I Can See You (The Gods Made Me Do It Book 5)

by Lisa Oliver

  “Yes,” Raff beamed. “Isn’t he adorable? He’s very protective of me. Did you want to speak to Nereus?”

  “Is he home? I… er…. I need to ask you all a favor. You and your other mate too, of course.”

  “Teilo and Ner are out the back training.” Raff headed across the living room, and through the kitchen. “They don’t like me to train. Neither one of them want to hit me with anything as they’re too scared of hurting me, which means I win any bout every time, but I don’t learn anything. It’s easier to do some baking while they are busy.”

  “Doesn’t that bother you, them not wanting to help you learn to protect yourself?” Raff was a small man, with a tight build and a cute sway in his hips. But Artemas knew he was a wolf shifter, and probably more than capable of fending off a human attack.

  “There are enough warriors in this family,” Raff said with a smile that didn’t seem to stop. “Teilo has been fighting his whole life, he was an assassin before he came here. And Nereus,” Raff chuckled. “He’s a demi-god, fighting all those wars back in the days when all you needed was a sword in your hand. But, between you and me, he’s awfully fond of my baking, so when Teilo casually mentioned he thought Nereus was getting teeny tiny love handles over his hips….”

  Artemas surprised himself by laughing. “I can imagine Nereus didn’t take it very well.” Known as the “sexy” one of the brothers, Artemas could imagine Nereus having a fit.

  “That was a week ago,” Raff confided as he opened the back door. “I’ve been entertained with sweaty chests and rippling biceps every day since.”

  “And in the meantime, you still keep baking?” There was a smart brain behind that pretty face.

  “But of course. See for yourself. My men are worth watching.”

  Looking out, Artemas agreed the scenery was nice enough. Nereus and Teilo were evenly matched, with Nereus only slightly taller than his mate. With long hair and bronzed skin glistening under a winter sun, they were the epitome of the warrior classes of old. Using long poles, rather than swords they weren’t holding back with their thwacks. Their laughter, when one of them blocked a hit, was the only thing letting an audience know they weren’t serious.

  “You’ve sweated enough,” Raff yelled, causing both men to stop what they were doing instantly. “Artemas is here. He wants a favor.”

  “For my brother, it’s already yours.” Throwing his stick to the ground, Nereus strode over, his hair flying around his face. Artemas flinched as broad arms were slung around his waist, but he submitted to the hug with as much grace as he could muster.

  “You’re awfully sweaty,” he observed, wrinkling his nose.

  “You should train with us sometime. It would be a lot of fun. You used to be quite handy with a sword from memory,” Nereus laughed as Teilo came over to greet him. He, thank goodness, just held out his hand to be shook. “Come inside and have some of Raff’s delicious baking. Tell us your story, and how we can help.”

  Turning to go back inside, Artemas heard a gasp. “What’s wrong?” He asked over his shoulder, trying to see his back. “Did you leave dirt on my suit or something?”

  “Artie,” Artemas felt his collar being tugged down. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Nereus sounded hurt.

  “Tell you what?” Artemas was wearing a suit. Yes, he’d loosened his tie, and opened the top button of his shirt, but Nereus was the last one to get at him for dressing down.

  “You’ve got what looks like tree branches growing up your neck,” Teilo observed quietly. “Not the normal sort of thing for a merman to wear.”

  “Up my neck? That’s not possible.” But as Artemas put his hand on the back of his neck, the tingling there let him know the tree of life was spreading up his damn neck. “Oh hell, it’s my mating mark. I was blessed with the Tree of Life from the Mother herself. It’s obviously decided to grow.”

  “You mated with the Mother of all living things?” Raff’s eyes were about to fall out.

  “I mated Silvanus, ancient god of the trees and woodlands, who is also the right hand of the Mother,” Artemas said wearily. He did wish he could stop missing the man every time they were apart. “Can we sit down? It seems my story is going to be a bit longer than anticipated.”

  “Your mate’s not with you, so I take it things aren’t going well,” Nereus’s arm was like a dead weight on Artemas’s shoulder as he walked with Artemas into the living room. “Is this part of the favor you wanted to ask?”

