(Not) Really Scary Halloween

by Sophie Martin

  “Ross, my God, where are you? Are you all right? What have they done to you?” Ron’s voice was frantic with worry and Ross felt awful.

  “I’m fine, Ron, stop fussing. I’m absolutely fine and will fly home soon.” He interjected into his brother’s litany of questions.

  “What the hell do you mean you’re fine? Where are you? And whose phone are you calling from? You went to warn that Alpha, didn’t you? Fuck, brother, I thought we decided to stay away from those people’s business!” Suddenly Ross felt his temper get the better of him.

  “We did not decide anything. You did. I told you I couldn’t let innocent people be killed in their sleep if I could prevent it, but you didn’t listen, did you?”

  “So you decided to risk both our lives to go and warn them?” Ron’s voice was sharp with anger. “Way to go, brother. And where did it leave you? In their clutches!” Ron nearly shrieked the last sentence and Ross decided to give his brother a break. Ron was the only one who stood by him when Ross had told his parents that he wanted to move out. While his other adult siblings sided with his parents, thinking it was a bad idea, Ron took his side and said that Ross deserved some independence, just like his other siblings did. He then proceeded to offer Ross a place sharing his apartment and helped Ross convince his parents to agree to that. Right now his brother was almost out of his mind with worry and Ross knew it was entirely his fault. He sighed before saying.

  “I am not in anyone’s clutches, Ron. I came and informed the Alpha about the threat to him and his mates. I was invited to stay and discuss it further, so I did. I never realized how late it had gotten, but I knew you’d be worried, so Toby offered to call you. That’s all,” he said in a tired voice.

  It seemed to have gotten through to his brother because he asked in a much calmer tone, “Are you sure you’re all right, brother?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Now, I’ll be on my way soon. I’ll fly home and meet you there in half an hour.”

  “The hell you will!” Ron exclaimed, and Ross shook his head mentally, backing away from the phone. Toby put his back to his ear and started to discuss something with Ron as Ross mused over his brother’s overbearing ways. When Toby finally finished and disconnected, he had a huge smile on his face.

  “Your brother is quite protective of you, isn’t he?” he smiled at Ross a wistful expression on his face. “I wish I had such an overprotective family.” The young man whispered to himself.

  “Aren’t your mates equally protective of you?” Ross asked, and Toby seemed startled out of his thoughts.

  “Yes, they are.” He nodded, his eyes suspiciously shiny. “I guess I was feeling nostalgic. I never knew my family. It was Eric who had told me I wasn’t fully human. I don’t know the first thing about my parents or my origins,” he murmured then shook himself out of it. “Anyway,” he started in a cheerier voice, “your brother is coming to pick you up soon and make sure you’re truly unharmed.”

  Ross groaned. “I am if you don’t count my pride! He keeps treating me like a child. And the rest of my family is even worse! I’m twenty-eight for Pete’s sake!” He grumbled though there wasn’t much heat behind it. He suddenly appreciated his family’s protectiveness after hearing the longing in Toby’s voice. His family certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was his, and that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?

  * * * *

  It didn’t take Ron long to get there. Ross wasn’t surprised. He had a pretty good idea that his brother drove like a bat out of hell. Ross knew that, despite his reassurances, Ron was still very concerned about him. The distrust they had for other paranormals was very deep-rooted.

  They were all in the living room once again when the knock on the front door came. The war-council, as Tyler very cleverly called it, was over and they were simply chilling. It was a new experience for Ross. He hadn’t been around people other than family, who knew he was cognizant. Strangers usually treated him like a cat, not just another bloke. Being treated this way… It felt… nice.

  Ross discovered that Tyler wasn’t the only quirky character here. Jimmy the fey was pretty unique himself. After the initial display of hugging Ross and then calming down his wolf mate, the fey grew quiet, mostly listening to what others said, not offering much input of his own. He looked disinterested in what everyone said, playing with his mate’s shirt for most of the time. Ross realized however that Jiminy was indeed listening when he interjected a few times to offer a small comment on what the others said.

