At Year's End (The 12 Olympians)

by Gasq-Dion, Sandrine

  “Excuse me?” Derek glared at his husband.

  “You won’t be human for long, babe.” James winked. He eyed Caden, Wayne and Riley. “I need to speak with you three. You too, Jaxon.”

  “Me? Why me? What did I do?” Jaxon balked, grabbing Elijah and holding him close.

  “It will only take a moment.” James motioned to the back door.

  “I’ll be right back.” Jaxon kissed Elijah softly.

  He followed the men out back and waited for the door to close. James stood against the deck railing, surveying them.

  “Well? What’s the secrecy for?” Wayne asked.

  “I found the human parents of the boys. They’re all dead, except one.” James removed the birth certificate from his jacket and handed it to Caden. “Look at the name.”

  Caden eyed the paper closely. His eyes widened. “I know this name. My man did a background check and this came up, but there was no record of wrongdoing.”

  “Look at the child on the paper.” James pointed to the line.

  “Elijah?” Caden whispered. “His mother is alive?”

  “Yes, and I think we need to go talk with her.”

  Caden straightened up and met James’ eyes. “I will go.”

  “Um, no offense, but I’m going, too,” Jaxon cut in.

  “She will need to be warned,” James advised.

  Caden nodded. “I will take care of it.”

  “I’ve removed Ashton from his home. His father had been bitten by a rogue and it was too late to reverse it. He’s in Siberia now,” James informed them, mentioning the isolated location where captured rogues were kept under guard. “We will get him taken care of. When are you going to take care of this?”

  “Let’s go now. I want this over with.” Jaxon walked back in the house and took Elijah aside. “I need to run an errand; can you stay here with the guys?”

  “Is it super-secret stuff?” Elijah whispered.

  Jaxon smiled. “Yep.”

  “Okay, my badass. I’ll stay right here.”

  “I love you, Elijah.” Jaxon held him close.

  “Love you, too.”

  ~*~

  An apartment came into view and Jaxon swallowed hard. Elijah had a mom. His father may not be able to be a part of his life, but his mother could — if she wanted to. Caden parked in the lot and they took the steps two at a time. Caden knocked and both of them waited on pins and needles. The door opened and grey eyes met theirs.

  “Mon dieu! Allo Caden, Jaxon.” The stewardess Caden had hired for his private jet looked somewhat confused.

  Caden nodded. “Hello, Sabine. May we come in?”

  “Of course.” Sabine opened the door and stepped aside. Caden looked very serious, but Jaxon Salvatore looked nervous. “Please have a seat; can I get you a drink?”

  Caden stood and sighed. “We need to talk to you, Sabine — or should I call you Dominique?”

  Sabine’s face lost all color.

  “How…?”

  “I do a background check on all my employees; this did not raise any flags as there was no record attached to it. A lot of people have aliases, so I did not think anything of it. Not until I got this.” Caden pulled the certificate from his pocket and handed it to Sabine.

  She held the yellowed paper in her hand, her heart racing. It was for her child, the one who she had given up for adoption, the one she had never forgotten.

  “Where did you get this?” she whispered.

  “Does it matter?” Jaxon asked.

  “I suppose not,” Sabine sighed and collapsed on the couch.

  “What happened, Sabine?” Caden probed gently.

  “I was young, almost twenty. I met a man in Greece on one of my flights. He was very charismatic and beautiful. He wooed me; we fell in love. I would have given him anything; I loved him so much. But one day, he was just gone. A month or so later I discovered I was pregnant,” Sabine sighed. “I was young, just starting my career. One of the nuns in the small village where I lived told me about the orphanage. I…couldn’t keep the child; it would have been a constant reminder of the man who took my heart.”

  Sabine swiped at her eyes.

  “I swore from that moment on, I would never think of him again.”

  “The man you were with,” Caden walked to Sabine and crouched in front of her. “He is a god, Sabine.”

  Sabine rolled her eyes. “Please, he was good looking — ”

  “No, an actual god, Sabine.” Jaxon stood up. “His name is Hephaestus.”

  Sabine blinked. “Pardon?”

