Chapter Seventeen
“The foundation is compromised.”
Rudy looked up from where he was sorting through the children’s outgrown clothes. “What do you mean?”
“The foundation of this house.” Sobek tapped his foot against the floor. “It’s cracking in at least six places. And the electrical system is a fire hazard waiting to happen. Don’t even get me started on the plumbing after that burst pipe.”
“We fixed the pipe.”
“We fixed one pipe.” Sobek crossed his arms. “The rest of the system is fifty years old and corroding. Rudy, this house needs serious work.”
“I know, I know.” Rudy returned to folding small shirts. “I’ve been saving up to hire contractors, but I’ve been a bit wary about having workmen here, and with three kids, the finances…”
“Let me fix it.”
Rudy’s hands stilled. “Fix what exactly?”
“Everything.” Sobek moved closer. “The foundation, the wiring, the plumbing, the roof that’s missing twelve shingles, the HVAC system that sounds like it’s dying every time it turns on…”
“Okay, okay, I get it.” Rudy set down the shirt. “But contractors are expensive, Sobek. With the kids only just learning to control their shifts, I’m not sure having strange people around the house…”
“I wouldn’t use contractors.” Sobek knelt beside him. “I’d use the powers I came into being with.”
Rudy blinked…and then blinked again. “You want to fix the house with magic.”
“I’m a god, Sunshine. I can reshape matter with a thought.” He caught Rudy’s hand. “You’ve worked so hard for so long, and you’ve done an amazing job. But you have me in your life now. Let me take care of this. Let me make sure our home is safe and solid.”
Through their bond, Sobek felt Rudy’s resistance - not to the idea itself, but to accepting help of any kind.
Rudy took a lot of pride in what he’d achieved, and rightly so, but Sobek needed him to understand he wasn’t alone anymore.
He had a god standing by his side, ready to do his bidding - within reason, of course - but Sobek wanted his family safe and happy above anything else.
“I don’t want a fancy mansion,” Rudy said finally. “Or some weird temple thing with gold everywhere and…”
“It’ll look like a regular house. It’ll look like this house.” Sobek brought Rudy’s knuckles to his lips. “I promise. Just better. Safer. Stronger.”
Rudy studied him for a long moment. “Can you really fix everything with magic?”
“In about three hours.” Sobek could probably replace the whole house in less time than it took for Rudy to make coffee, but he didn’t want to overwhelm his mate, and doing something so quickly would appear frivolous. Sobek needed Rudy to trust his version of renovations.
“The whole thing in three hours?” Rudy glanced around the room, and then shook his head. “That’s...ridiculous.”
“That’s just part of being an ancient god.” Sobek grinned. “An ancient god who is completely devoted to my mate’s comfort.”
“You’re going to spoil us. I can see that coming.”
“Absolutely.” Sobek kissed him properly. “That’s the entire point.”
Rudy laughed against his mouth, then pulled back. “Fine. But I’m warning you now, I like the paint colors in the hallway.”
Sobek glanced toward the doorway, where three different shades of green fought with purple and orange in a combination that made his eyes water. “You mean those paint colors?”
“They’re cheerful.”
“They’re chaotic.”
“Exactly.” Rudy stood and pulled Sobek up with him. “So they stay. And I want to add more.”
More. Sobek’s crocodile whimpered at the thought, but his heart swelled with affection. If his mate wanted rainbow chaos, then rainbow chaos it would be.
“Deal,” he said.
/~/~/~/~/
An hour later, Rudy sat on the front porch with all three children, a picnic blanket spread out and sandwiches distributed. Rose wore her golden tiara. Jack clutched his wolf figurine. Timothy wouldn’t stop staring at the house.
“Sobek’s gonna make the house better?” Timothy asked for the fourth time.
“That’s what he said.” Rudy bit into his sandwich. “It should be interesting to watch.”
“Can he make my room purple?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
Rose bounced in place. “I want more pink.”
“Also, something you’ll have to ask him.” Rudy ruffled her curls. “But right now, we’re eating lunch and staying out of his way.”
Jack frowned toward the house. “What if something goes wrong?”
“Nothing will go wrong.” Rudy squeezed his shoulder. “Sobek knows what he’s doing. Just think of it as his version of play time.”
