Chapter Thirteen
If normal life meant giving this up, Pip didn’t want anything to do with it. Sweaty and exhausted, he lay in the Hunter’s arms and contemplated what the future held. Once upon a time, he’d dreamed of going to college and finding what his soul craved. Now he knew.
Education seemed less important than staying by the side of the one he loved. Pip recognized that belief was destructive, but he was sure it was true. College was a great opportunity, which he couldn’t afford, anyway. With no solid career path in mind, it would be a waste of time. Meanwhile, worlds he barely knew existed waited within his reach.
Why would he spend four years of his life accruing debt, only to graduate and join the workforce? Why would he want to keep being normal, average Pip? He’d never been particularly good at anything, but now an extraordinary life lay before him.
The lover of a divine creature.
The partner of a god. A guardian of the gate between worlds.
He was unclear of his role, or that of the Hunter, but nevertheless it all sounded a hell of a lot more interesting than being an accountant or a librarian. Assuming Pip could even get the qualifications to be either of those things.
“Stay the night,” the Hunter invited. They laid naked together on the furs, and the Hunter palmed Pip’s spent cock. Pip pressed into his hand, fully aware he should be tender from that evening’s nonstop sex, but not yet there.
“I don’t think I can,” Pip said. “My aunt and uncle will worry.”
“For one night?”
“Times are different now, Hunter,” Pip said. “Everyone knows where everyone else is all the time. Communication is instant and constant. If I don’t go home, or if I don’t at least tell them where I am, they’ll worry. The night I spent with you already got me in enough trouble.”
The Hunter huffed a laugh. “I suppose I am not used to your attachment to society. There was once a time where Man decided you were a fit sacrifice, you know.”
Pip gulped. He wondered when and where that event took place, but at the same time, wasn’t sure he wanted to think about it.
“Well, that’s going to happen again if I don’t get home and let my aunt and uncle know I’m okay.”
The Hunter’s eyes hardened into coals, and he stopped stroking. Pip sat up, realizing the nuance of what he said was lost. “Sorry. I was trying to be funny. It failed.” He lifted both his hands.
“They will harm you?” the Hunter asked, his tone dark.
“No. No, that isn't going to happen. No one's going to hurt me. I promise.” Pip cupped both sides of the Hunter’s jaw and leaned forward to kiss him. “No one's going to hurt me. I’m safe.”
“I will always worry. They took you from me once. I can’t always be beside you when you walk through the world of Man.”
“They won’t take me from you again,” Pip said. “The worst that’s going to happen is if Oli gets it in his head that I deserve a lesson or something. I think after you rammed into his car, he isn't going to be causing too much trouble for a while.”
“He will protect you.” Waving his hand in the direction of the pup, the Hunter pursed his lips, then shook his head. “It is not my place to harm. My place is to watch. But if anyone thinks they can injure you, I will not be so kind.”
“It won’t happen again,” Pip said. “At least, I hope it won’t. Don’t worry, okay?”
“I will always worry,” the Hunter repeated. This time, it was he who leaned forward and kissed Pip.
Pip’s heart raced, and he wormed closer. All it took was a single touch for the butterflies in his stomach to take flight. “My heart cares too much for you.”
In the stillness, they said their goodbyes, taking longer than necessary to do so. Pip felt drawn to the Hunter as he’d never imagined possible before their first meeting.
The kisses they shared were long and slow, uniting them in passion.
Pip felt the Hunter’s cock harden against him, and before Pip could bring himself to part, they made love one more time among the furs.
Afterward, Pip rose from their bed on wobbling legs and dressed.
The Hunter saw him out through the door, then through the rift between realities, until Pip stood back by the rotten log with the pup on his heels.
Cheeks red and hair mussed, he made his way back through the woods with the little dog in pursuit. Nothing in life was entirely flawless, but Pip felt pretty sure it was on track to being as close to perfect as it was possible to get.
