Page 6

Mori

I hadn’t totally lied to my friends. I did stop and take a shower before leaving and hailing a taxi back to the old folks’ home. The roads were still wet, and a few trees were down here and there. I didn’t feel like hoofing it through that mess and the Appalachian Taxi Service was surprisingly affordable. Dern might not tell me his biography, but I was sure he’d have something to say about Ni and Teddy’s mating response. The son of a bitch probably knew it would happen and that was the reason he dug his heels in so hard about waiting for Teddy. He wasn’t the first older seer who did things that way and I had a feeling getting this story out of him was going to be a long, slow process even if he wanted it to be told.

“It’s the one thing keeping him on this side of the door, I bet,”

my wolf chimed into my thoughts. “Ormund’s still around for him. So, he has no reason to hurry it up.”

The furry guy was probably right but this wasn’t the time to talk about that. Everyone had the right to die with dignity and in their own time. If Dern needed to draw it out, I’d let him. Now, I only needed him to be more forthcoming with me about all of it.

Rian waved to me and said something about he was glad they closed all the windows in time before the storm rolled in. My wolf was preoccupied with something he hadn’t considered before. Something I’d never ask Dern because it was selfish, but he had known who Astral’s true-mate was and probably that Teddy and Othoni belonged together. Did he know who my true-mate was too? Did he know when I’d crash into him?

“I’m not a psychic like that,”

Dern said in lieu of hello when I walked into the room. “I take it by now your friends have met and nature is taking its course.”

“They have and did you just read my mind?”

I blinked at him as I took up the chair I sat in before.

“No, but I would’ve asked where’s mine if I were you. I’m two for two as far as you know,”

Dern said and flashed me a sad smile. “I still need to talk to Teddy. There are things he needs to hear. Not all of the story, but some of it. Hell, I don’t even think I’ll tell any of you the whole thing. We’d be here for the rest of your natural life, and I’d have to finish it up with you as a spirit too and you have a company to start and run. Don’t worry. Othoni is still coming along. Now you’ll just have draconic muscle to back you up. My story will help you too when you turn it into a book. I know, I know. Someone else writes stuff like this but here’s the thing, I chose you, because you see what I’ve spent too long seeing. We fortune tellers don’t get enough of a break. We’re always running around helping everyone else. One more thing before you launch into your next round of questions – remember, it’s like I told Astral and Marsin and everyone who would ever listen, meeting your true-mate is a headache. Sure, lots of good stuff comes after, if you’re lucky, but it’s always a headache.”

“Was it a headache for you and Ormund?”

I asked, getting ready to record his answer if he actually gave it to me.

“You actually want to hear it, don’t you?”

Dern grinned.

“One day, Baby Raylin will be old enough to hear how her parents met and Teddy and Ni’s eventual kids too. They should know about the man who helped bring their parents together,” I nodded.

“Plus, you want to know where I was born,”

Dern laughed, and I didn’t deny it. Lots of folks wanted to know where he was born and how he ended up here.

“I want to know many things that are yet mysteries to me,” I nodded.

“Get comfortable. I’m not going to tell you everything today, but I will tell you how I met Ormund. Only I have to start years before that. See, I wasn’t born on a world that had a wide knowledge of the alpha/omega gene yet and that made my life a living hell.”

I leaned in, listening closely as Dern began to tell his story. Ormund moved back to the bed from his perch at the window. Dern took his hand and entwined his fingers as his eyes glossed over with a faraway look.

“You don’t have to tell him anything you don’t want to,”

Ormund said. “Tell him my promise and be done with it, mate. You don’t owe him or anyone else anything. You’ve done your part.”

“They need to know. If they’re going to travel around there to worlds unknown, they may stumble upon worlds like Pharenos. He needs to be ready. He needs to know he’s not special and what protections he has here won’t extend to other worlds.”

“If you insist, mate,”

Ormund sighed, and his feathers ruffled behind him.

“And I do,”

Dern nodded.

“Then I shall fill in the parts where you were unconscious.”