  The fey only perked up when the meeting was over. He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with mischief and curiosity as he asked Ross, “Are you really an owlcat? Can you turn into an owl? Do you have wings? I’ve got wings, too! I’m a pixie, that’s why I have them, but they keep getting me in trouble. Did you know I drugged my mate with them when we first met? Will you show me your wings? If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine!” The man fired it all in one breath and Ross couldn’t stop a small chuckle of amusement.

  “It’s a deal!” he said turning into an owl and stretching his wings wide. He heard a loud gasp from the door and guessed his brother had arrived. He couldn’t be bothered by Ron, whom he was still angry with for treating him like a child, because Jimmy jumped up, patted his mate’s chest whispering something into his ear, then started removing his shirt. Ross had to admit, he was surprised. He didn’t expect the fey to actually go through with the deal. Jiminy pulled off his shirt, however, and turned his back at Ross.

  “Wow,” Ross breathed, and he heard his brother gasp again. “They’re gorgeous,” he said watching the pixie’s wings in wonder. The appendages were big and translucent, resembling those of a dragonfly.

  “Do you really think so?” Jim asked and looked over his shoulder, uncertainty showing on his face. His wings fluttered and sparkled in the artificial light. Then the man’s face brightened and he turned to Ross, who was crouching in front of the sofa arm where he sat. “I think yours are kind of cool, too. I can’t fly on mine, but I bet you go flying all the time, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, that’s how I happened to overhear that argument.”

  “Wow, I bet flying is fun.” Jim’s face turned dreamy. A sound of clearing throat from behind the fey caught their attention. Jiminy’s mate Dominic was holding up the discarded shirt and looking at his mate pointedly. “Oh, right, I better get dressed,” the pixie said and took the piece of clothing from the wolf. He then leaned down and planted a firm kiss on his mate’s mouth, whispered “thank you,” and settled back onto the man’s lap.

  Someone else cleared their throat and Ross turned his head toward the door. Ron was scowling. Ross sighed, mentally shaking his head.

  “Everyone, I’d like to introduce my brother, Ronald Axelbrom. Ron, this is the Alpha’s inner circle.” Ron kept his mouth shut, his face frozen in a stubborn expression. Ross sighed once again. “Please excuse my brother’s manners, I assure you we weren’t raised in a barn. It’s just his sparkling personality.”

  “Don’t worry, Ross, we know something about difficult personalities, don’t we?” Toby smiled at him.

  Tyler asked from his place behind Ron, “So, what are you, Ron, a cat or an owl?” The tiger wore an almost perpetual smirk, and his arms were crossed over his chest as he lounged, leaning in the doorway. He stopped there once he came back from opening the doors for Ron. Ross’s brother swirled to face Tyler and his scowl deepened.

  “You know well enough I’m a cat, tiger.”

  “True,” the big shifter said walking to the sofa and sitting next to his mates, “but we’re in a mixed company here, not everyone can sniff you and know what you are. I thought asking you might be politer than simply telling everyone.” The tiger grinned, and Ross heard more than one exasperated sigh. Before Tyler could aggravate his brother even more, Jack stood up and approached Ron.

  “Welcome, Ron,” he said offering his hand, which Ron hesitantly shook. “I’m Jack, the Alpha’s advisor. We’re all really grateful for your brother’s assist
ance.”

  “Right,” Ron continued to show no manners and Ross sighed once again. “I came to pick up my brother. Can we go now?”

  “Sure, but wouldn’t you like a cup of tea first?” Toby spoke from next to Ross.

  Before Ron could answer Jack interrupted, “While that is a really nice offer, Toby, I believe Ron isn’t the most comfortable right now. The close proximity to the Alpha must be playing havoc on his instincts.”

  “Oh, right, the territory thing. I completely forgot.” Toby slapped his forehead and shook his head.

  “I’ll just take my brother and we will go,” Ron said, and it sounded as if he gritted his teeth. Ross swore inwardly and turned into a cat. Jumping off the sofa arm, he walked to his brother. He turned from the door and addressed everyone.

  “It was nice meeting you. Mostly!” he added and sent Tyler a pointed look, causing more than one person to chuckle. “I wish you good luck tomorrow. Hope no one gets hurt!”

