by Lisa Oliver
“Don’t care.” Cass took a long slug, leaning over the counter, eyeing Myka and his two ex-lovers in the mirror behind the shelves.
“Didn’t expect to see you in here,” Elion said, polishing a glass. “Word on the street is you found a mate – a shifter mate. What happened? You wear him out already?”
“Ha-fucking-ha-ha.” Cass took another smaller slug this time, watching as Myka slid off his stool across the room. “Don’t talk to me about my mate. I came in here to forget.”
“Hey,” Elion leaned closer and whispered. “I don’t want to start anything, but if your mate’s missing, then your brother might have something to do with it.”
Cass would’ve answered, but he felt a slap on his shoulders, and Elion slipped away. “Cass,” Myka purred as he slinked around him. “Brother of mine. Where’s that lovely mate of yours? Mama has just been raving about him.”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Cass gripped the neck of the sturdy bottle, wishing it was Myka’s neck instead.
“You don’t care where your true mate is?” Myka said loudly before roaring with laughter. “Pull the other one, Cass. It’s killing you, not knowing where he is.”
It’s killing me all right, but not for the reasons you think. Cass swept around in a rage, the bottle still in his hand, his demon flashing through his eyes. “I said I don’t fucking care. He ran off. All right? Happy now? He ran off as soon as he saw the fucking house mama made for him. So, go and tell her, gloat all you like about how fucking useless you think I am, but leave me the fuck alone.”
Myka obviously hadn’t expected the anger. His body language changed – his shoulders becoming more rounded, his face etched with concern Cass knew was fake. “Hey, now, bro,” he said softly, touching Cass’s arm. “I never once said you were useless and why would I tell mama anything? It’s not like there’s anything in that for me.”
“Yeah, well you just worry about you.” Cass pulled his arm away from his brother. “I just want to drink myself senseless, in peace.”
“Come on over here. Come and sit down.” Cass let himself be led to a table, thankfully in the opposite corner to where the two incubi were watching him avidly.
“Now tell me what happened,” Myka said, once Cass had slumped in a seat. “Why did Wesley, is it? Why did Wesley run away from you?”
“I don’t know, okay, and I don’t care.” Cass’s heart clenched every time the words ‘don’t care’ passed his lips. “He’s gone. I’m sunk. Tied to a man who clearly doesn’t want me. Not only that, but I’m wearing his scar, so my dick won’t be getting a workout anytime soon.” He made out he was taking another swig from the bottle, but let the liquid run back into the glass. There was no way Cass wanted to be smelling of whiskey when he got his wolf back.
“I could go and find him for you,” Myka suggested, idly drawing doodles in the moisture left by a previous user’s glass or bottle. “It would mean you’d owe me a huge favor, but then a little bird told me you got promoted today, so it’s not like you can’t afford it.”
“You wouldn’t have the first clue where to find him,” Cass scoffed. “The only way I found him last time, after Bron insulted him, was because he had my talisman on him. He left that behind this time.”
“I have my ways and means.” Myka was being far too casual. “I’m in here a lot.” He waved his hand at the crowded room. “People talk and I’m very good at overhearing things. What’s it worth for you to get him back?”
“Nothing.” Cass’s throat felt as though it was filled with knives just saying the word. Worse, he knew he stunk of bullshit, but that would work in his favor.
Just as he thought, Myka laughed. “Come on, admit it. I’m your brother. Tell me you’re not sitting there thinking of ways to make your mate suffer for all eternity for his betrayal of you.”
I’m thinking about someone suffering all right. Just not Wesley.
“Doesn’t matter what I’m thinking, does it?” Cass waved the bottle around. “He’s gone. Finished. End of story. Now shut the fuck up and leave me alone to get drunk in peace.”
“I can find him bro.” Myka’s doodling fingers got closer to Cass’s arm. “I’ve got a pretty good idea I know where he is. Bron was in here earlier…”
“What’s Bron got to do with all this?” Myka doesn’t know Bron’s in the pits, Cass realized with a jolt. He’s setting him up as a scapegoat. Myka had always hated Cass’s friendships.
