Chapter Twenty-Eight
HORVAN WAS dreaming about a bell. Someone was ringing it repeatedly, and it was starting to piss him off.
Then it stopped, and he opened his eyes.
Rael leaned over him, his eyes twinkling. “So phones have these things called alarms. You’re supposed to turn them off, not lie there and ignore them.”
Horvan grabbed him and pulled Rael on top of him. “And good morning to you too.” The feel of Rael’s morning wood against his own gave him all kinds of delicious ideas.
Do I get to join in? Dellan snuggled against Horvan’s side, joining them in a three-way kiss.
A phone ruptured the tranquil moment, and Horvan groaned. “Okay, which one of you didn’t leave your phones on silent last night?”
Dellan snickered. “That would be you.”
Rael peered at the phone. “And it’s Aelryn calling.” He clambered off Horvan and grabbed it, handing it to him. “Might be important.”
“At this hour?” Horvan sat up and clicked on Answer. “Good morning. Well, it’s morning here. I have no idea what time it is where you are.” Aelryn had mentioned traveling at some point.
“Are you sitting down?”
Something in Aelryn’s tone pierced the post-sleep fog that still enveloped Horvan’s brain. “What’s up?” He clicked on speaker.
“You know Orsini brought in scholars to document the artifacts?”
“Uh-huh. Jake mentioned it.”
“Well, it seems word has gotten out about the contents of the caskets.”
He frowned. “How can it have gotten out when I’ve already been talking to leaders for the past two days?”
“I’m not talking about leaders—I’m talking about your normal, everyday shifters. And it’s growing.”
“ What is growing? ”
“You’d better prepare yourselves.” There was a pause. “You, Rael, Dellan, Jake…. People want to meet you.”
“Excuse me?”
Rael and Dellan sat up, staring at him.
“I can’t believe how fast this has spread. We’re picking up talk in the US, Europe, Australia, everywhere…. The prophecy has gone viral.”
Horvan rubbed his bald head. “I don’t get it. Those leaders I spoke to, they didn’t appear particularly bowled over by the prophecy.”
“Only now those same leaders are facing questions from their own people. Questions such as why was this kept from them? How long have we known about it? Does everyone get two mates? And the most prevalent question seems to be… when can we meet the shifters from the prophecy?”
He frowned. “I don’t like the sound of this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy if they’ve heard about it and believe it, but wanting to meet us? The next thing you know, we’re gonna have a cult following.”
Another pause. “Horvan… we’re already there. I’m getting requests to set up meetings with you.”
He snorted. “I can tell you what my answer is gonna be right now.” No way was he going to let his family become some kind of sideshow.
“And I agree with you, one hundred percent. But all this attention, it’s having an effect. Those leaders who are facing a barrage of questions can’t show themselves to be disbelievers. They have to be seen to support the prophecy.” He paused again. “And there’s something else.”
“Seriously?” Horvan groaned. “Now what? They think Jake is the messiah? Or is he Ansfrid reincarnated? Because right now this whole business is getting weirder and weirder.”
“Nothing like that. In fact I guarantee this will make you smile.”
Horvan could hear the excitement in Aelryn’s voice. “Then tell me. I could use a smile after that bombshell.”
“Leaders are reporting the emergence of… mates. From all over the world, people are finding their mates. And a pattern is forming.”
“What kind of pattern?”
“So far it seems mates are either all shifters or a mix of shifters and humans. But no triads that are completely human.”
Dellan’s breathing hitched. “That line from the prophecy about shifters finding the one who completes them—whether they’re shifters or human—and all things becoming possible.
” His eyes widened. “Can’t you see where this is heading?
Humans are going to learn about shifters, but in a way that won’t lead to distrust or animosity or prejudice.
Because how can there be such things when people are joined in love? ”
Horvan arched his eyebrows. “How can there…? Come on, you live in the real world.”
Rael nodded, his eyes bright. “And this is how we change that world. Sure we need to tear down the old regime, and for a while, there’ll be a backlash against Gerans, but it’ll pass.
It has to. What are you going to do if you’re a Fridan, and you suddenly discover your mate is a Geran? You can’t hate them.”
“And the day will come when shifters realize they are not Fridan or Geran, but simply part of this changing universe,” Aelryn concluded. “One world, one people, but some of them with special gifts that are accepted, supported… treasured.”
Horvan had to admit that day couldn’t come soon enough.
“It’s not gonna happen overnight, you know.” He had to be the voice of reason, of logic. “And it’s gonna take a lot of work to get to that point.”
“But we will get there,” Aelryn insisted. “Don’t you feel it?”
Dellan and Rael gazed at him, and the hope in their eyes couldn’t be ignored.
Horvan sighed. “Yeah, I do. And now that you’ve really woken me up, I’m gonna spend some quiet time with my mates. You know, before there are hordes of people at the door, clamoring for autographs or selfies.” He stilled. “Or worse—wanting to bear our children.”
Dellan rolled his eyes.
Aelryn laughed. “I promise you, my friend, no one will learn of your location through me.”
“Thank you. Have fun with your traveling. Going anywhere nice?”
Aelryn coughed. “Maybe. I’ll leave you to your mates.” Horvan caught voices in the background. “And it seems my mates are clamoring for my attention.” He said goodbye and hung up.
Horvan replaced his phone on the nightstand. “Whoa. That was one helluva wake-up call.”
“Do you think he’s right?” Rael asked. “That the time is coming when we finally see an end to this division that should never have happened in the first place? ”
“Part of me wants to believe that, but I think you nailed it too. There’s gonna be a backlash. What the Gerans did is too huge, too horrific to sweep it under the table.”
