“Who did you talk with?”
“A guy named Calvin Stephens.”
That explained all the emails he had received from Calvin. He hadn’t had the time to read them, though, and now he knew he should have. It would have given him a hint of what was coming. “So you fought with Marcy?”
“Yeah. I told her I was going to find you and that we had years of memories to share. I wanted to move anyway, find a job somewhere else, so I guess it’s the perfect opportunity. I can find a room somewhere in town if you prefer.”
“No, no. You’ll stay here with us,” Ani answered, drawing Delevan’s attention.
“Look, I saw that there are a lot of people living here and I’m sure you’re going to tell me why, but why are you the only one here with my father? Is there something between the two of you?”
“Uh, well, I-Dominic and I—”
“Ani is my husband.”
Chapter Five
The silence in the room after Dominic had dropped his bomb was deafening. Ani didn’t know where to hide, and he wanted to shimmer away so much that he nearly did it. That would have ruined their next surprise, though, so he was grateful when Dominic reached over and took his hand.
Delevan was still looking at him, his face curiously blank. At least he wasn’t cursing at them or running out of the house, so Ani guessed that was a good thing, but he still couldn’t help the blush that crept on his face and neck up to his ears as Delevan continued scrutinizing him. He felt like a bug under a microscope. He was even squirming like one.
“My father’s husband, huh? So that makes you what, my stepfather?”
Ani shuddered at the only thought. “God, no. I mean, in theory I guess I am, but you’re older than me, so that’s a no go.”
“How old are you exactly?”
“Umm, eighteen.”
Delevan’s eyes widened. “Wow, that’s young. My father is what, mid-thirties?”
Ani heard the snort Dominic sent him. I guess I’ll tell him I’m eighty-three later, huh?
That might be a good idea.
“Look, I know you might not be happy with Dominic’s choice to be with me, but—”
“Oh no, I don’t care. If my father is happy with you then I’m fine with it, it’s just going to be a little strange, that’s all. I guess once we get to know each other we’ll be more like friends than whatever relationship we would have had if you were older.”
That was a good start, a very good one, but they had so much more to talk about. “So, uh, we have to tell you other things.”
“Well, it can’t be bigger than what you just told me, right?” Ani shared a glance with Dominic. Who his father was married to was going to be Delevan’s last problem once he found out about shifters. “Shit, it is bigger? What, do I have brothers or something? Are you a mafia boss?”
I think you should tell him before he goes overboard with his ideas.
“None of those things. You don’t have brothers, or sisters for that matter, and I don’t think you’ll ever have any on my side, except for the kids running around the house.”
“Yeah, I met Adam earlier. The kid is cute, huh?”
“Very.”
“So, what’s wrong? Are you going to tell me or are you going to torture me and have me sweating it all the way?”
Dominic chuckled. Ani really, really liked Delevan. “I’m going to tell you. I know you were wondering about the fact that I look too young to be your father.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of weird. That’s what this is about?”
Dominic nodded and Ani felt his heart beat faster. If Delevan took the news of shifters being real badly, they would have to face a series of problems, the worst being that the man would probably run away from his father, and Ani could see how much Dominic wanted to get to know his son.
“Yes. There is a very good reason for that.” Dominic paused for a few seconds before making the jump. “I’m a lion shifter.”
Ani held his breath and watched Delevan’s eyes widen. He knew that the first thing the man would probably do would be laugh his head off thinking it was a joke, but still. What he hadn’t expected was Delevan asking, “You too?”
“Wait, you can shift?” Ani blurted out, and Delevan’s eyes turned to him.
“Well, yeah, but I don’t know anyone else who can, so apart from knowing I’m a lion, I’m pretty much in the dark. Are you a lion too?”
Ani chuckled. “No, I’m not a shifter, I’m a...well, I guess you can say I’m a fae.”
“You’re a fairy, like tinker bell or something?”
