Page 22 of Sinful Mates

I chuckled at his urgency. “You don’t even know what it is yet.”

“Don’t care. Give it to me!” Mads groaned. “I’m so bored!”

Last time we spoke, his girlfriend banned him from using his Hermes’ highway gift, which mirrored my own. “Locke still got you on lockdown?”

“I may have coerced a bunch of conservatives into an orgy,” Mads said casually, his impish tendencies delighting in creating scandals with humans and gods alike. “Locke banned me from any trickery for a month. I’m going stir crazy.”

No wonder. Mads and Hermes earned strife wherever they went. I bet my pantheon brother had a list of enemies longer than Caesar’s.

“Impressive.” Thanks to Thoth, I bribed with the best, delivered justice where fit, but we kept our noses out of trouble for that very reason. Especially when the Egyptian gods were the most vicious of all the pantheons.

Despite his roguish ways, Mads was a handy contact in the world of deception and cunning when his trickery and coercion skills surpassed mine. Came with the territory of representing Hermes, the crafty, sly, clever god of… pretty much everything… travelers, thieves, messengers, hospitality, diplomacy, language, astronomy, astrology, and sport.

His girlfriend ruled the roost in their household. I afforded Aaliyah the respect and honor of a mate, but I was the man in my world and put my foot down to losing my nuts, Dark Daddy a product of growing up fatherless and being a selfish, dominant asshole.

I let out a dark chuckle. “You need to get your balls back, mate.”

Mads groaned again. “She owns them. Have you seen her dark cupid act? Terrifying. I like my hide unscathed and unburned, thank you.”

Whisky swirled on my tongue. “I’m lucky my woman isn’t the avatar of a love goddess.”

“I’m a kept man, but I secretly love it,” Mads admitted fondly. “Don’t tell Locke, though. I like to keep her guessing. Keeps the magick alive.”

Kept man. A status I had no intention to repeat after my divorce. Marriage ended with pain and loss. I loved my mate, spoiled her, but I never wanted to be backed into that corner. The reason I hadn’t fully claimed her yet. Binding herself to me meant no backing out. No change of our minds. No running away if shit turned sour.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” I told him.

“Thanks, man.” Mads changed tack, wanting to dive into something juicy and alleviate his boredom. “What can I do for you? I’m so desperate, I’ll do this for free. No favors owed.” A rare bonus when he collected favors like nobody’s business.

I rubbed at my tired eyes. “Need your help to track down any references to the Dark One.” My network of contacts stopped when it came to other pantheon business, so long as it wasn’t written in an Egyptian text or another book I had access to.

“Dark One?” I heard Mads scratch something. His head? Jaw? “Can’t find anything about him on the old highway. I might need to go old school on this.”

Old school meant ancient parchments written by gods, scholars, or priests.

“How urgent is this?” Mads asked. “Sneaking away from Locke might be problematic.”

“Pretty urgent.” I squeezed the cell phone tighter.

“Leave it with me. I’ll be in touch.” Mads hung up.

Engulfed by the silence of the night, I pocketed my phone, stopping to slowly sip the rest of my whisky and admire the moon. Solitary and contemplative. Light eliminating the darkness. A tool created by Thoth when he invented the science of measurement, assisting humans to follow the cycles of nature, astronomy, and the calendar. Most importantly, the moon illuminated the darkness created by the demon Apophis, the combined force of humanity’s demons. If the cosmic law of Maat skewed out of balance, Apophis escaped and unleashed chaos and terror upon the world.

With this in mind, why the fuck did I continue to wallow in my past, fearful of letting my mate all the way inside my heart? I couldn’t be completely true holding back from her. I ran my hands through my hair.Just mate with her and be done with it.Move forward. Bring balance to my heart. Fuck. I wished it were that easy.

A knock on the window brought me back. My woman called me inside. Some of my darkness lifted and I breathed a little easier.

Cool spring air rushed inside in a gust behind me. Sound from the TV pulled me into the lounge room.

“Genius, why don’t you read to Mia?” Slade set his boots on the coffee table, relaxing with a beer in his hand, Aaliyah tucked under his arm, her legs curled up on the sofa. “She’s had a long day and needs a break.” His eyes dropped to our mate, who slumped exhausted in his embrace.

“Fine.” I’d pitch in and play my part. Only fair. Alaric babysat all day and deserved the night off. Slade, Zethan, and Aaliyah entertained Mia this afternoon and evening while I cooked. The kid had more energy than Slade, and that was saying something.

Uncertainty wrapped around my chest and squeezed. I was no father. Never had one. Didn’t know the first thing about parenting anything besides a dog, and I neglected him, never getting time to walk my boy. Husband material didn’t work out for me. Worked too much. Loved the law more than I did my wife and marriage, shooting her into the arms of my best friend and neighbor. My ex-wife took the Labrador in the divorce. My goddamn boy.

If history taught me anything, it was not to make the same mistakes. Aaliyah was my priority. That was why I supported her in saving Mia. The club, enforcing the Jackals’ and gods’ law was my life, but so was my woman, and now her daughter too.

Three steps brought me to Mia on the couch. Fruity shampoo scent hit me as I bent down to her level. Sleepy eyes met mine. She wouldn’t last long. Maybe I’d escape father duties after all.

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