by Crystal Dawn
Never having had parents or any family besides his brothers, didn’t mean he didn’t know how things should be. It just meant that his life had never been about how things should or could be and never would be. The kids were playing and laughing, it gave him both a warm feeling and a tight feeling in his stomach. The warm feeling was the wishful desire to belong, to be part of this small family, the other, regret for what had never been.
He sat outside on a bench, watching them play for a long time. Was it an hour, maybe more? The kids were so happy and excited as they played ball and used the playground equipment, he smiled to himself as he watched. He pushed back thoughts of Origin and all the horrible things they had done to him. The most recent being the worst. Before he had at least been treated decently as long as his missions were successful, lately he was punished, tortured, and abused no matter what he did. It was hard to believe he’d been freed and he still looked over his shoulder. His slightly better than usual sense of smell picked up something familiar. It was the cologne one of the guards liked to wear, nasty stuff. He moved to a corner of the fence where a larger than usual gap existed. He peered out and saw Hart and Figgley checking out El’s house and the area around it.
They must not be sure who was here or they would have attacked to recover him. They might even kill El and her children, they needed to run. As soon as he saw those two leave, he went to get the kids.
“Hey, guys, we need to go inside for a bit.”
“Ah, c’mon, Morpheus. We just started having some fun,” Donnie said with a little whine to his voice.
“Yeah, Morph, let us have some fun,” Cassie added.
“I need you kids to come inside, just for a few minutes and Cassie, Morph?”
“It’s just a nickname. Everyone has one,” she said as they reluctantly followed him in.
“Go to the living room, kids. I need to talk to your mom for a minute,” Morpheus said as he hurried to the office.
“Hey,” El said as she looked up at him with a smile.
“El, we have no time to waste. The guards that kept me tied up were outside your house looking around. We need to get out of here. If they come back, they’ll try to recapture me. I can’t even guess what they might do to you or the kids.” She looked as horrified as he imagined.
She picked up the phone pushing speed dial. “Slay, the guys that had Morpheus locked up have been seen around my house. We’re headed your way.”
“Morpheus? Is that the name of the big guy you took home?”
“Yeah.”
“Get here as quick as you can.”
“Will do.”
She hurried out to the living room. “Plan one, kids. We need to get rolling.”
Morpheus was shocked as each of them pulled out an already packed travel bag. They carried them out to the garage loading them in an old SUV. El shut everything off and locked all the doors. She packed her laptop quickly and efficiently. They loaded in less than ten minutes and she used the garage door opener to provide an exit. He looked but saw no one hanging around. She closed the door as they took off down the road. His mind had still not caught up with what had just occurred.
“What just happened?” he asked.
“We have an exit strategy in case of an emergency,” El explained.
“Our father is a very bad man,” Cassie said as Donnie nodded solemnly. Morpheus was stunned that the kids would feel that way. “He has tried to take us from our mom,” Cassie said in a whisper like she was sharing a secret. “He doesn’t really like us much but he thinks Mom will pay money to get us back.”
Morpheus coughed, his throat was parched. “Why do you think that?”
“He told me so,” Cassie said. She said it so matter-of-factly without sadness or any other emotion. El had not picked well, so he would choose himself for her this time. He felt okay about what he planned now that he had a good reason to do it. He would claim them, he would see they were protected and cared for. He knew he hadn’t known them for long, but he usually made up his mind quickly. This was no exception and he knew it was the right decision.
Twenty minutes later found them at her brother’s house. “Oh my God, El. What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“A big bunch of trouble, from the look of it. We’re going to have to hide out for a while until these guys get caught. We’re going with plan one.”
“I guess it will work for this as well as it would have worked to escape that asshole you were married to,” Slay said.
“Try to motivate the cops to hunt those bastards down,” El said.
Slay smiled. “Such language and in front of innocent ears.”
“Uncle Slay, we’re not innocent. I’m six years old already.” Cassie said indignantly.
“Sorry, Cass, I forgot. I guess only Donnie counts then.”
“Uncle Slay, that’s not fair. I’m a boy!”
“Oh, you’re right. You two listen to your mother and do what she says,” Slay instructed.
“We will,” they chorused.
“We’d better get out of here before we get spotted,” El said.
Morpheus silently agreed. They had no time to waste. He did have to admit he was impressed with how well trained they were and how every person that was important to the plan seemed to know their part in it. El hit back roads, staying away from highways and she drove for hours. The kids fell asleep in the back and she didn’t seem to want to talk much. She seemed to know exactly where she was going. They pulled into a mid sized town and she went to a shopping center. Until he was fully dressed, he was stuck in the SUV with the kids.
She was gone about thirty minutes and she came back with clothes and shoes for him. It made him wonder how she had known his sizes. She went to a gas station to fill up and he took his clothes in the bathroom with him. He came out looking like an average guy, Tshirt, nice comfortable jeans, and sneakers. He was ready for anything now.