  “Sort of, maybe.” Artemas glared at Killer who was now lording over the couch. The tiny dog didn’t move and just showed his teeth. “Is it possible to get a cup of tea and somewhere to sit where I’m not going to lose a chunk of my ass?”

  “Oh Killer, that’s not a polite way to greet visitors.” Raff swooped in, plucking Killer up from the couch cushions and cradling him in his arms. “Be nice to Uncle Artie, or he won’t give you any treats.”

  The dog alternated between licking Raff’s chin, and snarling at Artemas, but at least Artemas could sit down. The other dogs didn’t move, although Artemas noticed the fluffy one Lasse had gifted to the triad on their mating was keeping an eye on Killer. As soon as Killer had his feet on the ground again, he sauntered over and plonked himself, so he was lying half on the fluffy bundle.

  “Aren’t they cute together,” Raff sighed. When Artemas raised an eyebrow, Raff flushed and hurried into the kitchen.

  “I would dearly love to send our little canine pack to the bottom of the sea some days,” Nereus kept his voice low. “But it would break Raff’s heart, and that is not something I’ll ever do.”

  “You’re as bad as Raff,” Teilo scoffed, perching on the arm of Nereus’s chair. “Who was it who spent half an hour fussing over Buddy when he had a splinter in his paw?”

  “While you remain aloof, secure in your wolf’s superiority,” Nereus’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Don’t think I don’t notice you dropping scraps of food under the table when Raff’s not looking.”

  “Shush,” Teilo whispered urgently, glancing in the direction of the kitchen. “You know Raff is watching their diet.”

  “I think someone has got two alphas wrapped around his little finger,” Artemas observed quietly, but inside he felt a pang. He and Silvanus shared the same kind of closeness until he’d spoiled it with his pissy attitude.

  Raff came in bearing a huge tea tray, putting a stop to any domestic conversation. Over tea and beautifully made scones, Artemas explained about how he met Silvanus, and the warning from Zeus about Melrose Jackson. “Speaking of warnings,” he said, looking around, “How come none of the pack enforcers came running when they heard the break in the wards?”

  “All the magic users got together and tweaked the wards so we can now tell who’s popping in,” Raff said proudly, stroking Nereus’s arm. “With various fae dropping in to see Jax and his mates, and representatives from the djinn calling around at all times of the day or night, not to mention the elves demanding time with their battle lord, it was easier than staying on high alert all the time. A lot more relaxing too.”

  “Right.” That made sense, at least to Artemas. The Cloverleah pack had the most diverse membership ever known in pack circles. It was that diversity that led to the fight with the dark elves, and that same diversity and concentration of powers that meant the men had to be careful about who they interacted with. Artemas had heard, although he hadn’t seen him personally, there was even a dragon living with the pack now.

  “So, you’re saying the person who came to visit you at the hotel, wasn’t this Jackson character, it was a human called Crane?” Teilo asked, and Artemas was grateful for him getting the conversation back on track.

  “Yes, the Melrose character wasn’t mentioned at all.” Artemas went on, explaining about how Crane wanted to bring back the ancient gods, and how he felt the book was a key part of it.

  “Orin’s got the only book who can summon the gods,” Nereus said thoughtfully, stroking down his beard. “And you s
ay there’s nothing in Silvanus’s journal that could be used against the gods?”

  “Not in a spell casting sense, no.” Artemas rested his elbows on his knees. “The book does have an energy. It called to me when I first saw it. Hell, it jumped into my jacket when I got close to it. But I think that’s because it recognized me as Silvanus’s mate. Crane never mentioned feeling any energies from it, but then we don’t know if anything he’s said so far is true.”

  “This character with the visions could be paranormal,” Teilo warned. “I’m not saying humans can’t have visions, but for all we know it could be a demon stirring up trouble like that guy, who was it, who was experimenting on the shifter children?”

  “Roland Poindexter,” Raff said helpfully. “But he wasn’t possessed, he was just evil and using Vassago’s brother to help him. The possessed guy was Pelham, remember? He was possessed by Vassago’s friend. Vassago might be able to tell if the guy’s possessed, if he saw this vision guy.”

