Home is Where the Heart Is (Cloverleah Pack Series Book 15)

by Lisa Oliver

  Hades said demons could love.

  Cass’s mama would beat anyone to a pulp if they upset her demon mate.

  I feel all warm and glowing when he’s near and I had no problem saying the words. And it didn’t feel like a con.

  That was always a danger with demons, more so than any other paranormal. Most paranormals only spoke the truth, aware that others around them could scent deceit. Demons could scent deceit too, and see it in a being’s soul, but lying was far more accepted in demon culture than in others.

  Myka had made a good point about information being important. Demons loved secrets and could easily lie to seek them out. Words flowed off their tongue effortlessly, especially among humans. Cass had done it countless times before. But he’d always got that feeling, like a nagging itch at the base of his skull when he consciously lied. I didn’t get that when I spoke to Wesley. He was shocked, as if he could scent my words were true and found them hard to believe.

  Cass’s teeth gleamed in the darkened room. They were true. I do love my mate, and then, because he was a demon in love, he just had to tell Wesley, who was still snoring. “I love you so much mate.” Waiting, almost tense to see if his ‘con’ vibe emerged. But, just like before, it didn’t. I’m in love, woohoo.

  “Loves you too,” Wes muttered, rubbing his scruff on Cass’s chest. “Just you. You’re my pack.”

  Oh fuck, mate. You’re breaking my heart. Cass vowed in the darkness he would do all he could to see to it the Cloverleah pack would accept his mate. If those dreams I gave them don’t do the job, I’ll send them nightmares of the demon variety. After all, working in the torture pits of the Underworld had given him a lot of material to work with.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Back at Cloverleah – the night of the full pack run

  “Pack. Hey guys, listen up!” Kane had to yell to make himself heard. Everyone was gathered, even a sheepish Adair, who’d slept twelve hours longer than anyone else, not that anyone but Vassago mentioned it. The remains of a picnic were scattered over the lawn, and cubs, pups, and even a gentle fawn were running in between the grownups in an everchanging game of tag. With Shawn under his arm, Kane looked over his pack mates with pride. This was the pack he’d always dreamed of having and never thought he’d ever achieve.

  “Gentlemen, and ladies,” he gave a nod to baby Em who was curled up in Luke’s arms, and Carrie, the cute little fawn who was being watched over by Matthew. “It is almost time for us to shift and run, but before we do, I need a pack vote on the issue of Wesley.” He looked down at Shawn whose smile still lit up the sky as far as Kane was concerned.

  Shawn nodded and addressed their assembled friends. “It feels like a lifetime since the five core members of this pack welcomed me into their homes and their hearts. Since then, everyone who has been accepted into this territory have found their fated mates. We have all been truly blessed.”

  There was a chorus of yes and nods in agreement. Baby Em squealed, which elicited a lot of smiles.

  “I have said many times,” Shawn looked around the clearing. “We all came together for a reason. During our struggles, we’ve become stronger individually, as mates, and as a pack, and I know Kane joins me when I say every member of this pack can pat themselves on the back for their part in this pack’s success. We’re all stronger together.”

  He let out a long breath. “Only two members of this pack are missing – Wesley and Ryan. Those two men, for whatever reason, were meant to be part of our pack, and yet because of events outside of our control, aren’t here at the moment. Ryan, I am pleased to announce, found his mate in the wilds of Alaska. Apparently, she led him on quite a chase, and Ryan had some soul searching of his own to do, after being conned so badly by the dark elves here. But the fates assure me, they will be hearing the patter of little feet soon and Ryan is in conversations with Scott and Damien about possibly moving in with their pack. Damien is always looking for good enforcers, and Kane and I gave him a glowing reference, so situation for Ryan is looking positive.”

  “Why didn’t Ryan want to come back here?” Dean asked.

  “Ryan wasn’t sure if his mate would be welcome as we are a gay only pack,” Kane replied. “He was not… blessed doesn’t seem like the right word… but he wasn’t given Castor’s insightful gift as we were, and the memories of what he went through here are still too strong for him to face again. Scott has promised to keep us updated and if the situation changes for him and he can accept being here, then of course he and his family will be welcome.”

