Chapter Twenty

“I know we promised not to talk about it, and I know your friend said we should just be looking at the future, instead of anything messy in the past, but I can’t stand it. I have one question. Just one and then I swear on my hound I’ll never mention it again.”

Simon put aside the book he’d been reading, smiling up at his mate. Kolton had been like a cat on a hot tin roof all afternoon. As far as Simon was concerned, the lunch was a success. Elijah was thrilled Simon had recommended him for the casino manager position, and immediately contacted his office to take long-term leave. As he explained to Simon, Elijah worried he might not be a good fit - they might find after a month that Kolton didn’t like the way he did things - but he was keen to give it a try. That resulted in all three of them having a busy afternoon introducing Elijah to the respective department heads that he’d be responsible for and arranging his office space for him.

Once they were back home, Kolton said he was going to shift for a bit, and Simon was covered in lots of hound kisses before the dog trotted outside to explore the garden. Still tired from his outburst the night before, Simon curled up on the couch with a book, content to have some quiet time. Kolton hadn’t been as good at hiding his feelings when in his hound form, so Simon wasn’t surprised at the question.

“You’re looking good, babe.” Simon smiled at Kolton’s tousled hair still wet from the shower, his bare chest and the low slung sweatpants that weren’t hiding anything. “You do realize, don’t you, that I left you and Elijah to talk at lunch today because I hoped you’d both put this matter to bed, once and for all, but fine. One more question. And then that topic is banned, is that fair?”

“I can’t help it. I didn’t know I had any more questions until after I had time to process.” Kolton bounced over, moving Simon’s book farther down the couch and plopping down beside him. “Elijah really wasn’t helpful, but I do think he’ll be a great fit for the casino,” he added quickly as if worried Simon would be offended.

“I’m sure he will. He’s a good man.” Simon chuckled. “Go on. Ask your question. There’s no point in dragging this out. But before you do, I just want to tell you that I’m really glad I could share with you a horrific part of my life and trust you with that information, sparse as it was. You know the worst of me, and you still want me, and that has taken such a huge weight off my mind, you have no idea. You’ve allowed me the safe space in our relationship to start exploring who I am again, instead of the facade I felt I had to show to everyone else. So thank you for that.”

Kolton was watching him, his dark eyes studying him intently, making Simon chuckle again. “Yes, you can ask your question now.”

“I’m not sure that I should now. You said you’re feeling better, and surely you know how badly I want that for you, but Simon, babe, mate of mine, I have to know. Why didn’t you tell Elijah and the council the name of the person who took you?”

“Ah.” Simon was surprised. “I felt sure you’d ask me for the name again, but instead you want to know why I wouldn’t tell anyone. Hmm, okay.”

“Elijah told me I should just let it go,” Kolton said quickly. “The way he explains it makes sense. But I can’t stop my need to know this person… This is a person that still makes you shiver when you think of him. I have to know, no matter where we go in the world that we won’t bang into him again…”

“We won’t.” Simon knew that.

“How can you be sure?”

The weight of Kolton’s gaze was like a caress all over Simon’s face. It was as if the hellhound was looking into the depths of his soul, and rather than shut him out, Simon let his mate in – deep into that part of his psyche he never wanted to think about.

“Hades’ garden, he’s already dead,” Kolton whispered. “You killed him? Why didn’t you just say that to the council all those years ago?”

“Because he wasn’t dead back then.” Simon sighed, and then held up his hand, letting his claws extend from the ends of his fingers. “What do you see?”

“Ooh, lovely claws.” Kolton reached for his hand with both of his and Simon pulled back and retracted them.

“You can’t touch them. They’re poisonous.”

“I can. I’m a hellhound and our master made us immune to all magic and the protective elements of any species.” Kolton leaned forward, gently tugging Simon’s hand toward him. “Let those claws out again, please. Trust me.”

Simon didn’t want to, but when a mate said, “trust me” anything less than absolute trust would be a kick in the face. “Don’t let me hurt you,” he whispered as his claws emerged. “That would kill me.”

