Chapter Twenty-Six

It actually took six weeks to move into their new house, although Paulie had, as promised, sent through details of two lovely places that fit all of their criteria within the specified twenty-four hours. Both of the small ranches were in Montana, which was apparently a surprise to Hephaestus who had never considered living there.

Paulie mentioned that a number of gods had moved into the area, mainly due to the privacy and land offered with a number of larger houses, and Hephaestus had confided in Landyn that he thought Zeus might be trying to build a godly compound on Earth. But as Landyn hadn't even met Zeus and Paulie, and wasn't likely to, and he literally fell in love at first sight of the second house Paulie suggested, an offer on the house was made.

There was so much for Landyn to love. The wide porch that went right around the house, the small pool with the hot tub to one side of it, the open plan kitchen and lounging area all called to Landyn's soul. There were practical considerations too. The parking area in front of the house and the garage was all concrete, so there was no gravel for Hephaestus to contend with. There was a ramp up to the porch, rather than steps, which would be easier for Hephaestus as well. The master bedroom was downstairs, much like it had been in the house he shared with the cyclops. In fact, the whole house was spread out over a single level, which was perfect for their needs.

The original owners hadn't moved out yet. There was some back and forth about rights to the land, which Hephaestus had left up to Zeus's team to take care of. But the owners had been happy for Hephaestus and Landyn to take a tour throughout before signing the offer papers. Landyn loved the older couple who showed them through and made them feel so welcome. Olive, the wife, was happy to spend all afternoon sharing memories of the lives they'd had, raising their children and living off their land.

"It is such a beautiful home." Landyn hadn't been able to show disinterest, which Hephaestus warned he should in case they pushed the price up. "You can feel the love in these walls. You must be heartbroken to leave your home."

"Our son has a nice place for us down in California," Olive said with a sigh. "Honestly, now Herbert is getting a bit on in years, although he'd never admit it, foolish man, it's for the best that a younger couple can take over. You know, if you and your gentleman were planning to have children at any time, Herbert created me a wonderful nursery."

"Please show it to me. My partner and I are hopeful that can happen for us." Landyn grinned, and when he saw the nursery, with its cute mural painted walls, and the two sweet beds set up in readiness, he knew he was ready – for the move and the baby.

By mutual agreement, Hephaestus and Landyn still hadn't had any anal sex, although Landyn still enjoyed the playing with toys. But when Hephaestus asked if he was ready for the real thing, Landyn reluctantly refused. "The Fates might get their wires crossed, and I know how badly you want to carry our first baby. We can't have them zapping me with their magic woo-woo. Not for our first one."

"It might not happen the first time." Landyn could hear how much Hephaestus wanted to be inside of him. His body ached for the same thing, but he had to be strong.

"You're a god, of course it's going to happen first time. Orin told me he'd only had sex that way with Thor the one night, and bam, he was pregnant with twins." Landyn didn't mention it had been three times in the same night. He didn't want Hephaestus thinking he was greedy, although just thinking about it…

Tonight was the night. Hephaestus had been in the bathroom for the longest time, and Landyn wasn't going to hurry him. He spared a thought for shifters who jumped on and penetrated their mates from day one, without a second thought. But Landyn was glad he and Hephaestus had waited.

"We love each other," he reminded himself quietly, as he sat curled up in an armchair. "We've had all this time to get to know each other, to care for each other, and to fight our foes." He glanced around their new bedroom. The soft cream and green wallpaper, with its matching green curtains and cream rugs was comfortable and welcoming.

"Our sanctuary." He breathed in deeply, feeling the vibes coming from the wall. Landyn believed that walls absorbed the energies of the people who lived in them, and that's what appealed to Landyn about the house more than anything else. He was confident he and Hephaestus would continue to add to that vibe as they raised their own family in their new home.

"I thought you'd already be in bed." Hephaestus came in from the bathroom, his hair hanging down his back, just a white towel wrapped around his waist. A tented white towel.

"I was waiting for you," Landyn said happily. "It's a new bed, in our new house. Everything smells so wonderfully different." He didn't mention that he hadn't realized how much the stink of giants had permeated all of Hephaestus's things. Hephaestus had decided that everything they would have in their new house would be new, chosen by them, for their own space.

"Even new sheets," Hephaestus grinned, sharing his delight as he dropped his towel and pulled back the sheets. Settling himself down, Hephaestus groaned. "Oh, this is a great mattress. Just the right combination of support and letting me sink into it."

"Don't get sunk in too far," Landyn said with a laugh, jumping out of the seat and throwing off his clothes. Naked, he climbed into the space Hephaestus made for him. "How are you feeling? Not too tired with all the walking around we did today?"

"I'm fine," Hephaestus draped his arm over Landyn's shoulder. "Actually, let's rephrase that. I feel renewed, rejuvenated. There's something in the air here, can't you smell it?"

"I can smell you." Landyn nuzzled his nose into Hephaestus's chest. "Fire, spice, and everything nice. My favorite kind of smell." He slid his hand down under the covers, stroking Hephaestus's already hard cock.

"I did prepare myself," Hephaestus said as his cock arched into Landyn's touch. "We've both waited so long for this, and I…I really want to feel you in me."