  “I’m glad he’s found his safe space and his mate,” Griff yelled, raising his glass. “To Ryan and his new family.”

  “To Ryan,” the pack roared.

  “Which brings us to Wesley,” Shawn said, and the whole pack quietened, even the little ones. Looking over the faces he loved so much, Shawn’s smile was rueful. “We did wrong by Wesley – every one of us, except our little ones of course,” he added when he saw Frankie cross his arms. Shawn chuckled. “You know, I think for many of us, definitely myself included, we were perhaps all a little embarrassed at being taken in so thoroughly by a golem. Those dark ones definitely knew their shit.”

  “I got taken in by it, and that will not go down as one of my proudest moments,” Kane muttered.

  Those closest to the alpha pair all laughed especially when Shawn replied, “You’ve had a few of those moments.”

  Shawn held up his hands for quiet again. “Wesley also found his mate and for that I am truly thankful for many reasons. Nereus informed me,” he waved his hand at the demi-god sitting with his mates, “that the god Hades and his mate Ali are truly grateful to Castor, and Wesley for locating the warded areas the dark ones had set up on their domain. Negotiations are under way for the transfer of the red wolf pack to a safer realm in the hopes they might flourish. Hades also confers his blessings on the young ones we’ve given our home and hearts to here; something else Wesley and Castor were responsible for. We owe them our thanks, if nothing else.”

  “It is now voting time,” Kane said. “I won’t ask any of you to explain the things you went through thanks to Castor’s dreams, but any of you are welcome to share any last thoughts you have before we take the final vote.”

  “Me and the littlies want Wes and his demon here,” Frankie yelled out loudly as the children yipped and howled and cheeped. “We don’t need a vote.”

  There’re shades of an alpha in that one already, Shawn sent to Kane who nodded.

  “Wes and Cass gave us an awesome gift,” Luke said softly, and the love he had for baby Em was evident. “He should be here to share those gifts with all of us.”

  “Me too,” Raff said quickly. “I vote yes.”

  “Personally, I find the idea of living with a demon among us, quite intriguing,” Vadim said. “I fear their species is often much maligned by people who don’t know them, and their take on history is often at odds with the human version of events.”

  “We’ll be talking about how you might know demons later, mate,” Josh laughed. “But I agree. Wesley is a good guy, and he’s missed. I want him back.”

  “Wesley proved himself a good enforcer and having a demon in our pack makes sound strategic sense from a safety perspective,” Jax spoke up, looking at Anton who nodded in agreement.

  “I can find out about those wards from the demon,” Fafnir jumped up and down, only to be slapped on the chest by Aelfric.

  “The demon has a name,” Aelfric said hotly. “And I’m sure Castor won’t want to spend all his time listening to your boring lectures about wards.”

  “Me and Griff vote yes.” Diablo waved a hand. “I was the one who introduced Wes to this pack and my reasons for wanting him here still stand. I think the de… Castor will be an interesting addition.”

  “Reef brothers, and Cathair,” Kane noted the other upraised hands, and the ones still left to say anything. “The vote must be unanimous. I will not allow anyone here to upset the harmony of this pack, es
pecially now we have twelve special young shifters to protect and cherish. If any of you say no, for any reason, that will be respected, and the matter will not be raised again.”

  “That’s what you think,” Frankie muttered.

  “I learned a lot thanks to Castor.” Marius stood up, fiddling with his jeans. “Teilo and me,” the words caught in his throat, and he coughed and tried again. “Teilo and me, we were raised to fight, to kill, maim and win at all costs. The golem created a fight in me I couldn’t win, but I couldn’t see that, until Castor sent me that dream. When I woke up and Cathair was there, we talked for a long time, about us, our relationship, and Wesley.”

  “Wesley might not have been here in the fight against the dark ones,” Cathair said, “but if he had of been, I know he would have fought as hard as any of us. We remembered other things too – how he always made sure the coffee pot was full in the enforcer house…”

  “How he never took the last piece of pizza.” Teilo nodded. “He always checked to make sure no one else wanted it first.”

