Page 21

Chapter 21

Atlas/Fluffy

“H e’s WHERE?” Aiden shrieked.

I had the urge to flatten my ears against my head, but since I was in human form, that wasn’t really possible.

After lots of food, drink, and more cuddles with a bit more sleep, we had showered together and gotten dressed to head over to the house where Wilder, Jude, and Corbin were staying. Aiden had made a comment about calling Wilder, and I had told him a phone call wasn’t necessary since Wilder was at the house.

Now my mate had stopped right outside the door, staring at me and looking somewhere between panicked and pissed off.

I really didn’t want him to be either of those things.

“Uh, he’s at the house?” I questioned, because I knew he was at the house, but I didn’t know why that was a problem.

“Oh my god. He’s here ? What am I even wearing? Do we smell like sex? What the hell, Atlas?” he said, starting to pace back and forth.

I was… confused.

“You’re wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, and we showered, so we don’t smell like sex,” I answered.

He just gave me a sour look. “Does Q know?” he asked.

I held out my hand, and he stared at it a moment before he handed over his phone.

I dialed Liam, and as soon as he picked up, I said, “Aiden is upset.”

“About his grandfather?” Liam asked.

“I don’t think so,” I answered, staring at Aiden, who was muttering to himself. “I think it’s a human thing.”

“Did you ask him why he’s upset?” Liam said.

I heard Quinton mutter in the background, “I can’t with you guys. All fucking hopeless.” Then he grabbed the phone, because his voice was clear when he said, “Put Aiden on.”

I held the phone out to Aiden.

He grabbed it, saying, “Did you know Wilder was here ?”

“What?” Quinton screeched. “Here, as in here ?”

“Yes!” Aiden said, still sounding panicked. “ Apparently he’s at Jude and Corbin’s.” Aiden shot me a dirty look with the first word.

“Fuck! Liam! Why the fuck didn’t you tell me Wilder was here?” he demanded.

I could hear Liam mutter about Quinton meeting him at breakfast, but based on Quinton’s growl (it was a rather impressive growl for someone who wasn’t a hellhound), he didn’t like that answer.

“Fuck,” Quinton said into the phone. “We’ll be right there. Don’t go without us. It’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. Right?” Quinton asked, sounding sure then totally not sure.

Aiden breathed out, like Quinton’s panic was somehow calming him down. “Yes, we’ll be fine. He’ll like us.”

“He’ll like you . You’re fucking nice. I’m an asshole,” Quinton muttered.

Aiden smiled. “Get over here so we have each other for moral support,” he said, then he hung up the phone, glaring at me.

I was still confused. “Wilder won’t hurt you,” I reassured him.

Aiden rolled his eyes and scoffed at me. It seemed like Quinton’s attitude had rubbed off a bit, because he usually wasn’t quite this sassy.

I walked over and hugged him. “I’m sorry, my mate, if I somehow distressed you, or if Wilder’s presence upsets you. We can leave and not see him if that’s what’s wrong,” I assured him. I had no idea why Wilder would make him nervous, but my mate’s happiness came first.

Aiden leaned back and gazed at me, suddenly looking less angry. “You are the sweetest man I have ever met, Atlas.”

I grunted. I didn’t think many people, or hellhounds, would agree with that assessment.

“Wilder raised you. He adopted you guys. He’s really important to you. Of course I want to meet him, but it’s also really nerve-wracking to meet the parents, you know,” he said, leaning into me. “I was just really surprised. I thought we’d just talk on the phone. I didn’t know I was gonna meet your dad today.”

I liked the sound of Aiden calling Wilder my dad, even if it wasn’t biologically accurate. I also found the idea that he was nervous somewhat odd. “Wilder will love you,” I reassured him.

“How do you know?” he asked.

“Because you’re my mate, and I love you,” I answered.

It must have been the right thing to say, because Aiden was leaning up for a kiss, and I was only too happy to comply. We leisurely kissed until I heard Liam and Quinton walk up.

“Fuck, parents never like me,” Quinton mumbled, and Aiden went over and took his arm, patting it. They both started walking toward the house.

Liam and I just looked at each other. He shrugged, and then I shrugged, and then we followed our mates.

Humans were weird .

