by Macy Blake
“I need to pee,” Jedrek said, even though it was only halfway true. He did need to use the bathroom, but he could have waited. He was comfortable and warm, and still a little sleepy.
Another growl. Nick’s hand stroked his chest before creeping down to his stomach. Jedrek couldn’t help but shiver against the touch.
“Shhh,” Nick repeated before he let out a muffled snore.
Jedrek’s instincts were going crazy. He didn’t let anyone touch his stomach, and yet, Nick’s hand splayed there like he owned it. His thumb moved slowly, caressing bare skin. His fingers curled into the trail of hair leading down. He couldn’t help but tighten his stomach, and Nick’s thumb stilled. Jedrek sucked in a breath and reached for Nick’s wrist. He needed to move.
Nick moved faster, rolling onto him and pinning him to the mattress. Another low growl filled the room and Jedrek groaned. He wished he could say there wasn’t any desire in the sound, but he’d be lying. It was a mixture of want and dear goddess what am I doing?
Needless to say, the dear goddess portion of his thoughts won. In a well-practiced move, he grabbed Nick’s wrist and rolled, flipping him off the bed. Nick landed on the floor with a clatter, and Jedrek flipped off the bed and crouched over him. He put his clawed hand against Nick’s neck and flared his eyes.
“Jed?” Nick rumbled sleepily. “Ow.”
He raised his hand and instead of claws, human fingers rubbed the back of his head.
“You with me?”
“Clearly? Is something happening? Is Sawyer okay?”
Nick woke quickly as his thoughts began to race, and Jedrek tightened his hold. “They’re fine. I thought you were going to shift in your sleep.”
Nick scowled. “So you threw me on the floor?”
When he put it that way…
“Sorry. I’m going to… uh, go clean up and… uh, check on the others.”
“Good plan. I wonder if my brothers are awake yet.”
Jedrek pushed to his feet and tried to ignore the way his body hummed at the sight of Nick sprawled sleepily on his back. “We can go find out.”
“And hey, are your alphas and… what’s her name?”
“Zaire?” Jedrek paused and took a deep breath. “Yes, my alphas are back.”
“Did you just smell for them?”
Jedrek glanced at Nick and found him staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and awe. “Yeah.”
Nick stared at him, then inhaled deeply. “Fuck, you smell so good,” Nick groaned.
And that didn’t help matters.
“Let’s go check in with the others,” Jedrek said. He grabbed his clothes from where he’d left them on the table after changing into another pair of the sweatpants provided by the clinic the night before.
“You think you could take me back to mine so I can get some clean clothes?” Nick asked. He’d grabbed his clothes as well as was staring at them with his nose scrunched up.
“They’re fine. Your senses are heightened right now. Just put ‘em on. I’ll be back in a sec.”
Jedrek escaped to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He splashed cold water on his face and stared at his reflection. After giving himself a stern, but silent, lecture to get his shit together, Jedrek got himself ready for the day using one of the spare toiletry sets stored under the sink.
When he went back into the main room, he found Nick staring out the window. “I must have been really out of it last night,” Nick said. “I mean, part of me knew there were other people out there, but I didn’t even process it. I was so focused on getting past the alphas and getting to my brothers, that I didn’t even see them.”
“They weren’t threats to you,” Jedrek explained. The crowd had actually thinned a little, but there were still a bunch of folks huddled around. “Come on. I’ll take you to see your brothers.”
Nick followed him out of the cabin, his attention focused on the clinic already. They found Draco standing outside the door.
“Sawyer?” Nick asked quickly.
“Being a pain in the ass.”
“Which means he’s fine. Mikey?”
“No change.”
Nick made one of his many noises and glanced at Jedrek. “I’m going to go see them.”
Jedrek nodded. “I need to find my alphas. Stay inside the clinic. Draco?”
Draco looked between him and Nick for a moment. “I’ll stay with him.”
“Thanks.”
“Meshaq is up at the main house with Zaire and the others.”
Jedrek nodded and shared one more look with Nick. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Nick huffed and turned to go inside.
