Death's Mate - C.W. Gray Page 0,1
That would require acknowledging their relationship and having breakfast with Val’s son.
He rubbed his chest, heart heavy. Verion also never told Val he loved him, though Val knew his mate did care for him.
After Charybdis Station’s war with the Crellic Queen and her allies, the Humans First Coalition, had ended, Val had expected to settle down with Verion and live happily ever after. During the war, Verion had needed to focus on taking out the Queen. Keeping their connection to one another a secret had been the best decision at the time. At least, that’s what Val kept telling himself. The war’s over, he thought for the hundredth time. I want my happy now.
As the months passed and Verion didn’t mention moving in, announcing their mating, or maybe even marrying, Val had started to lose hope. He knew they were life mates, Veri’s delicious oak moss scent told him that. What he didn’t know was if they were a good match. Val thought they were, but maybe that was wishful thinking.
His door opened, and Lorry stood in the doorway for a moment. Midge, their small Old-Earth Maltese ran in, tongue hanging out of her mouth. She jumped on the bed and ran laps around him, tail wagging in excitement.
Lorry made a face. “Dad, why are you always naked in the morning now? Remember when you used to wear pajamas and fall asleep reading a book? You even had those little old man reading glasses since you wouldn’t get your eyes fixed.” He scowled. “Thank the stars, the station filters the air so well, or your room would probably always smell like sex.”
Val gave his son a flat look. “Don’t think you’re too old to be grounded, young man.”
Lorry ignored his threat and sat on the end of the bed. “I heard Death leaving a couple hours ago. He’s aware that everyone knows about you two, right? There’s no reason to keep it a secret. Hell, you two spend all your free time either here or at his son’s house. We all know you’re not just good friends.”
Val swallowed the knot of pain in his throat. It always threw him off when people called Verion Death. Almost everyone did, but it felt strange, as if they were forgetting he wasn’t just the Crellic element. “It’s complicated.”
Lorry shook his head, face stubborn. He looked a lot like Val and, unfortunately, acted a lot like him too. “It’s really not. There’s no reason you two can’t be together now. There’s no war for Death to run off and fight in. There’s no one trying to kill him and anyone close to him. It’s just normal life now. You deserve more, Dad.”
“He does too.” Val rubbed his face. “He’s never lived a life of his own, and I’m not sure he knows how to.”
Lorry frowned. “He’s lived several lives, right? Sai told me he’s lived several cycles in different hosts.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s truly had an actual life of his own,” Val said, voice hard. “As Death, he was always a weapon to almost every person he knew. There was no safe place for a family or mate. As Verion Morrick, he’s lived for helping others at the expense of his own happiness. Either way, my Veri hardly ever had a chance to live, and each time he’s tried has ended disastrously. We need to be patient.”
Lorry tapped his chin with a clawed finger. Betonize were a large species with clawed fingers and sharp fangs, but despite their size and fierce looks, Val and Lorry were both thinkers. There wasn’t a time they didn’t stop and think for a moment before making a decision.
Sometimes people thought they were slow when they didn’t react right away, but Val and his son liked to think things through and act accordingly instead of rushing into any situation.
“Start small,” Lorry finally said. “You already go visit him at his son’s house every evening before you come back here after I’m in bed.” He gave Val a wry look. “I hear a lot of things I don’t want to, you know.”
Val flushed. “Sorry about that.”
Lorry grinned. “Maybe, instead of coming straight here, you two can go have a drink at the diner? That’s neutral ground.”
“It’s also public.”
Lorry rolled his eyes. “Fire tells everyone he sees about you two screwing around. It’s way too late to try to keep your mating to yourself. By the way, I really don’t enjoy hearing about my dad’s sex life every time I go