“That’s just it. I don’t think I am. Up until recently, I thought I was human. I had no idea that the paranormal world even existed. And then Jim tells me I’m a werewolf. I thought he was nuts!”
“Yeah, and that’s putting it mildly,” muttered Jim. Dominic gave a small laugh and confirmed.
“We did have a little misunderstanding, but I don’t think anyone could react better if he got hit by some fairy dust in his own apartment.”
“It’s pixie mating dust, and I already apologized for it several times!” Jim pouted.
Jack followed from one of them to the other with his eyes and finally stated, “I’d love to hear this story sometime.”
“Yep, me, too,” Tim agreed.
“Not a chance!” they answered unanimously.
“Spoilsports!” Tim accused them jokingly and changed the subject. “So, since we’re all gonna stay in the same territory, does it mean we answer to Jason’s alpha authority, or what? We’re not shifters, after all, and fey don’t have the same hierarchy as other paranormals.”
“That’s a good question,” Jim agreed, and looked questioningly at Jack.
“Why do I suddenly feel like paranormal law’s oracle?” asked the cuberow with a grimace.
“Because that’ll probably be your role from now on. I don’t think any of us are as familiar with all the paranormal laws and customs as you are. It looks like you will be indispensable for Jason’s future rule as an alpha,” answered Tim earnestly. Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.
“Right. Anyway, let me think a moment. From what I remember before fey wars and their ensuing withdrawal to their own realm, there were some fey who chose to live here, with humans and other paranormals. They would then be treated with something akin to diplomatic immunity, being primarily subject to their own laws and only secondarily to the rule of an alpha on whose territory they lived. That would mean that while you are protected by the laws of your realm, you are still required to follow alpha Thorne’s rules. Does that answer your question?” He looked at them with tired green eyes, and Dominic felt bad for pestering him with question after everything he had gone through.
“I think it’s all we need to know now, don’t you, guys?” He shot a meaningful look to both twins. “We should get ready to go home. We’ll have lots of time to discuss what’s going to happen next. For now, I think we all need some rest.”
“Yeah.” Tim was suddenly looking a bit ashen. “You boys discuss the details of our moving to your apartment and I’ll go lie down. I feel a bit tired.”
“Are you all right, Timmy? Do you need my help?” Jiminy was clearly worried for his brother. Tim gave him a strained smile and shook his head.
“It’s all right, Jimmy boy, I simply need a nap and I’ll be right as rain again. Discuss all the packing and moving with Dominic. I’ll be fine,” he said, waving his hand dismissively even as he turned and hurried up the stairs. Dominic watched Jim’s concerned expression before the other man cleared his face and turned to him.
“So, let’s discuss everything, then,” he said, trying hard to pretend he wasn’t worried for his brother.
“I’ll leave you guys up to it. I need to do some planning of my own,” said Jack, and left them in the kitchen alone. Dominic suddenly felt very self-conscious. He wasn’t sure what to say. Fortunately, Jim saved him from figuring it out.
“Do you think we should hire a van or use a moving company who’ll pack all our stuff for us?” he asked, and they got to talking over necessary details.
* * * *
Jim was happy that they finally decided to hire people to pack all their stuff. He didn’t want to spend more time in their old apartment than was absolutely necessary. All in all, they made a decision to leave Timiny in Dominic’s apartment and go to their old one together to deal with any paperwork that needed to be done in order for them to move their online shop as well.
When they came to the human realm and learned all about modern technology, Jim was fascinated with computers and the internet in particular. They didn’t have anything like it on their plane. It came as an easy decision, then, to start a business involving the internet. Timiny suggested a shop with personalized handmade gifts and Jim said to sell them online. Soon, their business was up and running.
In the era of ever-present technology and factory-made things, people yearned to have something special, something made with care, and unique. That was how the fey brothers found their niche. They made special gifts, hand-painted and sewn clothes, carved furniture, and baskets made to order. They didn’t earn millions, but it was enough to go by. Before Timiny’s disappearance, they were actually doing quite well and had quite a lot of orders. With Tim gone, Jim had to inform their clients about the possible delay so that they could find another shop. By then, however, they were so popular with certain people that only two clients resigned, while all the others agreed to wait.
Now, with the decision to move to Dominic’s apartment, they had to find another atelier as well. In their old place, they had a spare bedroom where the workshop was situated, but with the current situation, they needed something close to Dominic’s flat. Luck was on their side and one of Dom’s neighbors, an old lady next door, agreed to let them use her spare bedroom for the time being. They could cope until they found something better suiting their needs.
Jim and Dominic did all they could to deal with the move as swiftly as possible. Jim didn’t want to leave his brother alone for longer than strictly necessary, and Dom had his own problems he had to take care of. All the time they were away, he seemed to be pondering over something, and finally, on their way back, he started the conversation.
“Listen,” he started, keeping his eyes on the road at all times, “I was thinking, I need to get to the bottom of this werewolf thing, you know? So I thought the easiest way to do it would be ask my parents, don’t you think?”
“That’s the most logical step,” answered Jim carefully, not knowing where it was all going.