Jedrek pretended he didn’t know exactly what that sound meant as well.
Sam and the kids were making rounds outside in the yard. Drew and Cody were with them, along with Teague and Achim. His other pack members looked good, much better than they had the night before. They’d come through the battle without any loses thanks to Solomon’s quick thinking. The other champions were still around as well. Jedrek could feel their energy. There was a lot of power gathered within these wards, and the thought of it sent a thread of anxiety through him.
He knocked on the door of the main house and heard his alpha’s voice inviting him inside. He poked his head in the door first, and found them all gathered at the long dining room table where Sam, Vaughn, and their kids normally ate. But instead of being surrounded by his family, Vaughn had Meshaq, Solomon, Zaire, Eduard, and Andvari seated with him. It was a war council if Jedrek had ever seen one.
“Come sit,” Vaughn offered.
They had a table full of food in front of them, no doubt courtesy of Vaughn’s grandmother. Nana always took care of all of them, and with Cecil’s help on the side, no doubt they were managing to feed the entire crowd without breaking a sweat.
Jedrek sat down beside Solomon in one of the few empty seats left at the table. Solomon pushed a bowl of something amazing smelling at him and Jedrek accepted it happily.
Solomon leaned in. “We just got back. Everything go okay?”
“Yeah. We passed out. Nothing happened.”
Nothing he needed to tell his alpha about, anyway. Although they might be having a discussion soon about Jedrek’s apparent lack of control.
Solomon grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed. “You look better.”
“I actually got some sleep. Unlike you. You look like crap,” Jedrek teased.
“And don’t think Cody hasn’t given me an earful about it.” Solomon didn’t look like he minded one bit. “I want you here for this, okay?”
It wasn’t unusual for their alpha to have one of them sitting in on an important gathering like this, but it wasn’t normally Jedrek. Calli or Solomon were the first Meshaq called upon. He felt a surge of something he’d never felt before and couldn’t quite identify. Pride. Power. Purpose.
“We might as well get started,” Meshaq said. “Last night, major changes happened in our world. Doors unlocked which had been closed for a long time, and many of our lives were rewritten.”
Jedrek glanced around the table. Yeah, some shit had gone down, but this sounded bigger than that.
“We don’t know much,” Eduard said. The griffin was one of the more level-headed of Sawyer’s guardians.
“Don’t stall,” Zaire said sharply. “Spit it out already.”
Eduard wasn’t fazed by her in the slightest. He glanced at her, waiting for her to calm, before continuing. “Sawyer is actually the son of the mother goddess.”
Jedrek wasn’t sure he heard him clearly.
“That means…” Vaughn began, but his voice drifted off.
“He is equal to our goddess, her brother,” Meshaq added.
“Wait, what?” Jedrek asked.
“Fuck my life,” Zaire groaned. “And last night, who exactly attacked him?”
“Their other brother,” Andvari added. The vampire sounded on the verge of snapping.
Eduard touched his a
rm before speaking again. “Unfortunately, Sawyer’s memories have been taken and the mother has informed us that he will not be getting them back.”
“I’m so confused,” Jedrek said. “Does that mean Nick…?”
“No,” Meshaq said. “Nick and Mikey are both foster brothers, but no more. We don’t know who Mama Thea was, but she seems to have collected three powerful strays.”
“Collected,” Vaughn said. “I’m not sure I like that choice of word.”
“But that does appear to be the right word, doesn’t it?” Zaire didn’t seem impressed either.
“As a result of the attack on Sawyer and the inevitability of his true status getting out, my goddess has given me… a promotion.” Meshaq didn’t look comfortable with the word. He looked around the table for a moment before continuing. “She has asked that Drew and I perform some other duties for her, and has given over the control of the hellhounds to Solomon.”
“But Meshaq is still an alpha,” Solomon said. “He is the alpha of all of our kind now. His powers have been extended to beyond this realm and the goddesses have honored him with this power.”
Zaire smirked and leaned forward. “Proud of him, are we?”
Solomon growled at her and flashed his eyes. “I am.”
