Chapter 6
Teck inhaled Kaya’s sweet scent as she drifted off to sleep. He propped his head on his upturned hand and looked at her. The oil lamps still flickered, but the sun was rising so as it grew lighter in the tent, he could see her beautiful face clearly.
Shy, who faced him across their mate, whispered, “Do you think we should carry her to one of the trailers or stay here?”
He wasn’t inclined to do anything to awaken their mate. “Let’s stay. When we get up, we can go for a swim and then head to the trailers.”
“Are you…angry with me?”
Teck wasn’t sure he’d heard him right. “What are you talking about?”
“You dreamed about Kaya for years. You thought it was just the two of you.”
Teck didn’t respond for a long moment as he drank in the site of his slumbering mate. “Do you know how much I hated that you didn’t dream about her, too?”
Shy’s brows rose. “Seriously?”
“Of course. I thought we’d share a female. When I told you about the dreams when we were younger, you always seemed hurt, so I pulled away. I thought it would hurt less when I found her if we weren’t close, but I feel now like all I did was make a rift between us. I wished so much for her to be our woman, not just mine.”
“I was hurt that you had dreams and I didn’t. I asked Grandma Lorene about it once. She said that if I didn’t have dreams and you did, then our lives may be going in different directions. I hated the thought of it. You can’t blame yourself for the distance between us, it was as much me turning away as it was you pushing away.”
“I was worried about how good of a mate I would be without you as part of the trio.”
“Me too.”
Teck smiled. “Kaya’s special. There’s something about her that makes us more in tune with our powers. My bear feels stronger, and my Wiccan power came more easily to me.”
“Mine too. She seems to be a catalyst for us, but I don’t know what that means.”
“When we get home, we’ll talk to Grandma Lorene. She and the Corners will be able to help us,” Teck said. “For now, let’s put the past where it belongs and start off our newly mated life like we were always supposed to – with a beautiful mate for us to share and the future wide open. When we get home, you and Kaya can move into my tent, and I’ll expand it so it’s big enough for the three of us.”
“It’ll be good to be home.”
“Good night, brother.”
“Or good morning,” Shy said, punctuating his words with a yawn.
Teck stretched out his arm and laid his head on his bicep. Kaya was a sweet, warm weight against him, her breathing even and slow. He closed his eyes and was aware when Shy moved closer to Kaya and yawned a second time. Then something snapped into awareness inside him, and he felt himself being pulled into a dream. He felt like he was falling, wind rushing around him and blowing his hair in his face. He struggled to stop his descent, but could do nothing. As suddenly as the falling had started, it stopped. He found himself standing next to Kaya and Shy in a desert at sunset. Scarce trees and vegetation dotted the sandy landscape; a line of mountains rose in the distance.
“Teck?” Kaya asked. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know. Are we all in the same dream?”
“Is that even possible?” Shy asked.
Thunder cracked loudly overhead, and Kaya screamed, slapping her hands over her ears. A streak of white lightning seemed to split the air in two. Where the lightning had struck the sand several feet from them, a pool of liquid glass formed and three figures appeared. Two men stood beside a woman who had blue and green eyes and pale blonde hair like Kaya.
“Mom?”
“Oh sweet little one, look at you,” the woman said. “All grown up and mated. We’ve been waiting for this day for so long, ever since we were taken from you.”
Teck stepped in front of Kaya, his bear on alert. “Who are you? Where are we?”
The men were similarly built, with dark hair and eyes the color of gold coins. One of them said, “We’re Kaya’s parents. I’m Reve, and this is my brother, Acin, and this is Sessa.”
Acin said, “We only have this one time to speak with you. The gods told us that when Kaya found her truemates and mated them, we’d have an opportunity to appear to you all in a dream.”
Kaya pushed past Teck and raced to her parents, getting swept up in a three-way hug. In moments, the group was crying, and Kaya’s sobs broke Teck’s heart. Shy moved to stand next to Teck. He and his brother glanced at each other but said nothing. This was Kaya’s family who’d been lost to her, and for whatever reason, the three of them were being allowed an opportunity to speak to the dead.
“I don’t mean to intrude,” Teck said, “but I don’t know how long we’ll be in this dream. I think Kaya has questions, and I know that my brother and I do as well.”