“But I don’t know anything about this paranormal shit, you know, so how do I even go and ask them about it? And what if I was adopted and they have no idea about that stuff? They’ll think I’m crazy!” Dom’s voice betrayed his agitation, even though his eyes were still on the road and his hands steady on the steering wheel.
“What made you think that you’re adopted?” asked Jim, surprised with the sudden twist in the conversation.
“And what should I think? Wouldn’t my parents tell me if one of them was a werewolf? Wouldn’t they want their child to know about the paranormal?”
Jim put his hand on Dominic’s thigh in a gesture of reassurance. He saw how difficult the matter was to the man and wanted to help him somehow. Without his conscious decision, a pet word slipped out of his mouth for the first time since they went to visit Tyler.
“I don’t know, sweet, but there can be other explanations. You said it yourself. You never actually shifted into a wolf, so maybe your parents didn’t see it necessary to tell you? Or maybe they are hiding from someone dangerous and didn’t want to reveal their shifter nature? There can be any number of possible answers. You don’t have to be stuck on the worst one.” That elicited a small laugh from Dom.
“So being adopted is worse than hiding from dangerous people? I guess it depends on the point of view.” He sighed and took his hand off the steering wheel for a moment, long enough to squeeze Jim’s hand in gratitude. “Thank you. You have no idea how much your support means to me. I couldn’t pass through all this paranormal crap without you by my side.” He paused as if thinking on his next words. “You know words don’t come easy to me. I’m more action kind of guy. But I want you to know that I like you, a lot, and I would like to see if there can be more between us than friendship.” He cleared his throat and tensed, waiting in the sudden, heavy silence for Jim’s answer.
Jiminy was stunned. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel this thing growing between them, but in the constant chao
s their lives were lately, he simply couldn’t let himself focus on it. And he definitely couldn’t predict Dominic mentioning it now, of all times, in the car on their way to move Jim’s stuff to Dom’s own apartment. It was all twisted and backward. Jim had no idea how to react.
He took his hand off of Dominic’s leg and started twisting the hem of his shirt. He looked at his lap, trying to find an answer in his suddenly empty brain. Did he want to pursue a relationship, after everything that happened? Wouldn’t it be easier to simply go back home to his plane, leaving the human realm and all its problems behind?
But that would change nothing, wouldn’t it? He would still be the baby of the family, the biggest troublemaker, the immature one. And he wouldn’t find his soul mate there, would he? And what about this odd attraction, the kind of pull between him and Dominic, was it right to just ignore it? Jiminy suddenly envied shifters their ability to recognize best possible mates at first sight. Pixies weren’t like that. It was much harder for them to recognize a suitable partner. It had to be instinctual as well as intellectual. Much like with humans, at that.
Dominic apparently took his silence the wrong way because he cleared his throat again and said, “Of course, I’ll understand if you’re not ready or don’t find me attractive. You don’t need to feel obliged to—”
“I don’t!” Jiminy interrupted sharply.
“Pardon?”
“I don’t feel obliged, and I would love to try and see if there can be something more between us. But I am not sure how it will work out. Timiny still needs me. He’s not well, whether he admits it or not, and then there is the matter of the person who might or might have not followed us here and betrayed us. We need to find out the truth about your nature, and we need to see how we all fit into Jason’s pack, streak, or whatever it is he is building. And then there’s the small thing of my wings and you being extremely susceptible to the mating dust. And what about—”
“Stop.” It was Dominic’s turn to interrupt. He took one hand off of the steering wheel again and squeezed Jim’s. “We can get through it. Whatever it is, we can deal with it together. I think we’ve already proven we make a fine team, don’t you think?”
“We have, haven’t we?” Jim looked at him with a smile and Dominic took his eyes off the road, this time long enough to return the smile with another squeeze.
“Yep,” he agreed, and then added, “And I like it when you call me sweet. You should do it more often.” With that, his eyes returned on the road.
Jim took his time to study the other man’s profile and then he answered with a happy grin. “And maybe I will.”
Chapter Nine
Settling in Dominic’s apartment didn’t take them long, and with Dom not working on any other urgent cases, they were free to concentrate on what was really bothering the man—him being a wolf shifter.
Dominic still didn’t feel like it was real, but he supposed that with two separate people telling him the same thing, it had to be true. Also, this strange separate entity within him was getting stronger by the day, and he had to finally admit that it might have been his inner wolf. He guessed it may have been woken by Dominic’s contact with pixie mating dust. It only made sense. He had never before that felt any different. Well, certainly not different enough to suspect anything paranormal, at least. But as Jim said, the mating dust was supposed to be extremely powerful, strengthening the person exposed to it.
Dom’s theory was that once in the heat induced by the dust, his inner wolf was somehow woken within him and now couldn’t be put back into hiding again. Dominic was also experiencing other, more physical changes. His senses grew stronger, and so did his appetite. He was now eating twice as much as he used to, and was burning calories like crazy. His muscles grew even firmer, though not much bigger, and he was feeling stronger. Unfortunately, he had no idea what other changes to expect. Neither Tyler nor Jack could give him any info on that, as they were shifters their entire lives and had no idea how one would change after discovering his shifter nature in his thirties.
