Reconciliation by Lisa Oliver
Chapter Twenty-Four
The days passed smoothly. Luka picked up the idea of having powers quickly, although he rarely used them. He constantly assured Seth the only reason he wanted them was so that he could translocate back to his mate if Osiris started causing trouble again.
Not that it mattered; Seth was a god on a mission. It seemed that now he knew he had little ones to consider, and he wanted to keep Luka happy, that meant finding a home on earth. No, he didn’t think Luka’s little place was acceptable – and when he wasn’t arguing with the Paulie app about finding suitable listings, Seth was focused on getting his part of the realm set up for little ones. There were mini picket fences around a new lawn area outside the mansion, and every room in the house had new wall to wall rugs so the pups didn’t skin their knees on the tiled floors, or hurt themselves if they fell. And that was just the start.
Seth even had a list, and while Luka loved his mate all the more for caring so much and showing it, he also felt Seth would probably have a heart attack or stroke if he kept worrying so much.
“Yes, babe, I’m definitely comfortable,” Luka said as Seth fussed around with another pillow in his hand. “This chaise lounge has perfectly conformed to my butt and supports my back brilliantly, just as you intended it would. You have to remember, I’m barely showing yet.” Although that last bit was a white lie. Luka was glad of the elastic waistband of his pants. “Have you found us a house yet? Only if you leave the viewings much longer, I won’t be able to come along.”
“Paulie’s not being helpful.” Seth sunk down, sitting on the grass beside Luka’s specially crafted chair. “He seems to think the only place suitable is another ranch in Montana, halfway between Ra and Zeus’s.”
“It would make playdates easier when the pups are bigger.” Luka laid back resting one hand on his stomach and one on Seth’s hair. “Aziza will enjoy company her own age sooner or later, and you mentioned Zeus and Paulie have a kid too?”
“We can all translocate, if these playdates, as you call them, have to become a thing,” Seth grumbled. “I just don’t think earth is the safest place to live permanently like they all do. We’re happy here, aren’t we?”
“Extremely.” Luka ran his fingers through the hair under his palm. Seth was getting super stressed. “However, we both agreed that our little munchkins should also get used to living in the human world. We can’t keep them in a bubble here for eternity. That’s not healthy for them, especially when we don’t get any visitors.”
“You wanted the earth house; I agreed because our darlings will need to learn some control if they come into contact with others. But we don’t have to go there much. We’ll love them. It’s not like they’ll get lonely.”
To anyone else, it would sound like Seth was super grumpy, but Luka chuckled. “Babe, these little ones of ours are going to be part wolf. They will need people, at least some of the time. Now, tell me about this house Paulie recommended, or are you keen on living someplace else. What about Egypt? Or… no. I’d suggest Europe, but I don’t know any languages except English.”
“Your powers would take care of that.” Seth leaned back and winked. Luka was struck with how carefree his mate could be now he wasn’t weighed down by the past.
“So, somewhere in Egypt?”
Seth snorted. “Not while Horus is still king, and besides, modern Egypt isn’t friendly towards gay families.”
“Fair enough, Egypt is out. Tell me about this ranch in Montana Paulie is all gung-ho about. Is it suitable? We won’t be living there often as you say, so it doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. But somewhere for me to run and you to ride would be nice.”
“I can’t find anything wrong with it.” Seth’s sigh made Luka want to giggle again, but that would be mean. His mate was trying so hard. “It has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, three reception rooms, a huge kitchen, fireplaces throughout as well as underfloor heating, blah, blah. Fenced paddocks, can’t be seen from the road, plenty of woodland areas on the acreage…”
“Sounds amazing,” Luka agreed. “Peaceful, quiet, we could have horses and if the munchkins shift, no one will see.”
“You’ve never met Zeus, have you?”
“You’ve never introduced me.” Luka was sure if Seth had his way, he’d never meet anyone at all. “Didn’t you say he was mated to a tiger shifter?”
“Yes, the original Paulie. But Zeus. Ugh. I punched him once, you know. That felt good. I don’t think anyone had done that before.”
Luka chuckled. “What did he do that upset you so much?”
“It’s not so much what he does… he’s just… he’s really pig headed, thinks his shit doesn’t stink. You know, he avoided going down to earth for a gazillion years because he was terrified of meeting a shifter mate. He didn’t want to have to be faithful to just one person for the rest of his eternity.”
“That’s sad. But it sounds like he met one anyway.”
Seth turned, leaning his arms on Luka’s legs. “That was all Ra’s doing, or at least it was Ra that gave him a push. Zeus has this huge computer network, according to Ra – screens covering a whole wall and things like that. Zeus noticed Paulie on his screens about a year before they met. The kid was homeless, and in danger of being attacked when Zeus sent Wes and Cas to save him. They gave him a briefcase full of things he needed for a new life and considered his duties to his mate done.”
“That sounds positively creepy – spying on a mate but never wanting to actually meet them. And then just giving him a case, and essentially paying him off. Eww. So, what happened? How did Zeus get caught?”
“Ra brought the tiger here. He thought Paulie would appreciate a chance to shift into his animal form, and he could hardly do that living among humans. But, and this is the kicker…” He trailed off.
