When Three Points Collide: Ra's Story, page 14
“Okay, then I don’t know yet, and yes, it could be possible.” Ra stuck out his chin.
“All right.” Kirill inhaled slowly. He wasn’t going to get upset when Ra was looking so defensive. But it didn’t stop him holding up his second finger. “Now, the second question. Does this male pregnancy only apply to gods themselves, or is it possible that you could get me or Arvyn pregnant as well?”
“That’s two questions as well.” Ra bit his bottom lip, and when he looked so unsure, Kirill was hard pressed to remember the man had been around since the beginning of time. Ra looked so young and all of Kirill’s protective instincts came rushing forward.
“Just answer the questions, babe.” Arvyn leaned into Ra’s other side. “We’re mates. We can handle anything so long as we’re together.”
“It could be possible.” Ra was wringing his hands. “I’ve not come across a situation where a god has had two mates before, except for Nereus and he’s only a demigod. In all the other matings so far… well, Madison and Sebastian don’t count because Sebastian is the son of Death and he’s not really a god, although it could be possible.”
“Ra.” Kirill growled a warning. He wanted an answer.
But Ra was unraveling, his speech getting faster and faster. “And then there’s Lasse and Jason, well Nereus got mated first and that was before the Mother gave us all her blessing. He does have two mates, but they adopted a wee red wolf pup, so they might not get pregnant. But Jason got pregnant to Lasse, and then Hades got pregnant to Ali. Poseidon was the god who was pregnant in his mating too which was a real shock to him, I can tell you, and then Artemas, but no, he and Silvanus said they didn’t want kids and the Fates gave them a dispensation, but they had to wrangle to get that worked out because the Fates really need more permanent threads in the tapestry, and then there was Baby and Owen, but Baby got pregnant then, but that doesn’t count because both Baby and Owen are gods. And then we can’t forget Thor, but he was the one who carried his and Orin’s baby too.”
Ra’s chest was working overtime. “So, I don’t know, I really don’t know, but I promise you, I wasn’t keeping anything from you. I just, I honestly forgot the Mother changed the rules. It used to be that the only male gods who got pregnant were ones who mated with someone else in the god line. But then we had this party, it was for Hades and his mate Ali, and Silvanus, who’s the right hand of the Mother, he said that the Mother didn’t think it was fair to pair gods with paranormals or humans, and not give them the same advantages that gods who mated gods got. So, she gave every male god, regardless of who they mated, the chance to give or receive children. I’m so sorry.”
Kirill thought of all the sex they’d had in the past three days – every which way and every combination and summed up the main highlight of Ra’s ramble. “You’re telling me, I could be pregnant.”
“Maybe. Possibly. I don’t know for sure.”
“Okay.” It really wasn’t. The last thing Kirill ever thought he’d have to worry about in over six hundred years of life was getting pregnant. The whole idea went against everything Kirill believed in.
“I need to get some air.” Kirill swung his legs out of bed, and grabbed his pants, which were still on the floor from when he’d ripped them off three days before. The zip wouldn’t do up, but they covered his legs and butt and that was all Kirill was worried about. “I’ll be back before Seth gets here,” was all he could manage before he stormed out of the room.
/~/~/~/~/
“I’m so sorry.” Ra was crying as though his heart was broken and Arvyn mentally cursed Kirill, leaving the way he did. “Please believe me. I honestly forgot, what with finding out about you two, and being so happy…” Ra sobbed harder.
“Hey, hey, hey.” Sitting up, Arvyn wrapped his arm around Ra’s shoulders, pulling him close, onto his chest. “It’s fine. Honestly. It’s fine. We’ll work things out no matter what happens, I promise.”
“You really don’t mind? You don’t think I’m a freak or something?”
“Babe, you’re not a freak, you’re a god. Clearly simple rules of nature don’t apply to you, that’s all. And by extension they don’t apply to us either anymore, but that’s not a bad thing.” Arvyn beamed at his mate. His wolf loved Ra and Kirill equally, thrilled to have two totally different mates wearing his marks. Arvyn himself was so proud, waking up after the claiming and seeing him and Kirill both sporting claiming tattoos on the sides of their necks. The head of a falcon set over a large sun was particularly fetching.
