Page 58 of Blood Bearon
“Got something on your mind?” Kincaid, the Hunter of House Ursa asked as he stood up, brushing himself off.
“Just all this business with Korred,” he growled. “I need to find a way to rid myself of him before it’s too late, but the jerk isn’t’ showing himself. He’s just operating through his lackeys, it seems.” He waved a hand. “Not your problem though.”
He frowned then, holding his hand up in place as just who he was talking to registered. This was Kincaid. The Hunter was often blessed with visions of the strings of fate that linked mates to one another.
Yet he hadn’t come to Khove to talk about Rachel.
“Can I ask you something?”
Kincaid shrugged. “Sure, why not? I’m not your boss, Khove, just spit it out already.”
“Right. Um.” He hesitated.
Until now, Khove had steadfastly refused to think too hard along these lines. Rachel was definitely someone he enjoyed spending time with and having around, but he’d had those sorts of connections before. Was finding out that she was his matereallythe way he wanted to proceed just now?
What if Kincaid said yes? Then suddenly the mission to find the Traitor took on an entirely new perspective. How was he supposed to let her go after someone that dangerous when he knew she was his mate, the sole person he would spend the rest of his days with. Letting her run into danger in that case would be ridiculous.
Then there were so many other things to consider, like how did he go about telling her, and where would they go from here? Were kids something she saw in her future? What about moving to the Manor, would Rach have any interest in that? He couldn’t predict her thoughts and feelings, especially considering she was still ingesting the truth about the world around her.
Another thought struck him. What if Kincaid saidno, revealing that Rachel wasn’t his mate, that she was just another human, one destined to come into his life and leave it just as swiftly. How would Khove handle that revelation?
The fear he associated with that thought told Khove all he needed to know about his own feelings and desires related to the issue. He didn’t see Rachel as his mate yet, but there was a lot to like about her. A lot he wanted in a mate.
“Is this about that woman you brought back from the city?” Kincaid asked, breaking the silence.
“Maybe,” Khove admitted. Steeling himself, he forged ahead. “Have you seen anything? About her and me, I mean? Like, are we tied together? Have the fates shown you that we’re linked?” He clamped his mouth shut.
Rambling on like that wouldn’t be helpful. Kincaid knew what he was talking about, so phrasing it in six different ways wasn’t going to help.
“I wish I could say that I had,” Kincaid said gently, resting a hand on his shoulder. “But I don’t see anything for you. Not yet, at least. That doesn’t mean it’s not there. The fates work in mysterious ways. They don’t communicate with me, and I often see things at the same time you do. Only every so often am I blessed to see the strings.”
Khove nodded. “It must be difficult.”
The other shifter smiled. “There are times, yes, where it can be painful, or embarrassing. But then there are times where I see things forming before others do.” His eyes strayed to the center of the Manor to where the Throne Room lay, taking on a distant glow that was anything but natural. “Like now, in the very heart of our home, I see two strings that were once cut mending themselves. Together. It is beautiful to see how the shared hurt helps them become one.”
“Wait,” he said, frowning. “I thought shifters only mated once? That’s what we’ve always been told, Kincaid.”
The Hunter shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t control it, I only observe. But I mean, if you want to be the one to tell her she’s not allowed to be happy again, feel free. But personally, I’m not one for upsetting my boss, and I don’t think you are either.”
Khove’s eyebrows shot through the roof as Kincaid’s implications became clear. “She’s finding love?” he asked. “Again, I mean?”
“From the most unusual of sources,” Kincaid said with a wink. “All it takes is a spark sometimes.” His eyes lost the glow and focused on Khove once more. “Is there a spark between you and this woman?”
“Yes,” Khove said instantly, thinking of Rachel. “We just…work. It’s hard to explain, but we do.”
Kincaid smiled. “Good. I don’t see every pair, but from what I’ve learned, it all starts with that spark. No need to stress over it.”
“I don’t think I am doing?” Khove said, wondering if perhaps he was stressing more than he thought.
“Well you look—right, of course. Korred.” The Hunter shook his head. “Sorry, I get distracted sometimes.”
“It’s fine,” Khove said, waving it off. “But yes. I need to find him before he strikes the Manor again, and I can’t find him because he just keeps using his goons.” He growled, slamming a meaty fist into his palm.
Kincaid cocked his head. “Why don’t you just go after his lackeys then? Take them out of play, and then Korred himself will have to intervene.”
Khove tried unsuccessfully to keep his jaw from dropping open. “How did I not think of something so simple?” he growled, furious at himself for overlooking such a basic tactic.
“Because you know that Korred is the true danger here,” Kincaid said gently. “You were focused on that. It happens to the best of us.”
