by Lisa Oliver
But he and his animal spirit were on the same page for once. Win back Baby at any cost, and that included providing a den that was full of the creature comforts that would help Baby feel comfortable. The log cabin he’d fashioned was huge – well, Owen was a god after all – standing three stories high and well insulated against the cold of his domain. Enormous stone fireplaces graced every room, even the kitchen and six bathrooms, and he’d remembered to include windows with lush velvet coverings to ward against the chill.
He was mentally debating the merits of deep red cushions or yellow striped ones for his new black leather couches, when he heard a knock at the door. Owen’s first thought was that it was Baby, missing him perhaps, and wanting to talk. But he dismissed that thought as soon as it entered his head. Baby had no reason to go chasing after him. It’s me that will be doing the apologizing when this house is finished. Owen wanted things to be perfect, should Baby ever accompany him anywhere near his realm again.
Striding to the door, he flung it open, uncaring at the icy blast and flurry of snow that settled on his stone parquet. His glare was as cold as the weather, as he stared at the myriad of emotions surrounding Caruthers, bundled up, and looking pathetic hunched over the way he was. “What do you want? I’m busy.”
“Oh, Great Spirit,” Caruthers bowed even lower. “Please, might you spare a poor soul five minutes by your fire? I saw the smoke from a distance, and it’s been days since I’ve felt the warmth.”
He just had to go and invoke my damn name. Owen stood aside and Caruthers scuttled in like a cockroach. “Five minutes is all you asked for, and all you’ll get.”
“Your bounty is endless, oh Great Spirit.” Caruthers certainly could move fast enough as he headed for the roaring fireplace in the living room. “I have been so cold, so very cold since you cast me aside.” He huddled, shivering in front of the fireplace. Owen knew a con when he saw one. It rippled like a gray sludge through Caruthers’ aura.
“Why did you come here? You have the means to leave the realm – a one-way ticket I might add – so clearly you haven’t made any effort to secure a life of your own outside of my realm.”
“I couldn’t leave you. I had this deep sense of foreboding, that hit me right here,” Caruthers thumped his fist over his chest. The motion was genuine, but so was the avarice Owen could see in his former companion’s soul.
“I knew things would go wrong when you brought your mate to your abode. I could sense it, feel it, the wind called out a warning to me, so loud I couldn’t ignore it even as I trudged the many miles to the edge of your domain. On foot. In thigh deep snow and driving wind.”
Owen caught Caruthers’ sideways glance, but he was unmoved by that or his words. The man had ordered a snowmobile the moment they’d been invented, and it’d been upgraded every year since.
“And then, oh my heart, then, when I saw the tragic ruins of your beloved castle – my heart bled for you and how you suffered.”
Owen folded his arms across his chest. “You saw my ruined ice castle, but you didn’t come running, didn’t offer to help to pick my belongings out of the rubble?”
“Your beast was out, my Lord.” Caruthers had the gall to sound affronted by the question. “Your furry side has never liked me, although I can’t imagine why.”
Because he’s sleazy, lazy and thinks only of himself. Owen agreed with his animal spirit’s assessment, although he didn’t let it show on his face. “It’s no matter, anyhow,” he said curtly. “You were told to pack your things and go. My animal side would never eat you. He much prefers seals.”
Caruthers shuddered, and the edge of his aura tinged with red. It disappeared as fast as it arrived, and Owen wondered at how good Caruthers had gotten at hiding his true feelings from him after all the time they’d spent together. “Why are you still here, in my domain, after I gave you an express order to leave?”
“I can’t fend for myself out there,” Caruthers waved vaguely in the direction of the door. “You crafted me yourself. You created the body I’ve had for hundreds of years. I’m only fit to serve your needs. I wouldn’t last five minutes in the human realm.”
“You are human.”
“An immortal one for as long as I stay here, but when I go out there, I’ll age. I’ll die withered and twisted in body eventually, if someone doesn’t stick a knife in me, poison me, shoot me, or run me over with a vehicle on those awful smelly roads first.”
