Fates, Mates & Apple Turnovers

by Lisa Oliver Dani Gray

  “I don’t have time for a mate.” Eros yelled back.

  Everyone turned when they heard a howl of pain coming from the kitchen, followed by Cupid yelling.

  When everyone tried to get into the kitchen, they found the way blocked by Athena.

  “No, you don’t get to go back there.”

  “That’s my mate.”

  “No, he’s not.” Athena snapped back. “Since you have rejected him, then you don’t get to see him. We are now his family, we’ll look after him.”

  “Can I help too?” Aletheia asked

  “You all can leave, you’ve hurt him enough.” Cupid snarled out from behind Athena. Stepping around her, he faced the three gods head on.

  “I don’t give a howling hoot where you came from, or who you are.” Cupid kept walking towards them, causing them to keep taking a step back.

  “You have hurt my friend. Someone who never hurt any of you.” Cupid pointed towards the kitchen. “He’s in there, falling apart because his mate is an asshole. I don’t know what happens to shifter who have been rejected, but I swear to all that holy, if anything happens to Peter because of you, I will find a way to make you regret it.”

  Stepping around the three gods, Cupid opened the door and pointed out it.

  “Now, get your asses out of here, and don’t come back until you make things right for my friend.”

  After saying that, Cupid slammed the door in their faces and locked it.

  “He does realize that we can just walk back in there?” Thor quizzically asked.

  “I’m sure he does, but I won’t do that.” Aletheia said. “I admire him, standing up for his friend.”

  “Yeah,” Thor nodded, “I do too. He’s got one hell of a set of balls, standing up to us like that.”

  “True” Aletheia agreed. “So, Eros, do you know what happens to shifters who have been rejected by their mates?”

  “I imagine it depends on the shifter type. I don’t have a lot to do with them, as they already have their senses to guide them to when a mate is near. Why do you ask?” Eros looked at his sister from the reflection in the glass as he kept looking into the store.

  “Well, I’m pretty sure that within a few days, a week at most, Peter will fade away.”

  “What, no.” Eros scoffed. “You’ve been listening to urban myths. He might be small in human terms, but he has a powerful shifter inside of him.”

  “Check back on him tomorrow, then let me know. I haven’t got a problem with telling you, I told you so.”

  After dropping that bomb, Aletheia and Thor disappeared.

  ***

  Heart…broken, can’t breathe. Peter was in agony, his mate had rejected him, but this time, it was in front of witnesses.

  Shattering like a cartoon heart into a million tiny dust particles, Peter realized in a sudden moment of clarity, there was nothing left for him. His dreams of a home, someone to love him for all time, care for him, and work with him were torn to pieces with the slam of the bakery door. It was as if he was frozen, terrified that if he moved so much as an inch, his entire body would fall apart.

  Staring down at the floor, Peter didn’t even see it, his mind had been repeating the scene where Cupid/Eros rejected him. I don’t have time for a mate. Gods, those simple words drove a knife through Peter’s core being. His animal whimpered – they weren’t a chore. A mate wasn’t something that had to be made time for, mates just clicked, and their lives fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. How could Eros reject him without even trying – how could he be so public about it?

  Harvey picking him up and carrying him to bed didn’t register. Cupid, was it Cupid who undressed him and put him under the covers? Peter didn’t know or care. All he knew was no matter how strong he’d tried to be when his mother died, strong for himself and for Harvey, in that moment he was completely drained. All he wanted to do was cry until his body turned to dust and he ceased to exist. Replaying the scene of his rejection in an endless loop in his mind, Peter never even felt Harvey get on the bed and wrap him up in his arms, crying with him.

  Chapter Nine

  “Explain to me about this mating business,” Cupid said firmly, setting a tray on Harvey’s lap, putting the fork in his hand. Peter appeared to be sleeping although his breathing was really shallow. Twenty four hours after his breakdown, the poor boy had barely moved. Harvey refused to leave his side except to use the bathroom. “Now come on Harvey, I know your brother would want you to be strong for him, but tell me what we’re dealing with here. Why is this mates thing so important? Is it because you can turn into Sasquatches? Do I need to call a doctor for him?”