  “Don’t worry, Ross,” the quieter of the fey twins said. “We’re tougher than we look. It’ll be a piece of cake!”

  “I certainly hope so. Anyway, good luck and goodbye.”

  Toby jumped to his feet and ran after Ross and his brother. He walked them to the door and let them out. On the front doorstep, he crouched and addressed Ross.

  “Feel free to pop in anytime you like. I like you and would like to see if we can be friends. I don’t have many friends, you know.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Ross answered with a smile in his voice. He wasn’t about to promise anything when he still had to have a chat with his brother. With the news he had to give Ron about the territory clause, he wasn’t sure what their next step would be. Toby seemed to get it because he only smiled with understanding.

  “Fair enough,” he said before standing up and saying in a louder voice to both Ross and his brother, “Have a safe trip.”

  Ron was silent and Ross shook his head. His brother could be one stubborn bastard when he wanted.

  Jumping into the car, Ross sat in his cat seat and waited for his brother to secure seat belts around him. Once Ron had learned about these car seats made especially for cats he insisted on buying one. Ross didn’t see a point in arguing. Humans had to have belts fastened when they were in the car as a safety precaution, so Ross reckoned he would be safer wearing a belt, as well. Ron finished securing the straps and drove off. The car filled with silence and Ross counted mentally.

  Three, two, one…

  “What were you thinking, Ross?” Yep, right on time. His brother was nothing if not predictable. “To go off like that and get yourself involved with these people. You put not only yourself in danger but me and the rest of the family, as well! What if they decide to go after us? How will we be able to protect ourselves? Did you think about it at all?” Ross’s brother raged and raved this way for a while and Ross let him. He knew it was all the stress Ron was under since he went missing on him and discovering he was at the Alpha’s house combined with the territory thing. Ross wondered why he wasn’t affected, but discarded the thought.

  “You spaced out on me again, haven’t you?” Ron suddenly asked and Ross looked up at him startled.

  “Yeah, sorry, just have a lot to think about, you know?” he said somewhat sheepishly. Ron sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly before shaking his head.

  “Ross, I was so worried. What possessed you to go off half-cocked like that?” Ron asked, shooting him a sad look. Ross sighed again.

  “I told you, Ron. It didn’t sit well with me to leave these people in danger. And I’m glad I did what I did. If I haven’t gone to them, we might not have known what was happening to you.” He spoke in a calm, even voice trying to reassure his brother everything was all right.

  “Happening with me? What are you talking about?” Ron frowned.

  “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how anxious and irritable you’ve become as of late, or how weak and tired you seem all the time,” Ross said in a neutral tone.

  “I just overexerted myself at work. I’ll be okay once I get some rest.” Ron dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

  “No, you won’t. It’s not because of work, you know. It’s the Alpha claiming the territory we live in and you not asking for his permission to stay that’s causing it.”

  “What?” Ron gaped at him in shock before turning his gaze back to the road. “You can’t be serious!”

  “I am. It was the Alpha’s advisor, Jack, the one who greeted you, who asked me if we were feeling any differently.”

  “So what? You mean that bastard is forcing us to come and grovel to him to be able to live in our own house?” Ron looked like he was spitting mad and Ross hurried to explain.

  “It’s not like that. It’s kind of a long story, one I’ll tell you later, but it is the very nature of an Alpha’s territory claim that is forcing you to submit to him or leave. They said they looked for some kind of catch, something that would negate it, but there isn’t any. It’s simply a paranormal nature driving you,” he finished.

  “But you haven’t been any different, and you’re a paranormal too!” Ron was clearly in an argumentative mood.

  “Well, you have to admit I’m not your everyday paranormal,” Ross stated calmly.

  “Ross…”

  “No, don’t even start!” he interrupted his brother. “We’ve had this argument time and time again. I am not like any other shifter out there. These people couldn’t even tell I was a shifter at all! I’m possibly the only owlcat in existence! I’m not like you and will never be, okay?” He never realized that his voice rose until he finished in a near shout. Ron sighed and Ross felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry, Ronald, but it was a stressful day, full of events and new and disturbing discoveries. Did you know no other paranormal except Toby could hear me?” Ron sent him another shocked gaze and Ross nodded, the move uncomfortable and unnatural for a cat. “Yes, I’m serious.”

