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

by Lisa Oliver

  “Hello, Ma’am,” he said stepping into the living room, thankful for his FBI training on dealing in all kinds of confrontational situations. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Wesley, your son’s true mate. It’s so nice to meet you. You must be Mrs. Blumenthorp, am I right?”

  “You can call me mama, the same as he does.” At least mama lowered the spoon. “Well, I must say, the fates were kind to you boy.”

  Wes felt his cheeks flush. “I know. Your son’s been very good to me.”

  “I wasn’t calling you boy,” Mama laughed. “I meant my eejit son. La-di-da, you have done all right for yourself, Cass my boy. He is a looker with manners a mother would weep over and the way he wears that suit…” she whistled. Sauntering over, she slowly circled Wesley, making him feel like a thoroughbred being checked out at a horse auction. He was prepared to put up with her scrutiny, but if she tried to look at his teeth…

  “Very nice.” Mama nodded approvingly. “So, do you have family, Mr. Wesley? People we need to kill, maim, or do away with for hurting you?”

  “Orphaned, some ten years ago.” Wes stiffened as mama moved behind him.

  “Do you have a pack? I hear those little shits at Cloverleah want you to call their place home.” Mama popped up by Wes’s right elbow.

  “Cass and I haven’t made any firm plans, yet, Ma’am, I mean mama,” Wes corrected himself quickly. The woman was still holding that spoon like a weapon. “Cass told me he doesn’t have to work at the pits anymore, so we’re still thinking about things we can do, maybe together on the human realm – although, we’d always come back for visits,” he added hastily.

  “You’d better.” Mama nodded. “My boys are all right for the most part. Cass here has always worked hard, even if he did used to fill his house with undesirable scum, but I cleaned them out. Myka, my youngest, bah,” she waved her hand dismissing Cass’s brother. “He’s always out for trouble that one, and don’t even get me started about Cass’s so-called best friend, Bron.”

  “We’ve met,” Wesley said quickly. “Bron and Myka, I’ve met them both, already.”

  “What in the blazes?” Mama turned on her son in a flash. “How could you let a fine refined young man like this anywhere near that low-life Bron? What have I told you? That demon cur is a no good and a wastrel, and you let him near your precious mate? I should tan your hide six ways from Sunday. I didn’t raise you to be such a fool.”

  “It was only once.” Cass raised his arms, protecting his head. “It won’t happen again.”

  “It’d better not,” Mama warned her son. “You’ve finally got the chance to make something of yourself outside this realm. I want your mate to feel happy coming here to visit, not cringing every time one of those loud-mouthed louts come near. How’s your poor Wesley going to get a good impression of us, if you let him meet people like Bron before me?”

  “We’re just on our way to the mansion, mama,” Cass said quickly. “Lord Hades gave me the freedom to roam between realms himself personally, and the Consort kindly invited me and Wesley to dinner tonight.”

  “The Master and Consort did that, for you?” Mama collapsed into the nearest chair, fanning herself with the spoon. “Oh, my stars. Old mother Willoughby is going to shit kittens when she finds out about this. I will be dining on this for a month. My son, and his shifter mate, having dinner with the Master, and the Consort too.”

  She looked up and glared at her son. “Is that what you’re wearing? Can’t you take after your lovely Wesley and wear a suit at least?”

  “We were just getting ready when you arrived, mama.” A click of Cass’s fingers and he was now dressed similarly to Wesley except his suit was black, and his shirt red. His tie was red and black striped just like his demon form. “Will this do?”

  “It will have to I suppose.” Mama shook her head. “Now, don’t go saying anything to put your foot in things. Let your nicely mannered Wesley do all the talking. You just sit there looking pretty, don’t play with your cutlery, don’t chew with your mouth open, and for Hades’ sake do not lean your elbows on the table. You weren’t raised in a barn, you know.”

  “I know, mama.” Cass went over, bending down to kiss his mama’s cheek. “You raised me right.”

  “Too right, I did, and see where it’s got you.” Mama nodded. “Come here, Wesley, I expect you to kiss me too.”

  Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Wes went over, bending so he could brush his lips across Mama’s cheek. “It was lovely to meet you, mama. I hope we’ll see you again real soon.”

