Senri's giddiness felt more than validated with the proper awe and worship of the sight that his sleeping mate elected. Even his normally quite stoic brother seemed at a loss when the ink-furred sibling emerged from the maw of the underground tunnel carrying the crimson Allag cuddled into his back tightly and snore-purring quietly. While Hades, for once, looked unsure how to proceed, the few other members of their Clan present around them promptly fell to their bellies when Senri passed them and gawked silently.

He hardly blamed them, after all, it wasn't an everyday sight for a myth they all grew up to materialize in front of their eyes! He could only hope that when he woke up and understood the situation, Raha won't freak out too badly – or mind too much the already very present reverence he was bound to be received with when they arrived at his lair. Or the gifts. With Seekers, it was impossible to avoid as their nature and habits always led them to feel the need to provide – especially in gratitude – and the presence alone of the favored child of their goddess and its promise was a blessing any of the other main lairs would kill for.

Hence Hepaistos couldn't be allowed to leave the boundaries of their mountain – especially not before they knew where they stood with Damon and his nature. Plus: the twins' father, obviously. The blonde man, Sol Mallory, he got a very brief look at, as busy as he was losing his mind over losing his mate, but Senri made sure to properly apologize (with Ares's translation) for bringing this mess upon their kits. And the twins' parents were very kind not to hold it against him. Before he left then, he heard Ares's orders toward their clanmates that very, very few other Clan leaders would issue. His eldest brother believed in respecting human beliefs and customs – no matter how nonsensical they sounded to them – but other than assuring that the couple would have proper protection, he warned their Clan against trying to approach Sol – no matter his blood.

And none of them wanted the other Clans to sniff about their territory and, Bast forbid, have the gall to demand their charges. Selfish it might be, Senri believed that there was a reason why they appeared so close to their particular lair, and, personally, he hoped that eventually, Damon would take an interest in his oldest brother. Spending a few hours in the teen's company for him was enough to decide that he was a perfect match for Ares's personality – and if anyone deserved Bastet's blessing, his brother more than earned it.

Arriving in front of his other, white-furred brother, Senri wasn't exactly able to hide the gleeful grin seeing that Hades could hardly take his golden eyes off his napping redhead.

"Ares allowed me to take him back to the lair," he said softly, and his brother flinched slightly, blinking rapidly before he looked at him and rolled his eyes, seeing his grin.

"Very well… but I can hardly let you go alone," his brother hummed, then looked about the present members of their Clan, visibly busy gawking at the living legend. "Hey, Rahm, get over here," he said toward the nearest blonde Seeker, who blinked his mismatched, white-blue eyes rapidly, then grinned toothily and climbed to his paws and neared them carefully and silently. Senri bit back a relieved sigh, discreetly tossing his brother a thankful look Hades pretended not to see if his whiskers twitched slightly.

"Yes, Hades?" the blonde lowered his head slightly, giving a proper show of submission, and Senri almost snickered at the way he very visibly fought the way his tail seemed determined to wag with excitement.

Rahm was slightly younger than him, but if Senri were asked which of the members of their Clan he liked the most, it would be blonde. It wasn't surprising, considering they picked a tad similar tasks about their lair if he knew that his white-furred brother wasn't as pleased with Rahm's penance to get stuck in the weirdest places. While Senri loved to play with and entertain the kits, his blonde best friend took pride in preparing the meals for the youngest members of their Clan who weren't able to do so themselves yet. It put them working together the most if Senri was likely the only one who knew how much his friend lamented the ban on the human-technology – calling it a leash on his creativity. Though all the kits never hid their enthusiasm for the blonde's penance to prepare for them the tastiest and most fantastical meals, Rahm was always busy looking for the inspiration to expand his repertoire, which ironically, often led to him getting stuck somewhere about the lair and needing rescue. And while he found it hilarious, Hades – who was Ares's second-in-command and took over whenever their oldest brother wasn't present – didn't hide his annoyance with the blonde's antics. Though – knowing him as he did – Senri better than anyone understood that it came from a spot of care. Rahm, despite his cheery disposition, was one of the few orphaned kits due to the clashes with the Keepers that Hepaistos caused when he was in charge, and since when it happened, the blonde was in a very similar age to his baby brother, Hades took over his care – if, obviously, he gave him much more leeway than Senri was allowed back then.