  “We don’t even know if the vision guy is going to turn up,” Artemas said quickly. “I don’t think there’s any point in involving the pack at this stage. Crane has got some weird ideas, but he’s still human. If he caught wind that a whole range of other paranormals existed, there’s no telling what he and his friends would do.”

  “Couldn’t you just tell him you and Silvanus are gods already, and aren’t interested in his scheme?” Raff asked.

  “Being a god or demi-god is like being a shifter, babe,” Nereus said gently, smiling down at his mate. “We don’t ever disclose who we are unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’s all part of the non-interference law. If people knew gods and demigods were more than myths and legends, then it would change the shape of human consciousness, which would be seen as an interference.”

  “Shame. I would’ve paid good money to see Crane’s face when he realized he was trying to con two of the gods he was so keen on finding.” Raff leaned back against Nereus’s arm. Artemas noticed Teilo was resting on Nereus’s shoulder. That nagging pang under his ribcage came back.

  “Speaking of which, I’d better get back to my mate.” Artemas stood up, smoothing down his pants. “Would you come? Would it be too much of an imposition? It’d only be for an hour or so.”

  “Eleven o’clock London time?” Nereus asked.

  “Yes, maybe fifteen minutes before. You can meet Silvanus,” If he’s there, “and we can come up with a cover story then.”

  “You already told the guy you’d be getting security for the book,” Teilo said, flexing his biceps. He and Nereus hadn’t bothered with shirts. “I can do that. Nereus is your brother who’s dropped in for a family visit, and Raff is our little cutie along for the ride.”

  Artemas was humbled at how quickly Teilo and Raff offered to help. Nereus, well, he’d kinda hoped Nereus would be on board, but it was the shifter senses he and Silvanus needed. “I don’t know how to thank you. If you can find someone to look after your furry friends, you’d be welcome to stay in London for a few days, at my expense of course. We’ve got plenty of room in the suite Zeus booked for us.”

  “You don’t know how surreal this all is.” Raff squealed and clapped his hands. “A chance to go to London, staying in a suite the god Zeus himself booked. It’s like a dream.”

  “I didn’t know you wanted to travel, little one,” Teilo said as Nereus got up.

  “Come on, bro, I’ll walk you out.”

  Don’t say anything, just don’t say anything. Artemas had purposefully kept the conversation firmly fixed on the issues with Crane and the book. He wasn’t ready to talk about his mating. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to talk about how he was fucking up his mating. But, of course, Nereus had to ask.

  “So, what’s the deal with you and Silvanus?” Nereus leaned on the porch railing. “Most mates can’t bear to be apart from each other.”

  “I walked away from him for a while. I needed space. I told him I’d be back,” Artemas resigned himself to the conversation, leaning on the railing alongside his brother. “It’s the second time I’ve done it, when I’ve been angry or upset. He’s going to think I’m a right diva.”

  “There’s no harm in getting some space if you’re angry and want to cool down,” Nereus said evenly. “I’m sure Silvanus must feel intense emotions as well, at times. You wouldn’t begrudge him the space and time to walk things off, would you?”

  “Silvanus is the kindest, most gentle and calmest person you could ever hope to meet.” Artemas couldn’t help the touch of bitterness in his voice. “Do you know, when he mentioned bringing in a shifter to help, he had no problems letting me know he’d slept with the person, and then when I got angry about it, all he said to me, oh so calmly, was that we could talk about it when we got back to the hotel.”

  “You were jealous,” Nereus said, “I can understand that.”

  “Jealous?” Artemas wanted to protest, to tell his brother he was wrong, but the words choked in his throat. He and Silvanus were eternal beings. Sure, Silvanus was older than him, but after ten thousand years or so, no one kept track of birthdays. It made perfect logical sense, that any being that old would have had a myriad and multitude of sexual partners. Artemas hadn’t been a virgin when they met, so why did he get so upset hearing about Silvanus’s conquests – or meeting them? “I didn’t think I was the jealous type,” he said, knowing they were lame before the words came out of his mouth.