“It’s called the circle of life.” Owen was seething with impatience. He’d promised himself that he wouldn’t approach his mate again until his home was perfect, but every second with Caruthers was delaying that. “In the human world, you can find a woman to bear your children, and you’ll watch them grow until you die, and so the cycle continues. That’s life.”
“You raised me fully formed from the ether as an adult. What on earth would I know about children?”
“You’d learn, just like everyone else does.” Owen had reached the end of his patience. “Now, you can either take the snowmobile to the edge of my realm and let yourself out, or I’ll send you flying myself.”
Caruthers crossed his own arms, and his aura had a decided smug smudge to it. It was green. “I choose not to go. I’ve decided to keep living with you. It’s called the concept of free will. All gods, regardless of the pantheon they belong to have to allow humans to make their own choices. And you said yourself. I’ll live and die as a human if I leave here, so therefore I am human, and now I’m exercising my human free will to stay right where I am. I do like what you’ve done with the place. It’s a lot nicer than that drafty ice castle look you insisted on for centuries.”
“Free will only applies if your will isn’t imposing on someone else’s,” Owen snarled. “And before you go spouting off, about how gods are not allowed to interfere in human affairs, or harm a human they come into contact with, let me also remind you, that only applies on the earth realm. The Fates don’t take kindly to any god running amuck, shortening human life threads and wrecking their beautiful tapestry, but given that theory, your life thread should have been cut eons ago. It’s too damn long now.”
Even his raised voice didn’t seem to affect his former companion. If anything, the green smudge on his soul got more pronounced. “You can’t kill me.” Caruthers confirmed. “And yet, you said yourself, thanks to the circle of life, if I leave this realm then I’ll die. It might not be today, or tomorrow, but it will be some day, and when I do, it will all be your fault. What do you say to that, Owen?”
“You will address me by my title while you’re in this realm, which won’t be for long.” Owen allowed his animal side to come through just enough to make his point. He knew Caruthers could pick it up, because shades of yellow appeared in his aura.
“But as to what I say, it’s quite simple really. The Fates never presume to set rules of behavior for any god in their own realm, so I could cut you down now and no one would miss you, including the Fates. You aren’t a part of life on earth; therefore, your death will not be noticed or cause the slightest knick in the tapestry. You have no children, you didn’t stem from any other human thread, and you’re not joined to any, so your life as it is now, is just a single thread of no consequence. You have no great finds to your name; you’re not hailed as anyone who has helped the human race progress itself. You are nothing in the scheme of things, because you’ve never once actually lived a life.”
“But… but…”
Owen was on a roll. Any signs of smugness were totally gone from Caruthers’ aura. “Furthermore. As for the rule regarding non-interference, that only applies to direct choices, made by individuals in a small window of time. If you die on the earth realm today, tomorrow or in fifty years, it won’t be my fault, as you claim. It will not be my hand that causes your death, it will be your own life choices, or the natural progression of age.”
“However,” he added as Caruthers went to speak again. “It may be, that I will cause an issue with the Fates if I do send y
ou to earth. You are an anomaly, existing out of the basic weave. Should your actions somehow cause grief to a person whose thread is vital to the tapestry’s integrity, then I could be blamed for that.”
“In other words, you have no choice but to let me stay here. Perfect. I’m glad you finally came around to my way of thinking. Now, how about you wave us up something to eat. The pickings in your realm are really slim for a human such as myself.”
Fear gone. Smugness and greed had returned, edged with a dark ring of cunning. Owen could be fascinated by the myriad of changes that went on in a human aura, if he didn’t have something else more important to do. As it was, that cunning element was a danger to Baby, and he wasn’t about to let Caruthers near his mate. “And as I said, I’m busy. I made myself perfectly clear the last time we spoke; your attitude is a threat to my mating. You will not now, nor will you ever live in my house again. As for food, hunt it yourself.”
A flick of Owen’s fingers had the large front door opening. “Off you go.”
“I’ll die out there and it will all be your fault.”