  “It is time for you to be let in on the big secret Sabine.” Caden stood and pulled Sabine up. “I, as well as my husband and many people you know — we are not human, Sabine.”

  “Are you high?” Sabine narrowed her eyes looking into Caden’s. Her eyes went wide at seeing Caden’s pupil’s contract. Long white teeth dropped from under his lips.

  “She’s going to faint,” Jaxon said quietly.

  Caden caught Sabine before she hit the floor. He turned to Jaxon. “A cold cloth?”

  Caden was pacing back and forth when Jaxon got back with the cloth. Sabine was moaning, coming around. Caden knelt down and placed the cloth on her forehead. Her eyes opened and she sprang off the couch.

  “What are you?!” she pointed at Caden.

  “A werewolf. The point to all this, Sabine, is that your son is alive.”

  Sabine stopped cold. “What?”

  “I said your son is alive, Sabine, and right here in Washington.”

  “He…he is alive? He is okay?” Sabine whispered.

  “He is now.” Jaxon crossed his arms. “He’s my mate.”

  “Your…what?” Sabine shook her head. “This is too much.”

  “I’m a werewolf; your son is a demi-god. All caught up now?” Jaxon drawled.

  Caden looked over his shoulder at Jaxon. “Really?”

  Jaxon shrugged. “I cut to the chase.”

  Sabine walked to the window. “My son is alive. I always wondered where he was, if he was okay, if he was loved. He would be nineteen now.”

  “It’s Elijah Newman, Sabine,” Caden said gently.

  Sabine’s hand flew to her chest and a gasp left her lips. “Elijah?” She whirled around to Caden and Jaxon. “He was abducted!”

  “Yes, by the Titans.”

  “The who?”

  Jaxon sighed in frustration and Caden spared him an exasperated look.

  Caden turned back to Sabine with a stern look. “That child is like my son, so if you do not wish to be in his life then I will not tell him who you are. I will not have him hurt.”

  “How dare you tell me what to do with my son!” Sabine shouted.

  Caden smiled.

  “Why are you smiling?” Sabine snapped.

  “That is the mother instinct.”

  Sabine sat down and put her face in her hands. “He is going to hate me for giving him up.”

  “You do not know that, Sabine. Elijah is very kind and loving. It is why we all love him so much.” Caden took her hands. “Please think very carefully about this. If you wish him to know — ”

  “I want to see him.” Sabine stood and wiped again at her eyes.

  “Sabine — ” Jaxon started.

  “You are his mate; I am his mother. Don’t try to stop me.”

  Jaxon stepped back and motioned to the door. “After you.”

  Once in the car, Jaxon turned to face Sabine in the backseat. She looked shell-shocked. He had to give her some credit; she’d found out what they all were and didn’t run screaming from them.

  Yet.

  “How do you know Elijah?” Jaxon asked.

  “I have seen him at Caden’s office when I pick up my schedule. He is always very polite and smiles at me.” Sabine smiled weakly. “I have also seen him at the outreach centers. He has a beautiful voice.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “You are his mate? As in wolf packs?”

  Jaxon nodded. �
�Yes. He’s mine, for life.”

  “You love him, don’t you?”

  “More than my life.”

  Sabine blushed and Jaxon tilted his head. “What?”

  “I tried to seduce my son’s mate,” she chuckled softly.

  Caden snorted.

  “Shut up.” Jaxon nudged Caden.

  When they got back to the house, Sabine seemed more nervous. Jaxon tried to calm her by assuring her that Elijah could never hate her. God, he hoped he was right. They entered the house and all the men stopped talking. They all moved slowly toward their mates. Caden chuckled softly and strode by them.

  “Do not worry; she is not here for you.” Sabine had quite the reputation for hitting on all the men at one time or another.

  A collective sigh went around the room and Andrei nudged his husband.

  “Were you worried?” Andrei snickered.

  “No. She finds you more attractive than me,” Devin smiled wide.

  Sabine stopped in front of James and he motioned her aside. They went into the kitchen and James offered her a glass of water. He turned to her and tried to think of how to let her know what she’d be facing.

