Chapter Eight

I have died and gone to heaven. That was Landyn's first thought when he'd woken up in a huge bed that had soft covers and an overabundance of pillows, and he was still thinking the same thing an hour later when he was soaking in the biggest bathtub he'd ever seen.

He'd woken up naked. That had been unintentional and was a bit disconcerting, especially with a huge body beside him on the bed. But Hephaestus wasn't crowding him. In fact, when Landyn took a peek over the god's back he could see that even in sleep, his bigger mate seemed to be protecting him from anyone who might come in through the door. Landyn noticed things like that, and he had a quiet "aww" moment.

Another point, also in Hephaestus's favor, was that the man had tucked him under the blankets, but he was sleeping on top of the covers. It was as if the god had considered the idea of Landyn shifting, because the last thing Landyn remembered was biting his mate in his furry form. But Hephaestus had made sure Landyn could wake up in his human form and retain some dignity. Although Landyn didn't think he had a body worth looking at, he did appreciate how caring Hephaestus was being.

There had been a bit of awkwardness when Hephaestus woke up, and Landyn thought about that as his fingertips softly wrinkled in the bath. He was not in a hurry to get out. Hot water, enough room for him to be fully submerged without scrunching his arms or legs, and Landyn was a happy bather. It was the first time he'd felt truly clean in more than two years.

But Hephaestus. Sweet Hephaestus. Landyn ducked his head under the water and then popped back up again, wiping the water from his face. He could say, hand-on-heart, he'd never woken up in bed with another person before. Someone who he didn't know. Someone, who if the mating bite could be ignored for a moment, would be considered a stranger. One dinner was hardly a strong foundation for a long life together.

But it's a start. Landyn reasoned as he swished his hands through the bubbles he had in his bath. I mean… The thing was, Landyn really didn't know what he meant. He just knew how he felt facing an awake Hephaestus – shy, a bit hopeful, and a lot self-conscious. Escaping to the bathroom wasn't just because Landyn longed to feel fully clean.

The thing was, Hephaestus seemed to be unsure of himself as well – just as shy as Landyn was, and yet, Landyn liked to think the bigger man was happy they were together.

How do new mates do it? How do they get past the awkwardness when they are two totally different people? Landyn hadn't met many examples of fated mates. His parents didn't believe in the concept, although the lore was part of his upbringing. But the emphasis, because he and his parents were so rare, was on having as many children as possible. A bond mate was just as capable of providing those children as a fated mate.

Landyn stroked over the new tattoo that covered almost the whole of his left pectoral muscle. It was so vivid against his pale skin, and yet Landyn smiled just looking at it. There was a hammer, the impression of fire, and a huge symbol, but it wasn't so much what the tattoo was, it was what it represented. It was like his mate – larger than life, forceful in some areas like the hammer would be, hot in so many ways, at least in Landyn's opinion, and yet unknown in the same way Landyn didn't know what the symbol represented. There was so much about Hephaestus he didn't know either.

You're not going to learn staying in this bath and getting wrinkly, either he reminded himself . The water was cooling. It was tempting to turn on the hot tap. Hephaestus had said he could use as much water as he wanted. I have a mate now, one who is trying to show me how well he can look after me. While Landyn knew he was still a long way from being the partner he grew up believing he was supposed to be – a provider, in other words – he could show his caring. Or you could if you got your skinny butt out of this bath.

Ducking under one last time, Landyn came back up out of the water and pushed on the sides of the tub to stand up. His clothes, the new ones Hephaestus had zapped for him, were waiting on the bathroom counter. Reaching for a beautifully fluffy towel, Landyn wrapped it around himself, and stepped out of the water. Operation "Getting to Know My Mate" was about to start… as soon as he got dried and dressed.

Shirt and pants on, Landyn was standing barefoot, toweling his hair dry as best he could, when he heard harsh grunting coming from outside the bathroom. Then he heard a yell, and it was as if his tattoo – his brand new mating mark - seemed to heat and glow on his skin. Dropping the towel on the counter, Landyn opened the door and dashed down the hallway toward the noise. Is my mate fighting with someone?

/~/~/~/~/

"You're determined that little thing is your mate then." Bronte leaned against the kitchen counter. Hephaestus gave him the side-eye, and went back to frying up some sausages and bacon. He'd dithered, when he'd woken up, as to whether he should zap up some food for Landyn in his room. But when Landyn asked if he could bathe, Hephaestus decided he wasn't going to skulk in his room with his mate in his own damn house. His mate was entitled to the full run of the place he would now call home, and if anyone was going to object to that, they could deal with Hephaestus.

Yes, the protective feelings were new, but Hephaestus expected that was how he would feel about his mate, so he wasn't surprised. And in his current mood he would assume that most people with any common sense would've left him alone with his mate, seeing as they were in his house, especially larger-than-life idiots who said hurtful things that upset his cute little ferret. But Hephaestus had always known common sense wasn't what the cyclops were known for.

