Chapter 24
Ivan closed the door to his bedroom, pulling Jamie into his arms and hugging him tight, burying his nose in Jamie’s hair.
They left Karl and Kitty playing computer games with Jack, with strict instructions to go to bed at ten. Spencer was having his evening chat with Stefan.
“Hey now, what’s this?” Jamie asked him, wrapping his arms around Ivan.
“I thought I’d lost you,” Ivan said, not lifting his head.
“I’m right here, you didn’t lose me. If anyone should be upset, it’s me.”
Ivan lifted his head and looked at him, confusion on his face. “You?”
Jamie nodded, trying to look serious. “Not only did I get jipped in the no super abilities department, but I can’t even live out my secret fantasy of being a witch.”
Ivan chuckled. “Sorry?”
Jamie tried to scowl. “Why did you phrase that as a question?”
Ivan laughed. “No reason, sweetheart.”
“It’s a good job I think you’re cute and love you, isn’t it?”
Ivan moved his hands and cupped Jamie’s cheeks, smiling a happy, joyful smile. “Just as I love you, my darling.”
“How about we stop the whole talking thing and you ravish me. After our love declaration, ravishing has to happen.”
Ivan’s smile got wider. “Yes, why don’t I?” he replied, dipping his head and kissing Jamie, as he stripped them both before carrying Jamie to bed and totally and completely ravishing him.
It was the ringing of his phone that woke Jamie.
He quietly groaned as he gently untangled himself from Ivan, who was snoring his head off.
Considering it was still dark outside, he wasn’t surprised.
He should still be sleeping, but he had to find his ringing phone before it woke Ivan.
He followed the sound and found it in his discarded jeans pocket.
He saw his father’s name flash up, just as the phone stopped. It started ringing again almost instantly. Jamie rushed into the bathroom, pushing the door closed behind him and answered his phone.
“What do you want? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Where are they?” His father demanded.
“Who?” Jamie asked, feigning innocence.
“Those two wastes of space,” his father said, slurring his words.
“I don’t know any waste of spaces, so I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
“Your useless siblings. Where are they? You took them, I know you did.”
“Why, missing your punching bags?”
“Listen here, you little shit, bring them back now, or you’ll find out what I can really do.”
“That will never happen. Don’t call again, because I won’t answer.” With that, Jamie hung up and put his phone on silent. Straight away, his phone rang again, his father’s name showing, but Jamie just ignored it.
He leant against the sink. Why did his father want Karl and Kitty back home? Maybe he should have asked while his father was on the phone. it couldn’t just be so he could hit them again, could it?
Jamie sighed. Karl and Kitty were never going back to the parents; if needed, he would go to court and apply for full custody of them.
But if they looked at his finances to see if he could afford to look after them properly, would having no money mean they would be sent home, or worse, into care?
Would only being their half-brother affect his chances of getting full custody?
Maybe it was best if he didn’t involve the courts.
He also had no idea how he was going to afford new school uniforms, and all the other bits they needed for school, and pay for his car to be fixed.
He literally had no idea what he was going to do.
Ivan turned over and reached for Jamie, his arm resting on the bed rather than wrapping around his human.
He opened his eyes and looked around, but couldn’t see anything, then he heard Jamie talking in the bathroom. From what he could hear, Jamie was talking to his father. He heard the call end, but Jamie didn’t come back out of the bathroom.
Ivan got out of bed and padded over to the bathroom, gently pushing the door open. “Jay?”
Jamie looked at him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Ivan shook his head and held his hand out. “You didn’t. Come back to bed and tell me what’s troubling you.”
Jamie nodded and took his hand, walking back to bed. He put his phone on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed. Ivan settled next to him, pulling Jamie into his arms and leaning back against the headboard.
Jamie snuggled against his chest. “My father wants Karl and Kitty back. I told him that would never happen, but legally, he’s their dad.
I would apply to get full custody of them, but if they look into my finances and see I don’t have any money, and that I’m only their half-brother, would they deny me custody?
I also have no idea how I’m going to afford everything they need for school,” he confessed softly.
“David has a lot of government contacts in pretty much all departments. If you want legal custody of Karl and Kitty, we can get that sorted. As for having no money, my darling, as soon as we mated, everything I have became half yours. You’ll never be short of money again.
In fact, I transferred five hundred thousand into your bank account yesterday. ”
Jamie gasped and pulled back to look at Ivan. “You what? You can’t do that, that’s way too much money.”
“I can do that, and I have done that. I’ve also set up a monthly direct debit of ten thousand a month for you.”
“Ivannn,” Jamie practically wailed. “That really is too much,” he sniffed. “And now you’ve made me cry.” He threw himself into Ivan’s arms.
Ivan kissed his head. “I would have given you more, but I thought you might complain.”
Jamie kissed his cheek and pulled back. “You can cancel the direct debit, I’ll never spend five hundred thousand.”
“Yeah, you will, long life remember? I also set up accounts for Karl and Kitty, again with monthly direct debits.”
He sniffed and wiped his eyes. “Thank you so much, honey. It’s going to be weird not having to worry about money anymore.”
“We’re all pretty much billionaires, so no one needs to worry about money in our coven.”
Jamie’s mouth dropped open again. “Seriously?”
Ivan nodded and grinned. “Can you imagine living for as long as we do and spending forever broke? Nope, we all have pots of money, and keep making more with investments and bonds, properties, etc.”
“Wow. I have an old car I can share with you, or sell it and you can have whatever money we can get for it.”
“We can look at buying you a new car, my darling.”
Jamie shook his head. “No, I can keep getting that one repaired,” he paused. “Ivan, I did tell you I loved you before you told me you were super rich, didn’t I?”
Ivan laughed and pulled him closer and kissed his forehead. “That you did, my darling.”
“Thank goodness. Did you do your super hacking thing to find my bank account?”
Ivan nodded. “I did indeed. I could have asked you, but that would have spoilt the surprise.”
“I’d say, and I would have spent time trying to talk you out of giving me so much money.”
“That’s why I did it in secret.”
“So apart from money, what do you collect or do for fun?” Jamie asked, resting his head on Ivan's chest.
“I like watching old black and white films, plus B movies. I also like building Lego models.”
Jamie moved so he could see Ivan’s face. “Really?”
Ivan grinned. “Oh yeah, tomorrow I’ll show you my Lego room. But now, let’s settle back down to sleep; we have work in a few hours.”
“You have to kiss me first. I can’t go back to sleep without a kiss.”
Ivan nodded, his smile tender. “Then a kiss you shall have.”