The Real You

by N. J. Nielsen

  “You look worried,” Eric said as he joined them. “What’s going on?”

  Instead of answering, Remi gestured for Gabriel to come over to where they were sitting. He wasn’t surprised when Murtagh and Princess Telarah followed. Daven was still on the phone to Guild Master Tomas.

  “Who gave you my essence?” Remi asked Gabriel.

  Gabriel frowned. “I bought it off the Larkos demon lord, a guy named Orion. He told me everything I needed to do. I paid a shitload of money only to have it backfire on me.”

  “The spell worked exactly the way it should. I have no doubt my brother fully intended to have me restored. I guess he didn’t think I’d willingly share another’s body, or he would have made my essence stronger to wipe out all traces of Mitch before I had any say in the matter,” Remi explained. Now was not the time for secrets. If they had a hope in hell of winning, they needed to give everything up and learn to work together. “I need to call Orion. He can bring the clan to me. The Larkos are the overlords to the rest of the demon races. At least we should be able to eliminate one threat coming at us. My kin will protect us, because through me, you are now all considered clan.”

  Gabriel pulled out his phone and punched in a number, then handed it to Remi. Remi laughed as soon as he recognized his brother’s voice.

  “I thought I told you not to call me anymore. It’s not my fault the spell didn’t work out. We all have to take the losses when they fall our way.”

  “I think the spell worked out exactly as you had planned.” Remi chuckled.

  “Remi? Where the fuck are you?”

  Remi belly-laughed at the grizzle in Orion’s voice. Now there was the brother he knew so well. “I’m mated. Your spell was used on the chosen ones and now I find myself with three beautiful mates…even if one of them is me.”

  “You were supposed to kill the host, not share him.” Orion sighed in exasperation.

  “I couldn’t. Mitch is pure at heart. Actually, we all get on well. Now, I want you to get the clan together and come to us. Shit is going down, and I need you all here at my back.”

  He rattled off the address and could have sworn he almost felt the confused thoughts rolling around in his brother’s head. However, Remi knew without a doubt his kin would be on their doorstep within a few hours.

  “And how many demons should we expect?” Princess Telarah asked.

  “Each demon clan varies. The last time I was with them, the Larkos numbered fifteen. I’m not sure how many there are now. I’d say anywhere between ten and thirty members.”

  Eric looked at him in disbelief. “How are we meant to house them all?”

  “Not to worry. We’ll use our magic to bring our clan den to rest beneath this house. The one good thing about being a demon that is wherever we go, so does our den. Most people won’t even know it’s there, and that’s exactly the way we like it.” Remi sighed. “Though we might want to stock up on some bigger fridges. Demons have a tendency to eat a lot. So we’ll need more fruit and veggies.”

  “Fruit and veggies?” Claudius asked. “Really?”

  Remi nodded. “Not many people know this, but most demons are vegetarians. Meat might build muscle, but it also makes the body and mind more lethargic. I never thought to ask Mitch, but I guess he’ll get used to the new diet sooner or later.”

  “Mitch doesn’t eat much meat anyway,” Isiah supplied.

  “Good to know.” Remi leaned over and gave both his mates a kiss on the lips. “My kin will be a great addition to the family.” Standing, he gestured for Murtagh to follow him. After stepping out onto the balcony, he asked, “Is there a reason you’re hiding who you are from the rest?”

  Murtagh paled. “What do you mean?”

  Remi made a minute gesture toward his face. “My demon sees who you are. I see the markings on your skin. If there’s a reason you don’t want the others to know, then I’ll need to warn my kin to keep it to themselves.”

  “I’m not ready to share that part of me yet. I will tell them, eventually, but not right now. So please ask your kin not to make mention of what they see,” Murtagh begged.

  “I thought the markings only came out when you met your mate. Won’t they only become stronger until even you can’t hide them?” Remi asked.

  Murtagh nodded. “Yes. I’ve met my mate, but there are some complications. I will hold off revealing my marks for as long as I can. I don’t want to scare away the first real friends I’ve ever had.”

