“What is it then?”
“It’s about Clarissa. Ways to protect her and pushing me to believe she’s the prophecy that has to be fulfilled. She talks to me about Clarissa. Almost like she’s accepted my love for her.”
“Yep. That’s complicated,” he says.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Have you ever taken a mate?”
“No. And to tell you the truth, I wasn’t ever planning on it. I’ve watched many friends of mine settle in their lives. Try to find a balance between the life they need to lead and the life they want to lead. I’ve watched friends settle with humans and battle trials and tribulations I’d never weather simply to commit myself to a human,” he says.
“Like what?” I ask.
“Primals can’t mate with humans, but Cats are lonely. By sheer programming, we are loners. Those who strike out on their own. And with the dwindling female numbers, the males become lonelier and lonelier as the years trek on. Some find themselves a human to attach to. One they love. And then the lies start up. Everything from hiding their Primal nature to dealing with the grief that they can’t procreate with their spouse. I’ve seen friends of mine fake IVF treatments with human male sperm and pass those children off as their own just to make their chosen human mates happy.”
“That happens?” I ask.
“More often than you realize. And I watch how it eats away at them. How it chisels away at the very core of who they are naturally. That Cat-like pride and grace succumb to an empty desire to pose as something they’re not. And then, they outlive their entire families and have to fake their deaths just to try again. They watch their wives and children grow up and die without them to keep their true nature a secret, but to them, it’s better than living alone.”
“Doesn’t sound like it,” I say.
“Exactly. Which is why I’ve never done it. I won’t take a human female as a mate because I can’t imagine traveling those roads of horror, but I don’t take a Primal mate because it’s regular practice now for them to take more than one. And I don’t share well.”
“You could find a woman that doesn’t want more than one mate. I’m sure she’s out there.”
“Yes, and those females have found their mates. With Clarissa, I thought I’d found mine. Even before I knew what she was and what was going on and was thrust into this world we’re now in, I still thought she was the one for me. I was intrigued by her. My curiosity was piqued with her. I could make her smile, and watching her smile made me smile. I had fun with her. I felt powerful with her. And when she chose Kyle, it broke me. But I told myself it was for her own good. If she wanted to live a normal life, then she had that choice. To do it with a human. But then Kyle died.”
I watch Toshi grimace as he takes a bite of his apple. I know what he’s feeling. The conflict of emotions raging in his body. We all thought it. When we caught wind of Kyle’s death, there was a small part in all of us that rejoiced. That figured maybe we could battle it out for Clarissa’s future.
To be the one standing at her side since she had the option of taking a mate again. Toshi, like myself, is disgusted with the notion that he could rejoice in Clarissa’s pain for his own personal gain.
“And now, Clarissa’s made another choice. And that choice still isn’t me. So I have to wonder if what we shared was simply—”
“Fabricated?” I ask.
“That’s a good word for it,” Toshi says.
I nod my head as the cottage door opens up, allowing the harsh wind from the outside to filter in. The sounds of Clarissa and Sebastian are filling the cottage, and I can see Vlad’s nostrils flaring. He leans his body against the door and closes it before wrapping his coat around his body. His eyes are wide, his head turned in the other direction, looking down the hallway as a growl works its way up his throat.
“She chose,” I say.
“What?” Vlad asks.
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Toshi says.
“She picked that mangy dog?” Vlad asks.
“Ironic, coming from you,” I say with a grin. “Where have you been?”
“Out gathering intel,” Vlad says.
“Do you have something for us?” Toshi asks.
“I do. I’ve been walking all night. Sticking to the shadows and trying to get a glimpse of my father. But my contact found me before I had a chance to get back to my village.”
“What did your contact say?” I ask.