  “Oh, you will, my lovely boy. Real soon, if Castor knows what’s good for him.” Mama’s eyes gleamed and Wesley caught a glimpse of red and gold in them. Then the eyes turned on Cass, and the effect was gone. “Well, what are you waiting for, Castor? Get a move on. You don’t want to be late and make a bad impression. And remember what I said.”

  Wes smiled at his mate, when Cass took his arm. But Cass still lingered. “Er, are you going straight home, mama, or…”

  Mama’s laugh had an evil streak. “I’m fine here, boy. I’ve got a few changes to make to this house, seeing as this is where you and your mate want to hide out. Don’t you worry, none. I’ll make sure it’s suitable for your fine mate before you’ve finished dinner. Now, off you go. I’ve got a ton of work to do.”

  “Yes, mama,” Cass groaned as he clicked his fingers and Wes felt the now familiar whoosh of translocation.

  Seconds later, Wes opened his eyes to a huge hall, complete with black walls, black ceilings and black marble floors. “Wow,” he said, his eyes widening as he looked around at the black statues that were so minutely detailed, they looked lifelike. “Unusual décor.”

  “It’s Hades’ reception room, he has a reputation to keep up.” Wes found himself turned around, so he was looking at the knot in Cass’s tie. He raised his head to see Cass was looking frantic. “Mama didn’t upset you, did she? I mean, whatever she does to the house, we can always undo it. And I know you didn’t want to spend much time down here, but we don’t have to have long visits, you know. That’s the great thing about having powers, we can zap back to earth again, anytime you like. Please tell me you’re all right.”

  “Woah. Stop. Cass, what’s the matter?” Wesley cupped the thick column of Cass’s throat. “Your mama was fine. A little fierce, I must admit, and I wasn’t keen on the way she hit you with the spoon. But it’s clear she loves you and she’s really proud of you.”

  “Well, yes she is, but sometimes she can be a bit overbearing.” Cass seemed to relax. “Most of my friends are scared of her.”

  “I’m not surprised. You mean the wastrels like Bron and people like him?” Wes grinned. “Her and I share the same opinions about him at least. Honestly, babe, it’s fine. Your mama is just looking out for you, and she does a good job of it. I mean, how bad can the house be when she’s finished with it? It’s not as though we’ve done much there to make it our own.”

  “You don’t want to know.” Cass leaned forward, resting his forehead on Wesley’s. “For all I know, there’ll be a damn castle there when we get back.”

  “If there’s a castle, we’ll get used to it.” Tilting his head, Wes stole a quick kiss. “Now come on, we’ve got dinner with a god to get through. Do we wait to be announced, or what?” He slipped out of Cass’s embrace.

  “We wait,” Cass said, tugging him back. This time the kiss was a lot longer. When Wesley came up for air, he noticed a bright green and purple demon watching them, filing long pink pointed nails.

  “Don’t mind me, I don’t mind watching,” the demon said with a grin showing all his teeth. “But if you’re interested, the lord and consort are just heading to the dining room now.”

  “Then we’ll get going,” Cass said firmly, taking Wesley’s arm. “And next time, Folsom, cough or clap or something to let us know you’re around.”

  “Where would the fun in that be,” Folsom called out, heading down a long hallway. “By the way, if you’
re popping up to earth after dinner, there’s this amazing sale at…”

  “I’m not shopping for you, Folsom,” Cass roared. “Seriously,” he said in a lower tone as he led Wes down a different corridor. “Don’t ever agree to bring Folsom back something from the earth realm. The demon lives for fashion, and he’d have a fit for days if you brought him back something that was the wrong color or size.”

  “That sounds like the voice of experience.”

  “By Hades, yes,” Cass groaned. “Back when spandex first came in. How was I supposed to know they came in different sizes and that Folsom has very peculiarly shaped legs?”

  Wesley was still laughing as he and Cass walked into the dining room.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  To Cass, Hades had always been the staunch-faced Master who commanded respect from everyone he came across. Except for Persephone of course, but then no one mentioned her unless they were cursing under their breath. But in all the centuries Cass had worked for the god, he’d rarely seen Hades show a genuinely, happy and relaxed smile. Until dinner. Hades wandered in, Ali under his arm, dressed in his black pants and shirt, with his long leather coat, but he was smiling at something Ali said and it transformed his face. Cass had to smile at the sight.

