When Three Points Collide: Ra's Story, page 20
“People I spoke to.” Doblin’s voice was robotic. “The office workers at the council, the guards who dragged me along here to catalogue the contents of your coven buildings. Even a few of your coven members were upset when the coven guards questioned them, claiming you didn’t care what went on around the place so long as your peace and quiet wasn’t disturbed.”
The hurt, when it came through their bond wasn’t unexpected, although Kirill showed nothing of it on his face. “How did you end up staying here,” Kirill said quietly, but the firmness was still there. Doblin had no choice but to answer.
“I had some vacation time. This house was going to be empty for months. No one was using it.”
“There are over thirty bedrooms in this coven. Why did you violate my space?”
“I wanted to be master of a coven. I have to wait five hundred years before I could ever start a coven of my own. I could be dead by then.”
Kirill shook his head. “Does anyone at the council know you’re here?”
“No. I would lose my job if they found out.”
There was a long silence. Doblin didn’t move, but Kirill didn’t either. Arvyn whined, wishing he hadn’t been so quick to play scare the vampire. His mate looked like he needed a hug. He nudged Ra with his shoulder, and his little god stepped forward.
“Kirill, babe, I think what we’ve got here is the biggest case of wanna-be-itis I’ve ever seen. This guy was messy, and chances are the pizzas were all ordered on a coven account, and yes, he did mess up your suits, and invade your living space. But he’s just a baby vamp, isn’t he?”
“How old are you?” Kirill asked Doblin.
“Seventy-three.”
“Definitely a baby vamp then,” Ra said.
Hey, he’s older than me. Arvyn nudged Ra with his nose to let him know he was joking.
“A baby who saw something he wanted and didn’t think he’d get caught out,” Ra continued, with a quick grin at Arvyn. “I mean, you could lop his head off, or Arvyn could chase him down and rip his throat out, or I could send him to Antarctica or somewhere equally unpleasant, but I’m not sure what that would achieve. It’s not going to undo what he’s done.”
“He’s not sorry.” Kirill’s voice was clipped. “You heard him. He’s got an overinflated sense of entitlement.”
“Hmm. Good point.” Ra rested a finger on his chin. “He needs to experience some sort of consequence. Perhaps working with the less fortunate in society?”
Kirill was considering it, Arvyn could tell. “How much longer is your vacation?” He asked Doblin who was still standing as if like a statue.
“Three weeks.”
“There we go,” Ra beamed. “He can do three weeks working at a shelter, and if he doesn’t follow through, then as a god, I will know about it, and we’ll lay a complaint with your council and have him charged with theft and abuse of his position.”
Arvyn wanted to chuckle. He could scent Ra’s deceit, even if Doblin and Kirill couldn’t.
“Good idea. I just want him out of here,” Kirill said. “Doblin,” he addressed the robotic vampire. “You will leave here, go to the nearest homeless shelter where you will stay and work until the end of your vacation. If you do not, then Ra, the Father of Everything will let me know, and I will lay a complaint with the council and have you charged. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Doblin still didn’t move.
“Then go. Get out of my sight. Now.”
Doblin took one step forward, and then another one, and then, as the thrall lifted, he sprinted out of the room. Arvyn had to chase – he couldn’t help himself, and he scrambled after the vampire until Doblin had cleared the gates of the estate and kept on running. Then, and only then, did Arvyn trot on back to the house. Kirill was being hugged by Ra, and Arvyn initiated his shift, keen to join in on the loving.
“I can’t wait to find a new place in Montana. Having to deal with baby vamps like that does my head in,” Kirill said quietly, lifting one of his arms, so Arvyn could slide under it. “Do you two feel any less about me, because I really don’t think I’m cut out to run a coven anymore?”
“You’re perfect just the way you are,” Arvyn said fiercely, hugging his mate tight. “I wouldn’t be interested in running a coven full of those self-entitled assholes either. I didn’t even want to run a pack, so why would I be upset with you about not wanting a coven?”
