Chapter 3
Chapter Three
He hadn’t realized that was what he’d been trying to do until Avery asked him outright, but Ozen’s instincts were screaming it at him now. He needed to breed his mate. But that was impossible. They were both males, and neither had the ability to change their gender.
Avery must have been thinking the same thing, because he finally twisted in Ozen’s arms, breaking their intimate connection so he could look Ozen in the eyes.
The movement made Ozen snarl; he didn’t like the idea of his release leaving his mate’s body, even with the knowledge that it wouldn’t get Avery pregnant.
His mate didn’t flinch at the sound, cupping Ozen’s cheeks and drawing him down for a chaste kiss. He didn’t let it go further, and while Ozen’s instincts wanted to push, he was grateful for Avery putting up that boundary. He didn’t want to lose control again. He didn’t want to hurt his Avery.
“Okay. Your instincts–” he shot a questioning look at Ozen, waiting for his nod of agreement before continuing, “–are telling you to breed me. But we can’t do that, as far as I’m aware, anyway.
Is this… Do you think you need more than one mate?
Are you thinking we need to bring someone else in so you can… breed them?”
From the look on his face, it wasn’t what Avery wanted in the slightest. He honestly looked hurt, though Ozen knew without a shadow of a doubt that if Ozen truly felt that way, Avery would allow it because he wanted to make him happy.
Luckily, that wasn’t what Ozen needed, and honestly, the idea of bringing in someone new to their bonding made him a little green just thinking about it.
“No, my love. That’s not what I want. You’re all I need, and I don’t see that changing. No, this is different. I’m not sure when exactly it started, or why. It’s just… all I can think about lately.”
Avery couldn’t hide the relief on his face, and Ozen spent a few moments reassuring him with affectionate kisses without pushing for more. He loved his Avery. He never wanted him to doubt even for a second that he was enough for him.
Once he was sure Avery was okay, both emotionally and physically, after dealing with Ozen’s demands, he let out a breath, nuzzling Avery’s neck and breathing him in.
He could deal with a great many things, but upsetting his mate wasn’t one of them.
And he wasn’t willing to drag this out like the last time his instincts confused him.
“I’ll speak with my grandfather,” he promised. “We’ll figure it out.”
“The party is in a few days,” Avery pointed out. “You can talk to him in person if it makes it any easier.”
He nodded slowly. That seemed like a good idea. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of discussing it in front of Korath, who still thought incubi weren’t supposed to have mates, but he didn’t like the idea of an impersonal phone call discussing something so delicate. In person would be better.
In the meantime, he had taken too much time away from Avery’s traditions.
He helped them to stand, ignoring the way his instincts demanded he fix the issue of his release escaping his mate’s body to drip down his thighs.
He wanted to put it back. He stopped himself by sheer force of will, instead cleaning Avery up with magic and helping him right his clothing so they could get back to decorating.
Avery put on music, dragging Ozen with him to the tree where the lights were already twinkling and the star on top was lit.
He’d done his own research on human holiday traditions, and most of it was based in religion, which he knew Avery didn’t follow.
Instead, he told stories of his parents and their traditions, making no comment about Ozen hovering as he put more decorations on the tree.
His conversation with his grandfather couldn’t come soon enough. He wanted this holiday season to be about Avery and his traditions, not about his issues. He needed to figure out what was going on.
“So you decorate the tree? Then what?” he queried, putting an ornament on a higher branch when Avery requested it.
“Well, there’s a gift exchange and watching movies.
Some families go caroling, but I’m not comfortable with the idea of singing in public.
If it snows enough, we could go on the terrace and make a snowman or something, but we’ve only had a light dusting so far.
Oh! And cookies! My mother made tons of cookies every holiday.
I always had a blast decorating them with her, even though they weren’t exactly pretty.
” He shrugged. “She didn’t care. I was just a kid, after all.
After they cooled, we’d leave them near the tree for Santa to eat. ”
“Santa?” Ozen frowned.
Avery wrinkled his nose adorably. “My dad in a costume. He’d take bites out of the cookies and drink the milk so I thought the myth was real. I figured it out the year he decided to grow his own beard and there were crumbs in it the next morning.”
Chuckling, Ozen wrapped himself around his mate, this time not pushing for anything more than the connection as Avery told him about telling his parents he knew Santa wasn’t real and joining in on the present buying with his allowance.
It was all said with this nostalgic smile that made Ozen want to recreate the moments with him. To bring back the traditions he’d lost.
Their arrival in the shadow realm was smooth, with no idiotic demons trying to stop them from passing through the portal.
The shadow realm wasn’t always dark, despite the name.
It was mid-afternoon when they arrived, the sun shining brightly on the cascading lava falls and sparkling off the river that cut through the main city.
The portal station in the shadow realm was elevated so the view of the city stretched out below them.
A steady sense of ‘home’ filled Ozen’s chest, and he watched avidly as Avery took in the place he grew up.
“Oh, wow! Are those hot springs?” He pointed off to the right, where steam rose off the water near a smaller lava fall.
