Page 12 of Matched in Mayhem

“No, I believe at the core we are one big group. Citizens of Earthside. Just because we’re different shifters or vampires or whatever or because we have different ancestors, doesn’t mean we can’t find unity. Imagine if we all had the same ancestors. Theoretically we might be diverse enough to find mates, but I think it would be more difficult. Sure, the lines from Frost and Juda have diversified now, but a lot of folks are still on family links together. I think that’s why he said to welcome and be kind to outsiders in the Tenets of Frost. It’s like he knew the mates of his descendants would come from other groups. I mean that’s a biological drive to be nice to outsiders and there are plenty of other reasons. I just realized I’m monopolizing the conversation and probably close to boring you to tears.”

“I’m not bored,” I said and meant it. “I want to know what makes you tick.”

“What about you? What makes you tick?” he asked me.

“Well, on one side of my family are the Raven Hollow Wolves, of course, and they have the Crow King and the other side of my family are wolves that came from the Appalachian Wolf Pack. No one really knows exactly what’s going on there.”

“That mountain range is older than trees. I always imagined that shifters who originated there were born from the mountains themselves.”

“Hey, it’s as good of a guess as any that I heard,” I said. “Those who prosper there respect the land and are tough.”

“But you still haven’t told me what makes you tick. I have the Tenets of Frost and trying to puzzle us all together.”

“Er… Maybe books,” I shrugged. “Finding the right one is like reading your thoughts that someone else’s fingers typed out.”

“Do you write?” he asked.

“I… I used to but no one wanted to publish what I wrote. So, I went back to reading. Those who can’t write should read and all that, I guess.”

His lips pursed together and I wondered for a long moment if he was disappointed in me. He’d accomplished so much in his life that of course it was disappointing to have a mate who couldn’t even manage to get one book published.

“What do you write about?” Bennie asked, using the present tense.

“Nothing anymore, but I wrote a few books of what I call mountain horror. They all take place on mountains. Some are shifters as monsters and some are like cryptids and some are just… the mountain. They said there wasn’t really a market for horror.”

“I’ll talk to Slyvin. The temple has its own printing and publishing house,” Bennie said.

“I don’t need to be sympathy published,” I said, looking out the window so he didn’t see me blush.

“It wouldn’t be like that,” he said. “They have a horror imprint because it’s a money maker when you get the books into the hands of the right folks. A lot of folks who have trauma enjoy horror. They find their home there. The temple also draws in those folks. Either they want to be protected or they want to protect. The temple even lends space to a horror book club every third Saturday evening. So, my mentioning would help you, but also the temple.”

“There you go with the unity talk again,” I teased him and squeezed his hand.

“You don’t have to try to get them published again but if you ever want, the offer stands,” Bennie said.

“I appreciate it,” I grinned. “Maybe one day. The manuscripts are back at the Sanctuary anyway.”

“Yeah, I noticed you didn’t bring much with you.”

“I traveled light in case I needed to haul tail,” I shrugged.

“You are so Clyde’s grandkid,” Bennie laughed. “His reputation procedes him.”

Pulling onto the Hemlock Estate felt as if I’d pulled up to some ancient draconic village. Even before Bennie pulled the car through the gates, dragons swooped overhead, landing on and taking off from the tops of the buildings that towered over even the trees. Sure, Hemlock Mountain had a fair number of dragon shifters, but we had nothing on this place. If the first mate wasn’t a wolf, I might’ve felt out of place. Then again, I was taught to walk into every situation like I owned it and knew exactly what the plan was.

“Don’t walk around like you expect a target on your back,” Grandpa Clyde’s voice played off in my thoughts from years ago. He had a million little sayings just like that one.

“It all looks a little overwhelming at first, but don’t worry there are plenty of elevators and escalators to help wingless folks not have to climb the sides of the buildings to get around,” Bennie said, as he clicked a button on his car’s visor. The big grey garage door in front of us lifted.

“You have a key to the garage?” I asked.

“We have the keys to each other’s everything. Well, not everything, but yeah, I can get into his place from the garage. I think he gave you keys to the main doors,” Bennie said.

“Is he alright?” I asked, because Bennie seemed a bit distracted still. I hadn’t outright asked if Raziel was okay earlier because I didn’t want to poke too hard at what seemed to be a sore spot of my new mate.

“I think so. He claims he is,” he nodded. “This isn’t totally out of character for him. He might not travel the world, but he’s one of the most selfless guys I know. Whatever someone needs, if they need help, he’s there. It’s like he’s working off something the rest of us don’t know about. Though, I think that’s just the way he is.”

“He really didn’t tell you how he knew about us?” I asked, squeezing his hand as we pulled into the garage.