“I think we’re fine the way we are,” Ra agreed. “You’ve done your duty to your kind. You were a good, fair, and generous coven master, but now it’s time for you to start living your own life. The three of us, along with some true friends – we don’t need anything else. As for the others, you’ve looked after members of your kind for centuries, my dear Kirill. It’s time to take a break and let others deal with the headaches. We have a baby coming, a new house to organize, and a whole lot of loving to fill our days.”
“That sounds like heaven,” Kirill said with a happy sigh. “Wave your magical hand, if you don’t mind, my beloved Ra. Just stage the house with whatever and get rid of everything else. I can buy anything I need, and I’ve got everything important in my arms already. I’m ready to get out of here.”
Arvyn looked down at his nakedness. “I should probably put some clothes on first, especially if we’re meeting an estate agent. Or do you think we’d get a better deal on the price if I’m naked?”
“No.” Kirill and Ra both growled together and Arvyn laughed. He knew he was loved, and his mates’ jealousy was so cute.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The new house in Montana was beautiful, and quickly became Ra’s second favorite abode, next to his house in Ireland. Their Montana lifestyle block wasn’t as big as Paulie and Zeus’s, but sitting halfway up a valley opposite their place, it had astounding views, fresh clean air, and the warmth of a real home that Kirill had been missing.
Since moving in, the vampire had shed all his tension, happy to sit for hours reading a book, or watching movies, the three of them curled up on the couch together. There were some days none of the men bothered with clothes, happy enough to spend their time in bed, laughing and loving on each other the way Ra had always dreamed.
Arvyn loved the new place, especially when he found the big old workshop behind the house. Apparently, Ra’s wolf mate had a love of woodcrafts and guitars, and Ra was happy to set him up with tools and the special woods that had Arvyn’s tail wagging. Because yes, the wolf side of Ra’s mate loved their new house too, and many an evening, it would be the wolf joining Ra and Kirill on their big old porch, keeping a watchful eye on rodents and the various animal life that lived and played in the trees surrounding the property.
It wasn’t all just cozying on the couch or spending their days in bed, however. Kirill had apparently taken on board Ra’s comment back when they met about how the god hadn’t experienced much of life on earth. Conscious of the fact that Ra wouldn’t be able to go out in public much longer, he was just starting to show, Kirill and Arvyn were determined Ra should enjoy the happy things in life – volunteering at a local soup kitchen, wandering around farmer’s markets on an afternoon, day trips on motorcycles, and visiting the out of the way diners and bars Ra loved. Many evenings, sitting in a bar, Arvyn would pull out his guitar and have all the locals singing along with everything from country hits to older eighties and nineties songs.
His mates made it so easy for Ra to forget that he was a god. So, a cerebral ding, heard early one morning while Ra was enjoying watching the sunrise, was a surprise. They had a visitor. Letting his mates know they had company through their now solid mind link, Ra got up, and offered a chair to one of his daughters.
“Bastet, I’m surprised to see you. Are you well?” Ra settled back in his own chair, waving a hand for refreshments. Bastet was a beautiful woman, and her eyes held kindly approval as she eyed Ra’s thickening waistline.
“Were you ever going to tell the rest of us you were mated and expecting a child?” she asked softly with only a hint of reprimand. “So many of your people would be thrilled to share in your good fortune and would be overjoyed to know the Fates haven’t overlooked us in their bid to provide gods with mates.”
“The Fates have doubly blessed me indeed.” Ra handed Bastet a glass of mint tea, knowing she would enjoy it. “I have two strapping mates who love me dearly, and I them. To be honest, if it wasn’t for this,” he patted his small baby bump, “it would be easy to forget the passage of time, but I haven’t felt so content in eons.”
“Happiness looks good on you, Lord Ra.” Bastet smiled. “But you should know, I was sent in to warn you.”
“Warn me?” Ra felt a shaft of alarm, and as if by magic, Arvyn and Kirill appeared by his side, bristling with protectiveness.
Bastet laughed in the face of his mates’ visible upset. “I’m here to make sure you’ve all got clothes on. No one wanted to disrespect you, or your mates by appearing when you were enjoying intimate times with your loved ones. I’m warning you about your impending lunch date with the people from your realm who love you and only want to share in your good fortune.”