  “Look, before you go talk to Elijah, there are some things you should know.”

  “Such as?” Sabine sipped her water.

  “Justice and Jaxon went to Greece and came upon the orphanage from which Elijah was adopted. They found out that one mysterious woman was responsible for bringing in all of the children of the gods as newborns.” He paused before laying it out. “All the birth parents were dead. You are the only one still alive; you were probably guided to the nun by the gods.”

  Sabine choked on her water. She wiped her face and stared at James open-mouthed. “Why am I still alive?”

  “We think it’s because you never settled anywhere permanently. You moved around all the time and changed your name. But make no mistake; if the Titans find out about you, they will come.”

  Sabine sighed and regarded the men in the kitchen. Nothing mattered at that point but seeing her son. She set her glass down and smiled at the men.

  “I would like to see my son now.”

  “I’ll take you.” Jaxon motioned out back.

  Jaxon led the way to the back deck where Elijah was talking with Ryder and Skylar. The boys all turned when the door shut. Skylar smiled and nodded to Sabine.

  “Hello, Sabine.”

  “Hello, Skylar. You look wonderful.”

  “Thank you. You look beautiful as always.”

  “Could you guys give us a second with Elijah?” Jaxon asked.

  “Sure.” Skylar took Ryder’s hand and led him inside.

  Elijah looked from Sabine to Jaxon. They both looked nervous for some reason. He sat down on the bench and studied them both.

  “Why do you both look like that?” he asked.

  Jaxon took the seat next to Elijah and smiled, patting his hand.

  “James did some digging on the human birth parents of all the Olympians. He’s going to tell them what they are one by one when they’re ready, but your case is different.” Jaxon took a deep breath and blurted it out. “It seems the Titans didn’t want the twelve Olympians to have their human birth parents.”

  Elijah’s eyes widened. “They killed them all?”

  “Yes, Elijah.” Jaxon nodded sadly. “Except for yours.”

  “Mine? Why not mine?”

  “Because I never stayed in one place too long,” Sabine answered.

  Elijah’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Sabine gave him a wary smile.

  “Yes, I am your mother, Elijah,” she said.

  “You’re…my mom?” Elijah whispered.

  “Yes and I am so sorry I gave you up. I didn’t know what else to do. Your father disappeared on me one day and I realized I was pregnant — ” Elijah flew into her and she held him tightly. “Not one day has gone by that I did not think of you, Elijah. I wondered if you were okay, if you were loved. Now I know that you were none of those things and it pains me to know you did not have a happy childhood.”

  “But I am loved.” Elijah sniffled in Sabine’s shirt. “Jaxon loves me.”

  “I have always loved you, Elijah.” Sabine closed her eyes and held her son. “No matter what comes now, I want to be part of your life.”

  “You do?” Elijah pulled away and wiped at his eyes. “But it’s dangerous. We’ll have to keep it a secret.”

  “I don’t want to.” Sabine shook her head.

  “You have to! I can’t lose another person in my life!” Elijah’s eyes began to water again and he choked back a sob.

  “Okay, okay, I will come and see you whenever I can, all right?” Sabine soothed him. She wiped his tears and kissed his forehead. “I love you so much, Elijah. Now that I know you are okay, and Jaxon is taking care of you I will feel much better.”

  “So I’m French?” Elijah grinned.

  “Well, half French and half Greek, on your father’s side.”

  “Can you tell me about him?”

  “Why don’t we go in?” Jaxon stood and opened the door for them. He palmed Elijah’s face as he stopped in front of him.

  “I love you, Jaxon.”

  “I love you too.”

  Jaxon sat with Elijah and Sabine as they both talked a mile a minute. He could visibly see the love Sabine had for Elijah. It was sad to find out that none of the other human parents had survived. Jaxon surveyed the room. The party was winding down and it was getting late. He nudged Elijah and whispered in his ear.

  “It’s almost eleven.”

  “It is?” Elijah checked his phone.

  “I should go; I have an early flight in the morning.” Sabine pulled Elijah to her and held him tightly. “I love you, Elijah.”