  “Why don’t you simply tell them? If they’re truly your friends, it won’t matter, and if it does matter, then they are not your friends at all, and you are better off without them,” Remi stated. “Just so you know, Mitch has also agreed to keep your secret. I’m sorry, but he can see what I see. We won’t even tell our mates until you are comfortable enough to step out of hiding.”

  “Thank you. I greatly appreciate you doing this for me.”

  Remi looked over the edge of the balcony and smiled. “Tell my mates I will be back in a few minutes. I want to warn my kin to keep their mouths shut.”

  With that Remi hurdled the railing and dropped to the ground, landing right in front of his brothers, Orion and Vance. “About bloody time you showed up.”

  “Remi!” Both men immediately pulled him into a hug.

  When they separated, Remi did a quick headcount and saw there were twenty members. “Is this all of them?”

  “No, we left Shayla and Marlon with the cubs. We have three young in the clan now. Teale, Rissa and Bran. You’re a father, and you didn’t even know it.” Sadness filled Orion’s eyes. “Thali didn’t survive the birth.”

  A pain jabbed Remi’s heart at the loss of his best friend. They weren’t mates, but he as leader had needed an heir. Thali had been chosen to carry the babes to term. “I will miss her dearly.” Remi needed a moment to gather his thoughts. Not only had he lost his best friend, but he was now a father to boot. How am I going to explain this to my mates? Shaking his head, he said, “When you see the draconian warrior, don’t say a word. I’ve promised Murtagh we’ll keep his secret until he is ready to come clean himself. At the moment, he is holding on to his human half.”

  “Your word is law,” his kin all said as one in the demon way of taking an oath.

  Now he had to go and tell his mates they were all fathers. Remi hoped like hell they took it as well as they had the fact that he and Mitch were the same person. The sad part about it all was that in time, Remi knew that Mitch would fade away until he was all but non-existent. Mitch had made him promise not to say anything to Claudius and Isiah until they knew for sure it was actually going to happen. Right now, he wanted them all to be happy.

  As did Remi.

  Chapter Twelve

  If one more of the demons bowed to him in passing, Mitch was going to go ape-shit. Yes! He and Remi were one and the same, but surely the demons could tell who was who?

  “Have you ever considered they are showing you respect because you’re also my mate?” Remi questioned softly.

  Mitch groaned. “Even though you’re right, it still creeps me out for some reason. ”

  A light chuckled filled his head. “How do you think the twins are taking the news about being fathers? ”

  “Now they’ve gotten used to the idea, they love it. I bet if we went looking, we’d find Claude and Isiah with the kids right now. ” Mitch didn’t begrudge Claudius and Isiah the joy of the children. He hoped like hell they would find a way for him to stick around.

  “We’ll find a way, love. I won’t let you go without a fight, ” Remi stated in a calming voice.

  Mitch had no option but to believe him.

  Walking through the halls of the house, Mitch followed the sound of voices. He smiled when he was proven right, and the triplets were snuggled up on a couch with Isiah and Claudius watching one of the kids’ movies Shayla had given to them upon their arrival. Mitch wasn’t sure who was it enjoying it more.

  “Is there room for me?” he asked as he
walked over to his family.

  “Always room for you, Daddy Mitch,” Teale squealed as he made room for Mitch to sit beside him.

  Mitch had other ideas. He picked up the young demon cub and sat him on his lap. The child smelled like home, and Mitch felt his worries slipping away. They stayed there for another hour until Marlon came looking for the triplets. They needed to get their schooling done for the day.

  No sooner had they left the room then everyone else assembled. Mitch assumed they were about to have another meeting. They seemed to have a lot of them lately.

  He gave Murtagh a smile as man sat as far away from Eric as he could. Although he hadn’t said anything, Mitch had the suspicion Eric was in fact Murtagh’s mate. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why they were pussy-footing around the whole idea. Wasn’t finding one’s mate supposed to be the best thing in the world? At least it was for his mating. Maybe he should have a talk with Eric, or perhaps Murtagh. Hell, maybe he should find a way to lock them in a room together and hope for the best. Sooner or later, something had to give.

