Healing His Soul's Mate Read online

  Serena cocked her head to the side and stood stock-still. “Six, I would guess from the tides.”

  Mid sip, Ashlynn stopped. The tides? Was everyone crazy here? Or perhaps the loony bin had been disguised as a resort. Focusing on her shake, she decided to roll with whatever came at her. After all, what did she have to lose? A slight knock on the door sounded, and Serena opened the door enough for the other woman to chat with whomever came to the door but not enough to allow the person to come in. Although she couldn’t tell whom she talked to, Serena apologized in hushed tones for something.

  “Take a chill, girl.” Cyrus came into the room, removing his dark glasses and resting them on his head. She realized the last couple of times she had seen him he even had worn those glasses even at night. “I’m here at Sage’s bequest to check on her patient and see how your head is.”

  “Much better this morning. I should thank you. Sage informed me you were the one who helped me back here last night.”

  “It is the least I could do. Luckily, I happened to be close by when Shade rang the alarm.”

  Crazy, sexy hunkman? “Shade?”

  “Yes, he can sense when a soul’s in pain.”

  “Soul?”

  “Soul…person. It’s very much the same thing really.” Cyrus smiled, and she wondered why no modeling agency had ever picked this man up. Granted, all the men here were gorgeous, but something dark and mysterious made him a bit more dangerous. Even beautiful. “It occurred to Shade that part of your issue might be the lights.”

  “But Trixie had no lights.”

  “No, but she did say she had the class focus on the flames of a bonfire.” Oh, his smile would get anyone to agree. “We have created a special pair of glasses we think could help you.”

  “Are they like yours?”

  “No, why would you ask?”

  “Well, you wear them all the time.”

  Cyrus gave a sad smile. “It’s so my family doesn’t worry or see my suffering.”

  Unsure what to say, she nodded. She eyed the gloved hands and wondered what kind of scars forced him to cover up at all times. Had he been burned, deformed, or was he hiding the ugly scars of an accident?

  “Some of us wear our scars on the inside. Some lucky people have them on the outside.” He brushed over the scar on her face, lingering over the burn on her neck. She should have pulled away but found the soft touch of the glove soothing. His inner strength or power drew her. Not sexually like Shade, but mentally.

  “Lucky? I can’t think anyone would call me lucky.”

  He drew back. “Yes, lucky. You show the world your pain, your struggles. Every time you walk outside, you prove to those who hurt you that you survived. You have strength and they can’t defeat you.”

  Grabbing his hand in hers, she asked, “What about the inside scars? What do you do for those?”

  “Oh, dear lady, I had hoped you would be able to tell me.”

  Butterflies much like those that formed when one was about to be kissed for the first time fluttered in the pit of her stomach. It connected them, their understanding of one another. “If I knew, I would tell you.”

  “I promise the same.” He moved back to the front door where he had dropped a bag. Pulling out a hard case, he removed a pair of black-rimmed glasses “They aren’t the height of fashion but should do for this week to help you acclimate to the lenses. If they work, we can send the prescription to a special optometrist in New York to get them set into something more stylish.”

  “At this point, haute couture is the last thing on my mind.” She rested the frames on the brim of her nose and, in the darkness of the room, could no longer even make out his silhouette.

  “That’s the spirit. Ready to give them a try in the light?”

  She nodded, closing her eyes as he pulled back the curtains. With a great deal of trepidation, she lifted one lid then the other, allowing her the time needed to adjust to the glasses and the light. The lenses created a silvery effect.

  “It will take some getting used to.” Cyrus laid steadying hands on her shoulders. “But, for now, tell me what you see or, as it might be, what you cannot.”

  “I see shapes. Nothing in focus.”

  “As you train your eyes, they will see what is there and your brain will fill in the rest.”

  She tensed. Her world would become shades of silver, not even black and white. No color or real images to latch onto. She was, had always been a visual person. Fashion, theater, and art her forms of enjoyment. Now they were stripped from her.