"You're going to escort Senri and his… charge back home," his brother said, giving Rahm a stern, narrowed look that had the blonde Seeker nod obediently, lowering his eyes to hide his obvious glee… that waned with Hades's next words. "Then you're going to report for guard duty until dawn."

Senri cringed involuntarily, earning himself a narrowed glare of the golden eyes when he sent his best friend a sympathetic look. Guard duty at the entrance of their lair was the most boring task – considering that nothing ever happened that would really require that – and many of the younger members of their Clan saw it as punishment, most often for misbehaving or in some way spiking his brothers' tempers.

…and somehow, he and Rahm ended up drawing the short stick with that quite often, spending hours sprawling at the entrance to their lair and going out of their minds with boredom.

"Yes, syid," the blonde's posture didn't change, only his tail sagged slightly. Perhaps if they were alone, Rahm would whine at the task, but they both knew better than to question Hades's authority in the presence of the other members of their Clan, who silently observed the exchange. Even if they seemed consumed by staring at Senri's prize – that he hoped would beyond doubt prove their goddess's favor for his brother's rule – the memory of Hepaistos's was still very alive in all of their minds, and the fucker literally spent years spreading ferment about the dangers of letting hybrids lead them. And despite proving their capabilities over the decades, he knew his brothers were always careful not to do anything that would prove their uncle's lies and half-truths.

Because it was very much true that they were much, much more powerful than their pureblooded cousins, but while he didn't remember them, Senri knew that their parents raised his brothers to resent the way other Clans were often run. Ares told him many times over the years that their father laid it upon his and Hades's heads that they were meant to serve the Clan, not the other way around. That their strength was meant to protect the weaker and not abuse them. And that their very existence proved that their, Nyx's and Cassiopeia's, beliefs in that and wish for unity between their respective Clans was their goddess's as well. And his brothers, in the absence of their parents, raised him to believe in that, too.

"Take care on the way back, Sen," his brother added a tad softer, and he nodded toward him in assent, turning toward the direction of their lair. "Ah.. and you'll be free of your tasks for the rest of the month… to properly attend to your mate's needs," at that, he bit back a grin and instead nodded dutifully. That gave him a bit over three weeks to fully enjoy his lover and help him adjust to the situation – which he knew was a generous amount of time for it. Perhaps, because the situation was far from usual – as normally his brothers very much avoided openly showing him too much favor, which he insisted on after reaching maturity. He had enough isolation growing up thanks to their uncle, and despite being Ares's potential successor, he wanted nothing to do with that! "Rahm…" Hades turned his attention toward the blonde again, who stopped mid-move in joining Senri's side. "…when you get back, tell Nezzo to send here more people, okay?" Nezzo was one of the Elders in charge of their training.

"You didn't find him?" Senri asked softly, growing quite cold inside at that.

"No… but we will, brother, don't fret," Hades replied, then motioned for them to leave.

Silently pawing through the mossy underbrush while having his sleeping mate's comfort on his mind, the walk was bound to take a while if he wasn't very surprised that his best friend spoke up only when they were quite far from the earshot of his brother or other members of their Clan.

"So… I guess congratulations are in order?" Rahm said with obvious amusement, tossing a meaningful glance toward his back. "And… Bast, but those wings are so fucking pretty…."

"I know, right...?" Senri replied proudly. "And thanks. I'm still… you know, processing. Feels very much like any moment I'm going to wake up, and he'll be gone."

"Buddy… I don't blame you!" the blonde sniggered quietly, and his tail now openly wagged with enthusiasm. "Let now any of the idiots say anything wrong about Ares, hm? I can bet you that when we get back, and they take stock of your wonder, we will be finally able to put all of Hepaistos's bullshit behind!"

"Perhaps not yet," he hummed with consideration, staring under his paws and picking a route to cause as less discomfort to his lover as the forest floor allowed. "Honestly, I'm a tad worried that some might see it as the fact that I should lead…" he sighed, grimacing toward his friend, who hesitated, then, after a moment, nodded reluctantly. "But you know… Don't mention that to my brothers, Shaytan?" he asked, winking while using his nickname for his friend. 'Demon' in their tongue, he always believed fit quite well with Rahm's temperament – especially when they trained together. "And if you do want to set a bet, I'll put a week of guard duty on the fact that the other twin will – eventually – hook up with Ares."

