Maybe he only looks like that when he's doing that kind of job.
“Yeah, his entire family are grim reapers, but he chose a different occupation. What that is, no one knows, not even him. So for now, he acts as Thor's assistant.”
“Oh,” Star said, still a bit shocked.
“Hey, Papa, I'll head over to see Mom. It seems you need to work some things out.”
Shit, I somehow forgot she was still here.
He looked at Kebechet, the serpent goddess, with awe and wariness. He wanted to kick himself in the ass, noticing the familiar gold eyes he'd missed earlier. Not only that, he guessed she was listening to him make a fool of himself. Now that he looked at her well, Star could see the resemblance, especially the flecks of gold in her eyes.
Anubis got up and went over to his daughter. “Thanks for understanding, sweetness. Tell your mom and Apophis I'll visit them when I can.” He kissed her on the forehead, and Kebechet looked at Star with what he could only assume was pity, or maybe he was wrong. He was surprised when she walked over and hugged him, and whispered in his ear, making him tremble in fear.
“Hurt him and I will kill you again.” She leaned back, looking down at him, smiling as if she hadn't just threatened his newly found life. “I hope to get to know you better, Daddy Star.” She looked at Anubis and winked before disappearing just like he'd seen Chase do so often.
Daddy Star, my ass! What the fuck?He glared at Anubis, wondering if he heard his daughter threatening him.
“Daddy Star.” Anubis smiled. “I think it fits now that we're mates. She's also your daughter. And one day, our children will call you Daddy.”
I guess he didn't hear her. “Let's not talk children quite yet. I'm still mad at you.” He really wasn't, but he didn't like being threatened by Kebechet in front of a man who promised to protect him.
“I can tell. Let's go eat, and you can tell me everything.” One of Anubis's arms circled his waist and started guiding him to the kitchen.
“Wait,” he said, stopping the other man. “Aren't you angry? Or disappointed even?”
“Why should I be?” Anubis shrugged.
“I kept something from you.”
Anubis sighed. “So did I, Star. How can I be angry with you when I did the same thing?”
They stopped walking, and Star cupped his lover's cheek. “Anubis, you're really not upset?”
Anubis placed a hand on top of his and turned to kiss his palm. “No, but I hope you can forgive me for not telling you about Keb.”
“There's a story behind all of that, right?”
“Isn't there always one, and I will tell you all about it. Now, come on. I made enough for me, you, and Keb, but since she's gone off to her mom, it's just us. And I kind of like it that way. Just me and my baby boy.”
“Yes, and it will never change.”
Anubis leaned down and kissed him, easing every single one of Star's fears. His arms encircled Anubis's neck, and he promised to hold onto him, praying that the god would never let him go.
Chapter Twenty-Four
ANUBIS
“Now that you understand this world a bit better, do you regret our mating?” Anubis asked Star after hearing his entire story. They were sitting on the couch with Star on his lap while he spoke of his past life. While Star was talking, Anubis made note of a couple of things he planned on investigating afterward, but he wanted to know how Star truly felt about them being mates. There was no reversing it, but as much as it would kill him to separate, Anubis would step back and give Star time to adjust if he needed it.
“No.” Star sat up and looked at Anubis. “Being with you in any capacity is the only thing that doesn’t make me feel anxious.” He smiled. “I didn't know what happened that night, and although Chase told me to do more research on mating, you should have seen my face when I found out men could get pregnant.” He laid his head back down on Anubis's chest. “It scared me tonight to see you being so sweet to someone that wasn't me. I thought you got tired of me already and found someone new.”
“Is that what your ex did?”
Star nodded. “There were so many times I thought he loved me, and even when I knew he was cheating with her, I made excuses for him. It wasn’t until I saw them together that something snapped. But you want to know what the crazy part was? Before witnessing that, I couldn't leave him because he’d convinced me that no one would want someone like me. I clung to his every word and action, never thinking things out for myself. He abused me physically, mentally, and emotionally, and still, I depended on his approval and continued to hurt myself more by staying with him when I never got it. But the truth was, I never meant to kill him. I simply wanted him to see me. It’s different being with you. When I saw you being so gentle with another person, it hurt worse than anything.”
Anubis tightened his arms around Star, cocooning him in his embrace. Although he was protecting his baby, he was hiding his anger. He wanted to find Thornton Miller's soul and torture it until he felt satisfied.
“No one will hurt you again,” Anubis assured him. It was then Anubis recalled Star's behavior on set the first time they worked together.