* * *

Despite Quinton’s scowl and Aiden’s obvious nervousness, Wilder greeted them like he’d known them forever, giving each one a hug that picked their feet off the ground. Jude had music playing and was cooking breakfast, and Corbin, Toby, and Dexter were already there. When they spotted Toby, they seemed more reassured, and I wondered again at this weird nervousness over meeting the parents.

What usually happened when humans met the parents of their mates? I’d have to ask Jude. Perhaps humans had some barbaric customs that needed to be performed that I was unaware of. I couldn’t figure out why else both Quinton and Aiden would be nervous.

Whatever they expected, they seemed reassured as we all sat down and ate breakfast together. There was all the general chatter that usually accompanied breakfast when everyone was present, and Wilder sat and looked happily at all of us, smiling and throwing in comments here and there. His ease seemed to put Quinton and Aiden at ease, and I felt my mate grow calmer as we finished eating.

Dexter and Corbin cleared the dishes, and Wilder slid over and looked at Aiden and Quinton.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you both. Welcome to our pack,” Wilder said, a gentle smile on his face.

“You don’t even know us,” Quinton grumbled, even as Aiden elbowed him.

Wilder just chuckled. “Of course Liam would need someone who was spunky. Someone who can drag his attention away from his computer screens. Someone who won’t let him always take all the responsibility. You’re perfect for my boy,” Wilder said.

I think Quinton actually got a little teary, and Liam picked him up and put him on his lap.

Wilder turned to Aiden then. “And you, my boy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Atlas last so long with all of us together, and I definitely haven’t seen him so at peace. You’re the reason for that.”

“He’s the reason for my peace,” Aiden responded quietly, reaching out and grabbing my hand.

Wilder smiled at us both. “Perfect for each other,” he said.

“I hate to break up the love fest, but we do have an FBI agent in the basement,” Dexter announced.

“Ohhh, do you think he could answer some questions about being a crooked FBI agent?” Toby asked, looking excited.

Dexter looked thoughtful, but Jude and Liam both answered, “No,” at the same time.

I agreed. Toby was a bloodthirsty little thing, but I didn’t think he needed to see the agent. I also didn’t think the agent would be very cooperative in having a little chat to help with Toby’s next book. Hellbound souls generally weren’t the helpful type.

“So, I had this weird dream about my therapist,” Aiden said.

All the hellhounds got quiet and stopped what they were doing, looking over at Aiden. He, Quinton, and Toby looked around.

“Oh, is this like some pack mentality thing?” Toby asked.

“It’s fucking creepy, is what it is,” Quinton replied.

Then Toby started looking around for his notebook. It broke the stillness, and Dexter helped him find a notebook and pen.

Aiden looked at me, and I explained, “Your therapist isn’t human, and I’m not sure if it was really a dream.”

“Huh. You mean the wings and badass vibe were real?” he asked.

I blinked in shock. “An angel or demon?” I asked, looking at Wilder. “She didn’t smell like either.”

“No,” Aiden answered before Wilder could. “She said something about hellhounds not being the only ones who left the underworld, or something like that. She said she was helping me heal because I had been wronged.”

Wilder hummed thoughtfully at that, then he looked at me.

“She’s pure. I sensed no rot or evil intentions on her,” I told him.

Wilder nodded, then looked back at Aiden. “What did she tell you, son?”

“She said she thought my grandfather was beyond your ability, or something like that. She didn’t think he was mortal? I think? She asked about my grandfather having a mark on his face or hands,” Aiden told him.

Wilder was very still. “Does he have a mark?”

“Yes. Like this kind of scar or something on his hand. He’s had it for as long as I’ve known him. His brother died in a fire when they were little, and he tried to save him. It’s a burn mark from that, apparently. My mom told me the story. The family really doesn’t talk about it. I didn’t even know my grandfather had a brother,” Aiden finished, shrugging.

Wilder leaned back, obviously thinking.

“Helene said he wasn’t looking for me, though. She said it was definitely my brother,” Aiden added.

“Your older brother?” Wilder asked.

“Yeah,” he responded.

Corbin’s crow cawed, ruffling its feathers, and I felt a sudden chill.

Liam was typing away on his computer, and he said, “Mark of the beast? That comes up in a search, but that’s Revelations, and I don’t know how…” Liam trailed off, then he looked at Wilder.

Wilder nodded his head, like he knew what Liam had found.

