Chapter 11

Eleven

T easing and lewd remarks were the order of the evening as everyone gathered around the dining room table for Kung Pao Chicken. There was also an attempt to discuss what little Fletcher had learned after his return from Roanoke. As chief medical examiner for the county, Fletcher's schedule wasn't as flexible as the twins' so he was spending three nights a week in Roanoke and handling the commute like a true gentleman.

He didn't have much to update so the conversation returned to the "great commotion" in Everly's room earlier that afternoon. Everly didn't mind, though, and was enjoying the heated looks that passed between him and Bryn every time their gazes touched.

"I'm pleased to report that we've found something Everly's very good at," Bryn had informed everyone as he reclined, raising his glass to Everly.

That pleased Everly, too, and he smiled and blushed next to Bryn, prodding the rice on his plate. "I could be even better with more practice," he said quietly, causing Bryn to choke on his wine as the room erupted with Nox and Merlin giggling like hyenas and Arawn in tears.

Everly wasn't joking and was already looking forward to bedtime. He loved having Bryn in the bed and under the covers with him, instead of twisted like a pretzel in the armchair at his feet. He really loved Bryn's body and would have been content to ride him for hours. But Bryn had eventually stopped Everly, citing the need for a shower, a nap, and water.

Nothing was better than showering with Bryn! Everly had never taken a shower with another man before. Everly was nearly hairless from his ears down and couldn't grow decent facial hair so it had been a revelation, seeing the water run through the hair on Bryn's chest and dripping from his nose and lips and the thick stubble dusting his chin. He was so beautiful and Everly couldn't stop touching him! His wet skin and flaccid cock were a wonder Everly had to explore with his hands and mouth until Bryn was no longer flaccid.

His cum tasted tart and crisp and slightly bitter, like crab apples. Bryn had laughed and said Everly was making it up. But Everly knew a lot about crab apples. He lived near an orchard for almost two years as a child, after one of his foster mothers had taken him to hide in the country. He had taken to the trees to hide from her and had developed a taste for them then, but it was hard to find crab apples in the city.

"This is a lot of fun," Bryn eventually stated loudly, bringing the room to attention. "But if no one has anything constructive to discuss, we will be calling it a night," he said as the arm around Everly tightened and he was pulled closer.

Everly sighed up at Bryn, snuggling against his side where he belonged. "I want to call it a night," he whispered up at him.

"Soon, Ev."

"Can you smell that, gentlemen?" Merlin asked as he wafted in front of his face. "The air is thick with the urge to rut. I can practically taste it!"

"You can?" Everly asked, his brow furrowed as he licked at the air and his lips. "Does it taste like chicken?"

Merlin snickered. "I imagine it tastes like cu?—"

"Stop!" Nelson ordered with a hard point of his chopsticks at Merlin. "Some of us are still eating. Find something useful to talk about or keep it zipped."

"Thank you," Bryn said and bowed his head appreciatively at Nelson.

Merlin pushed out a heavy sigh. "I only have sad news and worries to relay, then. I had intended to wait until tomorrow to ruin everyone's mood, but all the known changelings have vanished. We can't tell how many have gone deeper into hiding and how many have been taken by this terrible Abhartach," he said sadly.

Everly tried to stop his lip from wobbling, but he was so sad about the lost and dead changelings. And he realized that no one would have missed him, or realized he had disappeared, until he was evicted from his apartment, if it weren't for Bryn. "I wish I had known about witches and magickal creatures like you and that I could have had friends. I'd miss you if I had to leave you now and it makes me sad because their friends are missing them."

"We'll put an end to him soon and then the ones that are left can come back," Bryn promised and raised a brow at Merlin. "What about the other witches? If we're right and we're looking for another changeling, he's got to be working with an extremely powerful witch. There can't be that many who could do what you and Nox did to save Everly," he reasoned.

Merlin's scowl took on an unusually dark edge as he nodded. "I've put the word out and consulted with two oracles and I checked out the usual suspects—those known to practice dark magick and keep with demons. And I have a good suspicion as to who may be behind this," he said with a glare and a disgusted grunt. "Only he would have the nerve," he added as he shook his head.

"Out with it," Bryn said and beat his fist on the table. "Give us a name and let's put a stop to them."

"You are hopped up on hormones, hound," Merlin scolded as he reared back in his seat. "Hugh Dùbhghlas is a cunning and deeply disturbed warlock. And I do not use that term lightly," he said in a low, vibrating whisper, causing Nox to sit forward.

"You think Hugh Dùbhghlas is still around and that he would try this again?"

"Who's Hugh Doogloss?" Nelson asked, mangling the old Gaelic name, but Bryn caught Nox and Merlin's pinched flinches.

Nox looked like he had smelled something rotten. "I heard horror stories about him when I was a kid. He was run out of the community for necromancy. Willful necromancy," he clarified with a quick look at Merlin who nodded.

