Keeper (Matefinder Next Generation Book 1) (7 page)

I walked into the large guest bathroom just off the living room and drew the bath to Gretchen’s specifications. I wasn’t a healing witch but I was a witch, so I let my hand swirl over the water, sending magic mist into it with intentions of healing.  I stepped aside as Jaxon and Saben lowered Gavin in.

Seeing my unconscious, half-naked mate lying in a witch’s bathtub was a really low point for me. Was this seriously how it was going to go down? No romance or cute conversations. Just … this …

Suddenly, my father stormed into the house, my mother in tow.

“Anya!” he shouted frantically down the hall.

I pushed past the boys to meet him head on in the hallway. Standing there in front of my dad, I felt like crying. My emotions were raw, I may have just met my mate but before I could even get to know him he was going to die. My throat tightened.

At my thoughts, I felt a surge of Alpha power flood the pack bond. My father was lending me his strength, and for that I was grateful. Now was not the time to fall apart. I nodded and addressed them both. “Gretchen needs Alpha blood for a spell.”

My mother pushed past my father and reached for my hand. “Tell us everything.”

Before I could say anything, Gretchen was there wearing knee length cut-off jean shorts and a peace sign t-shirt. She had an eagle feather tied in her hair and ash on her forehead. Whoa. Okay. Shit just got real. Gretchen was in full on hippie witch mode.

“Aurora, I need your help in confirming my suspicions. You of all people will know what the boy is,” Gretchen told my mother.

“Mom?” I looked at her confused, but my mother just stared at Gretchen, something unspoken passing between them and a lightbulb seemed to go off in my mom’s head.

Gretchen moved to my father’s side to take his blood as my mother slipped off her shoes and walked into the bathroom. Upon seeing Gavin limp in the bathtub, shallow breathing, her hand went to her mouth. Her motherly instinct had kicked in and she crossed the room quickly, shoving Jax and Saben aside. She rolled up her pants and stepped into the large bathtub, leaning over Gavin to smell him. Her mouth hung open in shock and as she reached down to grab his hand and smell him again, she was sucked into a vision. I had seen my mother have visions hundreds of times; far off look in her eye, rigid body stance, but never had I seen such horror cross her features. Whatever vision she was having, was not good. I swooped in to catch her as she slowly sat on the edge of the tub, coming out of the vision and looking at me, tears in her eyes.

The entire group crowded at the bathroom door as my mother touched my face. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”

Fear clenched my gut at my mother’s words. What did she see? “What is it?!”

My mom looked lovingly at Gavin. “He is your mate, but he’s a shaman and he’s dying.”

My wolf went apeshit at her words, bones cracked as she tried to force the shift and protect him. I had to push her down hard to remain human.

Gretchen nodded. “I thought so.”

“Shaman?” Jax and I said in unison. My skin burned from fighting the shift, but I was more help as a human. My wolf just didn’t seem to agree right now. The shamans were shrouded in mystery. A long time ago they had cursed the werewolves with infertility because we were overpopulating the earth and not sharing our resources. They thought it would protect Mother Earth, and it did, but it ended up also letting the vampires rise to power and our race began dying off … until my mother came along. Now it was easier to find our mates and have children and the shamans blessed our mating ceremonies with giving us fertility again. Other than that, we knew nothing of their kind, their powers, or their purpose. My mom had a close relationship with Nahuel, her shaman friend and some type of spiritual guide, but I had never talked to him. Only seen him a few times through my bedroom window on the rare occasions she called for his help. She said he could do crazy shit like stop time and shape shift, but she barely saw him since the vampire war. She said it’s because he was needed elsewhere.

“If he’s a shaman, how can he be my mate? Is he also a wolf and why is he dying?” I pleaded. So many questions were swirling in my head. My mother’s mouth opened and closed, like she was unsure of what to say.