It was getting late in the day, and he expected Aunt Lauren would have left for work already. He also hoped Uncle Joe wasn’t home yet, although he knew it would be a close thing. When he arrived outside the house, Pip stopped short, momentarily stunned to taken aback seeing not one, but two cars in the driveway. His aunt at least should have been out.
“Come here,” Pip whispered. He gathered the animal into his arms and tucked him against his chest. The house lights were on, and he couldn’t think how he’d sneak up to his room with the dog while evading detection.
Going in through the back door wouldn’t cut it—not this time. Boldly entering through the front door and sprinting up the stairs seemed the best plan. He could pass his urgency off by claiming a bad case of diarrhea.
Or something.
Pip scrunched his nose and unlocked the front door, but his plan was foiled and the passage to the stairs blocked by Aunt Lauren and Uncle Joe waiting for him in the front hall.
Taken aback at seeing the dog, Aunt Lauren demanded, “What is that?” She planted her fists on her hips and glared. “Pip?”
“It’s a puppy,” Pip murmured. He shielded the animal from her. No one was going to take the pup from him, not even his aunt. He was a gift from the Hunter, and he would keep Pip safe.
“You know the house rules, Pip,” Aunt Lauren said sternly. “We don’t keep pets here. Puppies are destructive.”
“Not him,” Pip argued. “He’s housebroken already, and he’s quiet. You won’t be able to tell he’s here. You haven’t noticed so far.”
Aunt Lauren’s shoulders tensed, and Pip expected to hear the terms of his punishment next, but to his surprise, Uncle Joe squeezed her shoulder instead. Aunt Lauren looked at him, and Uncle Joe shook his head.
“This isn’t the kind of conversation we should be having right now,” Uncle Joe said. “Let the boy have his puppy, Lauren. At least for now. Lord knows he’s been through enough.”
As if he understood, the pup perked his ears, and his pink tongue rolled out of his mouth.
Uncle Joe shot an understanding smile in Pip’s direction, who wondered if he’d known all along. Uncle Joe had always been far more lenient when it came to bending house rules. Nevertheless, it was Aunt Lauren’s house, too, and Pip tried to be respectful. Grateful they took him in, he seldom pushed at the boundaries.
“What’s going on, then?” Pip asked. “It isn't like you two to party in the hall by the front door. Ummm, or for Aunt Lauren to be home. Is there something happening?”
“There is.” Uncle Joe held out his arm to guide Pip through the open door to the sitting room. “Why don’t you come sit with us and talk?”
Pip wondered if he was in trouble.
“Not with the puppy,” Aunt Lauren said. “It isn't allowed on the furniture. It can stay in your room until we iron out exactly what we’re going to do about it.”
“It’s a he,” Pip said.
“It, he, she, they can stay in your room,” Aunt Lauren said. “Then come join us in the living room.”
A pang of guilt mixed with embarrassment made Pip want to bolt and avoid all future conversation with his relatives, just in case it was about him. They couldn’t possibly know about his new love life and, at eighteen, he had nothing to be ashamed about.
He was sexually active, but he hadn’t left condoms around the house or made a mess with lube. He’d not even snuck men in through his window at night, but the fear remained.
He wasn’t sure if they knew he was gay. It simply wasn’t the sort of conversation they’d have.
Pip made his way up the stairs and deposited the pup on his bed. He paced back and forth, then curled up into a ball and looked up at Pip with his strange eyes.
“I know. You stay here, okay? I’m just going downstairs to talk, and then I’ll be right back up. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Pip scratched him behind the ear, and the pup closed his eyes.
When he went back downstairs, he found his aunt and uncle sitting together on the couch.
Pip sat in the armchair across from them.
Still looking flustered, Aunt Lauren may not have recovered from the shock of meeting the puppy.
Uncle Joe beamed. “So, there are some things going on around here lately,” he began.
Pip shifted nervously in his seat.