“Bron was pretty pissed you’d got yourself a mate, I know that much,” Myka said with a grin. “Something about the little fella throwing him into a wall, with your powers. Shifters, man, you can’t trust them. I mean look at how that consort has our Master twisted around his finger.”
A disembodied growl rocked around the room, and Cass coughed loudly to cover it up. “If you want to keep your head, it doesn’t pay to mock the Consort,” he warned. “Our Master has been a lot happier since the Consort has been in his life.”
“But a shifter, really?” Myka leaned his elbows on the table. “Look, I know they mate for life, right? But why should you be left in a sexual desert, just because your mate gets in a snit. I was talking, with some of the guards from Tartarus, and they said the only way to deal with a mate is to chain them to the bed and throw them some scraps once in a while. At least you’d know where Wesley is when you want a fuck.”
Cass sat silently fuming, hoping Myka thought he was considering his twisted ideas. After a long moment, he lifted the bottle and said, “Don’t make no difference anyhow. I don’t know where Wesley’s gone, so I’ve got no way of getting him back. You can bet that stash of favors you’ve got hidden, that he won’t be zapping back here in a hurry. So just leave it, okay? Just leave it.”
“I know where Bron took him.” Myka was leaning over the table as he hissed. “I can get him back.”
“Took him.” Cass sat up. “Haven’t you been listening? No one took Wesley. He ran off.”
“That’s what you were meant to think.” Myka looked over his shoulder, and then dropped his voice to a whisper. “But I know where your mate is.”
Cass leaned over so his face was a mere inch from Myka’s. “What’s it going to cost me?”
Myka pointed to Cass’s mating scar. “You have a permanent pass to earth now, right? Folsom would have given you one.”
Cass tightened his lips. You really need to do your homework, brother. Now I’m mated, I don’t need one.
“All you have to do, is let me use it,” Myka explained. “It’s not as though you’re going to want to let your mate wander around earth after all this. You can’t trust a shifter, even on a leash. So, let me use your pass, and I’ll get Wesley back for you.”
Grinding his teeth together, Cass managed to spit out, “If the Master finds out I abused his pass, it’ll be revoked.”
“Then don’t tell him. It’s not like he pays any attention to any of the demons who go to earth unless they get themselves in some major shit.” Myka shook his head. “Look, you’ve got that fancy big house mama made you, right? You can live in that. Any time you want to stretch your legs, just chain your mate to that big fancy bed and take your talisman with you. Then you can come down here, have fun with your friends, and you’ll know where your mate is when you want to go home.”
“Why would I chain my mate up, if he didn’t do a runner after all, but was taken by someone else?”
“He’s a shifter, bro. Honestly, they are more animal than man. He seriously needs to be on a leash. They all do.”
This time the growl was so loud, Cass had to cough and bang his bottle on the table to hide it. “Tell me,” he said, pointing a finger at Myka. “You tell me where my mate is, I’ll get him, and you’ll get your favor.”
“You can’t welch on a favor.”
“I never have before.” Cass held Myka’s eyes steadily, even though the back of his neck was screaming at him for all the lies he’d told. After a long moment, Myka nodded and leaned back over the table agai
n.
“It was actually super clever, what Bron did,” Myka confided. “Like, it’s a totally level six demon skill and Bron’s only a…”
“Level six demon,” Cass nodded, knowing Myka had been angling for a level six spot for a while now.
“Right, well. He created a portal, right in your new house, bro – so clever. That mate of yours stepped right in it and bam, he was transported to another time and space.”
“What do you mean?”
“A shadow realm,” Myka cackled with laughter. “Trees, grass, and nothing else. Not even in our timeline, but a thousand years ago.”
Cass grabbed Myka by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him across the table. “Water,” he demanded. “Did you think to put water on that realm?”
“Er… no, I don’t think so. But. Hang on, I said it wasn’t me, it was Bron who took him.”