/~/~/~/~/
Through their bond, Sobek felt his mate’s absolute trust and nearly lost his concentration. He stood in the center of the gutted house - he’d cleared everything out first, storing their belongings in the ether - and let his power flow.
The foundation had to be strengthened and fixed first. Sobek sank his awareness deep into the earth, finding every crack, every weakness, and any point where the foundation could weaken or fail.
Then he simply...remade them. New concrete poured itself through magic, reinforced with wards that would last a millennium.
The house would survive hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods, ensuring nothing would touch his family.
The electrical system had to be tackled next.
Sobek was not an expert. He had no idea what modern electrical codes were or even what they meant.
But the Paulie app did. With a combination of the app’s guidance and his powers, Sobek replaced every wire, outlet, and fixture, and then added surge protection, backup generators that would activate automatically in an outage, and emergency lighting throughout.
Sobek had already had his hands on the plumbing, and he was adept at water issues.
New pipes materialized, and copper and PVC arranged in efficient networks that absolutely would not leak.
He upgraded the water heater, installed a whole-house filtration system, and then, because he could, he added a second bathroom upstairs because watching Rudy juggle three children and one bathroom every morning had been an exercise in patience.
New shingles appeared on the roof, the walls were insulated, and Sobek remembered to put vents in the attic, which would keep that area temperature controlled as well.
The HVAC got an upgrade with zones for each room and air purification built in.
Shifters had sensitive noses, so that would help as the kids got older.
As much as Sobek would love to see his family in a smarter house, he was mindful that the house had been Rudy’s decision, and the kids were comfortable here - it represented a home to them, too.
So he reinforced the windows but kept their original style, and while he replaced the mechanisms on the doors, he kept them the same as well.
Rudy loved his house exactly as it was, and now Sobek could feel more comfortable there knowing it was safer.
Now for the fun part. Sobek rubbed his hands together as he made his way through each room, repainting walls with a thought.
He brightened Rudy’s chaotic living room scheme, and added swirls of color in the hallways that would never be approved by an interior designer, but would hopefully make Rudy smile.
The master bedroom was painted in deep blues and greens that reminded him of water.
Sobek eyed the bed, and quickly swapped out the mattress for something thicker, and made the base a lot sturdier.
It can’t be good for the little ones, hearing the headboard bang on the wall each night.
Yes, he was grinning, but Sobek still had work to do.
He could test their new bed later when the kids were in bed.
Rose’s room turned cotton-candy pink with climbing holds built into one wall, leading up to a carpeted platform near the ceiling where she could perch in her panther form. He added soft padding below and made sure every surface would stand up to shifter claws.
Jack’s room got a cozy den built into the closet, completely soundproofed, with cushions and low lighting, where a wolf pup could hide and feel safe. The walls were forest green with small painted trees, and Sobek added a window seat wide enough for curling up.
Timothy’s room...hmm…Sobek paused. Timothy’s room needed something special. Sobek loved all the children equally, but Timothy was closest to his animal side, and he’d spent too long being scared his home would be taken away from him…again.
Smiling as he pictured Tim’s reaction, Sobek raised one wall by three feet, then created a shallow pool along the floor.
It wasn’t huge, only eighteen inches deep, and Sobek lined it with smooth stones, before making sure it was temperature controlled and connected to the new filtration system.
A small waterfall trickled from one corner.
Timothy could sleep in his crocodile form if he wanted, or shift back and climb into the regular bed Sobek positioned on a raised platform.
He stepped back, examining his work, and felt Rudy’s curiosity through their bond.
I’m almost done, he sent.
You’ve been in there for two hours.
I told you three.
Rudy’s affection flooded back. Are you sure you’re not showing off? Remember no columns or gold.
Sobek grinned and headed outside through the back door.
It was the backyard that needed the most work.
The grass was well over ankle deep, but Sobek ignored it and let his power sink deep into the soil beyond.
The earth moved, reshaping itself according to his will.
A natural pond system emerged - not a pool, but something that looked like it had always been there.
Forty feet long, fifteen feet wide, and plenty deep enough for a full-grown crocodile to submerge completely.
He lined it with river stones and added aquatic plants that would thrive in Louisiana’s climate.
A small beach area formed at one end, perfect for Timothy to sun himself and for Rose and Jack to have fun in the sand.
At the other end, he conjured a gentle waterfall fed by a hidden reservoir that would automatically maintain water levels and temperature.