“It won’t fucking matter because on this realm you aren’t part of the Fates weave,” Owen roared. Hairs started to appear on his forearms and across his chest. “Two choices. That’s all you’ve got. Live on this realm, outside, or take your chances on the human realm. That’s it. Make the choice now, because on all that’s sacred among our kind, the only reason you’re still breathing is because you served me for so long. Decide!”
“Send me to earth then.” Caruthers got to his feet; his sneer evident even to Owen. “I know where your mate lives. I know where his family lives, like Poseidon with his furry mate and cute little twins. Or Nereus in his pack, or Lasse and Jason playing happy families in Greece with their little one. Thanks to you, I know oh so much about the gods you’ve watched over the years. I’ll talk, I’ll stir up so much shit, you could drown in it. I’ll poison your shit-for-brains mate’s mind against you and when I’m finished with him, he won’t allow your name to be spoken in his presence. You’ll spend eternity living alone, desperate and isolated and when you’re at your wits end, and are begging me to come back, I’ll laugh in your unseeing face.”
Owen lunged; his claws already formed. The moment Caruthers’ threats were aired, his life was over. The blood that spouted on the nearby couch, had him rethinking the red cushion idea. Yellow was a lot nicer, and brighter color. It would add a more homely feel to the living area.
Chapter Eleven
“Our dad’s been looking for you,” Nereus said casually as Baby settled on a couch with a killer poodle on his knee, and two wolf shifters sat beside him. Baby didn’t think the poodle was actually a killer; for some reason his brother and his mates all called him that. All Baby saw was a cute little bundle of apricot fluff, who seemed to love being petted and having a warm lap to curl up on.
Muffins had been served, along with tea and cupcakes, but Baby could sense Nereus’s curiosity. Like – Why did you come? – which Baby could understand to a point because he wasn’t in the habit of just dropping in anywhere for tea and cupcakes.
“He originally thought you were still with that twat Himeros,” Nereus continued. “But apparently Himeros was up in his face only yesterday claiming Sei had corrupted his boy and turned you into a house-hugging mortal with values more suited to the Victorian era, whatever the hell that means. Sei wasn’t impressed, as you can imagine, and neither was Claude, but they’ve both been asking around about you.”
“Claude doesn’t like me around his wolves, for some reason,” Baby sighed. “It’s easier to stay away instead of causing any issues.”
“Don’t you like wolves?” Raff, who was a cute little red wolf shifter, pushed the plate of cupcakes in his direction. They were chocolate chip, and delicious. Baby had already eaten three of them. “Only, if you want to spend time with your brother alone…”
“No, Raff, honestly, I haven’t got a problem with you or Teilo being here.” Baby shook his head. “I don’t hate wolves. I don’t hate anybody, although I have a few negative feelings about Himeros every now and then, but who doesn’t? No. It’s just, not many of the wolf shifters at Tulsa are mated and Claude thinks I cause trouble when I’m there. It’s easier to stay away.”
“Oh, that’s not nice.” Raff looked so sad on his account, which was sweet but unnecessary. “Baby’s welcome here, though, isn’t he?” He looked up at Nereus like he hung the moon, and Baby felt a stab in his fragile heart.
“My brother’s always welcome here,” Nereus said firmly, “although, yes, it’s helpful that all of our shifter pack members are mated. But regardless, I never saw you as a trouble maker, Baby, no matter what Sei said.”
“No, to you, I was just the nuisance who wasn’t allowed to go off on adventures with you and Sebastian because apparently I was too young and untrained. And it’s not as though any of you stuck around long enough to train me. But that doesn’t matter.” The last thing Baby wanted to get embroiled in was a lengthy discussion on ancient history.
Nereus had other ideas. “Baby, I never meant to hurt you by anything I might have said back then. It’s just, by the time you were born, Sebastian and I were already globetrotting and fighting in wars. You were in diapers, and Sebastian and I…”
“Were imagining yourselves as big strong warrior types who couldn’t be bothered having a kid hanging around,” Teilo said with a laugh, leaning back so his shoulder sat against Nereus’s. “I’m sorry you got so much shit growing up, Baby. It must have been very lonely living down there with Artemas’ nose in a book, and Poseidon continually oiling his revolving bedroom door.”
