Chapter Two
Emesh felt his twin’s immediate, aggressive response and sent him a frantic plea. Don’t hurt him. He’s only protecting himself. He attempted to tone down his alarm. If he’s my Chosen, we have to play nice. I don’t want to start out on the wrong foot.
Look at the guy’s face, brother, Enten scoffed. It’s pretty obvious there’s no right foot.
Despite his brother’s assertion and the trepidation moving up his spine, Emesh came out from behind the bushes slowly, eyes locked on the ground, hands held palms up in supplication. He stopped a few feet into the clearing and took a deep breath. Sweet gods, it had been too long since he’d walked the earth.
The air smells so good. Emesh filled lungs which had not expanded for hundreds of years. It took all his strength not to cry. He questioned his brother. How do you keep from laying on the earth and grabbing the soil and grass with both hands? He wanted to know.
That’s easy, Emesh. From the moment I became corporeal, my visceral reactions were saved for my mate. Grass was secondary, he chuckled.
Emesh tried to find humor in that answer, but fear held him immobile. If he looked at Douglas, he’d feel the same way. He inhaled deeply one more time, then dared to raise his head. His eyes fixed immediately on the man standing poised and silent. One who watched him with lethal calm. The summer god let his eyes roam the length of Douglas’ body, and true to Enten’s implication, all thoughts of flora fled from his mind. Yes, he was in serious trouble. The man of his dreams stood, feet planted a hip’s width apart, glaring hostilely in his direction. Still, Emesh couldn’t draw his eyes away.
None of the gods at the Blue Hills were small, but this human, Douglas, rivaled the tallest…and broadest. His wide, naked chest shone with sweat, bare of hair. But like his brother Enten, his long dreads hung down and brushed his shoulders in a thick cascade. Details of Douglas’ taut face were indistinct with brows and mouth assuming harsh straight lines, but Emesh could see evidence of the god Lahar in the set of the human’s square chin.
Wouldn’t Lahar get a kick out of meeting yet another blood descendant, this one male, with features that mimicked his? The gods had discovered that most of their mates descended from their group, from the time they’d last been embodied in the year 1628. They’d spent this year tracing and retracing bloodlines to expedite finding those special, genetically related individuals. It always amazed them that despite these concentrated efforts, a stumble more often brought one to light… like with Douglas.
“You going to stand there and stare, or are you going to explain yourself?” Douglas asked impatiently, the fingers of one hand opening and closing methodically around his second, threatening ax.
Emesh cleared his throat. He hadn’t used his actual voice in a long time and wondered if he’d be able to make himself understood. His twin, as always, intuited the problem and placed himself a couple of steps in front of his brother.
“We’re looking for Douglas Wingfeather,” Enten called out in a clear voice, forgoing any preliminaries.
Emesh saw the man’s slight flinch.
“Nobody here by that name,” the answer flew back. “Now leave my property before I call the cops.”
Emesh instantly grasped that neither cop nor human―other than Dr. Jacobsen―had ever been invited onto the remote parcel of land. For sure, no police would be called. The need to sooth the large male overcame Emesh’s fear of speaking. He stepped around his brother.
“We’re not here to hurt you.” The god’s throat contracted, and the words softly left his mouth. They hung in the air like a thick, luscious blanket of summer heat.
Enten sighed. I forgot how fucking beautiful your voice is, brother. If that doesn’t warm the bastard up, nothing will.
Emesh kept his gaze pinned to Douglas who had drawn in an audible hiss. His brows swept together in consternation. It was always like this. People had a visceral reaction when he, god of summer, spoke. But Douglas’ response might be even more profound.
“Who are you?” When he spoke again, Emesh noted a marked drop in aggression.
Good job, Emesh. Keep talking. You’ll have him tamed in no time.
A funny thought occurred to Emesh. He didn’t want Douglas tamed. Part of him thrilled to the man who’d dared throw an ax at his head. A shiver passed over his body he couldn’t explain.
“My name is Emesh.” He turned to his twin. “And this is Enten, my brother.” The god’s voice got stronger with every word, but the sultry warmth still wrapped every syllable. “I think you might want to sit down to hear what I have to say next. Is there a place we can get comfortable?”
Emesh hadn’t seen a house but assumed there was one.