“But if I was right about that, then I’m probably also right about what will heal the rift.” Rael kissed him. “You can’t fight love. It’s the strongest force in the universe.”
“The prophecy nailed it too,” Dellan reminded them. “‘ Three hearts, beating as one. Three bodies, joined in love.’ Remember?”
Horvan let out a sigh. “I guess someone really knew what they were doing when they put us together. I’m a glass-half-empty kinda guy, but you two….”
They balanced him. Complemented him.
And suddenly he didn’t want to talk anymore.
He peered at Rael and Dellan. “Now… where were we?”
Then he caught his breath when they moved farther down the bed, and two pairs of lips renewed their acquaintance with his shaft.
There was time enough to dwell on what was heading in their direction. Right then he needed to be with the men he loved.
The men who loved him.
JAKE GAPED at Dellan. “You’ve got to be kidding.” He glanced at Doc. Can you believe this?
Doc chuckled. I had no idea my mate was such a celebrity.
“Want me to go so you can talk?” Dellan’s eyes held amusement.
“It can wait.” He aimed another glance in Doc’s direction. Can’t it?
Doc’s innocent air was almost comical.
Jake folded his arms. “Nope. I’m not going to give rise to another Geran group.”
Dellan frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“What you’re describing has all the hallmarks of a cult. I may have been out of things for the last three decades, but I know what a cult is. Jim Jones? David Berg? Charles Manson? Do these names ring a bell?”
Dellan stared at him. “I don’t think you’re going to inspire the same kind of acts they did. You’re benevolent, for one thing.”
“So are most cults when they start out, but they quickly spiral down, and suddenly those who don’t believe? They become the enemy.” Jake stuck his chin out. “I’m not going down that route. ”
The light touch of Doc’s hand on his arm was like an anchor.
“And no one is saying you should.” Doc’s voice was as gentle as his hand.
“But you’ve been given a gift. Use it for good.
Talk to people, even if it’s in a Zoom meeting.
” He cocked his head to one side. “We discussed this, didn’t we?
Tell them what you know, what you’ve seen…
what’s coming. Remind them you’re as human as they are.
” He smiled. “People are going to need to work together, and no one knows that more than you.”
“You think it’ll be that easy? We’re talking exposing shifters to a world that thinks they’re a myth.
And sure, on an individual basis, knowledge of them will increase as more people find their mates, but we’re not just talking individuals here.
We’re talking governments, and they’re unlikely to be so benevolent. ”
Doc snickered. “Until they find their mates.” He sighed. “But seriously… I believe once this starts, there will be no stopping it.”
He could be right.
But the idea of achieving cult status disturbed him.
Jake frowned. “They’re going to find us, you know that, right? Someone will leak the location. It won’t be Aelryn, but there’s bound to be someone who can’t resist doing some digging.”
“We’ll deal with that when—if—it happens,” Dellan assured him. He gave Jake a hug. “And now I’ll leave you to have that conversation.” He left the small living room.
Jake walked over to the window and stared out at the lake, nestled in green. “People will come, you know.” When Doc chuckled, he twisted to peer at him. “What was funny about that?”
“It’s a line from a famous movie, that’s all.
” Doc joined him. “And they’ll have to find us first. So I guess this is as good a time as any to show you what I’ve been up to the last day or so.
” He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped the screen, then scrolled.
He handed the phone to Jake. “Take a look at this.”
Jake gazed at the image of a house. It was attractive, with cream siding and a reddish-brown veranda, a couple of trees out front. He peered closer. “Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. What’s there?”
“Us, if you like the house.”
He stilled. “Really?” Jake scrolled, and when he reached the end of the images, the breath caught in his throat. “Ten and a half acres?” There was nothing to see for miles except hills in the distance and field after rolling field .
“Three beds, two baths, so plenty of room for all three of us. Thirteen hours’ drive from here, but it has an airport in case you needed to get anywhere fast.”
Jake studied the details. “Pinecone Drive, Gering.” He glanced at Doc. “Population?”
“Eight and a half thousand.” Doc smiled. “And ten point five acres is a whole lotta space for an elephant and a tiger to run around in. So what if we’re spotted? We happen to have some exotic pets. But I’d say the likelihood of that happening is pretty small.”
Jake scrolled some more. “I like the back porch. I can see myself sitting out there on summer evenings.”
“Me too.” Doc’s hand was on his back. “And no neighbors. We can hide from the rest of the world if we want to—or need to.”
“So this is it? You’re retiring?”
Doc shrugged. “I was semiretired when I took that first call from Horvan to take a look at Dellan. It isn’t such a big step to go the whole hog and call it a day. Besides”—he smiled—“I want to spend what days I have left with you. Making up for lost time.”
Jake studied the image again. “Do you like it?” He was already in love with the place, and he’d only seen pictures of it.
“I wouldn’t be showing it to you if I didn’t. So what do you say? Fancy a trip to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska? Maybe after the weekend?”
Jake beamed. “I’d love one.”
A little corner to call their own. A sign saying No Trespassers.
And privacy to shift.
“Of course, the first investment would be decent internet, so you can talk to people. No need to go traveling if you don’t have to, right?”
Jake pulled Doc to him and kissed him, slow and sweet.
“Have I told you how happy I am to have you as my mate?”
Doc’s eyes gleamed. “Not in the last two hours, so I might need to hear it again. For reassurance.”
Jake rested his forehead against Doc’s. “They’re not going to let me disappear into the background. You know that, right?”
“Tough. This is your reward for thirty years plus of putting up with Geran hospitality. You get to kick back and relax. Like I said, let others take the lead in any battles to come.”
Jake was hoping for an end to hostilities.
A new beginning.