Page 9
“You really didn’t have to do all this,” Enda said, looking around at the wonderful view from the private room in the restaurant Giorgio had taken him to. Far off in the distance, he could see the Eiffel Tower, and down below, the sound of people going about their evening was emphasized by the fact that Enda didn’t understand the language. It was beautiful, unexpected, and a tiny bit overwhelming, especially as Enda still had Consort Ali’s well-meaning advice ringing in his ears.
Get that collar on that hound’s neck as quickly as you can, and don’t forget to use a shit ton of lube. Those guys are built, so I’ve been told.
Giorgio reached over, taking his hand, which Enda thought was a comforting gesture. “You’ve probably had the roughest twenty-four hours known to any man. Lord Hades said, and I agree, that if anyone deserves a bit of pampering, it’s you. Now that the business with Mitchell and Sarah has been dealt with, we can finally focus on our mating.”
Enda glanced around, but their waiter had already left with their order, and they were alone. “I do find it mind-boggling that Lord Hades has that sort of power. You’re telling me he gave Mitchell and Sarah totally new lives, and they won’t remember anything about anything at all, and nor will anyone else who might have known them?”
Giorgio nodded. “If you think about it, it was the only fair thing to do. Sarah’s fears, while understandable, caused her to be a risk to paranormals anywhere – particularly you and me. Mitchell will be better off not remembering any of this. I have to believe that. I feel so bad for them both. They had been my friends a long time and if it hadn’t been for last night, they still would be.”
Enda swallowed hard, looking at where their hands were joined. “Is this my fault?”
“None of this is your fault, little bird. Don’t ever think that,” Giorgio said softly. “I am only thankful that we met when you needed me most. It will take a long time for me to forget the other poor souls, all killed for reasons unknown, but that is a mystery for another day. For now, my only question is, have you ever been to France before? Is there anything specific you’d like to see while we’re here? Speak freely, little bird. The world is ours to explore. You can pick any part of it and enjoy it however you wish.”
Looking up, Enda could see the depth of sincerity in Giorgio’s eyes. He thought about the rollercoaster of emotions that he’d been on, not just in the last twenty-four hours but in the past week.
He remembered the weight of those bodies pressing him against wires that were meant to kill him.
He would never forget the despair he felt at seeing everybody around him die and believing that he would suffer the same fate.
Men and women who were no relation to him, and whom he hadn’t seen or heard about before, were all brought together for the same reason – they had to die. Enda had no idea why, only that he was one of many.
It was thanks to the Fates that Enda was the one who was saved. He needed to celebrate that before all else. Tapping into the strength of his bird, praying for the courage to make himself understood, Enda said shakily, “I don’t expect you to understand what the last five years or more of my life have been like, let alone the last twenty-four hours. I’m not sure I can process it myself. The only certainty I’ve been holding onto is that my bird knows you’re our mate, that you are ours, I am yours, and we’re both still alive.
“I have had to listen to Consort Ali go on about the mating experience. I’m sure he thinks I am untried, and I regret that’s not strictly true. I’ve played around some, not a lot, but that’s life. What I want more than anything isn’t something that can be found outside these walls. I want to stand on the balcony of the gorgeous room that you rented for us and be able to yell that ‘I am free’ because that’s how you make me feel. I want to see your hound. You asked me what I wanted to see specifically, and what I want more than anything is to see your hound.”
Enda shook his head. “I want to take the collar box test. Gods, I want to take that test so badly. Consort Ali made it sound so magical and special, but I’m worried, too. If I fail that now, can you imagine how embarrassing that would be? Especially when I want to experience life in your arms. I want to feel what it means to be hugged, and held close, and cherished. I want to feel special for the first time in my life, and I believe my mate can do that for me. I don’t think visiting the Eiffel Tower could even compare, do you?”
He could see the heat in Giorgio’s eyes, and he became aware of the magical beast sitting behind them, curious about him, wanting to come out. Giorgio was smiling. “We will have those things because they are the things I crave with you as well. Incidentally, I already know you are my mate because Lord Hades acknowledged your position in my life. He would’ve told me if somehow we’d made a mistake.”
“I still want to see that fancy collar of yours and meet your hound.”
“That will happen straight after we’ve eaten the meal we’ve ordered.” Giorgio was looking at their joined hands. “I know it doesn’t compare to what you’ve been through, but one thing Lord Hades said really hit me in the gut. When he said you were a sneeze away from…”
“Yep. Yep. Yep.” Enda needed Giorgio to stop talking about that. “Let’s just be thankful I’m not allergic to the smell of death because, believe me, that’s all I had in my nostrils at the time. No sneezing, that’s awesome. Yay!”
Thankfully, Giorgio seemed to understand. “Exactly, and I found you, and now we’re having a wonderful dinner, and then we’re going to go back to our room, I’ll summon my box, and you will make me the happiest hound in existence when you put that collar around my hound’s neck.
“I just don’t want to rush you,” Giorgio added. “I don’t want you to feel that you’re pressured in any way. It would mean a lot to me to know that anything that happens between us is because you want it, too. I feel, although I don’t know for sure, but I feel that you’ve not had the chance to make a lot of decisions for yourself in your life so far.”
Giorgio was closer to the truth than he realized, but Enda was working on his future, not his past. “Sometimes we just have to focus on moving forward. For me, that means celebrating this moment in this place right now. I want to focus on you and us. I want to bathe in the view, enjoy every mouthful of the meal to come, and feel good about your company and what’s to come. I want to stay in this moment for as long as I can. That’s not unfair or selfish, is it?”
“Not at all.” But then Giorgio grimaced. “Although Lord Hades told me that we do have to deal with the threat to your life if we’re ever to be completely free and safe going forward.”
Enda knew Giorgio and Lord Hades were right. That didn’t mean he had to like it. “It’s a shame that gods can’t just pluck people out of the weave when they cause their shit, but I know, I know,” he said quickly when he saw Giorgio was going to object. “Gods are not dictators, everyone living has free will, and gods are not allowed to interfere no matter what an individual or group might do to harm others. I’m just asking for a fair deal between you and me.”
“I’m listening.” Giorgio nodded.
“I’m asking for twenty-four hours,” Enda said with a sigh. “You and I have had twenty-four hours of hell. I promised I would tell you all the stuff I know about the people after me once we were claimed, but I’m asking for twenty-four hours’ grace. Just a day where all I have to focus on is you and me, our mating, our claiming, and your lovely hound.
“I just want one day when I can pretend that my life is normal, that no one is out to kill me, and that I can be safe and happy with you. Let’s just insert a bit of balance in this right now, all right? The guy responsible is still going to be doing shit in two days’ time. If it’s who I think it is, he’s been doing it for years, even though I don’t know why.”
Enda could see Giorgio was bursting to ask questions, and he understood. But for him, he needed a break for his own sanity in that moment. He didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until Giorgio nodded again. “You can have whatever you want,” Giorgio said softly. “If that’s how you want to spend your time, then that’s how I want to spend my time with you, in exactly the same way. We don’t even have to leave our room after dinner if you don’t want to.”
There was a noise from the door, and as Enda looked up, the waiter came in, carrying their steaming plates of food. “We’d probably better eat all this then,” he said, chuckling. “I’m figuring we’re going to need a lot of energy. I may not be completely innocent, but I’ve still got a lot to learn, and that could be an interesting way to spend twenty-four hours.”
Giorgio laughed as he sat back in his chair. “They do have room service here,” he said, although he didn’t release Enda’s hand. Just that simple act of showing affection in front of others warmed Enda’s heart. It was a heady feeling.