  “Stay out of it, love. Let Tagh handle it his own way, ” Remi said softly.

  “I know you’re right. I hate seeing my friends in pain. They both have feelings for the other person. Why can’t we give them a little nudge in the right direction? ” Mitch sighed, already knowing the answer.

  Remi didn’t disappoint. “Because it’s not our place to interfere. I told you, draconian warriors are a breed unto themselves. Usually, they are hard-headed and, once their mind is made up, there’s no changing it. Tagh has his reasons for staying hidden. ”

  “I know, but his reason is stupid. Tagh asked Eric out on a date, and Eric turned him down. That’s not a reason to stay hidden from the world, is it? ” Mitch absolutely hated how one little misunderstanding could perpetrate such heartache.

  “Let them figure it out. Sooner or later, they’ll have to confront each other, but until then, we promised to stay out of it, remember? ”

  Again, he knew Remi was right. He just hated the fact there was nothing he could do to speed things along. As Remi settled back into his mind, Mitch started to take an interest in what was going on around him. Vance was in front of the group giving some sort of report.

  “As asked, I found out Lewis Navarro is ironically from one of the lesser demon clans. The Navarin demons don’t have much power, but they do hold one hell of a grudge against anyone they think has wronged them.” Winking at Mitch, he went on, “I took it upon myself to explain to him in great detail why Mitch is now off limits. We won’t have a problem from him anymore.”

  “Good to know.” Mitch rolled his eyes when Remi’s words came out of his mouth in his own voice. Remi was too busy laughing in the back of his head to join in the conversation.

  Gabriel spoke up. “What about the guild? Have we learned any more about their part in all of this? I mean, they get everyone to look for the chosen ones, then we all have to keep our eyes on Isiah and Claudius. As soon as the prophecy comes to pass, they suddenly decide they don’t want it anymore.”

  Daven and answered the question. “As it stands, the guild is divided four against eight. Thanks to Remi’s suggestion, we have sent Orion and some of his brethren out to bring Simon to us. As we thought, Simon has been relieved of his duties. Sumar has taken the seat of guild master. He along with Thallon, Phaedra, Lilliana, Tobias, Eland, Katarina and Claus have taken control, or believe they’re in charge. They have another thing coming if they think we’re all going to drop and kowtow to them.”

  With everything going on, Mitch was starting to get a headache. At every turn, something new seemed to crop up. For one day, he’d like to shut the world out and lie in bed cuddled up to all of his mates. Lock all the doors and keep everyone at bay while they took the time to lose themselves in each other, even if it was sex for the sake of sex. These days, Mitch felt like they got no time together at all. For one reason or another, everyone else needed to take up every minute of their lives. The only ones he didn’t begrudge their time to were the triplets. The children came first. The sad thing was that Mitch could feel himself tearing in two from the inside out as his two spirits vied for room inside his body.

  “Vance, is there anything in the family texts about separation of form?” Mitch blurted without thinking. It had been something niggling in the back of Remi’s subconscious. It wasn’t until the words left his mouth that he realized what a huge mistake he’d made.

  Vance strode across the room and clasped Mitch’s face between his hands. “Remi, what the hell is going on?”

  Mitch felt like shit as he took a backseat as Remi answered, “We need to find a way for Mitch and me to separate. If we don’t, we’ll lose Mitch forever.”

  “Fuck! Orion and I never thought you bonding with your host was even a possibility.” Vance let go of Mitch and tugged at fistfuls of his own hair. “Okay, I caused this problem, so I’ll figure out a way to fix it.”

  “Do you think you can?” Mitch asked, feeling hopeful for the first time since he and Remi had worked out what was going on.

  Vance nodded. “I’m very strong. If I say I’ll fix it, then I will. To make it work, I have to figure out where the hell Remi’s true body is.”

  Remi interrupted the conversation. “I might know, but if I tell you, you have to promise not to laugh.”

  “I’d never laugh at you,” Vance stated emphatically.