“Yes, but not the only ones in the city. Korath’s home has private hot springs we can use if you’re interested. Most homes in the cities have them.”
With their fingers interlaced, Ozen led the way down the hill toward the line of cars waiting at the bottom. He flagged a ride, chuckling as he tugged Avery along. His mate was too busy looking around to watch where he was going. He really had been distracted last time.
Since he wanted to make the trip a memorable one, he asked the driver to take the scenic route through the city. It would take longer and cost more, but he wanted Avery to see it all. They crossed over the bridge, Avery practically plastered against the window as he took it all in.
“Oh! That dragon is purple!”
He pointed to a dragon with deep purple scales that was flying lazily over the water, ducking under the bridge and coming out the other side. Ozen hummed, keeping his arm around Avery’s waist as he explained the color differences in dragons and how they denoted family line.
He kept his hands mostly to himself the past few days, as much as he was able anyway, but he couldn’t seem to stand the thought of Avery leaving his side for even a moment.
Any time they were apart, his mood was so foul that he was snapping at everyone who came into contact with him.
Taron was kind enough to direct most of the business his way after Ozen explained his issue, promising to keep the majority of business issues away from his office until Ozen could confer with his family.
He made a mental note to pick up a gift for Taron while he was here. His friend loved a particular brand of demon-made whiskey that was only sold in the shadow realm. He could get him a bottle or two to share with his mates in thanks for always having his back.
When they finally pulled up in front of Korath’s home, Ozen felt that itch to claim his mate burn under his skin again. Perhaps bringing Avery around other incubi wasn’t a good idea. He was worried about what he might do if Korath even looked in his mate’s direction.
Unfortunately, Avery wasn’t the type to take his time getting out of the car. He popped out of the back seat, eyes alight with wonder as he took in the gothic mansion his father called home.
With a sigh, Ozen paid the driver and gave him a big tip for taking the requested route without complaint.
The imp looked ecstatic at the extra cash and beamed at him, waiting for Ozen to step away before driving off.
Avery took his hand automatically, which helped a little, and together they walked to the front door.
Ozen didn’t bother knocking, the door was never locked, and for the first time in his life, when he stepped inside he wasn’t greeted with the sounds of sex somewhere in the house.
“Ozen! My son!” Korath called, a pleased smile on his face, overjoyed that Ozen had decided to join the party.
Korath was in conversation with a few of Ozen’s cousins, as well as some others Ozen didn’t recognize.
His unease over the situation grew, but Avery’s hand tightened in his, and his steady reassurance came over the bond to settle him again.
His reason for being comfortable enough to stay was sitting on one of the couches in the living room, his mates seated on either side of him, in deep discussion with each other as Sylix listened on with a smirk on his face.
He stood when Ozen came fully into the room, his mates following him to greet Ozen and Avery.
Resting his forehead against their clasped hands, he murmured a polite greeting. “Grandfather. You look well.”
“He’s taken up swimming,” Connor, one of Sylix’s mates, offered, leaning against Korath’s side with a smug grin at the older incubus. “It took some coaxing, but we wanted to keep him healthy.”
Brody, the other member of their throuple, snickered. “Who would have thought our old man wouldn’t know how to swim?”
Sylix, for his part, didn’t seem annoyed with the teasing. He pinched Brody’s side, grinning as the man squirmed against him, before turning his attention to Avery.
“Hello, dear boy. How are you? I hear your next book is coming out soon. We’re looking forward to it.”
Avery flushed, giving Grandfather Sylix the same greeting Ozen had before pulling a wrapped gift from out of the messenger bag he’d brought with him and offering it to him. Sylix looked surprised by the gesture, taking it carefully.
“What’s this?”
“A thank you. I didn’t know how to show how much I appreciated all the lessons you’ve given us, and when you helped Ozen figure out that we were mates.
When he told me you were reading my books, I thought…
” He shrugged, embarrassed, but Ozen had thought it a wonderful idea when Avery had suggested giving his grandfather a signed copy of his newest book.
It was a whole month before it would come out in stores, which made the gesture extra special.
Carefully, Sylix peeled the paper, eyes lighting up in delight as he read the cover. “Another incubus? How exciting! I loved the first one. It’s good for people to see we aren’t just sex machines. We fall in love like everyone else.”
Korath scoffed as he came to join them, giving his father a look that said the idea was still a nightmare to him. Ozen got the feeling his mating would be more chaotic than any he’d ever heard of. Korath would run as far as he could if he even thought he’d found his mate.
“While I can agree that Avery’s books are good, I still think incubi don’t have mates. You are mated to a pair of mages. Mages have mates. It’s a coincidence.”
Sylix rolled his eyes, which was still amusing from one of the ancients. “Your son is mated to a human. They don’t have mates among their own kind. They only find mates among supernaturals who mate with them.”
Korath glanced at Avery, frowning. “Is there magic in your family line?”
Avery shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “Nope. Totally human. Sorry?”
Korath scowled for only a moment before turning on the charm and offering his hand to Avery. “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m–”
Without warning, Ozen snarled, yanking Avery back and behind him, and he glared at his father. “Don’t touch him!”