Chapter Eighteen #2
Sobek’s answer was the thick head of his cock pressing against Rudy’s entrance. And then, with one deep, relentless thrust, he was inside again, filling Rudy so completely it stole his breath.
“Fuck…yes…”
Sobek set a punishing pace, each snap of his hips driving Rudy into the mattress. The bed creaked beneath them, the sound mixing with the slick, wet noises of their bodies and the ragged cries falling from Rudy’s lips.
“Harder,” Rudy gasped, his fingers clutching at the sheets. “I can take it…”
Sobek groaned, his grip on Rudy’s hips tightening to the point of pain. And then he gave Rudy what he asked for. The headboard slammed against the wall with each movement, the sound a staccato rhythm that matched the pounding of Rudy’s heart.
Rudy could feel his orgasm building, coiling tight in his gut.
Sobek’s free hand snaked beneath him, wrapping around his cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts.
The dual sensation sent Rudy over the edge with a cry, his body clenching around Sobek as he came for the third time, his vision whiting out as a slightly painful drizzle dribbled from his dick.
Sobek followed with a deep, guttural groan, his release filling Rudy as he buried himself to the hilt, his body shuddering with the force of his climax.
For a long, breathless moment, neither of them moved. Sobek remained buried inside him, his chest heaving against Rudy’s back. Finally, with a groan, he pulled out, rolling onto his side and pulling Rudy with him so they were tangled together, skin to skin.
Rudy sighed, his body limp with satisfaction. His muscles ached in the best way, his skin still buzzing from the aftershocks of pleasure. He could feel Sobek through their bond - warmth, contentment, a deep, possessive satisfaction that mirrored his own.
Sobek pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, his arms tightening around him. “You’re incredible.”
Rudy huffed a tired laugh. “You’re one to talk.”
“I need to do more work on the headboard.”
“Huh?” That was the last thing Rudy had been thinking about.
“I thought I’d made it sturdy enough so it wouldn’t bang on the wall. I was wrong.”
Rudy sighed. “I’m happy to keep testing your improvements to it,” he mumbled.
Sobek chuckled, the sound a low rumble against Rudy’s back. They lay there in comfortable silence for a long moment, their breaths slowly evening out. Rudy traced idle patterns over Sobek’s forearm, his mind drifting as the post-sex haze began to lift.
A thought, small and insistent, wormed its way into his brain. The kids. School. Rudy sighed, the sound more frustrated than he intended.
Sobek’s arms tightened fractionally. “What’s wrong?”
Rudy hesitated. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, didn’t want to bring the real world intruding into their perfect, intimate bubble. But the worry had taken root, and now it was gnawing at him.
He turned slightly in Sobek’s arms so he could see his face. “It’s about the kids.”
Sobek’s expression darkened, his crocodile instincts already bristling at the perceived threat. “What about them?”
Rudy chewed on his lip. “Seeing them outside today…I was thinking about them going to school…a regular school. I have been putting off enrolling Jack, although he would be due to start kindergarten this fall, but how the hell are any of them supposed to go when they might shift during math classes or grow claws during show-and-tell because someone took their last pencil or climb the walls during gym because they can?”
Sobek was quiet for a long moment, his fingers tracing slow circles on Rudy’s back. “They’re not going to be able to go to school - not until they are a lot older, and maybe not even then.”
Rudy’s chest tightened. He’d known, logically, that regular school wasn’t an option as soon as he learned the truth about his children’s quirks. But hearing it said out loud made it real. “So what, they just…never get an education? Never have friends their own age?”
Sobek was quiet for a long moment. “There are other options.”
Rudy propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at him. “Like what?”
Sobek’s gaze was distant, thoughtful. “You’re not the only one with a new family, Rudy. The gods…a lot of them have found their mates in the last few years. Some of them have children - shifters, or half-gods, or other paranormal beings. They can’t go to regular schools either.”
