Chapter 20
Simon held his breath, his anxiety spiking at the expression on Gray’s face. Gray looked down at him and frowned when he saw Simon kneeling on the floor.
“Calm down, baby. It’s just the guards letting me know Cormac and Liam are here.”
Simon blew out a huff of air, and Gray pulled him to his feet.
“Everything is going to be okay, Simon.”
“I hope so.”
“It will be. Now let’s go greet Grandpa Cormac.” They left the kitchen and went through the living room to the front door. “Do you think he’ll let you call him Papa? What about Pee Paw?” Gray’s teasing worked, and Simon burst out laughing.
“You can call him that. I’m not going to.”
“Oh, come on! I double-dog dare you.”
“No way.”
Gray pulled Simon against him and slid his hands down Simon’s back and over his ass. “I bet I can think of something you want, some way to convince you.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. You just keep thinking that.”
They leaned together and shared a brief kiss before Garon called out from the kitchen. “Dad, I finished the burgers.”
“Okay. I’ll be back in a minute, and we’ll get them on the grill.”
“Hurry, Dad! I’m starving!”
Gray and Simon both laughed as Gray opened the door and they stepped out onto the front porch. Dusk gave the trees lengthy shadows, and night was fast approaching. Gray reached back inside and flipped the switch for the front porch light just as Liam’s SUV pulled to a stop in front of the house.
There was palpable tension in the air as the pair got out of the vehicle.
Liam barely glanced at Gray, only looking at him long enough to give him a quick nod before he went around back to the deck.
Cormac glanced around the compound as he made his way up to the porch.
“Lovely,” he said, giving Gray a small smile.
“Thank you. It’s been in our pack for several generations.”
“I take it I am the first vampire to be welcome at the property?”
Gray shrugged a bit. “Sorry the guards weren’t more welcoming. I’m sure you understand their tension right now.”
“I do. I appreciate the invitation.” Cormac looked over at Simon, who was watching the exchange silently.
“Hello, Simon.”
Simon held out his hand, and Cormac shook it. Their hands remained joined for a long moment, then Cormac stepped closer and gave Simon a quick hug. “I can feel your anxiety, Simon. It’s rolling off you in waves.”
“Yeah,” Simon replied. “I have a lot on my mind.”
Gray ran his hand down Simon’s back. “Will you be okay if I go start the burgers?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I’ll just be around back if you need me. You guys can talk a bit.”
As Gray walked away, Simon took the opportunity to study Cormac. He didn’t know how far apart they were generation-wise or how old Cormac really was, but he wanted to see some small bit of himself in his ancestor.
Ancestor. It was odd to think of him that way.
Cormac didn’t seem old, didn’t appear much over thirty.
He really didn’t even much look like a vampire, or at least what Simon thought a vampire should look like.
The ones on television and in the movies always seemed to be wearing leather and flowing capes.
Cormac wore dark jeans and a white button-down shirt.
Nothing fancy or flashy and no “creature of the night” vibe.
Simon thought maybe they should at least look alike or something, but their looks weren’t similar either.
Where Simon’s hair was dark brown and straight, Cormac’s was much lighter and had a bit of curl to it.
Cormac was shorter than Simon, but maybe their noses were sort of the same. At least it was something.
An old swing hung at one end of the porch, and Simon led Cormac to it. They sat down, and Simon set it in gentle motion with one foot. Now that he had Cormac here, Simon didn’t have any idea what to say.
Fortunately, Cormac broke the ice. “It was very thoughtful of Gray to invite me. Especially considering the circumstances.”
“Yeah. He doesn’t want the pack to freak out over every Other they come across, you know?”
“Understandable.”
“And I think he knew I wanted to get to know you better.”
“I would like that, Simon. It’s been difficult staying away these past years, but I needed to respect your grandfather’s wishes. He loved you very much.”
Simon nodded. “He was the only one, you know? The one who understood and could help me get through things. It really sucked that I only had him for a few years after we found out I would be a mage.”
“Yes, it did. It was a great loss. He was an amazing man.”
“Did you ever think about turning him? I mean, you could have, couldn’t you?”
Cormac shook his head. “It wasn’t what he wanted. He’d known for years that he had a heart defect and that his time would be limited. I offered several times, but he was wise and knew it wasn’t his path.”
“Yeah.”
“I know he wouldn’t have wanted to leave you. Oh, how he would go on about you. Every little thing made him so proud. When the mage ability skipped your father, we both thought our line would end with him.”
Simon gave the swing another push to keep it moving. “He told me about that once. When he explained that he was giving me the cabin and leaving me money. It really pissed my dad off.”
“He did it to protect you, you know that, right?”
“I guess I never thought about it.”
Cormac turned slightly so he was facing Simon. “Simon, I know you don’t know me well, but I will protect you as well. You’re my family, the last of my line. I will do anything I can to keep you safe.”
Simon turned his head to keep Cormac from seeing his expression. “All I’ve ever wanted was a real family. Since Granddad passed, I’ve been so alone.”
“You’ve never been alone, Simon.” Cormac put his foot down and stopped the swing. He grabbed Simon’s chin gently and turned him so they faced each other. “Even when you didn’t know I was there, I watched over you.”
