I wake up and rub the sleep from my eyes. For a moment I forget that I’m not in my room that I share with the guys. I look over at the bed and see Kyndle is still sleeping. Her body is buried under the covers. I let her sleep and head downstairs to the kitchen to get food. I eat some roast beef and mashed potatoes with steamed garlic broccoli. It’s about eight at night, everyone else has already eaten, so it’s just me eating by myself, which right now I’m okay with. I know everyone has questions about Kyndle, and since I haven’t gotten any answers yet, I have none to give them. I really don’t want to tell them I know nothing about Kyndle, when I talk to them, I want to sound like I know what I’m talking about.
After I eat, I make a plate of food for Kyndle, grab a pitcher of water with a cup, and put everything on a tray to bring up to Kyndle. When I get back to the room Kyndle is just waking up. I set the tray on the nightstand. Kyndle sits up and smiles at me.
“I thought you might be hungry,” I state gesturing to the tray “I am. Thank you.”
I let Kyndle eat first before I grill her with questions. She is still in my hoodie, I guess I’m going to have to get her clothes now, she can’t walk around in nothing but my hoodie. Kyndle eats pretty quickly, and once she is done, I sit on the bed, and lean my back against the footboard. Kyndle is still buried under the covers, but she is sitting up with her back against the headboard.
“Kyndle, you have some serious explaining to do.” My voice is stern.
“I know. I'm sure you have questions master.” Kyndle lowers head like a child who just got scolded.
“Did you just call me master?”
“Yes, it’s how shifters refer to the ones that own them.”
“Well, you can call me Calder, and I don’t own you, you are a person not a slave.”
“But you do own me, whether you like it or not, I’m yours. I was born to be yours. Shifters are always born to serve a chosen master, except dragon shifters, they are their own masters like the Enchantress. You are my chosen master, but you are more than that to me.” Kyndle won’t look at me. She is shy, and nervous.
“Kyndle, look at me.” Kyndle immediately obeys my command. “Why didn’t you reveal yourself sooner as a shifter?
“I wanted to, but the time was never right. Every time I try to something came up, and then it just kept getting put off, and then so much time had gone by, and I lost my confidence to tell you. I'm sorry master, I should have told you sooner. Please don’t be angry with me.”
“It’s okay Kyndle. You’re right. It’s been crazy lately. It’s been one thing after another. I’m not mad or angry at you.”
“I have to tell you something else, but I’m scared, I don’t know if you will be happy with what I have to tell you.”
I get up and put myself right next to Kyndle. I put my arm around her, to comfort her. I need her to tell me everything. I can’t afford to have her keeping secrets from me. Kyndle snuggles closer to me. I notice Kyndle’s body is warm, warmer than a normal person, but perhaps it’s because she is in my hoodie, and under thick blankets.
“It’s okay Kyndle. Just tell me. There can’t be secrets between us.”
Kyndle moves her arms out from the blankets. She rolls up her sleeves and turns her wrists so that I can see the inside of them. Her left wrist has a crescent moon with a star, and the right has a sun on it, both are in brown ink. The sign. That’s what Lynden meant when she said I had already met my soulmate, it’s Kyndle.
“You’re my soulmate, aren’t you?” I ask as I swallow the lump that has been in my throat.
“Yes. It was easier to show you.”
I smile and pull Kyndle closer to me. I kiss her on her head. I’m going to need time to adjust to Kyndle being my soulmate. I just got over my feelings for Lynden, and I’m still dealing with her betrayal, and now I find out who my soulmate really is. I can’t say I’m disappointed, after all Kyndle seems nice, and she is very pretty.
“Anything else I need to know?” I ask, trying to process everything.
“Nothing too important. You know I’m a shifter, that you are my master, and that we are soulmates. There are many shifter types. I can tell you about them if you like?”
“I just want to know about you Kyndle. You’re all I care about.”
“Well, phoenix shifters are only born every nine hundred years. That’s for pure shifters, not half shifters. I was born about ten years before you, but in human years I’m only a year older than you. Shifter’s ages are different from humans or other magical beings, like dogs, their aging is different from regular beings.”
“I get it. In your human form are you like a human?”
“Yes. We normally can maintain either form but staying in our animal form requires a good amount of energy and strength, that’s why when I was hit with the dark fire I shifted to my human form, the dark fire weakened me. I can also breathe fire, like a dragon, and yes, they are shifters too. The Enchantress is one, and dragon shifters are different from other shifters. Dragon shifters are only made by dark magic, they are born human and then master the ability to shift into dragon form. Not many can become a dragon shifter even with dark magic in their blood. Your dad, you, and Emmy all have the ability to become a dragon shifter, but it’s likely that only one of you would become a shifter if any of you do.”
“Okay that’s enough information for now, my brain hurts, I need time to process everything. Are you okay to stay here and rest?”
“Yes master.”
“Calder, you can call me Calder. I will have Emmy and the other girls take you out shopping for clothes, you can’t live in my hoodie, but for now you can keep it.”
I get up from the bed, kiss Kyndle’s forehead. I know it’s late, but I need to take a ride on my bike. Carter has the right idea, riding really does clear one’s head, and right now I really need to organize my thoughts, and get myself in order. I have found my soulmate who is a phoenix shifter. Plus, I’m dealing with the fact that Lynden betrayed us all, but it hurts me even more because we were good friends, and I even had feelings for her, which I don’t have anymore.
I think when it comes to my feelings with Lynden, I had feelings for her because she was the first girl to really pay attention to me, who was single, pretty, and we could talk to one another naturally. Now I want nothing to do with her. I don’t know how I really feel for Kyndle, but I know she is loyal, she took on dark fire for me, so I didn’t die, that is the equivalent of her taking a bullet for me. Kyndle is pretty, and she seems nice. I have to get to know her better in her human form, but I know that we get along in her phoenix form. Time will only tell.
I get on my bike, and head out. I have to clear my mind, and get my thoughts, and feelings together. Before I left, I texted Emmy to get the girls together, and take Kyndle shopping for clothes. Kyndle is a bit slender, with slight curvy hips, her boobs are medium size, not too big nor too small, the perfect size. So, I looked at her while she was naked, I’m a man, and she was naked, sue me.
Anyway, Emmy thinks Kyndle can borrow some clothes from all the girls. Between all of them they should have something that Kyndle can wear till they take her out shopping because the heavens know that I have no clue when it comes to clothes for women. That is Emmy’s department.
On my bike I feel free, and I can feel my mind start to clear. Once I get my thoughts organized, I’m going to talk to my dad, he always gives me good advice. I know I can count on my dad to help me out. I also think my mom might be good at giving my advice as to what to do with Kyndle. I have no idea how to handle a shifter who calls me master, to Kyndle I’m her master, her owner, and I don’t know how I feel about that. I have so much to think about, so I let the open road ahead of me relax my mind.