“I’ve heard enough.” Hades stepped from the shadows, and every eavesdropping demon in the bar dropped to their knees. He slapped his large hand on Myka’s head. “Reveal the realm’s location, scum.”
“A wrinkle in time and space.” Myka’s eyes went white and his voice was monotone. “One thousand years back from today, right over the house.”
Hades’ grip tightened on Myka’s hair. “Bring him back.”
“The portal was only ever meant to be one way.” Cass’s heart shredded at the news. “There was never a way out.”
“The penalty for interfering in a mating is death.” Hades pointed to the nearest demon with his free hand. “Call on Mrs. Blumenthorp. Tell her she is expected at my mansion immediately. You can tell her it concerns Myka, but do not say anything else.”
“Master.” The demon bowed his head to the floor, then disappeared.
“My lord.” Cass could barely speak. “Is there… is there anything you can do for my Wesley?”
“Level five demons should never dabble in skills restricted to higher levels. They always fuck it up.” Hades shook his head. “You and Wesley are soul bound. I can’t pull him free from that bogus realm, but you can. I warn you though, it might be uncomfortable.”
“Anything. I’ll do anything.” Cass’s panic was growing. “I’ll take his place. If he dies, I’ll take his place. I’ll do whatever, but Wesley has to live.”
“Castor, I swear, you’re bucking for angel wings. Fortunately, none of that will be entirely necessary.” Hades looked down at Myka who was frozen solid. “This one, however. His death will break your mama’s heart.”
Mine too, Cass thought, but his love for Wesley was absolute and what Myka did went beyond the schoolboy pranks he used to pull. His hatred of shifters was obviously far deeper than Cass had ever imagined and the fact Myka clearly planned to rip Cass off – taking the pass he thought Cass had, without actually delivering his mate back, went beyond prank material and sank into downright cruelty.
“I need to get Wesley back,” he said firmly. “Myka has skated on thin ice once too often. His betrayal…” Yes, that hurt, but Cass would focus on what he could do, and just prayed his mama wouldn’t hate him for what Myka did. “I just need to get my Wesley back.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Myka, how could you?” They had all gathered in the throne room – Hades and Ali, Cass, a still-frozen Myka, two demon guards and mama. Mama hadn’t taken the news of Myka’s crimes well – she was beating the frozen body with her bare fists. “You jealous. Spoiled. Lazy. Cruel. Asshole.”
“Mrs. Blumenthorp,” Hades said sharply when Mama didn’t show any signs of stopping. “Myka can’t feel anything. He can only hear what’s going on. I called you in, as a courtesy, to inform you of your son’s impending demise. Beating on him won’t change the outcome.”
Mama dropped her fists and bowed low in front of the god. “I can’t apologize enough for Myka, my lord. I know he’s my youngest, and he’s always been a bit flighty, but I thought now my Cass has gotten a promotion and is mated, that Myka would start to settle down, too.”
“Thanks to his actions, he won’t have that opportunity,” Hades said. “While I deal with the dead every day, and it’s abhorrent to me to take a life before it’s time, there is no punishment, no torture that would make up for what Myka has done to both Wesley and his own brother.”
From the way Mama’s shoulders were hunched over, Cass would have thought she was grieving, but her fists were still clenched. “I understand, my lord, and I respect your judgement. My only request, if I’m allowed one…”
“Go on.” Hades waved his hand.
“I want Myka’s name to be cut from our family tree.” Mama lifted her chin proudly. “I will not allow his actions to sully my family name, and I will not allow for his name to share a page with that of my new bond-son Wesley.”
Cass couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A demon’s family tree spanned hundreds of generations – with most of the people on it still living. It was a source of pride; a record not only of names, births and who was related to who, but of accomplishments and awards given over a thousand human lifetimes. It was almost unheard of for any mother to request the name of one of her own children to be taken off it.
“Mama, are you sure?” He asked hesitantly. “Once removed, his name can never be added again. It will be as if Myka never existed.”
