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

by Lisa Oliver

  “You’re awake.” Mama came bustling into the room with a huge tray in front of her. “Here.” She handed him a glass of what looked like watery orange juice. “You need to drink. I swear you were almost a husk when my Cass got you back.”

  “Mama.” Wesley took a sip from the glass. It was sweet, but not overly so, and suddenly feeling really thirsty, Wesley chugged down the contents of the whole glass before setting it on the tray. “Oh, my goodness, that’s better.” He panted as though he’d run a marathon.

  “Yes, well, you’ll need a lot more of that in the next couple of days, and some good food, I reckon.” Setting the tray on the bedside table, Mama perched her butt on the edge of the bed, leaning over to give Cass a prod. “Ha. That boy of mine will likely sleep another day or two yet. It’s been a week since he got you back, you know. Took it right out of him, using all his powers like he did to get you back.”

  “I don’t understand.” Wesley looked towards the window. The red sky of the Underworld still looked the same. “Is this your house? How did we get here? The last thing I remember is the grass was dying and the trees – there was no water…”

  “This is your house,” mama said firmly, taking his hand between her own. “The one I conjured for you. Honestly, there was no point in having you laid up at my place. Full of nosey demons coming in all times of the day and night, with you and my boy needing your rest. I wasn’t having that.”

  “You did a lovely job of the house, Mama.” Wesley flopped back on the pillows. “It’s just, I think there was a spell or something by the front door. My wolf warned me, but it was like I stepped into a trap and the next thing I knew all I could see was grass and trees.”

  “A portal,” Mama snapped, “and before you go thinking otherwise, there’s no way I would’ve put something cruel like that in the house I spent hours perfecting for you and my boy. You don’t have to worry about it happening again. The Master has taken care of it and warded your floors to stop anyone putting anything on the floors that shouldn’t be there. Him and the Consort have called in every day to see if you’d woken up yet.”

  “I think I feel okay.” Wesley felt for his wolf, but the animal was sleeping. At least I still have him. “I’m just really thirsty. Did I hear you say we’ve been out for a week?”

  “With you knocking on death’s door, and Cass using all his power to get you back, is it any wonder you two have been sleeping?”

  “Yeah, I guess almost dying would do that to a person.” Wesley frowned. “Cass is a demon. Can’t he travel between any realm? I mean, I know I didn’t recognize where I ended up but…”

  Mama glanced at him sideways and patted his hand. “The person who sent you there has been dealt with, and I don’t really want to talk about him, but I will say this much. When the damn fool created the realm, he made it a onetime thing – you were in there, no one else could get in and you couldn’t get out on your own. Cass couldn’t come to you, he had to bodily drag you out using his hold on your soul. I just hope…” Mama sniffed, and her face seemed to crumple. “I just hope that when you find out who did this horrible thing that you won’t feel badly about me or the rest of the family.”

  “Mama?” Wesley was worried now. He didn’t imagine Cass’s mama ever being the type to cry. “What happened? Who did this to us?”

  “I can’t tell you.” Tears poured down Mama’s face and without thinking about it, Wesley sat up and pulled her into a hug. “I swore a vow I would never mention that bastard’s name ever again. He’s struck from the family tree. It will be as if he never existed and our Master made sure of that.”

  “Myka?” Wesley whispered. Apart from Mama, Myka was the only member of Cass’s family he’d met. A strong hand came down across his mouth.

  “I won’t hear his name mentioned either,” Mama said strongly, her eyes flashing red and gold. “He’s nothing. He’s gone. He won’t ever come back. I just hope… I just hope… Don’t hate me or your mate, please?”

  More tears. Wesley hung onto the crying demoness, his mind whirling. It was too much. He’d been on the verge of dying, he knew that much, but somehow Cass had pulled him back. In his confusion, he focused on what he could do. “I don’t hate you, Mama,” he said softly. “I don’t hate you or Cass. He’s my mate. I love him. His was the last name on my lips when I… when I…”

  “I’m so glad he got to you in time.” Wesley winced as Mama hugged him hard. Fortunately, she didn’t hold onto him for long. “Now you just lay back, regain your strength. There’s food on the tray and if you need anything else you just holler.”

