Chapter Ten
Cliff
Buck didn’t need to rest, it seemed, but his promise sat with me while I rested, snoozing lightly in the seat with Jacque nestled against my chest.
I woke a few times, blinking over at him with a half smile, checking the road signs and my phone for directions. Buck seemed to know where he was going at any rate.
He poked me awake at one point to stretch my legs and use the restroom. He didn’t seem to need to use it, but he assured me he’d alleviated himself in a less civilized way on the side of the road when I was sleeping.
So, when I jostled awake at the rumble of tires spitting gravel, I snorted myself awake and stared out at sprawling fields half flooded with pre-spring rain. The murky ripples reflected muggy skies, and I yawned, blinking out around us before checking my phone. With a swipe of my thumb, I turned my phone on and checked the directions, finding us less than fifteen minutes from our destination. Fifteen minutes from utter humiliation.
I took a deep breath, my vision blurring as my head spun. Nausea rose in me, and I demanded Buck pull the car over.
He did so in an instant, pulling into the mouth of a wide, long driveway for someone’s farm long enough for me to stumble from the car and retch into the weeds. “I’m not pregnant! This is totally normal!”
“Well, yeah. You’re nervous,” Buck said, leaning against the steering wheel as I took deep, gulping breaths.
“I’m not nervous! It’s just a lot to handle. I can’t like… Rayne is going to—” I pawed at my face before Buck’s gentle laughter drew my glare.
“There are far worse things than one’s brother teasing them, I swear. And if you like, I’ll call ahead and tell him not to.” Buck gave me the sweetest smile and my heart melted in a gross sort of gushy way. I wanted to wretch again but found the nausea in the pit of my stomach ebbing.
“Nah. Just like…let me whip his ass if he’s mean to me. I’m still bigger than him, I think.” I wiped my mouth and shuffled back toward the car and shimmied in, letting Jacque bark at me happily. “Daddy’s okay, lil dude. I’m just overwhelmed.”
Buck felt over my forehead and cheeks before brushing his fingertips down my neck and chest as if searching for something. “Definitely not carrying. Vida doesn’t need a cousin just yet.”
“Vida…” Buck had said the name a few times and shown me photos. The sweet little starry-eyed girl had many of Rayne’s tawny features and a trace of thick curls that I assumed came from her father…other father. “Wait. Rayne’s been a god thing…aspect for a while now. How is he like… Can he do the god stuff?”
Buck nodded his head from side to side before shrugging. “He’s not fully at home with his gifts yet. But he can do many things. When he’s angry, the sky clouds and the wind crackles. When they’re together and lose track of themselves, it rains and storms. When he’s angry, though, he can unleash his godbeast and lightning inhabits his soul. Also, he can understand Pecker.”
“I think he understood pecker long before he was a god creature,” I snorted, sidling back into the car as Buck stifled a laugh. Jacque stamped his back feet in disapproval, ready to move once more. He didn’t want to be in the car much longer, was my guess.
As we conquered the final few miles, trudging through risen, dead weeds, depleted cattails in ditches, and stringy forests hanging with kudzu, we approached the statuesque white-painted antebellum home that I’d been looking for. And on the wrap-around porch sat Rayne, legs crossed, arms folded, and a wry smirk slashed across his smug, bastardy little face.
“No!” I charged out of the car, Jacque in my arms, the moment Buck came to a stop, pointing an accusatory finger his way.
“What? I didn’t say anything.” Rayne kept that shit-eating grin plastered across his face.
New hen! A braying crow of excitement came from nowhere before a flash of feathers grazed my head in a suicidal spill before slamming into the side of my car.
“Pecker! No!” Rayne lost all smugness before leaping off the porch to run after the wayward miniature chicken as it fell to the ground in a heap.
“Did that little fucker just talk? Did I hear a talking fucking chicken?” I stared at the clucking bird and stepped back while Rayne scooped him up, his face flushed brightly.
“Haven’t you heard Jacque talking? It’s part of the whole aspect thing, right?” Rayne glanced over at Buck and shrugged, earning a sage nod from my—Buck.
Buck made a shut up gesture that had anger burning under my skin. “No! No secrets. Tell me.”
“Jacque won’t… He cannot.” Buck drew a hand down his face and breathed sharply. “Jacque is damaged. His thoughts should be clear to hear, but he does communicate more effectively than Pecker in other ways. He’s learned to use the buttons to talk with us. I hear things, but they come in static. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with him. It means he’s different. Remember when I said he’d been infantilized?”
I hesitated as I glanced down at Jacque, who blinked up, eyes not quite focusing on me but rather out to his sides. He tilted his head to lock one eye on me and blinked.
Pecker’s angsty clatter clucked out a few bitten swears. Hen! Lemme do my dance! I will add this one to our flock! More enormous young! His little spindly legs flailed, spurs biting at the air.
Rayne sighed in defeat and let Pecker down where he dropped his wings and did a little strutting dance for me. He preened and fluffed, earning a half snort of laughter.
Hen approves. Good. You are part of flock now. I shall mate you later.
