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Two days later, it was late afternoon when Enda finally had a chance to wander through the immaculate gardens in Giorgio’s estate in Tuscany. Any damage that might have been caused by the fighting had been removed, and everywhere Enda looked all he could see was the peaceful beauty of nature.

It had been a weird few days. The scene at Lord Hades’ court was something that Enda preferred not to dwell on too much. Needless to say, a person’s screams could be heard for a long time once they were tossed into the pit. But that was all right, because Consort Ali brought marshmallows and taught Enda how to toast them over the flames on very long sticks.

Both Lord Hades and Giorgio seemed a little uneasy about Consort Ali’s suggestion, keeping hold of both of the smaller men as Ali encouraged Enda to enjoy the gooey treat. Enda had been privately glad the consort had worked to make sure Enda could ignore the curses his father yelled in his direction as he was dragged to the pit by two huge demons.

Apparently, there was a lot that Enda’s father had been up to – much, much more than just what Enda and the other poor souls in the warehouse had endured. Normally, Lord Hades wouldn’t be allowed to deal with anyone living, but because of Enda’s father’s demon blood, Lord Hades did have jurisdiction over any punishments required. He’d been very firm and final about Enda’s father’s sentence.

I never did find out what his name was , Enda thought as he wandered along, stopping every now and again to sniff at a bloom, just enjoying being outside in the warm afternoon sun. There were no people ordering him around, no cameras in his face, no fear of worrying about what his father might do next.

I’m at peace, Enda realized. I’ve finally come into who I am, flames and all, and I have a wonderful mate… Enda sighed happily. He had a lot to be thankful for, and he was.

There had been other issues that gods had apparently been working on behind the scenes. Selling off the companies had apparently caused more of a stir than Lord Zeus was comfortable with, and Lord Hades told Enda that Zeus had set up a company and bought them all. The way Lord Hades explained it, it would give people like Coda and Zeus’s other staff more of a chance to go through all of the records for each company, alerting authorities where necessary if there was wrongdoing done, and completing proper audits so the companies could be sold in a slower and more measured approach.

Enda still had refused to take any of the money, but Lord Hades explained that Zeus had bought them on the understanding that the cash price he paid for the companies, which was at a market valuation, would be put into the account that had been set up as a victim fund. There was a team - not connected to Giorgio’s old employers who was being investigated, too - working on finding the families of those victims left in the warehouse.

In the meantime, Lord Zeus had apparently determined that any money that was made from the companies legitimately would go into a separate account for Enda himself. The ancient god had told Lord Hades that “the boy was just as much of a victim as anyone left in that warehouse. He’s entitled to his share.”

Enda didn’t argue, there wasn’t any point. Gods would do their own thing. His grandmother had told him that since he was little, and Enda was beyond wanting to deal with any of it. Giorgio didn’t seem surprised, so that was that. Enda was just glad to put the whole business behind him. It’s not like he’d studied finance or how to run a business in any of his limited schooling.

Back in Tuscany, he and Giorgio slept the entire day, waking up just long enough for a meal, before going back to sleep again. Enda was still tired. It was as if now the weight had been taken from his shoulders, his body realized he could relax.

I guess I just have a lot more to process , he thought. Enda wandered into a squared-off courtyard that was flanked by hedges. There was a stone seat, a small water fountain, and a raised garden bed on each side of the stone seat filled with flowers that gave off a light fragrance – one that seemed to lift Enda’s mood.

Sitting down, Enda tilted his face up to the sun. He couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t carrying fear or responsibilities. All I have to do now, he thought, is make sure I’m a decent mate. Which meant saying goodbye to the past and embracing the future.

Pulling out the book that belonged to his grandmother, Enda didn’t open it, not this time. He could feel the essence of his grandmother still, could pick up the faint traces of her scent, but his grandmother, like his mother, was long deceased.

Lord Hades confirmed that the God of Death himself, Thanatos, had collected her soul and taken her to where she could rest. Knowing that for certain, gave Enda another closure he didn’t realize he’d needed. As much as he’d guessed his grandmother had been dead for some time, having it confirmed and knowing her soul were safe was important to him.

Enda remembered some of the fun times he had when it was just him and her. Life wasn’t easy. There were many times his grandmother went out and came home with barely any food, but she had a very determined way that Enda was proud of and liked to think that he was a bit like her in a way.

Unfortunately, the book wasn’t full of comfort from a lady long past. The curse was still there, as well as something else that Lord Hades said he didn’t need to have translated. Pressing the book to his nose, Enda took in the scent of his grandmother one last time. I will always miss you.

Then he held it out with one hand, and thought about his phoenix, tapping into the flames as he gently blew on the old notebook. It turned to ash almost in a flash. Carrying the remains of the book in his hand, Enda went over to the nearest garden and gently smeared the ashes on the soil. His grandmother would have liked that, he was sure of it, and it was time to let that part of his life go.

“Did you fancy some tea?” Enda turned and smiled as he saw Giorgio coming toward him, carrying a large tray filled with a teapot and a cake tier stand like the one they’d shared on the bed. “It’s such a pleasant afternoon, I thought we could take our tea outside.”

“Why are you putting on that funny accent?” Enda chuckled as he went over, wrapping his arm around Giorgio’s waist, taking care not to dislodge the tray.

“I just thought you could imagine I was your snooty British butler or something like that.” Giorgio chuckled.