“A series of events have unfolded, and your aunt and I have kept them from you.”
“We wanted to be sure,” Aunt Lauren added.
Pip blinked. “A series of events?” he repeated.
“The progression isn’t so important,” Aunt Lauren said. “It’s the conclusion that really counts.”
“Which is?”
Uncle Joe broke out into a toothy grin. “I’ve landed a job in Riverside in a specialized garage offering me twice the salary I make here in Beaumont.”
“And with Riverside being a bigger city, I’m certain to be able to find a job with better hours and better pay,” Aunt Lauren said. “So we’ve decided to accept the job offer and move.”
The great distance to Riverside was about the same length as the gap between how Pip felt and how he thought he ought to feel about this news. Miles.
Riverside was a four-hour drive from Beaumont.
His shoulder blades pinched together, and he sat up a little straighter, hoping to hide his crushing shock. He knew he should be pleased for his aunt and uncle, that they were doing well and their prospects were improving; however, he could only think about how far he’d be from the Hunter.
“We’re moving at the end of the month,” Uncle Joe said. “We’re putting the house here up for sale, and if we can’t find anyone, we’ll rent it out. We already have a home in Riverside we’re looking at. In a few days, once we get this place on the market, your aunt and I are going to make an offer on it.”
“And there’s no better time for us to do this now that you've finished high school.” Engaged fully in the excitement of the conversation, Aunt Lauren seemed to have forgotten the puppy and didn’t notice Pip’s reticence.
“Now our financial prospects are looking up, we’ll be able to send you to community college, Pip. Your aunt has already investigated and found out there are some excellent schools in Riverside. If we talk to admissions, we might be able to get you in soon. If not, you can start in the winter semester. Maybe that would be better, anyway. It would give you time to settle in and find a part-time job.”
Pip looked between the two of them, divided.
“That’s…that’s great,” Pip said. “Congratulations, Uncle Joe.”
“It’s a lot to take in all at once, isn’t it?” Uncle Joe asked.
“Yeah.” Pip bobbed his head, glad for the out. “It is.”
On the one hand, this was exactly the life he’d dreamed about—outside of Beaumont, he wouldn’t need to worry about everyone who’d known him growing up at school. People who knew his history. People like Oli or his goons. He could get the education he’d wanted, even if he wasn't sure what path he’d follow. He could start fresh.
But over the last few days, Pip had started down a new path and begun to form new visions of his perfect future. If he moved, would he have to give it all up?
Life with the Hunter called to him, but how could it continue over the distance? The Hunter would wait as he always had, Pip was sure of that. But Pip didn’t want him to wait. And what about what Pip wanted for himself?
“Why don’t you sleep on it?” Uncle Joe suggested. He took Lauren’s hand. “We’ve had lots of time to think about it and get used to the idea.”
“The excitement is still really fresh for us too, though.” Aunt Lauren positively beamed. “I’m sure after a good night’s sleep, you’ll be ready to start getting your life in order for the big move. Maybe you can start looking into schools, too. You can look into the programs offered, and maybe something will catch your eye and inspire you.”
Pip didn’t need any inspiration. Inspiration thrived just a few miles away, tucked in a place between dimensions, bound to the woods.
He swallowed. “Definitely. I think sleeping on it’s a great idea. Am I excused?”
“I don’t think we had anything else to tell you.” Uncle Joe pursed his lips and looked at Aunt Lauren. “Lauren?”
“The only thing I want to add is if you’re going upstairs, make sure the puppy doesn’t pee on your bed.” She shook a finger in Pip’s direction. “And if he’s up crying through the night, he’ll need to go outside. I don’t care if you think it’s cruel.”
“No. I understand. He won’t.” Pip rose from the armchair, but it felt like he’d left his stomach behind. He couldn’t move. Not now. But it wasn’t like he could stay, either. “Congratulations again.”
Uncle Joe winked. “Life changes fast.”