Page 9 of Matched in Mayhem

“A small-time investor from the mountain. I’m not sure if he meant it as a joke to begin with but…” Star shrugged, because once Raziel got started there was no slowing him down. Though this was one time I didn’t mind him overzealously having my back. I was going to be distracted with all the kiss testing.

Star didn’t stick around long, but Raziel walked us to the car, with me carrying Alby. He opened the passenger door for me and I sat my mate down and did up his seatbelt. I stole one last kiss and told him I’d only be a minute talking to Raziel.

“Are you going to tell me how you did this? Did you know?” I asked him.

His grin gave it away before he ever answered.

“I knew but if I told you, I don’t think you’d believe me. You’d want to because Alby is right here but I don’t think you would. I don’t think anyone would and I have enough people running around who think I’m crazy.”

“To be fair, you just told that guy Frost would’ve eaten him. You know historically, Frost wasn’t a cannibal, right?” I laughed.

“Yeah, but I like to think about him eating annoying people. It makes him more relatable.”

“I think you’re thinking of that Volex guy from Clarence and Medwin’s Memoir.”

“You read that?” Raziel asked.

“I read memoirs of any leader or historical figure if they’re authentic,” I shrugged. “Gotta know history to prevent it from repeating.”

“True,” Raziel nodded and we hugged. “Seriously, my house and call me if you need anything. Your apartment is fine, but no one will bother you at my house.”

“Where are you going to stay? With your parents?” I asked him.

“I’ll be around. Don’t worry about me.”

“Dude, giving away your house makes you sound like a suicidal dragon,” I said, lowering my voice.

“No, I’m not suicidal,” he shook his head and smelled like he was telling the truth. “I just know within the next few years I won’t need it and you need it now. You’ve always wanted to do the whole family thing and it’s way too big for just me anyway. My stuff is still there for now, but I don’t think you’ll mind too much. Hey! Wait! I said for you matingmoon. How did you guess it was for good?”

“Because you don’t do anything half-assed, Raz.”

“That I do not,” Raziel nodded. “Seriously. Call me if you need anything. You’re always running around trying to save the world. Now is your time to enjoy the world you keep saving.”

“Thanks again,” I said unsure of how many times you thank someone for a house.

“Go on! Your mate is waiting!” he hugged me again.

“Yeah and so is yours,” I told him.

“Not for long. Not forever at least.”

Chapter 5

Raziel

The Temple of Frost

I tried the knob to the inner chamber where most of Frost’s oldest followers went to commune with him or whatever. Finding it unlocked, I let out a long sigh. Every time I returned here, I figured this time would be the time that it was locked to me again. It hadn’t always been open for me. At least, I didn’t think it had.

Most of the old shifters here never claimed to hear Frost directly. Mostly the room is used for prayer, meditation, or just a place to consider options. I never really asked too many questions about what others did in the room. I wasn’t even technically a follower of Frost. Not like the others here were. I descended from him. This time around his blood ran through my veins. Which meant he, Juda, or someone chose me because in my past life I wasn’t part of this family. I remembered that life all too well to have any misconceptions about where my blood ran from.

The first time I entered Frost’s inner chamber at the temple was on a whim. I’d heard the door was always locked unless Frost wanted someone to step inside. Usually, that honor was reserved for those who had followed him for many years or even decades. His bloodline or not, I hadn’t followed him as those who lived at the temple had. Hell, not even Bennie had ever been inside the inner chamber before. At least, not that he’d told me about.

So when I walked by the door and had the impulse to try it, I almost pushed past it. It had been a shitty day. The sort of day where the past wants to screech in your ear while you have to focus on the present. Of course, the past had a way of always choosing the worst times to rear its ugly head. Still, maybe I deserved that. I knew who I was and what I’d done back then. Maybe this was my fated punishment. What was that old saying? Wherever you go, there you are. And there I was stepping into the inner chamber of the Temple of Frost.

My first thought that day was that someone had left the door unlocked. I believed in reincarnation because the proof was everywhere. Same thing with a lot of magic styles, but even if Frost was still around watching everyone, he had better things to do than lock and unlock a door at this particular temple, right?

That day, years ago, I had opened the door to another dragon sitting at the table. I apologized immediately worried that I interrupted someone’s devout practice. Only, the dragon didn’t speak. He only raised one dark brow and looked at me as if to say you’re the one who opened the door, what do you want. It took me too long to wrap my head around who he was. I’d grown up seeing paintings of Frost and Juda everywhere.