Rudy’s pulse jumped. “You’re saying…there are other kids, like ours.”
Sobek nodded. “Zeus’s mate, Paulie, they’ve got a son.
I’m not sure if he can shift, but Paulie is a half-shifter and a demi-god.
Poseidon’s mate, Claude, is a wolf shifter and actually the alpha of his own pack.
They’ve got…two children, I think. Then there’s Owen and his mate, Baby.
I’m fairly sure all three of their children can shift.
“Ra, the father of the Egyptian pantheon, has a daughter, and Thor and his mate Orin have two sons. Orin is another cat shifter, actually. A sand cat. Anubis and his mate Loki have not long had a set of twins…and those are just the ones I can think of in the moment.
“There are more, and what’s good about that is that they understand the stress of keeping their children hidden from unkind eyes. With a bit of effort, there could be playdates at the very least, which would be a great way for our kids to be around others like them.”
The weight on Rudy’s chest lessened. “Do you think they’d be open to that?”
Sobek’s expression softened. “I think…we’re not the only ones who’ve been searching for a way to give our children a normal life.
Or as normal as possible, given the circumstances.
” He cupped Rudy’s face, his thumb brushing over his cheekbone.
“And I think…it’s not just about the kids.
You need this too. You need to know they’ll be okay.
That they’ll have a normal future – as normal as they can be as shifters. ”
Rudy swallowed hard, his throat suddenly tight. He’d spent so long just trying to survive, to give the kids a safe, stable home. He hadn’t let himself think too far ahead, hadn’t let himself imagine what their lives could be like beyond just…getting through the day.
But Sobek was right. They deserved more than that. The kids deserved to be around others like them. They had a right to live without feeling as if they had to hide, or as if there was anything wrong for being who they were.
“And you?” Rudy asked softly. “What do you need?”
Sobek’s eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a low growl. “You. Them. This.” He gestured around them - the room, the house, the life they were building. “A family. A home. I didn’t realize that was all I ever wanted until I had it, and now I’ll never let it, or you, go.”
Rudy’s heart ached. He could feel the truth of Sobek’s words through their bond, deepened by the incredible love Sobek had for him and their kids.
The ancient god had spent so long alone, because that’s how he expected to live his life, never putting down roots and just moving from place to place. But now he had a home…now he had them.
Rudy leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Sobek’s lips. “We’ve got it too,” he whispered. “All of it. Thanks to you.”
Sobek’s arms tightened around him, pulling him down until Rudy was sprawled across his chest, his head resting on Sobek’s shoulder. They lay there in silence for a long moment, the steady beat of Sobek’s heart beneath Rudy’s ear.
“I’ll reach out to the others,” Sobek said finally. “See who’s open to visits. We can start small…playdates, maybe, to see how the kids get along. And if it works…” He trailed off, but Rudy knew what he meant.
If it worked, their kids might just get the childhood they deserved. One where they didn’t have to hide. One where they could be themselves.
Rudy sighed, his body relaxing against Sobek’s. The worry wasn’t completely gone, but it was easier to bear now because he wasn’t bearing it alone.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
Sobek pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You never have to thank me, mate. Not for this. Not for anything.”
Rudy smiled, his fingers tracing idle patterns over Sobek’s chest. He could feel the bond between them, warm and steady, like a second heartbeat.
He hadn’t known he’d been lonely until Sobek had crashed into his life - until he’d had someone to share the burden with.
The fear, the love, the responsibility of it all.
And now…now he had forever. Him, Sobek, and the kids made such a wonderful family. Rudy tilted his head up, capturing Sobek’s lips in another kiss. This one was slow, deep, full of promise. When he pulled back, he grinned.
“Now. How long do we have before the kids wake up?”
Sobek’s eyes gleamed with understanding. His hand slid down, gripping Rudy’s hip possessively. “Long enough.”
Rudy laughed, the sound muffled against Sobek’s chest. “Good. Because I really feel like I could do with another bath.”