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

by Lisa Oliver

  “Then the non-interference laws don’t apply.” Ali clapped. “It was actually, Orin’s suggestion. He’s Thor’s mate, you know. But it seems, provided gods themselves aren’t directly involved, these people can be helped. Please say you’ll do it. You two would be perfect for the job. You’d be able to travel.”

  It sounded like a dream come true for Cass. Working directly with not one god, but two. Being able to work with his mate all the time. Traveling all over earth, helping others. Looking at Wes, though, he noticed his mate looked a little uncertain.

  “Is it all right if we take a night to think about it?” He asked, taking Wes’s hand in his own. “Our mating is still very new, and Wes still hasn’t decided if he wants to live in Cloverleah yet…”

  “Oh, no.” Wes broke out his smile. “I’m happy to do the job. If it’s acceptable to the pack, we can still visit there, and I do still have a room there. It’s just, where I come from, a prospective boss usually mentions how much a person is going to be paid when they’re offered a job. How does it work down here? Will Cass and I just rack up a whole stack of favors in lieu of finding someone?”

  “I knew I liked you,” Ali grinned. “Nail them in their wallet, that’s the way. Come on, Hades, how much is this job worth?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The job paid a lot. A lot more than Wesley ever got working as a special agent, and even more than he was paid when he was an enforcer at Cloverleah. But, as Cass translocated them back to their Underworld house, any thoughts of money disappeared as he stared at their new… home?

  “Oh, no, mama, really?” Cass covered his face with his hands, shaking his head. “What were you thinking?”

  “It’s not so bad.” Wesley checked out the imposing facade. “It’s not a castle and you said that’s what you were afraid of.”

  It might not have been a castle, but where an everyday ordinary house once stood, a mansion had taken its place. Three stories high, made out of white stone that stood out in stark contrast to the red and black environment, the house shone like a neon light. Tall white columns guarded black double doors, and lights beamed from at least twenty windows Wesley could see.

  “I’m so glad we don’t have to pay any utility bills,” Wes said when Cass hadn’t moved. “And, I mean it’s not as though we need staff. The house can be cleaned with a click of your fingers, or mine.”

  “You don’t understand.” Cass finally showed his face. “They’ll stay.”

  “Who’ll stay?” There was clearly a lot Wes still didn’t know about Cass. “Come on, let’s see inside.” He tugged on his unresponsive mate’s arm. The demon did not come willingly, but Wes finally got him moving up the marbled pathway towards the doors.

  “They’ll come. You just watch. First, it’ll be mama and pops. I can hear her now.” Cass put on a screechy high voice. “Oh, yes. My son and his wonderfully refined mate just adore it when we come to visit. They’re personal friends of our Master, you know, and have even been to the mansion for dinner. Such a beautiful house, so huge with acres of space, but my Cass won’t let me lift a finger to help them. He’s a high demon, you know.”

  “Your mama does not sound like that.” Wes got them to the door, which opened as he approached.

  “She does when she’s talking to her friends. And that’s not the worst of it. Then will come the requests for help. Oh, Wes dear, be a sweetheart and let Myka come and stay with you for a bit, would you. You know, I don’t like the way he’s… whatever the hell he’s doing. And then it will be Johan, and then Beezle, and then before you know it the whole family will be holidaying here… oh Hades demons like Neemah, Hades no, I can’t let that happen, just so mama can go back and gossip with her friends.”

  Cass stepped back. “I can’t. I can’t go in there. Going in there signifies acceptance and if we accept this then we have to accept all the shit this house comes with.”

  “We’re not going to be here that often.” Wes tugged on his mate’s arm. It was like trying to move a mountain. “Well, fine,” he said, dropping Cass’s arm. “Don’t come then. But I want to see inside. My feet are sore, I desperately want a shower and then I was hoping to snuggle with my demon in bed. But you stay out here. See if I care.”

