Chapter 95 - Ocean - So What Am I Really? Part 2

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Ocean

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True to his word, Makai rushed right home. He was back at the house within twenty minutes and had rushed right through the door. I was still in the kitchen with my book open on the counter, and Makai's parents were still upstairs.

Makai came right into the room where I was and kissed me on my cheek.

"Honey, I'm home." He joked.

"Oh, hush." I was embarrassed enough because of his parents, I didn't need that as well.

"What? Aren't you happy that your honey is home?" I just rolled my eyes at him and continued to work on my assignment. "Gah, you're no fun at all." He joked with me.

"No fun at all, huh." I said the words suggestively. "I guess I will have to remember that for later. If it's no fun being with me, then I won't make you suffer anymore."

"You know that wasn't what I meant." He glared at me while I chuckled softly. "Oh, come here."

Makai grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me toward him. Before I knew what was happening, his lips were pressed against me. I didn't expect him to do this while his parents were here. I mean, what if they walked in on us kissing like this?

My body didn't seem to care though. I melted into the kiss he was giving me and wrapped my arms around his waist. He tasted like he always did, oranges and cream. Damn he was like my own personal dessert, and I loved it.

Before long the kiss had morphed and gotten more heated. His tongue was exploring my mouth and tangling with mine as he pressed me against the counter. My hands were beginning to play with the hem of his shirt and were about to slide up his body.

That was, until someone cleared their throat very loudly.

"Ahem." 

We broke apart, and I tried to step away but Makai wouldn't let me. He kept a hand on my waist and held me against his side. All that was going through my head at the moment was 'oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit'. I can't believe that his parents had just walked in on us like that.

"Well now. I see why it was that you were so desperate to get our help." Mr. Rivers was grinning at us. Mrs. Rivers, on the other hand, wasn't smiling as broadly as her husband.

"I would have asked for your help regardless." Makai smiled at them. "But yes, Ocean is my boyfriend."

"Yeah, we gathered as much." Mrs. Rivers just looked at us. "Just remember Makai, you will need to give this all up when you meet your mate." His mom's words weren't mean, quite the contrary she looked sad and was aiming those green eyes of hers at me. "I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"I don't intend on ever having anyone other than Ocean." Makai sounded determined and pulled me against him even more.

"What do you mean by mate?" I asked her, curious to know what that meant for him.

"I see that there is much about our people that you don't know. Come now, let us sit in the living room and talk about this."

"O..O..OK."

Makai pulled me by the hand then and led me to the love seat in the living room. He was making a statement to his parents that he wasn't leaving me. That actually made me feel a lot better.

With us all sitting there, Makai's parents started to talk. I was just supposed to sit there and listen to them explain it all. Even Makai was supposed to keep his mouth shut. That was kind of intimidating.

"OK Ocean, to begin with, we are not human. But I am sure you already knew that." Mr. Rivers started the conversation. "We are what is known throughout the supernatural world as Sea Shifters. We are a species of shifters that turn into a creature that is from the sea. There are shifters in three different major groups: the Sea Shifters, the Reptilian Shifters, and the Mammal Shifters. There are many subspecies in each of those categories, but I don't need to go over them all right now. What is important is that you are, as Makai said, a child of the sea. You are a shifter like us."

"What this means, Ocean," Makai's mom started to add to the explanation now, 'is that there is a certain level of magic within you and us as well. We cannot perform magic tricks or cast spells or anything. This magic of ours is limited to helping us shift and aiding in our healing abilities. You will likely have a super fast metabolism because of the magic that courses through you. This means you eat more than others and more frequently as well. The metabolism is what makes you heal faster and keeps you in top physical condition at all times."

"Now, the thing about mates that Analise mentioned earlier is a special thing among all of our people, no matter what breed of shifter they are. Our mates are the same thing as soulmates that humans talk about. There is one person that we are destined to be with that has been chosen for us by the Goddess."

"Goddess?" I couldn't help myself, I had to ask what he meant. But still, I wasn't supposed to talk right now so I was extremely embarrassed. I clapped my hand over my mouth and blushed. Mr. Rivers though just smiled and continued explaining.

"The Goddess is the one who blessed us with our magic. She is the mother that started our kind. This is the same Goddess that blessed all the shifters. Her name is Nehalennia, the Moon Goddess. She has been watching over all of shifter kind for thousands of years and was the one who named our new Queen."

"We have a Queen?" Makai and I said at the same time. When I heard his voice join me though, I turned to look at him. He didn't know this?

"It is recent. She ascended to that position just seven months ago. We had not told you yet, but yes we have a Queen now." He was nodding at us so that we understood it all. "But let's get back on track here." He cleared his throat and brought us back to where he had been before. "The Goddess picks our mate for us. This is the person that we are meant to be with and who will bring us true happiness in life. They are our ideal match, and we know them right away because of the powerful magnetic pull we feel toward them."

Right on cue, Makai and I looked at each other. If what Mr. Rivers was saying is true, then wouldn't that make Makai my mate? I have felt that pull for a while, especially since my birthday.

"When Makai finds his mate he will know it by that pull, the same for you as well. When he and his mate take the final step of the mating and come together as one they will mark each other." Mrs. Rivers added to the explanation.

"Mark each other how?" Makai was the one to ask this. Didn't he know all of this stuff already? Or did his parents keep this from him as well?

"Your birthmarks will change to reflect the new mating." Mr. Rivers was the one to answer.

"Change, huh?" Makai stood up then, and I didn't know why. "Like this?"

Makai pulled down the top of his pants just a little bit, just enough to show his mark to his parents. I had seen it of course. Several times in fact. I had noticed the change in the color and the beautifully written letter O that was now over top of it.

"Makai?" Mrs. Rivers was in shock as she looked at her son.

"Seriously?" Mr. Rivers' eyes were opened wide.

"Doesn't this mean that Ocean is my mate?" Makai sounded happy with this development, and I admit that I was happy too. It meant that he wasn't going to dump me when some random chick came onto him.

"Oh my Goddess." Mr. Rivers laughed hard. "That is hilarious. Makai, you dork. You messed this up. You're supposed to find a female mate."

I felt my face burn red then. His dad didn't approve of us. Why did I think that his parents would be as accepting of us as my parents were?

"Oh hush. I got the perfect mate." Makai boasted as he sat down and hugged me to him. With fearful eyes, I looked at his parents, afraid of what they were going to say next.

"Yeah, he's perfect for you." Mr. Rivers was still laughing.

"I'm sorry." I said the words softly as I looked back down. I didn't want to see the disgust and ridicule that was going to come our way.

"Why?" Mrs. Rivers asked me with her eyebrows raised. "Are you upset that you're Makai's mate?"

"N..n..no! N..n..not at a..a..a..all." I stuttered as I hurried to answer her.

"Isn't his stutter adorable?" Makai squeezed me tighter, and his dad laughed even more.

"Then what is it?" Makai's mother seemed to be ignoring her son and her husband.

"Y..y..y..you're not happy. Y..y..y..you d..didn't w..want Makai to b..b..be with m..m..me. I'm s..s..sorry that I'm his mate. I..I..I'm sorry I m..m..messed this up." I almost felt like crying. I had ruined things somehow. I had fucked them up so badly that his parents were going to hate me forever. They were probably going to kick Makai out, and they weren't even going to help me figure out what I am or anything.

Dammit! Why did I have to mess this up so much? I'm such a fucking failure at everything lately.