"Hugh sought out dead beings to practice with and there were suggestions that he might have…come about some of those dead beings the wrong way. Not that there is anything right about desecrating a grave and molesting a corpse," he added and Nox hopped to his feet, shuddering as he went to the mantle and held his hands out to the fire.

"Only the darkest of practices condone that."

Merlin hummed in agreement. "He was shunned and he retreated to the wilderness of the Garden Mountains, but there were a few who followed and some stayed behind to carry on his work in secret. We run them out whenever we find them and thankfully none were as driven or as unscrupulous as Hugh Dùbhghlas," he said, humphing angrily but Bryn held up his hands.

"Don't see what the problem is. Arawn and I know that country well," he said with a grin at Arawn.

He nodded but made a hesitant sound. "It's been a while though, B. We were born down there and ran wild in those mountains until the war. We were what they called ‘Cohee' and abolitionists so we migrated west with the others to fight for the Union as West Virginians. We came back to Virginia after a different war. But we never went back to that part of the Appalachians because it's as rough as it gets."

Bryn waved it off. "It'll be a…challenging hike, but it's been too long since we went for a run in the country," he urged, making Arawn roll his eyes. Bryn ignored him. "We could probably handle this douchebag ourselves, but we've got a weird, little witch and a sun god on our side," he boasted.

"You don't see the problem?" Merlin parroted as he stood, then gestured at himself. " I am a master of potions and there isn't a spell I cannot break. I am the Terror of Tara, the Flame of Uí Néill, I am the Coire Ansic of the Lord of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the keeper of the glorious light, " he declared, his voice rising to a booming bellow that made the walls rattle before he calmly lowered into his chair. "And I am telling you that Hugh Dùbhghlas is a dangerous warlock." he said sweetly to Bryn. "Heed what I am telling you and think ."

Bryn held up a hand. "I'll bite. What's the difference? I assumed Nox was a witch and you were a wizard because you were older. But aren't witches, wizards, and warlocks pretty much the same thing?"

"The difference?" Merlin rocked back in his seat and Nox and Nelson whispered prayers. "Every day you remind us of how little you have learned in the two-hundred-and-twenty-odd years since you were born," Merlin said with a sarcastic chuckle. "You've barely met a witch, yet you think you're ready to lead their druid king into battle." He raised his glass to Bryn, then snorted and took a long drink. "Witch and wizard can be used interchangeably... Nox and I are druids and call ourselves witches, regardless of gender, and we tend to think of wizards as characters from fairy tales. But a warlock is a very different and often a far more malevolent thing. They are likely to practice white and dark magick and make pacts with demons."

"Fine," Bryn said and sat back, tucking his hands under his armpits. "I'm heeding. What do you suggest?"

Everly was afraid of Hugh Dùbhghlas but he knew how scary Bryn could be when he was a hellhound. "I think you could beat him," he whispered so only Bryn could hear.

He winked at Everly, making the rest of the room disappear. It was just the two of them and Everly opened his mouth to ask if they could leave when Nox whistled from the mantle.

"Merlin and I will head to the Garden Mountains to check Hugh out while Nelson holds down the fort. We'll take one of the twins with us," he said, glancing at Arawn and Bryn. "Which of you has a better chance of fooling someone who actually knows what a spectral hound is? Who can pass as human better? We need to fool a warlock."

Arawn slouched in his seat, grumbling. "I'll stay behind and babysit," he said, earning a chuckle from Bryn.

"He's bigger and stronger and smarter when it comes to science, and he's the man you want in the trenches and the operating room. But Arawn's clueless around most humans and has always played the bumbling professor."

"I think it's sexy," Fletcher stated as he raised Arawn's hand and kissed it. "And beneath that shy, brainy shell is a terrifying hell beast."

"I saw him too!" Everly told everyone, breathless as he remembered it. "We should take both of them with us," he said and Bryn hissed and shook his head.

"He's staying here to babysit you," he explained slowly.

"No!" Everly shook his head. "You can't go without me!" he said to Bryn, growing louder. His anxiety spiked at the thought of how much he would miss Bryn and the danger the three of them might find themselves in. "I don't like when you leave me. The Garden Mountains are far away, aren't they?" He looked at Nox for confirmation and he nodded, sending Everly into true panic. He turned back to Bryn, reaching for his face. "You can't leave me!"

"Shhh!" Bryn pulled Everly onto his lap and held him tight, rubbing his back soothingly. "It's a little more than five hours away. Arawn and I know that land well but it's as primitive as it gets. It'll be a challenging hike for me and Nox and we'll have Merlin to cope with. The thing that wants to kill you might be there and this Huge Douchebag sounds like he could be dangerous for everyone. Except for me, Arawn, and Nox. We're mostly going to protect Merlin so he can snoop and be a pest. Arawn is staying here with you because he's the biggest and strongest and because you're important to all of us, but mostly me," he added as he kneaded Everly's shoulder.