Kaya sniffled and rubbed at her wet cheeks with her fingers. “He’s right. These are my truemates, Teck and Shy. I started dreaming about them when I was ten.”
Sessa smiled and wiped tears from her face. “I dreamed about Reve and Acin, too. It’s the nature of our kind.”
“What am I, exactly?” Kaya asked. She held out her hands to Teck and Shy, and they joined her.
“You’re a barsei,” Sessa said. “The females in our family line are catalysts for their mates. There are always at least two mates, sometimes more, and they’re always supernatural creatures such as shifters or fae. The mating group is linked by childhood dreams.”
Shy shook his head. “I never dreamed about her, though.”
“Not at all?” Acin asked.
“Well, I dreamed about a blue and green flag a few years ago.”
“But you dreamed of her?” Reve asked Teck.
“Yes,” he answered. “I never saw my brother in the dreams.”
“Acin and I didn’t have the same dreams about Sessa either. It’s the way of this power, I guess.”
“So what is my power?” Kaya asked.
“Your power is two-fold,” Sessa explained. “You will amplify your mates’ powers, and you’ll take on some attributes of their powers as well. The closer you become as mates, the more powerful you’ll all become. My fathers were fae warriors who could control the earth. When my mother added her power to them, they became some of the most powerful fae of their time.”
Acin looked grave. “This power is why we died.”
“I don’t understand,” Kaya said.
“The barsei is connected to her mates through mating and marking. However, the power can amplify anyone who mates and marks you. You’re mated and marked by Teck and Shy, but an enemy could kill them and force you into a mating. Even though they’re your truemates, it doesn’t change the power if they die. You would still be a catalyst for any supernatural creature who would take you,” Acin answered.
Kaya’s brows lifted in surprise. “You died because someone tried to take Mom?”
Reve shook his head. “Someone tried to take you.”
Reve explained that their family had lived off the grid in Canada for years. Kaya had been homeschooled, and they lived off the land. One night, a stranger showed up at their door asking for help. Acin and Reve had suspected something was off about the male and refused to open the door to him. The male, a rogue wolf shifter, broke down the door and went after Kaya.
The wolf had made a deal with a demon to increase his power so he could take over his former pack, and the demon had shown him that Kaya was the only way he could become powerful enough to succeed. Sessa and Kaya escaped out the back door, while Reve and Acin kept him busy. What they hadn’t expected was that the demon had given the shifter the power to call natural wolves to his defense. The wolves answered his call and followed Sessa and Kaya into the woods. Acin and Reve were overwhelmed by the wolves, but they killed the shifter before they died. The wolves pursued Sessa and Kaya, tracking them for several days. Sessa was eventually killed by the wolves, so they went after Kaya.
“I don’t remember a lot about that,” Kaya said when their story was finished. “I knew you’d died protecting me, but I didn’t know why the wolves were after me or what I really was.”
“We never told you about your power. You were young, and we thought it would be okay to wait until you started dreaming of your truemates,” Acin said. “It’s our fault that you went through this stage of your life blinded to the truth.”
“The dreams weren’t always about the physical part of our relationship,” Kaya said. “I sometimes dreamed about a battle.”
“You had deeper dreams of your future than I did, because it took you longer to meet your truemates. I met Acin and Reve when I was sixteen. I’d only had the dreams for a few years. Because it took you so long to meet your mates, the gods allowed your dreams to show you future possibilities.”
“So we’ll be battling someone or something?” Teck asked, his bear rumbling in worry over Kaya’s safety.
“Maybe. Only time will tell what the future will hold,” Reve said. “It’s vital, however, that you keep Kaya safe. If someone evil enslaved her, she would be helpless to stop her power from being used.”
Mentally, Teck began to review the security precautions in place at the den. He would need to speak to his fathers, uncles, and grandfather to ensure that Kaya was kept safe. Their den had no enemies, but if Kaya could be forced to amplify someone else’s power, then that meant she needed to be kept safe.
“Will I shift?” Kaya asked.
“You won’t shift, but you will take on some of their powers. I can sense that you’re more than shifters,” Reve said.
