Chapter Thirteen #2
“Avoid other people altogether so the nosy questions don’t crop up, as a rule.
A number of my kin and mated gods from other pantheons, live in rural locations or small towns.
” Sobek stroked his thumb along Rudy’s cheekbone.
“Most paranormals just claim their mates and worry about the details later.”
“What do you want?”
“I want whatever makes you happy.” Sobek meant that from the bottom of his soul.
“If you want all the human customs like a fancy wedding with flowers and cake and all your friends around, I’ll arrange it.
If you want us to claim each other tonight and tell people we eloped, that works too.
I don’t care about ceremonies. I don’t want to offend you, but they’re a human construct. I care about you.”
Rudy’s eyes softened. “I care about you, too. So much I can barely think straight half the time.”
“Good.” Sobek pulled Rudy closer. “One more thing you should know.”
“There’s more?”
“Hmm…male pregnancy.” Sobek felt Rudy stiffen, which was totally understandable, so he hurried to explain.
“I’m not sure if your fiction books ever covered that, but the Mother of All Things decided that male mates of gods should be able to conceive children.
It’s a blessing, not a requirement. Some couples choose it, others don’t.
But it’s possible, if we want more children someday. ”
Rudy stared. “You’re saying I could get pregnant?”
“Or I could.” Sobek shrugged. “Gods can carry children, too. It’s entirely up to us.”
“How does that even work? I’m fairly sure neither one of us has the right bits.”
“Magic.” At Rudy’s expression, Sobek smiled.
“I’m serious. The Mother of All Things wove the blessing into the mate bonds.
The mechanics of who does what to who doesn’t matter.
The secret to getting pregnant for gods and their same-sex partners is the intent behind the acts they’re already doing and enjoying. ”
“Intent. Right.” Rudy processed that silently. Then he asked, “Would you want more kids?”
“With you? Definitely.” Sobek didn’t hesitate. “But we already have three children who need us. If you never want more, I’m content with our family as it is.”
“I never thought I’d have any kids.” Rudy’s voice went soft.
“I was just...existing, you know? Working a job I hated, living in a tiny apartment, I had no real direction. Then I won the lottery and thought maybe I could do something good with it. Buy a house, maybe volunteer somewhere. Then Rose happened, and suddenly I was a parent. Then Jack. Then Timothy. And I’ve never been happier or more terrified in my life. ”
“Tell me about before.” Sobek shifted so Rudy sat between his legs, back against his chest. “You said you won the lottery?”
“Five million dollars.” Rudy leaned into him.
“Not the biggest jackpot, but it was life-changing for someone like me. I’d bought the ticket on a whim - literally spent my last five dollars on it because I was so tired of being broke.
I woke up the next morning, checked the numbers online, and just...
stared. It took me three days to believe it was real. ”
“What did you do?”
“Hired a lawyer, took the lump sum, paid the taxes, and invested most of it conservatively.” Rudy’s fingers traced patterns on Sobek’s forearm.
“I’m not rich-rich, but I never have to work again if I’m careful.
So I quit my job at the retail store that I hated, bought this house because it was cheap and isolated, and figured I’d...
I don’t know. I figured I could fix this house up while I worked out what I wanted. ”
“And then you found Rose?”
“Three days after I moved in. I drove to town for groceries, stopped at a gas station, and heard crying behind the dumpster.” Rudy’s voice cracked.
“She was so small. Just sitting there in a dirty diaper, with no shoes on, and crying. I looked around for her parents, waited twenty minutes, and asked inside. Nobody knew anything about a baby. So I... took her.”
“You saved her.” Sobek could almost see the scene in his mind’s eye.
“Technically, I stole her. I should have called the police and let them handle it. But I looked at her and thought, what if they put her in the system? What if nobody wants her? So I brought her home, bought supplies in the next town over, and became a parent overnight.”
Sobek pressed a kiss to Rudy’s temple. “Definitely the best thing to do for a small shifter child, even if you didn’t know about that then.” It would seem the Fates had been playing a part in Rudy’s life for quite some time.
“Jack was around six months later. I heard something in the woods behind the house one night - a mix of howling and crying. For some reason, I couldn’t ignore it, so I went out looking and found him curled under a tree, barefoot, freezing, and absolutely terrified.
He wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t even tell me his name.
All he was doing was crying and shaking.
I brought him inside, fed him, bathed him, and he didn’t let go of me for two days straight. ”
Yep, the Fates were definitely interfering, but Sobek didn’t say so. As far as he was concerned, it all worked out in the end. “He felt safe with you, too.”
“Or he was too scared to be alone.” Rudy exhaled.
“That time, I did try to find his family. I called around agencies and authorities, checked missing persons reports, and did all I could, but it was like he appeared out of nowhere. Eventually I just... kept him. I got him a fake birth certificate through some questionable channels, registered him as mine, and did the same for Rose. According to the paperwork, both children are mine.”
“And what about your young crocodile?”
“That was later…about a year ago. I was walking the property line and saw him sitting by your pond. He was completely still, completely silent, just...there. Like he was waiting for someone who wasn’t coming.
” Rudy’s voice dropped. “He was so little. And when I asked if he was lost, he just looked at me with these huge eyes and didn’t say a word.
I couldn’t leave him there. I knew the house was empty at the time, and I just couldn’t…
. So I brought him home, just like the others, and did what I could to help them. ”
Sobek held Rudy tighter. “You gave them everything.”
“They gave me purpose.” Rudy turned in Sobek’s arms. “I was just drifting before them. Now I have a reason to wake up every morning. A reason to be a better person. They needed me, and I needed them, and that was enough.”
“And now you have me.”
“And now I have you,” Rudy agreed, cupping Sobek’s face. “An ancient Egyptian crocodile god who brings me fish, fixes my plumbing, and loves my kids.”
“Our kids,” Sobek corrected.
Rudy smiled. “Our kids.”
They sat in comfortable silence, holding each other. Outside, night sounds drifted through the windows - crickets, frogs, the rustle of leaves. Inside, their family slept safely.
“I have one more question,” Rudy said eventually.
“Anything.”
“When do you think we can do the claiming thing? You mentioned sex, and I know for a fact that if there’s a night when all three children sleep right through, that’s a gift. But they’re asleep now…and I’m very interested in that part.”
Sobek groaned. “You’re going to destroy me.”
“That’s the plan.” Rudy kissed his jaw as if testing it was something Sobek wanted. “So when?”
“Whenever you want.” Sobek pulled Rudy onto his lap properly, looking at those lips that had been tempting him for weeks. “Tonight, tomorrow, next week. That will always be your choice.”
“How about tonight?”