While Tori was still sleeping, he told Becca that he had some business to attend to and that he would probably be back late. Neither Becca or Cade had met his mother yet, but when he talked about his childhood and mentioned her his features softened. There were times you would get a quick glimpse of how he must have looked as a little boy.
He drove to the little cottage his mother loved so much. He saw her in her garden and honked and waved as he drove into the driveway. By the time he got out of the car, his mother was standing there and gave him a tight hug. “I have missed you ma. You are looking good; the Inverness weather seems to agree with you. How have you been?”
His mother gave him a wide smile, “I have been fine my son. I always miss you but I know how busy you are.” She ran her hand down his face and looked into his eyes. “Something about you seems different. Is everything ok with you, with the clan?”
Aldain looked down at her sweet face. “Everything is fine with the clan ma. I am going through some things new to me and I came to see if you could help me understand why?” Heather Kincaid got a worried look on her face. Aldain assured her it was nothing to worry about as they walked into her cozy kitchen.
As they sat down at the table she grabbed his hands and said, “So tell me what is going on with you. Don’t hold anything back.”
Aldain laughed. “It isn’t a dreadful thing ma but I found my soul mate.”
Heather sat back and clapped her hands. “Oh, Aldain I am so very happy for you. Why didn’t you bring the lass here so I could meet her?”
Aldain cleared his throat before he said, “Well it’s sort of complicated. She isn’t a shifter she is human. She doesn’t know our kind even exist. I am trying to go slow with her before I let her know. I don’t want her running off. The problem I am having right now is with myself. When another man gets close to her I have a tough time keeping my dragon from coming out and I want to kill him. I have never had that feeling before. When I am with her I feel like a whole man. I didn’t know I was missing a part of myself until I met her. When I am away from her I feel like a part of myself is missing. I need to know what it feels like and what to expect when you find your soul mate. I couldn’t think of anyone else to go to who I know would be totally honest with me other than you.”
Heathers face softened as she listened to Aldain. It made her heart glad that he found his soul mate. She was afraid he never would. She knew he said if he couldn’t find her he would spend the rest of his life alone. Her heart ached at the thought of him living alone. Now her prayers have been answered.
When he finished, she put her hands in her lap, sat back in her chair and told him everything he needed to know. “Well I know when I met your da he went through those exact same feelings. If a man came within a hundred feet of me he was growling and trying to keep his dragon at bay. It isn’t just the protective instinct but his dragon also felt threatened by another man. It was like he thought the other man was trying to take me away from him. After we were married that feeling lessened. As the bond got stronger, it grew daily, we could feel each other’s feelings. Sometimes it was hard to tell which ones were mine and which ones were your da’s. The love we felt for one another was deep down in our souls. Not one day went by that our love didn’t seem to grow deeper; we always knew how the other felt. Your da was on a hunting trip when I went into labor with you. He felt my pain and left everyone in the hunting party to get to me. He made it a point to be by my side while I was having you.” Her eyes teared up at that precious memory.
“I hope that I helped you understand more about some of the feelings you have been having and probably the strange way your dragon has been acting.”
Aldain walked over to his mother and hugged her tight. “Yes ma it does. Thank you. I don’t think I can feel what Tori is feeling yet but when it does happen I won’t be surprised by it. I will just know our bond is getting stronger. Will she be able to feel my feelings too? She is human so she might not have the same capabilities a dragon shifter does. Will she continue to age as a human does? I can’t imagine their short life span will have me losing her so soon.”
Heather smiled, “I know of other shifters that have had humans as mates. When Athena found the perfect first mate for Paragon, she made it so a small part of his soul intertwined with hers that allowed her to age like a dragon shifter. I am sure that part has already happened. Otherwise your dragon wouldn’t have known she was your soul mate.” Aldain was glad to know that. It meant he and Tori would have long lives to love one another.
Aldain stayed with his mother the rest of the day. He told her how Tori came into his life. How much he loved her and was just waiting for the day he could tell her what he was and hope she loved him enough that it wouldn’t matter. As the sun was starting to set, Aldain left promising his mother he would bring Tori to meet her as soon as he could.