by JF Holland
“But…”
“He knew but still set me up. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have to deal with this bloody curse.”
“What happened, why did she curse you?” Balin asked, sipping his coffee.
“Once introduced, I knew who she was as soon as I heard her name. Leonard had taken her friend upstairs, a little nymph he’d taken a shine to and I wanted to leave.”
“She cursed you because you wanted to leave?” Edwin piped up.
“No, she cursed me because I told her I wasn’t sleeping with a murderous bitch. She told me fine, she hoped I enjoyed the high moral ground and I could have something else to go with my stiff upper lip. At the time, I shared a house with Leonard, a house attached to a churchyard in Paris. The architecture on the building and church was exquisite. I used to love to spend time sitting on the spires and watching the lives of those on the ground. Gargoyles are guardians by nature, descendants of Angels, so I was comfortable around churches. She said as I was a man of such good moral fibre, obviously, a saint, she’d make sure that only a pure woman would be able to save me. She said until I found a true mate with a pure white heart I’d be in limbo. That whoever I found would have to see beyond the shell to the man beneath, then laughed as she wished me luck and left.”
“Damn,” said John.
“Yes. Leonard thought it hilarious when he finally appeared. Well, until the following day when he woke to find that I’d crashed through my bed, the floor and was in the middle of the front parlour. You could say that kind of put an end to our friendship.”
“You never forgave him?” Edwin asked.
“Come on, you’ve seen what I become. Would you in all honestly trust someone who’d purposely set you up on a date with a murderous bitch, all for the sake of a quick fuck.”
“Damn,” Edwin murmured, taking a gulp of his whisky.
“I still can’t believe he’d set you up on purpose.”
“He’d heard of her reputation.”
“But did he think it true or made up, a story?” Balin asked.
“The consequences were still the same. I’m the one who’s life has been put on hold all these years. Have you any idea how many times I’ve ended up in a reclamation yard somewhere?”
“Bollocks,” Balin replied.
“Exactly, I don’t need that kind of friendship.”
“Okay, what’s the dating site called and what have you put on his application?”
Luc grinned then, and turned his phone around so Balin could see, who blinked and then burst out laughing.
“Wow, I never realised you had a sense of humour.”
“What’s he put?” John asked trying to see the screen.
“The site is called Eternal Mates. He’s wrote, lonely bachelor looking for his eternal mate, a woman who is looking for a sincere, faithful man with a quiet nature. He’s looking for a woman who can see past his looks to the sensitive man who hides beneath the exterior. Someone he can take long walks with and shares his love of quiet evenings at home and discussions on poetry.”
They all began laughing at that one, because they all knew Leonard didn’t have a sincere bone in his body.
“Okay, how are you going to get him on a date?” John asked drying his eyes after laughing so hard.
“Simple, all the replies will come to me, and I’ll pick a woman I know will drive him insane.”
“Yes, but how are you going to get him to go on a date?” Edwin piped up and Luc grinned.
“I’ll tell him I’ll forgive him if he does me this one favour, but he has to really give dating a shot. He has to have no less than five-dates with the woman, and he’s not allowed to sleep with her, or anyone else in that time.”
They all set off laughing again.
“I feel sorry for him, well, almost,” Balin snorted remembering Leonards amusement at his own predicament. Payback was going to be fun, life was looking up on one front at least. Now they just had to get rid of the psychos and he needed to win over his mate.
Chapter Seven
T hey’left John’s mothers and were now in the pub, Balin not ready to return home just yet.
“What can I get you?” Evan the owner and landlord asked them as they sat around a table.”
“I’ll have a pint of lager and some of Cathy’s steak pie,” John said.
“Me too,” said Edwin.
“Make that three,” said Luc.
“Four, but I’ll have a bitter, lemonade shandy instead,” replied Balin.
“Shandy?” John asked.
“Trust me, after the shit I’ve caused myself I’m leaving the hard alcohol alone for a while.” The men chuckled as they waited for their meal and drink to arrive.
“Luc?” said Michael, one of Evan’s twin boys as he collected pots from the next table over.
“Hi,” Luc responded. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s the school holidays in a couple of weeks, do you think you could help me with a project?”
“Sure, but you know I can only help after it’s dark?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“What’s the project?” He said moving back as Evan brought plates over and put it before the four men.”
“Michael, let them eat, the pots are piling up in the back go help Damian wash them.
“We’ll talk soon Michael, I’ll help with your project, I promise,” Luc told him as he turned and left the front of house, pots stacked in his arms.
“Sorry about that, he’s got some project on old buildings coming up, extra credit or something,” Evan explained.
“It’s fine, he’s a good lad, they both are Evan.”
“Thanks Luc, I’ll just grab your drinks and then leave you in peace to eat.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with the shop and flat?” Balin asked John.
“Not a clue, I may rent it out if someone wants to take over the business,” he explained, cutting into his pie.
“Good idea,” Luc replied moaning around the flaky pastry and rich sauce. “Damn, Cathy’s pies take some beating.”