It looked like Douglas attempted to shake off the effect of Emesh’s voice and partially succeeded. He drew himself stiffly upright and became purposefully gruff.
“Nobody’s getting comfortable because you’re not staying. Say your piece and get the hell off my land.” The demand emerged harshly, but he no longer wielded the sharp tool as a threat. Emesh relaxed a little more.
“I don’t want you to freak out,” he warned Douglas, taking a few steps closer.
He could see himself being sized up now and held his breath. What if Douglas didn’t find him appealing? His heart seized. There lay a ninety-nine percent possibility that Douglas was his Chosen, but if Emesh couldn’t convince him they were meant for each other, he and a lot of other immortals would suffer.
The gods had recently found out they had until September, five months away, to locate and perform a joining ceremony with all of their remaining mates, or their asses would be back in Hell faster than any of them could blink. Eight of the immortals, including his brother, had already found their eternal partners. Six of them still searched. The hard man in front of him could bring that number down to five.
“If you think I’m fucking inviting you into my house for tea, you can think again,” Douglas growled.
Emesh couldn’t help himself. His tongue nearly fell out of his mouth and he clapped his hands in glee. “Not tea, please,” he nearly squealed. “Coffee.” Damn. To be able to drink and taste things again. Especially coffee. All the gods had an ongoing love affair with java beans.
****
Douglas’ gut clenched, and he almost fucking smiled at the unbridled exuberance of the large, bald guy who practically tap-danced across the clearing. What the hell? What was that all about? And more to the point why hadn’t he driven the trespassers off already…and when had he last been so fucking intrigued?
He never allowed visitors. Never. And he sure as shit didn’t allow softness when dealing with people from the outside world. That non-softness included the scarce sexual encounters he orchestrated and truncated as soon as he achieved satisfaction… if that’s what it could be called. The anonymous fucks that had once scratched an itch had become increasingly more annoying than gratifying. Now, his dick became interested in some nut job who trespassed on his land? Had he lost his hermit’s edge? Douglas forced himself to throw his harsh mask back on.
“No coffee, no tea, nothing. Got it, buddy? State your business and leave.” His jaw clenched and damn if he didn’t feel like shit when the man’s shoulders fell. He looked…crestfallen. Yeah, crestfallen. What was up with that? Douglas almost contemplated giving in, just to see if the light came back into―what had he called himself―Emesh’s eyes. Douglas shook himself, reiterating they were uninvited.
“I don’t like people on my property. I’ll give you thirty seconds to convince me not to forcibly throw you off.” He squared his already boxy jaw.
“Fine.”
The Emesh character did all the talking now. Okay by Douglas. When the other one spoke, he got fucking chilled to the bone. When Emesh talked, a searing heat worked its way up his spine. Not a bad feeling, but damned weird.
Emesh gave a sly smile and pointed to his cold-ass companion.
“Douglas, I want you to meet your brother-in-law.”
What the fuck? Douglas reeled. Had someone punched him in the head? For a moment his brain spun, and he couldn’t locate his feet. The ax slipped from his numb fingers, and he stumbled.
“Steady. Don’t fall on me now.” Warm hands gripped him with solid reassurance, and the voice in his ear practically heated him from the inside out. “I might lose my balance as well. I’m having enough trouble with my hands on you.”
Douglas looked down and sure enough, Emesh’s large fingers wrapped around his bicep. How the hell had the man reached him so fast? Fucking freaky. He leaped backward, shaking the guy off. The move was instinctual as he fought the panic attack that threatened.
“What the hell,” he yelped. “Don’t touch me.”
The man who called himself Emesh appeared chagrined, raising his hands high in compliance.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, a sound dredged from the heart.
Douglas shook himself. He must look like an asshole with his over-the-top reaction. Why couldn’t he get a grip and behave like a normal human being? He breathed deeply and shoved away two emotions that suddenly raged war—gut-wrenching fear and insurmountable lust—succeeding in returning to practical matters. What had Emesh said before he freaked out? That the one called Enten was Glory’s husband?
“Explain,” he ordered while he got himself back under control.
Were these two guys fucking legit? For real? His blood ran cold. Only one loathsome man longed to find him. Could he have sent these two? They were big enough―if they combined their strength―to overpower him. Shit. His dropped ax currently sat at the feet of the bald one. If the pair came for him, his ass would be toast. But one thing he knew for certain, he’d die here before he went back.
