Page 99 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“Understandable,” Thomas said. “Did you have questions from before? If you can’t remember them, that’s fine. We can let you know a little about Calum, and then if you have questions, you are free to ask them.”

I nodded again. “Is he nice? My mate?”

Thomas smiled. “He is. He’s from an older line, but yes, he’s nice. He has two brothers, and one is mated.”

That was nice. Maybe that meant we would be near others, and I could have a new family. One that enjoyed being around me. Possibly.

“Calum is an archeologist, as we’ve already told you. He has worked for both universities as well as museums. He travels quite a bit, but his home seems to be in France,” Thomas said.

I continued to nod but then realized something and held up my hand.

“Yes, Asher,” Canyon said.

“Does he know about me too? You’re telling me all of this, but did you tell him? Does he want a mate? What if he doesn’t want a fae mate?”

Thomas and Canyon both grinned. “We haven’t discussed anything with Calum, no. We were trying to reassure you a bit since you were the one that was leaving your own realm to come to your mate’s,” Thomas told me.

“You said he was nice. Does he want a mate? Will he be upset to be chosen for a mate?”

Canyon shook his head while Thomas answered. “No. He will be pleased to meet you. He is currently in Egypt. And unfortunately, we will need to get you there fairly soon. There is a rather large sandstorm that is headed toward the city, and it will keep you inside for a few days. But what better way to pass the time than getting to know your fated mate?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. How do I find him? How do I get there? I assume I’ll need money? I have some coins I’ve been saving. Is it possible for you to trade them out for me?” I knew how things worked there, but having never been to the shifter realm, I didn’t have any of the funds I would need. How would I be able to eat? I didn’t have a garden to grow food there. I would need to purchase it at a market.

“Everyone that leaves your realm and goes to the shifter realm is given a set amount of funds for things. You need not worry about any of that,” Canyon said.

“No, you don’t. And your mate will provide for you once he meets you. It is just how it works. He has had a long time to set up for his future, and he, like the others in his family, has done well for himself. It won’t be an issue.”

“All right. When can I meet him? If there is going to be a storm, should I get there before it? I should, right?”

Canyon and Thomas glanced at each other before they stood.

“Yes. We can send you now. He’s in room 918. When you enter the lobby, go straight back to the elevators and up to the ninth floor. His room is to the left when you exit,” Thomas told me. “There is a letter for him in your pack if you should need it.”

“If I should need it?” I asked suddenly.

“It’s always a just-in-case thing. If you have problems convincing your mate that you are his mate, well, the letter will help. But he’s an alpha. He’ll be able to scent you.”

I nodded. That all made sense.

“Just be sure to not use your magic around non-paranormals. Because you won’t know them, you will have no way of knowing if they are aware of us or not,” Canyon said.

“All right. Anything else?” I asked.

Thomas and Canyon glanced at one another again and shook their heads.

“When you cross through, everything will be frozen for several seconds to give you time to get out of the way of anyone or anything. Time will resume, and everything around you will go on as if they were never frozen. Good luck,” Thomas said.

They were seriously making it sound a bit ominous, but this was what I wanted. Only, I hadn’t really known what to expect. We stepped outside, and once more, there was a glowing portal. I walked toward it, glancing over my shoulder as I did, and waved. Canyon and Thomas returned the gesture, and then I hurried through, hoping it wouldn’t close before I could get there.

I stepped through from one place to another that was incredibly different. It had been beautiful and mild in the fates’ realm, and although it wasn’t overly hot here, it was incredibly dry, and the winds were blowing harshly. I looked around, seeing buildings everywhere, a large river not far away, and a few people frozen along the walkways.

There were vehicles on the roadways, things that I knew and recognized from books I’d read when growing up. We all read about the human and shifter realm, most hoping we would someday be able to join it.

Exactly like the fates had said, the vehicles suddenly started moving, the people walking, and the noise of the place came back. It was loud and hectic.

I turned around in place, wondering exactly which building I was supposed to go into. They hadn’t said, except that he was in room 918. I decided to take a chance and walked toward the doors that were just ahead of me on the walkway and entered. Inside was quieter, as well as calmer. This was much better.

I had no idea if I was even in the correct place, but I did what they said and walked toward the back of the hotel—at least, I thought I was in a hotel. I guess it could have been a fancy housing building. I couldn’t remember what those were called off the top of my head because I was nervous and was really only thinking about finding my mate and hoping he understood what we were to one another.