Reconciliation by Lisa Oliver

Chapter Ten

Hmm, so warm. Luka stirred, unwilling to open his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so comfortable, so relaxed… so horny? Oh shit. His eyes flying open, Luka looked around – he was not at home, and he wasn’t in the hotel room with his mate either. He was in a huge room, with massively high ceilings – the whole thing seemed to be made out of sandstone. He was on a bed. But it wasn’t a regular bed. More like a party-sized playroom raised from the floor. There were pale nets shielding him from the brilliant sun that was streaming into the room and the covers were a mix of vibrant colors.

This must be Seth’s place. The ornate wall coverings were a dead giveaway. As was the scent, which explained why Luka’s cock was making a mess in his sweatpants. Propping himself up on his elbows, Luka noted there was a robe laid out on the end of the bed, and a half wall in one corner of the room. Hopefully a bathroom.

There was no sign of Seth anywhere. After Luka had used the bathroom and had a quick shower, he came back into the room naked and eyed the robe. It is hot here, wherever here is, and my clothes are grubby. His wolf side hadn’t picked up the scents or sounds of anyone else around, so Luka was sure he’d be okay, even if he would be technically wearing a dress. Robe. Piece of clothing with no join between the legs keeping his bits secure.

Chuckling at the idea of his junk hanging loose and free, Luka slipped the robe on and belted it snugly before folding his dirty clothes and putting them on a large trunk that sat before wide windows. Actually, openings were a better description than windows. As Luka got closer, he could see the windows had no glass in them. Resting on the thick and wide stone ledge of one of the openings, Luka peered out. Wherever he was, he was quite high up and Luka couldn’t see much except a clear blue sky. Leaning over further, his sharp ears caught the sound of Seth’s voice. Who’s he talking to?

“I need to know what habitat is best.”

“Natural wolves can survive in a variety of habitats including deserts.” Luka didn’t recognize the other voice, and as he sniffed the air, he couldn’t scent anyone except Seth either.

“He’s used to living in the States,” Seth grumbled. “I want him to feel comfortable here. His wolf will need somewhere to run.”

Oh, my gods. Luka did a little happy wiggle. He’s talking about me.

“He can run with you,” the other voice replied. “But if you want to be cliché, you could include a forest for shade, so his paws don’t get burned on hot sand. The Almighty Zeus created grasslands with copious trees to ensure the comfort of his beloved Paulie’s shifted form on his realm before they relocated to their ranch in Montana.”

“Ra did too, in case you forgot. I remember Zeus fell on his ass breaking through Ra’s wards.” Luka heard Seth sigh. “I need to get this right, Paulie.”

Paulie – he’s talking to Paulie about Paulie, mate of Zeus?

“A forest area and a large grass area, running alongside your desert should suffice, especially if you include a stream, or river as part of the lush areas.”

“Water. Right.” There was a snap in the air, and Luka felt a wash of magic fill the skies. Now, instead of plain blue sky, he could see the tops of deep green trees, waving slightly as if blown by a breeze. His keen nose picked up the scent of earth, and grass, and Luka’s wolf perked up.

Leaning out as far as he could, Luka called out, “Seth. Seth? How do I get down to you?”

“Climb out,” Seth yelled back. “I’ll catch you.”

Catch me? Don’t they use stairs in this place? But, hiking his robe up his legs, Luka clambered fully onto the ledge on his hands and knees, holding onto the outside edge as he peered over it. Seth was standing directly below him, but the drop was about three stories high.

“Can I just take a moment to drool over you?” Luka asked, because Seth was clearly in his element. “You look magnificent.” And he did. Shirtless, Seth had no tan lines, just chiseled muscles and flat wide pecs Luka wanted to rest his head on. His mate was wearing what looked like flowing cream pants in a light linen, and dark strap sandals on his feet. In Luka’s eyes, he looked like a warrior of old, complete with long black hair tousled by the wind.

“Is this your realm?” Luka swung his legs around, so they were dangling out of the window. He didn’t let go of the edge though.

