by EE Silver
“Yes. Nearest Morgan can tell, I should be about the middle of my second trimester, but I was never this big that early with either of my boys.”
“Your…”
“Yes, I’ve had other children,” Hunter said. “Two boys I don’t see nearly as much as I’d like, but they’re grown men who don’t need their papa leaning over their shoulders anymore.”
“Does that mean you’re already mated?” Trey scowled. “I don’t play those kinds of games.”
“No, nothing like that,” Hunter shifted, and then his warmth pressed against Trey’s side on the bench. “Their fathers were mortal lovers I enjoyed being with for a time, but never mated. Or married, not that it was much of an option between two men two and three hundred years ago when the boys were conceived. I certainly didn’t tell the fathers who I was, either.”
Two and three hundred years ago? Trey shook his head. It was crazy that he was believing this, and he couldn’t help but wonder if delusions were contagious. “In that case, why are you telling me? Aren’t I just the newest in your list of mortal sperm donors?”
“You know there’s a lot more to our connection than that,” Hunter said. “We’re mates. More than that, we’re fated and I’ve known it since that first night. And while gods might mate any number of times like mortals, we only get one fated mate.” Cold fingers traced Trey’s jaw with aching tenderness. “I’d thought I’d missed mine.”
Trey wanted to scoff, but his doubt was more a reflex than how he felt. Instead, he could feel every cell in his body straining to lean closer to Hunter, to hold him. To feel the impossible baby bump that might actually have been five years in the making. Hunter felt right to Trey in ways that very little else had, and Trey was acutely aware than no matter how persistent Hunter had been, if he said no, Hunter would leave and that would be that.
The wrench his gut made at that thought made it clear to Trey how very much against that plan his instincts were.
“This doesn’t solve everything,” he said. “We still barely know each other, and I’m not entirely sure I should believe you this easily.”
Hunter drooped. “I understand.” He pulled back, but Trey caught his hand and kept him close.
Trey traced the line of Hunter’s arm up to his shoulder, his neck, and tangled his fingers in Hunter’s long hair. “That wasn’t a no,” he said. “I’m willing to put the work in, if you are.”
“Yes,” Hunter laughed as Trey pulled him in for a cold, chapped kiss. “Yes, love. Yes.”
“Good.” Trey brushed his hand over the definite bulge at Hunter’s stomach. “Now get me the hell out of here so I can meet our baby in private.”
Chapter Twelve
Hunter
If it hadn’t been for the crowd around them, Hunter would have teleported them straight back to Trey’s house. As it was, it took everything he had not to rush Trey and Daisy through the market when he damn well knew better. Instead, he kept his steps measured as Trey took his elbow in the hand not holding Daisy’s lead.
“Tell me about your sons,” Trey asked as they walked.
“My oldest is Johannes,” Hunter said with a smile. “He’s been going by John lately. He was the sweetest little boy, and not much has changed since he’s grown. He’d still give his shirt to someone in need. His younger brother, Victor, was born during the War of 1812, and it shows. Do not play Monopoly with him. He cheats. He’s a good cook, though, and never forgets a holiday. We might see one or both of them, if they decide to make their way here for the Yule solstice. Our last few holidays have been tense, since neither boy was happy about what I was doing with the baby.”
“What do you mean?” Trey’s nervousness was cute, and Hunter was glad his mate couldn’t see his grin.
“There’s a bit of uneven sidewalk here, step carefully,” he said, waiting until Trey was on sure footing before answering him. “Normally, a god would go home to our own realm to give birth. It’s where I had the boys, in fact. It’s not like a regular doctor can provide the care we need. Plus, no one had ever done what I did before, and I can see why. Five years of morning sickness is murder on the body, even when you’re immortal. The boys were worried I was pushing myself beyond the bounds of my Imperium. They’re going to be so glad to meet you, especially because I’m not doing anything to upset them now that I’ve found you.”
“Imperium?”
“Our powers, for lack of a better word,” Hunter said with a careful shrug. “One of the demigods in town, a very distant cousin of mine, has Imperium over the waves and weather, and he’s got a cousin who is destined to be the next Odin, according to my sisters. You’ve met both of them, by the way. Or at least little Mr. Chosen One, your therapist.”