  He stepped inside and suddenly Wes was transported to another world. No, it wasn’t another world, it was as if he was in another time on another world. There wasn’t a hint of sulfur in the air, no tang he could pick up of pollution from cars, smoke or anything other than grass and trees. “Cass,” he called out, as he stared at wide green plains and rolling hills. “Cass, I think someone spelled the front door. Cass!”

  Swirling around, Wes’s heart sank. The house, the wretched landscape of the Underworld and even the red sky was gone. “CASS!”

  /~/~/~/~/

  “Stubborn sexy mate.” Cass peered through the open front doors, ignoring the marble floors and giant sweeping staircase he could see leading upstairs. Tilting his head around, he tried to see past the doors, into another room, but the front doors opened inwards, and were blocking his view. “If my family start spending all their time here, I don’t want to hear you grumbling about us not having any privacy,” he yelled as he stepped into the house and closed the door. “Wes?” He strained his ears trying to hear the sound of his mate’s boots on the floor. “Wes. Where did you go?”

  Utter silence. A knot started to form where Cass’s heart should be. “Wesley.” Cass ran into the first room off the reception area. A huge living area complete with rugs and a roaring fire greeted him but no Wesley. The next room – a library, with floor to ceiling bookcases and a mezzanine floor. A dining hall, a second intimate dining room, a cozy sitting room, a bathroom, a huge commercial kitchen. Room after room after endless room, but no Wesley.

  “Must be upstairs.” Cass was trying not to panic. “My mate’s fine,” he mumbled as he took the stairs three at a time. “He’s in the shower. He just didn’t hear me yelling. He’ll be all soft and wet and soapy, ooooh… stop thinking those thoughts.”

  Running with a hard-on wasn’t easy. First bedroom, second bedroom and then a third. Cass was full out sprinting as he reached a set of huge double doors at the end of a long corridor. Slamming open the doors, he yelled again, “Wesley!” But the room was empty. The four-poster bed was immaculately made. A fire burned slowly in the grate of the open fireplace. The thick rug in front of the fire had patterns in it, like someone had raked it, but no boot prints.

  “Wesley, come on. You’d better be in the shower.” Cass started pulling on doors. Wardrobe space, masses of room for the racks of fine clothes sitting waiting for someone to wear them. Finally, the bathroom door, but as Cass dashed into the vast tiled room, he already knew what he’d find – nothing. Cass leaned against the white marble counter and scrubbed his face with his hands.

  “Come on. Come on,” he scolded himself. “Think man. Wes wouldn’t leave. He was tired and had sore feet. He wouldn’t go anywhere.” He snapped his fingers. “My stone.” Cass reached through the ether, searching for his stone, smiling as he found the signal.

  “Now, zap me to my mate.” Cass translocated, but when his body formed again, he was in the master bedroom, next to the dresser. His hands trembling, Cass opened the top drawer. There, nestled among a pile of brand-new boxers Cass knew he’d never seen on his mate, was the box with his stone in it. In all the rush, with mama’s visit, and then having to get to Hades’ mansion, Wes had left it behind.

  “Fuck, no.” Cass picked it up and stuffed it in his pocket. Panic gave way to anger… “Someone’s taken my mate,” he growled as he clicked his fingers and zapped his way back to the waiting room of Hades’ mansion.

  “Where is he?” Cass roared, his demon form taking hold. It seemed a level fifteen demon got bigger, but all Cass thought was his bulk was better to beat the man responsible for taking Wesley. “Who dared take my mate from me, from our house, from under my very nose? Answer me!”

  “Who comes roaring
into my house disturbing my mate’s sleep?” Hades appeared in his full god form, his thunderous expression echoing his tone. Normally such a sight would have Cass on his knees, kissing the stones, begging for mercy but not today.

  “Someone took Wesley. We got to the house. Mama had redesigned it, done some shit to it, I don’t know. Wes went inside and now he’s gone. I’ve searched every room. He’s gone!”

  “Then you track him with your damn stone,” Hades’ glower deepened. “Don’t tell me I made a mistake in promoting you.”

  Cass shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out the box with the stone in it. “We were in a hurry when we left home to come here. Mama interrupted us as we were getting dressed for dinner with you. Wes didn’t have it on him.”