"I seriously don't understand why you have an issue with any of this." Hephaestus flipped the cooked food onto a waiting platter and slid it into the preheated oven to stay warm. He cracked a half a dozen eggs into the still-hot grill and wondered if Landyn preferred them with a runny yolk or not. Deciding he'd do both, Hephaestus couldn't ignore the hulking cyclops who was edging closer.

"I still think this has to do with guilt." Bronte poked Hephaestus on the shoulder. "Everyone across all pantheons knows what a kind person you are. I can't blame you. The little guy is cute, well what I saw of him running off like a scared mouse in his fur. He seemed cute enough. That's fine if you like that type of person."

Hephaestus focused on the eggs. Cooking eggs to the right edge of perfection – where the whites were fully cooked, but the yolk wasn't dry – took precision timing.

"The problem is" - Bronte lowered his voice - "you and I both know that little ferret isn't your type of person at all."

"How would you know?" Hephaestus flicked a glare in Bronte's direction. "You think because I fool around with you guys a couple of times a month that makes you an expert on my type?"

"Hey." Bronte flexed his huge biceps. "It takes a big man to appreciate a big man, we all know that."

"You can keep thinking that. Just don't assume I think the same way." Hephaestus thought for a moment. He didn't usually talk "feelings" with his friends, but they had known each other a damn long time. "I don't understand why you're not happy for me. Getting a mate is such a life changing event…to have my own person…"

"I know all that. I know." Bronte took the pan out of Hephaestus's hand and shoved it off the element, before manhandling Hephaestus around so they were facing each other. Hephaestus's leg twinged and he growled. "Sorry. Sorry, sire. But you need to be looking at me. You need to truly hear what I'm saying. That ferret is not your mate. You're talking yourself into believing he is."

"You've…"

"No. No." Bronte's hand was slapped over Hephaestus's mouth, and he pushed it away, his brows almost meeting in the middle he was frowning so hard.

"Sire, listen to me. Don't talk. I know you're a god and that sets you apart from regular mortals. I know you get lonely. Me and the others try and help where we can, but yeah, I know you have a romantic heart. And yes, did you think we wouldn't notice that hope in your eyes, and the tone of your voice when you noted Zeus had claimed his mate, finally, and how Poseidon had his, and even Hades was given a cute little shifter of his own for goodness' sake. I get why you wanted the same thing. That's normal. But that little ferret frolicking in your bathtub isn't it."

"How did you…"

"Listen!"

For fuck's sake . Bronte wasn't letting Hephaestus get a word in edgewise and the thing was, Hephaestus really wanted for his friends to be happy for him. It was the sole reason he was listening at all. But Bronte wasn't giving him a chance to say anything, and he clearly hadn't finished talking either.

"I don't know why you've latched onto him, specifically, although it's easy to guess. Hitting someone with a car is going to make you feel guilty, I get that. And yeah, the boys shouldn't have mentioned he was living on the streets, either, because that just makes you want for him to be yours all the more. I can see where your giant heart would want to just wrap him all up in a cocoon and look after him, sire, but if you do that – if you con this boy who's barely a man…"

"He's twenty-five." Hephaestus was not going to let his friends think he was that bad.

"Twenty-five, fifty-five, a hundred and fucking fifty-five, he's still a baby in comparison to you. He might've ticked all your boxes when it comes to having someone to look after, but he's not your physical preference when it comes to a bed partner, and he's not a pet. You can't keep him, sire. That's not fair on him, you, or us."

Folding his arms across his chest, more to give himself the illusion of distance from Bronte than anything else, Hephaestus said calmly, "I saw him bathed in light. I know what that means. That's why I hit his bike with my truck."

"Sunbeams reflecting off a car mirror." Bronte mirrored his pose.

"I saw that same light when I went looking for Landyn in the park last night."

"Random light source. Streetlight. Car driving past." Bronte shook his head.

"In my reading room? I saw the light there as well." Lifting his hand, Hephaestus flicked his thumb down the hall in that direction.

"By the time you went running off chasing him into the reading room…and if he was your mate, he wouldn't have run from you anyway…"

He was running from you.

"You were probably that tired you couldn't see straight, sire, and those lights were just your eyes letting you know you needed to get some sleep."

Bronte wasn't going to listen. It didn't matter what Hephaestus tried to say, the cyclops's mind was already made up. Then Hephaestus remembered the bite. Every paranormal – mortal or immortal – knew that the only thing that could scar a god was the bite from a mate. Hooking his forefinger over the edge of his t-shirt collar, Hephaestus pulled it back. "What do you see?"

Of course, Bronte had to be right in his personal space, his nose damn near sniffing Hephaestus's skin. But he moved back quickly enough, falling against the island counter, his mouth open in shock. "You let him bite you? Isn't that taking your delusion a step too far?"

"That is not a bite mark, that is a bite scar. " Hephaestus tapped it with his finger and felt his cock twitch. Interesting reaction. "The only being that can scar a god is a fated mate. You know that. You know that!"

"No. No. NO. NO. NO! It can't be."

"Why are you so dead set against this?" Hephaestus flung up his hands. "What the hell is wrong with you? This can't be just because of how small Landyn is physically compared to you. It can't be. You can't be that shallow."

