Chapter Five
Ares was frozen and it had nothing to do with the chilly night air. For the first time in his life, he genuinely wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Originally, when he sat down by a large window that overlooked his entire back garden, he expected to be amused by the sight of some intruder sneaking in and thinking that he could steal from Ares, completely unobserved.
When the little raccoon came into view, Ares’ amusement increased. The little animal was definitely cute, with his diamond-shaped face, and the black rings around his eyes like he was wearing a mask of some kind, the type cartoon gangsters wore to hide their identity. That made Ares laugh out loud.
The raccoon was definitely industrious, clever, and understandably cautious. The way he checked from the tree line to make sure he wasn’t being observed and then zipped over to the nearest garden bed, climbing the wooden planks on the side, and then sniffed among the different vegetables, clearly looking for ones that it both enjoyed and that were ripe enough to pick. Ares silently agreed that it was a good idea, and he appreciated the care the raccoon was taking with the other plants.
Each time, when the little critter found himself a piece of fruit or vegetable that he obviously wanted to eat, instead of sitting there like a natural animal would have done, the raccoon took it carefully in his claws, rolling it to the edge of the garden, pushing it onto the ground below. Then Ares would get a flash of furry butt as the raccoon climbed down after it, picking it up in his teeth or a teeth/paw combination as he disappeared with his prize into the trees.
Ares watched him do that three times before there was a bit of a break. Ares was starting to think of recipes he could use his strawberries in for breakfast when the raccoon came back.
This time Ares could tell just from the way the raccoon was holding himself that he was doing his best to be doubly stealthy. The way he crouched down, the way he ran from one garden bed to the other trying to remain hidden. Of course, Ares had a bird’s eye view - one of the joys of being a god - but the raccoon couldn’t have known that.
Sure enough, he went round to the edge of the bed closest to the hothouse and then scampered across the clearing between the garden and the hot house as if his fluffy little ass was on fire.
This is it. Ares paid close attention. There wasn’t even a second’s hesitation on the part of the raccoon. As they got to the door by the hothouse, the raccoon morphed into a scruffy young man who immediately opened the door and went scurrying into the hothouse, going straight for the strawberries.
Ares kept watching. He had laid out a tempting display of the fruit, and he was keen to see if the man would take them all or be more selective. But no, after showing so much delight over the display, the young man only took six little strawberries before going back out the door again. The strawberries were cupped in his hand, and the man made a point of closing the door behind him firmly, before racing for the tree line, but it was his definitely-not-furry bare butt flashing in the light that had Ares stuck to his seat.
That damned light. Ares knew what that meant. He had heard enough tales of the way other gods had found their mates or realized who they were to them at the time. There was no other artificial light in the backyard. Ares had turned off the cameras, and there were no security lights. The raccoon came with a light of his own, and that could only mean one thing.
And that was why Ares didn’t get out of his seat, storm outside, and frighten the young man with his haul of strawberries or even the vegetables the raccoon had collected before that. Because as much as Ares had been primed all day for such an encounter and had even set up the tempting display for that purpose, when the raccoon shifted, Ares noticed things about the man that hurt his heart in a way he didn’t expect.
The slender – too slender to be healthy – frame. The lack of a hair cut – the dark hair sticking up all over the place. The fact that Ares could count every one of the man’s ribs because they were so visible. It was as if he could feel how chilled the man’s skin must’ve been, as if it was his own. Ares felt a deep sense of responsibility for the man in that moment. Even if he wasn’t prepared to take a mate, the man the Fates determined was perfect for him and the one he should care for forevermore, had been placed in his path.
I could ignore him, he thought, his gaze still riveted to the window. I could just ignore the fact I’ve seen him, ignore his existence. I could go back to Olympus or one of my other houses and just forget I ever saw him. If I forget I’ve seen him, he could keep living here as he has been, and we never have to actually meet.
That was the easiest thing to do - nothing. But Ares knew that was one of his biggest problems. He had not done anything for a long time. He shook his head as he remembered he’d been thinking just that morning that he needed to find something to do with his life. But look after a shifter? Invite that man into my home and into my life? That wasn’t the sort of hobby or life purpose Ares had even considered and yet that was what the Fates had pushed into his life.
When it was clear that neither the young man nor the raccoon were coming back, Ares allowed himself to become translucent, walking through his walls and carefully stepping out to the night air. It was chillier than the night before, and Ares quickly thought up a large coat to keep himself warm. But then he wondered about the young man with the skinny frame. The guy didn’t have any fat on him to keep him warm, yet he had to have been camping outside.
I’ll just check on him , Ares thought as he looked around. I’ll just check and see where he is and make sure that he’s okay. Then I can go somewhere else and leave him alone. Deciding that was a good idea, Ares made his way to the tree line, searching for the source of the Fates’ light.
First, he checked down by his pool. It crossed his mind that the young man might have helped himself to the pool house as that was well out of sight of the main house. But no, there was no light down there. Instead, Ares’ instincts were driving him through the trees to a denser part of the woodland area he had on his small estate. And it was there, tucked between three large trees, that Ares caught a glimpse of the light that had been in his garden.
The man was dressed, although the clothes did not look warm enough compared to the chill of the air. Ares glanced down at his own big coat and actually felt embarrassed that he had it. But he was determined not to let the man know he was there. As he moved around the trees, staying silent, making sure that no trace, not a scent, not a sound, not anything of him could be heard or seen by anyone else, Ares watched as the man appeared to be chatting. But there was no one else there.
Ares checked the area again. Nope, the man was alone. He crept closer. Ares had to hear what the man was saying.