  Wesley lay back as ordered, but he had one more burning question. “Mama, if demons are immortal, and I became immortal through claiming Cass, how come I almost died?”

  “Brains as well as gorgeous looks.” Mama patted his leg. “Demons don’t die as such. They can be killed, but if they’re killed anywhere other than the Underworld, then their soul returns here, and their bodies reappear over time. It’s not instant, but it does happen quickly. Because you are soul bonded to my son, if you died as such, your soul would return to Cass, and it would be up to him to retrieve your body. What happened, when you were on the other realm, is you were already at the point of death, which I think is what made it easier for Cass to pull you and your body back here. If you had died…” Mama visibly swallowed. “With no body, your soul would stay attached to Cass until he could create another body for you.”

  “But what about my wolf spirit? He’s separate to me, and yet he came through too.” Wesley didn’t want to think of Cass creating another body for him like Frankenstein.

  “We don’t know.” Mama shook her head. “The Consort asked the same question of the Master, but the truth of it is, in most cases, demons do a lot better job of looking after their shifter mates. I don’t think one has ever been as close to dying as you were.”

  “This wasn’t Cass’s fault,” Wes said hotly. “Neither of us knew anyone would do such a thing, and it was my fault for going in the house first.”

  Mama smiled. “It wouldn’t have made any difference if Cass had gone in the house with you, but I know Cass wasn’t to blame, and neither were you,” she said. “I just needed to make sure you didn’t harbor any negative thoughts about your mate, and you’ve proven that. Now come on, you need your rest. I’ll leave the jug of juice here, and it might be an idea to try and eat too, when you feel ready. Knowing my son, his cock will wake up first, and you’ll need your strength for that.”

  Wesley was blushing. He knew he was blushing, and he fiddled with the bedclothes. “I’m just really glad to see you, Mama, and thank you for what you did to the house, and for looking after me and Cass.” He had a sudden thought. “How much is all this going to cost in favors?”

  Mama laughed as she headed for the door. “I’m glad to see you’re getting a better idea of how things work down here but no, son, don’t worry about that. There’re no favors owed among family unless they’re bartered for, and besides, the favor I owe you will take ten lifetimes for me to fulfill.”

  “But I haven’t done anything,” Wesley protested as Mama slipped out the door.

  “You made my son happy.” Wesley could hear Mama laughing all the way down the hallway.

  “Happy. Huh.” Pouring himself another glass of juice, Wesley watched his demon sleeping as he sipped it this time – his mind going over the hectic time he’d had since the children found him. What struck Wesley the most, seeing as his thought patterns used to be so negative, was that he didn’t regret any of it.

  Yes, he might have spent a lot of time originally wishing the dark elves hadn’t captured him, but he knew in his heart it had been his own fault. And if it hadn’t been for the dark elves depositing him in the Underworld, then he wouldn’t have met Frankie and the other littlies, or Cass either. Now, the children were happy with new parents, and he… I’m happy too, Wes realized.

  Finishing off his glass of juice, Wes snuggled back under the covers. Cass sti
ll hadn’t moved, and after a moment’s thought, Wes lifted Cass’s arm and draped it over his waist. It’s time, he decided as he snuggled into Cass’s warmth. There was sex to be had, when Cass finally woke up, and yes, the two men would probably take a few days to decompress. Cass had lost a brother due to his latest abduction after all.

  But Wes decided it was time to go back and face the men of Cloverleah. He wasn’t sure yet, if he could trust them as a pack, but he knew he had to see them. And this time, it will be on my terms, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Are you ready for this?” Three days awake and Cass was feeling no pain. In fact, he was feeling stronger than ever. Waking up with his mate in his arms, vanquished any nightmares he might have had about his mate’s death, and he and Wesley shared quite a few of their private sexy fantasies before Mama’s nagging about them being unsociable made them leave the bedroom.

