“I’ll ask my animal spirit in a minute, but first, I have to know…” Arvyn’s dark eyes blazed into his. “We’re three different beings. Are you going to be okay with children if they’re not fully vampire?”
“Are you asking because vampires are known for being arrogant snobs who believe my kind are at the top of the food chain?”
“Well, when you put it like that.” Arvyn’s grin transformed his whole face. “Yep.”
“Honestly, babe, it wouldn’t matter.” Kirill tightened his hold on his beloved’s nape. “Children are a gift, no matter who or what they can change into.”
“So, you won’t mind even if they get furry and bite the furniture?”
“Even if they turn furry or start showing off powers from day one, they’ll be a living embodiment of our love.”
“Oh, my gods you are romantic.” Arvyn dropped a quick kiss on Kirill’s lips. “And did you want to know now, or when Ra’s awake? Because honestly, I think this is a discussion for the three of us, don’t you?”
Kirill knew his beloved was right. “Fair enough. Let’s go deal with Sven while Ra is sleeping and then we’ll put together a lovely meal. Ra is going to need more than pancakes to keep his body fueled if Seth comes back again.”
“Hopefully Seth’s got more sense, but if he doesn’t, he can see what the wrath of three of us can do. Let’s go. Did you want me to shift again?”
There was definitely some puppy bouncing in Arvyn’s expression. “Ra said the land was warded when we arrived. Let’s see if those longer legs of yours can beat a vampire’s speed.”
“Ooh, you’re on.” Arvyn kicked off his boots. “Get the door, Kir, and I’ll show you who’s fast.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
A delicious scent of roast meat woke Ra from a deep sleep and his stomach rumbled, letting him know it’d been hours since he’d eaten. The darkness out the window reinforced his thoughts. Sending his senses out, he found his mates in the kitchen and he lay for a moment, absorbing the feeling of “home” that came from his little house now his mates were with him.
Is it possible? Could I finally have a semi-normal life? Completely normal was never going to be possible because of who he was – Ra would always have people to rule and a realm to control. But one of the reasons Ra loved being on earth was because he was fascinated with all the little everyday things that mortals did. Going out for a meal, wandering around an afternoon market, sitting in a park watching the young people play and the older people soak up the sun. Shopping, working, even fixing a car – all of it had fascinated Ra, but most of the things he’d never done. Maybe now I can.
Hopping out of bed, Ra stopped for a second when he got dizzy for a moment. I have been lying down too long. But then he heard Arvyn laugh and he wanted to be with his men. Hurrying to the bathroom, Ra emptied his bladder and washed his hands and face, before checking his reflection in the mirror. He was naked and it was tempting to stay that way, but Ra still wasn’t feeling a hundred percent, so he clicked up a pair of comfortable jeans and a pale gray Henley.
Padding out to the kitchen with his feet bare, Ra smiled as he caught sight of his mates. Someone had lit the lamps, and the fire was still burning merrily, giving the whole living area a warm glow.
“Please tell me there’s some extra plates and cutlery in this house.” Kirill was busy searching the cupboards while Arvyn was stirring something in a pot on the stove top.
Oops. Ra waved quickly at the hutch sitting in the dining area. “They’re in the cupboard in the dining room,” he said brightly. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“Ra!” Both men stopped what they were doing, and Ra was quickly in his favorite place, being held by both his mates.
“Are you feeling okay now, sweetie?” Arvyn got his front this time.
“I feel fine.” Ra held up his face for a kiss with Arvyn, and then turned his head so he could get one from Kirill. “Starving though. Whatever you’ve got cooking smells amazing. Where did you get the food?”
“Kirill went shopping. Oh, my gods, it was hilarious.” Arvyn stole another kiss and then went back to his stove. “You tell him Kir.”
“Your neighbor took me to the shops.” Kirill was grinning as he took a seat, keeping Ra on his lap. “It was really funny when you think about it. We heard this old tractor. Arvyn was in his wolf form because we were in the woodshed dealing with Sven. So, I have two dead bodies, because Sven was just as guilty as Yakov, and a wolf who’d left his clothes in the house. I went outside, and there’s this old guy there who had to be ninety if he was a day. He’d seen the lights up here and had come to see if we were all right because of the earth rumbles, his words, not mine, that apparently could be felt right around the harbor.”
“Oh, no. That must have been when Seth and I were fighting. I thought the wards would stop the noise.” Ra covered his mouth with his hand.
“It was fine,” Arvyn called over his shoulder as he turned the stove top off and carried his pot to the counter. “The old guy took pains to tell Kirill that no one was hurt, and that the rumbling was probably caused by Dagda dropping his cauldron.”
“Dagda, from the Celtic pantheon?”
“Actually, what he said was An Dagda, the Good God, but yes, I’m sure that’s who he meant,” Kirill said with a chuckle. “I didn’t have the heart to tell your helpful neighbor he had the wrong pantheon. But anyway, he seemed a friendly chap. I told him I was a friend of yours, because he asked where you were – that little chap with a smile like the sun, he called you.”
“My goodness I’m surprised he’s still alive.” Ra was pleased to hear that his neighbor was still going strong. “I haven’t seen him in three years. He stopped to chat one day when I was sitting out enjoying the sun. I never could pronounce his name.”
“I don’t think Kir could either, but our vampire mentioned that we hadn’t had a chance to do any shopping,” Arvyn laughed. “Watching Kir climb on that rickety tractor was so funny.”
“He insisted.” But Kirill was laughing too. “Fortunately, we only had to travel by tractor as far as his farm, and then he drove me to town in his car which isn’t in much better shape than his tractor. But all I could think was I was leaving you in bed, Arvyn stuck in the woodshed in his wolf form and two dead bodies that we’re going to have to get rid of. Should I call the council, do you think?”
“No, no.” Ra didn’t like the idea of any council visiting their house. That would be hard to hide from the likes of his elderly neighbor. There was nothing wrong with the guy’s eyesight. “I’ll take care of them so long as it doesn’t cause any problems for you.”
“The neighbor did ask me how the heck we got up here.” Kirill was still chuckling. “He claimed he’d never seen a car come up this driveway.”
“Kir told him we came in at night because we’re from the States.” Arvyn came around to the dining table, a huge roast in a platter in his hands. Ra’s stomach rumbled again. “The neighbor figured we’re just weird Americans and didn’t pry. He probably thinks we get parachuted in or dropped off by helicopter. Now, who’s hungry?”