Douglas got into a readied stance, and in response, he heard the bald one punch a breath out through clenched teeth. The guy placed his hands on his hips and postured for all the world like an angry mother.
“You need to calm the hell down,” Emesh actually scolded him.
Under normal circumstances, Douglas would have laughed, but in the blink of an eye, the guy changed his approach again.
“Listen to me, Douglas,” he cajoled, the corners of his mouth rising up. “We’re here to bring you tidings of great joy.” The smile suffused Emesh’s face with light more luminous than a blazing sunrise. Douglas sucked in a breath. He couldn’t speak even if he’d wanted to.
“My brother Enten married your sister Glory seven months ago, and in three months, you’re going to be an uncle to twins.” Emesh beamed from ear to ear. “Me, too. And I can’t wait.”
“What? Glory?” Douglas found his voice and shook his head. “You…she’s okay?”
“She’s had a tough pregnancy,” Enten answered, “and is under doctor’s orders to stay put. She would have come with us, otherwise, but yeah, she’s awesome.” Now Enten smiled at him, and the guy’s face thawed out. Pretty obviously he worshiped Glory, and strangely, Douglas believed their story.
“So, you came to ask if I’ll visit her?” He queried with an almost hopeful break in his voice. “You know, I haven’t seen her since she was fifteen.” Pain laced his statement. One of the hardest things about “dying” had been the loss of his sister who he adored with all his heart.
“Well, of course, that goes without saying. But it also brings us to some bad news.” Emesh’s demeanor softened. “Your mother, Kate, has also been living with us, and yesterday, she turned up missing.”
“My…my mother?” Douglas’ world tilted again. He’d lost touch with his mother four years ago like she’d dropped off the face of the earth. Douglas assumed the only thing that would have kept her from coming would be death. His only contact in the valley area had been Dr. Jacobsen, and the physician hadn’t been able to find out what happened to Kate either. They had both assumed the worst, and Douglas called the interlopers on it, now.
“You’re lying. My mother’s been dead for four years,” he ground out.
“No,” Emesh said gently. “Your mother has had Alzheimer’s and was in a care facility in Agawam. After your father died, her decline advanced rapidly. Some think she’s been hanging on by a mental thread for a long time… because of Glory.” Emesh slid closer to Douglas again, and oddly, he didn’t feel the urge to inch backward.
“But she told us differently. Even in her lowest of times, the one constant that kept her going was her insistence you were alive,” Emesh soothed. “I’m sorry to say, we didn’t believe her because of her condition.”
A regretful pause ensued before Emesh continued, “Once she knew we’d all keep her safe…”
“We? All?” Douglas went back on the defensive again, raising imperious brows, waiting for an explanation.
“We,” Emesh cleared his throat, “are part of a pretty big group, living in a compound in the Blue Hills outside of Boston… a lot of big guys, some… federal agents…” Emesh sounded reluctant to go on. Douglas instinctually understood it wasn’t a lie, but not the full truth either. He’d get to the bottom of that another time. Right now, he needed to hear about his mother.
“Fine. Once she knew you all could keep her safe…”
Emesh throat muscles worked. “Then Kate finally felt protected. Protected enough that she understood you’d be safe with us, too. She became more and more adamant about us finding you until she finally took it upon herself to search.” Emesh shrugged apologetically. “Which begs the question, does she know you live here?”
Emesh clearly scouted for a dwelling.
“No. I’ve only been here since she stopped visiting the last place I stayed.” Douglas felt himself cave. He’d trust them, for now.
“Ah, hell. Follow me,” he grunted. He didn’t want the two in his house, but he couldn’t doubt they knew Glory and Kate. And if they were being completely honest, his mother could be in danger. The quicker they found her, the better, and he knew where to call…where to start looking, and these two would make adequate backup.
As he walked into the trees, it struck him as eerily uncanny how he could feel the brothers at his back, one presence cold, the other warmer than a hot spring. He had allowed himself a good look before turning into the woods. His sister’s husband presented as an icy bastard but thawed immeasurably when talking about Glory. Glory. His baby sister pregnant with twins. Almost too much to contemplate.