  Hades had apparently been keeping the Cloverleah pack appraised of what had happened through Nereus, and the reasons for the delay behind Wes’s return. Wes was of the opinion “a few more days didn’t matter,” but Hades had told Cass in confidence, that many of the pack members felt they needed to make amends to their missing pack member. Raff, in particular, had pleaded for the opportunity to thank Cass and Wes now that his ex-pack were being relocated to the djinn realm for their safety, and Nereus couldn’t deny his mate anything.

  So, here they were. Standing at the bottom of the driveway to the Cloverleah pack. To any casual passer-by, the men would have been on a deserted road, with nothing but trees and fields as far as the eye could see. Just inside the wards however, the growth of the Cloverleah pack was evident. Griff and Diablo had apparently moved their house onto pack grounds, and the smaller house Luke shared with his family had been moved as well and expanded. Then there was the main pack house and the enforcer house. But through the trees there were many more buildings. Given the size of the Cloverleah pack now, the extra buildings weren’t surprising.

  “They’ve been busy with the kids,” Wes said quietly as he took Cass’s arm and started walking up the gravel drive. “Toys, swing sets, a trampoline and a sand pit. Ha, I wonder what the triplets think of that.”

  “There’s enough magic thrumming through these grounds to make cleaning up a litter box easy enough,” Cass said casually, although he felt anything but. “I wanted to know how you were feeling, being back on pack grounds again.”

  “The last time I was here, everyone was poised ready for an attack from who knows where or when.” Wesley kept his voice low. “Where you see toys and trees, those used to be training grounds. Every member of the pack except Dean and Raff trained every day. Weapons, hand-to-hand. There were some days I couldn’t wait for my patrol shift just so I could have a break.”

  “I’m not picking up that vibe now.”

  “The edginess has gone.” Wesley looked around. “So has the pack. I guess, if they’re expecting us, they’ll be by the lake. It’s a nice enough day. They’ll have taken the kids for a picnic.”

  “You still haven’t answered my question,” Cass said, as Wes led him past the empty pack house, and the equally deserted enforcer house, into the trees beyond. “You know Frankie has been begging to see you.”

  “I miss him too.” Wes stopped just inside the trees. Straining his ears, Cass could hear the sound of music, children laughing, and the occasional yell of an adult voice. “I just don’t know that this is my home anymore.”

  As he turned so they were facing each other, Cass could see his mate was serious. Reaching between them, Cass stroked the face he loved more than life itself. “If you want to go anywhere else, we’ll go. You don’t have to see them at all.”

  “I want to. I know I need to.” Wesley rested his hand on Cass’s wrist. “I feel like I’ve grown so much since I was first taken. A big part of that growth was meeting you, but I also had a lot of time to think those months I was alone. I would have chopped off my right arm to be back at Cloverleah then, but now…”

  “You already have a pack with me. You told me so.” Cass did understand. “And then there’s Frankie, don’t forget him. I’m sure that boy’s an alpha in training and he sees you like his second or something. He insisted on being with Nereus every day, when Nereus was talking to Hades, determined to be kept updated about how you were.”

  Wesley chuckled. “You see? The old me would have bristled of thinking a child under ten could be my alpha, and I’d have taken that as an insult, because I was struggling about not being a full wolf shifter. Now, I can laugh because you’re probably right. Frankie has already formed his pack with the abandoned shifter kids, and it doesn’t bother me being a part of that. But how about we let Kane and his pack raise them all, before we start worrying about my beta status to a bear.”

  Taking a step closer, Cass slipped his arms around Wesley’s waist. “He’s got a few years to go yet. During that time, we can do the job the gods have asked us to do, and if you’re keeping your room here, we can visit as often as you like.”

  “That’s what today is about.” Wesley patted his back pocket. “I have a new phone. If Kane needs us to help protect the pack, we can be here in less than a minute and I’ll fight by their side any time they ask. I’m more than happy to continue paying my pack tithe; thanks to Hades I can afford to. And yes, I’ll keep my room here. That’s the thing. I don’t want us burning any bridges today. But patrol rosters, cooking duties, those are a thing of the past for me. And then there’s you to consider, too.”

  “Me?” Cass frowned. “Babe, I’ve told you a hundred times if you want to live here full time, I’m more than happy to do it.”

