"What the hell Conner?"
"You need to go ask Dad for advice, and I want to know about how this whole mating thing works, so I'm coming along."
~ * ~
Dominic allowed Conner to usher him down the hall and into their father’s office. He really hated when his brother saw through his defense mechanisms and made him deal with things when he just wanted to hide. Hiding was good. Safe. He knew he should have told his Dad when the dreams first started. It’s what his father had asked them to do. Dominic had been meaning to tell him. It's just that things kept happening and he hadn’t got around to it yet.
His Dad looked up from his desk, cocking a brow when he saw them enter. Dominic was sure the sight of his nineteen year old, six foot two son, trying to muscle his twenty one year old, six foot six son, through the door would keep his Dad chuckling for some time--it had to have looked funny as hell.
"What can I help you boys with?" He asked in a voice laced with more than a touch of humor.
Before Dominic could get a response out, Conner spoke up.
"Dom has something he needs to talk to you about, Dad."
"So you're here because...?" Their Dad queried Conner.
"I, ah, I'd really like to hear your answer, Dad." Conner almost sounded sheepish. Dominic bit back his laughter. He understood where his brother was coming from, he'd want to know too if he were in Conner's position.
"Alrighty then, you've got my curiosity spiked. What's up, Dominic?"
Dominic shut the door then dragged himself over to sit in the couch near his Dad’s desk, Conner dropped down next to him.
"I've started dreaming of my mate..."
Dominic proceeded to tell his Dad about his dreams and how they'd begun to change.
"Hmm, that explains it. Your mother and I had been wondering about what's been eating at you lately. I haven't been as diligent in making you aware of our ways have I, son? For that I am sorry."
He got up from his desk and came around to sit in the chair next to the couch.
"So, you boys are curious about the finer points of how the Mating process happens. Hmm, where to start...do you boys remember what I told you about the dreams starting when your mate turns twenty one, and that you'll see more as time goes on?"
Both Dominic and Conner gave their Dad a quick nod.
"Okay, I guess we'll start there then. As Dominic has found out, you are also linked with your mate on an emotional level. Her pain will become yours. Now, I'm not talking about her stubbing her toe or crying over spilt milk but when she truly suffers, like the loss of someone close, a major car crash that breaks bones, that kind of thing, you'll know about it."
That information did not impress Dominic. So, he had no way of finding his mate but would know when she was hurting...that just seemed cruel.
"But Dad, what good does it do me to be able to feel her pain but not be able to do anything about it?" Dominic could hear the frustration in his own voice.
"Don't get yourself so worked up, Dominic. There is a way you can help her. It's called Dream Bonding. You can use your magic to appear in her dreams, or pull her into yours, but you must be careful. It is just as easy to do or say the wrong thing in a dream as it is in real life. Leave a bad impression in her dreams, she'll shy away from you outside of them."
Right. Visit dream. Stay quiet. Got it, he could so do that.
"How exactly does it work?"
Things were looking up, he was certain that if he could just see and touch her, offer her some comfort--even if it was just in a dream--it would ease both of them.
"As you're drifting off to sleep you need to focus on her, forming a link with her subconscious. If she is asleep you will automatically link together. Once linked, you can either push yourself into her dream or pull her into yours. But, be aware that she will not realize it is real. She will think it is just like any other dream, that it is hers alone."
Dominic ran the process through in his mind. It sounded easy enough. He hoped like hell it worked. He hated that his mate was hurting somehow. His Dad cleared his throat grabbing his attention. There was more? He'd thought his Dad had finished.
"I guess I should fill you boys in on a few other aspects of Mating while we're talking. Namely, the Marking." Dominic sat up straighter, he noticed Conner did too. He had seen his Dad's mark before but never had his Dad or Mum explained how it got there, and he was real anxious to learn.
"Now, obviously it has something to do with sex. I'm going to skip over the 'birds and bees' part of things because I'm pretty sure you boys know all you need to know about what goes where and what can happen as a result. When you are with your mate, and you both climax at the same time, you will partially shift. Your claws will sprout from your right fingertips. Once your claws are fully extended, you need to scratch your mate. Now, don't worry about hurting her. It's with magic so you are not really cutting into her. You can leave your mark anywhere on her body but traditionally speaking, after you take your mate from behind, you will leave your mark just inside and above her right hip bone. Once you scratch her, you place your palm over your mark until the magic cools; it only takes a minute or so. Your magic will then flow through to your mate, even if she is wholly human, her nails will lengthen and sharpen. You leave her body and turn her around, placing her hand over your heart. She will curl her fingers into your skin, dragging down to leave her scratch. She will hold her palm over it, in the same way you did, waiting for the magic to cool. Once the Mating is completed, with both mates marked, it is forever binding. The two souls will irrevocably be joined."