Suddenly, Gavin began to convulse and Gretchen pushed past me and jumped into the tub as my mom stepped out to give her room. Oh God. Gretchen took the spell paste that Saben had made and rubbed it on Gavin’s chest and on his eyelids. She was trying to move around his thrashing.

“This ill that befalls you will have a pause. Until the next full moon you shall have no claws.” Gretchen placed both hands on his chest and his shaking stopped. White mist, magic poured from her hands and cocooned Gavin inside. My mother and I shared a look. No one could actually see the magic except us. Seers.

“What happens next full moon?” My voice was deadpan, my body rigid as my heart hammered in my chest and I resisted that fight or flight instinct rising up inside of me. The full moon didn’t affect our change like it did in movies, but we did seem to have some inner knowing of when the full moons were and we were more sensitive and emotional during that time. I knew instinctively that the next full moon was only four days away.

My mother slipped her hand into mine as if she knew what Gretchen would say.

Gretchen was our coven leader and the most powerful healer in the Pacific Northwest. I trusted her opinion.

“He will die.”

Gretchen’s words bounced off the bathroom tiles and slammed into me as a huge howl ripped from my throat and my wolf forced the change. In shock, my mother backed into the wall as my clothes tore and my limbs cracked. I welcomed the pain that came with the shift because it masked the pain my wolf was feeling now. My mate, dead in four days. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t fair!

Gretchen reached out to soothe me, but I turned away finishing my shift until I was on all fours.

“I’ve done what I can to make him comfortable in the final days.” Gretchen’s words fell on deaf ears because I didn’t want to hear them.

I burst out of the bathroom like my tail was on fire. I needed to run. My father, lightning quick, flung open the door and took off after me, shredding his clothes and shifting instantly. The sound of his paws pounding after me only succeeded in pushing me harder. I leaped over a fallen log and treaded deep into the thick moss-covered forest behind Gretchen’s house.

‘I want to be alone!’
I roared in his head.

‘You’re hurting, you’re my wolf, my daughter. I would never leave you like this,’
came his reply.

His words tore me open further, and I skidded to a stop, tilted my head back, and let a howl rip from my throat. It echoed out into the mountain. Two things I knew with absolute certainty then. One, Gavin was my mate. And two, there was no way in hell I was letting him die.

My father’s howl matched my own and I knew I wouldn’t be alone. That’s what being a wolf was all about.

‘Pack,’
my wolf chanted and I met my father’s burning yellow eyes.

He sent calm feelings through the pack bonds and they saturated my frayed energy.

‘Your mother and I have been through worse. We can handle this. Together.’

I nodded, but his words didn’t seem reassuring. What was worse than watching your mate die? To die a painful death before you even got to fall in love with him. Werewolves mated for life and if Gavin died, it meant I was destined to spend my immortal werewolf life alone.

My father picked up on my thoughts and his eyes blazed yellow.
‘That’s not going to happen, Anya. I take your life’s happiness seriously and I will do everything in my power to help the boy.’

I felt something then, a tingle, an awareness, a knowing. Gavin was awake. I don’t know how I knew but I did. We were connected somehow.

I simply nuzzled my father’s neck and then we took off back to the cabin. After shifting, we put on some clothes that were stashed in a basket by the front door.

Turning, I faced my father. “There’s a human in the car. He’s Gavin’s grandfather, can you talk to him? He seems cool with the werewolf thing, but …”

My father brushed a stray hair from my forehead. “I’ll handle it,” was all he said and then his huge hulking figure left the porch and strode over to the car.

Taking in a deep breath, I opened the door.

Gavin was sitting on the couch holding a cup of hot tea with a blanket around him. My mother and Gretchen were fanning him with sage and when his eyes looked up and met mine, my stomach fluttered.

Gretchen and my mom shared a look and then silently left the room.

Gavin’s hair was a dark, unruly mop of wild wisps and his caramel skin now looked so Native American in color, I can’t believe I didn’t put it together before.

Setting his tea down, he gave me a tight smile. “Not every day you wake up half naked in a bathtub with crazy witches doing spells on you.”