“We’re bear and Wiccan,” Shy answered. “I’m not able to draw on my Wiccan power like Teck can because I didn’t nurture it when we were younger. I can change that, though. With Kaya’s safety on the line, I’ll learn how to be a better protector.”
“Kaya may gain some Wiccan powers of her own through your bond, and she should gain increased strength and speed,” Acin said.
“But no shifting,” Sessa said with a smile. “And any female children you have will be barsei, too, which means they’ll have to be protected until they meet their truemates.”
Acin looked up at the sky, which was lightening from deep blue to pale amber. “The sun is rising, and our time here is coming to an end.”
Kaya hugged her parents again, fresh tears springing to her eyes. “I miss you every day.”
“We miss you, too, little one,” Sessa said. “You’re a beautiful young woman, and you’ll do great things with your mates by your side.”
Acin shook Teck’s hand and then Shy’s. “Take care of our daughter.”
“We will,” Teck promised.
Reve said, “Feel free to name your first sons after us. They’re good, strong names.”
Shy smiled. “We’ll do that.”
The wind picked up, swirling the sand and dirt around them. Kaya moved back to Teck and Shy, and they pulled her between them, shielding her from the blowing sand. The sound of the wind grew deafening, and blew so hard that Teck was certain that it had peeled off a layer of his skin. Just as quickly as it had started, the wind ceased, and he found himself in darkness and drifting back to sleep. The last thoughts on his mind were how precious his mate was and how important it was to all of their futures that she was kept safe.
* * *
Shy woke slowly, rubbing his eyes and stretching. He stared at the canvas tent above him, the sunshine making a shadowed pattern through the trees. Kaya sat up and turned to face him and Teck. Shy glanced at his brother, who was resting on his side with his head propped on his upturned hand.
“Did I dream about you guys being in my dream, or did you dream all that with me?” Kaya asked.
He and Teck answered that they were aware of the shared dream.
“I don’t know that it was really a dream, though,” Teck said. “I’ve read in grandmother’s books about some gods and goddesses being able to cross the barrier between life and death under certain circumstances. Your parents mentioned that the gods allowed them to come to us just that once. They didn’t say which gods, though.”
“All gods can’t do that?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know that anyone knows everything that gods and goddesses can do. Whichever god it was who helped them to connect with us, your parents provided us with answers about your past, and that’s what we needed most. Now we know what you are and what we are together, and we can plan for the future.”
She linked her hands with both of theirs. “I’m a little scared.”
“About what?” Shy asked.
“My parents were killed protecting me. They almost failed. If I hadn’t stumbled into Centaur territory when Daeton was hunting, I would have most certainly been killed by the natural wolves. They were still hunting me even though the wolf shifter had died.” She shivered and chewed on her bottom lip.
Shy sat up and pulled her into his embrace. She relaxed against him with a deep sigh. He stroked her hair and looked at Teck. “Teck and I will keep you and our children safe, Kaya. Our den is very safe, and aside from two very determined bears, who will do everything in their power to protect you, the den is full of warriors. Our Aunt Reika is a vampire hunter. Our mother is a powerful Wiccan. And all of our male family members are excellent fighters. You’re part of our family and den now. Your safety is paramount to all of us.”
Teck sat up and wrapped a lock of Kaya’s hair around his finger. “The first time I dreamed about us facing off against an unknown enemy, I woke up the next morning and asked our father, Axe, to teach me everything he knew about fighting. Honing my body and my Wiccan power was more important to me than anything else. I don’t want you to be afraid. The three of us were meant to be together, and there isn’t anything on this planet that could take you from either of us.”
“If I’m getting some Wiccan power with our bond, will you help me to use it?”
“Of course,” Shy said, aware he needed to seriously brush up on his skills, too.
“We’ll both help,” Teck said. He released her hair and brushed his fingers across her shoulder blades. “Does this mean something?”
On her right shoulder blade was a tattoo of a sword.
“Sometimes in the dreams I saw myself wield a sword. I asked Papan to teach me to fight with a sword, but he said it wasn’t appropriate for females to fight and refused. I was able to learn by secretly watching the males train, and then I practiced on my own. I’m not sure I’m any good, but I did the best with what I could.”