  “Shit. Hang on. If he’s on this realm, I’ll find him.” Power filled the room, and Cass felt his knees wobble, but he tightened his muscles. Ali came scurrying down the corridor, tightening a belt around the satin housecoat he was wearing.

  “Cass. What are you doing back here? Did you forget something? What’s Hades doing?”

  “Someone took Wesley.” Cass couldn’t say the words without growling. “I watched him go into the house one minute, and then he disappeared. No tingle on my neck. He didn’t use my magic. He doesn’t have my stone with him. I can’t track him. Someone took him.”

  “Didn’t you say your mama renovated your house for you?” Ali asked, glancing up at his mate. “Maybe there’s a basement or attic space Wesley was exploring, and he got shut in somewhere.”

  Cass hadn’t even thought of that, but he shook his head. “Just before he went in, he was complaining his feet were sore and he wanted a shower.”

  Ali folded his arms across his chest. “Why didn’t you go in with him?”

  Cass mimicked the pose. “I was having a meltdown. My mama made us a home big enough to house the entire village and who knows, that could be what she’s planning to do.”

  “She won’t leave the comfort of the village life for a remote outpost, no matter how luxurious the house is. Did you talk to her? Maybe she had a surprise happy mating party planned for after the dinner or something.”

  Shaking his head, Cass said, “No. She would’ve planned that for the house if she was going to do that.”

  There was a whoosh and suddenly Hades disappeared. “What the hell?” Ali danced around in shock. “Now, where did he go?”

  But before Cass could even formulate an answer, Hades was back, his expression grim. “Someone stuck a one-way portal just inside your new front door. I found traces of residual magic. Whoever planted it, intended for one of you to be transported off realm, but not both of you. If the pair of you had walked in together, which side of you would Wesley be standing?”

  Cass thought for a moment. “On my right side, like always.”

  “You’re a leftie?” Ali asked.

  “If I’m fighting with a weapon it’s always in my left hand.” Cass wondered why it was important.

  “Then the portal was meant for your mate, and whoever placed it, knew your habits,” Hades said with a frown. “From what I could tell, the portal would have stripped Wesley of all your powers and made it impossible for him to translocate back. Who’ve you pissed off lately?”

  “You mean, apart from Bron, Folsom, my previous bed partners, Myka, and most of the Cloverleah pack?” It’s been a busy week.

  Hades shook his head. “We can discount the Cloverleah pack as they don’t have access to this realm, except for Nereus and Vassago. You didn’t piss them off; you did them both a favor. Bed partners?” Hades looked him up and down. “You’re a powerful demon now, but fidelity isn’t a strong point for anyone down here – not enough to do something like this. You weren’t promised, or made promises to anyone before you met your mate?”

  Cass shook his head. “Incubi,” he said. “I allowed two incubi to stay with me and… you know…”

  “Bron is in the pits, and if he’s got out, heads will roll. That leaves Myka and Folsom.”

  “Folsom wouldn’t interfere with a mating,” Ali said heatedly. “Yes, he acts like a drama llama sometimes, but he’s never been cruel.”

  “He is a demon, sweet one,” Hades softened his tone, “and sometimes demons are cruel. But in this, I think your instincts are right. Folsom wouldn’t get anything out of separating two fated mates.”

  “I don’t see what Myka would get out of it either, unless…” Cass suddenly remembered what Myka had said about not telling anyone where the stolen children or Wesley was, and how Wesley had teased him about how worthless his information had proven to be. “Oh, no. He plans to leverage me for the information.”

  “Explain.” Tucking his mate under his arm, Hades strode to his throne room and Cass followed behind. He’d always hated the room. It was as though the walls themselves were saturated with the sins of evil doers who’d passed through the doors after being judged. The fire pit was the only light in the room and the spitting flames gave Cass the jitters. Being thrown in the fires was one punishment demons couldn’t escape from.

