Jason whistled softly as he looked around Lasse’s huge living room. He’d never seen anything like it; but then considering he spent his life moving from one motel to another, it was hardly surprising. The house was by the sea of course, somewhere in Greece, Jason guessed, sensing the faint hint of spices in the air. Everything screamed of comfort from the thick cushioned couches, to the soft wall to wall carpet. The large windows were currently covered by thick dark blue drapes that looked like velvet. Jason could pick up the faint sounds of waves crashing on the beach.
Various items spoke volumes about Lasse’s personality. A range of books filled floor to ceiling bookshelves that almost covered an entire wall. Resting on a stand in one corner of the room was a beautiful cello that looked well-loved. Treasures plucked from the sea, from huge shells to coral encrusted daggers, were scattered on free hanging shelves that were dotted around in what appeared to be a random pattern until Jason looked across the wall and saw the waves of the sea mimicked in their placement.
And in the middle of it all stood the storm. The power emanating from Lasse’s core held an interesting mix of sea and sun. Given his heritage, Jason wasn’t surprised, but he was surprised at the feelings it aroused in him. Is this normal? He asked his animal half.
In the presence of our mate, oooh, yes. If he didn’t know better, Jason would’ve thought his animal side was drunk.
But before he could compliment the man on his home, Lasse snapped out one word. “Talk.”
Jason shared a look with Cerberus who was looking decidedly uncomfortable. Jason wasn’t going to say anything. Family issues came first. Despite spending more centuries than he could count wandering the earth alone, Jason still understand the importance of family. It was why…Jason shook those thoughts from his mind and focused on Cerberus and Lasse.
“Your uncle Hades is missing. He hasn’t been seen anywhere in the underworld for ten days. People are starting to notice.” Cerberus wrung his hands together, misery etched all over his face. “I don’t know who to go to, what to do, but people are asking questions and I’m worried Zeus will hear about it.”
“My father can handle Zeus,” Lasse said firmly. “But there’s no need for it to come to that. Hades has shut himself off before; sometimes going months without seeing anyone. He’s probably doing that now.”
“He’s not anywhere in the Underworld,” Cerberus cried. “I know what you’re saying but even when Hades was shut off, I still knew where he was. I could still talk to him. I’ve got nothing. Our link is dead. Something’s happened to him. You’ve got to believe me.”
“Calm down, Cerberus. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for this.” Jason noticed Lasse glancing his way and he moved closer. Offering support wasn’t listed on his resume, but the fact Lasse turned to him filled Jason with a warm fire in his belly.
“I could go down there and take a look, do some asking around if you like.” Jason couldn’t believe he was offering, but the smile Lasse gave him made up for his discomfort at the thought of being in the Underworld again.
“You’ve got contacts in the Underworld?” Lasse’s grin was teasing. “Maybe you know Sebastian, Thanatos’s son?”
“We’ve met.” They’d done more than that, but Jason wasn’t going to wreck their fragile accord by mentioning it. “I hear he’s finally gotten over Alexander and claimed his true mate.”
“He’s mated to a wolf shifter,” Cerberus nodded eagerly as if happy to contribute to the conversation. “Prince Madison is the leader of the hellhounds now. The appointment has been good for them. They are not as inclined to run amuck like they used to, now they have someone to protect.”
“Is it possible that’s why no one noticed Hades was missing – because the hounds were busy?” Lasse asked. It was a fair enough question, Jason thought. Between Cerberus and the hellhounds, no one got near Hades unless he gave permission. Not even family. But if the hounds were under new rule….
“I’m the one who protects Hades,” Cerberus huffed.
“You protect the gate of the Underworld,” Jason reminded him. “Not Hades personally.”
“You know nothing about the dynamics of the Underworld. Hades and I are close; closer than Lasse and Thor even. I always know where he is. He granted me a mind link with him when you were just a pup. Nothing and no one can break that bond. Something’s happened to him.”
/~/~/~/~/
So much for having a quiet sit down and a get to know you session with my mate. Lasse knew he needed to step in quickly to prevent Cerberus’s inevitable meltdown. In his furry form the man was loyal, devoted to Hades. He’d protected the Underworld for eons. His animal side understood and respected the boundaries in the relationship with his boss and mentor. In his human form, Cerberus was more likely to be jealous; quick to take offense if anyone remotely suggested his bond with the lord of the Underworld was anything less than perfect. Lasse knew his uncle better than most in the family and it was perfectly conceivable Hades had closed off his link to his trusted hound, especially if he was courting someone. Cerberus would have kittens if he suggested that.