“They do,” Balin replied, swallowing a mouthful before taking a swallow of his Shandy, once John placed it by his elbow.
“Glad you’re enjoying it,” he replied with a wink.
“You ever get fed up with Cathy, send her my way,” Luc replied and John laughed as he walked off.
“So this curse, what exactly do you need to end it?” Balin asked and Luc frowned.
“Not a clue, I told you everything the bitch told me when she cursed me.”
“I take it you’ve hunted down the odd witch to see if she could help?” Edwin asked, taking a swallow of his own lager.
“I’ve lost count to be honest, but then again witches kind of make me twitchy now.”
“I can’t say I blame you,” Balin said “Nymphs have the same effect on me,” he replied and the men around the table laughed.
“So Lana, how are you going to sort it out between you?” Luc asked and Balin sighed.
“Not a damn clue, she’s back to radio silence. Oh, apart from now and again she calls me a dick,” he grumbled.
The men laughed as they commiserated with him over their meal and drink.
The small family rub pub was busy, full of people having late meals, Cathy’s cooking legendary in the area. In the summer, they’d sit out back around the tables - under parasols - and enjoy the peace and view of the fields and woods.
Evan had moved here when him and Cathy had become bound about thirty-years ago. As they were Brown bears they enjoyed the wooded area that surrounded the small countryside town. It allowed them some freedom, especially as so many immortals lived here, although Cathy had not been an immortal when Evan had been mated to her.
They were now firmly entrenched in the community, on the parish council and the board of governors at the local school. They’d helped the town fight to keep it open after the government had wanted to shut it down and move all the kids to
the next town over which had a larger population.
Meal finished, the men sat and chatted generally about life and work. Balin had been looking at a new site to put some houses on. A few of the shifters owned property, including the woods as they were desperate to stop the government from taking any of the space and therefore putting the immortals in the town at risk of exposure. If the government had their way and got their hands on the greenbelt area, they’d turn it into a large housing estate and completely ruin the small, friendly community. The woods and fields not only gave the shifters freedom, it also insulated them from the surrounding areas, offering them a little respite from the stresses of living in the more populated areas which some worked in.
“Right, I think I’ll head home, I have a mate to watch over tomorrow,” Balin said getting to his feet.
“Remember to keep your paws to yourself,” Luc shouted as Balin headed to the door, flashing him the birdie over his shoulder.
He waved to the Nathan and Adam Lincoln, the grizzly twins as he passed them on his way home, well to Jaden’s. Although, technically it was his home as he owned the house Jaden was staying in and the one Lara was presently living in also. Although his own home and the one he preferred was further out, on the edge of town - with more greenbelt land attached to it. The thing about being immortal was you accumulated a lot of things over the years, including money and property.
Chapter Eight
B alin rolled out of bed as his alarm went off. Rubbing his hands over his face he heard a noise and dropped onto the side of his bed, mouth pinched in displeasure as he heard another high pitch moan.
Really, this was taking the piss. He’d slept for the last two nights with a pillow over his head so he didn’t have to listen to Jaden and Maya banging shit out of each other. Now he had to wake up and hear them at it too.
“He’s the fucking energizer bunny,” he grumbled to himself as he pushed up and headed out of his room and into the bathroom. He needed a shower, and hopefully the pounding of the water would drown out the pounding of their headboard against their bedroom wall. He made a mental note to screw the fucking thing to the wall once he came back this afternoon.
He also needed a decent set of earplugs, he thought as he rinsed the suds out of his hair and off his body.
Once towelled off, he slowly opened the bathroom door, ears pricking up just as they hit their peak.
“Fuck it,” he mumbled and made his way downstairs with a towel wrapped around his waist.
He needed coffee, lots and lots of coffee to help wake him up.
Slouching at the kitchen table still in his towel, Balin was on his second cup of coffee when he heard footfalls on the stairs. Looking up from his cup he spotted Jaden stepping off the last step. He swaggered into the kitchen with his jeans unfastened, no top, feet bare, with his black hair damp from a shower. Grabbing two cups off the draining board, he poured coffee from the machine he’d bought, doctoring them with milk and sugar. Turning, he leaned back against the sink and took a swallow out of his own cup, then put it down on the side as he stretched and yawned.
Balin snorted, mumbling under his breath as he cradled his own cup between his palms, bleary eyed.
“What’s rattled your cage?”
“That would be your headboard and the soprano vocals,” Balin groused.
“Huh?”
“Bro, you need a fucking muffler.”
“What are you talking about?’
“All the banging you’re doing you are keeping me awake.”
“What banging… what are you talking about?’
“Oh, Jaden, yes, yes, just there, yessss,” he mimicked in a whiny tone.
Jaden scratched his head, confusion written all over his face - then it cleared and he ran a hand over the stubble on his chin to hide his grin.
“Smug bastard,” Balin scowled.
“Sorry, I’ll buy Maya a gag later,” he winked as he picked up both cups and sauntered back out of the room.
“Not cool bro,” Balin grumbled to his back as he hit the bottom step. Jaden stopped, turning to look at Balin over the bannister.