Emesh was another thing altogether. He’d never met a man as warm and open as this guy. Emesh stood probably an inch shorter than his own six foot five, but the man was gloriously put together if the tight t-shirt and jeans could be believed. His bald head shined smoothly, his piercings exotic, and Douglas feared he could easily fall dangerously into the man’s large, dark eyes. Instant attraction came to mind, but Douglas needed to behave himself. He being the master of the one-night stand, and Emesh purportedly almost a relative. The guy screamed off-limits for so many reasons, not the least of which, the warm tug in places he’d never felt it before. Douglas scoffed. He had no use for close relationships. Better to nip this one in the spring bud before it bloomed into summer. What? A fucking strange damned metaphor. Why had that popped into his head?
Douglas picked up the pace and led the way past outcroppings of granite, and farther into the woods until a small, neat cabin came into view. He looked at it as his visitors might and perceived it as not lacking charm. Roughhewn logs formed one story walls, and the pine planked porch stood solidly across the entire face of the structure. Nothing had been painted; all the better to blend in with the woodland surrounding, but the windows sparkled and the plethora of plants hanging in baskets from the outdoor rafters gave a profusion of color that would only become more pronounced as the season progressed. He walked up the porch steps, proud of his home.
“Have a seat,” Douglas tried to lighten his usual rough demeanor. He indicated several hand-built porch rockers. “I’ll go get that coffee you wanted.” He started through the door and couldn’t help the impulse that came over him. He looked back at Emesh. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have tea?”
“Coffee,” Emesh stated, looking him right in the eye with a heat that was unmistakable. “The darker the better.”
Douglas had to turn quickly and walk into the cool interior of his cabin. He didn’t want his guests to see the hardness that inexplicably thrust up between his legs. Dammit. The guy just insinuated his dark skin held appeal, and his dick responded. This behavior strayed far from normal. Douglas wanted to slap himself but busied his hands making coffee, instead.
It took only a few minutes to brew two cups with his single serving machine. He schooled his face and carefully brought the steaming mugs out, placing them on a small wooden table between his two guests. Emesh picked his up, immediately.
“Hey. Watch it. That’s hot,” Douglas insisted.
“I like it hot,” Emesh told him. Another double entendre…on purpose? But he didn’t have time to think about it. His new brother-in-law―he had a hard time swallowing that moniker―thrust a cell phone in his direction.
“It’s your sister,” he said softly. “She wants to talk to you.”
Douglas fumbled for the instrument and his knees buckled. Luckily, he landed in the nearest chair. He cleared his already clogged throat. “Hello?”
“Oh, my gods. Douglas. Is that really you?” His sister outright bawled on the other end of the line.
“Hey, baby girl. Yeah. It’s me.” He had a tough time holding himself together. “Stop crying, Glory,” he implored. “You’re going to make me blubber in front of your men.”
“They won’t care,” she assured him, sniffing and weeping. “Especially Emesh who’s a big mush. He cries at everything,” she attempted to laugh. “I mean, I understand wailing over Bambi…but who cries when the cockroach gets left behind in WALL-E?”
Douglas laughed out loud for the first time in as long as he could remember. It felt strange and good. He needed more of that, but right now, he had to talk about their mother. “Tell me about Mom,” he asked when Glory finally calmed.
Douglas got an earful of Kate’s last few years in the care facility in Agawam and her time in the Blue Hills in a cottage with two women named Angie and Addie-May. It sounded like her health had improved greatly since moving to the new place.
“But I’m worried about her now, Douglas. She’s gone to find you, and I’m not sure she has a clue where to look.”
“Don’t be too sure about that.” Douglas’ voice turned dark. “I have a feeling I know where she’s headed, and if that’s the case, tell me how much I can trust your husband and his brother.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “And how well can they fight?”
He got not a moment’s hesitation from Glory. “You can trust them both with your life and believe me when I say, you’ve never seen anybody fight like these two. They kick some serious ass.”
Douglas let his eyes play over Emesh’s packed muscles. He believed his sister. Douglas, with deliberate calm, didn’t attempt to hide his prolonged perusal…and did a blush suffuse the guy’s dusky cheeks under his intense stare? He finally forced his eyes away. A headache developed between his brows, and he had a feeling its name was Emesh.
He and his sister caught up for several minutes more before he felt the need for expediency coming from the men, which meant the time had come to hang up.
“I’ll talk to you soon, lovely girl,” Douglas gave his sister assurance. “And I promise we’ll have good news.”