“He never should have done. If I had dreamed for one second the fruit from my loins would turn out so cruel, so depraved, so entirely selfish, I’d have drowned him myself at birth. His name will no longer be spoken.”
Mama came right up to Cass and to his surprise, she hugged him. “You get Wesley back, and you move fast. I wouldn’t be surprised if that little shit didn’t speed up the time on his bubble realm to cause Wesley to die quicker. Wesley could feel as though he’s been in that realm a week by now.”
“Fuck. Could he?” Cass looked at Hades who was frowning.
“It’s highly probable. Regardless, the realm this one created will be unstable. If it implodes the very essence of Wesley’s soul will be lost forever. Your mother is right. We must move quickly.”
“What do I do? Do you take my soul?” Cass wobbled, and a dull ache formed in the back of his neck. “Fuck, you’re already doing it. My lord,” he added hastily.
“We are beyond the use of titles and honorifics.” Hades jumped from his throne, crossing the floor in brisk strides. “I’m not doing anything yet, but if you can feel it, Wesley is dying.”
“What can I do?” Cass’s whole body was weakening fast. He was only standing because Hades was holding him up.
“Focus on your bond,” Hades said urgently. “Grip it hard and tug on it. Bring forth your demon form and tug it with everything you have.”
There were black spots in front of Cass’s eyes. His breathing was labored and even his demon form was lethargic when he changed. Stumbling, he tried to do what Hades told him, but it was as if he was dying too. Their bond was elusive, like smoke, and the more Cass tried to grab it, the more he realized how much trouble he was having trying to stay conscious.
“Focus, boy.” A sharp thwack around the head cleared the spots at least. The image of his mama swum into view; her wooden spoon raised above her head. “You get Wesley back. Do you hear me? He’s the best thing that could’ve ever happened to you. Have you got him? Are you pulling?”
“I’m pulling mama.” Cass sank to his knees. “I don’t wanna live in a world where Wesley isn’t. I’m pulling!”
It was like the day Cass got his powers, but in reverse. He pushed his powers out, every fiber of his being trembling under the strain. He could feel him – he could feel his mate just out of reach. “Wesley,” he cried. The briefest touch. A finger at best. But Cass grabbed it with all his might and yanked it hard towards his chest. Slumping to the floor, he felt no more.
/~/~/~/~/
“Where am I?” Wesley felt his throat work although he wasn’t sure the words came out. He reached up. He was still wearing Cass’s collar and it felt solid under his fingers.
His wolf in the meantime had been frantic. They knew Cass was alive, but they didn’t know where and as time went on, again Wesley had no idea how long because just like the Underworld, this realm was just light, no sun, just light, no dark. But the wolf went from angry, frantic, to deep despair, very quickly.
Wesley the man wasn’t doing much better. His throat was parched within hours. At least he thought it was hours. But when he and his wolf both realized no water could be found, Wesley tried to conserve his strength. He attempted to dig with his hands, sure that the grass must be feeding from a source of water somewhere, but even as he dug, the grass was turning brown, and dark leaves started falling from the trees.
It all happened so quickly, and yet it didn’t, which didn’t make sense to Wesley at all. His logical mind knew that even without water, he could live for three to five days at least, and it didn’t seem as if he’d been away from Cass that long. Yet, his body was weakening fast, as though it’d been a month since his last meal. At the same time Wes’s mind was telling him it had only been a few hours since he’d had dinner with Hades and Ali.
Curled up at the foot of the tree, Wesley hung onto his collar with the last of his strength, calling for Cass, over and over in his mind. He’d thought, though it could have been a mirage, but he could have sworn he heard Cass calling for him too. He remembered reaching out, reaching for something he couldn’t find…
“And now I’m in an unfamiliar bed.” Wes turned and saw Cass snoring beside him. “With my mate, which is one positive.” Leaning over, he prodded Cass’s arm, but the demon didn’t move. Annoyed, Wes slapped him, but Cass didn’t even flinch. The sound of a door opening had Wes reaching for the covers. He hadn’t realized he was naked until that moment.