"…oh?" Rahm considered that for a moment, then snorted quietly. "That's too easy. Considering Ares's looks and position, that kit would be insane to settle for anyone else. Not to mention… your brother's kind and considerate – rare for a leader – and he actually listens when you need something, so… yeah, too obvious. Tell you what… a month of guard duty that it's going to take less than a week, Wahsh," he replied with his nickname for him, 'beast,' with haughty confidence to his voice, but sending him a playful, toothy smirk.

"You're on," he nodded, then wrinkled his nose and twitched his whiskers. "If I'm going to say two weeks. I don't know Damon that well, but Ares is very dutiful and all… He's not only going to see him as his charge but, more importantly, would want to give every other member of the Clan a fair shot at Damon's favor, right?"

"Ugh… can I change my bet?" Rahm groaned quietly, and Senri sniggered, shaking his head. "But yeah… I can see that happening."

"Mhmm," he hummed, then sighed dreamily, feeling his mate shift slightly and tighten his paws around his back. With his smaller size, it felt almost like he was designed for this – to be coddled and pampered – and he couldn't help but grin like a lovesick idiot, sending Bast a silent prayer in thanks for his redheaded miracle.

"By the way, Sen… Did you find out yet?" Rahm asked, bringing him back to reality.

"Huh?" he hummed with confusion, sending him a look before returning his gaze under his paws.

"You know… What's their magic?" his best friend whispered. "Seekers create, and Keepers destroy… but Allag? The stories about that are always like... 'they brought joy and prosperity' or 'their magic was as wonderful as deadly'… So… What exactly is it?"

"I… don't know," he replied hesitantly, frowning. "I mean… didn't see him use any magic, and it was like what? Two or three hours at most? He's late to Shift, yeah, but usually, it does take the first one for the kits' magic to manifest, right? Maybe I'll find out when he wakes up…?"

"Perhaps… Do let me know, hm? I was always curious about that," his friend chuckled sheepishly, and he nodded, then they fell silent and stayed like that up until they arrived at the entrance of their lair.

The entrance was shaped like an archway and closed off by the two massive plates made of pure gold, engraved with jewels and rites to Bastet's glory. Split in the middle, the plates represented their goddess's dual nature, with the images on the left dedicated to her ferocious image – the humanoid female with the head of the lioness – protectively holding guard over the smaller images of Her children. The right was a tribute to Her softer aspect – female with the cat's head – gloriously caught in the throes of the pleasures she was the patron of.

…there was a reason why Her worshipers back in the day threw the grandest orgies in Her name, enough said!

Nezzo met them in front of the gate, similarly gawking at Senri's gloriously ruby charge while he motioned for the two youngsters currently in the guards' posts to push the plates open.

"Bast be praised," the Elder lowered his head nearly to the ground while Senri almost ridiculously puffed out his chest proudly if still stomping carefully. He wanted to get his lover into the safety of his nook before Raha could wake up and potentially freak out – but he also understood his brother's directive to parade his mate about… a bit, to raise the morale with the proof of their goddess's favor. He nodded toward the Elder and Rahm graciously, then toward the young guards who promptly fell flat to their bellies and whispered prayers in Bastet's name when he passed them, heading inside the long down-turned corridor, with walls plated in gold and decorated with more rites and jewels – all to appease their creator's taste. It was tradition if none of the available lore ever mentioned Bast ever visiting one of the fourteen lairs – only that She held court in the Allagan one, which Seekers and Keepers worked together to make the most beautiful and comfortable in gratitude for Her children and Her guidance.

Now abandoned for over a millennium, Ares told him once that during one of his travels, he went to its gate to pray and offer a tribute, and his brother described the experience as 'enlightening.' It was after that that he worked tirelessly, trying to realize their parents' vision. And if the twins' appearance right at the edge of his territory wasn't a sign of Bastet's approval, Senri didn't know how else to see it, and he understood that his brother wanted their Clan to see it the same way.

Ares wasn't selfish enough to automatically assume that the cyan-eyed twin would pick him if he would turn, and Senri didn't mind – and planned to seek his mate's approval when he's awake – sort of using his goddess's granted gift to reaffirm his eldest brother's reforms. He didn't really remember Hephaistos's rule but heard horror stories about it and saw enough of its results growing up.