Trey stumbled to a stop. “Wait. Scott’s a god?”
“Demigod. He won’t reach full godhood for a while yet. Probably not until his grand-Odin decides to get serious about showing him the ropes.”
“So much about Scott’s attitude makes sense now,” Trey muttered, and started walking again. ”Seems kind of weird that there are so many of your kind in a small town like Vale Valley, though.”
“Yeah, it kind of is, but considering the locals, it makes a kind of sense, too,” Hunter laughed. “There’s also a god with Imperium over all shifters in town, but he’s got a lot going on lately, so it might be a while before you meet him. A couple angels, a couple demons, and of course my brothers. And that’s not taking into account the unusual number of divine pregnancies happening all at once. Which was actually what brought me here to Vale Valley in the first place, since prophecy says the next generation of Valkyrie will begin here by the end of the year.”
“Jesus,” Trey said, shaking his head. “This is absolutely insane.”
“I guess for someone who grew up thinking gods were an abstract concept, it would be,” Hunter said. “For me, it’s more like catching up over Sunday dinner.”
“That really doesn’t make it less crazy.”
“It is what it is. But it’s the unvarnished truth.” Hunter stopped. “Here’s the car, five feet ahead on your two o’clock. It’s a sedan, so Daisy can get in the backseat with no problem.”
Trey went straight for the car, trailing his gloved fingers over the hood and up over the roof of the car. He hesitated at the door, though. “I need time to process all this,” he said. “Can we talk about not crazy shit for a little while? No gods or impossible babies or prophecies?”
“That kind of limits my conversation, but I’ll try,” Hunter said.
“Much appreciated,” Trey said with a wry twist to his lips. But he opened the back door for Daisy, then got in the front seat himself, so Hunter was willing to take it as a win.
Talk was predictably awkward. They talked about the weather; Hunter missed San Francisco weather, and even Trey had to admit there was something to be said about no snow and being able to go to the beach. They talked about the Christmas market; this was the first year Trey had gone since moving to Vale Valley, and they were both amazed at how whole-heartedly the locals had thrown themselves into the festivities. And they talked about the upcoming shifter run.
“I won’t be going,” Hunter said. “I’m too pregnant to shift, and even if I could, I’d have a hell of a time trying to fly like this. Real ravens don’t exactly gestate.”
“I won’t be going either.” Trey let him get away with the pregnancy reference, which was just as well since Hunter was out of safe topics and they weren’t quite to Trey’s house yet. “I’m blind when I’m shifted, too. I haven’t shifted anywhere but on my property and under supervision from Nurse Ratchet in years.”
“Nurse Ratchet?”
“My shifting therapist. His name is actually Mike, and my doctors say he’s a very nice guy, but our relationship is based on him telling me how to be a werewolf and me telling him to go fuck himself.”
Hunter didn’t know what to say about that, but he was saved from saying the wrong thing by their destination. He pulled into t
he empty driveway in front of Trey’s house, and parked.
“We’re here,” he said, turning the car off. “Do you mind if I come in?”
Trey sat there in silence for a few seconds, then sighed. “You sure this fated mate stuff is right?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” Hunter said without hesitation. “Some gods don’t wait for their fated mates, but I’ve always known I’d find mine. And you were worth every second of waiting.”
“Seems to me that you could do a lot better than a broken mortal who doesn’t have anything to offer except superior taste in music.” Trey rubbed at his jaw, like he was trying to ease the words out. “And I’m not sure how I feel about growing old and dying while you and our kid stay young and spry forever.”
“First of all, you’re not broken. Bruised, maybe, but that’s it.”
Trey laughed. “You sound like Scott.”
“That’s because Scott’s right,” Hunter said.
“Yeah,” Trey said softly. “Yeah, I know he is. Bruised, not broken. I know that.”
“And second, you’re only mortal until we decide to finalize the mating with bites,” Hunter said. “You’ll become immortal, like me, once our souls are bound together.”