“You’re not mad at me?”
How could I ever be mad at you, babe, especially when you’re so damn cute? But Arvyn knew Ra needed verbal assurance. “I’m a wolf shifter. We love kids. I didn’t think I’d actually have any, being gay and all, but I’m not upset about the possibility.”
“We never even talked about having kids.” Ra sniffed and wiped over his face with his hand. “I hadn’t even thought about it.”
Arvyn chuckled. “It’s only been three days. I’m sure there’s a million topics we haven’t covered yet, especially when you keep tempting us with that delicious body of yours.”
“That wasn’t intentional either.” But Ra had the glimmers of a smile, and that was what Arvyn was hoping for. “So, you’re not upset if we have any children?”
Shaking his head, Arvyn said, “No. In fact, I’m surprised you don’t have a dozen of them already. Isn’t that what being known as the Father of Everything is all about?”
"It's complicated." Ra sighed as he snuggled in closer. "Some scholars will tell you that the likes of Bastet, Hathor, Sekhmet and Satet are my consorts, but they're also considered my offspring, as they all came from me. But in the human sense, the carnal sense, I have had no one to call my spouse and I have never spawned any children in the way you and I might have them."
“Wow, so what? Did these guys all just spring out from the ether fully formed or something?”
“Or something.” Ra nodded. “The origins of creation are all clouded by the mists of time for good reason. Suffice to say, there was me, and then there were others who came after me, including Seth.”
The mention of Seth set Arvyn’s hackles up. “Why does that man have a problem with you having kids? He’s not the boss of you.”
“I couldn’t say why exactly.” Ra placed a hand on Arvyn’s bare chest and Arvyn quickly covered it with his own in case his mate got the impression his touch wasn’t welcome. “Egyptian gods have never created demigods before – children who are the product of a god and a mortal. Perhaps Seth worries it will upset the natural order of things.”
“Or more likely he’s jealous, and not a fan of you having any fun or a life of your own.” Kissing the top of Ra’s head, Arvyn added quickly, “I know he’s a staunch protector of you babe, but you’ve got us now – me and Kirill – and he’s just going to have to accept that.”
“Are you sure I’ve got Kirill too?” The sharp green eyes that met Arvyn’s were filled with doubt. “He seemed so angry when he left the room.”
“He’s not throwing things, so that’s a point in his favor. I think, with Kirill…” Arvyn thought about what he wanted to say about his prickly mate. “He’s walked the earth a long time and there’s a good chance if he ever thought about having a mate, he probably never thought about kids as a possibility. Vampire children are very rare. And then, him giving up his coven the way he did… there have been a few moments when he’s been quiet, and I thought he seemed a bit lost.”
“Are we not enough for him, do you think?” Ra’s nervousness was humming through their bond. “I mean, I can get him his coven back, I’m sure the Fates wouldn’t mind if I did that seeing as he’s a mate, but I thought he was happy…”
“Babe, he is happy with us, with both of us.” Arvyn was going with his wolfy instincts and they’d never let him down before. “He just got a shock this morning, and the vibe I was getting from him when Seth was talking was already shit, before the whole having kids became an issue. Kirill didn’t seem happy with Seth’s tone and the way he was talking to you. Has he always been that disrespectful to you?”
“Seth?” Ra shrugged. “Not in the beginning, of course, but as time went on and so many of my people have moved down to create lives for themselves on earth, he’s the one who has stuck with me the longest. He hates being down here for some reason he won’t explain, and he’s made the point a million times that my place is on my realm where he can protect me the way he’s always done.”
Personally, Arvyn thought that the unseen Seth had a real problem with change, but he wasn’t going to let it bother him. “I’m sure Seth will get used to our new situation soon enough,” he said with a bright smile. “Now, I’m more worried about you. I know Kirill can be a bit of a hard ass at times, but he won’t leave us, won’t stray and if he does turn out pregnant, he’ll be the best damn pregnant male he can be, don’t you agree?”
“I just hate upsetting him, upsetting either of you. I didn’t forget on purpose.”