  “But… Toby? Isn’t the kid human?” Ron asked much more calmly.

  “Well, apparently not. He says he recently discovered some kind of paranormal heritage, but he doesn’t know of what kind. Anyway,” Ross went back to the subject at hand, “Jason, he’s the Alpha, he made it so all the paranormals could hear me whenever I wished so.”

  “He did? And what did he want in exchange?”

  “Nothing really. He did it so that we could have an easier time talking. I went to tell them about the attack after all, and it was really awkward having Toby relay everything I said.”

  “So he did it for his own convenience then!” Ross could see a triumphant “ha!” in his brother’s body language and felt the need to sigh.

  “Not really, no. He asked for my permission first and when I declined he didn’t try to force me. It was only once I discovered how frustrating it was when I couldn’t tell people off that I agreed to his magic thing.”

  “Magic?” Ron seemed to be trying to focus on anything else besides the most important territory matter. “So he’s a wizard then?”

  “No, though they have a witch in the pack. Jason is a god,” Ross explained and Ron sent him another look of shock.

  “A god? An honest to god, god-god?” his brother asked. Ross couldn’t help but chuckle at this description.

  “Yeah, an honest to god god. He had been a demigod before, from what I gathered, but went through some kind of transformation and turned into a full-fledged god.”

  “Shit! Then I bet he’s stronger than we first thought, isn’t he?”

  Ross didn’t want to cause his brother any more distress, but there was no point in hiding it.

  “Yes, he is scary powerful. And he has two mates, one of whom is the tiger you’ve met. His godly father also visits them from time to time. And one of their inner circle is an Alpha wolf who cannot shift into his wolf form. He never could. He lived as a human his entire life.” Ross made sure to put pressure on the last few sentences.

  “Are you sure?” there was no shocked l
ook this time. Ron seemed to be slowly changing his opinion about the Alpha and the pack. Ross thought he’d be able to sway him yet.

  “Yes, I am sure. I saw him go into protective mode over his mate and it was the weirdest thing. His wolf side was clearly in control yet he stayed in the human body. It was disturbing to tell you the truth.”

  “Yeah,” Ron laughed, relaxing slightly. “I bet they all thought the same thing when they saw you shift for the first time. Remember how Alex reacted?” Ron asked, mentioning their brother-in-law. Alex was Ross’s eldest sister, Alice’s, mate and Annie’s father. The man was an owl and knew about Alice’s mixed heritage but wasn’t bothered by it. He hadn’t been a part of any parliament when he met Alice.

  A parliament was what a group of owls called themselves. Paranormals, in general, had adopted a lot of human terminology over the years. Anyway, when Alex had seen Ross shift for the first time, being warned beforehand of his dual shifter nature, he still squeaked, jumped up in the air, and knocked their mother’s favorite lamp off the commode.

  “Yeah.” Ross smiled inwardly remembering the event. “They were all pretty surprised, you’re right about that.” He confirmed Ron’s suspicion.

  “And was that a real fairy that I saw there?” Ron’s voice was now filled with curiosity instead of anger or suspicion.

  “That was Jim. He’s actually a pixie, a rare kind of fey. He and his twin brother are a part of the pack, as well. Jim is actually that Alpha wolf’s mate.”

  “Oh.” Was that disappointment in Ron’s voice? Ross knew, of course, his brother was attracted to both men and women, but he usually preferred women. “Well, there seems to be a lot of interesting characters in that pack.” Ron changed the subject and Ross forgot all about his musings about his brother’s sexual preferences.

  “Yes, they’re a genuinely mixed group. There is Jason, the god, his mates are the tiger and Toby. Then you’ve got that wolf and his pixie mate. Another pixie who is mated to a human. Morton, the kid with glasses, is a witch. They also have a demon, a vampire, and another wolf who is mated to a seal-shifter.