The mate finding spell business - book 1

DIMA’S POV

Yesterday their date had gone amazingly well. He got to know his little mate a bit more, and Mrs. Wu Yang pitched his cheeks when she saw them walk inside her restaurant, Oksana laughed at that, but he didn’t mind it since she was happy.

Dinner with the in-laws also went terrific! Angus was a bit tense and angry initially, but surprisingly, he soon warmed up to him (not literally this time), and dinner was full of laughter and playful banter. Dima had felt part of the family that night, and that made him happy. But his night wasn’t over after dinner. Oh, no, it wasn’t. Oksana was so overjoyed with their run and, overall, their entire date that she decided to take him up to her house’s rooftop to watch the stars. The moment had felt so intimate between the two that when he had gone down a few hours later, with a sleeping Oksana in his arms, entranced by her sleepy little sighs, he caught the scare of his life the moment Angus appeared in front of him from the shadows of the hallway. Thankfully the man wasn’t there to argue but to thank him for making his daughter happy.

The next day they rose early, and Oksana had a blast in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone with Jamila and Zainab, the radio blasting animated songs, and the three of them dancing. Dima loved watching his mate move around so carefree as she was at that moment.

“Good morning.” Angus beamed when he walked inside the kitchen. The song hit an upbeat moment in that instant, and Zainab and Jamila pulled him with them to dance.

Dima laughed at the older man’s predicament, but soon, Oksana was removing him from his own seat, and the five of them danced around while breakfast cooked itself with a bit of Zainab’s magic.

Dima twirled and dipped Oksana, all reluctance gone. Stolen kisses were exchanged, the food was plated, the women were twirled until their dresses flew up or their flip-flops were lost, barefoot and sweating, that was how Axton and Kaavy found the five, all of them happy and not even a glare or a flame in seen from Angus.

“Hey! Y’all are having a party and didn’t invite me? I’m hurt!” Kaavy complained, but both he and his brother supported bright smiles on their faces.

Oksana was against Dima’s chest, red-faced and panting happily, Jamila was against the counter in the same state as her sister, and Angus was glued to Zainab’s side, all sweaty but happy, kissing his wife’s cheek while she took the last of the french toasts from the stove.

“Good morning, boys!” Zainab greeted them with a radiant smile and a small chuckle from the boy’s comment, either that or from whatever Angus murmured in her ear. “Go wash your hands and wake up Dania and Akir.”

Fifteen minutes later and everyone was sat at the table with their hands washed.

Two sheet pans, one of sausage and eggs and another of peanut butter and chocolate pancakes, as well as a few pitchers and pots of coffee, milk, chocolate milk, blueberry, banana, and nuts smoothie, coconut and raspberry smoothie, and two trays, one of the diverse kinds of burritos and another of french toasts, and a big bowl of fruit were displayed on the table.

“Everyone will eat fruit.” Zainab declared, and with a flick of her wrist the fruit flew out of the bowl and landed on everyone’s plates. “Now, you can choose whatever you want to eat with that.”

Dima waited until after Oksana served herself to pick up something from the almost empty trays. He picked up a piece of the tray-baked pancake batter and the last meat burrito before filling up a glass with orange juice. Oksana, he noticed, filled her glass with coconut and raspberry smoothie and ate a french toast with sausage and eggs, he liked to see that she ate a hearty breakfast.

“Kids, grandma Elspeth, and grandpa Douglas invited you to spend the day on their pool. With the temperatures rising so high, they thought you all would enjoy it,” Angus announced, and everyone cheered. Not to complain, but even Dima’s bear felt like jumping on a pool of ice, and it was only 7:30 a.m., the day was foreseen to be a heated one but with 28ºC before 8 a.m., that is just hell for the rest of the day.

“You’re invited as well, Dima, Elspeth has learned to tolerate you and extended the invitation to you. Just be careful with Douglas. He has a thing for out-of-control potions.” Dima didn’t know if he should laugh or frown at the notice, but the shudder that went down his back helped him make his mind up, and he decided to stay away from Oksana’s grandfather, no matter how nice or rude the man might be.

“Don’t worry, Di, grandpa is not that bad,” Oksana assured him, and he smiled down at his mate.

I’m still going to keep my distance from the man. Dima decided and went back to eating.

“Come on, my father is not that bad.” Zainab stopped eating her breakfast and gave Angus a deadpanned look.

“Not that bad, you say. More than half of the time, he’s still invisible after that potion exploded ten years ago! My father was hit with a few drops, and he stayed invisible for five years!”

Yep, I’m definitely not going anywhere near that man.

“That- that is a good point... Kids, stay away from grandpa’s workshop, just for precaution.” Angus ended up relenting.

“And if he invites you in, tell him that I forbad you from going anywhere near that place,” Zainab told them and finished her breakfast. “As soon as you’re done eating, go to grandma. She’s already expecting you. And don’t forget the sun cream and the bathing suits!” Dima finished eating and saw Zainab taking her dish to the sink. He quickly kissed Oksana’s cheek and got up to go do the dishes and let his soon-to-be-mother-in-law get ready for work in peace.