My mouth broke out into a grin as I crossed the room to sit next to him. “Who said they were witches?” I guessed if he was a shaman he could be trusted with that knowledge. It’s not like the human public knew about his kind either. Only the vampires and werewolves were on their radar.

“Your mom told me after I attacked her.” He frowned.

My lips quirked up. “You attacked my mom?” Oh man, I missed the good stuff.

He shrugged. “I tried to. I mean, she was pinning me down in a bathtub, rubbing blood on my chest, but she’s pretty strong for such a petite woman.”

I laughed again. He had a good sense of humor. It was nice to get to know him and talk like two normal people.

“Well, she’s second in command of my dad’s pack, so being strong kind of comes with the job.”

Gavin swallowed hard. “Right, you’re the Alpha’s daughter. Is he here?” He looked nervously at the doorway.

“He’s talking to your grandfather.” What else should I say? Hey, you’re my mate and you’re dying.

He rubbed the skin on his arms and I let my gaze run briefly over his bare chest.

“Am I one of you?” His voice sounded hollow, a touch of fascination.

So my mother hadn’t told him yet. Shit.

“No, Gavin, you’re not.”

Disappointment crossed his face but then was quickly gone.

Shit, might as well rip the band aid off. “I guess you are a wolf shifter and a shaman. Essentially, a supernatural.”

And you’re my mate. No, let’s leave that for another time.

His mouth popped open in shock as the blanket fell to his waist giving me a glorious view of his fully bare torso.

“So, I can shift to a wolf but I’m not a werewolf?”

I shrugged. “I’m not really sure. The fur on your arms is … similar to mine. I’m just speculating here.”

He nodded. “A shaman? What’s that?” He seemed confused and he had a right to be.

Jax and my mother entered the room.

“We have until the next full moon to figure those questions out, otherwise your dead, bro,” Jax spoke in his usual annoying bluntness.

“Jaxon!” my mother scolded him, swatting the back of his neck hard.

Gavin nodded like he already expected this. “I figured I was sick, that something’s really wrong. But I thought I was a werewolf. Late to bloom or something.” He stared at his palms as if he expected them to sprout hairs.

‘The day we meet your mate, I’m going to be an annoying asshole, too. Karma’s a bitch, Jax,’
I told my brother and gave him an Alpha glare.

My brother only shrugged.
‘I’m just trying to give the guy a reality check. I would want to know. He might want to go skydiving or get laid or something before he dies.’

I tried to suppress a growl at my annoying twin.

My mother crossed the room in her elegant way and sat in front of Gavin. “There’s someone I would like you to meet. He may have the answers we seek,” she told Gavin, and all of a sudden I knew who it was. The elusive Nahuel. Jax tossed Gavin a pair of jeans and he stepped into them. No one gave him a t-shirt … for which I was secretly grateful.

Gavin simply nodded to my mother and she returned the nod, giving him a small smile. Then she turned to me and indicated that I follow her and Gavin. Putting out a hand, she stopped Jax. He tried to mask the hurt that crossed his face, but I saw it. Following her through the house, a few moments later we were in the backyard that looked out onto the dense green forest. It was just the three of us standing out on the forest edge, and I kept looking behind me for Jaxon. It felt weird to be without my twin, but I was guessing that my mom thought this was a journey I needed to take alone. She pulled her treasured protection pouch necklace out of her shirt and emptied its contents. After selecting a black stone, she put the rest away and buried the rock just beneath the surface of the earth.

Gavin looked at me like he thought my mother was crazy, and I smiled.

“Who am I meeting?” Gavin asked nervously and crossed his arms against the chill. He looked healthier after Gretchen’s healing spell, but his face was still flushed from the fever and the whites of his eyes still held some broken blood vessels.

I inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of the forest. I loved Mount Hood, this mountain, these trees with their thick patches of green moss growing on the bark. I had roamed nearly every inch of this mountain and it still held so much wonder for me.