Dominic burst out laughing, but Ani didn’t think it was that funny. “I am not tinker bell!” he said, stomping his foot like a four-year-old before stopping himself. Childish much?
Delevan raised his hands in surrender. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, you’re like magic?”
Ani sighed. He knew the man was not trying to make fun of him, but Dominic wasn’t helping much since he was still chuckling next to him. Ani stuck an elbow in his mate’s ribs, effectively cutting off the laugher, before answering. “No, not exactly. I don’t have magic powers, but I can do this.”
Ani concentrated on the other side of the room and shimmered. He had thought there was no way Delevan’s eyes could become larger, but was been wrong. By now they were nearly as big as plates. “See? Anyway, maybe we should tell you about shifters rather than Nix. We can always talk about me later. Now,” he asked Dominic. “Are you finished laughing?”
“Sorry, babe. You have to admit it was funny, though.” Okay, kind of, but he would never admit it, so he just huffed and shimmered back to his place next to his mate. “So, you can shift?”
“Yeah. The first time I was thirteen. Luckily I was in my room, so no one saw it, but it did happen other times. Since I learned the signs that I was about to shift I just hid, so no one ever found out. I’ve learned to control the shifts by now, so it’s not a problem anymore.”
“I’m impressed. It’s not an easy thing to do when you’re a teen and no one can help or even know about it. I’m guessing you don’t know anything about shifters?”
“Nope.”
“You’re a lion because I am. There are other types of shifters, and you will meet some of them in the house. I’m the Alpha of this pride.”
“The boss? Wow.” There was awe in Delevan’s face as he looked his father up and down, and Ani was happy. The two were doing well.
He listened as Dominic started to explain about shifters. “The reason I look so young is because we age a lot slower than humans. I’m not in my mid-thirties, I’m eighty-three.”
Delevan’s mouth hanged open, making Ani giggle. “And Ani is only eighteen? Talk about robbing the cradle, dad!”
Ani had long since decided he didn’t care about the age difference, so he concentrated on the last part of the sentence. He liked the expression on his mate’s face when he too realized Delevan had called him dad. “Well, it seems that Fate decided we were perfect for each other, regardless of the age.”
“What do you mean?”
Ani let Dominic answer. He was the best option, since he was the shifter between the two of them. “Every single shifter has one mate, what humans would call a soul mate. We don’t know who it is, but we recognize him or her by scent. We don’t know why that is, so most people think that Fate gave us a mate because we live so long, so we wouldn’t be alone. Even if the mate is human, their life span gets longer to match their mate’s.”
“Oh, so it’s like a cosmic matching service?”
It actually was a good analogy. “Yeah, except you can’t know when or where you’ll meet your mate, or if you’ll meet him at all. I was lucky because I’m only eighteen.”
“Do I have a mate?”
“You do, Delevan. You only have to find him.” No, wait. “Her, I mean.”
Delevan chuckled. “You were right on the first try, actually. I sure hope it’s a
him, and I don’t think it will be a problem here.”
“Definitely not.”
It was nice just watching the two men getting to know each other as Dominic explained to Delevan what being a shifter meant, how the pride worked and what he was trying to do for the shifter kind. Ani knew that Delevan was going to become an important part of their family, and he was glad Dominic had the opportunity to know his son, even if the guy was already twenty-two. Things were going well.
* * * *
Ani had disappeared...again. Dominic knew he wouldn’t be away from the house, or at least he hoped so, but Soren and Casey couldn’t find him and they had been scared to death to admit it to Dominic.
Baby?
Yes?
Where are you? You ditched your guards again.
I didn’t ditch anyone. I don’t need bodyguards when I’m on the house’s property, right?
No, but they can’t find you and they’re worried.
Ani snorted. They’re worried for their asses.
Mind telling me where you are?
The pond. I didn’t want to stay inside today since the sun is so nice, so I took my book outside.
Okay, love. I’ll see you later.