“Why don’t you sit down Cerberus; let me make you some tea. I know you’re worried,” Lasse added when Cerberus opened his mouth to complain, “but Hades has been gone ten days already. A few more hours won’t hurt especially when he is more than capable of looking after himself. You’ve had a long trip and I know how you struggle at times with your human form. It was very brave of you to come and find me. I am glad you came to me.”
“You care about Hades. Who else would I turn to? No one understands the master like I do.” Cerberus was sulking. Lasse needed a plan; something that wasn’t easy to come up with when his senses were overwhelmed being so close to his mate.
“I need to talk to Jason for a moment, so we can make plans. Please, just sit.” Lasse pointed to the closest couch. “Jason will come and help me with the tea. We won’t be long and then we can all sit and work out how we’ll find Hades. You have my word.”
Great. Neither Jason nor Cerberus seemed pleased with his orders, but throwing an angry glare at Jason, Cerberus perched himself on the edge of the nearest couch. Jason followed Lasse down the hallway and into his large kitchen. Lasse liked to cook and spent an inordinate amount of time researching the latest in kitchen gadgets. Fortunately, Lasse knew what Cerberus liked and reached for his home made beef broth cubes that he kept specially for furry visitors. The hearty brew would be soothing for man and beast.
“I didn’t realize you were following me today. You must be exceptionally stealthy,” Lasse said quietly after filling a kettle and putting it on the stove to heat. He couldn’t look at Jason or he’d end up on his knees, clinging to the man’s well-fitting pants begging the man not to leave. “Of course, I had to wonder why you followed me at all, after what you said last night. But I am glad you’re here. I owe you an apology for interrupting you while you were working. It was unfair of me to do that. I worried that you might have thought I was judging you, but please don’t think badly of me. I swear I was just so shocked at finding my mate. Pleasantly shocked that is.”
“I treated you badly,” Jason said keeping his voice low as well. Cerberus was known for his acute hearing. “It is I who should apologize. My pride got the better of me and I reacted without thinking. I confess, I imagined in that split second when I became aware of who you were to me, I…well…it’s hard to explain but I don’t have a reputation for being a nice person. I guess I needed you to see me as the bastard I am. I knew from just looking into your eyes you were far too good a man for me.”
Lasse turned from where he was stirring Cerberus’s tea. Jason’s arms were rigid across his chest and he was chewing the corner of his bottom lip. He’s coming across as intimidating because he’s nervous of my reaction. The clamp on Lasse’s heart loosened. “You have me at a disadvantage,” he teased lightly. “You seem to know a lot about me and who I am, but I don’t recall meeting you before. I heard the audience members at the fight club refer to you as Jason, yet Cerberus and Thor both called you Ja. Which name do you prefer?”
“I am Jaxarinth Savopoulos. My current human ID is in the name of Jason Savo. But those in the paranormal world who are aware of my existence know me simply as Ja.”
“It is not a name I recall from my studies.” Abandoning the tea, Lasse moved forward, the tenuous connection he felt between them strengthening as he got closer. “Who are you or should I say, what are you? I can sense you house a powerful animal form in that sexy body of yours, yet it’s not one I’ve ever come across before.”
Jason flinched. “It is unlikely you would’ve unless you were in Egypt roughly seven Millenia ago. Most of my family were killed in the last Great War between the ancient gods. My sister and I were the only two of our kind who survived. My sister could not endure life without her mate. She now guards the giant pyramid at Giza, in her stone form.”
Lasse reached out slowly, as though to a frightened horse and lightly caressed Jason’s shoulder. “Her stone form? She’s the great sphinx? You and your sister are the last of your kind? By the Fates, life must have been lonely for you.”
“Don’t pity me.” Jason turned but he didn’t dislodge Lasse’s hand, which Lasse took as a positive sign. “The only reason I walk the earth is because of the vow my sister insisted I make before she left me.”
Something was niggling the back of Lasse’s mind. “Didn’t I read recently that archeologists believe they’ve found a second sphinx statue some miles from your sister’s resting place? Is that another relative of yours? Is it the way of your kind to revert to stone form when you pass on?”
“We can change into stone at any time; it’s a way of protecting ourselves from pain and injury. Usually it’s a very short term thing, done somewhere where no one can see us. I was the one who buried my sister, at her request. She made a vow never to change back shortly after she elicited my vow from me. Once a sphinx makes a vow, they never break it. I did all I could at the time to keep her hidden, but humans dug her up anyway. The shifting sands weren’t helpful in her desire to hide away.”