“Here?” Ra glanced up at his mates. “Surely, the realm would be more appropriate for a mating celebration?”
“Would it really?” Bastet took a graceful sip of her drink and eyed Ra over the glass. “Tell me, my Lord, if you and your mates had the choice between a stuffy robe infested ritual celebration on your realm, or a family-style barbecue and grill afternoon here at your home, which would you choose?”
“Egyptian gods do barbecue?” Of course, it was Arvyn who asked.
“Osiris has spent decades perfecting the most succulent grilled steak, and my salads have been known to have grown men drooling,” Bastet teased. Then she turned serious, her eyes kind as she focused on Ra. “Truly, my lord, it would do the heart of your people so much good if you’d invite them into your home. I can understand your reluctance, we all can. Between that nasty business with Seth, and the unfortunate downfall of Thoth, your heart must be weary from grief.”
“It’s not been easy.” Ra leaned on Kirill’s side, his hand taken by Arvyn. “I have lived with the idea that all beings have free will for as long as I’ve been alive, but there is still so much I feel I don’t know about my beloved children and it’s not easy to get past thoughts that I have let them down in some way.”
“Your beloved Kirill has gone through similarly painful thoughts relating to his own people,” Bastet said kindly as she smiled at the staunch looking vampire. “The Fates did well in your joining, giving you someone who could understand and empathize with your disappointments, as well as the delightful Arvyn who is the sunshine who keeps you all focused on what’s good in this life.”
Bastet was right, as per usual, and Ra felt a warm glow of pride, knowing that was coming from his mates. “The love we all share, is a very powerful force in its own right.”
“Then please, will you consider sharing that love with your people.” Bastet leaned forward on her chair, her elbows resting on her knees. Flicking her hair back from her face, she said, “You have been an amazing father, letting us all develop and create lives of our own here on earth when we were no longer needed by mortals. But no matter how distant we might seem as people sometimes, we’re all part of a powerful pantheon, and the source of that power comes from you. It would give heart to a lot of our kind if you would allow this barbecue, and let our people witness the love you’ve found.”
“We have a barbecue and grill that barely gets used,” Arvyn said excitedly. “We could get a karaoke machine, and a sound system so people could dance if they wanted. It’s not like food will be a problem.”
“We could invite some of our other friends too like Paulie and Zeus and their little one,” Kirill added. “Wes and Cass too, if they’re not too busy because it’s thanks to them we met.”
“Helios might like to come.” Ra nodded. “I know he sees us, but I haven’t spoken to him in an age. Hades and Poseidon too, if they were keen to come, along with their mates and children. We haven’t met up since Hades’ mating celebration.”
“You have so many good friends.” Bastet’s eyes twinkled. “So, can I let the others know we’re having a party?”
“Yes.” Ra patted his belly. “We’re having a party. It’s time for our people and our friends to come together.” A pang lanced his heart despite his excitement – two of his kind would be missing. There was no guarantee Thoth would ever recover his wits enough to socialize again, and Seth…
“Seth will find his way back into the fold,” Bastet said, and Ra should’ve known his daughter would miss nothing. “You plan to see him again in another month or so, yes?”
“Yes.” Time had flown by so fast. Ra wasn’t sure a mere six months was enough to change the hatred in Seth’s heart. Not when it had been eons in the making.
“You never know.” Bastet winked. “Maybe the Fates will bless him despite his angry ways, and he’ll find a mate of his own down here.”
There’s no guarantee even that will work, given how Seth doesn’t believe in mates. But Ra nodded and smiled. His friends and people were coming. Now was not the time to dwell on the negative few.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
It’d been a long and laughter filled day. Deities Arvyn had only read about, and some he’d never heard of, turned up with food and gifts, friendly and happy to see their “father” so happy. It was good to see Paulie and Zeus in happier circumstances and even Wes and Cass called in for an hour. They were on their way to another case, but they came with congratulations and gifts for the unborn child. Hades was a surprise – somehow Arvyn thought the Lord of the Underworld would be someone really dour, lurking in a corner somewhere glaring at everyone and not keen on having fun. But Hades turned up with a smile, a cute little chipmunk mate who was hilarious to chat to, and two darling children strapped to his chest.