Dominic knew Ani was more than a little worried for his studies. He wanted to finish high school somehow, and he had started studying for it, but he still had some troubles reading. He had already made huge progress, but it wasn’t enough for him, and as Dominic had discovered, Ani tended to isolate himself when he had problems. “He’s fine. He’s at the pond.”
The relief in the two men’s eyes made Dominic chuckle. They just couldn’t keep up with Ani when he wanted to disappear. Maybe he should consider hiring Nix guards. They would have an easier time finding him.
He wished he could go to his mate, but he had to work on this stupid council thing. He didn’t know what the hell he had been thinking when he had decided that shifters needed a council that would rule over them, at least to a certain point. There was no way Alphas would let themselves be stripped of the power they had over their prides and packs, and it was not what Dominic wanted anyway, but that was how they viewed it.
Still, they needed someone who would take care of the criminals, like the ones who were selling their members to the Glass Research Company. They needed a council, guards and enforcers, and a prison. The pride’s cells had never been so full, and it was small to begin with, but between the guards, the scientists and Jeremy’s ex-wife, he didn’t think they could take anyone else in, and he didn’t want to. Dominic didn’t like having criminals so close to his home, but without a secure place where he could send them, he had no other choice, and he couldn’t liberate them. He didn’t want the scientists to start working on shifters again.
The problem with creating a council was that he had no idea who should be in it. It had to be shifters that were respected, but since they were so scattered, it was hard to find anyone like that. Then came the problem of how to make shifters follow the rules and agree to the upper authority. They had always been free of that, and it would be near impossible to convince most of them. They probably would have to do it by force in the beginning, and as much as Dominic didn’t like that idea, he knew it was necessary. Too many shifters had disappeared or died in the past year without anyone noticing it. They couldn’t go against the company on their own.
He just had to decide how the council members would be elected and who the enforcers would be. Yeah, just. Luckily for him he was in contact with Kameron, so he wasn’t working on this alone, but they were only two against an indefinite number of shifters in the world. Just how did he have to divide them? Did the council rule over all of them or only the ones in the States? The loop of questions in his mind was never ending, and he wasn’t seeing any solutions for now.
Maybe he could take a break and go find Ani. With that in mind, Dominic closed his computer and headed outside. Ani was right, the weather really was nice for the beginning of April, and he knew how much his mate enjoyed being outside. It was a side effect of being a Nix.
He was silent as he walked to the pond, not wanting Ani to hear him until he was ready. He liked watching his little mate when he was alone, the dreamy look on his face when he was at the pond, one he didn’t see nearly enough. Water was really important for Ani, and he was more relaxed next to it. He couldn’t wait for summer to arrive so that they could bathe in it.
Dominic’s mate was sitting crossed legged on the ground, his back leaned against the side of the stone bench Bryce had placed there, a book leaning on his legs. He was chewing his thumbnail as he read, his long blond hair fanning around his face in the soft wind. Every now and then he would scrunch his face, probably when he didn’t understand a term, but that didn’t stop him. Ani was strong and stubborn, and Dominic knew he wouldn’t stop until he got to his goal.
Love?
He watched as Ani smiled a soft smile and his eyes glittered. It amazed him that he had that effect on the Nix. Yes?
Look up.
Ani’s eyes darted exactly to where he was standing between the tress and the smile became broader. “You’re taking a break?”
“Yes, and maybe you should too.”
Dominic’s love stood up and put his book on the bench before brushing the dirt from his pert bottom. He wanted to be the one doing that, and he had never be one to deny himself, so he strode over to his mate and did exactly that. Well, not exactly, since his hand lingered there more than necessary, but the blinding smile Ani gave him was definitely worth it. Yeah, like he needed the excuse to touch his mate.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Mmm...” Dominic knew exactly what he wanted to do on his break, and his eyes looked around the clearing, assessing it. It was still a bit cold, but it would do if they didn’t take off more clothes than necessary. He used the mental bound he had with Ani to send an image of what he wanted to do to his mate, a very explicit one, and backed him up against the nearest tree. Oh, the blush on Ani’s face just made him want to eat his little mate up.