  Staying as far away from the pit as he could, Cass explained all about how Myka had known about the children, and Wesley, and had even dealt with the dark ones before. “That’s how we found the red wolf pack,” he said, keeping his eyes on Hades’ throne. Ali’s had a cushion on it and Cass could relate. Those bones looked uncomfortable. “I asked Myka at the time, why didn’t he tell anyone where the red wolves, or any of the dark ones’ captives were, and all he said was that there wasn’t anything in it for him at the time.”

  “Hmm,” Hades rubbed his chin. “Your brother spends a lot of time in seedy places trading information. Any aptitude he might have had for the hard work evident in you and your brothers seems to be lacking in him. The issue is, while his not telling anyone about the missing children, Wesley, or the red wolf pack is morally repugnant, and grossly disrespectful to me personally, it’s not something I was likely to have punished him harshly for. Interfering with a mating is much worse – you could say a hell of a lot worse.”

  “I hope you throw the book at him,” Ali cried. “Do you have any idea what being away from Cass will do to Wesley’s wolf? He’ll pine. He could die if Wes isn’t found quickly.”

  “Ali, my love, Wesley has the same immortality status as you do now,” Hades said gently. “He can’t die.”

  “His wolf can,” Ali snapped back. “Look, I get this is a weird and wonderful realm and no one dies here because the dead are already dead, and the breathers all expect to live forever, but the cold hard fact is that Wes’s wolf is a very real and independent spirit, just like my animal side, who relies heavily on our mates once mated. If that mate is gone, if the animal side can’t feel that connection, then said animal pines away and yes, they will pine to death.”

  Cass’s stomach dropped to his feet. “But Wes can’t die. We’re soul bonded. I mean, I get it, what you’re saying about Wes’s wolf, Consort,” he added quickly when he saw Hades’ expression. “But… er…” He tried to think of how to word his question to another shifter. “What would happen to Wes if his animal spirit dies?”

  “Hell on earth. The pits would look like a picnic in comparison.” For a sweet and friendly man, in that moment Ali looked fierce enough to rival Hades. “Life as he knows it will stop for Wes. He’ll go mad, insane with grief, trying to deal with a loss that will never heal. If his physical body and human soul can’t die, then he’ll go insane. The kindest thing would be to put him down. Not even your connection with him would survive, given as how it was his wolf that claimed you.”

  The silence was broken only by the crackle of the fire. Cass’s mind was filled with images of what life with a broken Wesley might be like. His poor mate, already having to have been so strong through rejection, abduction and now this. “I’ve got to find him,” he muttered. Then louder. “I’ve got to find him. I’ve got to find him!”

  “Then you go to Myka,” Hades said grimly. “Oh, don’t wo
rry. I’ll be there, although he won’t know that until it’s too late. He’s at the bar, on Easy Street, entertaining your incubi. He seems to be having a wonderful time.”

  “Don’t go in demanding anything,” Ali said quickly. “Guys like Myka will shut down and stonewall you, if you’re angry with him and you haven’t got time to wait him out. Play the lost card, like you don’t know why Wesley’s run off.”

  “My Wesley didn’t run off!”

  “But you aren’t supposed to know that,” Hades said. “There were no markings left on the floor. I only picked up the slight trace of magic because this is my realm. My lovely Consort is right. Better to play the jilted mate, than the avenging demon, for now.”

  Cass knew it was a good idea, and he knew Myka better than most. But still the thought… “My friends will all think Wesley’s jilted me.”

  “Yes, they will, Cass, my boy.” Ali hopped off his cushioned throne. “So, you’d better pull out some world class acting skills. Now, Hades, sweetie, how does this invisibility thing work?”

  At least I won’t be going on my own.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The bar on Easy Street was just as Cass remembered it – the same faces, the same tired décor. The only thing missing was Bron’s hulking mass by his side. Hunching his shoulders, Cass pushed through the swinging doors, heading straight for the barman. He’d noticed Myka immediately, and knew Myka had seen him but for now, he ignored him.

  “Whiskey. A whole bottle. Stick it on my tab.”

  “That’s a fistful of favors there, Cass.” Elion, the barman took one down from the shelf, twisted the top open and handed it over.