“Nope, you didn’t and it’s okay. We know now and we’ll just wait and see what happens. I love the idea of a half a dozen rug rats running around, don’t you?”
“I haven’t had a lot to do with children, but Egan seems really cool.” Ra seemed a little brighter now and Arvyn took pride in that.
“You’ll be excellent with kids, you just wait and see. And with three of us, looking after them will be a breeze. Now, should we get up do you think, put clothes on? If that Seth of yours doesn’t pay attention to time spans…”
“No, he doesn’t much.” Ra made to get up, but Arvyn wanted another kiss, so he took one, pleased when the tension had completely gone from Ra’s sweet body once he was done.
“And don’t you go worrying about Kirill,” he said as he and Ra climbed out of bed. “That man might be as stubborn as a mule on some things, but he does care about us, just the way we care about him, yes?”
“I try to show I care.” Ra clicked his fingers and was immediately dressed in jeans and a warm soft jumper that hugged his torso so beautifully it made Arvyn want to strip it right off again. “I’m not sure I’m very good at it.”
Arvyn chuckled as he appeared dressed the same way with another click of Ra’s magic fingers. “I can feel your caring for us through our bond from the moment we claimed you. And don’t think I didn’t notice how you made sure Kirill had that long warm coat on when he left the house. He’ll be thankful for that too, the moment he gets outside.”
“It’s my fault he’s out there.”
“No,” Arvyn had to put a stop to that. It wasn’t Ra’s fault at all. “Kirill is clearly someone who needs time to adapt to new things. That’s not your fault, or mine. It’s just the way he is. He just needs space to process new information and that’s not a bad thing. I suggest we make brunch because you know he won’t be far away. He’ll be too worried about Seth being here and him not around to protect us.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so, babe.” Arvyn knew his wolf’s instincts never lied. “So, put a smile on that gorgeous face of yours and then maybe click me up some basic ingredients and I can show off my cooking skills. That will bring Kirill home, I promise.”
“Can I help? I don’t think I’ve ever cooked before.”
Oh, babe, you’ve missed out on so much living. “I insist on it.” Arvyn laughed as he wrapped Ra up in another hug. “So, when do you think we’ll know if any of us are pregnant?”
“If anyone’s going to know first it will be you,” Ra snuggled for a second longer. “You’re the one with the amazing nose and sharp ears. If anyone’s going to pick up on extra heartbeats it will be you or Kirill.”
“Awesome.” Arvyn made a mental note to have a good listen to his mates’ bellies, later when they didn’t have to worry about another god coming to visit. Imagine having children… his wolf’s tail was wagging at the idea.
Chapter Twenty
PREGNANT! Nope. There was no way, no matter how Kirill tried to come to terms with the possibility, that he could ever see himself happy about the idea. Sure, he knew what a blessing a vampire child was. Because they were such a long-lived species, children were rare and considered a real gift to a coven.
But males do not get pregnant. Stamping across the barren landscape, grateful for his jacket, Kirill mentally cursed everything and everybody, except his mates. His whole life – all six hundred plus years of it – there’d been core elements of life that didn’t change. The sun came up in the morning and went down in the evening. The tides came in and out as governed by the moon. He was a prince of his kind because of his age, wealth and power levels and if there were any children being born, they came from amazing women who had the fortitude and strength to go through childbirth. A male’s job, in that side of things was to pace the floors and give out overpriced cigars to his friends when the child took it’s first yell.
Fuck, it’s cold. Kirill dug his hands deeper into his coat pockets. He didn’t have a shirt. No, that was still lying in bits on the bedroom floor. Torn off at the sight of my two beautiful men… Thankfully, his boots were still in the living room where he’d left them. But his torn pants didn’t offer much protection against the chilly air, so the coat was something to be thankful for. Ra looking out for me again.
Standing on the cliff edge, the house behind him, Kirill looked out over the water. The day was overcast, the clouds a deep gray that promised rain later that afternoon. White caps contrasted with the deep blue water below and across the harbor, Kirill could make out small houses that already had their lights on even though it was close to midday. He sighed; the sound picked up by the wind that was whistling around his ears.