“Well maybe if you hadn’t been such an arse you wouldn’t be complaining about not getting any. I mean, seriously, stripping for another woman! What in the hell did you expect?” Jaden said shaking his head. Balin stuck his middle finger up at him as he took another swallow of coffee.
“No thanks, my wife’s prettier,” Jaden laughed turning and heading back upstairs to take Maya her coffee.
Balin slammed his cup down, then dropped his head to the table-top, eyes closed as he groaned. Jaden was right, he knew he was - but he already knew he’d fucked up he didn’t need the reminder. He’d still not figured out how to make up for his screw up. Hopefully Lana would talk to him today when he took her to the club to practice her routine.
He could do with a run, it would help take the edge of his cat’s anxiety, he was also pissed at not being able to claim his mate. Not a brilliant combination. Lack of sleep and a pissed off jaguar did not make the best decisions, well not in his case anyway.
Sighing he closed his eyes as he tried to formulate a plan.
Balin woke with a start when his chair was kicked.
“Yo, sleeping beauty, put some damn clothes on.”
“Huh?” he said, pushing himself upright and running a hand through his hair to get his fringe out of his eyes. His hair was getting long again, the bane of a shifters life.
“You are not dressed for company, go and dress,” Sam hissed at him as he kicked his chair again.
“Jesus, alright dad,” Balin groused pushing his chair back and standing. He heard a gasp from the doorway and turned in time to see Lana standing in the doorway her mother at her back.
Sam had dragged them through the back garden, explaining about the broken fence panel as they’d stepped over it. It seemed Jaden had a bit of a temper and had gone to town on Jackson the Jackal after he’d attacked Maya. Unfortunately for him, Jaden had gotten the better of him, and he’d lost his life. Although he was related to her - and she had in fact called him uncle, Lana felt no sorrow at his demise. Especially not after he’d attacked Maya, well, that and a few things she remembered of him herself from her own childhood. The man had been strange to say the least, and he’d always turned up not long after her father had been on one of his rampages, taking off with him afterwards.
They’d lagged as she’d stopped to wait for her mother, letting Sam and Helena go on ahead leaving the door open for them. Stepping inside, she’d stopped in her tracks at the sight of Balin rising from a chair. All he had on was a towel, wrapped low on his hips. His dark hair was dishevelled, as if he’d been running his hands through it repeatedly and then her attention was taken with the ink on his naturally tanned skin. He must have heard her as he turned, pinning her with his slumberous golden gaze and her eyes dropped, not able to meet them. Frowning, she moved forward to take a closer look at something that had caught her eye. He had a scar that ran halfway around his neck from near his throat to just before his spinal column. It was faded, not unsightly or raised as such – so it must be an old scar, but it was a scar none the less. Not something one of their kind usually had.
Unless?
“Courtesy of either your father, or one of your uncle’s,” Balin explained watching her eye up his neck.
Lana watched his hand come up and cover the scar as if self-conscious.
“How?”
“I don’t remember much about it, apart from they tried to take my head with a really big knife,” he shrugged.
“When?”
“Around one-hundred and ninety years ago, when I was five.” Lana heard her mother gasp behind her.
“You were a baby,” Lara spoke up, sounding shocked as she moved into the room.
“I was luckier than my parents. Sam found me before they could finish what they’d started. With Agatha’s help he healed me, and then raised me himself,” Balin explained. Then realising how
close Lana was to him, he stepped back remembering his promise to her mother.
“You’re scared of my mother?” laughed Lana’s amused voice in his head. He looked up at her and raised a brow as his hand dropped to the front of his towel.
“I have a hard-on, not exactly fit for company,” he rumbled inside her head, turning his back.
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh - and to answer your other question about your mother. Hell, yes. I’ve seen your aunt roast shit with her hands, so excuse me for not wanting to become a crispy shish kebab.”
Lara was charmed by him despite her reservations, she watched him from beneath her lashes. He seemed a little disconcerted around her, and she hid a grin. Then her eyes caught on the ink again and the musculature visible beneath it. She couldn’t help admiring how he was put together as he stood there.
“Ladies, excuse me,” Balin spoke to the room in general not able to meet Lana’s amused green gaze after his confession. Especially as he could feel her eyes running over his flesh like a flame branding him.
“So not helping,” he hissed in her head. She sent him back a picture of her undoing his towel before running a hand over him - making him groan.
“Playing with fire,” he warned.
“Must be my gene’s,” she quipped back in his head.
Clearing his throat, Balin continued out loud. “I wasn’t expecting company - I’ll go get dressed. Sam, could you make a fresh pot of coffee please? Jaden took the last of it for him and Maya. I have a feeling I’m going to need the caffeine hit,” he said before leaving the room without a backwards glance to Lana. Her laughter ringing in his head as he retreated.
“Ladies, take a load off,” Sam said as he went about making a fresh pot of coffee.
Lana took the seat Balin had vacated, still warm from his body heat.
He was more interesting than she’d realised, he also had more in common with her than he knew. She ran her own hand over her shoulder where her bra strap rested.