  “Every time he was doing laundry, he always asked me if I had some that needed doing,” Thomas said, nodding. “He was always helpful like that, before...” The golem was left unsaid.

  “Mine too,” Marius agreed. “The thing is, I can’t blame my brothers, Teilo or Adair, for reacting the way they did. They’ve always had my back, and Cathair’s. But Cat and me, we’ve decided. This pack isn’t complete without Wesley in it, and if he comes with a demon too, so be it.” He reached out and Cathair gripped his hand firmly. “If you look at it honestly, we’re a pack of misfits, and prior to coming here most of us have been shunned by the ones meant to protect and stand by us. Wesley and his demon are misfits too. They belong here. The actions of clay and sticks don’t change that.” He tilted his chin at Adair, challenging his brother.

  Adair looked at Vassago, and then at Frankie, who waved his hands for him to stand up, which he did. “I think, out of all of this pack, I had the most to learn from the dream sequences Castor sent us,” he said, keeping his voice low. “As a young man, I left my brothers with my father, believing they would be safe. I came back and found out I was wrong. Killing my father did nothing to take away the guilt I felt at not protecting my brothers when I should have done. No, no, let me speak,” he added as Marius went to say something.

  “I never wanted anyone to know the guilt I felt – I believed I failed my brothers when they were young, and I spent decades trying to make up for that guilt. When Cathair was attacked, and my youngest brother had to witness an ultimate betrayal, or so it appeared, the feelings I had over being a failure came back tenfold. I didn’t handle it well.”

  He looked at Vassago who was still sitting on the ground at his feet. The smile they shared was full of love. “My mate would be one of the first to tell you how bull-headed I can be. I needed someone to blame, and Wesley was the best target. Then, when you throw a demon into the mix, and knowing…”

  “There was no knowing about it,” Vassago said with a laugh. “You were jealous because I’d had a piece of demon ass, and you’d never thought to try it before you met me. I bet I’m not the only one in this pack who’s done the demon tango, we just don’t talk about it now, because we are all mated. Admit it. A lot of your prejudice against an entire species was based on the jealousy you felt in meeting one of my one-night stands. The fact that Castor is one of the brothers of my one-night stand was just icing on the hate cake. That’s all.”

  “Ha!” Shawn laughed. “If I got jealous about my mate’s one-night stands half of the Tulsa pack would be dead.”

  “And as Vassago politely pointed out,” Kane said quickly, “we don’t talk about that anymore. Because we all have true mates we love with all our hearts. Besides I seem to remember a wolf or two with broken fingers who dared to try and touch me, and did you forget what you did to Bruce the bear? No? Anyhow, we’re getting off track. Did you have anything else you wanted to say Adair, because the young ones are getting sleepy and I’d still love for us to have a run together.”

  “Vassago. Was. Right.” Adair enunciated clearly with a huge grin. “There you go, sweetie, I said it in front of everyone. I let my guilt and jealousy overrule my common sense. I adore my brothers, and nothing makes me happier than seeing the renewed bonds of closeness Marius and Cathair have managed to achieve and I know I have Castor to thank for that. Wesley was never flashy, he always worked hard, he loved and protected this pack, and I like to think we filled a void in his life too.” Taking a deep breath, Adair looked across at Frankie, staring at him directly in the eyes and said, “I vote for Wesley to come home.”

  The smile on Frankie’s young face was breathtaking. Running across the clearing he jumped into Adair’s arms, hugging him tight. More than one man brushed away a tear as they heard Frankie say, “Thank you… dad.”

  “Right.” Kane cleared his throat. “It’s been decided. Wesley and his mate will come home when they are ready. But come on. We’re losing light here, and as we don’t want any of the little ones lost in the forest at night, let’s shift, and go for a run.”

  So, they did. And because it was the Cloverleah pack, no one thought it was at all strange to see one dark colored wolf with a sloth clinging to his back, or to see a young baby girl curled up in the arms of a huge grizzly bear.

  Everyone took great care not to knock the cute wee fawn who jumped around in huge excitement in the middle of the pack, and many of the wolves helped out the huge black panther who was doing his best to keep his three cheetah cubs running with his wolf mate.