“You have a lot to learn about hellhounds, my wonderful mate.” Kolton grinned as he pulled Simon’s hand even closer to his face. “I so rarely see claws up close. In the past, they were only ever used as a weapon against me and my packmates.” His eyes lit up and he waggled his eyebrows. “Not usually a good time to say, ‘hey asshole, show me your claws before you use them on me.’ These though. These claws are a thing of beauty.” He leaned forward and sniffed. “Applied magic?”

“No. Genetics. It’s…It’s one of the reasons our clan was always so secretive.”

“What do they do?” Kolton wiggled in his seat. “I’ve not heard of gargoyles having magic in their fingertips before.”

“Not all of us have it. In my clan only four others had the ability apart from me, and they were all elders in our clan.” Simon couldn’t get over how curious Kolton was. It made what he had to say next that much more difficult. “If I stuck just one of my claws into someone’s flesh they get infected with what our clan calls the ‘stone curse.’”

“A person would turn to stone?” Kolton’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Would they be all attacking you one minute and then go rock hard, and not in a fun way, the next?”

“No.” Simon shook his head. “If only it was that simple. It’s a process that takes a very long time. That’s why I couldn’t tell the council he was dead. There was a good chance at that point he was still alive. The curse works like a disease. That’s the only way I can describe it.”

“That’s because you’re a doctor. That’s the way you think.” Kolton chuckled and Simon appreciated he was trying to be so lighthearted about what Simon considered his biggest curse.

“It works on most paranormals, hellhounds and immortal beings excluded obviously, but yes, over time that person would’ve felt his joints tighten up, he’d find it more difficult to move, and…” Simon let out a long breath. “It’s not pretty and there’s no cure.”

“O-kay…” Kolton tilted his head. “Do you feel bad about killing him?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. That’s not who I am. I’ve spent my whole life trying to help people heal.” Simon thought back to that time, the sheer act of desperation. “I’d been held for so long, I hadn’t been outside in months. Every bone in my body ached, and those were the ones that were still in one piece. One of my legs was shattered in four places at that point.” He swallowed down the bile in his throat.

“Part of the experiment, and I’m using that term loosely, but part of his methodology meant there were times when he reduced the amount of magic holding down my gargoyle side. He’d done his research, and I think he worried I would revert to my stone side if my pain got too bad, overriding the magic he was using. That’s the defense mechanism most people think of when they think of gargoyles. Clearly, if I managed that I’d just never change back, ruining his results. So he would reduce the magic every now and then, just enough to help me heal so he could start all over again.”

“You managed to get your claws out.” Kolton looked deep into Simon’s eyes as he kissed the clawed hand.

“Just on the one hand.” Simon nodded. “I waited until he was standing right in front of me and managed to move enough to scratch the top of his foot. He didn’t even feel it, but I felt my gargoyle side surge as he injected me with more of his magic and knew the hit was true. Then it was just a waiting game.”

“How… How long does the curse take to have an effect?”

“He was still coming to see me every day for eight days after that. I was scratching a mark against my leg so I could keep track. Every time I got a glimpse of the sun in the top corner of the room, I would make a mark on my leg. In the next two weeks after that he was trying to hide he was uncomfortable and he was only coming in about three times a week, and then…he just stopped coming. I waited another four days to the point where the magic in my system had receded enough for my gargoyle form to break free and got out that way. Elijah and his crew found me in the park.”

“Amazing, amazing hands.” Kolton kissed them again. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell the council what you’d done. Wouldn’t someone find him in a statue form eventually anyway?”

“If anyone found him, they’d have no way of knowing he’d originally been alive. As for not telling the council…” Simon winced. “I murdered him. I took a man’s life. I’m not proud of that. In fact, I’m amazed I got a fated mate at all, because I know evil people don’t get one.”

“You’re not evil.” Kolton shook his head so hard Simon had to smile.

“Babe, if anyone knows what evil looks like it would be you, my lovely hellhound. You more than anyone should know people who kill other people are evil.”