According to those, his own sire, their grandsire on their father's side, and the male who led their lair before their father saw his older kit for whom he was and, upon his deathbed and despite the custom, set his younger kit, Nyx, as the next to take the position. Their grandsire, famed for being piously dedicated to their goddess, called it Her wish he saw in stars, and despite Hephaistos's protests, it was decided to follow that directive – at least for a trial in case the refusal would serve to insult Bast. Or perhaps – which he somewhat cynically suspected – their grandfather wasn't the only one to see the bastard for the selfish asshole who should never be allowed to lead anyone, much less a Clan. And considering that Nyx soon after set off to realize his ideas to unite the Clans and appeared Soul-Bonded to their mother, with them working to be the surest proof of Bastet's approval…? Well, there was a reason why very few were surprised in the end that Hephaistos's did what he did – not approving, obviously, but short of murder, there was never a chance for him to stand in the place he saw as rightfully his with the way their goddess clearly favored his younger brother. Even when he was designed for it after their parents' slaughter, it was never seen as anything but temporary until Ares's maturity. But without any proof of his involvement in their deaths, he did end up as the only adult with the required skill, and despite their Clan's misgivings about him, he took the position and, like their grandsire predicted: made them all miserable.

Enough said that none shed a tear when Ares banished him, and the only protest – that Senri heard of later about – was Hades's demand of the fucker's head instead. Or, to be more precise: his white-furred brother 'suggested' to their eldest brother to shove a fistful of poisonous thorns down their uncle's throat and compel him to swallow it down – and to soothe his rage while Ares believed that the banishment was more painful than death, apparently, they went on a compromise that even his golden-eyed sibling later tended to snicker about. Well… Senri did laugh himself silly hearing that their uncle left their Clan's territory literally shitting himself – due to a careful mix of herbs he was fed on the way out. And Ares – when telling him that story later on – only made it worse, admitting that with his compulsion, he added the fucker with an unconscious hunger for those particular herbs if ever faced with them… and considering that his hybrid brother excelled in his gift, Senri seriously doubted if their uncle would be ever able to find anyone to break…

He almost stumbled as he suddenly understood why the bastard had returned and kidnapped his kitten. With effort keeping his step steady and gracefully nodding toward the passed members of his Clan, Senri barely noticeably tightened his jaw, feeling his tail swivel with agitation.

Ares's compulsions were literally unbreakable for anyone but him. Even Senri wasn't able to resist them or use his own gift to go against them. Hades was immune – but couldn't compel at all. If Hephaistos's scheme – whatever brought him back here in the first place – aimed at forcing his brother to release him from the compulsion that denied him the Shift… He knew, instinctively, that their uncle couldn't be allowed to leave their mountain alive. Because he's not going to cease – and going with that trail of thought, the next best idea would be spreading the news of the Allagan twins – especially the one unclaimed – as it would bring all the fucking Clans upon their heads, demanding the gander at Damon's favor. Denying Ares's wish to respect Sol's right to stay with his chosen human mate. Or, worse of all, attempting to snatch them. Their Clan was big but against thirteen others…

He shuddered involuntarily, then purred soothingly when it caused his mate to shift with an incoherent grumble, fluttering his wings for a moment before they settled. That it caused the clanmates he passed to gush and whisper praises toward their goddess… Well, didn't hurt, but Senri sped up his step, thinking that this show had to be enough – as his instinct demanded to secure his lover in the safest place he could think of: his – now theirs – nest.


Damon finished packing his twin's 'treasures,' which mostly meant Raha's favorite books and mangas, zipped the duffel bag, and set to meticulously pack his own things if keeping in mind Ares's remark that he should think only about what he considered necessary, as the shapeshifters were happy to provide anything else.

He smirked under his nose, mulling over the development, while knowing that the man himself waited for him downstairs with their parents.

Ares likely – though he appeared to have a greater understanding of human customs and habits – didn't realize that the 'choice' he offered him, for Damon, wasn't a choice at all. He didn't intend to let it slip – not yet, at least – but wherever his twin went, he was always determined to follow.

Raha liked to tease him that he had the so-called 'brother complex,' mercifully avoiding pointing out the real issue of their relationship. Not that he saw it as the issue, not really.

The truth was: Damon was too intelligent, to the point of it making him edge into the danger of psychopathy. Without his twin around to rebalance him with his natural empathy, he failed to see others as anything but boring and irritating – with logic that tended to turn cold and vicious.

