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THE TIME HAD FINALLY COME TO RESURRECT ARIES’ HOME.
Although he couldn’t imagine living without his four mates, the author inside of him longed for his old office. Not to mention... After his whirlwind of an adventure, Aries had more book ideas than he could count.
At this point, he needed to get back to his old routine. Life wasn’t the same when he was glued to four hot men instead of his keyboard. Not that that was a hardship or anything... Aries just wouldn’t be able to sustain his lifestyle without work.
He was a human with bills and obligations, after all. He had them before Rune, Brava, Shen, and Terra walked into his life—and he’d have them long after.
Besides, with all the time off he’d accrued recently, his editor and fans were wondering if he was still alive or not.
Those variables—combined with Aries’ intense desire to immortalize his mates’ in their own private novel as soon as he could—made him eager to return to work.
He’d been begging Rune all week to bring his house back to life. His stubborn mate insisted they wait a little bit longer to ensure the coast was clear.
Although his patience was wanning, Aries obliged.
Now, Rune would fulfill his end of the deal.
The five of them stood on the hot sidewalk just outside of the fence that surrounded Aries’ property. Birds landed on the power lines above. Around them, bees and butterflies fluttered lazily from flower to flower. The summer heat was dry. Without a cloud in sight, the sun bore down on the small neighborhood.
Aries wiped the sweat from his brow and shielded his eyes from its bright rays as he squinted at the sad, heaping pile that was his home.
Rune pulled out his wand and inhaled a slow, deep breath. He raised the slender piece of magical wood up into the air. But before he cast his spell, he hesitated. “Do you mind if we make some creative changes?”
“What kind of creative changes?” Aries asked.
“We’ve been thinking about adding a portal and a few extra rooms,” Rune explained.
“A portal?” Aries pursed his lips. “What are you going to use that for?”
Terra smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “We wanted a way to come see you...”
“You mean you’re leaving?” Aries couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“Our worlds have different rules, Aries,” Rune said sadly. “We can’t stay here forever. It would be against the natural order of things...”
“Says who?” Aries demanded.
“Our leaders,” Shen answered.
“Well, I should probably have a talk with them because that rule is bullshit.”
His mates laughed and some of the tension lingering between him and the four of them dissipated.
“Rune is half correct,” Terra said. “To put it briefly, I spoke to my leader, Lord Nightshade, and he has agreed to give you—and us—a pass to travel between our worlds.”
“Whoa. You mean I can go to your world?”
Terra nodded.
“But I can’t just leave... I’ve got a house, a job, fans, and bills...”
Technically, he didn’t have a house right now, but as soon as Rune worked his magic, his property on Mulberry Lane would be back to how it was. He couldn’t give up his life on Earth—just as his mates couldn’t give up the lives they established back in Nitehelm.
The five of them were standing at a crossroads—and Aries had been made aware of it many moments too late.
Brava approached Aries and smacked his butt, grabbing a handful in the process. “Terra is saying you can always do both.”
“What do you mean?”
The demon put his hands on his hips, his amber eyes squinting toward the burned down remnants of Aries’ house. “If Rune puts a portal in there, you could come and go as you please.”
“You really got his approval?” the Magi asked.
Terra flashed a brilliant smile. “Of course.”
“I can’t imagine how awkward that conversation must have been,” his mate commented.
“Oh, it was not too bad,” Terra replied with a wink.
Aries was amazed the angel had found the time to go back to Nitehelm and plan such things. How had Aries not realized their intentions sooner?
“Let’s do it,” Aries said excitedly. “My old house wouldn’t have been big enough for the five of us, anyway—and I have to admit, I do like the idea of us using the portal whenever we want...”
How else was he ever going to see his fated mates again, if not for that?
Rune grinned. “Then it’s settled.”
He turned on his heel and refocused his attention on the heap that was Aries’ home. Raising his wand once more, Rune activated his magical powers. This time, light sparked along the tip and shot out at the ashen debris.
As they watched, Rune’s magic set about putting everything back together like the Magi remembered it. When he finished, the five of them stared at the renewed exterior of the house.
It looked just as it always had—though bigger than before.
He pushed open the gate and walked down the little path with his mates up to the front door. To his relief, the innards of the home were as he expected them to be, albeit wider than before. The extra square feet made the bottom floor feel much more open than it had been in the past.
Rune’s photographic memory hadn’t missed a single detail.
“Amazing,” he breathed, awestruck.
Upstairs, Rune showed him four extra rooms he had added. The guest bedrooms were a nice touch and ensured Aries’ four mates would have plenty of space for their own belongings.
At the end of the hall, he noticed a door etched into the far wall. Aries approached it and ran his hand along the wood. “Is this...?”
“The portal,” Rune confirmed. “Anytime you open it, it will take you to a home we built together in Nitehelm. See?”
He turned the knob and pulled the door open. Inside, Aries saw a swirling blue portal that sparked with magic.
“Go on, take a look.”
Aries hesitated but poked his head through the portal. On the other side, he found a quiet living room with a fireplace and plenty of room to sit. It had a log cabin feel to it that Aries liked instantly.
He pulled his head out and looked at his mate, the Magi, and grinned like a pig eating corn.
Rune closed the door and smiled at him. “What do you think?”
“I love it,” Aries said, pecking a kiss to Rune’s cheek. He leaned against his mate’s shoulder and sighed, “thank you, Rune.”
Rune kissed the top of his head. “It’s my pleasure.”
“Speaking of pleasure,” Brava said from behind them, “you should check out the bed Rune put in your room. It’s got plenty of room for the five of us when we—”
“Brava!” Rune groaned, cutting the half-demon off.
“What?” he growled.
“Do you think of anything but sex?”
“I’ve got four hot mates. What do you expect?”
Rune poked Brava’s chest and swirled his finger in little circles. “While I appreciate the compliment, we are in the middle of Aries’ tour. We can break the new bed in later.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Brava warned, smiling.
But Aries had already taken off running, stripping his clothes off excitedly as he went.
Rune and Brava stared after him, their mouths hanging open.
“Guess we’re breaking it in now, after all!” Brava roared as he chased after him.
The Magi scrambled after them, with Terra and Shen following on his heels.
The little cottage on Mulberry street would be much livelier with the four of Aries’ mates around—but truthfully, the author wouldn’t have it any other way.