The thing was, Kirill knew in his heart his beloveds were perfect for him. He’d appreciated from the moment he saw him, how sexy Arvyn was with those rangy muscles and those beautiful blond highlights in his dark hair. Gorgeous facial features and well-trimmed facial hair… Arvyn was his perfect ideal to look at. But after the sex was done, he’d also proven to be a fun and remarkably insightful person to talk to, and Kirill needed that in his life. Arvyn didn’t bow to him or defer to him in any way. He treated Kirill like one of the lads, his equal, his mate, and Kirill loved that about his wolf. Arvyn’s sense of humor and his refreshing outlook on life made Kirill feel young again.
And then there was Ra. Kirill felt a flash of guilt as he thought about his special beloved. If Arvyn was the mate Kirill always hoped he’d have, Ra was the dream that sat in the corner of his mind and had done for years. Ra was an enigma wrapped up in a gorgeous body. In many respects, he was strong, ruthless, and decisive – just how Kirill liked to be. But there were other times when he could be sweet and sexy, quiet and submissive, which Kirill totally adored when his cock was hard. Pounding into his beloved’s sweet ass, knowing that Ra had the power to make him disappear in a blink of an eye was a kink Kirill didn’t know he had until now.
And then there’s the other side yet again… Kirill’s guilt was stronger this time. Ra as a god was powerfully strong. Ra as a man was sexy and sweet, but there was another part of Ra that Kirill guessed few people ever saw. The one who wasn’t confident, the one who worried constantly about what people thought of him, the shy god who’d spent longer than Kirill had been alive, lonely. That side I hurt.
Kirill tried to tell himself he was justified, walking out the way he did. I didn’t throw anything this time and I didn’t yell. But his inner voice, the one who was firmly on the side of right, reminded him that walking away, with not even a kiss or a hug for his upset beloved, spoke volumes on its own. And thinking that Arvyn was there with Ra at least – that didn’t help either, because theirs was a relationship of equals and it wasn’t Arvyn’s place to make Ra feel better when Kirill had been the asshole.
It was the shock. The idea of me getting pregnant was a huge shock. Or at least that’s what Kirill told himself, but even to his mind, the excuse didn’t hold up. Arvyn hadn’t looked worried about it – he was just as laid back about that as everything else. But as he stood on the cliff, freezing his ass off, Kirill had to wonder if having children, even if he was the one carrying them, would be such a bad thing. The chance for a real family, the pitter patter of little feet…
Kirill’s head shot up – the faint cry of a wolf rushing past him on the wind. At the same time, a pang of distress flowed through his bond with his mates and Kirill was running before he’d had time to process anything. I bet it’s Seth, it’s that damn Seth. I’ll fucking kill him, even as his logical mind reminded him that killing a god just wasn’t possible. I’ll at least maim him, Kirill thought as he blurred his way back to the house.
/~/~/~/~/
Back in the kitchen, Ra was trying to learn how to flip pancakes with a pan, rather than a flick of his fingers when his senses alerted him to Seth’s arrival. The god was not happy, and he was not alone.
“By the Fates, have you truly sunk that low to be cooking now?” Seth’s arrogance and rage swept through the cozy feel of the cottage like a knife through a spider web. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
Reaching over, Ra turned off the element on the stove, and put the pan carefully back on the bench. Arvyn, who’d been beating eggs in a bowl, growled and slammed the bowl back onto the countertop. But the wolf didn’t say anything, not yet, although Ra could feel the sudden tension from his mate.
“I didn’t ask you here to socialize, Seth.” His hands now free, Ra stood perfectly still, his hands linked in front of him. “In fact, I didn’t ask you to come at all. You are the one who insisted on bringing my two prisoners back to me, and that’s fine. You’ve done that. Now you can leave.”
“I’m not leaving now I’ve just got here. As soon as you said the word mates, I knew I had to come and see what depravity you’ve gotten up to now.” Seth waved his arm around the cozy kitchen scene, his face alight with scorn. “It’s worse than I thought. You’re fucking cooking, in a kitchen with this… this… this mongrel who should be on his knees worshipping the ground you walk on.”
