Tim turned and Joel barely had time to steady him as the pixie wavered, his legs not wanting to support his weight. He chuckled again and shook his head. Joel grabbed his hand and pulled his lover into a tight hug, kissing him senselessly. Withdrawing from the kiss, he rested his forehead against Timmy’s and said in a hoarse voice, “Best. Surprise. Ever.”
“Glad you liked it,” Tim answered. “Now, how about a shower?”
“For you anything, my mate.” With a smile, Joel pulled his pixie with him to the bathroom.
Their lives might be complicated right then, and the paranormal world a dangerous place, but they had each other, and that was all that mattered.
Epilogue
It was a few weeks after Halloween and Jason decided to take his mates for a fun night out. They went to the cinema to watch the latest fantasy movie, then had dinner in a restaurant. After coming back home they were all pleasantly full and relaxed. There were no paranormal emergencies and no annoying gods visiting. They were curled on the living room sofa watching some show and Jason decided it was a perfect opportunity to pry into what was bothering Toby. His smaller mate looked surprised at the question.
“Bothering me?” he asked. “It’s nothing, really.” Toby dismissed Jason’s concern, but Jason wasn’t going to be dissuaded.
“I know I asked you before, and you said it was nothing, but you are clearly still troubled by it. Please tell us, what is it. Maybe we can help?”
Toby sighed and shook his head. He then tilted it back raising his eyes to the ceiling. He seemed to be thinking about it.
“Lately I’ve been plagued by this vision. There’s this woman with long brown hair talking to me. I can hear her, but the words are strange as if someone took them apart and then pieced back together. She’s also using some foreign-sounding words. I thought about it and decided it has to be a memory. I don’t know who the woman is, but I probably knew her when I was a child. Maybe it’s my mother? I don’t know and there is no real way of finding out. For all I know, she could be from one of the earlier foster families I’ve been in. I don’t really remember much about them.” Toby looked Jason in the eye and smiled. “Like I said, it’s nothing. I guess with the revelation of me being part paranormal, and now with this curious skill of being able to hear Ross when nobody else could, it got me thinking. I wish I knew more about my family and my paranormal ancestry.” Toby sighed wistfully and Jason’s heart squeezed a little. So Toby had been troubled, and it took Jason way too long to notice it. Now, though, he knew what the problem was, and could get to work, resolving it.
“Well, I do not think this is nothing,” he stated. “I think you’ve got right to know your roots. Tyler and I will help in any way we can.” Jason looked to Ty, who nodded in agreement. Toby’s smile grew wider and the younger man leaned in to kiss Jason, then turned and did the same to Tyler.
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Toby said.
“We could get Dominic or Joel to look into your family. There must be some records or something that could point us in the right direction,” Tyler suggested.
“That’s a great idea, Ty.” Jason agreed. “On my part, I’ll pin down my father, the next time he visits and will get some answers about your paranormal side from him.”
“Good luck with that,” Tyler grumbled and Jason rolled his eyes. This animosity between his mate and father was hilarious.
“Hey, Ty,” Toby said changing the subject, “do you think you can stop hating Halloween now? You saw it wasn’t so scary, after all. No demon cats bringing death, just an owlcat coming to help us.”
Jason turned to his bigger mate, curious as to his answer. Tyler looked uncomfortable.
“It could have been a coincidence,” he finally mumbled. Jason had to lean in closer if he wanted to understand him. “Nobody said there aren’t any real demon cats hiding and waiting to take us unaware.” The tiger-shifter insisted stubbornly.
Toby sighed and turned his eyes heavenwards and Jason had to press his lips tightly to hide his grin.
“What made you hate Halloween so bad anyway?” He finally asked turning to Tyler. Toby faced the big shifter, as well, clearly curious. Ty grimaced but explained.
“When I was four, maybe five-years old, my older brothers thought it a great idea to give me a good scare on Halloween. They told me this scary story about an abandoned mansion full of ghosts, owls, and flesh-eating, death bringing demon-cats. Then, when I went to bed, they snuck into my room, wearing costumes and scared the ever living hell out of me. I can still remember the story. Can repeat it nearly word by word, to this day. I didn’t believe my parents when they told me it was a lie. I was scared to come out of bed every Halloween since. I know it’s not rational,” the tiger added looking embarrassed, “but I simply cannot get over my fear.”
Jason’s amusement died and he saw Toby looked somber, as well.
“It’s not right, scaring a little child like that,” Toby said. Ty shrugged.
“My brothers thought it a harmless prank. No one could foresee it would have such an impact on me. Unfortunately, I believe I am scarred for life.” Ty’s somber tone turned suddenly playful. Jason thought lightening the mood was a really good idea.
“Well,” he said, “You’ve got two mates now to protect you from demon-cats. I promise to have your back on every Halloween from now on.”
“Me, too,” Toby nodded, smiling.
“With two capable mates like that,” Ty grinned, “Maybe Halloween is not really scary.”
THE END
WWW.AUTHORSOPHIEMARTIN.BLOGSPOT.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When she was a child, Sophie’s parents complained that she was spending too much time reading. She couldn’t stop herself, however, and by the time she grew up, her reading habit turned into a full-blown addiction. Combine it with unending curiosity making her always wonder “what if,” and that’s how she started writing her own books.
For all titles by Sophie Martin, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/sophie-martin

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