Page 267 of Secret Shifters Next Door

With all that to consider, the last part of his statement kept bouncing around my skull. I was his fated mate? The spell had caused it. If the spell had caused it, could that possibly mean that it was something that could really come to fruition?

“Has the spell ever been wrong?” I blurted. “Has it always been right?”

Blayne stiffened and pink heat spread up his neck to his cheeks. He shook his head, refusing to meet my eyes. “I…well…I wouldn’t sayrightas much as it happened to, sort of, work out for the other guys.”

“Did the women or men they were paired with actually become their mates?”

“All women, and yes, but that obviously isn’t the case here. The curse got it wrong.” Sadness cut through his irritation and anger. “Which is kinda shitty, since I was probably the only one looking forward to finding a mate.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “Fate has always been a bit of a bitch to me, though.”

That took an almost physical bite out of me, like a sharp puncture to my psyche. He was clearly talking about Liam’s death. He’d always blamed my family for his loss. My family, but more specifically me. He couldn’t have hated me more if I’d been the one to pull the trigger.

As much as he despised me, I also lived with the shame and heartache over what had happened to Liam. I couldn’t stand watching someone be in that much pain.

“Blayne,” I said, forcing myself to not lean forward and put a hand on his. “I can’t imagine how much it must hurt you that the curse chose me to be your mate.”

“The curse can suck it,” he snarled. “I’m the master of my destiny. And I know for damn sure that in this life or the next, I’d never choose you.”

There weren’t any venom in the words, just a simple statement of fact, so they didn’t hurt. How could they when Ifelt the same way? I wouldn’t have chosen him, either. I mean…he was Blayne. When I’d dated Liam, he’d always seemed like the goofy little brother, even though they were twins. Nearly identical, but completely different in almost every way.

I gave a single nod. “Okay, how does this work? The whole rejection thing?”

Blayne frowned. “Well, I’m not entirely sure. None of the other guys had their mate reject them. I’m thinking it’s probably similar to shifter mating. I ask you to be my mate, you reject me, then the bond is broken. That’s what I think, anyway.”

A conversation I’d had with Liam a long time ago emerged, drifting up through memories. Once I’d found out what he was, I’d been curious about all aspects of what being a shifter was like. One of those discussions had been about the mating process.

“Won’t this hurt you? Liam told me once that when a mating bond is broken—if they break up or if a mate dies—it can be both mentallyandphysically painful. Is that true?”

He nodded and shrugged like he wasn’t bothered. “It will. It’ll hurt like hell. But everyone is different. For some people, it’s over in an hour. For others, it lingers for days or weeks. Either way, I can take it. Small price to pay to be rid of this curse.”

“Well, should we just do it now?” I asked.

Blayne’s eyes widened and he glanced around at all the people in the coffee shop. He held up a hand for me to slow down. “Let’s do it tonight. I’ll come over to your place. I don’t really want to writhe on the ground or scream in agony in a public place. That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

He tossed his empty coffee cup into a trash can beside the table and stood to leave. Before he got far, I said, “You’re sure about this, right?”

Blayne nodded and looked into my eyes. “Fate isn’t always right. I shouldn’t have trusted it to finally bring me happiness. All it ever brings me is disappointment.”

Without another word, he turned and marched out of the café.

I finished my drink, mulling over everything he’d told me. The words hung over me all morning, even when I picked up my father to take him to his first chemo treatment.

Uncle Sam was there when I picked him up. After my dad hugged me, he got into the passenger side. Sam pulled me to him and pressed his lips against my ear. “Keep him positive. We all know he doesn’t want to do this.”

I nodded and patted Sam’s arm. “Got it. We’ll be fine.”

On the drive to the clinic, Dad talked about anything and everything except the treatment he was about to endure. It was clearly his coping mechanism. Wanting to help keep his mind off it, I spent the entire ride giving random “yeah” and “yup” answers as I focused on keeping the car on the road and Blayne’s revelation.

The treatment took over an hour, and Dad refused to let me sit with him. He was probably afraid for me to see him in such a vulnerable situation. Reluctantly, I agreed and sat in the waiting room, stewing on the whole curse thing Blayne had dumped on me.

When Dad came out, it was the first time all morning that Blayne vanished from my mind. He looked terribly pale, and fine sheen of sweat covered his brow as he winced with every step.

“Dad, are you okay?” I asked.

He shook his head and waved off my concern. The nurse who’d escorted him gave me a sad smile. “It’s his first session. I think it hit him fairly fast. Take this with you, I’m afraid he may need it.” She handed me a plastic, kidney-shaped emesis basin.

I gaped at it, but took it after a moment’s hesitation. “Uh, thanks,” I mumbled.

“We already have his next session scheduled. He’ll come back next week at the same time, and then he’ll get a week off. Seeyou then, Mr. Francis,” the nurse said, aiming a reassuring grin at my father.

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