"We talked about this. We had the position worked out and everything. We could've written a how-to manual with all the planning we did for this. And one of the key points was that you were going to let me prepare you." But Landyn was still laughing. He had the same need running through his body. "Pass me the pillows. We need to make your leg comfortable first. Roll onto your side, and let's move that leg up onto the pillow."

"Just do it, please."

Shaking his head, Landyn got the pillows in position. In the time they were waiting for the house, they'd researched different positions where they could have anal sex for the first time without creating any aches in Hephaestus's leg. When Hephaestus would have his turn in Landyn's body, Landyn would be able to sit upright on Hephaestus's lap and they both believed that work would for them that way. Both of them enjoyed their face to face interactions and often rubbed off on each other that way.

But Hephaestus wasn't comfortable with sitting on Landyn. He was so much bigger and heavier, and while Landyn thought it would be all right, Hephaestus didn't want him uncomfortable. There was also the issue of him kneeling for any length of time. The knee bone he'd broken during his fight with the giants still ached sometimes. Landyn was convinced Hephaestus would have to be lying down.

"Yum, every part of you is rock hard." Landyn moved Hephaestus's leg into position, monitoring their bond to make sure his mate wasn't feeling the slightest bit of discomfort. He bent down, dropping butterfly kisses up Hephaestus's leg to his hip. "So solid, and all mine."

Landyn could feel that now. Moving into their own house settled something deep inside of him. He no longer thought himself unworthy of a god, and he knew the love they shared was solid. Yes, Hephaestus would still have his bad days sometimes. That was part of their life. But Landyn was confident that he was enough, and he could help see his mate through it.

In the meantime, he could tease his mate with kisses. Up strong arms and over wide shoulders. Down Hephaestus's back, to the two small dimples that sat on either side of his tailbone. Hephaestus was moaning, groaning, and there was the occasional curse, but Landyn was not a jump and pump kind of guy. He wanted every part of his mate to feel the love.

That was until he reached Hephaestus's ass cheeks, and then Landyn couldn't help but run a finger down the crack. It was his turn to groan as his finger probed the opening and slid inside easily. He quickly pinched the head of his cock, or their first time would be over before he'd begun.

"I told you I was ready," Hephaestus grunted.

"You can't blame me for wanting to savor an extra special first-first between us." But Landyn moved into position. He didn't know if it was the thought of the nursery already ready for any children they might have, or that his mate would finally smell like him from the inside out. Although, no , he cautioned himself. This was about him and Hephaestus. A celebration of how far they'd come together, and what they still had left to achieve.

"Breathe out my darling mate. Try to relax." Grabbing his cock around the base, Landyn held it against the tiny hole and slowly started to push.

There was some push back. Landyn expected that. Not even a god could go through anal sex for the first time without his body automatically trying to close his hole against intruders. There was a lot of heavy breathing, even more muttered cursing from Hephaestus's side. Landyn stroked every inch of his mate's skin he could reach, soothing the tense body even as he pushed forward with his hips, gaining entrance one millimeter at a time.

He could've stopped. Anal sex wasn't for everyone. At one point, Landyn really thought that he should, because Hephaestus's body was so tense. But as fast as he thought it, Hephaestus yelled, "Keep going," and breathed out long and hard, which automatically relaxed the muscles holding Landyn's cock in a vice grip. That was all that was needed as the final inch of Landyn's cock was buried inside of his mate's body.

"Breathe, my mate. Just breathe." Landyn could do with a spot of coaching on that side of things himself. He reached around for Hephaestus's cock, teasing it with loose fingers, bringing his mate up to full hardness in a matter of seconds. The truth was flooding their bond. Hephaestus wanted this. He wanted to be joined with Landyn, to have a family with his mate. He wanted to carry their children. Whether it was one baby or six, Hephaestus didn't care. Landyn could see the picture clearly in his head. Hephaestus saw any child they might have as further proof of the love he already knew was his.

Landyn wanted all that too. When Hephaestus urged him to move, he was ready, holding his mate's cock in one hand, bracing himself with the other as he plastered himself against Hephaestus's back. The movements were clumsy at first. Landyn had only penetrated one other person in his short life, and that had been fast-paced and embarrassing for both parties.

But they found their rhythm, and once they did it was as if all the stars aligned. The Fates were smiling on them, Landyn was sure of it, and as their breathing intensified and their mutual arousal grew, Landyn's thrusts got faster and harder. Hephaestus's hands were fisted into the sheets, as he held his body rigid, meeting Landyn's thrusts.

"Now," Hephaestus roared, and Landyn let his instincts take over, biting down on the nape of his mate's neck as his balls unloaded. A warm stickiness let him know Hephaestus had climaxed too. Unhinging his teeth, Landyn licked over the mark he'd left. It wouldn't scar. His original mating mark was glowing on Hephaestus's neck. But his ferret was so excited – their bond was finally complete in the shifter way. As for Landyn, he rested his forehead on Hephaestus's shoulder, trying to catch his breath.

"Don't pull out just yet," Hephaestus murmured when Landyn went to move. "That was a super energetic first-first, but maybe we should go one more round, just to make sure."

Or maybe twice more? But Landyn simply chuckled his agreement. Making love to his amazing mate wasn't a hardship.