He slid under the covers and aligned his body with Gethin’s, feeling the anxiety of the night melt away as their limbs touched. Gethin was out cold, utterly still as Sorley felt the sun peek over the horizon. His poor mate had been through a lot in a few short hours, but for now they could sleep, then see what the evening would bring. He blinked into unconsciousness moments after arranging the covers over them both.
54
GETHIN
Gethin was backat his new favourite spot overlooking the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay. Sunset had fallen about thirty minutes previously. The village buzzed with tourists and locals alike, in and out of the pubs and eateries, or taking beloved dogs for a walk along the sands. Glyn, his middle child and second son, stood beside him. He’d been staying with Sorley and Gethin for two days, and so far had shown little sign of talking about anything except Council matters or his siblings. But Gethin had a feeling. So he waited.
“D’you think I could get my hands on some of that magical attraction spray?” Glyn said, breaking the silence, and shocking Gethin into a bark of laughter.
“What would you need that for? You’re a handsome lad, even if I am biased. You telling me you can’t pull?” He huffed. “Wouldn’t recommend it even if you could. Never felt a compulsion like it. Was like my body and mind weren’t mine to command.” He shuddered.
Glyn cleared his throat. “Yeah, I guess not,” he said hesitantly. “Just, perhaps it would be easier to find someone.”
“You’re really having trouble dating?” Gethin was surprised. He was biased, but he also knew Glyn was tall, strong and smart, as well as good-looking.
“Sort of.” Glyn shrugged. “I’m…uh…I think I like guys, Dad.”
Oh.“Think, or know?” Gethin kept facing out to sea, his gut telling him Glyn didn’t need any more attention on him right now.
Glyn gulped. “Know?” Another throat clearing. “I mean, yeah, I know. So now you do too. Know, that is.”
“Glyn?”
“Yeah?”
“Want a hug?”
Glyn fell into Gethin’s arms before he had time to steady himself. He clung on, unmoving, for several minutes, while Gethin worked through the tsunami of emotions flowing from the boy. Boy, huh; Glyn was a man, but Gethin supposed he would always view him as his child.
Eventually, the tidal wave slowed to a trickle which was mostly relief. Gethin stepped back a pace and said, “I’m sorry you didn’t think you could tell me before.”
A watery smile. “Not sure I was ready. But I am now.” He licked his lips, then chuckled unsteadily. “Grindr’s a minefield.”
Gethin clenched his jaw. “If I confirm this…”
Luckily Glyn’s laugh this time was full bodied. “Eww, just don’t. You’re my dad.” He sighed. “I’ll figure it out, eventually. Right?”
“You will,” Gethin confirmed. “God knows you can’t make as much of a bollocks of it as I did.”
They headed down to the sand and began strolling along the beach. Glyn asked a few questions, about Sorley, about vampirism, and then whether Gethin missed Cardiff and would be returning any time soon.
“I miss you lot,” he admitted, “but I can’t say I’m overly bothered to see the back of that house. It was never a home. I’m happy here, with Sorley and the beach and the moors, to say nothing of living next door to the only woman I’ve ever worshipped. We can’t stay here forever, mind; people’ll start to talk about why we don’t seem to age.”
“Will Sorley sell the house?”
“Good heavens, no. It’s been in his family for years. He’ll rent it out for twenty, thirty years or so, then we’ll come back when local memories start to get foggy.” He stared out at the sea, wild and uncomplicated, unlike his new immortal life. “I’ve been thinking. Might be time for me to finally buy something in the Welsh countryside. Been saying I would for years now. Not like I don’t have the savings.”
“That’d be nice. Might see more of you.”
Gethin fake-cuffed his son across the back of his head. “Cheeky sod. You’ve always known where I am. I’m still your alpha too, boy.” He paused and slung an arm over Glyn’s shoulders. “You never have to ask to visit, wherever we are. Just check we’re home first. That’s all.” He paused, then added, “Same as you get one sniff of negativity about your sexuality from the pack, or anyone, and I’ll put them right.”
Some time later as he stood by the car park at the top end of the village watching Glyn’s tail lights disappear into the distance, Gethin realised for the first time in longer than he could recall, he was genuinely happy. He and Sorley hadn’t even needed to talk about where they wanted to make their home base before heading to Cardiff to pack all Gethin’s personal possessions into his SUV for the trek back once again to Sorley’s Yorkshire paradise. They thought in sync a lot these days, not quite finishing each other’s sentences, but not far off.
The Council had weathered the Cormack debacle well, pulling together across their species, and cementing new friendships along the way. Alec was still fervently resisting Dalziel’s pleas to join them, and was, according to Sorley, somewhere deep in the French countryside, near enough to a town to make feeding easy, but remote enough to soothe his loner soul.
Kippen Wade had thankfully reappeared in time for his niece’s birthday. He’d been shocked to discover he’d been the focus of a manhunt, and was currently falling over himself to be as helpful to the Council as he could. It was too soon to tell if he would be joining them.
Gethin stuck his hands in his pockets and, reminding himself to stick to human speed, wandered back to the house, nodding in passing to a couple he recognised as living two streets away and who often went for a stroll in the early evening. Sorley would be waiting for him, as would Melody — who had become a dear friend — then the three of them planned to drive inland until they found a quiet spot, where Gethin would shift and run in fur alongside the love of his life and one of his new best friends. True, they were unlikely to feed on a deserted patch of moor, but it wasn’t vital tonight, and Sorley kept the fridge well-stocked. When they returned home, he had the rest of the night and until they fell asleep some time after daybreak, to spend several hours turning Sorley inside out with desire. His Sorley, his prickly, impulsive, insanely beautiful and sexy Sorley. Who loved him with the force of a thousand midday suns and who, with care and a little bit of luck, would be his literally forever.
