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He wanted everyone to experience it, to have it every second of every minute of every day of their lives.It was the miracle only he could give, and he wanted to give and give and give and give.

Most of all, he wanted with all his heart and soul to share it with his Mate.He’d waited so long for her… waited so long to give her hope and to show her that there were still good people in the world.

And he was still waiting…

It wasn’t that he thought Hel needed any help in the hope department.It was the simple fact that his every instinct was to share all that he was with the one woman in all the universe made for him.Sadly, she either wasn’t ready, wasn’t thrilled–or more to the point, absolutely hated the idea of being saddled with him.

No.That was something he refused to think about while trying to find some peace and quiet.

Sadly, his brain didn’t get the memo.Nope, that crazy, overactive imagination of his refused to stop, and it went to the one place he was hoping to avoid.

Could Hel turn away from him?

It was common knowledge that he and his Cousins could do just that.They could ignore what Auntie Universe put into place.They didn’t have to accept their Mate.They were literally the only beings in existence able to defy the Mating Call and decide to live without true love for the rest of forever.

As if anyone would ever want to do something as crazy and foolhardy as that.Not even Faye, the most stubborn of them all, had been able to stay away from her One True Fated Mate, the Welsh god, Arawn.She’d done it for centuries without a hitch.But in the end, even the Omnipotent Being known as Fate had succumbed to the Mating Call, proving that the biggest and the baddest fall the hardest.

Faye and Ari’s love story proved what Hopper believed: that not even a god or goddess who could stay away from their One True Fated Mate forever.He held onto that with both hands and prayed that Hel wasn’t the first to accomplish the task.

“Wouldn’t that be a kick in the teeth?”Sighing, he shook his head.“And something I’m not gonna dwell on… At least not today.I will find the off button for my brain’s endless musing.I swear I will…”

Needing to find his center and refocus, he inhaled deeply.Holding it to the count of three, he focused on the large, flowing fins of an enormous koi as it sensually swam through the crystal clear water.Shimmering scales of white, orange and black decorating its long, lithe body glittered and shone as he switched his train of thought and pondered all the fish represented.

Not only was it strong and courageous and able to swim against the strong currents, but that incredibly decorative and highly intuitive fish represented perseverance.It would never give up.It would never give in.And some even believed that when its life was coming to an end, it would swim up the great waterfall leading to the Dragon’s Gate and as it took its last breath would be transformed into one of the Universe’s own Chosen Warriors.

“And that is just another reason why I had to save them.Why I feel compelled to save everyone and everything that I can,” he said to the fish as it nibbled on his toes.“Right, buddy?”

Chuckling at his own silliness, Hopper instantly felt lighter, brighter and reinvigorated.At this rate, there was nothing and no one who could stop him from enjoying his time on Dreki Island.

Wiggling his toes in the water, he laughed aloud when the fish flipped his tail and showered him with water before disappearing into the depths of the tidepool.Sliding his hands over the smooth rock underneath his butt, he knew the seat of his pants would be wet when he stood up, but he didn’t care.After all, Pat wasn’t there to laugh at him, and he was so incredibly comfortable.Continuing, he felt how soft the huge, flat stone was to the touch and the way the dips and grooves made the tips of his fingers tingle.

Stopping suddenly when the tickle of six teeny, tiny, little feet touched the back of his hand, Hopper lowered his gaze.Smiling, he held perfectly still.Refusing to look, he watched as a very determined ladybug scurried across his fingers, spread her wings and took flight.The simplest things always seemed to have the biggest impact and mean the most.That little red insect with black spots and her can-do attitude was further proof of that and so much more.

Life… It was everywhere.It was beautiful in all its forms.It was good.It was really good.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Hopper’s life got infinitely better.

Magic filled the air.Tiny beads of light, soft and glowing like fireflies in the early evening hours, fell from the sky, danced across the water, skipping across the tips of the ripples his toes had created.The frogs on the lily pads croaked their welcome as the noses of fish of all varieties broke the surface.Creating their own ripples, they wanted to see what was happening and to the festivity of life in all its many forms.

Looking to the right, Hopper opened his eyes wider as the shadows of two people slowly appeared on the water.Growing longer and more visible with every second, the silhouettes went from unrecognizable blobs to the outline of two people in the blink of an eye.

His heart skipped a beat.It was hard to catch his breath.Even though he didn’t really need to breathe to survive, it was something he had trained himself to do to blend in, and it was a hard habit to break.Goosebumps jumped to attention all over his body as excitement and anticipation made his palms sweaty.

Could it be?Was it wrong for him, of all people, to hope?Could this be the day his dreams came true?

Unable to wait a second longer, Hopper’s gaze darted to where the visitors stood.It took a split-second for his eyes to focus, but when they did, his heart literally stopped beating.There they were.No.Not them, there she was.Oh yes, she was there, a mere fifty yards away, standing next to her father, an imposing figure to be sure, but Hopper only had eyes for her.It had been her and only her since before she’d graced the universe with her presence.

And she was so excited, so caught up in whatever she and her father were discussing that she didn’t even notice that Hopper was there.It was his chance, the one and only he’d ever had, to take in the true splendor of his One True Fated Mate.

The gleaming platinum hair of her live side tangled with the ebony tresses of the other, creating a black and white kaleidoscope that he wanted to explore every day for the rest of his life.Turning her head from side to side, his heart skipped a beat as her smile grew wider, brighter, and more wonderful.

Pointing the thinner, more delicate finger of her left hand, her giggle, like that of a schoolgirl no matter that she was over three hundred years old, drowned out all other sound.Hopper had heard many others call the left side of Hel’s body her ‘dead side’, but that was absolutely untrue, a complete misnomer, and something he planned to clear up once they were properly Mated.The world would know to whom he belonged and that she also belonged to him.

Hel was not dead.Neither was any part or parcel of her lovely visage.She was gorgeous.She was perfect.She was a goddess.

And she was his.

Hopper never saw Hel as anything other than absolutely beautiful.How could he?She was the woman made for him by his Auntie Universe.It was as simple as that.