Cassius nodded. “It’s change,” he said, putting his hand flat against the crayon marks. “This is all the change – the scary bits in darker colors, and the flashes of light that shine through. Look.” He pointed to a yellow bit in the corner that he’d ringed in purple. “That’s where you and Dad came in.”
“It changes the whole tone of the picture, doesn’t it? Makes it brighter and less scary somehow. Change can be scary, but it’s not all bad. My life changed in a big way when I met your dad, and every part of that has been positive – especially meeting you. Titus and I will make sure we do our darndest to make sure that all the changes going forward for you are positive ones.”
“Do you promise?” Cassius asked.
“You have my word.” Apollo agreed. He noticed Cassius’s eyes were semi-closing, and the boy yawned.Those are not vampire teeth, Apollo thought,but maybe they don’t come in until he’s grown up.
“Come here,” he said, giving in to his instincts and opening his arms. Cassius hesitated for just one moment, and then he climbed up onto Apollo’s lap, nestling his head into Apollo’s shoulder.
The boy was so small, so thin, but as Apollo took him into his arms, he knew that there wasn’t anything with their new son that a couple of decent meals and some fresh air wouldn’t fix. “You just rest,” Apollo said. “I’ll watch over you until it’s time for burgers. I promise we’ll get you some of them as soon as we leave here.”
Looking up, Apollo saw Titus’s huge smile – he was looking right at him. As though it was a signal, Titus slapped the detectiveon the shoulder and then shook his hand, before quietly coming into the room.
“We’re all set,” he said softly. “Are you two all right? Ready to go?”
“I’ve promised our son burgers,” Apollo said, standing up with Cassius still in his arms. “Can we do that before we zap off anywhere else?”
“Steak, fish, or chicken?” Titus came over, slipping his arm around Apollo’s waist as he smiled at Cassius. “I’m Titus, so you can call me that or Dad. Whatever suits you best. I’m so pleased to finally meet you.”
Cassius blinked and then blinked again. “Fish burgers, please, Dad, and don’t forget the Coke. I’d really love a Coke, if that’s all right.”
“Sounds like a celebration,” Titus said as he urged Apollo across the room.
“He’s purple,” Cassius whispered. “Really bright, bright purple.”
“That’s because he’s really pleased to see you,” Apollo murmured. “Really, really pleased.”
“That’s good. Mom said he would be. I’m glad she was right.” Cassius relaxed back in Apollo’s arms, and Apollo shielded his face from the curious onlookers as they left the police station.
Chapter Twenty
I’m a dad. Hands down, Titus didn’t think he had ever been so happy. There was still a part of his mind that couldn’t get over how much his life had changed in the space of just a week, but Titus felt more energized than he had in years. He was already committed to Cassius. When he’d been standing in that police station in Detroit, and he’d looked over and seen how Cassius was curled up in Apollo’s arms, Titus’s heart had given an extra beat, accepting this was his life now.
The happy thoughts didn’t stop there. The very first time Titus had heard his son’s voice, his boy had called him “Dad.” No coyness, just simple acceptance from a child who’d had a rough day, if not a rough life. Titus was hooked.
Cassius smelled familiar. Not familial, but definitely familiar. He was Lorna’s son. And while Titus could clearly tell from the first sniff that Cassius wasn’t his biologically, it really didn’t matter. Titus’s wolf didn’t mind. The boy was pack. He was important. He needed care and protection, and for Titus’s wolf, that was enough to make him family.
My pack is definitely growing.Originally it had been just him and Regis, but now Titus had a mate and child, all woven into an unusual pack setup that Titus knew would work.
Unfortunately, because of who he was, Titus also needed answers, especially about why Lorna and Brian died the way they did, and what Brian might have been that resulted in the unusual empathies that Cassius seemed to have.
The police department had clearly done its best. They had no idea why Lorna had been beheaded, although Titus already knew the answer to that question – a vampire could come back from most things, including fire and poison, but there was no coming back from a beheading.
According to the police, there had been a number of complaints from neighbors in the previous six months – noise and DV reports because of the often violent arguments the couple had.
That was one of the reasons Titus hadn’t bond-mated with anyone. The closest he’d come was to Lorna, and in hindsight, he was glad he’d never taken that step. Bond-matings could be broken – individuals who were bonded weren’t tied to each other on a soul level. Titus would’ve likely been unfaithful to Lorna if they were bonded or not.Whereas for fated mates, that’s just not possible, and I’d never want to stray on Apollo anyway.
It was sad, though. All Titus could think was that Lorna and Brian, despite being together for ten years, had gotten tired of each other. Lorna could be stubborn, and while Titus didn’t know anything about Brian at all, he couldn’t help wondering what made them grow apart. The two shared a child. Titus glanced up at the ceiling, and then shook his head.The Fates got their last laugh after all, he thought with a grin, because now he was responsible for Lorna’s son.
Titus had longed for Cassius to be in his life for ten long years. And now it had happened. While he’d never wished any harm to Lorna or her partner, he was pleased with the outcome. Cassius needed some decent meals. Apollo had also made vague references to Cassius seeing things differently than other people might – Titus didn’t have a problem with that either. He was mated to an ancient god – his life was clearly set up for differences.
There was one nagging problem, though – something Titus hadn’t mentioned to his mate, but it still bothered him. No matter how much Titus sniffed, as unobtrusively as possible, he couldn’t get a handle on what paranormal type Cassius was. Theboy wasn’t fully human, and that’s the only definite Titus had so far. He needed answers.
The police clearly believed that Lorna and Brian were human, but then they weren’t likely to suspect anything else, so there was no help there. There was also no apparent indication that the crime was paranormal based, so the deaths weren’t likely to trigger anything in the Paranormal Council Offices.
All indications pointed to Lorna’s and Brian’s deaths being the result of a horribly tragic domestic violence episode. That was how the police were handling it, and why the detective said the case was closed. There were no other perpetrators, no other victims apart from Lorna and Brian. A family member had been found for Cassius. The police had done all they were expected to. Unfortunately, there were still far too many other domestic violence situations that required their attention.
Titus understood this, but it didn’t stop him from wanting answers. And, technically, he knew where he could get them. He just wasn’t sure if he should.