  As for the five little dogs who were running under wolves and nipping at heels – they weren’t unusual either. Neither was the vampire, or the demi-god, or the djinn who all ran in human form.

  And when Kane stopped by the lake, his black fur glistening in the moonlight, lifting his head to howl, his voice was joined by a range of others, from howls, to roars, to squeaks. Such was the nature of Cloverleah. They were all accepted, and far away in their own little realm, the Fates smiled, disappointed in the pack no more.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I’m not sure I’m ready to go back just yet.” Wesley and Cass were back in the Underworld, getting dressed in readiness to have dinner with Hades and Ali. Hades had sent demons to clear the wards and negative energies from the house left by the dark ones, and boosted the self-perpetuating magic, telling Cass they could consider the house and surrounding yard as theirs. The first thing Cass did, remembering what Ali had told him, was install an early warning system that would let them know if any other demons approached, and secure locks for the doors and windows.

  The message from Cloverleah asking Wesley and Cass to go back, had been delivered by Folsom, followed rather quickly by an impassioned plea from Frankie on the communication stone Cass had given Luke. Cass had deflected at the time, claiming they had unfinished business in the Underworld, but Wes knew he had to decide soon. The offer wasn’t likely to stay open forever.

  “We can do whatever you want to, babe,” Cass said, coming up behind him, his gaze admiring. Wes had to admit he was looking a little less like an emaciated vampire and more like he used to. Three days of nothing but sun, sand and surf with Cass by his side had added color to cheeks that were slowly filling out. His ribs were no longer causing ridges in his skin and even his chest had a slight tan. “Why don’t you dress yourself with a click, so we’ve got some time to kill before dinner?”

  “I don’t know what to wear.” Wes ran his hand through his new haircut, another present from Cass. “What does one wear when one dines with a God who’s almost as old as time itself? I’ll feel silly if I’m the only one in a suit, but to wear casual seems a bit… well, casual.”

  “You do worry about the strangest things,” Cass chuckled, and Wes felt his skin tingle all over as warm arms wrapped around his middle. “Hades expects respect in his realm, which is understandable, but given most demons he interacts with are often naked, or wearin
g nothing but a thong…”

  “Castor?” Both men tensed as the ward alarms went off and someone started shrieking Cass’s name simultaneously. “Castor Blumenthorp, you let me in this house right this minute or I’ll slap you so hard with a wooden spoon you’ll see stars for a month. Do you hear me? Castor?”

  “Blumenthorp?” Wes whispered.

  “Family name,” Cass said hurriedly. “Not one used to summon me, thank Hades. Er… Er… you can… er…”

  “Castor? Castor!”

  The shriek was so loud, Wesley winced. “The only possible person I could imagine shrieking at a full-grown demon like that would be their mother or their wife, and as I assume you don’t have a wife…?”

  “Nope. It’s mama.” Cass grimaced and clicked his fingers. Wesley was suddenly covered head to toe, in a suit, with a buttoned-up shirt collar, waistcoat and highly polished boots that looked expensive. “Just… be polite… be nice. Hang on. I’m coming mama,” he yelled back. “Ignore half of what she says and take the other half with a grain of salt. I said I was coming, mama.”

  Cass sprinted out of the room, leaving Wes to follow at a more leisurely pace. Wes had to admit he was curious about what sort of woman had given birth to his mate, and more importantly, one who could inspire so much fear and respect into her children. Having never seen a demon female, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but the diminutive human form who looked like a stereotypical Italian grandmother wasn’t it.

  Wearing long black hair, held back in a braid, the top of Mama’s head barely came up to Cass’s sternum. But Cass was clearly wary of the long handled wooden spoon she was waving in her hand. “Why didn’t you tell me the Master gave you a house of your own, aye? I’ve been cleaning your house at the village making it all nice for your new mate and this is how you repay me? And what were you thinking of, imagining this is the sort of furnishings fit for a level twelve demon’s mate? What were you thinking?” The wooden spoon connected with Cass’s skull and Wes cringed.