  “You must be Wesley.” Ali’s welcoming grin was charming. “I’m so glad to meet you and having another shifter in the Underworld will be awesome. Come, sit down. Folsom will be serving shortly.”

  Cass held out his chair for his mate, which for some reason made Ali’s smile even wider, before taking the seat next to him. They’d barely gotten seated when Folsom bustled in carrying four plates. “Honestly, Consort, can’t you do something about the respect the demons give me, please. I asked this demon, the one sitting at your table no less, to get me one little thing from a sale on earth and…”

  “He said no, because everyone in the Underworld can hear you shrieking if any poor demon brings you the wrong thing,” Hades said, firmly, leaning back so Folsom could serve him and Ali. “You have to work for your extra passes to earth the same as any other demon and complaining when I have guests is not a good way to go about it.”

  Folsom slammed down a plate of soup in front of Cass. “I hope you enjoy your starter,” he said, swishing his tail as he made his way to Wesley’s side. “I do adore your suit,” he said, putting down the bowl a lot more carefully in front of Wes. “You must tell me where you got it. Is it Armani? Or Hugo Boss? Hmm, the cut is divine, and the color looks so good on you. It compliments your hair and skin tones perfectly”

  “Er…” Wes’s cheeks went bright red. “Actually, Cass got it for me…”

  “That demon! See, my lord,” Folsom implored Hades. “He’s got style, he understands color. Can’t you make him…”

  “That will be all, Folsom,” Hades said with a sigh. “We’ll serve ourselves for the rest of the evening.”

  “I’ll be in the office, working on the huge pile of forms you left me, my lord,” Folsom said with an aggrieved sigh. “I know when I’m not wanted or appreciated.”

  “Aww, poor Folsom.” Ali looked up at Hades and Cass could see the moment the god melted. “Couldn’t Folsom have some time off so he could get to that sale? It finishes tomorrow. He was so excited about it when he showed me the brochure.”

  “Babe,” Hades shook his head even as he was smiling. “What happened at the store Folsom went to last week?”

  “There was a fire, but Folsom said…”

  “And the week before that?”

  “Two men ended up in hospital.” Ali shook his head as he picked up his spoon. “I know you’re right, but I just feel sorry for him, not being able to shop like he wants to.”

  “Isn’t there an option for him to have a store down here?” Wes asked, taking a small slurp of his soup. Cass loved how refined and elegant he looked doing it. “Cass told me something about a butcher here, so I assume there are other shops too.”

  “A number of the demon villages have their own local shops,” Hades agreed. “Unfortunately, this realm doesn’t have a currency, and Folsom is as bad at regulating favors as he is at showing patience when he doesn’t get his own way.”

  “Cass mentioned the favor aspect.” Wesley nodded. “That’s how he found me, doing a favor he owed to his brother.”

  It was nice, listening to Wes talk with Hades and Ali, sharing how they met and the events afterwards. Cass was glad Wes didn’t mention wanting to kill himself before they’d even claimed each other, and he did his best not to blush when Wes told Ali all about him looking after the children and working with the Cloverleah pack. Through it all, the wine flowed, and the food was scrumptious. Cass made a point of remembering what they’d eaten so he could give details to his mama about the meal later.

  The plates were cleared away and the men were enjoying a relaxed coffee when Hades said, “So what are you planning to do now?”

  Cass jumped when he realized the god was talking to him. “We really haven’t had time yet to discuss any options,” he said quickly. “Wes has been offered his place back at Cloverleah if he wants it, but…”

  “I’m not sure I’m ready to be part of a pack just yet,” Wes interrupted smoothly. “I am thrilled they agreed to accept me and Cass both, but recently when I was in Italy, I realized I hadn’t spent a lot of time just enjoying life. I mean, I know I’d get bored eventually, having absolutely nothing to do but spend time with my mate…”

  “I know, it’s such a trial, isn’t it?” Ali screamed with laughter. “I mean, how many siestas can a shifter take?”

  Cass shifted in his seat, and he could’ve sworn there was a hint of pink on Hades’ cheeks.