  “No doctors,” Harvey shook his big head. “Doctors can’t help mate sickness.”

  “Mate sickness?” Liam had a notebook in his hand. “Is this a medical condition among your kind?”

  Harvey shook his head again. “It just happens.” He prodded at the pancakes Cupid had made for him, but didn’t eat.

  “Harvey, come on,” Cupid implored. “You can’t get sick too. You need to eat, keep your strength up for when Peter wakes up.” When Harvey still didn’t make a move to eat, Cupid had an idea. “If you clear that plate, I’ll let you play with my cat and kitten.”

  “You have a kitty?” Harvey cut into his pancake with the fork and took a mouthful. Cupid shared a look with his husband, breathing a sigh of relief.

  “I have a kitty named Special Kitty and a cat called Hellcat. You can meet them real soon. But I need to know what’s happened to Peter. Why won’t he wake up?”

  Chewing slowly, Harvey swallowed hard. “He might never wake up.” Big fat tears rolled down his cheeks. “When one of us meets our mate, it’s a wonderful thing. My mom told me. Your senses come alive, your mate is the most wonderful thing you’ve ever smelled before. You get super horny and want to have sex with each other all the time.”

  “Sounds like us, babe,” Cupid smiled softly at his husband. “Go on, what else can you tell us about mates?”

  “They fit,” Harvey said simply, looking at the wedge of pancake on his fork. “If one person is angry about something, their mate can make them calm. When one of them is sad, the other one makes him feel better. If one of them is hurt, the other one is so protective and cares for them, and makes sure no one can hurt their mate again. Mates don’t cheat, they don’t lie to each other, and they always put their mates first in everything.”

  “That does sound wonderful,” Cupid said, prodding at Harvey’s arm to encourage him to eat again. “But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Peter met Cupid, Eros or whoever the hell he was the day before. He gave him a box of apple turnovers, but he didn’t just collapse on the floor and not move when the guy left.”

  “He didn’t tell me.” Harvey looked over his shoulder at his motionless brother. “He wouldn’t want me to worry about him. My guess is Eros only rejected him personally then. Maybe Peter thought he’d change his mind and come back later. But this time, Eros told everyone. There’s nothing more final than that.” Putting down his fork, Harvey burst into loud wailing, tears streaming down his cheeks. “He’s going to die.”

  “Oh no, Harvey, he won’t die. We won’t let him die.” Scrambling closer, Cupid wrapped his arm around Harvey’s huge shoulder, patting his head as Harvey’s wails grew louder. Looking helplessly at Liam, who was as broken up as he was, Cupid mouthed What on earth are we going to do?

  ***

  “Meh.” Eros sighed as he raised his arm, letting a small arrow fly across the nightclub. It hit his mark, just as Eros knew it would, causing the hopeless man to see his date for the evening in a whole new light. Normally Eros got a burst of happiness knowing another immortal connection had been made. Love had been in short supply for years, and yet one by one, couple by couple, Eros was fighting hard to stem the tide of hate.

  Rubbing his eyes, Eros turned back to the bar, lifting his finger for another drink. He felt like he hadn’t slept properly for months. Every time he laid down, his
eyes barely staying open, his head was plagued with call after call as humans pleaded, begged and cried out for someone to love them. It never ends, he thought hopelessly.

  “You look like shit.” Aletheia appeared at the bar beside him. “Have you been to see your mate yet?”

  “I’m working.” Refusing to even look at his sister, Eros leaned his back against the bar, scanning the crowds. His mark for the evening had already been hit, but sometimes Eros caught sight of other connections that needed a helping hand. Eros was happy to help them too. Anything to stop the incessant clamor in his head.

  “Cupid, Eros, you can’t be that stupid,” Aletheia hissed. “It’s been four days. Thor and I have been checking on him, but there’s nothing we can do. He’s fading.”