Very few – other than their parents – really understood that his brother was as smart as him, but in a different and better way – and without him, Damon felt too lost to function. Raha read people's emotions like he read his books, often letting him understand why they acted the way that, for him, seemed nonsensical.

Not to mention… He fully intended to give Ares a lesson in what he thought of being treated like a fucking child!

That the male looked like a slightly older and more mature version of Senri in his humanoid form, but with gorgeously sky-blue eyes, didn't hurt, though. That he carried himself – no matter the form – with the air of someone used to be in charge… Well, made him eager to teach the bastard to submit! And observing him with his usual focus, he could bet that he would enjoy it. The moment he grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer in that dusty tunnel, the look in cat-like sky-blue irises spoke volumes. And gave Damon the very first true taste of something else than his cold logic.

That the gorgeous male smelled like sin incarnate didn't hurt either, especially considering that he was bored with playing nice.

He did behave… most of the time. Their parents were religious, and though he didn't share in that, he respected that, and they, in turn, didn't mind – much – his refusal to part with his twin. Two years ago, they did attempt to reason with him, trying to convince him that considering his intelligence, he should move up the classes or even leave their town to find a place that offered higher education than their community could provide, but he dug his heels in, instead waiting until Raha was bound to finish high school and make that decision for them. Not only because he needed him to stay sane but also because he was older and it was his responsibility to look after his brother. Older only by an hour, but still!

And considering how their peers acted about his twin's unusual eye color… Yeah, there was never a way he would leave him to fend for himself – only regretting that he didn't share in that anomaly, too.

But now – perhaps – that will change, too. If he could find a way to speed up that whole 'turn into a shapeshifting Sphinx' thing, he was determined to do so. Who wouldn't…? It was fucking cool!

Meticulously packing some of his notebooks and books – ironically, perhaps, most about the shapeshifters – he considered it.

What exactly caused that shift for Raha?

If he understood Ares's explanation correctly, it had to do with pheromones and the fact that Senri was a hybrid. But if it all started with dreams – silly as it sounded for him – and over a year ago, then…

…unless the trigger was puberty, though? Raha never mentioned having weird dreams, but he would have to be blind not to see that in the last few months, there was something off about his sleeping habits. They shared the bedroom, and he did remember getting annoyed when his twin insisted on staying up the whole night and later looked like a fucking zombie. Even last week, he did fall asleep while Damon lectured him about how shitty he looked lately and about the importance of sleep – on purpose, making it as boring as possible and crooning victory when his twin nodded out in the middle of it!

Then the night before they got snatched and all that moaning he teased him about….

The sudden knocking on the door of their bedroom made him flinch, and he swore in thought at his jumpiness. He planned to carefully cover the fact that he was still quite uneasy about how… helpless it felt to be stuck immobile in that fucking dungeon, but...

"Come in," he called over his shoulder, stacking the last of his notebooks to hide how his fingers shook.

"Damon, I don't wish to…" Ares's voice behind him cut off as he stepped in and took an audible breath. He sighed and closed the door behind him. "Why are you scared, kitten?"

"I'm not scared," he scoffed indignantly, pushing the books into the bag and zipping it. "And I'm done, so…" he choked on it when a pair of muscular arms wrapped around his chest from behind, and the ridiculously tall shapeshifter apparently rested his chin on top of his head… purring?... and… Fuck, but he was so warm the heat downright rolled off him, making him relax involuntarily and only then he realized how tense he felt.

"It's okay to be scared, kitten," Ares whispered, tightening his grip around him slightly. "You had been through something awful, and you have every right to feel like this. But you're safe, Damon. Your brother is safe, too. And Bast help me, the fucker will die by dawn, okay?"

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, then, despite Ares's heat, shivered involuntarily and swore under his breath as his eyes burned.

"I.. couldn't move," he whispered hoarsely. "Couldn't see anything and… I couldn't move. Couldn't fucking move a muscle when I knew that that bastard wanted Raha for whatever reason… He's my little brother, and I must protect him, but… I couldn't fucking move! For hours, Ares, that felt like a fucking eternity I wondered if that fucker killed my brother while I… couldn't move!"

"I know," the shapeshifter sighed, rubbing his chin against the top of his head. "I can't take it back, kitten, but… I promise you, you and your brother will be completely safe from now on. And if you still want to… You can watch when I skin the fucker alive for doing this to you, hm?"

