It lasted only a few minutes, but it seemed to take hours for the forest to settle again.
I repeated my question.
“We were close to finding your reaper and the others.”
“So, Donnie Death decided to move the furniture.” It must have created distance.
“Are Joel and Miles still with Grym?” They’d be hard to find individually.
“They are together. One of the beloveds found their mate here, a hellhound named Arnoc.”
“Whoa. No shit?”
“No shit detected.” It turned out the god of love had a sense of humor, but it didn’t last long. “It seems we’ve lost Cael.”
Shit. That was right. I turned in a three-sixty, searching and yelling for him.
I heard him call back almost immediately.
Aengus and I turned toward him.
Aengus waved his hand, and half the trees vanished. He smirked as I gaped at him. “If Donn wants to play games, I can play, too.”
“By making it easier for Grym to see your light.” It was smart.
Aengus just smiled. “My son is this way. When we find him, we will find the others.”
He began walking. Aengus held out his arm.
“Can I ask you a question?” I grasped at it as though it were a lifeline.
“It’s about Cael being a reaper, isn’t it?” Smart and perceptive. I could see why Aengus was a god. He was good at it, not that he had chosen it. Or maybe he had. Either way, though.
I nodded. “That seems like the exact opposite of what the god of love’s son would do.”
Aengus shrugged. “That’s what I thought at first, too.”
“Was Cael becoming a reaper an act of rebellion?”
“A grand act, wouldn’t you say?” Aengus smiled.
We walked at a leisurely pace. I wasn’t so sure we should go so slowly. With Grym and the others still out there and Cael still sort of missing, we needed to get to everyone as quickly as possible so we could go home. I was ready to get back to normal. Well, my new normal, which included a bunch of reapers, I should probably start considering family since we were in this thing together.
“Cael always did his own thing. And Donn was seductive. Cael rarely listens to me. He’s always been an obstinate child.”
“Dad!” Cael’s yell carried a clear note of alarm.
Aengus didn’t increase his pace, and I was a prisoner to his light. Aengus knew he had me trapped. That was a god’s prerogative.
“Donn wasn’t ready for change. No one really is, are they?”
“I guess not.” I knew I hadn’t been ready when I met Grym.
“So you knew Cael and Donn’s love wouldn’t last.”
“I suspected.” Aengus seemed a little saddened.
“Do you think Donn will come around?”
