“You wouldn’t lie to me about that, would you?”He said he’d not do that to her.Especially in light of what she’d just told him.“Oh, Brewster, a child again.It’s been so long that I’d given up hope of ever holding a grandchild of my own.Is she doing well?Taking good care of herself?”
“Yes.The doctor said she’s doing very well and will have a good pregnancy so long as she eats more meat.He said that her weight is good and that she gets enough exercise.He’s very happy with her.”Mom looked so excited, he thought maybe she’d changed her mind about leaving him.“We’re going to have more too.Not just the one centuries apart from any other kids we want to have.Calla Lily is excited and nervous, as you might well know.”
“I can well imagine.I was the same with you when I found out that I was breeding.But your father, having all his brothers and sisters, was well acquainted with small ones running around.I have so regretted only having you as our only child.”Mom clapped her hands and smiled at him.“You’ve given me hope, young man.Thank you for that.I needed that more than I even realized.”
They talked for a bit more about the baby and other topics that would just pop into their heads.By the time he was headed up to bed after locking up the house, he was as happy as he was when he found out that Calla was breeding.They were going to be such a happy family that he couldn’t wait to share the news with the rest of them.Tomorrow, tomorrow, he’d do just that.
Chapter 2
When the train stopped at the station, he didn’t wait for the others to disembark but willed himself to the house of the king.He loved saying that.If anyone deserved to be king, it was his good friend Brew.He hoped for him a long life with lots of perks, as well as for his queen, the best life they could have.And he could see it too.
They would, of course, have their ups and downs, but for the most part, they’d have a wonderful life together with their children.He was happy for them to have so many, too, as he thought that six was the perfect number of children to have.Not that he had any of his own, but he could be happy for his best friend.Waiting at the door, he leapt back when, before he could ring the bell, a young woman opened the door and stared at him.
“You must be Calla.”She nodded and asked him which one he was.“Sirous Smith.I believe that all the Smiths of the world are old shifters who can no longer lay claim to a last name if they ever had one.”
“Brew said the same thing.Can I invite you in, or does it have to be Brew?He’s not here right now, so it’s either me or we sit out on the porch and wait for him while we get acquainted.”He said that he honestly didn’t know if she could invite him in, and she nodded.“Then you are welcome to our home, Sirous Smith.”
He was not only able to step over the threshold, but he could feel the warmth of the home, too.It was as if the house was finally a home, and it wanted all that entered to feel its new status.He also had a feeling that it belonged solely to the woman in front of him and wouldn’t be surprised if she was the only one who could invite people into the home.He’d have to ask about that when he got the chance.
“I’m not sure that I like you coming here if you’re only going to die when we get to know you.”Her bluntness startled him, and he felt his own monster curl around his body a bit for comfort.“You’re making one of your dearest friends do the deed, isn’t right?You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I’m not.”She invited him into the living room, and he was delighted to see Mother Smith in the room as well.“It’s been a long time.I had no idea that you’d be so beautiful after all this time.My goodness, you’ve not aged one bit.”
“I’m with Calla in that I’m not sure you should be here when all you want to do is die.I will admit that this was my plan as well, but you’ve done this family wrong, Sirous, and I’m ashamed to call you one of my adoptive sons.”He said that he didn’t want it to be like this, that’s why he didn’t want it known what his plans were.“So you were going to just show up, get acquainted with all of us again, and then break our hearts when we felt your death?That’s even worse than I thought, young man.”
Few people could call him a young man and be right about it.He wished that Brew was here so that he’d have at least one person in the room who wasn’t pissed off at him.Not that he believed that he’d be any less upset with him, but at least he’d not be so hostile about it.At least he hoped not.He wasn’t entirely sure what to think about now.
He was given tea and wine when he had a seat.They were no less pissy with him, but at least they were trying to get to know him again.Especially Calla.She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, and he was sure that Brew told her that daily.He knew he would have if he had a mate such as her.
When Brew came home, they hugged.He could feel the tension between Brew and Calla and had a feeling that he was the cause of it.Sirous didn’t want to cause trouble when coming here and decided that if the others were going to be the same, he’d just leave.It wasn’t like him to be a troublemaker, and he wasn’t going to start that now so late in the game of his life.Whatever was left of it.
“I’ve been looking for someone to run a couple of businesses that I have around town.They’retaking up too much of my time getting up and off the ground, so I thought having someone around to oversee them would be better.”He asked what sort of businesses they were.“One of them uses old clothing to make braided rugs.I thought when I saw one of them that it was something from my past.Remember having one in our bedrooms when we were children?They were so warm and comforting that I didn’t realize how much I missed them.The other is a shop that makes soaps and lotions and sells them.I wasn’t sure how much business they could generate around here, but she swears she has an online presence that pays her bills.I know next to nothing about either place other than I loaned them the money to get started.”