“I’ll be a god?” Trey asked, a skeptical eyebrow raised. “Not sure the blind god will be super popular in the pantheon, especially since I’d be the new guy.”
“I’m not sure,” Hunter said. “I don’t know of any gods as old as me finding their fated mate in a mortal. But blindness isn’t something that gets in the way of Imperium. Odin only has one eye, after all.”
“Yeah, but if I remember my mythology, Odin also had a pair of crows to help him out, too.”
“We’re ravens,” Hunter corrected. “And there’s three of us, but we tend to take turns depending on what Himself needs at any given moment.”
Trey gaped at him for a moment before snapping his jaw shut. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. So you don’t know if I’ll be a god, or if I’ll just be immortal?”
“Right.” Hunter bit his lip. “And if I’m honest, my powers aren’t what they were a few centuries ago. There’s no way of knowing until it’s a done deal.”
“Not very certain, are you?”
“Nope. But it’s the truth.”
“Fair enough. Any other points?”
“Yes.” Hunter covered Trey’s hand with his own, their gloves taken off during the ride. “Fated mates are always perfect for each other because of how their souls fit together, how they complement one another in ways no one else could. So if you’re my fated mate, then there is literally no one else better for me. And honestly, I believe that with everything inside me.”
Trey gripped Hunter’s hand. “That’s almost as terrifying as contemplating the fact that you’re asking me to live forever,” he joked weakly.
“I’m scared too,” Hunter admitted. “But I’ve never felt anything as right as when I’m with you. I think I started to fall in love with you that first night, and even when you’ve been yelling at me, I’ve only fallen deeper. You’re strong, brilliant, resilient, and patient. You gave me a chance to explain when logic told you to stay away from me, but you’re not afraid to tell me when it’s too much. You’re amazing, Trey, and I’m looking forward to forever with you, just so I can keep falling further and further in love every day.”
A soft, weak sound escaped Trey, and he ran his free hand over their joined fingers, up Hunter’s arm, and along his shoulder to cup his face. “You sure make it hard for a guy to play it cool,” he said, voice rough.
“What can I say?” Hunter said, and kissed Trey’s palm. “I’m playing for keeps.”
“Get over here,” Trey said, and pulled Hunter in for a clumsy kiss that couldn’t have been more perfect. They shifted, fixing their angles so their mouths could meet properly, the second kiss soft and lingering where the first one had been a little rough and on edge. Then Hunter leaned into the kiss, his lips parting invitingly, and Trey took the opening, sliding his tongue into Hunter’s mouth like he owned it.
Hunter groaned. He loved the way Trey never hesitated to take charge, and how Hunter never once had cause to regret letting him. Losing himself in Trey’s kiss was one of the most natural things he’d ever felt in all his long existence.
They kissed for long minutes, until the windows of the car were all fogged up and the chill from outside managed to creep in and chase away the remaining warmth from the heater. When they parted for air and couldn’t help shivering, Hunter laughed against Trey’s lips.
“I really do miss California,” he said with a grin.
Trey kissed Hunter’s fingers, still wrapped around his own. “Let’s go inside. We still have a lot to talk about, and it’s fucking freezing out here.”
“Yeah.” Hunter stole one more kiss. “Yeah, okay.”
Hunter all but ran to Trey’s front door, waiting impatiently for his alpha to let them inside and unhook Daisy’s lead. He knew they had a lot to talk about still, a lot of questions he’d have to answer for Trey to even begin to consider accepting him back, especially considering how permanent the whole arrangement was, but Hunter was willing to put in the work. Trey was worth the effort, Hunter was going to prove to him—
All thoughts cut off abruptly when Trey pushed Hunter against the door, nuzzling his throat. “You drive me out of my mind,” Trey rasped. “Knowing you’re supposed to be mine, not claiming you? Every instinct in me is howling in protest. I need you, baby. You have no idea how bad.”
Chapter Thirteen
Hunter
Cursing softly, Hunter bared his neck. “I’m ready whenever you are. I’ve been ready for years.”
Trey yanked Hunter’s coat open and shoved cold hands up under his sweater. “Too bad you’re not a god of teleportation,” he growled, nipping at Hunter’s jaw. “Because my bedroom is way too fucking far away.”