"You should make him do it himself," he said completely seriously without opening his eyes but leaning back into his warmth. It felt… nice. And probably… Ares, more than anyone else, understood how much it… sucked. From what he told him earlier, he had literally years of worrying about Senri instead of hours, but… He wondered if he did feel the same fury springing out of fear and that sense of helplessness…

"Perhaps," Ares agreed with a chuckle and sighed. "Damon… If it can be of any reassurance, I want you to know that if you turn… Well, according to what I remember, Allag are wholly immune to the compulsion. Not even I – though I excel in it – would be able to tell you or your brother what to do… And in our home, none would dare, anyway. You're going to be guarded like the treasure you are, boy."

Boy, again. Even while he was holding him like a lover should: like he was precious. Stopping himself from grinding his teeth in annoyance, Damon opened his eyes and mouth, intending to tell him exactly what he thought of that… When his gaze got stuck on the picture they made in the full-body length mirror set in the corner of the room. Or, more precisely, at the sight of his own eyes and their ruby-red irises.

"Ares…" he gasped, turning around in his embrace and looking up in his face with a ridiculously wide grin. "Look!"

"Wha…" the male cut off, and his sky-blue eyes widened impossibly. "…oh."

"I guess your brother was right… proximity and pheromones." Damon hummed, and while Ares seemed busy gawking, distracted, he climbed up to his toes and wrapped his arms around his neck, pressing against him tightly. "Now… let's see if we can speed it up even more, hm?" he chortled, and when, for whatever reason, the brunette opened his mouth (perhaps call him a boy again!), he pulled him the rest of the way down, soon sating his curiosity about the taste of those almost too-pretty lips.

Ares stilled at first, then gasped with something almost like a surprise when he pushed his tongue into his mouth, letting his hand climb up and fist in the ink-black hair at the back of his head. It lasted perhaps a moment, then he almost whimpered breathlessly and returned the kiss with fervor as his arms tightened around him into a vice.

He did kiss before and – frankly – found it boring… but this time, there was nothing boring about how it swiftly turned almost brutal, biting, and sooo fucking hot he felt ready to melt. Ares's lips tasted like a sip of his favorite drink on a scorching day, and he just couldn't get enough. Keeping one hand in his dark hair, he let the other sneak between them, then around the male's hip, and without warning, he curled it around the base of the shapeshifter's tail, wondering somewhat if his theory was right about that specific appendage…

Ares froze with a choked whine, pulling back, and for a moment, they just stared at each other, both panting raggedly before he smirked and purposefully tightened his hand around the impossibly soft, black fur, feeling the way the shapeshifter's body shuddered against him and more than enjoying how his heart thundered against his own. The sky-blue eyes, wonderfully glazed with a mix of lust and surprise, only made his smirk winded into a grin while using the grip on his hair, Damon pulled him closer until their lips almost brushed with his next words.

"Call me a 'boy' again, and I'll grab your tail no matter who's watching, hm?" he empathized that by tightening his fingers around it, and his gut tightened with arousal at the barely there whimper that teased his lips. "Am I clear, babe?"

"Cr… Crystal," the male breathed, and a lovely blush spilled over his pale skin when he closed his eyes and nearly meowed when in reward, Damon hummed with approval and stroked the length of the appendage. Then he pulled his hands back, set them on Ares's chest, and pushed, sniggering when the shapeshifter blinked rapidly with a mix of surprise and disappointment on his beautiful face.

"Let's get going," he said like nothing happened, fluttering his lashes innocently while the male blinked a tad stupidly, clearly trying to gather his bearings. Still, more than a tad flushed, he finally cleared his throat and pulled his arms back, backing away a step and visibly at a loss. He was almost tempted to take pity on him and explain his game: that he knew enough of the psychology – and had some ideas about their kind – that he fully intended to use to get him right when he wanted him. Ares was used to others submitting to him – he was his Clan's leader after all, for who knows how long – which made it impossibly fun to make him submit to him instead.

At the base of it, the silly cats were literally created to serve – their goddess and his kind, apparently – and while Damon wasn't religious, he didn't mind the idea that Bast would ever expect him to settle for anyone else than the finniest mate available.

And he almost smiled at the thought that was his twin here – and probably he's going to hear that later aplenty – Raha would tease him about using his logic to explain things that didn't need a logical explanation. That more than his position or beauty… the way he held him and offered comfort when he felt vulnerable – not to mention his taste and warmth – had him instantly hooked.