“This is the realm of the Egyptian Pantheon – and this part is my home, yes.” Seth squinted as he looked up. “Are you coming down? I won’t let you get hurt.”

“Do you promise not to look up my dashing robe?” Luka grinned to show he was teasing.

“No.” Seth’s teeth were a flash of white against his tan.

“Fair enough.” Wiggling his butt, Luka braced his feet against the outside wall, and then used his hands to leverage himself off the window shelf. Seconds later, he was falling, but before he reached Seth, it was as though he’d hit a pillow of air which seriously slowed his descent. Luka was still grinning widely as he floated into Seth’s arms.

“So romantic. That was magical, thank you.” He wrapped his arms around Seth’s neck. “Couldn’t you sleep in the hotel? Is that why you brought me here?”

“I wanted to show you my home before I formally asked if I could claim you.”

Seth was serious! Luka’s heart started pounding faster.

“I have a meal prepared.” Seth half turned and Luka could see a marque tent had been set up complete with a table laden with covered dishes. “I was sure you’d be hungry.”

Who could eat at a time like this? Seth wants to claim me! But there was still a tightness around the man’s eyes, and his shoulders weren’t only tensed from holding Luka’s weight. “I’d love to eat,” Luka said quietly, daring to reach up and trail his fingers over Seth’s hard jaw. Being so close… finally… Luka’s senses were on overload, but he still had that inbuilt need to care for others, especially his mate. “Whatever you want to do, I want to do them with you.”

Seth swallowed, a muscle under his jaw jumped, and his eyes blazed. “We eat first,” he growled.

/~/~/~/~/

Seth had thought. And then he’d thought some more. Lying next to Luka was playing havoc with his thinking process, and suddenly, the sterile nature of the hotel room disgusted him. He could hear people in the streets below, even though it was the middle of the night, and all he wanted in that moment was the peace and quiet of his home.

If I take him with me, I’d be making one hell of a commitment. Seth knew that and he knew what that commitment would entail. The wolf sharing his bed would want to bite him. If what Luka had said was true, and it seemed likely, then he and Luka would be bound together for eternity. Eternity.

Seth imagined what that might look like. His life, before his last fall from grace had been totally centered around his father. Ra was the only one who hadn’t shunned him after that little business with Osiris, and that was all because of ‘he who I won’t think about now’. Seth had believed that meant he owed Ra his loyalty. He’d offered himself up as Ra’s protector without a second thought and had never wavered from it.

Until now. Seth scanned his memories, searching for one instant where Ra had defended him from the constant slurs, the sideways looks of disgust he’d get at times, and the obvious cold shoulders he still got from many among his pantheon. His father had to have been aware of them - fully aware of how others reacted to his presence, and all Ra would do was smile and ignore them. Thinking about it, Seth remembered the countless times he wanted to rage at his father. You could change this for me! But Ra never did. 

Luka stood up for him. Luka, who was at least two inches shorter than Ra in his human form, had stood in front of me and fronted up to a god. No fear. No weapons. No powers of his own. Just a freaking wolf’s need to protect his fucking mate.

That had been the clincher for Seth. Other people could say what they like about physical attraction, the need to fuck, and yes, I have that too. In Seth’s defense, it’d been longer than he could remember since he’d had a man in his bed. But the key thing was that Luka defended him, protected him, got Ra to give him back his powers, and topped it off by respecting Seth’s right not to claim him.

If this is a con, then I’m completely taken by it, and I honestly don’t give a fuck.

Seth brought Luka back to his home, and later as the smaller man slept in his giant bed, he’d gone out, reclaiming his home space, riding the winds on his horse, thrilling at the sands that moved as he directed them. Later, as the sun peeked above the horizon – Ra did love his sun rituals – Seth released his horse, and had gone back to his home, and pulled out his phone. Luka had done so much for him already, and it was time for Seth to step up and do something for him.

“This food is amazing.” Luka hadn’t seemed inclined to want to sit on a chair of his own, and Seth was strangely reticent to let him go, so he was juggling his eating around the young wolf on his lap. “Do you cook at all, or do you just zap things up when you need them?”