Tears pricked the back of Lasse’s eyes and he gave into the urge he had since hearing Jason’s voice. Uncaring if Jason was receptive or not, Lasse threw his arms around Jason’s shoulders, pressing his body against his mate’s side. His mind took him back to the last time he’d visited the great pyramids of Egypt. He hadn’t stayed long. The hordes of tourists, the Golden Arches and shops made a joke of what was someone’s final resting place and at the time he’d only been thinking of King Khufu.
But he remembered feeling sorry for the statue of the Sphinx. At the time he imagined it was an epic work from a team of skilled artisans. Now exposed to the elements it was only a matter of time before it succumbed to erosion despite man’s efforts to save her. To imagine someone, a heartbroken young woman trapped in the confines of that stone; aware of the travesty that plagued what would have been a quiet place long ago, was more than his heart could bear. He had a million questions, the one in the forefront of his mind concerning dates of origin and why the sphinx was depicted with a male face. But his mate was hurting and likely feeling vulnerable. Now wasn’t the time. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“I knew you had a kind heart,” Jason scoffed. The hand on Lasse’s hair was clumsy and a little rough, but Jason didn’t pull away. Instead the man turned and Lasse felt the evidence of his arousal rubbing against his own erection. “I had no idea I could feel this way,” Jason groaned as he increased the pressure of his hips.
“You’ve never rubbed off on anyone before?” Lasse didn’t try and hide his surprise. Maybe he is straight?
“I know what to do with this.” Jason rolled his hips and it was Lasse’s turn to groan. “It’s what you’re doing to my heart I’m unsure of.”
The words were whispered but Lasse heard them loud and clear through his lust and his own heart responded. He’d never heard of Jason before; wasn’t even aware a sphinx still lived, but he understood in that moment, no matter what his reputation said about the man, Jason was trusting him with something truly precious. The key to his heart.
Jason’s breath was warm on his face; his dark eyes holding a touch of wonder and a ton of lust. This close, Lasse noticed things he’d missed before. The sharp scar cutting Jason’s left eyebrow, the slight flare of his nostrils and the sensuous curve of his bottom lip. Lasse didn’t think about it. He pressed forward, desperate for his first taste. Jason seemed shocked by the move; as though he’d never kissed a man intimately before, but Lasse persisted, keeping his movements gentle even while every cell in his body screamed at him to stake his claim on this enigmatic man.
His mate wasn’t a full-lipped twink; he wasn’t a tiny man Lasse could hold in the palm of one hand. There wasn’t an ounce of softness under Lasse’s questing fingers. Jason was every inch a warrior and when he took over their kiss, Lasse parted his lips easily as their kiss morphed from gentle and sweet to a clash of lips, teeth and tongues.
Clothing became an unnecessary nuisance, especially around the groin area. Forcing his hand between their bodies, Lasse tugged at Jason’s zipper and then his own. The relief as his heated length brushed against Jason’s forced a groan muffled by Jason’s tongue. Fumbling like an untried teenager, Lasse finally got both lengths firm within his grasp. They were well matched in length and girth. A tremor ran through Jason’s body and within seconds both men were thrusting into Lasse’s grip.
“Harder, faster.” Lasse’s bottom lip stung from Jason’s bite and he tightened his grip on their cocks. Neither men were circumcised, and Lasse longed to explore the joys of docking but now wasn’t the time. Not when heat spun up his spine and his balls were already tight enough to blow. Jason tugged on his hair and growled deep and low into Lasse’s mouth and that was all it took. With a final slide and a squeeze, Lasse’s balls let go and his cock erupted. The sticky warmth was doubled as Jason wrenched his lips clear and buried his face in Lasse’s shoulder. The shoulders under Lasse’s hand trembled.
“Sainted Ra, that was intense,” Jason huffed. “I can’t wait to bury myself inside of you and claim you in the way of my kind.”
Lasse’s sphincter clenched in anticipation. He was about to mutter something along the same lines when the sound of a throat clearing brought him back to where they were. In the kitchen; their abs coated in spunk and Cerberus eyeing them from the kitchen door.
“As entertaining as your little show was,” Cerberus scowled. “Do you think I can have my tea now, after you’ve washed your hands and maybe we can get back to what’s important, like Hades’ disappearance?”
Jason growled, his fists clenched, but Lasse held him tight. He wasn’t going to let Jason fight Cerberus especially when the snotty hound was right. This wasn’t the time; not when the aftershocks of their first joint orgasm were still pinging around his body. But as he hunted around for a cloth to clean them, Lasse prayed Hades would be found quickly. One taste of his warrior mate was never going to be enough.