Luka loved it when Seth’s eyes sparkled. “What? Tell me.”
“Zeus is from the Greek pantheon – he can’t see what happens here. So, there he is checking his screens, and Paulie’s not showing up anywhere. From all accounts he threw a mega tantrum, insisting that his boffins check his system, yelling at them all, stamping around in his godly form and generally acting like an asshole. He worked it out, where Paulie had to be, so then freaking jumped to this realm, but Ra had put up a ward around the field he’d created for Paulie, and Zeus couldn’t get in.”
“Is that when you punched him?” Luka leaned forward, engrossed in the story, and his mate as he was telling it.
“Well, what did he expect?” Seth threw out his hands. “He was attacking Ra’s wards, on our realm – coming here like he was entitled and blowing his stack because he thought Ra was seducing the mate he’d been perving on for a year. I got a few good punches in before Ra let him through. He did fight back – I wasn’t being a bully.”
“Ouch.” Luka winced. “Sounds like you and Zeus have a few things in common. So did Zeus claim Paulie when he saw him?”
“No,” Seth was shaking his head and laughing. “Turns out, Paulie isn’t a regular shifter and while he didn’t realize it at the time, he had powers too. His mother was a tiger shifter, but his father is a god. Zeus zapped away off to his realm after Paulie turned into his tiger form, and the tiger followed him, actually translocated, bit him and then left and went back to earth.”
“Wow, Paulie must have such strong control. I don’t think my wolf could do walk away like that.”
“You ran away from me when we met too,” Seth reminded him. But that twinkle was still shining from his ice blue eyes.
“I had good reason, and I hadn’t bitten you yet.” Luka chuckled, smacking Seth’s shoulder. “What happened next? Did Zeus go and find him, and they all lived happily ever after?”
“Oh yes, Zeus went after him, spent the night, and then got up, pulled his pants back on and left, telling Paulie he’d call in the following night.”
“He didn’t!” Luka’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I’m not liking this Zeus at all. But you said they had a kid now.”
“Yeah, they do. But remember Wes and Cas? They heard what happened to Paulie and how Zeus left him, so when Zeus went back the next night, Paulie wasn’t there. He waited a few hours – Paulie never showed up. So, Zeus goes back to his computers and again his system couldn’t find him. It was like Paulie didn’t exist.”
“Had Ra taken him again?”
“Not that time. It was Hades, or rather Hades’ mate Ali’s idea. He was horrified with what Zeus had done, especially when it was Ali’s idea that Zeus cook Paulie dinner and woo him that first night.”
“Hades. Hades.” Luka thought back to his schooling. “That’s Zeus’s brother, right? The Lord of the Underworld.”
“Yep. But Zeus and Hades hadn’t gotten along for eons.” Seth widened his eyes and shook his head slightly. “Face it, Hades has more than enough reason to be pissed, hanging around with dead people all day. But when Hades found Ali, Poseidon, the other brother, arranged a celebration party for Hades and Ali, and yeah, Zeus didn’t even bother to show up.”
“Zeus isn’t the hero of your story at all,” Luka said.
“Told you he was an ass. Anyhow, Hades gave birth, the Fates were there, or some such thing and they told Paulie they could give him another mate, but he was pregnant, and if he chose the other mate, he’d have to lose the baby too.”
“What the hell?” Luka wrapped his arms around his belly. “The Fates were going to take his baby?”
“The baby was a part of Zeus, which meant that Zeus would always be able to find them. Paulie didn’t do it – told the Fates right to their faces that they’d decided he was to be the mate of Zeus, and so he was going to be Zeus’s mate.”
“But he was still in the Underworld.”
“Yep, he was. But see in the meantime Zeus was throwing the tantrum of the ages. He’s storming into pantheons across every realm, determined someone had taken Paulie as like an act against him personally. He was threatening war, he was trying to bribe other gods – he was losing his shit big time.”
“And yet he never thought to go the Underworld.”
“Brains is not Zeus’s strong suit.” Seth chuckled.
“But in the meantime, Paulie is in the underworld, pregnant and alone and being a shifter, he’d be missing Zeus like crazy.” Luka couldn’t bear the thought. If someone took him away from Seth now…
“I’m not quite sure of the details for this next bit, but Paulie decided he needed to have a talk to Zeus – at least make provisions for the baby. He made the mistake of telling Ali and Ali, being a bit over the top, decided Zeus needed to be taught a lesson, so rather than just send him an email or call him, Ali had Zeus summoned.”
“Summoned?” Luka frowned. “Gods can’t be summoned. That’s demons.”
“There is a spell, and apparently there is only one person in the entire world who can use the spell. Thor, he’s sort of like my Norse counterpart, although his storms are nowhere near as good as mine, and hell, I bet he can’t even ride a horse, but anyway Thor’s mate…”
“Hold on. Hold on. You mean there’s actually a Thor, you know with long blond hair and a hammer just like in the movies?”
“They made a movie about him? Ugh, commercial rubbish.” Seth did not look impressed, and Luka hid a giggle behind a cough. “Anyhow, Thor does have some sense because his mate, Orin, is a cat shifter, one of Bastet’s, and Orin has a spell that can summon any god he calls.”