  “You know I love you truly,” Ali said, leaning on Hades’ arm. “But what would you like to do, you and Wesley? You mentioned you used to be a special agent in the FBI, weren’t you Wes?”

  “Yes, I was.” Wesley nodded. “I enjoyed the work, well, sometimes. I was a good investigator. But you know how it is – you work all the hours you’re not sleeping, and I missed being able to travel out of the states, and maybe get some down time for my wolf too.”

  “I’m not sure if you are aware of this but Castor is a top-level demon,” Hades said quietly. He was holding his cup with one hand and cradling his mate with the other. “After the work you did with those children, and finding your mate, I’ve been thinking about a job possibility for you on earth. For both of you, actually.”

  “Cass?”

  Cass blushed under his mate’s gaze. “I’m a level twelve…”

  “Fifteen,” Ali said happily. “I sent the paperwork through this morning. You see,” he explained to Wes while Cass sat there stunned. “Demons have a ranking system. While Cass was working in the pits, which is a truly horrible place, you don’t ever want to go there. Anyhow, Cass reached the top level there. The only level higher was one of demon supervisor, but Cass never applied for that.”

  Yep, and I’m not explaining the whys of that decision in front of my mate either. Cass just sat mutely and hoped his worry about past indiscretions didn’t show on his face. It wasn’t his fault he preferred being ‘one of the boys’.

  Hades smirked. Yes, there was a definite smirk on his face. “Nonetheless, there are situations, where a demon proves by his behavior, and his caring for other life forms, where they can be promoted automatically. I was talking to my nephew Nereus, about the red wolves his mate is so worried about, and he happened to mention how helpful the dream sequence you sent almost every member of the pack, was to them, Castor.”

  “What dream sequence? What does that even mean?”

  Cass held his breath. If Hades mentioned he’d pretty much condemned every member of the Cloverleah pack to reliving the events Marius and Cathair went through, he would be sleeping on the couch.

  Hades shook his head, but he was smiling with it. “Let’s just say, that Castor showed remarkable restraint with a pack of paranormals who were being obstinate. He also showed, according to Ner
eus, extreme care in ensuring only those pack members with issues were affected, and Nereus confirmed that every single pack member benefitted greatly from the experience.”

  Cass had guessed as much when the offer for him and Wes to “go home” came through. He’d just never told Wesley what he’d done.

  “In these unique cases, I have the power to grant Cass a promotion, in recognition of his use of a higher level of complex power than shown among other demons.”

  “Which is why Cass was promoted.” Ali clapped. “It was so clever what you did.”

  “You’ll be telling me about that later,” Wes muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

  “You mentioned you might have a job for me, my lord,” Cass said quickly. He put his coffee cup back on the large silver tray. “No disrespect intended, but I was hoping to spend my time with Wesley.”

  “That’s the beauty of my plan.” Hades quirked his eyebrow. “With Wesley’s already formidable investigative skills, and your new level of demon powers, what we’d like you to do is become paranormal investigators as such; working with, finding, and helping paranormals around the world.”

  Cass looked at Wes who was staring at Hades. “I mean, I’m honored you’d think of us,” Wesley said. “But aren’t there shifter councils, vampire councils and other councils already doing this type of work? Would that mean we’d have to work for them?”

  “Definitely not.” Ali shook his head. “My gods, some of those council members wouldn’t know another paranormal if one came up and bit them, and don’t even get me started on how elitist most of them are. No. You’ll be working for gods. Specifically, Hades and Zeus. Poseidon is keen, and so are some of the other gods like Ra and Thor, but initially, this will be a cooperative venture between Hades and Zeus.”

  “Something my mate arranged at our last family get together.” Hades dropped a kiss on Ali’s head. “Zeus doesn’t attend such trivial things of course, but he has been in contact with me. His office has noticed a lot of displaced and missing shifters, artifacts, and other paranormals. Most likely a result of aborted plans from when the dark ones were walking the earth. It left some people in limbo, items of value in places they shouldn’t be – that sort of thing. My brothers and I are forbidden by the non-interference law to meddle in anything concerning free will, however my mate suggested that if you and Cass investigated issues that came to Zeus’ or my attention…”