“So am I. No one deserves it more. But I’m a bit confused as to why you’re taking your human mate along for the ride. You sure that’s safe?”
Meshaq’s eyes burned and Jedrek trembled at the sheer power rolling off of him. “No one will harm my mate.”
“Whoa,” Zaire said. “Where’d that come from?”
Meshaq grinned and Jedrek was reminded once again of their long friendship. Zaire always poked the beast, but at the end of the day, she had trusted Meshaq with her life and the life of her son. Which reminded Jedrek that he hadn’t seen or heard her chew him out for involving Keziah in the fight against the aswang.
“So,” Vaughn said. “We have a human who’s actually a god, our champion has been called away, a new champion installed, and we found out the Chosen One’s brothers both have powers of their own.”
“And let’s not forget that Nick arrived when he did,” Zaire said.
“Or the other lions,” Vaughn said.
“Other lions?” Zaire asked. “What the hell, Meshaq? Didn’t you think that was significant?”
Meshaq pointed at Solomon. “It’s his fault.”
Eduard chuckled. “We can yell about that later. Andvari and I want to get back to our mates. What can you tell us about the wards at the old house? Sawyer will want to know that his brother is safe.”
“I gathered some of the magic but will need some time to break it apart. It is strong and dark. But I will find them. Speaking of safe,” Zaire turned her glare to Solomon, “now that you’ve involved my son and his coven in this mess, you are honor bound to provide protection to them.”
“We will,” Solomon said.
Zaire returned her glare to Meshaq. “This is all your fault. He’s not as fun to argue with as you are.”
Jedrek shook his head, but the moment lifted the heavy atmosphere just enough to allow them all to take an easy breath.
“We can’t keep this many people here,” Vaughn said. “We’d be a beacon for trouble and it would put my patients at risk. I want to help, but I also have a duty. Our community depends on this being a safe place.”
“We will be returning home,” Eduard said. “Sawyer is already itching to go, but he doesn’t want to leave his brother’s side.”
Jedrek wasn’t sure they could convince either of Mikey’s brothers to leave his side.
“I can talk to him,” Vaughn said.
“And I’d like the lion to come with me,” Zaire said. “His magic is more changed than the others. If I can figure out why, it may give me another clue.”
Solomon and Meshaq shared a glance, and Jedrek didn’t even have to wonder what they were thinking before they said it.
“Jedrek and Nick will go with you,” Solomon said. “I’ll work on finding safe places for the others.”
“I only have a few more hours before I must return to the gate. The goddess gave me until sunset,” Meshaq explained.
“What’s going to happen to the bar?” Vaughn asked.
“The others will run it. I’m sure we can find a few volunteers to help out.” Solomon turned to him. “Jedrek?”
“I’ll make it work,” Jedrek said.
Solomon squeezed his neck once more. “Check on Izzy for me, will you?”
Jedrek nodded. One of their human packmates, Izzy, had been staying with the coven with her daughter since finding out their world existed. She’d been in shock, and her kid had been in danger. She’d needed a time out, but they’d needed her to be safe. Solomon had her taken to the coven until she decided what she wanted to do.
“I will,” Jedrek said. “What about the lion cubs?”
Solomon rubbed his eyes tiredly. Leandra and her cubs were refugees, but they’d also been affected by the same magic that had touched Nick and the rest of the kids. There were a lot of moving pieces on the board, and it was becoming hard to keep up with it all.
“Zaire and I will talk, and we’ll see what Leandra wants to do.”
“I want to find them, Alpha,” Jedrek said. He couldn’t keep his eyes from flaring and Solomon’s burned in reply.
“We will. And they will pay for what they’ve done. The goddess has promised us that. Go home and pack. I’m not going to rotate you all in and out of the coven’s place like we do here at the clinic. It’s not safe. You’ll stay there and I’ll come check on you myself as soon as I’m able.”
Jedrek nodded and stood. “I’ll be back soon.”
Meshaq rose and followed him to the door. “Solomon told me how well you did in the fight. Stay strong, and listen to your instincts.”