"I'll miss you. I don't like it when you leave me. Even when you go for your runs."

"I know but absence makes the heart grow fonder and it's better for us if we take little breaks. Remember how it was before? We don't want either of us to get fae sick," he said carefully and Everly nodded, recalling how scary obsessive love was.

"You promise you'll come back?"

Bryn snorted at Everly, his bright green eyes glowing fiercely. "I told you, you're mine and nothing will keep us apart," he said, earning a swooning sigh from Merlin.

"I have never wanted so desperately to be an old shoe or a chew toy. You know what they say about a dog and his bone, Everly. That Abhartach could suck the soul out of you and shuck your corpse to the far end of the Nothing but this hellhound would run to the end of time to get you back."

"Yup," Bryn confirmed, nodding slowly. "After I rip his spine from his wretched body and tear him to shreds. All those sad little souls he's stolen deserve to rest in dignity and glory once he's dealt with."

"To glory," Arawn said firmly as he raised his glass, his eyes shimmering as they held Bryn's.

Glory meant a great deal to hellhounds, Everly had learned, and they didn't like it when souls were stolen.

"To glory," Nox said from the mantle as Nelson held up his chopsticks, chewing and nodding.

"You know I'm in," Fletcher said, wincing around the room. "For what that's worth."

Merlin hushed him. "You've proven extremely useful and I think I know of a way you can help us prepare for our meeting with Mr. Huge Douchebag," he said with a delighted titter. "Excellent one, Bryn," he noted and tapped his fingertips together as he considered Fletcher. "This talk about necromancy has given me an idea… I think we've been looking in the wrong place for this other changeling."

Fletcher became alert, sitting up and straightening his glasses "Oh?" he asked and Merlin's eyes narrowed as he stared past him.

"I'm going to search the obituaries while you look for cases involving troubled orphans," he said and a shiver passed around the room.

"Well, I'm done with this," Nelson said as he set down his chopsticks and dropped his napkin on his plate.

Everly was done too. He gave Bryn's hoodie a yank. "I want to help clean up so we can go to bed."

"Sounds good to me," he said as he stood and deposited Everly on the floor on his feet. He slapped Everly's ass playfully, making him giggle as he hurried to gather their plates.

"They're so cute!" Arawn clutched his chest, sniffling like a dickhead as he leaned on Fletcher.

"Fuck off," Bryn replied as he tossed a hand at them. "I've had almost twenty-five years of your lovesick bullshit to deal with. Suck it up."

"That's right!" Fletcher said excitedly. "We have an anniversary coming. Let's do something special after this. Without him," he added and stuck his tongue out at Bryn.

There were discussions about the trip to the mountains and the mission Merlin had tasked Fletcher with as the kitchen was cleaned and dishes were dried and put away. But Everly still had questions about Fletcher and Arawn's anniversary and grew more concerned about them by the moment.

"Twenty-five years is a long time for humans," he whispered as soon as they were alone in his room. Their room. Bryn had moved his things over before dinner.

"It is," Bryn agreed, chuckling as he lifted Everly and tossed him onto the bed.

Everly scrambled onto his knees so he could help Bryn take off his shirt. "That isn't very long for you and Arawn," he said, his concern mounting.

"Not really." Bryn raised it over his head, shooting it at the hamper like a basketball.

"Fletcher will get older and he'll die but you and Arawn age very slowly," Everly said while trailing his fingers through the hair on Bryn's chest.

Bryn shushed softly, his hand covering Everly's. "Do you know what glory is?"

"I think so…" Everly chewed on his lip, slightly unsure. "It means different things, doesn't it?"

"It does." Bryn signaled for Everly to raise his arms, then pulled his sweatshirt up and over his head. It sailed across the room, followed by Bryn's joggers. "To humans, it usually involves honor and fame. Or they think of their religion. For us , it is everything." He waited for Everly to sit and shimmy out of his jeans and used them to score another goal in the hamper.

"Everything?"

Bryn hummed as he turned Everly and gave his bottom a gentle swat to get him moving. "Pillows," he ordered, crawling after him. Everly went to his pillow and propped his chin up on his palm as Bryn got comfortable on his back, an arm folded behind his head. "Glory is a life worthy of the ultimate reward: glory in the afterlife. It is the infinite bliss of absolute peace and a place of wondrous, golden beauty. It is all of these things and it is what gives me and Arawn strength and it's what sends us into the Nothing. Chasing souls isn't just about our glory, for us. It's the divine right of those who live a glorious life, upholding their end of our magickal pact with the universe: that glory awaits those who deserve it."