“I didn’t die or starve.” Baby shrugged. He didn’t know Teilo or Raff very well at all, but it was nice they seemed to be on his side. “Look, can I offer a hypothetical situation and get some advice on it please? I don’t want to go into any specific details, but I need a mated shifter’s perspective, please.”
“I’ll help you, although, I’m not a man of the world, so I’m not sure how much help I’d be,” Raff said with a cute grin. “These two he-men of mine probably know more about hypothetical situations than I do, but I am a shifter, with shifter instincts, even if I’m a small one.”
“You’re also an amazing baker. These cupcakes are divine.” Baby smiled at his smallest brother-in-law, who blushed under the compliment. “Okay, let’s say there was this powerful shifter – like a bear, or a dragon, or something. It doesn’t really matter what he is. But let’s say, this shifter knows who his mate is, but he doesn’t approach him for ages.”
“How long are we talking,” Teilo asked as he leaned forward and picked up his cup from the coffee table. “A few days? Weeks? A month? Because I have to say, any longer than that and that shifter will be climbing the walls, forcing a shift and finding his mate no matter what his human half has to say about it.”
“Centuries, actually.” Baby twisted his hands together. He couldn’t lie to his brother’s family – they’d smell it. “The pair have never met, okay. Well, not really. Pretend like the shifter had a crystal ball, or a CCTV camera so he could watch his mate, but he didn’t interact with him.”
“For all that time?” Nereus’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair line. “How did the shifter know who his mate was then? He’d have to have scented him somehow, otherwise he wouldn’t know for sure.”
“I don’t know,” Baby said quietly. “I don’t know how he knew, but he’s known for a very long time, from pretty much when his mate was born.”
“There have been cases, very rare,” Teilo said, “when an adult shifter knows someone is their mate before that person has reached maturity. It barely ever happens. I mean, can you imagine how hard it would be for the adult shifter, to want to be with his mate in all ways, when the mate is still an infant? The Fates don’t usually let that happen. It’s too heartbreaking for everyone concerned.”
“But why is that?” Baby was purposefully not looking at his brothe
r. Nereus had a knowing look on his face and Baby was skating close enough to just spilling out the whole story as it was. “What is it about shifters that makes it so difficult to be without their mate?”
“It’s hard to explain,” Teilo said with a sigh. “When I met Nereus and Raff, I knew we were mates, but they had some shit going on they needed to work out first, so I walked away. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. I only went as far as the other side of the pack grounds, and I didn’t hold out for very long. What was it? Two days? Three? And every second we were apart was agony. I tried to keep busy, but I couldn’t think about anything but them. My skin itched all the damn time and my wolf? Shit, my wolf kept pushing to come out just so he could track down his mates. It was not a fun experience.”
“I was the same,” Raff admitted. “I mean, I was already half in love with Nereus, but I knew he was holding something back from me – which is what Teilo picked up on and why he wanted to wait before claiming either of us. But I felt like I was being torn apart. Teilo was my mate too, and my wolf wanted him as much as he wanted Nereus.”
“That must have been really difficult for all of you.” Baby hoped he was showing some compassion on his features, but he was thinking hard about his own situation.
“The thing you have to remember though, is that for the animal side of a shifter, the mating is a slam dunk.” Raff looked up at Teilo. “Is that the right expression?”
Teilo nodded. Raff beamed as he continued. “I’ve been learning about sports. Anyhow, for animals mating is an instinct, as natural as breathing. In shifters it’s very similar. A shifter animal spirit doesn’t care about gender, or logistics like where the mated couple will live, if their jobs are compatible, or things like that. They just want the claim. Their entire being is focused on getting a bite on their mate’s neck and to hell with the consequences. That’s for the human sides to work out.”