Buck stepped forward and rested a heavy hand on my shoulder.
Pecker stared at buck contemplatively for a long moment before clucking once. Nevermind. This one will reside in our flock, and I shall share with the big quiet rooster. This is hen I shall not breed.
“Good bird.” Buck sneered and Pecker preened a wing for a moment before scuttling off as fast as his little feet could carry him.
“So, about Jacque… Is he like… special ?” I didn’t know the appropriate terminology because he didn’t seem differently abled, disabled, or handicapped in any significant capacity. He was perfect to me. Just… I’d spoiled him, and his little seizures made him a little less capable of hiding from predators.
Rayne reached out to me and offered to take Jacque, who went limp as he lifted him. His ears perked and twitched before going flat down his back with nerves. Squinting at the hare, Rayne scrutinized him until he gave a bark of tentative greeting.
“Eh. He never learned to speak rabbit.” Rayne handed him back to me and smiled. “Now that I’ve met my nephew… Storm?”
Buck released my shoulder as I took Jacque and ran forward.
Passing both of us by, a wide grin splayed across his face, we turned as one, Rayne and I, just in time to see who I assumed to be Storm, from pictures I’d seen, strolling up with a baby strapped to his front.
“I have missed you so much!” Buck spread his arms, and Storm blinked in bewilderment for a second before he stole Vida from my brother-in-law’s carrier in a swift gesture.
“Missed you too, brother!” Storm sneered and glanced back, eyes going soft as he swept in to give Rayne a hug and turn toward me, dark eyes taking me in with shrewd interest. “Well, that’s why Buck stuck around. You do feel interesting.”
I stepped back as Jacque wriggled about in my arms to get comfortable and stare at the new visitor. Rayne’s godlike partner seemed to stare into my soul in some ways, scaring me far worse than Grim ever did. Violence, death, and destruction lay dormant in his eyes, all fading away like the wisp of smoke off a match head the moment he set eyes on Rayne once more.
“Storm, right?” I adjusted Jacque to offer my hand out to the dude. Unsure of what I expected, he met me halfway and gave me a firm shake.
“Cliff, I presume. Rayne has been worried sick about you.” Storm pulled me in for a one-armed hug and clapped my back before giving Jacque a scratch between the ears. “And this is Jacque? Huh.”
I braced myself for a snide comment that faded away as he met my eyes. I wanted to apologize or explain, but Storm only smiled at me. “I understand that it can be challenging at times when dealing with a creature like Jacque. I think patience is all some animals need to shine in ways that you didn’t expect.”
I nodded as Rayne gave me a half smile, not a flinch in his posture. Rayne had the confidence in his partner enough to know he’d not say something insensitive. “He’s got a little neurological damage. Medicine for it and all that, but he’s my favorite bunny ever.”
“I bet he’s pretty smart under all that static, you know? Harebrained is likely a compliment.” Storm offered Jacque his hand for another stroke and received permission. If he had Jacque’s approval, he had mine.
“I like your boyf—partner—husb—” I stumbled over the words.
“I think we use words like mate around here. But he’s mine and I like him so far.” Rayne nudged Storm with an elbow.
“Enough to have a kid with him, at least,” I said, stifling a snort.
Rayne’s curious gaze landed back on me once more. “Speaking of, where did Buck run off to with my child? Excuse me. Storm, show Cliff around while I find Vida before Buck teaches her how to make human leather or something.”
I pursed my lip, eyes bulging painfully wide. Would he? Nah.
Storm shrugged at me as if he could read my thoughts. “Buck does as he pleases, but if he were to make human leather, there would be a good reason for it.”
“I assume so. That’s more of Grim’s thing, I bet.” The utterance of the old god’s name made Storm hesitate.
“I was told things ended amicably. Grim is with Eve, right?”
“Yeah. Never seen a dude pussy whipped before he even got to see pussy.” I pursed my lips and Storm half smiled.
“It can go many ways when it comes to our mates. I wasn’t sure what Rayne was at first, but he has whipped me, in any case. I’d do anything for him.” Storm glanced off in the direction my brother had waltzed off to.
“I’m beginning to see a lot of it. Buck seems… He seems nice. So far.” I cleared my throat, nervously awaiting Storm’s response.
“Buck is old. Set in his ways. I’ve not seen him so positive in a long time. I see less blood in his heart,” Storm said, thrusting his hands in his pockets, full lips stretching into a wide grin.
I had become so accustomed to ignoring men and their looks that opening my eyes to Buck had let me peer at others differently, and Storm didn’t have any of the features I stereotypically thought of as attractive to me. Still, his smile, full lips, defined jawline, and lean, strong frame piqued in my mind as attractive. I saw the appeal of him but it didn’t do anything for me, like I appreciated him and saw the value of him for my brother. “Blood?”
“He bears the weight of ages. It happens to the best of us. I think you’ll see a different side of Buck than Rayne’s ever seen, and far different from what I’ve seen.” Storm gave Jacque’s head another affectionate rub before glancing about, curiosity bright in his eyes. Jacque squirmed into his touch and flailed a bit, eyes locked on the baby carrier.