Jedrek met his gaze and breathed. “I will.”
“They won’t lead you astray,” Meshaq said with a knowing smile before he hooked his hand around Jedrek’s neck and touched their foreheads together. “And I won’t even tell Drew what’s happening. I’ll let you do it.”
Even though his voice was lowered, Jedrek couldn’t help looking around to make sure no one else had overheard. “Nothing is happening,” Jedrek protested.
“Uh-huh. Drew saved you some doughnuts. He put them in the oven in our cabin so no one would touch them. He felt bad that you were called away earlier.”
Jedrek grinned. “How’s he going to handle all this?”
“Probably better than me. He’s looking forward to the adventure, but I’m dreading leaving my pack. Of course, I don’t think it’s sunk in with him yet that he won’t be nagging you guys every day so… we’ll see how it goes when he realizes.”
“Better you than me. Wonder if you can text between realms. How will he survive without all the news?”
Meshaq shivered. “In all seriousness, if you need me, I will find a way. I’ve spoken to Solomon already, but I want the rest of you to know as well. No matter where my duties for the goddess takes me, you are still my pack.”
“This isn’t goodbye, Meshaq,” Jedrek said. “It’s see you later.”
Meshaq scowled. “This is one of those pop culture references I don’t get, isn’t it?”
“Possibly. Now, I’ve gotta go. My alpha gave me an order.”
He got one last neck squeeze before Meshaq released him. Jedrek hurried outside, shot a quick look toward the clinic but didn’t see Nick, and then opened a portal. He had no idea what he needed to bring, but from the sounds of things, he’d be with Zaire and the coven for a while. He gathered enough clothes for a week or two, then tossed his tablet and chargers into the bag. He rummaged in the kitchen for his favorite protein bars— he didn’t care what Drew said, they didn’t taste like dirt— and added those as well. He also grabbed a few of his favorite movies and after another thought, he unplugged his Blu-Ray player and added it to the bag as well. Knowing Zaire, having Internet wouldn’t be
considered “safe” so poor Keziah had probably grown up without. He groaned and grabbed another bag, adding a few books he’d been meaning to get around to. He was probably going to be stuck in some weird commune where they didn’t even have power. They probably didn’t even eat meat.
Jedrek tried not to pout as he went back through his house one last time. He grabbed his supplies from the bathroom, including his clippers to keep the mohawk in shape, and then stared at the lower drawer of the bathroom cabinet. He was working. This was his job. And yeah, it wasn’t a typical human type job, but he served a goddess and did a damn fine job of it. He wouldn’t put that at risk. No matter what. He was there to protect and to serve.
But he’d been told to listen to his instincts.
Jedrek opened the drawer and grabbed a bottle of lube and a sleeve of condoms. They didn’t need the rubbers, but Nick might not know that and Jedrek didn’t want what might be happening to get derailed because of that. He’d slept with enough humans to know they took their safety seriously and he didn’t blame them. He couldn’t exactly say supernatural creature here. Disease free. Trust me.
Not that anything would happen. But it was better to be prepared, just in case. He stopped thinking and stuffed the supplies into the bottom of his bag. He watered his plants and locked up the house before grabbing both bags and reopening the portal. He walked into chaos, and the sound of a very pissed off lion roaring.
Nick
To say that Nick was angry when he found out exactly how much danger Sawyer was in was the understatement of the century. He made it through the entire explanation— his brother, a god?— before he realized that this was more than just some random attack. Someone— another freaking god from the sounds of things— was trying to kill his brother. And that’s when he lost control. He felt it coming. The signs were there. He ran out of the clinic with Draco on his heels. He made it to the door, then out onto the grass. And then he shifted. He was immediately a tangle of sweatpants and old T-shirt.
His senses were immediately overwhelmed by the scent of other shifters. Powerful creatures. Alphas. Warriors. They were all there. Threats to his brothers, lying just inside the doors, weakened and vulnerable. He roared, trying to free himself from the tangle of fabric. No one would hurt his pride. No one. His brothers would be safe. He would make sure of it.