  “Okay. I’m assuming because you had my essence to give to Gabriel that someone was informed about my death.”

  “We found your essence among Thali’s belongings after her death. I have no clue what she did with the rest of you. I’m sorry, but without your body, I can’t restore you. I know I said I could, and I will as soon as we find your body,” Vance apologized.

  Remi breathed out a sigh of relief. “Then follow me. If Thali had my essence, I’m hoping she kept her promise to me.”

  Mitch was just as eager as everyone else as Remi led them down through the house and into the clan den, which looked more like an underground condo than any kind of den he’d ever seen. Not that he’d seen many dens. The furniture was modern and ultrasleek. Mitch would have figured it to be more comfortable. Why, he didn’t know. He didn’t even know these guys properly and he was already stereotyping them. The coloring in the den was done in all neutral tones, which, surprisingly, looked great with a pop of color here and there. Whoever had decorated the place had talent. If he were totally honest, the demon den was better set out than the house upstairs. Maybe they could let the person who decorated here loose in the house to liven it up some.

  Remi paused at the door to Thali’s living quarters when he saw Marlon and the triplets sitting at the table doing lessons.

  “Hi, Daddies.” Rissa, Bran and Teale waved.

  “Marlon, do you know if Thali still has the special deep freeze she used to keep?”

  Teale pointed toward a closed door. “It’s in Mummy’s bedroom, but you can’t open it because Daddy Remi is sleeping in there. We’re not allowed to wake him up yet.”

  “Thank fuck for that,” Vance said in relief. “We’ll need to thaw you out, then I’ll figure out a way to transfer you back to where you belong.”

  “How about you figure out how to restore me before we thaw me out,” Remi retorted.

  “Can we please go and have a look at you? I see you as the mirror image of me. It would be nice to know your true form,” Mitch said.

  Remi led the way into the bedroom, the scent of Thali invading their nostrils, and sadness once more washed through them both at the loss of their close friend. Carefully, Remi pressed in a code on the keypad and opened the long freezer lid. The thing was empty, apart from the frozen corpse lying on the bottom. Mitch inhaled sharply at the man he saw. Unlike Mitch, Claudius and Isiah, Remi was a giant of a man with a broad chest. Thali had undressed him prior to placing him within the freezer. His cock was a nice size, even in his frozen state. He wondered what color eyes were be
hind the closed lids.

  “Emerald green, pretty much like yours turn when I am in control, ” Remi answered him. “I’m also six foot six. And as you can tell, apart from hair from the neck up, I am hairless. Most demons are. ”

  Mitch snorted. “You’re one sexy demon. Being stuck inside my scrawny body must suck for someone like you. Will I revert back to being human once they free you? ”

  “No, when I am placed back into my own body I will leave Jordan St. James’ powers behind. It will keep you immortal. And stronger than your human form, ” Remi explained.

  “Thank you. ”

  “No, thank you for sharing your body long enough to allow me to live,” Remi countered.

  “Will you still be our mate when you are separated?” Isiah asked.

  Both Mitch and Remi heard the worry in their mate’s voice. Remi answered to ease their mate’s mind. “I will have to complete the binding again, but you’re not getting away from me that easily. I told you we were mates for the rest of eternity, and I meant every word of it.”

  “We’ll definitely need a bigger bed,” Claudius stated matter-of-factly. His comment set everyone into fits of laughter. The best part was Mitch didn’t even think Claudius was trying to crack a joke.

  “Yes, my love, we will,” Remi growled out as he swooped in and gave Claudius a scorching kiss.

  The humor of the moment fled as an alarm began wailing up in the house. Remi let go of Claudius and turned to Marlon and Vance. “Keep the children down here and out of sight, and for God’s sake, don’t let anything happen to my body. I’m going to need it again very soon.”

  Mitch happily gave free rein to Remi as they raced up into the house proper then came to a halt. A bundle of smoking rags lay in the middle of the foyer. It was only as the pile began to move that they realized it was Orion. In his arms was the unconscious body of the former guild master.