Mated

Chapter Four

25 Years Ago

A small ball of brown fur barrels into Wei Ying, knocking him onto his butt.

"A-Cheng, stop!" calls a young girl running up to the pair. "I'm so sorry."

Wei Ying scuttles backwards away from the wolf, a black shimmer surrounding him until a small dragon appears quickly flying up to wrap its body around Jiang Yanli's neck. He is trembling in fear.

"Go away dog! Go away dog! Go away dog!..."

In a shimmer of purple the small ball of brown fur is replaced by a crying child, big fat tears rolling down his cheeks as a wail slips past his trembling lips.

"I'm not a dog! Why do you want me to go away?" Jiang Cheng cries.

Jiang Yanli can feel a dry, cold nose pressed against her neck and the anxiety rolling off the black and red dragon. Their father warned her that Wei Ying was afraid of dogs and not to shift while he is visiting even though she is a fox shifter and not a wolf but she didn't get to tell her brother. Jiang Cheng spends most of his time in his wolf form now that he is five and is able to shift. A child shifts and meets their spiritual animal when they turn five.

"Sandu didn't mean to scare you, pretty dragon," Jiang Cheng whimpers, crying harder.

The dragon lifts his head to stare at the crying boy. He jumps from Jiang Yanli's shoulders landing in Jiang Cheng's lap.

"I'm sorry...please don't cry. You just scared Wei Ying. I'm Suibian."

"Suibian, Jiang Cheng is sorry for scaring Wei Ying," Jiang Cheng says, hiccupping between words.

Suibian rolls over onto his back, presenting Jiang Cheng with his red underbelly. Jiang Cheng giggles, petting him.

"Wei Ying got separated from his parents one day in the market and was cornered by a pack of wild dogs. He was only four and couldn't shift yet. They bit him," Suibian confesses.

"Bad dogs! I would never bite Wei Ying," Jiang Cheng promises.

Jiang Yanli's eyes grow bigger as the one sided conversation continues. Shifters in their animal form can communicate with each other and they act as interpreters for the human side. Jiang Cheng having a conversation with Wei Ying's dragon Suibian shouldn't be possible. Only bonded mates and clan members can communicate in both their human and animal forms. Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying are not members of the same clan. As children they are not bonded mates.

Jiang Yanli hides her gasp behind her hand. True mates! Has her brother found his true mate at the age of five? She will have to check his neck later to see if he has a mark.

Suibian crawls off Jiang Cheng's lap, a black shimmer swirling around him. Wei Ying is sitting on his knees facing Jiang Cheng.

"I'm sorry I made you cry, A-Cheng. Sandu took me by surprise, but I would like to meet him again if that is okay with you," Wei Ying says.

Jiang Cheng nods his head and in a purple shimmer he shifts into Sandu. Sandu lays on his belly, head resting on his paws. His body is still, but his tail wags back and forth in his excitement.

Jiang Yanli watches as Wei Ying takes a shuddery breath. His anxiety licks at her senses, but he smiles bravely reaching out his hand to touch Sandu's ears. His hand is steady as it travels from Sandu's ear to under his chin. Wei Ying lets out a booming laugh when Sandu's tongue licks his hand. Sandu takes Wei Ying's laughter as acceptance and he pounces on the older boy. Wei Ying's laughter intensifies as Sandu licks his face and nips at his ears. Sandu's barks are joyful. He likes making this boy laugh.