He took the pan from Zainab’s hands and started washing them for her. “I got this, don’t worry.” He assured her and watched as she smiled, thanking him. Angus watched the whole interaction, and a small quirk of his lips gave him away. Dima noticed that small change in the man and saw, from the corner of his eye, as Angus visibly relaxed, allowing the bear himself to feel more relaxed at not having to watch his back with Angus.

“Ok, guys, I’m out. Be good for your grandma!” Zainab exclaimed a few minutes later and popped her head inside the kitchen to say goodbye.

“Umm! One moment, let me finish this, and I will take you to work.” Angus exclaimed and quickly finished his glass of orange juice. The man got up from his chair, and in a literal *puff* he got dressed into his work uniform. Angus kissed all his kids goodbye, with the boys wiping their foreheads and Zainab hitting the back of each of their heads, and slapped Dima’s back hard, almost making him break a glass.

“Don’t break my pottery, Dima.” Angus teased him smugly and left the kitchen. Dima scoffed at him but kept his mouth shut, appreciating his father-in-law’s good mode. “Bye, kids.” He yelled, once again, from the house’s front door, receiving a chorus of bye’s back, and left with Zainab wrapped under his arm.

“Ok, guys, let’s hurry up before I start melting.” Jamila declared and shot a spark of goldish light into the sink full of dirty dishes. The sink’s water splashed on Dima, and then the plates started levitating while the sponge washed them and a towel dried them, leaving them to store themselves neatly inside the cupboards afterward.

“Jam, you drive a car, and I drive the other,” Oksana called to her sister from the kitchen door. “I’m going to get Akir and Dania’s bathing suits, and you find the rest of their things, alright? I need to pass through the market with Dima to get him some swimming trunks.”

“Ok! If I get there before you, I’m telling gram you and Dima are making her future great-grandkids!” Dima almost blacked out with this comment. His bear found Jamila’s words very appealing and wanted to do just that. Axton had to hit him on his back to get him to stop coughing from the shock.

“Har di ha ha, you are so funny, sis,” Oksana commented drily and rolled her eyes.

“I know, right!” Jamila teased from upstairs and giggled.

Suddenly, when Dima’s coughing started to die down, his bear began growling, trying to attract their mate’s attention to ‘convince’ her to get started on those cubs, or great-grandchildren, as Jamila called them. To try and stop the sound from leaving him, Dima swallowed it, but during that process, the growl’s vibrations and the coughing fit tangled together and gave him hiccups.

*Hic* *Hic* *Hic*

Everyone in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and stared at him with shocked expressions. Akir even let his fork fall mid-way to his mouth.

*Hic* *Hic* *Hic* *Hi-*

“What is that sound?” Jamila asked from upstairs, and Dima slammed a hand over his mouth, trying to stop the sounds from leaving him.

‘Serves you right for trying to stop me from calling my mate!’ His bear’s guttural voice sounded in his head after having pushed his thought through the barrier between his and Dima’s minds.

Dima was so surprised that he let his hand fall away from his mouth, allowing a mix of a hiccup and a burp to scape him.

*Hiouc!*

It was very rare for shifters to hear their inner animals, normally they only felt their emotions and desires, except for the werewolves, who were more in touch with their wolfs.

Did you just talk to me? Dima asked in disbelief, but his only answer was the visual image of his bear turning his back on him inside his mind.

*Hic* *Hic* *Hic*

“Ok...” Oksana mumbled awkwardly. “I’m going to get the swimsuits. Akir, Dania, meet me in your room when you’re done eating. Dima, try to drink water in slow gulps to get rid of your hiccups. Axton, Kaavy, go get ready to go to grandma’s place.” And with those orders given, Oksana went to the kids’ room, and the rest followed her instructions.

~ Twenty minutes later ~

Needless to say, Oksana’s idea for Dima’s hiccups didn’t work, and he ended up going to the market with hiccups.

“Look Dima, Jamila’s car is just in front of us. They must have left the house now, to still be here.” Sure enough, a red convertible with loud music blasting was in front of them.

Oksana honked at them, and Dima heard the five siblings stop singing along to the music, and Jamila started cussing.

“What the fuck does this clown want!” She complained before checking the rearview mirror and seeing that it was Oksana’s light blue convertible.

“Fuck you, Oksana!” She yelled with a smirk, and Oksana showed her the middle finger.

“You and your sister *Hic* have an interesting *Hic* bond,” Dima commented, looking at his mate with a sweet smile.

“Just you wait until she starts the music back up. The road until my grandparent’s house is normally deserted, so we’ll do karaoke all the way over there, singing horribly at the top of our lungs.” No sooner had she spoken than Jamila turned on the music.

“If you’re ready, heart is open, I’ll be waiting, come find me!” The siblings sang/screamed to the wind.

“Come on, Dima, join us!” Oksana encouraged him, and he relented upon seeing her blinding smile.

“If you’re certain for forever, I’ll be waiting, come find me!” He started off shy, but by the time they reached Elspeth’s house, Dima was screaming the lyrics of the songs right along with the six siblings.

“Hey Dima, you sing horribly!” Jamila exclaimed, laughing when she got out of her car.