Teck kissed her temple. “I’m happy to train with you and teach you what I know. But hopefully we won’t ever have to find out how good you are, lilenta.”
“What does that word mean?”
“Sweetheart,” he answered.
Shy could have stayed in the tent forever, but aside from wanting to spend time with Daeton and her family, he wanted to talk to their mother about Kaya’s power. He’d never heard of a barsei, or the power she could wield, but he hoped that either their mother or grandmother would be able to help.
“Would you like to go for a swim and then go find our family?” he asked.
“Sure. We can use some soap I made,” she said, wiggling out of his embrace and moving to her satchel.
She grabbed three towels and removed a bar of soap that was ivory with pale emerald swirls from the bag. Teck unzipped the flap covering the entrance and stepped out first, holding the flap aside so Kaya and Shy could exit the tent. They walked to the edge of the lake. Kaya set the towels on a log and walked into the lake, turning to face them as she moved into deeper water.
“I don’t think we’ve taken a bath together since we were kids,” Teck said.
Shy chuckled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
When they joined Kaya, the water reached their waists and nearly touched the bottom of her breasts. She lathered the soap in her hands and looked between them. “I really, really want to play right now, but we’re out in the open, and there’s no guarantee that we’ll be alone for long.”
Teck glanced over his shoulder with a low, warning growl. “I didn’t scent anyone near us.”
“I’m not the only one who likes to clean up in the lake. It’s just a suggestion that I’d rather not have anyone see you two naked.”
“Oh?” Shy asked.
“You’re mine,” she said, matter-of-factly, handing the bar of soap to him and running her lathered hands over her shoulders.
Teck chuckled. “You’re ours, too.”
“I know. Let’s clean up and get dressed before anyone sees any of our goodies.”
Shy lathered his hands and handed the soap to Teck. “This smells really good. You made it?”
“I love making soap. Moman likes lavender, so all her soap smells heavily of it. I’m not a fan, and when I asked for some other scent, she sent me to Reba, who makes soap for the herd. Reba taught me to how to use natural ingredients to make really lovely soaps. This is goat milk, honey, and cucumber.”
“I’ve never made soap before,” Shy said. “Would you teach me?”
Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”
Conversation stopped while they washed their hair and then rinsed off under the water. Once they were bathed, they made their way to their towels and dried off.
“We’re here for a few more days,” Teck said. “Do you want to stay here in the tent every night, or do you want us to find a place to stay in one of the trailers our family is staying in?”
Kaya looked past them to the tent. “I like the tent because it’s private, but I wouldn’t mind spending time with your family, too.”
“Maybe another night here and then we’ll move to a trailer?” Shy offered.
“That sounds perfect.” Kaya smiled widely, revealing a dimple in one cheek.
They dressed and then closed up the tent and headed to the city. Kaya wore a simple tunic-style dress with leather sandals. The only jewelry she wore was a silver bracelet on her wrist. When Shy asked about it, she lifted her wrist and smiled down at it. “My parents gave it to me.”
“It’s lovely,” Shy said.
“I like your rings,” she said.
Both he and Teck wore simple metal bands on the little finger of their right hands. “It’s a tradition of our people. Males get a ring at sixteen, and they wear it until they find their truemates. The ring is given to her before they perform the joining ceremony.”
“We’ll do that at home,” Teck said. “And we’ll marry you legally so that you can have our last name.”
“I don’t have a birth certificate, though.”
“We know people who can handle that. Do you know how to drive?” Teck asked.
“Not really. We have vehicles that the males take to the human cities, but it was another thing I wasn’t supposed to learn how to do because I was a female.”
“We’ll teach you, if you’d like to learn,” Shy promised.
They reached the trailers where their family was staying and found their sisters and cousins playing with some of the Centaur children.
Their sisters rushed to them, bypassing Teck and Shy and hugging Kaya. She laughed as they all began to talk over one another, excitedly asking if she’d take them flower picking.
“Your mom said you could show us how to press flowers,” Aiyana said.
“Would you, please?” Malia asked.
She looked at her mates and said, “Do you mind?”
Shy said, “Why don’t you go with them? I’ll talk to Mom.”