He looked a lot happier now, too. Lord Hades had explained that the business with Giorgio’s job had been taken care of and now there weren’t new sightings of Enda or Giorgio on social media, things very quickly died down as influencers and other people who followed the social media platforms so avidly quickly moved on to the next scandal and the next big thing.

Lord Hades had suggested that they keep their head low for a week or two until everything had died down completely. As the ancient god pointed out, fame was very fleeting in the modern world, and after five minutes people usually just moved on.

Giorgio had already suggested taking Enda to Australia to stay with Faron and Patrick for a while. Enda had never been to Australia, and as soon as Giorgio mentioned they occasionally had kangaroos in their backyard, he was very keen to visit. He’d never seen a kangaroo before, either.

“I have made sure that the shortbread is extra firm,” Giorgio said, clicking up a table and resting the tray on it. “Let me pour you a cup, and we’ll have some fun dunking biscuits, shall we?”

“I don’t know why you ask me to do that,” Enda said with a laugh. “Mine always seem to break and end up in my tea. Yours don’t.”

“You’ve got to pick the right biscuit,” Giorgio explained. “You want one that’s firmer than the others, and if you turn it over, make sure it doesn’t have a crack in it.”

“Is that what you were doing last time?” Enda mock growled. “Were you cheating in the tea dunking contest?”

Giorgio laughed. “It’s not a contest, it’s just a cup of tea and some biscuits.”

“Hmm, we’ll see,” Enda said. “I’ll just enjoy the sun and the wonderful company.”

Giorgio nodded, and Enda could tell he was pleased. Giorgio poured them both a cup of tea, and for a while, it was nice for the two of them just to sit there, quietly dunking biscuits. Enda found that the Gingernuts were a lot less likely to break into his cup. Once the tea and biscuits were done, Giorgio clicked away the tray and sat with his arm around Enda’s waist.

“We’ve got a whole future ahead of us,” Giorgio said, breaking the comfortable silence. “What do you think you’d like to do?”

Enda thought for a moment, so many different ideas flitting through his mind. But he knew that no matter what he thought, two main concepts rang true. “All I’ve ever wanted was the chance to have a home base and then the chance to actually go and walk in the cities and countries I’ve only seen from afar. I want to be able to visit places like when you took me to that museum in Rome, but without all the cameras in my face. I want to experience history, maybe see it through your eyes.”

“Are you suggesting I’m old?” Giorgio nuzzled Enda’s hair.

“Just saying it how I see it. I want to see what this world has got to offer, and then I want to know when I’ve had enough of all the things, I’m able to go home.”

“I like that idea,” Giorgio said. “We can start with Australia, but there is a whole world out there we can explore, and we can do that for as long as you feel like.” He seemed to pause for a moment, and then he said, “Did you think you wanted to go to Japan any time soon? I know that was your childhood home.”

Enda quickly shook his head. “Not yet, not now. There will come a time when I’ll want to go. That place is in my blood, but for the moment, my memories connected to it...they’re too raw. It’s not something I’m ready for just yet.”

“Well, the good thing about Japan is it will always be there in another year, ten years, a hundred years, or whenever else you wanted to go,” Giorgio said gently.

“Is it selfish of me to not go?” Enda asked. “Both my mother and grandmother never thought of ever going anywhere else.”

But Giorgio was shaking his head. “No, babe, I think that when you’re ready, you will visit. But when we do, well, we can go as tourists, but we don’t have to do that any time soon. The big thing that I want you to remember is that you get to decide where you want to go and what you want to do now.

“I know it’s a bit of a novel thing for you,” Giorgio chuckled to show he was teasing, and Enda felt the warmth of his mate’s affection through their bond. “Honestly, I’ll support you in whatever it is you want to do, take you wherever it is you want to go.”

“I’ll probably never want to get on a boat again,” Enda admitted. “Especially anything described as a superyacht.”

Giorgio leaned closer and whispered in Enda’s ear, “I’ve never been on a boat before. Quite frankly, the idea terrifies me, so it’s not something that we need to do. That’s why hellhounds can translocate. We don’t have to worry about pesky things like airplanes and boats to get anywhere.”

“That makes you the perfect mate for me then,” Enda said.

“What about a home?” Giorgio asked. “Have you given any thought to where you’d like that to be?”

Looking around the private garden, Enda said, “This place is very beautiful, but I’ve got this feeling…” He struggled to put his feelings into words. “I think one day I’m going to go somewhere, and I’m going to know that’s where I want my home to be. Does that make sense?”

“Oh, my precious.” Enda found himself tucked against Giorgio’s broad chest, his mate’s heartbeat steadily thumping under his ear. “You are such a feisty, very rare and incredible bird. You should always be allowed to fly free and roost where you please. That is what I want for you, my precious. For you to fly free.”

“So long as my magical beast comes with me,” Enda said softly. “I never want to fly unless you’re running along underneath me. You’re kinda important to me. I hope you know that.”

A sudden burst of warmth flowed through their bond, and Enda realized that was the first time he’d said anything affectionate to the man who cherished his soul without hearing something equally affectionate first.

“We have so many firsts to share,” Giorgio said, probably picking up Enda’s thoughts. “It will be fun. I can promise you that.”

“Fun in the sun.” Enda sighed happily. “Just don’t ever ask me to get you a drink.”

Their shared chuckles lasted well past dinner and followed them into the bedroom that night.