“As if you sing any better than me. Your voice sounds like nails on chalk!”

“Oh, you little...” Jamila shoved Dima’s shoulder, and the bear stumbled back slightly to appease her, much to everyone’s laughter.

Without any of them noticing, the house’s front door opened, and Elspeth appeared at the door.

“Kids, come on in, hurry up!” She called them. Dima was gobsmacked when he recognized Elspeth’s voice, but instead of an old lady like he was expecting, a younger woman, probably in her forties and with fawn-colored hair was waiting for them at the front door.

“What is it, bear? Close your jaw.” She snapped at him. Oksana’s siblings ignored him and ran inside the house, quickly getting out again through a glass door in the kitchen. Only Oksana stayed behind with him, giggling at his expression while her grandmother kept on scowling at him.

“He’s never seen you like this, grandma,” Oksana explained, interlocking her fingers with his and guiding him to follow her grandmother to the kitchen.

“What.” The witch turned around sharply and scoffed at him. “You couldn’t possibly expect me to stay old. That is just a show for the humans, it keeps them and their stupid little questions away.”

“Sorry, ma’am. I should-”

“Shut it, bear. I don’t want to hear another word from you.” Dima lowered his head and clenched his jaw, borrowing his nose on Oksana’s hair.

He was starting to get very tired of this old witch’s racist remarks. Just because he is a bear and she is a witch does not mean she has to constantly remind him of the fact. Why couldn’t she simply accept that? Angus was and is more tolerable than her, and the man has tried to barbecue him alive more than once.

“Grandma! Stop being so rude to Dima.” His little mate snapped and hugged him, helping him get rid of the cloud of anger both him and his bear had built over the tiring witches and wizards now present in their lives.

“As you wish.” The woman said and got busy cutting lemons.

A sour fruit for a sour woman. Dima thought to himself with distaste.

“Why aren’t you joining your siblings in the pool, Oksana?” Elspeth asked his mate a few minutes later, completely ignoring his presence.

“I’ll join them soon, grandma, but first, I need to ask you a question.” Oksana turned in Dima’s arms and faced her grandmother while keeping her hands wrapped in Dima’s bigger ones, caressing his knuckles with her thumb.

“How long do you think I’ll stay healthy before the sickness comes again?” His mate’s grandma stopped what she was doing, and Dima saw her access his mate with her calculative eyes.

“Step back, bear, so that I can scan her body and determine the time she has left before her next fever.” Dima scowled and reluctantly let go of Oksana, kissing her forehead softly before allowing her to leave his embrace and stand in the middle of the space between the kitchen and the living room.

Elspeth quickly scanned Oksana with her magic, a light yellow aura glowing around the younger woman before fading away a few minutes later.

“I’ll say, two to three weeks, at most.” The woman informed them before allowing Oksana to go back to Dima’s embrace. The bear shifter immediately enveloped her in his arms and kissed her forehead before he started to tenderly rub his cheek against Oksana’s soft one. Oksana returned his affection and kissed his cheek lovingly before giving him a soft peck against his lips.

“Then, I guess we need to hurry up, and get everything ready for my wedding in two weeks, starting with the invitations.” She confidently spoke after turning to face her grandmother.

“What!?” Both Dima and Elspeth exclaimed.

Dima couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He thought Oksana didn’t agree with marrying him, and now here she was, confidently speaking and starting to prepare things for a ceremony in two weeks.

“What the hell, Oksana! You can’t jus-”

“No, grandma, to hell is the right word. Not what the hell.” His mate quickly corrected Elspeth, leaving him confused about what she was referring to.

“You can’t be serious!” The older woman exclaimed.

“Oh, but I am, grams. I want to invite your parents to my wedding, after all, they are family, and I have the right to meet them. I want your help sending them an invitation. After that, it’s up to them if they want to accept it or not.” Elspeth started turning an alarming shade of red, some of her hair started flying up, and smoke was coming off the top of her head while she clenched her teeth. Dima immediately got up from the chair he was sitting on and pulled Oksana towards him, ready to shield her in case the old witch exploded.

“Are you talking about the demon ones?” He asked cautiously, and Oksana nodded, keeping her eyes on her grandmother, the same thing as Dima was doing.

“As you wish.” Elspeth finally snapped moodily and stopped smoking, turning back to her normal color.

“Thanks, grams! I already choose the paper for the invitations this morning, we just need to write and print them, now.” She exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement, and Dima smiled, feeling his mate’s joy radiating out of her pores.

“Looks like we have a wedding to plan.” He said out loud and saw his mate jump on him, he caught her on time but not before he got an eye full of her cleavage almost squished against his face from her jump.

“I can’t wait!” She squealed, and Dima’s pinned her around in happiness. The moment would have been perfect, wouldn’t it have been for his horny bear growling for having caught seen of Oksana’s cleavage. He blushed crimson red, and Oksana smiled, caressing his cheek.

“Let’s go to the pool, first, to cool off for a bit.” She suggested, and Elspeth literally pushed them out of the kitchen with the help of her broom.

I want to give a special thanks to @Dinelle_55 for being the first person to comment on this book. Thank you, Dinelle! 💗