“Oh, no.” My face burned with embarrassment for a full five seconds before Storm picked up on Jacque’s intent and opened the baby carrier to let Jacque flail and fight his way into it, nestling happily with his back to Storm’s chest.
“Well, he has his own smarts,” Storm said, giving Jacque a firm pat before removing his hands to see just how far the hare took it. He sat there contentedly, ears risen high.
I got the distinct sensation of smugness and happiness from Jacque. “Yeah, I use buttons mostly to get him to communicate. So, he kinda speaks people.”
“I see.” Storm rubbed between Jacque’s ears and glanced around. “Come, I’ll show you the house. Rayne and I can offer you a room if you don’t mind our little one crying, or we can lend you a packhouse until other arrangements are made.”
I shrugged and followed as Storm walked off, speaking of the history of the land we lived on, the peaches that he brought over, a wild cultivar coming out of hibernation for the year.
“And the farrier school up the way is in my great-great-grandself’s name.” He shot me a wink, and I pondered the meaning.
“You keep on pretending to be your own descendant?”
“It works for me. Most people outside of pack lands wouldn’t recognize me a wink if I changed a little feature or two. Someone up at the courthouse gets me a birth certificate and handles paperwork. Technically, I need to do something soon because I’m supposedly sixty-three in this form.” He approached the big white house, the ashen painted steps creaking minutely under his step before he invited me in to a wave from the past. Everything was kept pristine and museum quality.
“Woah… It’s so well preserved.” I rubbed a hand down a pegged chair rail in the hall and marveled at the authentic staining on the wood.
“It’s restored every so often. I keep the house in a historical trust so it can’t be bulldozed and run amok with taxes.” He waved me off, and I followed, eying all the authentic aspects that reminded me nothing of my brother. Well, that was until Storm showed me the upstairs and into Rayne’s library. “Rayne has his own modifications to his space though.”
I smiled at the cozy modern rug and the more current art amid a mid-century modern desk and technologically inclined accessories. I could practically smell the electricity in the room. “Yep. All Rayne, the dork.”
“My mate is rather passionate about his technology.” Storm’s smile grew dopey and eyes misty before he gestured me out to the downstairs, into the kitchen, and out the back door past a mudroom where I found Buck with Vida curled in his arms while Rayne fussed at the open chicken coop.
Pecker raced around, his feet crowing. My hens! Return to the safe space. You are my small, vulnerable hens. Roost is safe!
The chickens obeyed, clucking among themselves. If rooster says so. I listen. Our rooster is small but he does not rip our feathers out when he shakes tail on our backs.
I stared. I didn’t necessarily think being told he was too small to reach the wet spot was a compliment, but hey, the hens seemed happy.
Vida cooed from Buck’s arms and earned a few kisses to her downy head. Watching him fawn over the little one made a pang of guilt and jealousy burn in me. I had to assess for a moment if I was jealous of an infant, but quickly realized I was no such thing. I was jealous that it wasn’t my baby in his arms. Ours.
Ew. Nah. Nope. Not ever. Never. Mostly ever. Maybe… Someday? I shook my head when my cheeks burned. Fuck whatever hormones these were. I’d never had thoughts like that before.
“Ooh, someone’s jelly,” Rayne snickered, and I glared at him.
“Remember when you were nine, and you got that mini toy car stuck up—” I started, and Rayne screeched.
“No! I don’t remember any such thing. Shoo. Discussion over. Now gimme my baby.” Rayne took Vida back from Buck with a squawk of protest. “When’s Eve coming?”
I shrugged. “Whenever she’s done teaching Grimmy a few lessons, I guess.”
Rayne blanched and sighed. “Well, might as well invite River… He wants baby time too, I assume, and to meet the new aspect.”
“River?” I understood he spoke of another god, one even Grim feared.
“Oh, don’t let the old gods scare you. River is a kookie little peach.” Rayne waved me off as he pulled out his phone and dialed. Three rings in, he canted his head, shoulder pinching the device to his ear. “Yeah, it’s me. Who else you have named Rayne in your phone? Well, check caller ID before you answer it.”
Rayne rolled his eyes and sighed, listening to the other end. “Then have Brook check it.”
Whatever Rayne heard in response soured his face. “Oh, my god! I didn’t need to know that. Okay! I regret calling. Wait, are you two still—”
Ew.
“I was going to invite you over to meet my brother as he’s Buck’s mate, apparently, and spend some time with Vida, but I dunno if I want your nasty asses here, now.” Rayne huffed and sneered at whatever was said. “Just come over. If we’re not here, we’ll be down the pack land.”
He hung up and gave me a sideways sneer before packing his phone away into a pocket. As his shirt rucked up, I noticed his stomach, while flat as it had always been, bore a few dark stretch marks over the sides. “You’ll meet Drowning River and Whispering Brook. They’re mates. River is insane, but he’s good people.”
I dunno if that made me feel better or not.