Thinking about it, maybe he should. Falling on his knees, Dominic reached for Ani’s pants and opened them before Ani could even react. “Do-Dominic?”
“Shhh, relax, love. I’ll take good care of you.”
“Bu-but someone could see us!”
Dominic let out a small growl. “No one will dare watch, don’t worry. They know I would tear them to pieces if they did.” He didn’t give Ani the opportunity to continue arguing. Pushing down his mate’s pants and underwear to Ani’s knees, Dominic swallowed Ani’s cock. He couldn’t take it to the root, he wasn’t that experienced, but he was willing to try. In the past he usually had been on the receiving end of blowjobs, but as Ani’s taste exploded on his tongue, he knew that would change now. Ani tasted of the woods and the grass mixed with a scent that was uniquely his.
Dominic let the head of Ani’s cock pop out of his mouth and lapped at the bead of pre-cum that appeared on the tip. “Mmm, tasty.”
Ani wasn’t used to talk during sex, and the blush on his face was hot and endearing. Dominic swooped back down, running his tongue along Ani’s length before drinking down the pre-cum that appeared faster and faster as he sucked his mate off. It seemed that Ani wouldn’t last long, but it didn’t matter. He knew he would make Ani come again after that. He just wanted to take the edge off.
Dominic held Ani’s shaft with one hand while he stroked the soft skin behind his mate’s balls with the other, teasing the small entry beyond it every now and then. When he felt Ani’s hands tangle in his hair and unbound it, he knew Ani was close. The moans and whimpers were another indication of that, so he sucked on his lover’s cock even harder and slipped the tip of one finger in Ani’s tight hole at the same time. Ani’s chute sucked him in as the man groaned, and Dominic wiggled his finger until he found what he was looking for. He stroked the small gland as Ani’s moans became louder.
Dominic felt Ani’s hands
tighten in his hair as the smaller man started to move his hips, fucking Dominic’s mouth harder and harder. He tried to relax his throat, wanting to give his mate all the pleasure he could, and he knew he had succeeded when Ani’s back arched against the tree behind him and a long moan rose from his throat. Hot spunk filled his mouth and he drank it all, licking his mate clean before slipping his finger out and getting up.
Ani was slumped against the tree, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe. The blissful expression on his face showed Dominic exactly how much he had enjoyed the blowjob, but now it was Dominic that was in need of release. His cock was hard as a rock in his pants, and he let out a relieved sigh when he finally freed it.
Reaching for Ani, he turned his mate around and placed Ani’s hands flat on the hard bark, pulling his pants a little lower so that he had an easier access to his mate’s entrance. He had taken to carrying around a small packet of lube since they had mated, and it had come handy more than once, so he took it out of his pocket and tore it open, spreading it on his fingers. He pulled his mate’s hips away from the rough bark of the tree, but not too much.
Reaching down, Dominic slipped one finger between Ani’s buttocks and teased the small entrance, reaming it until he felt it flutter. He quickly stretched Ani, the mewls coming from his mate pushing his arousal even higher. Once he deemed his mate ready, he gripped his aching cock and directed it, pushing until the head popped in. Damn, in that position Ani was even tighter. His mate’s hole was tight, hot and silky, and Dominic was already on the edge as he bottomed out.
He reached around Ani and grabbed his mate’s already hard and dripping cock, jacking him off with the same rhythm his hips were following. He needed his mate to come before he could let go, and this was going too slowly, so he let his mate’s hardness go and pulled down the collar of Ani’s shirt enough to expose the mating bite on his neck, then he bit down on the creamy flesh.
Ani bucked under him, pushing back and taking his dick even deeper, his passage rippling and milking Dominic’s cock as his release washed over him, leaving both of them breathless.
Ani [Whitedell Pride: 7] Page 8
