The Shaman's Mate
By Donna McDonald
Synopsis:
Grand Canyon park ranger and expert tracker Jason Cloud always considered himself a good person, just not a religious one. After searching the canyon’s woods for months to find his wife’s killers and failing to do so, Jason decides he would bargain with any deity willing to help him. When an unfamiliar fellow park ranger walks up moments after his pleas for help and sets him on the right path, Jason sends his gratitude out into the universe for answering his call. The last thing he ever suspects is that the same man would return to abduct him and insist he make good on his promises. Jason is not opposed to helping the Chileaans, but it’s what they want him to do that’s the problem. With his wife barely dead, he is definitely not ready to have any sort of relationship with another woman, not even the beautiful Chileaan Shaman, who he is told is his destined mate.
Shaman Aiyanna has waited a long time for her chosen mate to be ready to join her, but she has learned to have patience about the matter. When she rejected the idea of Jason initially, the Great Mother forced her over a span of six human years to stand helpless in the portal between their dimensions and watch while Jason committed himself to a human realm mate. It had both surprised and hurt Aiyanna to see him happy with the woman, but it had also been illuminating about his character. When his human mate dies, Aiyanna finds herself grieving deeply for Jason’s pain and loss. Willing to do anything to relieve his suffering, but forbidden to intervene personally, Aiyanna is grateful when her spirit brother offers to help. The last thing she ever expected was that the tribal council would send Kiell back to retrieve Jason before the Great Mother gave Aiyanna permission to contact him. Now Jason hates her for and there is little she can do but try to find a way to release him from their destiny.