  His hands tightened. “This isn’t forever, Ashlynn.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I have faith in the powers of my sisters and in their abilities to heal.”

  “I feel like I have lost my faith.” She didn’t know where those words came from, but they tore from her. Tears pooled behind her lids, and, before she could turn away, do what she did best, hide her emotions as her mother trained her to do, he supported her in the strength of his arms. Warm and caring, taking on her issues as if they were his own.

  “Your pain is tearing me apart,” he ground out into her hair. His lips brushed the top of her scalp.

  The bathroom door opened, and Serena strolled out. Ashlynn had forgotten the presence of the other woman. Cyrus jumped back a foot. “Your bath is ready as Sage requested. Did I interrupt something?”

  Cyrus regained his composure first. “Not at all.”

  Serena smiled and headed back into the bathroom. “Whenever you are ready.”

  “She didn’t believe that for a second.” Ashlynn giggled.

  “You might be surprised. She is a bit naive sometimes.”

  “No one is that naive.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it.” Cyrus said his good-byes to both ladies before taking his leave.

  Ashlynn entered the bathroom and waited to be left in private. When it became obvious the blonde intended to stay, Ashlynn sighed, undressed, and climbed into the warm bath. The scented water made her skin tingle and yet it took on the sensation of liquid satin.

  Relaxing, she lay back as Serena began to hum. “Do you sing as well?”

  “I do but I am not permitted to.”

  “Not allowed?”

  She nodded and shrugged as if it were not surprising. “Rekkus would have my fin if I sang a single note.”

  “Do you mean hide?”

  “Pardon?”

  “He will have your hide? But what right does he have to say you can’t sing. What kind of control freak is he?”

  “He controls almost every aspect of the island, but then, to maintain safety….” She shrugged.

  The gnawing feeling rose again. Perhaps her sister didn’t have much choice when it came to staying here or not. Ashlynn had tried to push the kernel of concern to the back of her mind, but it kept creeping forward. “Do you know where my sister might be?”

  “‘This early in the morning? Still in her cabin, most likely. I can ask Rekkus.”

  “Does he know her every move on the damned island?” Maybe her words came out nastier than she meant it to, but the other woman seemed oblivious to the venom.

  “Pretty much, and more so as Dana gets closer to her time.”

  Sitting up, Ashlynn wrapped her arms around her bare legs, bringing her knees to her chest. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Has Dana ever left the island? I mean, since she arrived here.”

  “I don’t think so. I haven’t always been here, but every time I came back after meeting her the first time, she was here. When Sage goes to the mainland, Rekkus gives her a shopping list for Dana.

  “Is she happy?” After all, she could be putting on a brave face for her family. It wasn’t as if Dana would trust any of them to step in and help. They had already proved lacking in taking care of their own.

  “She loves him, if that is what you mean. She does tend to throw thing
s at him when she is angry. My husband and I are their neighbors. Kaleb, my husband, gets a great deal of enjoyment in watching Rekkus deflect her temper.”

  Ashlynn lay back down and wondered how bad things had to get for her mellow and level-headed sister to throw things at anyone. How controlling was this brother-in-law of hers?

  ***

  Shade knocked on the door of Rekkus’ cabin at eight-thirty sharp. He had been assured Rekkus would be available and Dana ready for his arrival. The two cabins had been placed off the beaten path enough for most guests, para and human alike, to stay away. In case those deterrents weren’t enough, the guards who stood watch up the hill would fend off any others. The smells of fresh-cut wood and paint assailed his nostrils, and he saw why. An addition had been made to accommodate the growing family within.

  His cleanse hadn’t been as pure as he’d hoped for the evening before. His mind kept drifting back to Ashlynn Stone whose scarred beauty haunted him as much as her masked pain. When her soul cried in distress, he heeded the call and ran to her as if his life depended on it. She affected him in a way no other woman had. Her touch electrified him, and he longed to learn what else she could affect.