Seth had to stop and think for a moment. He had thought Luka would be pushing to talk about their claiming and his mind had been on that more than anything else. Weren’t wolves fixated on those sorts of things? “I can cook. I like going out into the desert sometimes, one of the few things on earth that can be fun, lighting a fire and cooking meat over the open flame. The stars are brilliant in the night sky when they’re not blocked out by electric lights. I find it very peaceful.”

“That sounds amazing. Hopefully you’ll want to take me on a jaunt like that one day.” Luka smiled up at him and then took a huge bite of sausage. “Working as a doctor is stressful so much of the time. Dealing with human misery; a hospital is not the place to see humans at their best. But it’s not always easy to get away and a find a place to destress afterward.”

“Hmm.” Seth found eating with fingers was easiest and those sausages did look good. “I hadn’t thought about your job. Is it something you want to continue? After we’ve… you know.”

“I couldn’t be away from you for twelve hours in a day.” Luka shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to be. It’s handy in a way, the way things have worked out. I can use my trauma from my abduction as a reason for my immediate resignation. But I confess I’m curious.” His sideways upwards glance was sexy and held a hint of knowing. “What do gods do all day?”

“Whatever we want.” Seth chuckled as Luka’s eyes widened. “To be perfectly honest, most gods do very little. When the non-interference rule came into effect, there were some gods who stopped going to earth at all. They’d sit around in their realms all day, gossiping, fighting, pretty much bored out of their skulls. Others made permanent homes on earth and lived much like any other person would – many of my own pantheon did that.”

“Were you like that too?”

“Not me, no.” Seth thought about how much to share. “I’ve protected Ra for eons, so I’ve tended to go where he goes. He has always enjoyed earth, so we used to visit often, but we or rather I never stayed. And since Zeus has got his system up and running, employing Cas and Wes to help paranormals in trouble… well…”

“Ra met his mates, and Zeus met his, and you said other gods did too.” Luka crunched on a long piece of bacon and then licked his greasy fingers. “Oh, this is yum. I wouldn’t usually ask, because you know, I’m the type of shifter who goes along with what others say, but I have to ask.”

“Why am I here? You ask that a lot.” Seth grinned to show he was teasing. “I’m here because this is my home and I’m most comfortable here.”

“No, not that.” Luka laughed, a happy sound that filled the air. “I wanted to know what changed your mind about claiming me,” he said when he finally stopped.

“I want to.” Seth would’ve been happy to leave it at that, but Luka’s face showed every emotion, and the wolf was curiously hopeful. “Not many of my pantheon like me, and there are some gods in other realms that absolutely despise me. There’s a lot I should probably tell you…”

“It won’t make any difference to the way I feel about you,” Luka jumped in quickly.

“And that’s why I want to claim you.” Picking up another sausage, Seth popped it against Luka’s lips, that opened for him as Luka took a bite. “You have defended me from the moment we met…”

“Not quite. I was pissed off with you when we first met,” Luka reminded him, around his mouthful.

“Did you want to hear this?” Seth could be stubborn too. “After that, you wanted to protect me from gunmen, you spoke up on my behalf in front of Ra.” He shrugged. “You seem to get me. Isn’t that what people say these days?”

“I get you.” Luka chuckled, resting his head on Seth’s shoulder. “I do get you – I get to have you for all time. You’ve no idea how happy you’ve made my wolf.”

“Just your wolf?”

“And me too.” Taking one last bite of the sausage Seth was still holding, Luka laid in his arms, chewing with a half-smile on his face. When he finally swallowed, he asked, “Are you ready for me, or do I get a tour of your realm first?”

“Do you give a shit about this realm? I created a forest and meadow for your wolf.”

“They’re not going to disappear in the next few hours, are they? I’m much more interested in you.”

That was all Seth needed to hear. With a thought and a wave of his hand, the tent and food disappeared, and Seth landed in his bedroom, with Luka still in his arms.

“You should probably kiss me first,” Luka said as he shook his head. “I really must get a handle on this zapping all over the place thing.”

Kissing. Such a novel concept. I wonder if I remember how. Seth bent his head, keen to find out.