“Mark of Cain?” Liam asked. “But that’s… It can’t be.”

“It makes the most sense, and it explains why his older brother is looking for him,” Wilder answered.

“I wasn’t big on church, so can someone please fill me in here,” Quinton snapped.

“Cain killed his younger brother, right? Out of jealousy or something?” Aiden said. “But my brother isn’t jealous of me. He has everything, and he doesn’t even know where I am.”

“There’s a bit more to it than that,” Wilder explained. “Cain killed his younger brother out of jealousy, and god cursed him for it, telling him the ground would no longer yield crops for him and he would be removed from god’s sight. But it doesn’t end there. God, being god, was forgiving, and when Cain worried over being killed for his actions, god gave him a mark. This mark protected him from being killed.”

“Well why the hell would god do that? Cain was an asshole who killed his brother,” Quinton grumbled.

Wilder smiled at him. “I can’t pretend to know what upper management is thinking, but most afterlifers think it was so that Cain could eventually be redeemed if he so chose. It was a free will thing—giving him a chance to be sorry for his sins and not end up in hell. There’s always been speculation that after a few decades Cain did end up remorseful and found his way to purgatory. Others think he wanders Earth still, unrepentant and cursed.”

“You don’t think my grandfather is Cain?” Aiden asked.

“No, not Cain. But a descendant of Cain is likely. The curse would run in the bloodline, and if an older brother killed a younger brother, with a bit of ritual, probably, then they would receive the mark of Cain. It sounds as if your grandfather has that mark,” Wilder answered.

“Why the fuck would he want that?” Quinton asked.

“Eternal life,” Toby answered, distractedly writing in his journal. “Oh, that’s such a good villain idea. I love it. And obviously your brother is looking for you to kill you so he can get eternal life, too, since he must have figured out that your grandfather has eternal life from killing his younger brother. Because I bet it wasn’t an accidental fire. I bet he murdered his brother and used the fire to cover it up.”

We all stared at Toby. He must have noticed, because he looked up, then he blushed.

“Ah, yeah, I mean, sorry that your brother is trying to kill you,” he said. “Do you want, like, some juice or something? Or a drink? It’s early—maybe a mimosa? Family sucks sometimes. Sorry.”

Aiden gave a slightly hysterical giggle at that, and Quinton stared at Toby.

“Only you would offer someone a mimosa when they find out their brother is trying to kill them,” he said, rolling his eyes. He looked back at Wilder, asking, “But why would he want eternal life at the cost of his soul or whatever?”

“Are you saying I’m descended from Cain?” Aiden asked, interrupting Quinton’s question. I could tell my mate was a little disturbed by the idea, and I pulled him into my lap to give him some cuddles.

Wilder waved his hand dismissively. “A huge chunk of the world’s population is descended from Cain. Most people say the flood killed them off, but Cain was still around and still fornicating after that. I don’t know exactly how the curse gets passed on, though. Perhaps only firstborn sons inherit that bloodline—that would limit it to a much smaller number.

“As for why, eternal life is a great motivator, but there’s also the wealth and power on Earth. The ground would no longer yield to Cain, but he did go on to build a city. Obviously his ability to amass and accumulate wealth wasn’t inhibited.”

“Shit,” Aiden said. “Wealth and power definitely sums up my family. And my grandfather used to brag that he was from a long line of firstborn sons. It’s why I always felt like he favored my brother, not that he was ever mean to me or anything. I just wasn’t his favorite.”

“So we kill them,” Dexter said matter-of-factly.

“I don’t think we can,” I growled. Helene had told Aiden that he was beyond us. I hugged Aiden tightly in my lap. I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

Wilder nodded. “Aiden’s therapist is right—someone who bears the mark of Cain is beyond our ability. They are no longer mortal, and we only send hellbound mortal souls on. Aiden’s grandfather is beyond our reach, but he would also have no reason to hurt you.”

“But my brother doesn’t have the mark. Not unless he kills me,” Aiden said.

“That’s right,” Wilder answered, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. “And we can’t let him do that.”

Aiden leaned into me, breathing a sigh out.

“So either he kills me, or we kill him,” he said.

I hugged my mate tightly. I could tell how distressed he was, but there was no way I was letting anything happen to him.

I would protect my mate no matter what.