Poseidon was another shock – Arvyn had been imagining a giant man with long green hair and a fish tail. The god who turned up looked like one of the many twinks that used to catch Arvyn’s eye before he was mated. Poseidon’s mate was a lot bigger than he was, and an alpha wolf shifter to boot. But any reservations Arvyn had at meeting Claude quickly disappeared when the man hugged him close and offered him a place to run with others of his kind “anytime.” “One of the joys of being mated to a god,” he’d added and Arvyn had felt really touched by Claude’s open acceptance.
Having never had a problem with meeting new people, after spending so many years drifting, Arvyn found himself chatting with a huge variety of people. Osiris was slightly standoffish, but Arvyn found out he was a real music buff. The Lord of the Dead had surprisingly good taste. Horus was stunningly good looking and clearly used to being the center of attention, but after saying hello, Arvyn steered clear of him. The man spent too much time undressing everyone with his eyes. Anubis didn’t say a lot, but he seemed pleasant enough. He was the one lurking in the corner, instead of Hades, but he smiled and answered anytime anyone spoke to him.
The women kept to themselves, although they were pleasant enough when introduced. They were all stunningly beautiful, with thick dark hair and ageless faces, but they tended to hold themselves back, almost aloof, even with Ra. Bastet, who Arvyn learned had been their earlier visitor, spent most of the afternoon talking to Isis, Nephthys, Sekhmet and Hathor, and they all left by the time Helios arrived.
All in all, it was an amazing get together. Food eaten, children admired, the gods sat around chatting about everything and nothing and Arvyn was starting to feel tired and wanted some snuggle time with his mates. The sun had set hours before. Helios was enjoying a quiet drink chatting with Poseidon and Hades. But as he scanned the faces still mingling on their deck, Arvyn couldn’t see Ra or Kirill anywhere. Searching his bond, Arvyn grinned. He put down his bottle of beer and slipped into the house and up the stairs.
“I knew I’d find you here,” he said fondly as he stepped into the room designated as a nursery. Ra was sitting in a huge rocking chair that was gifted by Bastet, while Kirill was on the floor surrounded by a bunch of furniture pieces.
“Our sweet Kirill has had just enough happy juice to think putting up a crib, without reading the instructions, is a good idea.” Ra lifted his face for a kiss that Arvyn was quick to give him. “I tried to tell him I could do it in two seconds flat, but…”
“Some things should be done by hand,” Kirill said firmly. He held up what looked like two legs of the crib. “Shouldn’t there be four of these and how come they’ve both got a sticker with the letter A on them?”
Chuckling, Arvyn folded his legs and sat on the other side of the pile of parts. “Who was the one who gifted us with kit set furniture?” He started sorting out the straight bits that would form the base.
“Claude and Poseidon.” Kirill put down his two pieces and studied the pile again. “Apparently, Claude almost had kittens watching Poseidon try his hand at DIY and thought it would be fun to see us muddle through with it too.”
“Have you got the screw packet that came in it?” Arvyn laid out the four edges of the base and put aside the slats that would fit in it.
“They’re all different sizes too,” Kirill grumbled, throwing the packet over. “How the hell anyone can make any sense of this jumble of bits?”
“That’s why they come with instructions.” Ra chuckled and then he gasped, and Arvyn was up, at Ra’s side in a blink, Kirill mirroring him on the other side.
“What is it?” Kirill said urgently, his hand hovering over Ra’s belly although he didn’t touch. “Is it the baby? Did you over do it? Have you been on your feet too much today?”
“I’m not that big yet,” Ra protested, but Arvyn could see something was going on. Ra was rubbing over his adorable bump and definitely focusing inwards. “There. Quick.” He grabbed at Arvyn and Kirill’s hands and placed them on the side of his torso. “Can you feel it? Like the brush of a butterfly wing along my insides.”
