Page 27

“Babe. I’m worried about you. Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”

Enda did his best to keep his frustration buried deep inside. His mate did not deserve being snapped at, especially after the extremely long day they had had.

First, Enda had to get over the shock of what had been written in his grandmother’s notebook. Hugging Giorgio helped ground him and soothe his fears. But instead of being taken to a place where they could spend some time in private and he could share his fears for what his grandmother might have done, Giorgio led him to the table where the men had been going through the other papers in his grandmother’s tin.

“We have to talk to you about a few things we’ve found,” Giorgio had said gravely.

Enda sat stunned as he learned that he was the sole owner of all the companies responsible for all of the shit that he had been through since he was eighteen. Not only that, but almost all of those companies had been established in his name soon after his birth.

Enda was understandably annoyed. “Sell them,” he had said firmly. “Sell it all. You have the godly network that you all believe in. I’m sure that one of the gods has access to legal powers, lawyers, company accountants or whatever else is needed in selling a business. I want every single company in my name sold off immediately.”

Lamont, Damon, and Giorgio clearly hadn’t expected his reaction, but Enda was adamant. Even Giorgio, who should have been on his side, tried to talk him out of it.

“We have no way of knowing what might turn up in company audits,” he said gently as if Enda was a child. “I’m worried that some of the things done by your father, through these companies, could result in criminal charges that you’d legally be responsible for. You need to take some time to think about this a bit more.”

“Is this about the money?” Enda demanded. “Lamont said some of these companies are worth huge amounts of money. Do you think I should be keeping that for myself?”

“No, but…”

“There is no but about this. I’ll get a job if you don’t want to be looking after me financially anymore. I’m damn good at serving drinks.” Enda felt mean as soon as he’d said that, but his mind was made up. “Your godly network friends can make up audit files or anything else. I don’t care. I want absolutely every single company on the market within twenty-four hours.

“Close all the doors and lock them. Freeze the company accounts – all of them. If there are employees, I want them paid out of that money – six months’ severance pay – but that’s it. Close them down and sell what’s left. If there are any proceeds, money from the sales or the company accounts or whatever, I want that all transferred into an account your godly network friends can set up for me. Set up a charitable trust. That is the money I will use to pay restitution to any victim or victim’s family – anyone who has suffered at the hands of my father.”

Enda only had to look around the table to see his mate and friends thought it was a bad idea, but he had never been so determined about anything in his life before. His father had been pulling the strings in his life since he was born for no known reason. If Enda wanted a future – and he did – then it needed to stop.

“I will not be held responsible for my father’s actions, and if there is one thing that is guaranteed to bring my father out of the woodwork, it is closing down all of his financial accounts. I want it done. I want it done now.”

In Enda’s head, it was simple. He didn’t want any of the companies, but if they were his, then he had the right to sell them. Unfortunately, the process was a lot more involved than that. The companies were all under different jurisdictions in different countries, and there were various employment and business policies that needed adhering to.

“You told me your Lord Zeus was the Father of All. You can’t tell me now that his godly network has geographic limits.”

Two hours into operation sell-off, Coda called Lamont’s phone, worried because news articles had already picked up rumors about what Enda was doing. Financial news outlets this time. That’s when Enda learned that despite all the companies being privately owned by him, selling off such large companies was sending ripples of concern through publicly owned companies, which impacted four different stock markets.

Enda didn’t see how that could be his problem. “If that’s happening, at least my father won’t be able to ignore it, like it seemed he did with the social media experiment,” he told Coda firmly.

“You have numerous requests for comment,” Coda said quickly. “What are we meant to tell them?”

“You have all my photographs that were used for social media. Make something up. Put something out saying that I have recently turned twenty-five and have just learned that I am the heir to my father’s fortune. But in light of what I’ve been through and the trauma I suffered at the hands of others, with my life still under threat, I am setting up a new charitable foundation that is aimed at assisting victims of abuse, international terrorism, whatever you want, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to see a cent of it, and I want to make sure the victims are being helped. A whole heap of people’s bodies were discarded in a warehouse, and that was all through my father. I want their families helped – I don’t care who they were or why that happened. You are the guys with all the knowledge, systems, and everything else. It’s up to you to make sure it all happens. Please, and thank you.”

That was that. Enda listened to Giorgio and his packmates talking about dates, company details, and things like that, but all Enda could do as the morning morphed into a long afternoon, and then an equally depressing dinner, was think that his father had set him and his name up since birth.

He could do whatever he wanted because if anyone tracked anything, I was going to be blamed. No wonder he wanted me dead. I would be blamed, I’m dead. He gets away, facing no consequences whatsoever, and comes up with another plan to ruin more lives.

Enda didn’t get angry very often. Going through life the way he had, there was really no point. In most cases he was powerless. He didn’t have a voice. He didn’t have any support. But now he did, and he was going to use it, dammit.

So, when Enda had finally got to where he could have some privacy with his mate in their bedroom, he didn’t need Giorgio treating him like a piece of spun glass, always wondering if he was one wrong word away from collapsing into a heap on the floor.

“What I’d really like,” Enda said, deliberately unbuttoning his shirt, “is for you to use that beautiful mouth of yours for something else apart from talking. I don’t want to talk about anything right now. All we’ve done is talk all freaking day. You know damn well my father is going to come for me when we do this. And that’s what I want to happen. That is what is meant to happen.”