And staring at the adorably dumbstruck look on Ares's beautiful features, he almost snorted, seeing his first assumption correct: the gorgeous male more than enjoyed his first taste of submission, likely as much as he felt high on the sense of power it supplied. And it felt good, after the day he had, to feel in control – as he preferred. Now, just to let him steam in it for a while, and the next time he was sure Ares would be more inclined to let him taste more.

"Raha's stuff," he motioned toward the bag on his twin's bed, then turned back to his own. He was about to toss it over his shoulder when it was promptly taken off his hands, and when he turned around, the black-haired male leaned over him with a quiet, warning growl.

"You're not going to toy with me, Damon," he hissed with outrage, and the teen pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Toy, babe?" he smirked, not intimidated in the slightest. "Don't be cute," he lifted his hand and tapped it against the shapeshifter's still reddish cheek. Then he brushed against him as he passed him on the way to the door. "Ready, Ares?" he asked innocently and bit back another grin at following him incoherent growls.

Score!


By dawn, most of their clanmates were still out, searching the forest for the bastard, and it was sooo fucking boring by the gate of their lair that Rahm almost drifted off more than once, each time growling incoherent complaints as he shook himself up.

At least whenever he got stuck here with Senri, it was fun to chat with the hybrid, but his current companion, the stick-in-the-mud called Siovee, refused to react to any of his earlier attempts at conversation.

For the first time on guard duty, the young auburn-furred female was overwhelmed with the feeling of import and sat on her side of the gate in a pose not unlike one of the famed statues of the Sphinx in ancient Egypt, nearly jumping on the slightest noise and glaring whenever he opened his maw.

He understood that, obviously, and once upon a time was in her boots, so to say… but still!

He almost nodded off again, laying his blonde head on his paws when sudden noise almost made him jump, and his gaze darted up just in time for his jaw to drop when a fucking Allag gracefully landed right in front of them.

Speechless, he gawked at the female covered in the thick coat of pearl-white fur while seemingly unbothered, she folded her white-feathered wings and looked between them with pale, teal eyes.

To give credit where it was due, Siovee collected herself faster (probably because he was busy drooling) and raised to all fours, then bowed before the female reverently.

"Bast be praised," the girl squeaked a little while he darted to reflect her pose, trying not to make himself look like a complete fool in front of the most gorgeous representative of their species he ever saw!

"Bast be praised," he rasped breathlessly, unable to take his eyes off the pure glory of the sight.

The female inclined her head graciously, then pointedly focused her teal eyes on Siovee, and Rahm almost wilted, thinking he had already somehow managed to insult her… or something.

"I wish to speak with Ares, the leader of your Clan," she spoke up musically – or so it sounded in his ears. "You may tell him I bear a message from Mother."

"…Mother?" he gasped involuntarily, and the female blinked, then looked toward him. For a moment, she seemed confused, then, funnily enough, fluttered he wings slightly and seemed almost… flustered.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to be rude!" she sighed and shook her head, and he and Siovee could only stare with open maws. "It's the first time Mother allowed me to leave, and I'm a tad... overwhelmed. Please, let me start over," she cleared her throat and then spoke up. "My name is Shtola, I'm Bastet's daughter and Her retainer," and she could as well hit him over the head with that! Bast's daughter? Looking at her… he had no issue believing that! "Mother send me…"

"Please, no need to explain it to us, my lady," Siovee bowed again, then shook up and, tossing him a meaningful glance, moved toward the gate. Rahm scrambled as gracefully as possible to open his part. "Run to find Ares, I'll lead her to the leader's nook," the girl hissed toward him.

Considering that he passed them with the human-looking redhead about two hours ago, then left again to join the search… he could be anywhere in the forest! Who spanned the whole fucking mountain!

"If he's not available…" the gorgeous female chimed in, perhaps seeing despair on his muzzle. "…any of his brothers would do."

"Thank you, my lady," he breathed a sigh of relief, bowing, then looked at Siovee. "I'll wake up Senri," then he darted inside and ran toward his best friend's nook like all the possible demons were about to bite his tail.

A word from Bastet! After a thousand years of silence, no less! And even brought by Her daughter…!

He felt that things were about to change – and could only hope for the better!