“Wow. Okay, so Zeus was summoned – I bet he was pissed off about that.”
“He was a wreck, damn near crying, pulling his hair, telling everyone who’d listen he’d made a mistake and he just wanted Paulie back. Paulie was there, of course, and then he was crying and yeah, it all got very emotional, and Zeus has barely let Paulie out of his sight since.”
“That is so romantic.” Luka sighed as he laid back. “I’m glad they got their happy ever after. So, now Zeus has redeemed himself…”
“How did he do that? He’s still an ass.”
“He can’t be.” Shaking his head, Luka had to smile. Seth was as stubborn as ever. “He’s got a shifter as a mate, and a new baby now, just like we will have soon. It’s not going to hurt to have them as neighbors, will it? Paulie sounds like a great guy to get to know.”
“Yeah, well, I suppose we can buy the ranch. It’s not like the Paulie app will show me anything else.” Seth huffed and pulled out his phone. “Knowing Zeus, he probably told Paulie not to show me anything else. We’ll probably get the keys and find out there’re giant rats in the basement and snakes in the attic.”
“Didn’t you want us to go and see it first?” Luka glanced down at his belly. Maybe if I wear a super large t-shirt or a bulky jacket?
The side of Seth’s lip went up and he tapped on the Paulie app. “Paulie. We’ve decided to buy the ranch you recommended. How do we…?”
“Lord Zeus has people who will take care of the transaction. With Consort Luka’s current condition, it would not be wise for him to be on the human plane right now.” Paulie’s voice seemed firmer than usual. “The keys will be delivered to your realm two weeks from Friday.”
Even Seth seemed shocked by that. “I don’t want giant rats in the basement, Paulie.”
“Lord Ra has already instructed us on the house transaction and wants you to know the property has been thoroughly vetted.”
For a moment, Luka thought Seth was going to argue, with an app, which he’d seen Seth do before. But given Seth’s hatred of going to earth any time, he must’ve eventually realized he was being granted a huge favor. “Please pass my regards to Ra, thank you, Paulie.”
“Your thanks are not needed but they are appreciated. All hail the magnificent Lord Zeus and his wonderful Consort, Paulie.” The app went dark.
“Magnificent Lord Zeus, my ass,” Seth muttered as he put his phone back in his pocket.
“Is that it?” Luka couldn’t believe it. “Did Ra just buy us a house?”
“Yep. So, when you feel up to it, you can decide what to do with your place. We can zap the furniture over one night, just in case anyone’s watching through your windows or something.”
“We never did find out if those biker friends of yours were still looking for us. There might not be much of my house and things left.”
“They weren’t my friends.” Seth did that thing where he looked out across the sands and forest that extended beyond their yard, and then scratched the back of his neck. Luka had learned over their weeks together, that meant Seth didn’t want to have that conversation, whatever it was. “And yeah, they won’t be looking for us anymore.”
“You didn’t go back and beat them up one night when I was asleep, did you?”
“No.” Seth huffed. “The Fates don’t like that sort of thing – interfering with mortals. I’ve got you now, so I care about what they think.”
“Aww.” Luka patted his chest where his heart lay. “That is so sweet, but babe, what did happen to them then? You took a lot of money from them, and they struck me as the type to hold a grudge.”
“Zeus doesn’t like it when mortals look for gods for nefarious reasons. The risk of us being exposed through using our powers is too great. I’m not sure exactly what he did, but it involved crashing that bike I stole down a deep ravine where no one could check for bodies, and a story put out in police files that you and I were on that bike at the time it went into the ravine.”
“So, they think we’re dead?” Luka wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Dying and then turning up somewhere else with a new ID showing them to be their own sons at times or being someone completely different, had been employed by shifters for centuries, to hide their slow aging.
Seth shrugged. “It’s not like we have a reason to go to Great Falls anyway. We can deal with your house remotely – was it rented, or had you bought it?”
“I bought it. I was planning on staying a while and there’re too many credit checks and things like that done when you rent somewhere.” Luka sighed. “Maybe the efficient Paulie app can arrange for it to be sold, seeing as I won’t be earth side for a while.”
Maybe Seth picked up on his mood because he leaned over the chaise lounge, pecking Luka’s lips. “It wasn’t a bad plan, what Zeus’s minions did.”
“No, I know.” Luka made sure his smile was genuine. “I’m just feeling like a bit of a blimp, and I’ve still got a ways to go. Or maybe not. A natural wolf’s only pregnant sixty-three days. I’m not sure how much that will change with your genetics thrown into the mix as well, but I’m guessing I’m going to be getting bigger a lot quicker from now on.”
“Sixty-three days?” Seth jumped up. “Fuck. We’ve known about this how long?” He counted on his fingers and then gave up and pulled out his phone. “There’s still so much to do. Paulie,” he yelled tapping his screen, “bring up the list of baby requirements with pictures. We need more stuff.” He disappeared into the house.
“We’ve got about three to four weeks,” Luka said quietly as he clicked himself up a glass of iced tea and settled back in his seat. There was one good thing to be said for Seth’s homelands – they were very peaceful.