Chapter 4
A Recovery Begins
“What do you think?” Zeus asked his beautiful mate.
“She had a lot of information. She knew too much not to have found a god.”
“Maybe it’s a trap?” Hades wondered. After he and Doc had spent a week out looking for the god whose trail they had lost, he was irritable and unhappy.
“Maybe it’s him!” Doc said.
“She had so many facts, we have to check it out. We really don’t have a choice. She even had names and she knew what they had him for, what they were doing to him. It fits what we expected. Cher checked her out and she’s clean except for her ex-husband but he never was involved with Origin. He just had his hand in other criminal activities,” Hermes related to them.
“You said the police were called?”
“Yes, and an ambulance. The patient checked out even though the doctor wanted to keep him and she took him home,” Hercules added.
“I haven’t seen Morpheus in at least two years. I thought he was dead, could he really be alive?” Hades asked.
“It is entirely possible considering how much Origin lied to us,” Zeus said.
“Isn’t Morpheus the god of dreams?” Sierra asked.
“Yes, I see your studies haven’t been wasted,” Lu teased. His mood was decidedly devilish. “I’d like to go with the recovery team. Morpheus and I have always been close.”
The other gods looked at each other then all eyes went to Zeus. Demons were a problem or at least they could be out in the human world. Few had been out around humans and Lu had a few extra things he would have to hide.
“You know the requirements,” Zeus said.
Lu sighed deeply. “Hide the wings and the tail at all times. Really, Zeus, I think it would liven things up if you let me flash a few humans, especially females.” His smile was downright sinful.
“Why don’t we save that for the masked balls,” Zeus said. Lu chuckled but refrained from commenting. He was having some inappropriate thoughts, anyone could tell just by looking at him.
> “I appreciate restraint,” Zeus told him and he did.
The team ended up being Hades, Doc, Hercules, Lu, and Eres. This was an important mission that everyone wanted done right. Morpheus had powers that could be a wonderful gift or a horrible curse. They needed him free from Origin even more than most. The fact that he had been mistreated at the hands of Origin flunkies only added to the urgency of recovering him.
Doc sat looking at a picture of Morpheus she had pulled from Origin’s computer files. He was muscular like a weight lifter and he had beautiful long hair halfway down his back. The color was light brown and it went well with his beautiful gray eyes. She could see signs of facial hair, unusual in a god, and his skin was barely tan. There was an enigmatic look on his face, not hostile, maybe questioning was the right word.
Hades sat next to her and glanced over. “He always wore his hair long except when they punished him.”
“They cut his hair if he didn’t comply?”
“Yes, first one side, then the other. They knew it was his vanity. It hurt him more than anything else could.”
Doc didn’t understand at first but then she realized it was the loss of control more than anything else that hurt him. They took away his control of his own body, the one thing, his hair, that he wanted control of. Those Origin assholes knew just how to hurt a person physically and mentally.
The team was ready to leave four hours later. They were all assembled with bags in hand. The plane was loaded and the pilot and crew on board. There was an air of hopeful optimism, one of their brothers may have managed to be freed and all they would have to do is bring him home.
The flight started out like most of the flights Doc and Hades took since they had mated. Hades led her to the bedroom in the back of the plane. Why suffer boredom when they could be together and enjoy each other? He pulled her into his warm embrace. This female was everything to him. He breathed in deeply, her smell made him think of love and home. He lowered his mouth to her hers claiming her soft delicious lips in a kiss that declared his ownership. He branded her with his heat, his desire.
She didn’t hesitate to give back every bit of passion he gave her. She moaned softly and her hands grabbed at his shoulders pulling him in even more tightly. She rubbed her body against his reminding him how soft and sweet she felt against him and making him want to tear her clothes off her body. He knew he couldn’t, she wouldn’t be happy about it. Instead, he began to undress her, slowly. He kissed her as each bit of her flesh was revealed. One button undone, one kiss on her heated skin.
“Faster, Hades, I’m on fire,” she demanded.
“I don’t want to hurt your clothes,” he whispered in her ear, his breath hot and damp.
“I don’t care about my clothes.”
“That’s not what you said yesterday when I ripped your shirt off you.”
“Just forget what I said.”
He did as he ripped her shirt in half enjoying the sound of the tearing fabric and the satisfying feel as it tore and exposed his mate to his seeking eyes and hands. Her jeans were easier to undo and he did before he pushed them down to her knees. He stepped back to undress himself so he could free his cock from its denim prison. It snapped free and stood at attention ready to be put to use. Doc had finished undressing herself and her hand reached out gripping his impressive length.
“You feel so good,” she whispered to him as her hand stroked him from root to tip. He groaned with pleasure ready for more. He could smell her arousal, knew she was ready and he needed nothing more than to sink in her heated depths.
