Chapter Nineteen
They materialized in an opulent foyer that felt warm despite its grand scale.
Rich wood paneling covered the walls, and soft lighting came from fixtures fit for a palace.
Through an archway, Ewen glimpsed a comfortable living space with overstuffed furniture that didn’t match the formal entrance at all.
“I think it’s this way.” Lamont kept a hand on Ewen’s lower back, guiding him down a long hallway. “Apparently, the rooms here move around within the mansion sometimes, usually dependent on Consort Ali’s needs on the day, but this hallway looks pretty obvious as an invitation to me.”
Ewen knew Lamont had spoken, and he heard the words, but they didn’t make sense.
Moving rooms? He was too busy looking at the display cases that lined the hallway.
They held what appeared to be ancient Greek pottery.
Ewen tried not to stare, but it was really hard not to.
The pieces looked as if they belonged in a museum.
But then he figured, the pieces probably were museum-quality, considering who owned them.
“Lamont and Ewen.” A cheerful voice called out. “Finally.”
They entered a dining room that completely shattered Ewen’s expectations. In his head, he imagined a hugely long table with a mass of chairs in a very austere room where a non-shifter would have to ask someone to shout so they could be heard from the other end of the table.
Instead, the space they walked into felt and looked like someone’s comfortable kitchen dining area, just scaled up.
A large wooden table dominated the center, already set for four.
French doors opened onto an actual garden courtyard where red flowers bloomed despite the Underworld’s perpetual twilight.
Consort Ali bounced over, a huge smile on his face. The shifter stood barely five foot six, with friendly eyes and an infectious energy that filled the room. He wore jeans and a casual button-down shirt.
“It’s so lovely to see you again.” Ali grabbed both of Ewen’s hands before he could react. “I’m so glad you’re here. And wearing real clothes this time.”
Heat flooded Ewen’s face. “I was hoping we could forget about the bathrobe and blanket incident.”
“Never.” Ali’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “It’s one of my favorite mate-meeting stories.”
Lord Hades emerged from another doorway, and Ewen’s brain short-circuited slightly. The god of the Underworld wore jeans and a gray Henley, looking more like someone’s handsome uncle than an ancient deity. He carried a wine bottle in one hand.
“Ali, darling, you’re terrorizing our guest.” Lord Hades’s tone held affection rather than reproach. He nodded to Ewen. “Welcome to our home. I apologize if the informal summons startled you.”
“No, it’s fine. We appreciate the invitation.” Ewen glanced at Lamont, who seemed perfectly relaxed. But then he’d had a lot more experience dealing with gods than Ewen did.
“Sit, sit.” Ali gestured to the table. “We’re not doing the formal thing tonight. Just dinner with a few of our pack members.”
They settled around the table. Lord Hades poured wine while Ali chattered about their two sets of twins, who were apparently napping in another wing of the mansion.
“They are honestly growing so fast, it has to be a godly thing,” Ali said, grinning wildly.
“It’s as if, as soon as the babies see the older twins, who are toddlers now, the little ones seem to grow another inch.
It’s incredible. They’ll all be walking around like little demons before we know it. ”
As if summoned, a demon did appear then, but he was fully grown.
Very grown, Ewen thought quickly averting his eyes.
It seemed demons favored very form fitting leather pants and not a lot else as a dress code.
However the food he was carrying - roasted lamb and vegetables, and fresh bread that smelled as if it had just come out of the oven - made Ewen’s mouth water.
The demon even had a large gravy jug that he put in the middle of the table.
“So.” Ali leaned forward once the demon departed. “Tell me everything. How are things going? How’s the mating? Have you gone on many dates yet?”
“Ali.” Lord Hades shot his mate a look.
“What? I’m curious! These two have been through a lot.
I want to make sure Lamont is taking care of his mate properly.
” Ali turned his attention back to Ewen.
“The hellhounds are wonderful – you won’t find a more protective, honorable, or hardworking bunch, but sometimes they need reminders about the romantic side of things.
“You take Faron, for example. He honestly believed that all he needed to do was wear the collar and tell his mate he’d take care of things while he was busy on his phone.
While eating the breakfast Patrick had cooked for him.
How is that right? You tell me.” Ali shook his head.
“Him and Patrick are really good now, but in the beginning Patrick was so sick of feeling ignored, he left Faron for almost a full day.”
