePaisleyis on hercomputer,Iset about adding wards to her place of trade, orshopas she calls it.Afterdrinking from her so deeply earlier this rising, my magick is almost overflowing from my body.AGaragyremating, would mean that we sustain each other after mating, unable to drink from another living source other than one another.Themagick inherent to the bond would replenish our bodies blood supply in a never-ending process.

Paisley, however, is human.Iam unsure how her end of the bond will work since she is not a natural blood drinker.Iknowthat my magick replenished her body via the mate bond, which is why she’s not weak from blood loss.Whilstmy ingestion of her blood has energized my magick in a wayIhaven’t felt since the last timeIdrank fromIlayahan.

It’sa blessing to be at full power again.

Refocusingon the task at hand,Ifinish warding the front entrance, enhancing the natural protection offered by the jewelry located there.Oncethat’s completed,Iprowl through theshop,observing her set up asIdo.Thereare glass top cases along each exterior wall, and one large one that runs the length of the shop so patrons may circle around it.Similarto a racing track.She’sset the space up to be artful, yet open so beings don’t feel trapped or overwhelmed.

Itis very clever.

---