a wide smile. His light blue eyes crinkle at the corners. His short, silver hair has grown out since the last time Cam saw him, which I remember from his memories, and is pulled back into a high ponytail that lies flat on the back of his head. The sides and back are shaved, giving him a younger appearance than his couple thousand years. He’s wearing a heavy parka left unbuttoned along with a pair of khaki pants and a navy button-down shirt he tucked in. There’s a watch chain dangling from his pocket that hooks on to one of his belt loops. I notice he’s fit and muscular when his shirt pulls taut across his chest. If it weren’t for his smile, I could see how someone would be intimidated by Irus. But from what Cam has said, he’s a kind male.
The dogs abandon Cam and start jumping on me. I laugh at their attempts to lick my face. I bend down so they can greet me. For not knowing me, they’re extremely friendly.
“They like you,” Cam says from my side. “That’s Mack,” he says, pointing to the one on my left. “The other one is Darius. How old are they now, Irus? Fifty-five or so?”
The mage chuckles. “Something like that.”
My eyes widen. “You got your dogs to live that long? How?”
“I may not have inherent magic like you, Whitlock, but after losing many dogs over my time on this earth, I finally perfected a potion to keep my babies alive longer. Once a month, I give them a little bit of it and they keep going healthy and strong.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.”
He nods. “These two are as much my family as Camden is.”
Cam stands and walks over to embrace Irus. I’ve never seen him openly hug someone like that with warmth who isn’t me. “It’s good to see you.”
Irus hugs him then leans back to grip him by his biceps. “You’ve stayed away too long. Don’t let it happen again.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good. Now introduce me to your mate.”
Cam holds out his hand for me, so I walk over with the dogs on either side of me as I go. They are beautiful.
“They’re Samoyeds. Bigger than average,” Cam says in my mind. “Very gentle dogs but they’ll protect Irus if need be. Though he can take care of himself.”
I take Cam’s hand in mine and extend my right hand to shake Irus’. He hesitates for a moment then clasps my palm.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d like to shake hands or not since you’re fae,” he says.
“I’ve been suppressing that side of myself for so long that it’s second nature to reach out and shake your hand.” It’s the truth. I had to make sure and shield my emotions through my touch so others couldn’t feel what I was. It’s no longer a conscious effort. Just something I do when greeting another paranormal. Except the fae, of course. And it’s the same for concealing my appearance as I am now. I knew Irus lived on a lot of land, but we’re still out where humans could be.
“I’m glad you don’t have to hide anymore.”
“Me, too.”
“You can reveal yourself. No one will see you here.”
“Thank you.” With a quick burst of magic, I let my glamour slip away.
Irus smiles. “And you two are mates, yes?”
Cam turns and beams at me. “Yes. We’re fully bonded now.”
“That will be beneficial to both of you. A mated pair is always more powerful than a single being. Especially when they learn to ebb and flow together through life.” His words cause me to wonder if Cam ever told him about the team.
“No,” Cam says in my mind. “I’d love to fill him in on that part of my life, but he can’t know. That doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the informants Aries has. Irus thinks he’s helping out in our search for Caiden. If he hears about something that shouldn’t be happening, he passes that on to Aries as well. But he never asks what Aries does with the information. I wonder if he suspects something, though.”
“Interesting.”
“Come on,” Irus says. “Let’s go inside and talk. There’s a storm coming.”
I look to the sky and don’t notice any impending snowstorm.
Irus chuckles. “It’s a feeling more than something I see.”
“What do the weathermen say?” I ask.
Irus waves me off. “I don’t listen to them. When you’re as old as I am and live out in the middle of nowhere, you learn to read the weather better