But Kolton was still shaking his head. “No. No. You don’t understand. As a hellhound I can see into a person’s spirit. If you’d murdered someone in cold blood or with evil intent, you would have a black mark on your soul. It is the weight of that darkness that sends spirits to the Underworld when they die. You don’t have that mark.

“Your spirit shines, don’t you see? Your spirit lets everyone around you know that you’re a good person. You did what you had to do to get free of an intolerable situation. That’s not murder, that’s self-preservation – that’s you being determined to survive and I’m so fucking glad you did.”

Simon found himself with a lap full of Kolton. “You’re not evil… You’re not a murderer… You’re my mate… You’re incredible.” Each phrase was interspersed with kisses all over Simon’s face.

“Wait, wait.” Simon’s body was heating. It was impossible to keep his cool with an attentive mate rubbing against all sorts of delicious places. He grabbed Kolton’s jaw and held him still for a moment. “Are you sure? My soul’s not marked in any way?”

“Not at all. You know I can’t lie to you. But oh, I just had another thought. I can help with your missing statue matter.” Kolton blinked and his phone appeared in his hand. “It’s handy having gods on our side.” He clicked a button on his phone. “Hello, Paulie.”

“Good evening, Kolton, one of Lord Hades’ blessed hounds from the first pack. How is life with your mate?”

Simon frowned, looking at the screen. There was something slightly, ever so slightly off about the voice.

“My mate and I are very happy, Paulie, thank you for asking. I wanted to know, is there anything on Zeus’s database concerning the finding of an unusual statue of a person, roughly ten years ago. The statue may have been found in a bed or something similar.”

“Is this related to the abuse your mate suffered back in Michigan?”

What the absolute fuck? Simon mouthed, but Kolton was grinning. “Yes, Paulie. The statue would’ve been formed as a result of the gargoyle stone curse.”

“Ah, yes. I believe Zeus found that information recently after we received news of your mating from the Underworld. Congratulations, by the way. Please hold a moment.”

Zeus? The Father of All in the Greek Pantheon? Simon had to double blink to make sure his eyes didn’t bug out. He knows about our mating?

Paulie came back online. “The statue was found in a hotel in Detroit, Michigan. It was reported to the local news agency at the time as some form of practical joke, perpetuated by college students, and pictures of the find were shown on local outlets. It was considered newsworthy because, as quoted in the article, ‘the statue looked so life like, as if someone was sleeping in the bed.’

“The local authorities did try to find the owner of the statue, but when no one came forward, it was sent to the Detroit Historical Museum, where it was on display until three years ago, before it was badly damaged during a move. There was no record of the actual damage that was caused, that Zeus could find, but it is currently sitting in storage. It is unlikely to be repaired as it was determined the work didn’t appear to have been made by any artist of note. Does that answer your question, Hellhound Kolton?”

“Yes, Paulie, thank you to you and Lord Zeus.”

“You’re welcome. All hail the Almighty Zeus and his beloved mate, Paulie.” The screen went black.

“What the actual fuck?” Simon watched as Kolton just zapped his phone away. “You were talking to an actual ancient god?”

“No, not the god himself.” Kolton laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to Lord Zeus in my whole life. He was never a fan of the Underworld, although I hear relations between him and Lord Hades have improved since they’ve all had children. Who you heard me speaking to is the Paulie app, created by Zeus for immortals on the Zeus network, named after his tiger shifter mate, Paulie. If you ever want to know anything, you can just ask the app. He can tap into Lord Zeus’s database and can pretty much tell you anything you want to know.”

“I don’t know why I’m surprised that gods know these things.” Still stunned, Simon shook his head. “Thank you, though…that news is…is reassuring the right word?”

“If you think it is, then it is.” Kolton’s lips were warm on Simon’s chin. “If you think me talking to the app was incredible, how are you going to feel when we go to dinner at the Underworld on Sunday? Lord Hades and Consort Ali will be there, as well as some of my packmates.”

“Sounds like I’m learning my new reality will be nothing like my old one, and I love it. It’s all thanks to you.” Simon wrapped his arms around Kolton’s back. “Did you want dinner, or shall we zap off to bed first?”

“Zapping. Definitely a fan of zapping.”