“Actually,” Hunter said, then groaned when Trey tugged on his earlobe with slightly too-sharp teeth. “I could do that, if you wanted. I just didn’t want to do it without warning and freak you out.”
“Warning given,” Trey said, shrugging off his coat and shoving Hunter’s off to pool at their feet. “Do it.”
Laughing, Hunter teleported them to Trey’s bedroom. “Bed’s on your left,” he said, quickly undoing his pants and toeing his shoes off.
“Damn, but that’s handy,” Trey said, yanking off his Henley and tossing it across the room. “Now get naked. I need to feel your skin on mine.”
“You first,” Hunter said, dropping to his knees at Trey’s feet. Carefully, Hunter eased Trey out of first shoes, then socks, then he dragged Trey’s jeans and boxers down his legs, helping him to step free. Then he took advantage of his position and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss against the sharp curve of Trey’s hip. “You are so gorgeous.”
Trey carded his fingers through Hunter’s hair. “Wish I could see you like this,” he murmured. “A literal god at my feet. My cock right next to those amazing lips of yours.”
Taking that for a hint, Hunter mouthed up the fat, uncut length of Trey’s cock and swirled his tongue over the head, dipping in to taste the slit before sucking Trey into his mouth. Trey cried out, doubling over his head, hands going tight in Hunter’s hair for a second before he straightened and pulled Hunter off.
“Not this way, baby,” Trey said, tugging him up and into his arms, their hard lengths rubbing against each other with every move they made. “I want your ass. Want to knot you again, then bite you and make you mine forever.”
“Yes,” Hunter said, running his hands over the lean, defined muscles of Trey’s chest, nails scratching through his coarse chest hair. “Oh fuck, I want that too. Get on the bed. Let me ride you while you claim me.”
Trey didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled into the bed, sitting up with his back against the headboard. The crisp white sheets made his dark skin seem to glow, his thick thighs spread slightly and his beautiful cock flushed
and ready against his abdomen. Hunter watched, transfixed, as Trey stroked himself slowly.
“You still there?” Trey asked, voice teasing.
“Sorry.” Hunter shook himself, then hurried to join his lover in bed. “You look like a god of lust,” he added, straddling Trey’s hips exactly so he could rub Trey’s cock along the crack of his ass, spreading the slick he was already starting to leak.
“Pretty sure that job’s already taken,” Trey groaned, hands sliding from Hunter’s hips to the small of his back and up between his shoulder blades as they thrust lazily, teasing themselves. “God, baby, how do you feel this good?”
“Natural talent,” Hunter said, lifting his hips enough to press the head of Trey’s cock against his entrance. “Mmm…that’s what I want. That right there.”
“Don’t let me stop you,” Trey gasped, lifting his hips invitingly. “All yours for the taking.”
Hunter threw his head back and focused on the feel of Trey pushing against his unstretched body. “Don’t rush it,” he sighed. “Love that moment when you first enter me. Sometimes I wish I could make it last forever.”
Trey laughed breathlessly. “Not that again,” he said. “Trust me, things get even better after that.”
“Sorry,” Hunter said with a grin, pushing down a little more until the head of Trey’s cock started to breach his body. “Bad habit. Fuck, you’re so big, Trey. Going to hurt so good.”
“Let me know if you need to stop,” Trey moaned, even as he pushed deeper. “So tight, baby. So perfect.”
“Don’t you dare stop.” Hunter’s body was on fire, feeling like he was being split in half, and it was everything he’d needed since the day Trey had kicked him out. He should have done more prep, should have stretched at least a little, but Hunter didn’t care. The pain tipped right over from the realm of too much and into the land of searing pleasure. He whimpered and rocked up then down again, taking Trey deeper, inch by inch.
“Fuck. Fuck.” Trey clung to Hunter’s hips with a grip that would have bruised a mortal, his werewolf strength slipping past his control as Hunter drove them both slowly out of their minds, bodies heaving and sweating from the effort not to rush things. “Missed this. Missed you so much. Never letting you go again. Just going to fuck you over and over, keep you full with my pups forever.”