Chapter Twelve #2
Sobek’s hands were actually trembling slightly on the table.
“Well, second time actually, because the first time you were wrapped up in kids and I didn’t really notice your light.
But that second time, when I bought Tim back…
what that means is that I’m bound to you.
I have been since that first day when you opened your door with Rose hanging off your arm and Jack hiding behind your legs. ”
Rudy’s brain stuttered. “You’re saying we’re...what, soulmates? Like in those paranormal romance books I read?”
“I haven’t read them, so I can’t be sure, but the soul mate’s description is close enough to be accurate, yes.”
“But I’m not a paranormal. I’m fully human.” Rudy might like to dream at times what it would be like to be uber good-looking, or have fantastic strength, or simply be able to click his fingers and have a burger appear. But his life didn’t work like that.
“It doesn’t matter. Once we complete the claiming, you’ll become immortal.
Because Jack, Rose, and Timothy will become our offspring then, they’ll become immortal as well.
Being shifters, there’s a good chance they’ll find their own fated mates once they become adults.
But they’ll be immortal anyway, as the children of a god. ”
The room spun again, and Rudy gripped the table to the point where his knuckles were white. “Immortal. The kids could be immortal.”
“I can promise you they’ll never be hunted again, and they’ll never lose another family. They’ll be protected for eternity.”
“That’s...” Rudy’s throat closed as he tried to swallow around the lump in there. “That’s everything I’ve wanted for them. Safety. Forever.”
“I can give you that.” Sobek leaned forward, and Rudy would have to be blind to miss the hope in his eyes.
“I know an ancient god doesn’t mean much in the modern world, but I can protect all of you.
I will keep you safe. Timothy can learn what it means to be a crocodile.
Jack can understand his wolf. Rose can embrace her panther without fear. We can make sure of that.”
Rudy stared at the man - his god - who’d been visiting every day for weeks, bringing gifts, fixing things, and playing with his kids like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“So you knew what they were this whole time?” The question came out sharper than intended. “You’ve already been helping them and...and I had no idea?”
Sobek flinched. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Hurt shot a pain through Rudy’s chest. “Why did you let me keep thinking they had skin conditions and weird teeth and…”
“I tried to tell you that first day.” Sobek’s voice roughened. “I said they were shifters, and you thought I was insulting them. You got defensive and protective, and I saw how much you loved them, how fiercely you defended them, and I...” He broke off. “I was afraid.”
What the fuck? “Afraid of what?”
“That you’d send me away. That you’d choose your comfortable human existence over the complications of the paranormal world.
” Sobek’s hands clenched and loosened again.
“After that first conversation, I thought about telling you every single day. Every morning I’d wake up determined to explain everything, and every time I saw you I’d lose my nerve. ”
“Why?”
“Because I was genuinely terrified you’d reject me.
” The words burst out in a flash of emotion Rudy hadn’t seen in Sobek until now.
“You’re my mate, Rudy. My mate. I don’t expect you to understand what that means, but you’re the only person in thousands of years who’s made me want to stay in one place.
Who’s let me imagine a future with a family.
I’ve existed for millennia alone, and then suddenly there you were, covered in paint with a toddler hanging off you and chaos in every corner of your house, and I knew I’d do anything to be part of that chaos. ”
Rudy let out a long breath. “So you lied to me.”
“I omitted the truth.” Sobek’s shoulders sagged.
“Which is essentially the same thing, I know. But once we started growing closer, once the children began bonding with me, I couldn’t risk losing all of you.
I told myself I’d wait for the right moment.
I was hoping I could build enough trust in you that you wouldn’t panic when I explained. ”
“And then Timothy forced your hand.”
“Yes, he did.” Sobek met his eyes. “And I don’t regret it.
If you’d walked into the hospital with Tim in the state he was in this evening, they’d have taken him away from you, and chances are they’d have taken the other kids, too.
They’d be taken away to be lab rats, kept in a cage, frightened and alone all over again, while you spent every cent and every ounce of energy fighting a system that just doesn’t care. I was not going to let that happen.”
Rudy looked toward the living room where his three children slept peacefully on the couch.
Jack’s wolf ears had retracted, but his face still held a furry edge.
Rose’s claws had disappeared, but her movements remained feline even in sleep.
Rudy realized he’d always thought that about her, but now he knew it was obvious.
Timothy’s scales gleamed softly, his small crocodile form rising and falling with each breath.