Sliding his shirt off his shoulders, Enda dropped it on the floor. “I want a future with you. I don’t know what my grandmother did exactly...”

He trailed off. “We don’t need to worry about that now. All I want to focus on right now is you, me, and the fact the door has a lock and that’s a big bed. Nothing else. I want you to remind me that there is more to life than being scared of my father, than being victimized, than being anything else you and your friends or Coda might think is wrong with me. I want to know that I am cherished, that I am cared for, and more important than anything else, I want to know that you want me. Is that too much to ask?”

/~/~/~/~/

You’re so damn brave and I have never been so proud of you. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, little bird.” Giorgio couldn’t help the growl. He reached for his mate, touching his shoulder just enough to translocate them both on the bed, fully naked. “I’ve spent all day wanting you naked and in my arms.” He ran his nose up the side of Enda’s neck, inhaling Enda’s unique scent.

“Your feisty nature calls to me,” he murmured, taking a quick nibble of Enda’s ear. “The way you took Coda to task this afternoon had me wanting to drag you under the table and suck your dick. Hmm, that’s a thought…” He flattened his tongue against Enda’s neck and then licked a deliberate path down his mate’s neck, chest – stopping for a nipple nibble – and down the side of Enda’s belly, making his mate twitch and moan.

You stimulate my senses just by walking into a room, he sent through their bond as he bent his head over Enda’s erect cock. A simple slurp, and it was Giorgio who moaned. Enda’s taste was as unique as his scent – all tinged with a hint of fire. Giorgio bobbed his head up and down, using his fingers to gently massage Enda’s balls.

Enda was already on board, gripping the blanket, the muscles of his legs flinching with the need to thrust that he was clearly trying to control. Grinning around his mouthful, Giorgio pushed his fingers lower, reaching under Enda’s butt, searching for his tight hole. A simple thought, a hint of magic, and his lubed finger was rubbing around the tight muscles, encouraging them to loosen and let him in.

Giorgio focused on the moment – all his thoughts revolved around bringing Enda pleasure. Lamont and Damon had been right. Enda had come to him when he needed him, and Giorgio got the impression more than once through the day that he might have missed something important. But Enda had asked for what he wanted, and Giorgio was determined to deliver.

“Giorgio… I’m going to…” Enda was gasping, his breathing harsh, and as Giorgio looked up, he noticed the flushed face and how Enda’s hair was stuck to his forehead. Sucking hard, he made sure Enda could feel his mouth over every inch of his cock before pulling off and licking the last of Enda’s precome off his lips.

“Roll over, babe.” Giorgio helped Enda roll onto his belly. Enda’s ass came up without him asking, as Enda tucked his knees underneath himself. How did I get so lucky?

Making sure Enda’s hole could take three of his fingers easily, Giorgio eased them out of his mate’s body and moved so he was kneeling behind his mate. “You honor me,” he whispered quietly, running his hands down the length of Enda’s back. “Never doubt how much I want you.”

“Get in me.”

Resting the head of his erect cock against Enda’s hole, Giorgio’s whole body tingled at the lewd picture. His cockhead was angry red against Enda’s pale gold skin. As he pressed the head against the loosened hole, there was that moment of resistance before those muscles relaxed.

Toes curling, butt clenching, Giorgio held Enda’s hips steady as his cock slowly sunk into Enda’s heat. Enda was moaning, leaning on his elbows, moving back and forth, and Giorgio let him set the pace. His climax was already sending signals to his heavy balls, and Giorgio did his best to control his breathing as his cock slowly disappeared.

Once his cock was fully enclosed in Enda’s body, Giorgio held still, sending all the warmth and love he had for his mate through their bond. Enda’s body was tense – he still wasn’t used to taking Giorgio’s length. But Giorgio sensed the moment Enda relaxed, and leaned into the sensations.

Move, mate. Let me feel you.

Giorgio moved. He took things slowly at first. He wanted their joining to last. Too much of their mating so far had been dealing with things all outside of their control. While Giorgio knew how important their quest was, being with Enda in such an intimate way reminded him they were both immortal – their love would endure, and their bond was the one treasure he could rely on.

Yes. Yes. Enda’s mouth was half open, but the words came through their bond, pushing Giorgio to thrust a little harder.

Right there. Right there. Enda was resting his forehead on the mattress, and Giorgio noticed his fists were clenched. He kept hitting that spot, feeling the sensations through their bond. It was like an endless loop – Giorgio felt the sensations coming from Enda, and he could feel those same feelings through his own body.

Slowing down or taking his time just wasn’t possible. Giorgio was chasing his orgasm even as he could feel through their bond Enda doing the same thing. Their skin slapped together and Giorgio’s grip on Enda’s hips tightened.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes! Giorgio’s hips moved to Enda’s chant in his head, and as the last yes resounded through his brain, Enda froze, and Giorgio slammed home one last time as his orgasm swamped his body.

Going with his instincts, Giorgio let go of Enda’s hips and leaned over his mate’s back. I love you so much, he sent through their bond, gently dropping kisses on Enda’s hair.

He didn’t expect a response. It would take time for Enda to trust him fully. But about ten seconds later, Enda moaned softly. I love you, too, my mate.