  “I wasn’t either until I met my mates.” Nereus half turned, looking Artemas straight in the eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with showing your emotions. You didn’t throw anything at him, you didn’t lash out at him or use your powers, and truthfully, what Silvanus said was insensitive and probably hurt you. But the secret to any good relationship is communication. Being claimed doesn’t automatically guarantee a smooth and hassle free relationship. You both have to work on it.”

  “I have issues,” Artemas said, turning away to view the scenery. “Big ugly issues older than you. They don’t make this mating business any easier.”

  “Is that why you didn’t want to meet your mate?” Nereus asked, and it was a fair enough question.

  Artemas nodded, wondering how much to tell his brother. “It wasn’t easy, growing up by myself in Poseidon’s domain. Thoth, that’s my other father, dropped me off when I was ten. His wife didn’t want me around. Unlike your other father, Thoth didn’t make any attempts to see me after that. Poseidon was too busy to care what I was doing. I used to spend most of my time in that library of his. The day I found that, when I was exploring, was one of the happiest I remember.”

  “Thoth?” Nereus frowned. “He’s the Egyptian god of magic, isn’t he? You know, when I think of it, no one ever mentioned who your other father was, or even that he was male.”

  “There’s no point in talking about an asshole who was never around.” Artemas let out a long breath, trying to shake off the agitation he was feeling. “Anyway, it’s ancient history. But, I guess, being dumped and then ignored just made me less trusting when it comes to personal relationships.”

  “Fuck, Artie,” Nereus arms were solid around him, Nereus shaking into his neck. “How come we didn’t know any of this? Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Patting Nereus awkwardly, Artemas said, “I was responsible for you and your brothers. You wouldn’t have learned to tie your shoe laces if I wasn’t around, let alone read and write. I am thousands of years older than you. I’ve got broad shoulders. I wasn’t going to dump my troubles in your lap, just because you got old enough to shag the mer guards.”

  “You always knew what me and Lasse were up to.” Nereus chuckled. “Despite the waywardness and neglect from father figures, you grew into a man who taught me and Lasse the meaning of responsibility and what it meant to be loved. Baby…” his voice trailed off.

  “Baby is a work in progress,” Artemas said firmly. “Remember, he’s younger than any of us and still has a lot to learn.”

  “You were always the fair one
.” Nereus straightened up, his blue eyes so like Artemas’s own, intense and overwhelmingly kind. “Don’t ever underestimate what you did for me and Lasse. We were lost babes in a strange world, and you were our only guiding star growing up. I have and always will look up to you, and I’ll never forget all you did for us.”

  “Yes, well,” Artemas was uncomfortable taking compliments. “Someone had to make sure you didn’t trash Father’s library.” Inhaling sharply, he added, “I’d better get back. I imagine Silvanus is back at the hotel by now, wondering where I am. He’s like that.”

  “He seemed very much in love with you when he came to talk to me and Lasse before you guys even claimed each other. You just need to learn to talk to each other, I’m sure.”

  Love? Silvanus had mentioned the word once or twice, but Artemas wasn’t sure. Either way, they were mated now, and he needed to get his shit together. Silvanus had never been unkind, always pushing for Artemas to know how much he was cared for. Letting things get uncomfortable, simply because he’d had a moment of insensitivity was a foolish thing to do. With a small smile at his brother, Artemas disappeared.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  The hotel shower’s water pressure wasn’t enough to loosen the tightness in Silvanus’s neck. All the way back to the hotel, all Silvanus could think of was people like Crane summoning gods, using them for his own gain – him and his so-called friends. Crane honestly believed he was doing the ancients a favor, ‘letting’ them have the right to domains they’d had control over since before man walked the earth. The ‘no interference rule’ had a lot to answer for.

  Silvanus remembered a time when there weren’t rules like that in place. Gods from all pantheons walked among humans; ate with them, drank with them, and yes, slept with them too. They were worshipped, revered, and yes sacrifices were made to them, but it was a different time. Human sacrifices to gods were surprisingly rare, despite subsequent research suggesting otherwise, and the gods genuinely cared for the people in their domain.