Page 26 of Beyond Fate

“If you think I would hold any of that against you, then maybe I need to take you out back and remind you how this family works,” his dad said.

“No!” Damon tried to jump on his mate when Casimir’s swords appeared in his hands, his face a mask of rage. “I swear to god you better not lay a finger on my dad!”

Jaytee and Jax instantly shifted into their wolves, positioning themselves in front of Kalen, while Elvine and Raidh flew toward the corner of the room.

Kalen simply stood there with his arms crossed, his expression inscrutable. Damon knew that look. His dad was trying to decide whether to defuse or destroy.

“Back off,” Damon warned Casimir, jabbing a finger into his mate’s muscled chest as his canines lengthened. “Or I swear to god, you’re going over my knee.”

How would Damon accomplish that? He had no flipping idea, but this was getting out of control. He did not need his mate and father to become enemies. Their home was chaotic at times, but the good kind of chaotic. Damon wasn’t going to live with stress, and his mate had been through too much to live with it, as well.

“You would threaten your own child?” Fury blazed in Casimir’s eyes, but he had stopped advancing.

“I’m not a whelp,” Damon growled. He was 235 years old, far surpassing his juvenile years.

“If he needs an ass-kicking, then yes,” Kalen replied coolly. “Since you’re family, I’ll kick yours, too, if you need it.”

Damon shook his head and muttered, “Oh great, my dad is going to die.”

Casimir’s swords vanished. “I’m...family?”

The wolves stood down and sat on their haunches next to Kalen, their protective stance easing.

“You’re my son’s mate.” Kalen nodded, still speaking calmly and slowly. “In our kéfyte, we do not hold grudges. We fight, we move past it.” His gaze landed on Damon. “A fact my son seems to have forgotten.”

“I attacked you!” Damon protested.

His dad smirked. “But your britches weren’t big enough to defeat your old man.”

“Kalen threw a cast-iron skillet at me, and now I adore him,” Elvine chimed in, her wings fluttering. She turned to Damon. “Mr. Scratchy Crotch or Mr. Grouchy Socks?”

Fuck, Damon loved this family. “For you, both.”

Her eyes lit up, tears sparkling in them as she grinned widely at him. “Welcome back, Mr. Scratchy Crotch.”

He chuckled, his affection for her growing.

“Welcome back, Rick Blaine.” Raidh’s smile matched Elvine’s in size, deep affection in his lavender-gray eyes. Then his brows creased. “What’s a mechanic?”

Chapter Eight

Lying motionless with his eyes shut, Panahasi tried to figure out where he was. The unimaginable pain he’d felt in Christian’s office was now only a low hum, and he knew he was back in his human form.

But as he lay there, the guilt of what he’d done was still a crushing weight. The keeper had been right. Panahasi was imbued with great power. Greater than all the Ultionem members combined. He should have taken a step back and thought about the consequences of adding his blood to the mayotenz spell.

That night had been hell on everyone. A chaotic mess filled with loss and suffering. Raidh had died from the curse, Jaytee wanted to die because he couldn’t live without his mate, and his father was begging his son not to seek death. All while the family stood over Jaytee’s twin’s body, thinking Damon was dead.

Panahasi had felt their pain and only wanted to ease it in some way. He hadn’t meant to seal Damon and Casimir’s bond, robbing them of experiencing it together.

You’re a little too fucking generous for your own good. You need to be more careful with your generosity before you do something you can’t undo. Jaden’s words echoed in Panahasi’s mind.

Death had called it.

If it was possible to undo the tragic disaster Panahasi had caused, he would do it in a heartbeat.

But there wasn’t, and now Fate wanted retribution.

As he lay there with his eyes closed, Panahasi felt the softness of grass underneath him as the sweet smell of nature filled his nostrils. Somewhere in the distance, animals were scurrying, and there was a symphony of insects all around him.

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