"Things will change if you're truly mated. Can't you see?" Bronte's eyes were wide. "We've all been together for so long, perfectly happy with our lives the way it's always been, and now it's all going to change. How could you?"

Hephaestus felt the pain of his friend's callous disregard all the way to his soul. "You couldn't be happy for me? After all this time, knowing how lonely I would get, fighting to stay relevant in a world that doesn't care if I live or die…you couldn't be happy for me about this?"

"We were happy the way we were." When Bronte got that stubborn tilt of his squared chin it meant his opinion wasn't going to shift. And yes, there were a lot of times when Hephaestus just let things go because when life is eternal, it never paid to sweat the small stuff. But while Landyn was small in stature, what he represented in Hephaestus's life was huge.

" You were happy. You came into being with your brothers, your kin, people you've been with since the beginning of time." Hephaestus fought to keep his voice calm, even as he was screaming the words inside. "I have always walked this world alone, even with you living in my house. If any of you were sad, you comforted each other. When I was sad you offered me sex. If any of you wanted to celebrate something, you did it together, never wondering if I wanted to be included, and I understood that." Hephaestus couldn't help it. His voice rose.

"I have always accepted that while our friendship has endured so much, there was always going to be somethings, some ways where I was excluded, where I didn't fit in with you three. And I knew why. I knew that even as a god most people thought me lacking, including you and your brothers."

"We didn't. We wouldn't." But even as he was spouting the words, Hephaestus could see the lies. "You gave me, Steropes, and Arges the chance to have a regular life on Earth. We love the life all four of us have built since being here."

"Do you though?" Shifting his leg, Hephaestus tried to ease the ache he felt. It always got worse whenever he was under stress. "Or do you love the life you have with your kin, and you see me as a god who just made that happen for you? Is that what your companionship has been about all these years? You were using me so you could have your fun here on Earth?"

"Hephaestus, sire. We have always been as close as people who can be who aren't bound by the Fates or romance," Bronte said slowly. "Our lives have been forged together by virtue of the years we've spent together, the skills we've shared and the sweat of our labors and yes, the passions we shared in the bedroom, too. My brothers and I never dreamed in a million years that any of us would find fated mates, including you. Was it wrong we were content with what we already had? Weren't you content with what you had with us?"

"I always knew there was something that set me apart from you." Hephaestus kept his voice low. Landyn wouldn't be in the bathroom forever and he wanted to recook the eggs which were now surely ruined. "You proved that last night when I brought Landyn home and you tried to just stuff him in a spare room. You reinforced that idea this morning when you made my mating all about you and how you don't like it. You refused to believe Landyn was mine until I showed you my scar and even now, you're only concerned about what my mating means to you. If you truly accepted me, if you were my true friend, you'd be happy for me."

"Your ferret will never be enough for you." Bronte was angry now, and Hephaestus felt his own anger rise in response. "He's too small, too young, too damn simple to understand or meet your complex needs. He has no idea of your history, your brilliance, your skills, your standing among the other gods. He's a damned ferret!"

"He's my ferret." Hephaestus pushed forward as Bronte rushed him, their bodies colliding with the island counter. Pans went flying and the plates Hephaestus had set out for his and his mate's first breakfast together crashed to the floor. Bronte was trying to get him in a headlock – to what end, Hephaestus had no idea. He tried to push the cyclops away, but the damn man shed his human visage, and suddenly he was taking up half of the kitchen.

"Bronte, no. What are you doing? You can't shift inside, you damn fool." Steropes and Arges came running in from the living room, but Hephaestus kept his focus on where it counted – stopping Bronte from trying to squeeze the breath out of him. They'd been friends for so long, and there was a part of Hephaestus's heart that died in that moment, but he pulled on his power using the strength to push the cyclops away from him.

Bronte went flying back, his huge bulk hitting the wall. Plaster fell and a window smashed, but Bronte just shook himself off, fixing his single eye on Hephaestus who was doing his best to stay upright. "That mate will make you weak," he snarled as he rushed Hephaestus again. Hephaestus braced himself for impact – being hit by a cyclops was no joke, but Bronte went hurtling past him, grabbing Landyn, who must've been standing by the door, by the throat and throwing him against the wall he'd just peeled himself out of.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Hephaestus didn't know what to do first – rescue his mate or take Bronte out of existence. Bronte made the choice for him. "I'll be back when you've come to your senses and cleared out the trash," Bronte snarled as he shimmered and disappeared. Steropes and Arges stood stunned, looking between Landyn and Hephaestus.

"Go. Just fuck off." Hephaestus refused to watch as they too disappeared. Tears in his eyes, he shuffled over to his mate, grabbing him up in his arms. The man was unconscious, and so frail, that in that moment Hephaestus thought he might be dead. Brushing the hair off Landyn's face, his heart stuttered as the ferret's eyes slowly opened.

"Are you okay?" Landyn asked, reaching up, his hand soft on Hephaestus's face. That kindness and concern was Hephaestus's undoing. He broke down and cried, cradling his mate as if he was someone truly special, because by any standard an ancient god lived by, Landyn was.