Page 13 of Scar Bonds: The Scars That Bind Us

“What about your wolf shifter?” Gabby gave him the side-eye. “Do you think you’re younger or older than him?”

“I know I’m older,” Senan admitted. “Magic has some uses. But it will probably only be about forty or fifty years or so. That’s what I mean. Paranormals don’t worry about age. Once someone becomes an adult, and that age is different for all species, but once they have reached adulthood then age doesn’t matter. I’veknown some mated couples who have an age gap measured in hundreds of years. But you wouldn’t know to look at them, and they don’t care.”

“Whereas I get messages on that dating app I’m on telling me I’m too old and I’m not even thirty.” Gabby flung herself back and blew a raspberry at the ceiling, before sitting back up again. “Okay, let’s cue up the movie because the food will be here soon. If we get bored drooling over Maximus’s abs, we can come up with a plan to find that wolf shifter of yours. Wouldn’t it be exciting if he is your mate?”

If he is, then he’ll find me himself,Senan thought but smiling at his friend, he picked up the television remote and handed it over. “You pick something.”

Chapter Ten

Finlay frowned at the taxi parked outside the address he’d found for Senan. The driver was doing something on his phone, and the engine was running. As Finlay turned into the walkway to the porch, the driver noticed him and called out. “If you’re going in there, can you let Ms. Gabby know that I’m waiting for her? I did toot, but clearly, she couldn’t hear me. Honestly, when those two get chatting, they forget they’ve booked someone to pick them up.”

“Will do.” Finlay strode up the path, his body thrumming with tension. It had taken him three long days to track down his mate’s address. Three days of dodging Morgan’s calls and emails pleading for a chance to talk to him – that was setting Finlay’s teeth on edge for a start.

Two of those days were spent waiting for the catering company offices to open. Finlay called them first thing Monday morning, only to be told that, no, he couldn’t talk to the owner because the man was nursing an injury sustained over the weekend. The receptionist, who introduced herself as Betty, was very nice and equally very firm when she added that the company had a policy that did not allow them to provide contact details of their servers to clients. “Our management would tell you the same thing, sir. I’m sorry, we can’t help you.”

So there was that. In desperation, Finlay accessed the Paranormal Council database. His bosses would frown on him going through files for personal reasons, but the urge to find his fae was getting stronger by the hour. Unfortunately, Finlay quickly found that the address listed for Prince Senan was the same as it was when he’d been charged for assaulting Morgan.

And didn’t I feel like the idiot when I found out the address was still the same and that my mate hadn’t moved house?A lot offruitless searching through files for signs the fae had moved in other words, for no reason at all.

And now it seemed Prince Senan had company – a Ms. Gabby, whoever the hell that was.In the history of matings, has anyone had the amount of bad luck I have?

Finlay still didn’t know what he could even say to the fae if the man let him into the house. He’d filed papers with the Shifter Council, breaking his ties with the Luna Pack, so hopefully that would help. But he and Senan might have to move simply to stop Morgan from being a fucking nuisance. Somehow Finlay didn’t think Senan would be agreeable to something like that.

I have to get him to accept me first,Finlay reminded himself as he tapped on the front door. The house seemed nice enough from the outside. It was small, but it had clearly been looked after. Finlay was struck by the normality of it all. He liked it.There’s nothing typical about this fae, that’s for sure.

“I’m coming,” a woman’s voice said as the door opened. “Senan, I don’t care what you say. When that man takes his shirt off, there is no way anyone could think he’s almost a hundred and fifty years old.” She suddenly noticed Finlay standing there. “Oops. Hello. Who are you? You’re not my driver.”

“He told me to tell you he’s waiting for you.” Finlay pointed back down the footpath at the parked taxicab. “I’m here to see P… Senan.”

“O-kay…wolf shifter?”

Finlay nodded. The woman grinned. “Wolf shifter one or two?”

“Er… I’m not sure?” Finlay had no idea what the woman was talking about.

“That’s wolf shifter two, Gabby.” Senan appeared at the door. Shirtless, his wings on full display much like when he’d lostcontrol of his magic three nights before. “You’d better go, or Robbie is going to drive off without you.”

“Are you going to be all right?” Finlay realized Gabby was worried about her friend.

“I’ll be fine.” Senan nodded.

“I’ll be calling you first thing tomorrow, and you’d better answer, or I’ll be coming around.” Gabby turned her attention back to Finlay. “Do you know Maximus Khan? How old is he?”

“Maximus?” Finlay had to stop and think for a minute. “Oh, the movie star. I’d imagine he’s close to a hundred and fifty. I attended his birthday party a couple of years ago when I was in Orlando, and yeah, I think he was a hundred and forty-five then.”

“For the tenth time, I told you age isn’t important to shifters,” Senan said with a laugh. “Go on. Don’t keep Robbie waiting.”

“But he knows Maximus Khan,” Gabby protested. “I will be talking to you later,” she said, poking Finlay’s chest as she hurried past. “I’m coming, Robbie. Keep your shirt on. That man knows Maximus Khan.” The car door slammed shut as she got in the taxi, and a minute later, the car’s headlights could be seen down the road.

This is it.Turning back to the door, Finlay bowed slightly. “Hello, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Finlay…” he hesitated, and then added quickly, “no last name. A recently made lone wolf who works as a negotiator for the Paranormal Council. I believe you and I are mates.”

“You’re not claiming an affiliation with the Luna Pack?” Senan was gripping the door as if it was holding him up.

“That was last week. The Alpha and I had words about a previous action of his, and I’m now officially a lone wolf with no pack affiliation.”

“I’m sorry. I understand that break must’ve been painful for you.” Senan stepped back from the door. “You’d better come in.”

Step one,Finlay thought as he crossed through the doorway and Senan closed the door behind him.Now don’t fuck this up.

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