  “But you’re free now.” Wesley leaned so their bodies were flush together, his hands sliding up Cass’s chest and throat, until they linked behind his neck. Cass felt the inevitable stir in his rather sensitive dick and did his best to ignore it.

  “Babe, we have a whole world to explore,” Wes continued, only the twinkle in his eyes indicating he knew how much his closeness affected Cass. “After centuries, and don’t think I haven’t noticed you still haven’t told me how many there are, but for centuries you’ve been confined to the Underworld. While I know you love your life there, I also know what the freedom to come and go between realms means for you. You don’t want to live here full time, under a bubble, any more than I do. But it’s super sweet you offered.”

  “I’ll accept the sweet compliment, babe.” Cass brushed his lips over Wes’s forehead loving how his mate’s eyes closed as he savored the contact. “How does your wolf feel, though, being back here again?”

  “Curious. Happy. He can scent the kids are here and wants to see them again and make sure they are safe.” Wes sniffed deeply at the hollow in Cass’s throat. “But you’re our home. You hold our heart.”

  “Okay, babe, let’s do this.” Cass held Wes tight for a moment. “Remember, anytime you feel uncomfortable…”

  “I’m wearing the bracelet you had your stone mounted in.” After the portal incident, Cass wasn’t taking any more chances. “I can click my way back to the Underworld in a heartbeat.”

  “Make sure you do.” They had decided that their Underworld house would be their safe space. Cass felt better about his mate going into sometimes dangerous situations, if they had somewhere to meet up afterwards. Not that Cass ever expected to be separated from his mate, but…

  “Let’s get going,” Wes suggested, taking one last deep inhale. “My wolf is telling me we’re being spied on by a young bear, who isn’t Ollie, but who has been lurking for the last five minutes.”

  “He’s definitely an alpha.” Cass laughed. “Come on out and say hello, Frankie,” he yelled. “We’ve finished all the mushy stuff for now.”

  /~/~/~/~/

  Wesley didn’t think he’d ever been hugged by so many people in his life. The first was Frankie, the young bear probably too embarrassed to shift and hug naked, but when standing on his back legs,
he was almost as tall as Wes anyway in his bear form. But as they got closer to the lake, Carrie saw them and came running – she looked adorable in her little yellow swimming costume and braids in her hair. “You came,” she yelled excitedly, hugging them both. The triplets, running on four feet, wound around Wesley’s legs making happy noises, and even the wolf pups came over for a pat. Zeke was curled up on Anton’s chest as Wes and Cass walked into the clearing, but even he raised his arms, asking to be picked up, which Wes was pleased to do.

  And that should have been it, but then the adults got into the act. Raff, with tears in his eyes as he thanked Cass and Wes over and over again. Dean managed a shy hug for Wesley and a wave at Cass. The bigger men’s hugs were more of the “shake hands and back slap” variety, but they were just as genuine. Even Marius, who had hesitated at first, held him close for a moment, whispering “thank you,” although for what, Wes had no idea.

  Thomas, proud as any wolf shifter could be, introduced Ivan, his mate, another one who hugged Wesley like he was special. Wes waved off Thomas’ apology for leaving him that fateful night, because really, it wasn’t Thomas’ fault. Luke brought over baby Em, also looking adorable in her princess frock complete with a tiara in her hair. When Wes held her, she cooed at him, while Luke hugged them both.

  It was quite some time later that Wes found himself sitting next to Shawn. Cass was off, talking to Griff, Anton, Adair, and Jax about security measures, and the rest of the pack were lounging around or splashing in the lake with the kiddies. Nereus sat tall and proud on his rock in the middle of the water, his magnificent tail gleaming in the sun, and the smell of the delicious barbecue they’d shared still lingered in the air.

  “You’re not staying, are you?”

  Wes shook himself at Shawn’s question. He’d been watching Frankie and Ollie, both in their bear cub forms. Frankie appeared to be teaching Ollie the rudiments of fishing, watched over by Vassago and Kurt. Although, maybe Frankie was playing, because all of a sudden Ollie’s fur was soaked. He smiled, thankful that the serious young man he’d met was comfortable enough to have fun. Turning to look at Shawn, he shook his head.