“You’re still investing in the little businesses around here, aren’t you?”He said that it wasn’t him but Calla who saw something in them that she wanted to help them out.“Good for her.I don’t think she likes me all that much.”
Brew looked around and leaned in to talk to him.The women had gone to the kitchen when Calla said she wanted to get herself something to eat.Whatever they were doing, Brew didn’t want his lovely mate to hear what he was saying to him about her.
“She is upset with you.I don’t know that she will ever not be if you go through with what you have planned.Yosef showed up yesterday and was telling us that he is to remove your head once you ask him to do it.He’s also said that if you find your mate between now and then, he will not.I love that about him.”Sirous asked him if he still loved him.“I do.Nothing you could do would change that.I will miss you and having you around, but I don’t have to like you leaving us so soon after arriving.”
“No, you don’t, and I appreciate you not ordering me to not do this.This is something that I’ve given a great deal of thought about, and I’m ready.I have all my paperwork done so that the person I leave in charge will know just how to distribute my funds when I’m gone.”He asked who it was.“It’s you.I know of none better who will take care that my will is met with a strong heart and a good one.I have laid out the instructions well for you to follow.”
They talked about his funds for a bit, and he was glad that he’d chosen Brew to do his final wishes.He wouldn’t like the way things were in his death, not at all, but he’d do what he wanted and make sure that all his wishes were met with the rest of the men, too.Sirous had a great deal of money, lands, and gems that he’d collected over the centuries, and he wanted to make sure that they went to the right person when the time came.
When the front doorbell rang, he was excited to see that it was the other men.The three of them looked as good as they had forever, and he hugged them tightly.As soon as Calla and Mother Smith came back into the room, they included them in the conversations they were having, and it was a good time.He was going to miss this in the afterlife.If there was one.He didn’t know, but he had hopes that there would be.
Sirous could still feel the cold shoulder he was getting from Calla.He hurt for that, knowing and seeing what sort of relationship she had with the others.He was sure that she’d not meant to be so cruel to him.Or perhaps she did.He didn’t know her well enough to know how her mind was working on this.But he was hurt all the same.
They decided that they were going to walk around town to show what improvements had been made so far.Brew was quite proud of his little town, and it showed in not just the way he talked about it but in his mannerisms as well.Calla had had a great many ideas about what was happening around the town, too, and he was proud of her for voicing her concerns about details that he might not have thought about.Like she was concerned that if they did too much, people would begin to demand more things being done until there wasn’t any money left.He could see that happening too.People with their hands out for every little project that needed to be taken care of.
“We’re going to have council meetings here in the town.That way, some of the businesses can take advantage of new people being around and perhaps sell to them.Then there are the three bed and breakfasts that are here that could use the extra income from the other vampires that come around.”He asked how often he was planning to have meetings that would involve other vampires.And would they be good while in town?“That was a concern of Calla’s as well, and she came up with the lawthat if they were here on business, they couldn’t feed on anyone who isn’t willing.It will mean certain death for them should they break that law.I like it.It means we’ll have peace here when there could be devastation if they get out of hand.”
“That’s going to work too.Right up until someone gets by with it.How are you going to monitor all the vamps that come around?I’m sure you have a plan.”He laughed and looked at Calla.“You have a plan to make sure that vampires don’t feed on others while they are here?You do know that it’s second nature for us to feed when we need to.”
“I’m going to keep an eye on them.I can tell where everyone is at any given moment when they’re around.Say you were in the pack house talking to the head pack master.Not only would I know that you’re there with him, but the conversation you’d be having with him.Not to mention all the others that might well be in the room with the two of you.It’s a magic that I’m going to use to keep them in line.The first sign of someone taking what is not willfully given will be killed by removal of their head.I like how final that is.”
She was talking about him, and he knew it.She was telling him that she would know when he was ready to die and that she’d be able to be there when it happened.He didn’t know how that was going to work for her, but Sirous had a feeling that she’d use her considerable power and magic to make him suffer before he was dead, and there would be no one around to save him.He was toast if he crossed the young woman, and there would be nothing he could do about it himself, either.
The rest of the evening, they sat around and talked about times before.He mostly listened to what was being said and enjoyed some of the stories that were going around.At midnight, Calla left them to their talks and went up to bed.He could tell that Brew wanted to join her, but she had insisted that he stay with them as there wasn’t going to be much time left for them to be all together again.Again, she was singling him out.