"Fletcher will live in glory because he has lived a glorious life?" Everly guessed and Bryn nodded.

"We already know exactly where Fletcher's soul will go and he'll be waiting for us when it's our time to rest in glory," he said simply.

"Can I go too?" Everly asked excitedly, then shook his head and his face crumpled as tears filled his eyes. He already knew the answer. "I'm not a hero like Fletcher and I've hurt people!" he choked out.

"Knock that off!" Bryn said sternly and pulled Everly on top of him. "You'll be with me. With the three of us."

Everly's ass received another swat, causing a watery giggle as he straddled Bryn and pushed off his chest. "I will?"

"It wasn't your time that night, but I saw that your soul was pure and precious. I knew where you belonged and it wasn't in the Nothing." Bryn cupped Everly's cheek and kissed him tenderly. "You were like an angel, Ev. That's what I thought, the first time I saw you."

"Changelings aren't angels," he whispered, but Bryn shrugged.

"Changelings change . Your magick is transformative and there are no rules or precedent that defines what a changeling can be so no one really knows. Nox says you've absorbed some of his magick and some of mine and Arawn's. What do you get when you mix a changeling with a sun god and two hellhounds?" he asked and Everly shook his head, too spellbound and excited to guess.

"What?"

Bryn laughed, his chest shaking the bed and making Everly bounce. "I have no idea, but you're beautiful and you're special. I could see it before you even opened your eyes or said a word."

"I feel special when I'm with you."

Bryn sighed contentedly, smiling at Everly like he was perfect. "Me too. You were right, earlier. I know that love can last forever, if two souls live in glory and find each other in Annwn. But love makes you vulnerable and I was scared of being hurt, so I convinced myself that Arawn and Fletcher were enough.

"Is that why you didn't like Nox?" Everly asked carefully.

"What?" Bryn frowned, looking confused. "I told you, it was about hunting and wasting time."

"I know," Everly said, nodding. "But I thought that it could also be because you didn't want Arawn and Fletcher to like Nox because then they'd want to be on his team, instead of just the three of you."

Bryn's brows slowly climbed up his forehead. "Oh."

"Merlin said that Nox is one of the few gods who can lead a Hunt so you automatically owe him your allegiance. But that isn't easy for you because you're used to deciding things with Arawn," Everly continued.

There was a long pause before Bryn's arms tightened and Everly was rolled onto his back. "You really are amazing, Ev," he said as he searched Everly's eyes. "You might not understand math as well as an accountant or run very well, but you understand feelings better than anyone I've ever met."

Everly's nose wrinkled. "I think that's just because I'm a changeling. All changelings can feel what other people are feeling," he argued but Bryn gasped in protest.

"Because they feed off of feelings. You figured out what that meant and you starved yourself, Ev, you were so afraid of hurting others. And as soon as you found people you couldn't hurt, you took all of our good feelings and turned them into your superpower so you could protect me. You didn't have to starve yourself or use your new powers for good, but you did and it keeps making you stronger and stronger."

"Nox says that's intent and that it makes all the difference when you're a witch. I'm going to be a good witch, like Nox," Everly declared with a stubborn nod.

Bryn snorted and shook his head. "You already are a good witch like Nox. You can hold onto fire like he can and you're learning all about plants and potions and you can summon your astral body and hop into the Nothing. Nox can pass between worlds—he can ascend—but it's hard for him and he doesn't know how to run in the Nothing like you and I do. I'd say that makes you a little bit better."

"Better?" Everly was extremely doubtful but a smile spread across his lips. "I'm already a good witch," he whispered and a gleeful giggle burst from him because it was true! He was already a good witch and one day, he might even be as good as Nox. "I could never be better than Nox. But I don't think I want to be. I'd have to be a god and that doesn't seem like a good thing. Not the way most people think it is."

He was expecting a thoughtful reply from Bryn but his lips smashed into Everly's and he was kissed until he was dizzy. "I love you, Ev," Bryn said, nuzzling and growling softly into the hollow under Everly's ear before nibbling on the lobe. "And it doesn't matter what everyone else says, you're the wisest person I've ever met."

"Thank you!" Everly wrapped his arms tight around Bryn's neck and squeezed. He was so happy, he could turn into confetti. Especially when Bryn nibbled his way down Everly's neck and the center of his chest. Everly laughed and his head lolled as Bryn's tongue swirled around his belly button, then let out a shivering gasp as his sac was licked. "Hold on," Everly raised his head and propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes narrowing as a question occurred. "What does everyone else say?"

"Shhh!" Bryn reached up and tapped Everly's lips, then pushed two fingers into his mouth.

"Mmm!" Everly's eyes widened but he sucked happily, letting out a high squeak as Bryn's long, hot tongue lashed greedily at his hole.

Everly couldn't remember what they were talking about but it couldn't have been as important or as good as what they were about to do.