All in all, there was only one source that could shed some light on his situation, and as much as Dominic loathed it, he had to get a grip and go interrogate his parents. That was why he, along with a nervous-looking Jim, was in the car right then. His parents lived some forty kilometers away, so it wasn’t a long journey, but for Dom it stretched into forever. They were both silent, neither finding himself in a mood for conversation.
Finally, they were there and Dominic parked his car on the street in front of his parents’ house. They just sat there in silence for a while before Dom took a deep breath and looked at Jim.
“Are you ready for it?” Jiminy asked him, and Dominic’s instinct was to say Hell, no. He nodded his head instead, and they left the car.
Dom’s parents lived in a semidetached brick townhouse on a quiet little street. Around noon in the middle of the week, as it was, there was no one to be seen around. Both men walked to the door and waited for the door to be answered, listening to the sound of the doorbell from inside. Dominic’s stomach was twisting into knots from all the nerves, but he looked composed. He hoped.
It was a short wait, and soon Dominic’s mom, a retired teacher, invited them inside. Both of his parents used to be teachers, his mom in primary school and his dad in secondary. They were also both retired. Still, Dominic called first and warned them he was coming and bringing a friend with him.
They went straight for the dining room and sat at the table. Dom’s dad, Eric, was already there sipping a cup of tea and reading the newspaper. Dominic’s mother Anna hurried to make them a cup of the hot beverage each while both men chatted with Eric idly. After Anna served drinks and biscuits, they still continued talking about nothing in particular. It wasn’t until Dominic couldn’t stand the inner tension anymore that he suddenly blurted out, “Am I adopted?”
His parents stared at him with absolutely shocked expressions.
“Why would you ask such an idiotic question?” his mother finally answered with a question of her own.
“It’s not idiotic. Just answer me, yes or no?”
It was his father who asked him in careful measured words, “Son, where is this coming from? You never had any reason to believe you’re adopted, you never doubted us even during your rebel teenage years, why now?” Dominic opened his mouth but then immediately closed it. He had no idea what to say. It wasn’t like he could suddenly announce he was a werewolf. If his parents weren’t shifters, then they would think him crazy. He was literally rendered speechless. He looked at Jim for help. The fey put his hand on Dom’s knee under the table in a gesture of support and spoke in his stead.
“The thing is, Dominic lately discovered he has a rare genetic condition, one that has to be inherited from one or both of parents. As neither of you ever told him about it, he started suspecting something wrong,” Jim spoke in a composed, confident voice.
Anna looked suddenly alarmed.
“Genetic condition? Are you ill, son? Is it serious? Why haven’t you told us anything?”
“It’s not serious. Calm down, Mom,” Dominic reassured her. “It isn’t an illness, per se. It is just something differentiating me from normal people. It isn’t dangerous for me in the least.” I hope, he added to himself. His mother calmed down somewhat and Dom looked back to his…to the man he hoped he would soon be dating. Jim was weirdly focused on Dominic’s father, though, and Dom gave his dad a quick look. The man wasn’t looking at him. He suddenly seemed really interested in his drink.
“Well,” said his mother, taking Dominic’s attention off of his dad, “I can certainly assure you that you’re not adopted and that you are our biological son. There was never any reason to doubt it, and I went through the pains of labor to give birth to you, so I know what I’m talking about. If you do have this condition then one of us had to have it and not be aware of that. Isn’t that right, Rick?” she addressed her husband with the pet name.
“That’s true, honey,�
�� he answered somewhat distractedly. “Would you please excuse me? I just remembered I forgot something from the shed.” He stood up abruptly and left the room. Dom watched him go with mixed feelings.
“Maybe you should go and help your dad?” asked Jim, squeezing his knee reassuringly. “I’ll keep your mum company until you’re both back, hmm?”
“Yeah…” Dominic was clearly distracted by his father’s strange behavior. “I’ll go after him,” he said, standing up and smiling at the fey and then at his mother. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Dominic followed his father to the shed in the garden. When he entered it, he saw his dad bend over a tool table with his head bent forward as if in defeat.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Dad?” he asked.
“Did you really discover you have a genetic condition?”
“Yeah, you could say so.”
“And what exactly are your symptoms?” asked the man, still not turning back to face his son.
“Why? Do you know something you’re not telling me?” Dominic wasn’t one to budge. If his father wanted to play games, he could do it. His parent finally straightened and twirled on his foot, facing him, his expression tense.
“Let’s stop beating around the bush, son. Did you discover you’re a shifter?”
“So you knew…” Dominic didn’t know if he should feel disappointed or betrayed.
“I didn’t think it possible.” His father’s body sagged as he leaned back on the tool table. “When you didn’t turn when you hit puberty, I thought you were safe. I would never guess the shift could come so late in your life.” He looked stricken.
“It didn’t,” answered Dom in a quiet voice.
“What?” His father’s head shot upward. “But then, what? How…?”
“How did I discover I was a wolf shifter? It’s a long story and better left for another time. Right now, I’m more curious as to why didn’t you tell me anything about it.”
Reality Check Page 8