Teck nodded. The small group trooped off into the woods, and Shy watched until they were gone. The door to the trailer creaked when he opened it, and he stepped up into the kitchen. His mom, grandmother, and two aunts were seated at the table, drinking coffee.
“Morning,” his mom said. “There’s coffee.”
“Where did everyone go?” his grandmother asked.
“The kids wanted to go flower picking with Kaya,” Shy said as he poured a cup of coffee and added cream and sugar. “I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
He turned and leaned against the counter.
“Is everything okay?” his mom asked.
“Yes and no.” He explained about the dream they’d shared the night before, and the worry that now plagued him and Teck about how to keep her safe.
“My grandma might know about her kind, but I’ve never heard that word before,” his mom said.
“Neither have I,” his grandmother said. “Did she really make your power stronger?”
He nodded. “I’ve never been able to throw fire like that. Sometimes I think that I couldn’t light a match on fire, but I threw a wall of fire around us. It was amazing.”
His mom said nothing for a moment and then looked at him. “Do you suppose you didn’t have dreams about her like Teck did because you didn’t focus on your Wiccan power like he did?”
“I think it’s possible. I’ll need to start focusing on that now. She wants to learn, too. I figure we can spend time with Grandma Lorene.”
“She’ll love that,” his mom said.
“Do you think you could perform the joining ceremony here? I’d love to be part of the celebration,” Daeton said.
His grandmother shook her head. “We can’t. The whole den must be part of the ceremony. If we did it here, we’d still have to do it at home, and then it would lose some of its meaning.”
Daeton frowned. “Oh, right.”
The joining ceremony was performed with the whole den in attendance. The male was branded with the name of his truemate, a celebratory meal was shared, and then the entire den would shift for the truemate.
Daeton sighed. “I miss everything being in the Medes Realm.”
Shy wished she could live in the den, but it was too dangerous for her family. There was a knock at the door, and Shy opened it.
“Good morning, Queen Sophie,” he said, standing to the side to let her in.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” she said.
“Not at all,” his mother said. “We were just talking about our people’s joining ceremony.”
“I came to speak to you about that, too, actually,” Sophie said.
“Oh?” his mother said.
“Even though Kaya isn’t a Centaur, she is my adopted daughter. I feel like I made a big mistake by shoving my nose into her business. I had no right, and I’m very sorry.” She looked at Shy. “I hope you and your brother can forgive me.”
“Of course,” he said.
She smiled in relief. “Good. The reason I stopped by is that Kaya’s going to be leaving with you in a few days, and her father and I would like to join the three of you in the way of our people.”
“What’s the ceremony like?” Shaylee asked.
“The female is carried to her male by one of his relatives. The leader of the herd performs a marriage ceremony, and the herd celebrates with a big meal. We kind of…ruined the meal yesterday. Arsen and I would like to make it up to all of you. And I want Kaya to know that although it’s not our way, I do believe now that she found her destiny with you and your brother, and I’d never do anything to stop her from being happy. She may not be my born daughter, but she’s mine all the same.”
“Kaya went to pick flowers with Teck and the kids,” Shy said. “When they get back, we’ll bring her to your home so you can talk.”
“Thank you.” Sophie smiled, said goodbye, and left.
“That’s so neat,” Shaylee said.
“And, yay, I’ll be able to be at some kind of ceremony with my family,” Daeton said.
“What was your ceremony like?” Elizabeth asked Daeton.
As Daeton shared the details of her joining ceremony, Shy looked out the window in the door, wishing that Kaya was there with him. Deciding to make breakfast for her and Teck, he set down his mug on the counter and got to work in the fully stocked kitchen.
“You okay, honey?” his mom asked as she joined him.
“You know what? I’m better than okay. I was feeling like I didn’t really fit anywhere. Now, I do. Kaya was the best thing to ever happen to me. I got my truemate, but I also got my brother back.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and hugged him. “I’m so glad. Your dads and I have been really worried about you two. It wasn’t normal for there to be a rift between twins like you and Teck.”
“Kaya’s our connection,” he said, cracking eggs into a bowl. “I hope she likes my cooking. I finally get to be a caretaker for my family. It’s what I’ve always wanted.”
“She’s a lucky young lady to have you for a mate.”
“I’m the lucky one, Mom.”