realm, my decisions. But for now, change your clothes. You attacked my phone with a sword – the phone was a gift from Zeus.”
“My lord?” Seth glanced down at his bare chest, and flowing pants. “These clothes are suitable for anything you would have me do on this realm.”
“We’re not staying on this realm. We’re going to walk among the mortals.” Ra’s smirk remained even as he clicked his fingers, reverting to what Zeus called his wanna-be student persona. Sure, Ra was shorter as a human than when on his own realm, and maybe he did prefer to dress in jeans and t-shirts, but they were so comfortable. His boots were handcrafted from the finest soft leather and were almost as easy to wear as his sandals. Besides, Ra thought with a grin, Zeus is a fine one to talk – in his human form he looks like a Fae.
Flicking his dark hair off his face, Ra quirked his eyebrow at his reluctant protector who hadn’t moved. “I gave you a direct order.”
“You can’t force me to go down there.” Seth shook his head. “My place is here, protecting you as you oversee this realm.”
“You attacked my phone while I was using it.” Ra pointed to his sharp cheek bone. “I felt the breath of your blade.”
“And you didn’t even blink. I will take any punishment you deem suitable to make up for the phone you fixed not five seconds after I decimated it, but I see no reason to walk among them.” Seth turned away, looking over at the trees. “Earth is crowded. People jostle each other with no respect. And you can never take a clean breath thanks to all those exhaust fumes coming from those contraptions they ride around in.”
“The call you interrupted was from Paulie asking me if I’d check in with their little investigator team – the wolf shifter Wesley and his demon mate, Castor. They are on earth – we’re going to earth,” Ra explained with a patience he didn’t feel.
Seth’s frown lines deepened. “You said young Paulie was sharing details of Egan’s first steps.”
“Well, of course the conversation progressed after he made his request. Sheesh.” Ra shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt to have a friendly conversation with the man. He’s the mate of Zeus and Egan is an adorable youngster. Of course, Paulie is going to be proud of what the little one is doing, and he wanted to share his excitement with me. I felt honored.”
“Yes, well, there’s too much of that going on as well.” Seth could be as stubborn as a camel when he wanted to be. “Respected gods from every pantheon are finding mortal mates and breeding like rabbits as though that were an achievement. We can only be thankful the Fates respected us enough to leave us out of their little schemes, as well they should.”
“It is not every pantheon.” Ra laughed despite his impatience to get moving. “The Norse gods have been touched briefly through Thor, and there have been a few mates found among the ancient Greek gods like Poseidon, Hades and Zeus. And true, then there’s the ancient one Silvanus, and Owen with his ties to the Native American Indian nations, but that’s all. You know yourself, there are hundreds, if not thousands more gods the Fates could choose from, including you. Personally, I hope the Fates do turn their eyes in my direction. I long to have a mate of my own and I’m not the only one with dreams like that. Helios was saying only the other day that he’s actively looking too since Abraxas found his cute little human Jordan. Having a mate is an amazing gift. It means the Fates haven’t forgotten us.”
“The Greeks always were a soppy bunch.” Seth narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, you long for a mate of your own? You have all the company you could ever desire whenever you want it.”
“Do I?” Ra gestured at the empty grasslands, framed by trees he’d put in especially for Paulie before the young man was found and claimed by Zeus. “I’m not seeing anybody but you – one of my companions who’s looking to be banished to earth for a month if he keeps refusing a direct order to change his clothes.”
“It’s not safe down there,” Seth protested, even as a shimmer fell over his body. In the blink of an eye, he was dressed in clothes similar to Ra’s, his hair tamed with a leather