“Especially if it looks as though he’s going from one to the next like a total ho. How many nights a week is Delirium open?” Edwin started thumbing his phone.
* * *
As predicted,Sorley was less than thrilled about leaving Gethin behind, but agreed they had to attempt to flush out their target. “Although God knows how,” he pondered aloud, using the same colour dye on his hair as the first time Gethin had watched him prepare for a night out in the city centre. It had only been ten days. The fact everything had changed, and how, blew his mind. He grimaced as Sorley expertly inserted contact lenses, then took up a brush to contour his face to a photo of himself he evidently kept for continuity purposes.
“You will be careful, won’t you?” he said for the umpteenth time. His wolf whined softly, not helping Gethin’s unease.
“Edwin’s in more danger than I am. He’s fresh meat. Our criminal already nobbled me once and knows I understand what it does to me. Of course,” He twisted to check his cheekbones were evenly highlighted, “there’s always the possibility they’ve been mucking about with the magic again and it now has different effects.”
“Not according to what Marlowe thinks,” Gethin reminded him. It was luck the latest humans had all been helped by a friend or family member. If not, perhaps one of them might have ended up dead like the other human, Thomas Davidson. Gethin didn’t think he’d ever forget the guy’s name. Hehopedhe wouldn’t. Admittedly, he’d never technically been human, but he had been mortal, and the callousness with which Dalziel had seemed to dismiss the death as of little consequence still rattled him. He wondered if perhaps in three centuries he too would see humans as disposable and fragile, useful only as food. It wasn’t an avenue he was keen to venture down, not now, and preferably not ever.
Marlowe insisted on adding some protection to Sorley and Edwin before they went out, although he did say it wasn’t as effective as warding a building. Gethin was happy it was doable at all.
When they headed off, Marlowe set up his laptop and phone in the kitchen with the intention of tracking down as many of his fellow mages as he could. The Council had put out an alert that Kippen hadn’t been seen for over a month, putting him at the top of the list of suspects. Marlowe told Gethin he was concerned.
“Kippen is a loner, but nobody’s heard from him at all,” he said earnestly. “I still have my doubts he’s involved, but it doesn’t look good right now.”
Gethin raised his eyebrows. “It’s often the ones we don’t suspect,” he countered glumly.
Marlowe sighed, but he held Gethin’s gaze. “Yeah, I know,” he said finally. “I just don’t want it to be him.”
Gethin retired to the bedroom and took out his phone. He had a voicemail that had been burning a hole in his conscience. Swallowing hard, he stood at the window and pulled up a number. Before he could talk himself out of it, he pressed .
It rang twice before, “Dad? What thehellis going on? Meredith said you’re avampirenow? That was a joke, right? You’ve gone undercover for some dark Council shit and—”
“Iolo, take a breath. Please.”
“But Dad…”
“Maybe sit down, son.” He put enough power behind it that Iolo would obey and hopefully hear him out. “I, uh, I have quite a lot to tell you. Some parts of it might come as more of a shock than others.”
There was a pregnant pause. Gethin could hear every footstep in the surrounding streets, Marlowe chatting under his breath to himself in the kitchen, the swish of paper as Alec turned the page of a book in the living room, and his eldest son’s ragged breaths on the other end of the line.
Then Iolo wheezed, “You’re gay, aren’t you?”
Another long pause. Gethin tried to coax saliva into his dry throat, but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Eventually, he stuttered, “How did you know?”
“By the moon.” It was a harsh whisper in his ear. “Glyn said I was mad, but I thought…I…damn, are you sure, Dad? Why now? What changed?”
Surprising himself, Gethin snort-laughed. “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve been sure for a long time.” Sobering hastily, he explained. “I’ve always known. I didn’t feel able to act on it. Cowardice, I guess you’d call it.”The damaging social pressure on wolves, alpha elders especially, to conform to shifter traditions which I can now see are outdated and harmful.
“Did you ever even love Mum?”
Gethin’s dry mouth became a desert. “Not the way you should love a spouse, no.” He heard Iolo’s sharp intake of breath and added, “But I love that we made you three. I don’t regret being married. How could I when I have you kids?”
“Huh.” More silence. “I’m really disappointed you kept this from us, from me. It feels like I don’t even know you anymore.”
“I’m the same man I’ve always been. Just…more authentically me.” He swallowed what felt like dust. “Are you angry?”
A sigh. “How can I be angry with you for being genuine? Some hypocrite I’d be after my speech the other week. I’m not angry, but it might take some getting used to.” Iolo huffed. “I suppose this means there’s some bloke in your life now?”
“Yeah, it does.” Gethin could hear the change in his tone as he thought of Sorley, and evidently his son wasn’t slow.
“Oh.”Gethin could almost hear the gears in Iolo’s head grinding. “Holy hell, he’s a bloodsucker, isn’t he?”
Gethin cringed. The nickname he’d used for years definitely didn’t have the same appeal now it also applied to him.
“He’s a vampire, yes.”
