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“I think you should go public,” Lord Hades said. It was just after dinner. Giorgio had felt it would be rude to refuse the invitation after Consort Ali was so excited about seeing his first phoenix. Enda had shifted back to his human form, and his only focus was food. No one had ever told him how draining a shift and flying for the first time could be. But at Lord Hades’ words, that lovely dinner provided was threatening to make a reappearance.

“We can’t tell people we’re paranormal, sir.” Enda felt his cheeks heat up just speaking directly with the god. He wasn’t sure it was ever something he’d get used to. “If we keep the paranormal aspect quiet, then how do we explain why I didn’t die and how Giorgio escaped the explosion that has him listed as ‘presumed dead’?”

Enda hated that part of their situation, although at least it had stopped people from looking for either one of them so far. Now Lord Hades wanted them to go public?

“You’re new to our little family,” Consort Ali said, reaching over the table and patting his hand. “Gods have networks and processes all over the place to ensure that our paranormal friends can live without having their secret exposed and yet still stay safe.”

“My adorable mate is right,” Lord Hades said with a smile. “In this case, I think a strategic use of Zeus’s network could be useful in bringing Enda’s father out of hiding.”

“I was going to try tracking him down,” Giorgio said. “If I called in a couple of my packmates, and we actively went looking for him…”

I didn’t know you were going to do that.

“Why bother when you can make him come to you? That helps you control the situation.” Lord Hades leaned his elbows on the table. “Your issue isn’t only with Enda’s father. Someone in your agency was working with that man, and while I am in two minds about if they wanted you dead specifically, whoever it was didn’t care that people you worked with were going to end up dead because of what was left for them to find.”

“If you think about it,” Consort Ali said brightly, “Enda’s father, whoever he is, was quite clever in doing that. Not that I condone what he did at all. But a secretive agency was never going to publish reasons why an explosion in a remote farm in England took place. They’ll blame gas lines or even World War II debris if anyone asks. Because of the agency involvement, no one will ever investigate or likely even know so many people’s remains were at that warehouse.”

“When you factor in that it was likely none or very few of the victims were British, it could take decades to work out via DNA who any of the victims were,” Giorgio said, his expression grim. “It would be so easy to miss one or even a dozen of them in the mess left by such a large explosion.”

Excuse me? Can we have a bit of compassion here? I was there! Enda understood, to a point. The men were trying to ensure Enda would be safe going forward. But no matter how he looked at it, he didn’t see how going public, presumably about him and Giorgio being alive, was the best way of solving the problem.

“I’m sorry if this is distressing to hear, Enda,” Lord Hades said, as if he was reading Enda’s mind. “It did cross my mind that I should talk to Giorgio about this privately. But you are an adult, and this involves your safety as well as my hound’s. It is your right to hear any discussions that concern you.”

Which means I can’t get angry about the way things are phrased. Enda nodded respectfully and managed to say, “Thank you.”

“The way I see it,” Lord Hades continued, “is that if news articles start to appear showing photos of the pair of you, with some sensationalized headline...”

“Oh, oh.” Consort Ali waved his hand at his mate. “I’ve got one. I’ve got it. You could say something like ‘Love among the ashes. How an explosion brought us together.’ No. No. ‘How a massive explosion brought us together.’ That would work.”

“I am presumed dead,” Giorgio said slowly. “How am I going to explain that not only am I still alive, but that I didn’t contact the agency immediately telling them I was safe?”

“You don’t have to explain anything,” Lord Hades started to say, but Consort Ali interrupted him.

“That will be the heart-wrenching hook of the article. About how Enda was obviously unsafe. Some nefarious person had tried to kill him for no reason at all. And our gallant agency operative knew he had to go into hiding to keep his new partner safe, and of course, all details have to be kept confidential because of Enda’s safety. I can see it now.”

Ali had his hands clasped over his heart. “Our rugged and definitely handsome hero, sitting with a protective arm around his mate, but he’d be called a partner, or better yet fiancé. Enda looking at him adoringly and shyly quoted as saying something like ‘I didn’t expect to find love at the scariest point of my life.’ The tabloids would eat something like that up.”

“My mate is a true romantic, but yes, something like that. Obviously, the photos will be cropped so no identifying information about where you are is evident. There’s no point in making things easy for our criminal element,” Lord Hades said. “But the positive thing about using the Zeus network will be that if anyone tries to trace the investigative reporter or where you are, then we will be able to track anyone showing an overabundance of interest in where you two are.”

Enda wasn’t so sure, but then he didn’t know anything about Zeus or his network. Giorgio didn’t look too sure either, though. “I’m concerned about my agency, sir. Failing to disclose vital information to them, including Enda’s whereabouts, could land me in a hidden jail somewhere with no trial or chance to get out. Technically, they are my employer.”

“That would just lead to more articles.” Consort Ali seemed positively animated. “The conspiracy theorists will love it. Shadow agency seeks to pressure gallant agent – someone who had laid his life on the line for his country – to disclose the whereabouts of his new love. Secret government agency shows no compassion for agent in his bid to save the love of his life. The headlines write themselves, and all the while, pictures of you and Enda will be plastered from one side of the globe to the other.”

“I always thought you told us to lay low, sir,” Giorgio said. “This sounds like the opposite. There’s also the worry of where we’d live while all this is happening. I’m not sure my London house will be secure enough.”

“Sometimes, hiding can be a huge part of the problem,” Lord Hades said softly. “You have another house in Tuscany, so, you could go there. I would also suggest you contact one or two of your unmated packmates – perhaps Lamont and Damon, as I don’t think they have too many commitments right now – and ask them to join you for more security. That way, if you are seen out and about, and you will have to be for this to work, it will just look like you’ve employed bodyguards. Another logical decision anyone would make if they were in the position your article story is going to suggest.”

“What do you think, Enda?” Giorgio was watching him closely.

A big part of Enda wanted to tell them all to go fuck the nearest tree, then find somewhere to run and hide and just never show his face in public again.

But then he remembered his phoenix – proud, strong, and finally free.

He thought about how Giorgio and his precious magical beast just wanted him to be safe.

He thought of the things he dreamed of in the bath and how none of that was possible while his father was still after him.

“I think,” he said slowly, running his fingers through his hair, “that if we’re talking about photos, then someone with magical powers should give me bright blue tips in my hair. What do you think? I haven’t had any highlights for years, but if my face is going to be plastered all over publications around the world, then I’m determined to look good in the pictures.”

From Consort Ali’s excited squeal and smiles from Giorgio and Lord Hades, clearly, he’d said the right thing.