  Suddenly, Eros was angry, really angry. Uncaring if anyone noticed, he grabbed his sister’s arm and translocated them out into the alley behind the club. “You do not get to call me stupid and I’m sick to death of you acting like a drama llama. You have no idea what my job is like. There are thousands, literally thousands of humans begging to the cosmos, desperate to meet the love of their life. Their calling keeps me awake at night. I could zap around from place to place twenty four seven for the next fifty years and I’d never reach them all. Why? Because for every person who I do make a match for, a dozen new ones take their place. Don’t you get it. I. Don’t. Have. Time. For. A. Mate.”

  “So, you’ll let your mate die, just so others can find the love you long for?” Aletheia shook her head. “You know more than anyone the story of Fated Mates. Peter only gets one, and you’re it.”

  “He’ll get over it. He’s got his brother to look after.” Eros knew the words were weak even by his standards. “You don’t understand how important my job is.”

  “I do know how important your job is,” Aletheia would not back down. “I can only imagine that’s why the Fates sought to bless you with a mate when the rest of us don’t have one. You more than anyone need the support a loved one can bring. And as for getting over it, get over yourself. Fuck it, go and see him if you don’t believe me. Cupid is ordering Harvey a black suit as we speak.”

  Eros felt a pang of doubt. He’d been so sure Peter would recover and move on without him. “I read up about shifters. They only die if they’ve claimed their mate and something happens to one of them. Peter and I have barely said five words to each other.”

  “You damn fool,” Aletheia’s punch was going to leave a bruise on his arm. “Shifters know their mates by scent. Peter scented you. His animal half knows you’re his mate and accepted you instantly. Now you’ve rejected him in front of witnesses. That poor beast is going to pine away and take Peter with him.”

  “You’d better not be joking with me,” Eros warned, knowing he was going to have to check. “If I go back and see him up and about acting as though nothing’s happened, I’ll… I’ll….” Eros couldn’t think of a threat harsh enough – one of the joys of having god-like siblings.

  “The next time you see me, you’ll have some of those apple turnovers as a gift to me, to say thank you, for not letting that poor man fade away because you were too thick to see how good things could be between you. Now, get on. Go to him, and pray you’re not too late.”

  Chapter Ten

  Cupid/Eros waited until there was no one in the room, then quietly moved into it.

  Aletheia was right, his mate was near death, and it was his fault.

  “Why did you mate me with this man?” Eros softly snarled, glaring at the ceiling. “You had to know how bad it’s gotten for me, the incessant cries of the lonely. Why would you do this to Peter, he doesn’t deserve this.”

  “Because he’s as lonely as you are, but he’s also as loving.” Atropos said, appearing in the dimly lit room, her sisters on either side of her. Eros would gape, the Fates were rarely seen by anyone, but he was too busy listening to the woman justify herself. “He would be the perfect person to be at your side, helping you, supporting you.”

  Shaking her head, she moved away from her sisters and went over to the bed to brush a gentle hand over Peter’s brow.

  “And now, I’m about to cut his thread, well before it was his time.”

  Eros watched as a tear slipped down her face, only to fall onto the bed.

  “Then you are making that choice. You can’t put that on me. Why can’t you mate him with someone else?” Eros begged. “If he’s so loving then mate him with someone who will love him like he’s meant to be loved.”

  “That someone is you.” Lachesis said firmly. “Peter has a light in his soul that few share. His past experiences would have rendered any other man bitter and twisted, but not him. All he’s ever done is try and watch out for his brother and work to keep them both safe. He deserves the grandest kind of love and who better to give that to him than the god of love himself?”

  Eros moved his head, intending to glare at the remaining two sisters, when he saw what was in Clotho hands.

  “What are you doing?” He cried out.

  “Fixing what you are destroying with your foolishness.” Clotho calmly said.

  Eros tried to get up and move away, but he was held in place by an unseen force. He watched in disbelief as Clotho pulled back on the bow and shot him with one of his arrows.