He moved her hand before he lifted her into his arms placing her onto the bed before he slid over her and caged her in. “I have you now, Sweetheart.”
“Then take me,” she whispered, her voice husky with want.
He didn’t hesitate as he used one hand to place the broad tip of his cock at her opening while his other hand held his weight. One fluid motion and he was fully seated. They both shivered and moaned in unison. So fucking good. He wanted her more each time they were together. He paused to enjoy the feeling of being joined fully to his mate before he started to move.
He sped up until he was slamming hard into her as she arched to meet his thrusts and made encouraging sounds. He slid easily into her slick tight channel moving closer to heaven with each plunge. He felt her body start to tighten around him telling him she was close. He drove in harder, feeling her toes digging into his ass until it drove him wild. Just as he realized he could hold back no longer, she screamed her bliss and went wild under him. Her muscles milked his heavy cock until his seed shot out of it pouring into her hot, tight passage.
They were both slicked with sweat and tired from their recent activity. He rolled on his side with her in his arms. With the soothing scent of his lovely mate surrounding him, he fell into a deep restful sleep. They both woke hours later, rested and ready to take on the world or at least any part of it that got in their way. After a shower and change of clothes, they rejoined the rest of the team. A meal was served and the information they had on Morpheus discussed for the last time. By the time they landed, they were all prepared to recover their brother.
Mark didn’t meet them this time because he wasn’t informed of their arrival. Zeus and the rest of the council had agreed that it was better this way. If the recovery went as expected, the US government would never know a thing. It was truly a shame that things never went as expected. They arrived in the area Morpheus was said to be and got directions to the house. Hades went to the door with the rest of the team in place. Hercules covered the back door while Doc backed up Hades. Lu was assigned to protect their vehicle in case any enemies lurked nearby. Eres was at the side of the house where he could move quickly to the front or back and cover windows.
It became immediately clear that someone had broken into the house and no one was inside any longer. If Morpheus had really been there at one time, he was no longer there now. Uncertain of where to look now, Doc pulled out the file. The female’s brother lived nearby, it was the logical place to look next. They drove to town and found the man’s home.
“May I help you?” asked the man who answered the door to Hades’s loud and impatient knock. This guy was no wimp. He was as tall as Hades and nearly as broad. He also showed no signs of being intimidated. He looked Hades right in the eyes, no fear. Dumb human wasn’t smart enough to know when to be afraid.
“We’re looking for Morpheus,” Hades answered.
“And who exactly is we?” he asked suspiciously.
“We are his people. I am Hades.”
“How do I know that for sure?”
Doc moved up and pulled out her laptop. She pulled up a website and showed it to the man. “You can see our pictures here. We are legitimate.” He took the computer, looked at the site closely, and sighed.
“Come in, this will be a while. It may be hours before they call. I can’t be sure you are who you say you are since even websites can be faked, but I feel sure enough to give you a chance to talk to him when they call. Unfortunately, I don’t know when that will be except that it will be sometime today.”
“You can’t reach them?” Doc asked.
“Disposable cells, she throws them away after each call. Even if I traced her call, they would be gone by the time anyone could get there.”
Hades gave him a disgruntled look. The damn man didn’t have to sound so proud of it. He just wanted to get his brother and get them all home. What was so wrong with that? He wished things would go right just one time.
“My name’s Slay, by the way.” He looked at Doc with curiosity. “I thought you guys had no women?”
“I’m not a god, I’m human. I’m mated to this one,” she said pointing to Hades.
Slay looked at her then at him. “How does that work?”
“Works just fine,” Hades growled at him.
“You’re asking for a reason,” Doc said picking up Slay’s concern.
“He’s out there with my sister.�
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“They don’t just take whatever female is closest. They’re not like that,” Doc assured him.
“There’s something between them, I picked up on it. I’m not positive it’s romantic, but it felt that way,” Slay explained.
“They treat their mates right. He’d never hurt her,” Doc replied.
“I hope not since we have enough to worry about with the assholes that are chasing them.”
Chapter 5
The Getaway
El felt pretty good about their getaway. No one seemed to be following them and with a good number of towns around, they would have plenty of places to search before they ever got here. She drove to a hotel, one of those extended stay ones. She figured that the local cops would find the criminals that had tortured Morpheus in a few days at the most. She also thought he was a god, no, not the he’s so sexy he’s a god, even though that was true, but he must be one of those genetically altered born enslaved gods.
She had contacted his people and tried to convince them. They had said they would check things out and she could only hope they would. They couldn’t have too much help to get Morpheus on track and her and the kids back to their lives. She felt a slight pain run through her chest at the thought of Morpheus leaving them. That was just silly, they hardly knew each other and she wasn’t the best judge when it came to men. She just needed to take a deep breath and get through this.