  Rekkus threw open the door, naked as the day he came into the world. Shifters, mermaids, and even some witches seemed oblivious to the fact the majority of people did not walk around naked.

  “Let me get dressed. My morning rounds took longer than expected.”

  “Security in the nude? A new concept even for you.”

  “I do it as my tiger.”

  “I was joking.”

  “So you say,” he called from the bedroom.

  Dana mumbled something before Rekkus said in a voice far gentler than he had ever heard from the man, “Stay in bed, luv. You were up all night, and no one will think anything of your being lazy for a day. Go back to sleep.”

  Shade moved closer to the open bedroom door. “May I come in? I can read the cubs as easily with her lying down. She can even sleep through it.”

  “One second.” The gruff protective voice he expected from Rekkus. “Dana, where is that bloody nightgown of yours?”

  Only Rekkus could walk around butt naked and still care if Dana lay covered in a sheet. After a bit of rustling and a few more grumbles from both, they bid him to enter. Surveying the sparse room of natural tones and wooden furniture, Shade allowed his gaze to come back to the heavily pregnant woman lying on her side in bed. He needed to assess if anything in the room could interfere with his reading. Family heirlooms might contain traces of ancestors’ souls. Especially from Rekkus’ family who had all died horrific deaths at the hands of his mother. His focus locked on the lepidolite ring on a chain around Dana’s neck.

  “Sorry to have woken you, Dana.” He kept his voice low and soft.

  “I would have been up in a few minutes anyway.” She struggled to prop herself up on a few pillows. Rekkus, by her side in an instant, helped lift her and placed two cushions behind her.

  “Before we start, can I ask you to remove the ring around your neck?”

  She gripped the ring as if protecting it. “My wedding ring?”

  “It belonged to my sister, Eiriana. She gave it to me before she died.” Rekkus stood, arms crossed beside the bed. “Sarka transmuted it for Dana before we mated.”

  “If it’s Eiriana’s, that explains it. Dana, you can have it back once I am done with my reading. But, for now, I need to remove anything that might interfere. I am here to read the cubs and see how they fair.”

  “Please call them babies.” The hitch in her voice as she said those words told him the sensitivity of the topic.

  “My apologies. Perhaps Rekkus could take your ring and order you some breakfast while we get started.”

  “Is that your polite way of saying you would prefer me out of the room?”

  It was never easy telling a loved one their absence garnered the best results from their significant other while Shade worked, but convincing a shifter—more to the point, Rekkus—to leave his mate and cubs, his babies, he didn’t relish. “Your soul is, how do I put this, stronger than most.”

  “Not just his soul.” Dana removed the necklace and gave it in Rekkus. “Perhaps you should take my grandmother’s watch as well.”

  Rekkus nodded, opening the nightstand drawer to remove an antique watch. The mysterious hum increased. “Yes, very helpful.”

  “Do you want your usual for breakfast?”

  Shaking her head, she licked her lips. “Can I get a rare steak and some milk? Make that a lot of milk.”

  Rekkus’ eyebrows shot up a bit at the request, but he gave a short bow to kiss his wife’s forehead before walking out of the room, leaving the door open. There were only so many provisions one could ask of the mated shifter.

  “May I?” Shade indicated the space on the bed next to Dana. She nodded and followed it with a yawn. “Having a hard time sleeping?”

  “For weeks.”

  “Sit back and relax. You don’t have to do anything.” Although she tried to relax, he could sense her soul in conflict with his being here. She didn’t understand and was terrified he might find something wrong with her babies. “Because you are the mother, your soul is going to fight against me getting to your…children. If I touch your belly, I will be able to read them better and help put your mind at ease.”

  She tensed, and, for a minute, nothing could get through her protections. For a human, she was highly in touch with her inner self.

  “Tell me about your family. I understand you haven’t seen them since you left the mainland.”

  Dana opened her eyes in shock, as he’d hoped, and he snuck past her defenses. One of the first things his kind learned, the ability to talk to someone, in fact carry on intelligent conversations while letting his soul talk to theirs.