  ***

  Peter felt like he was trying to walk through mud. He could feel that someone was calling to him, needing him, but he had no idea who. All he saw around him was mud, trying to suck him down into it.

  “Please, Peter, wake up.” The voice said. “I’m here, my mate, please come back to me.”

  Mate, hang on, his mate rejected him. Who would be calling him mate?

  “You need to wake, young Peter.” A woman’s voice softly said.

  Turning towards the voice, he saw three women, standing together. He turned and walked to them as fast as he could. The closer he got, the less the mud was sucking him down. When he finally got near them, he found he was able to walk on solid ground.

  “Who are you?” Peter asked them, “where are we?”

  “We are the Fates. I am Atropos, the older sister.” She held out her hand to Peter and when he grabbed it, he felt comforted by her, like when he held his mom’s hand.

  “Thank you for that lovely compliment,” She said.

  “You can read my mind?”

  “Of course, we are the Fates,” The middle aged woman said. “I am Lachesis, and this is Clotho.” Lachesis pointed to the youngest looking woman.

  “Hi.” Peter looked at them. They were all beautiful in their own way, but what he appreciated more was the feeling of calm and love that emanated from them.

  “Where are we?” Peter again asked, looking around and now seeing a forest growing out of the mud.

  “We are in your mind, young one. We are here to help you back to the land of the living, back to your mate.”

  “What mate?” Peter aimed for a dismissive tone, something hard to do when his heart still heart from what Eros had done. “You mean the one who publicly rejected me. I’m not going back.”

  “Ah, but there has been a change in him.” Lachesis said, with a smile. “I don’t think you’ll find he’ll reject you any more.”

  “What do you mean?” The women might be beautiful and powerful in their own right, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be suspicious of them or their motives.

  “Have no worries, young Peter.” Atropos said, as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “We just helped Eros along. He would have come around in due time, but when you began to fade, we had to step in.”

  “What have you done to him!” Peter asked in horror. Fading hurt, being in the depths of despair was equivalent to traipsing through the mud in his mind, but Peter never, ever wanted anything to harm his mate.

  “We gave him a dose of his own medicine.” Clotho giggled. “I shot him with one of his own arrows.”

  “Why would you do that?” Peter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why force him to be with
me, when that’s not what he chose for himself. How can you even think that’s how I wanted to be with my mate. If he wanted me, he would be by my side by his choice, not your trickery.”

  “He will be with you, because that’s what he does want deep inside,” Atropos said. “The arrow only helps him to see what is in front of him. Give him the chance to prove it.”

  “If it doesn’t work, and Eros can’t be the mate you need,” Lachesis added as Peter was still busy trying to work out when his life had gotten so complicated, “then call on us and we will help you by attaching your string with another mate.”

  “We aren’t cruel. We truly believe Cupid, or as you call him, Eros, is the man for you.” Clotho added, “We do sometimes make mistakes, but they are very rare.”

  “Go back to the living, please?” Lachesis asked.

  Peter stood quietly for a moment, staring off into the distance. Dare he give Eros another chance? Could he handle his heart being broken again? Peter thought about Eros, the gorgeous god who spent all his time finding love for others. Was it possible the god had spent all this time alone? Instinctively, his heart immediately warmed to the god. Maybe there was a good reason for his rejection. I never thought to ask. And then Peter thought of Harvey, and Cupid and Liam, and how they’d tried to help him turn his life around. Was he really going to throw it all away, when the opportunity for true happiness lay just beyond his reach?

  Heaving a sigh, Peter turned and nodded his head to the three Fates.

  “Okay. I’ll try.” He looked around, wondering how to get back.

  “Allow me,” Atropos said, suddenly giving him a hard push.

  Suddenly Peter was back in his bed. He sat up with a gasp. Eros was there slumped in a chair by the bed, his face filled with sorrow, his clothes rumpled as though he’d slept in them.

  “Eros?” Peter’s mouth was so dry he could barely get a word out. He ran his tongue around his teeth, trying to get some saliva moving. “Are you all right? Clotho said she shot you.”