Simon smiled and reached up to hold on to Cormac’s hand where it rested on his face. “Thank you.”
“We’re going to get through all this together. I don’t know what’s going on with you and the alpha, but I want you to know you’re welcome to come stay with me for a while. Now that I’m able, I want to know you better. I see a lot of myself in you.”
Simon chuckled. “Is that a good thing?”
Cormac chucked him under the chin and laughed. “Of course. Don’t you know I’m amazing?”
“Oh sure. I had to get it from somewhere, didn’t I?”
Cormac shook his head and smiled. They both turned on the swing and faced the yard again. Cormac pushed it back into motion, and they gently rocked back and forth for a few moments.
“I see what you like about this place. It is very comforting.”
“It is.”
“And I’m sure having that big hunk of a wolf around doesn’t hurt anything, does it?”
Simon blushed and shook his head. “No, that doesn’t hurt at all. Well, maybe in a good way.” Simon laughed and covered his mouth at his audacity.
Cormac joined him. “You know that you get the attraction to wolves from me, don’t you? It must run in the family.”
Simon was surprised Cormac brought up his familiar, but he did so with a smile, so Simon just nodded and continued swinging.
“My Silas was a gray wolf, just like your pack here. He was a handsome devil, too. Swept me right off my feet. It wasn’t done in those days, you know?”
Simon nodded his agreement. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for them so long ago, with all the troubles their kind still faced.
“Still, I knew he was meant for me the moment I saw him. We mages are so solitary that it surprised me. So many years, and I still miss him.”
Simon reached over and grabbed Cormac’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Cormac let out a long breath and shook his head. “Enough of the trip down memory lane.”
“I don’t mind,” Simon said. “It’s nice to know the history. He’s part of my family too.”
“Thank you, Simon. Now, let’s go find that wolf of yours and get some dinner. I do believe your stomach would appreciate it.”
Simon rubbed his stomach as it let out a loud grumble. “I think you’re right. Hey, can you eat? Because I’ve heard Gray’s burgers are amazing.”
They stood up and made their way around the house. “Yes, I can eat. I function as a human does for the most part. I just occasionally need blood for my magic to remain stable.”
Several pack members were gathered on the deck.
They watched Cormac as he and Simon approached.
None of them seemed open to his presence.
Garon, on the other hand, had no fear. He ran right up to Simon and tugged on his arm.
“Simon, come on. Dad’s almost done with the burgers, and I want you to sit with me.
You can sit with us too, uh… I forgot your name. ”
“Cormac.”
“Cool. Cormac.” Garon got between them and pulled them both toward a long folding table set up on the deck. “Are you really a vampire? ’Cause I’ve never met a vampire or anything, but you don’t really look like a vampire.”
“Yes, I’m really a vampire.”
“Hmm.” Garon stared up at him a moment. “So you aren’t going to like, suck my blood or anything gross, right?”
“Of course not.”
“’Kay.” That seemed to be all the reassurance Garon needed, and he began chattering in his usual way.
Gray took the burgers off the grill and placed them on a large platter. He set it in the center of the table, and everyone’s attention turned to him. Simon thought they were expecting some sort of speech or explanation, but Gray simply smiled. “Let’s eat.”
When everyone’s plates were loaded up, Simon looked around the deck and thought about how much his life had changed. There was an old expression his grandfather used to say. Something about when a door closed, a window opened. It was definitely a good description of his life recently.
They were just finishing up when Simon felt Gray’s magic, and everyone turned to him. His face tensed, and he looked at Simon. “There are mages at the gate. They want to speak to you.”
Simon’s heart rate sped up. Gray wrapped an arm around him and was joined by Garon on Simon’s other side. “What do they want, Simon?” Garon asked.
“I don’t know, but I guess it would be rude to keep them waiting. I’ll go meet them at the gate,” Simon said. Gray didn’t want them on the property any more than he did, and Simon wouldn’t let them get any closer if he could help it.
“I’ll go with you,” Gray said.
“Me too,” Garon added.
Simon knelt down in front of him. “Listen, Gar, I know you want to come too, but I think it would be better if you waited here.” He stopped Garon before he could protest. “It’s not that I don’t want you with me, but here’s the thing.
They don’t know that you can do mage magic, and I think it’s better if we keep that a secret for now. ”
Garon sniffed and hugged Simon. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Hey,” he whispered into Garon’s hair, “I’m sure they just need to talk to me. Don’t worry, okay?”
“You’ll come back?”
“I will do my best, but I might have to go with them tonight.”
Gray placed a hand on Garon’s shoulder and squeezed gently, trying to comfort him as best he could.
Gray obviously hated seeing his son so upset, but bottom line, they had to keep Garon protected, and they weren’t sure this scene wouldn’t turn out to be a fight.
Simon knew Gray wasn’t just going to hand him over to the mages.
Cormac stood beside them, ready to stand by Simon. Simon placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Same for you, Cormac. I think we should keep you a secret a bit longer. I don’t want to add more fuel to the fire, you know?”
Simon knew Cormac didn’t want to be left out and that he wanted to stand by Simon. It just wasn’t the right time, and Cormac agreed to stay behind.