  “I…want to say it back, but — ”

  “It is all right, Elijah; you do not know me. It will come in time,” Sabine assured him.

  Elijah walked Sabine out. Jaxon stood by his side as James opened the door for her. Her life was about to change drastically. Sabine would have a fulltime guard on her from that point on. Elijah pulled on his hand and Jaxon looked down at him.

  “What is it?”

  “I have to say goodbye to everyone.”

  Jaxon nodded and they headed back inside. Elijah made the rounds and then stopped in front of Caden and Kellan.

  “I know who my father is now, but you two will always be my dads.”

  Jaxon had to smile as both men looked like they were about to cry. They both hugged Elijah to them.

  “It is my honor, Elijah,” Caden choked out.

  “Night.” Elijah waved at the room.

  “Night.”

  ~*~

  Jaxon fell into bed and stared up at the ceiling. Elijah snuggled into him and Jaxon kissed his forehead.

  “Jaxon?”

  “Yep.”

  “Thank you, for waiting for me.”

  “Always, Elijah. Always.”

  ~*~

  The clear water of Socorro Island beckoned Elijah. When Caden had suggested they all go and work on their abilities, Elijah hadn’t realized they’d be in paradise — and they had arrived on the Salvatore yacht.

  A yacht? Who owned a yacht these days?

  “Apparently, we do.” Jaxon grinned standing next to him.

  “You’re so snobby,” Elijah chuckled.

  “I am not!” Jaxon laughed, picking Elijah up in his arms.

  “Dude, just what am I supposed to do?” Nate looked down at his hands. “Fling them out or something? How does this work?”

  Stone frowned at his own hands. “I don’t know. I’m a healer, so what is my power against the bad guys? I heal them? Doesn’t make much sense.”

  “Look,” Jaxon regarded them all. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, that’s what we’re here for, to help.”

  “Hey! I got a little bolt to come out!” Ryder exclaimed.

  Jaxon eyed Justice sideways. He raised one brow and nodded to Nate. Justice nodded back and
walked over to where Nate was trying to figure out how to make his powers work. Justice shifted and let out a snarl. Nate’s hair went up on end and he whipped his hands out in front of him. Jaxon started in surprise as Justice fell over on his side. He ran to his brother and knelt in the sand.

  “Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” Nate shouted. “What did I do?”

  Skylar flew to his mate’s side and crouched down next to him. Justice seemed to be sleeping. Skylar raised his eyes to Nate.

  “I think you inebriated him,” he laughed.

  “I what?”

  “He’s drunk,” Jaxon chuckled.

  “I made him drunk?” Nate asked in confusion.

  “Well, that does help if the bad guys are falling down drunk,” Stone chuckled.

  Skylar covered Justice with a towel and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Jaxon, nodding to Stone. Jaxon got the hint and wheeled around to Stone. Dropping his canines, he advanced on the younger man.

  “Now wait a minute!” Stone backed up. “I don’t know what I can do!”

  “Time to find out,” Jaxon snarled.

  “Wait!” Stone closed his eyes as Jaxon leapt at him.

  “Stone! Stop!” Elijah screamed.

  “What?” Stone opened his eyes to see Jaxon on the sand; his face had gone white and his cheeks had sunken in.

  “Stop!” Elijah shouted, hovering over Jaxon. “You’re draining the life out of him!” Elijah cradled Jaxon’s head as the color slowly returned to his face. “Jaxon?”

  Jaxon moaned and sat up slowly. “Holy shit.”

  “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Stone covered his face with his hands and sobbed. “I don’t like this!”

  Jaxon stood up on shaky legs and took Stone by his shoulders. “Hey! Look at me! I’m okay, Stone. This was needed, okay?”

  “I don’t want to hurt people!”

  “They’re not people, Stone! They’re rogues and whatever else bad exists in this world — and they will not hesitate to kill you, do you understand?! To kill all of us!”

  Stone nodded and Jaxon enveloped him in his arms.

  “I know this goes against everything you believe in, but you have to protect yourself, Stone,” Jaxon soothed him.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Stone sniffled.