“I remember that,” Lamont said, nodding as he ate. “That’s when Faron started learning to cook, so he could prepare a wonderful meal for his mate when he got home.”
“That was all very well and good, but Kolton was just as bad,” Ali exclaimed, his eyes wide and his hair flying about as he gestured with his hands.
“He was down here talking to a dead friend instead of talking to his mate. Kolton honestly thought his mating was broken at the very same time his mate, Simon, was giving birth to an egg. An egg, I tell you, and that had to hurt because that was one big egg. Simon still won’t tell me how he did it. ”
He gave birth to an egg? There was clearly so much about hellhounds and their mates that Ewen didn’t know, but he couldn’t help smiling.
Just thinking about that “one big egg” put his problems into perspective for a short minute.
“We have been pretty busy with my investigation. There hasn’t been a lot of time for dates. ”
“See?” Ali pointed at Lamont. “This is what I’m talking about.”
“We’ve been working together on the evidence,” Lamont protested. “That’s quality time.”
“Going through documents about murdered soldiers is not a date. It’s depressingly tragic, and I’m sorry it happened at all, but it’s hardly romantic.” Ali turned back to Ewen. “Has he at least taken you somewhere nice? Done something romantic?”
“We had dinner at his place,” Ewen offered. “He recreated some foods from the menu of the restaurant where we first met because I didn’t get a chance to eat that night.”
Ali’s expression softened. “Okay, that’s actually really sweet.”
“And we went running in the wastelands today,” Ewen added. “That was fun.”
“Running in the wastelands counts as a date now?” Lord Hades raised an eyebrow.
“It does when your mate is a fox shifter who loves to run and play with my hound.” Lamont’s hand found Ewen’s under the table, entwining their fingers.
“I still think you should raise your romantic standards a bit, Lamont. As a shifter, Ewen deserves to be treated properly,” Ali said, but after getting a nudge from his own mate, he picked up his fork and started eating again.
The food was incredible. Ewen hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he started eating.
The lamb practically melted off the bone, seasoned with herbs he couldn’t identify but wanted to.
Conversation flowed easily around the table, touching on everything from the twins to funny instances of people trying to get away with their sins on court days.
“So, what’s the status of your investigation?” Lord Hades asked once the main meal had been eaten. He was refilling wine glasses from a bottle that never seemed to empty - or that’s how it looked to Ewen. “Klaus Brenner is notoriously thorough. I imagine he’s put you through the wringer.”
Ewen groaned. “They’re still factchecking. Again. We’re in week two of verification, and they just requested another metallurgy analysis because they want a third independent lab to confirm the armor specifications.”
“Which I understand,” Lamont said quickly. “They need to be absolutely certain. But every day that passes is another day Arcturus could be covering their tracks.”
“Or coming after Ewen again,” Ali said quietly.
The words hung in the air for a moment. Ewen felt Lamont tense beside him, their bond flooding with protective instincts.
“They won’t get to him,” Lamont said. “They’d have to get through me first.”
“I know you’re highly protective.” Ali’s tone was gentle. “But I also know how frustrating it must be, sitting and waiting while fact-checkers do their job.”
“I’ve been trying to coordinate with the FBI so that at least when the story does break, the authorities will already have an investigation in place.
But they won’t even talk to us without seeing the documentation first.” Lamont looked really depressed, and Ewen squeezed his fingers under the table.
“You’re doing your best.”
“It doesn’t feel like it. If we submit the documents through official channels, it’ll alert the people we’re investigating. And I’m not willing to reveal Ewen’s information or sources to an agency that might possibly be compromised.”
Lord Hades set down his wine glass. “What you need is someone inside the FBI who you can trust. Someone who understands the paranormal elements of the situation.”
“Exactly. But I don’t have those connections.
It’s not like the FBI advertises a paranormal division and it’s not like I can go to the shifter or paranormal council and ask them for a contact.
” Frustration leaked through Lamont’s words.
“Every person I’ve spoken to on the phone wants to go through proper channels.
They won’t even meet with us, which defeats the entire purpose. ”
“I might be able to help with that.” Lord Hades glanced at Ali, who nodded encouragingly. “Do you know the wolf shifter, Wesley?”
Lamont frowned. “The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.”