  Shade smiled, rubbing her extended abdomen. Closing his eyes, he reached out to the cubs, Dana would deal with terminology later, but, for now, he needed to treat them as young and protective para shifters. He reached out and felt the slight push of curiosity from the first baby. Definite male and strong, he came to the forefront. Shade played it easy, and he spoke to the little one of love and protection. “Easy. I am here to help ensure your mum is safe.”

  Dana rubbed her belly, still answering questions Shade verbally asked. She didn’t like talking about her parents. Particularly her mother, but it kept her mind off the babies for a minute. The second cub, more curious, came forward but didn’t block. He pushed back. Shade hadn’t expected this. The first, though an alpha, acted as guard to the second, who he read as a prime. For any prime to stand behind another meant he protected something or someone else.

  Shade stopped talking and removed his hand from Dana’s belly before replacing it higher and to the side. Rekkus must have sensed something because he stood at his full, imposing height in the doorway, concern marring his brow as he laid the food tray on the dresser. “What is it?”

  As Rekkus’ voice reached the babies, a shift occurred. Not the sudden chill Rekkus’ concern brought to the room but through the protection of the two came…another. “Well, well, well aren’t you a little surprise.”

  “Shade, what have you found?” Rekkus growled, and the air temperature dropped until Shade could see his breath.

  He beckoned Rekkus over. “Easy, Da. Come rub your mate’s belly and tell your sons to stand down.”

  Rekkus climbed onto the mattress on the other side of Dana, rested his hands on her belly, and spoke. “Hawdd fy meibion, gadewch ein cyfaill i mewn.”

  The two boys moved to the side as Rekkus continued to chant in Welsh. Easy, my sons, let our friend in. “There you are, my sweet.”

  “Rekkus?” Dana asked eyes wide with concern.

  “Everyone is fine, but you appear to have three babes inside this beautiful round tummy of yours.”

  “That’s not possible. They did an ultrasound.” Rekkus’ head shot up.

  �
��You would believe a machine over me? Easy, tiger, your daughter has been hiding or has been hidden by her brothers to protect her. Have either of you noticed strange weather events or unexplained temperature changes?”

  “This is the Wiccan Haus. Most of what happens here I cannot explain,” Dana grumbled, eyeing the plate of food across the room. As if sensing her need, Rekkus rose from the bed and brought the tray forward. Dana, ignoring the fork, picked up the steak and bit into it. “Oh, so good.”

  Shade shook his head in a silent communication to not say anything. She might be human and a perfect lady, but it took a lot of food and strength to nourish three cubs. After a few bites, she came up for air. “I have noticed a lot more changes in the weather, quicker and more changeable, if that makes sense. Especially when Rekkus is angry or upset.”

  “Thunder and rain, maybe?”

  “I guess, I mean it rained last night,” Dana muttered between bites as she tore into the steak like a tiger in the wild tore into its prey.

  “Did it? Because it didn’t rain at my cabin or at the main Haus.”

  “Are you saying one of the cubs is an elemental empath?” Rekkus asked.

  Dana lifted her face from chugging her milk. “A what?”

  Rekkus reached over with a napkin to wipe her away her milk moustache. “ Elemental empath or EE. It’s a special power. The bearer can affect the weather with their emotions.”

  “Was one of you upset last night?”

  “You would have thought with my family’s sudden appearance on the island it would have been me. But I was too exhausted to care by the end.”

  When Shade moved his attention to Rekkus, the man shrugged. “I might have some pent-up anger directed toward the Stones.”

  “They aren’t all bad, Rek. My father and sister genuinely want to make amends. My mother….” She shrugged but her soul screamed out in pain.

  “The bitch is…a bitch.”

  Thunder rolled outside, and rain hit the window panes. Baby C had attuned itself with Rekkus, which cemented the thoughts forming in his head. “Rekkus, this babe is affected by you. Your sister had the powers of an EE, didn’t she?”