Crossing the Moon - 7. Monkey Love

The phone ringing startled their peaceful thoughts. Pax reached over to answer it. "Hello?" He greeted.

"Good morning, this is Tatiana speaking, head devotee of our Khonsu temple," Tatiana responded on the other side. "I apologize for interrupting your bonding time with your new mate, but our goddess Khonsu has felt a disturbance in regards to her Omegas. We would like to remind all Omegas to report anything suspicious."

"Understood," Pax replied. After he hung up the phone, he turned towards his mates with a frown on his face. "That was Lady Tatiana. She said the goddess felt that something's off and wanted to remind all Omegas in the area to report anything odd. I think it's time we give your grandmother a phone call, Mat."

Mateo stole another lick to Eli's, now human, nose, making the Omega sneeze again before the wolf shifted back. Mat grabbed his phone, quickly sending a text to his grandmother, receiving a response almost immediately.

"She said she's free now," Mateo announced.

::

"Um, can I stay here with Jany?" Eli asked, much preferring time spent with his new mate over meeting in-laws when he was still feeling a little off balance. The bond seemed to have really urged the three werewolves to claim January, even in their inebriated state. Though he no longer felt that insistent urge beneath his skin to frolic with the other redhead, he was still quite drawn to him and wanted to learn about him.

Pax reached out to gently ruffle the auburn locks on Eli's head. There was something about the vampire that made the werewolf feel at ease with leaving Elias alone with him. He didn't know if it was the redhead's age and maturity or another quality he was sensing. But, he trusted him

"Of course you can," the golden-eyed werewolf conceded. "We'll be back as soon as we get some answers," he affirmed.

"We'll try not to use up all the lube while you're gone," Jany responded cheekily.

Eli squeaked and blushed, but couldn't help but lean closer to the vampire.

"And no ceiling sex until we can watch, yeah?" Mateo said teasingly as he stood.

The Omega hid his face in January's shoulder and flipped Mat the bird, causing the Hispanic wolf to burst out laughing. Though the two of them had different opinions on many things, when it came to rolling around in the sheets, Mateo had a knack for figuring out what the shorter werewolf was thinking. However, it was still embarrassing to be called out on it.

As January watched the two tall werewolves walk out the door, he marveled at the trust he had been given. He was a vampire they literally met around twelve hours prior...and yet, they trusted him enough to be alone with their beloved Omega. "Are they always this trusting?" He asked aloud in curiosity.

"Whaddaya mean?" Eli asked, flopping to lay his head in the vampire's lap.

"I'm just surprised they left us alone when they don't know much about me," Jany explained as he raked his nails through Eli's auburn locks. "Other than the fact that I'm also a mate."

"That's enough," the Omega said with a smile, leaning into the touch. "Mates will do nearly anything to avoid harming each other. You'd never want to hurt me." Elias continued to smile beguilingly up at his new mate. "They know that you are one of the safest people I could ever hang around with. So, they don't worry. They probably didn't even think of it."

The red-violet haired vampire traced the side of Eli's face with his other hand. "I've never had that...complete and utter trust from a werewolf. Hell, I've never had complete and utter trust from even my own kind. But, now there are three of you. It's caused complete and utter havoc to my heart," he confessed. "I don't want any of it to go away."

"It won't, I promise," Eli said gently, then grinned. "You're stuck with us forever. And Mat snores." He warned as his way of getting him back from earlier.

January's laughter was as rich and smooth as dark chocolate. "From what I've been told, I don't snore. But, I don't mind it in the slightest." he mused. He then lifted one of the Omega's hands to press a kiss to it. "Thank you, my emerald."

"Yeah, no problem," Eli said with a giggle, trying not to swoon like some lovesick fangirl as he thought about how appealing January was with his smoothly romantic words spoken in such a sexy purr. Just the way the vampire's deep violet eyes made Elias feel every inch the somewhat awkward, horny teenager he was.

Jany leaned down, red-violet strands falling loosely over his shoulder. "Now where does Pax keep his lube?" He asked with a devious grin, causing Elias to briefly wonder if the man had somehow read his mind.

Elias nearly melted under the vampire's gaze. His cock jumped, and his breath stuttered in his chest. The Omega could only point to a drawer in the little table next to the bed, the closest lubricant stash that, between Pax and Mateo, had been placed in convenient locations throughout the house.

The vampire shamelessly dug around until he found a lube he liked. "This will do," he decided. "Now, Mateo doesn't want us to do any stunts without him here to watch...but I can still pin you to that wall over there without having to use any magic at all. What do you say?"

"Hnn, fuck yes," Eli answered breathlessly, feeling a little dizzy from the blood rushing south to fill his suddenly painfully hard length.

The vampire tossed him a lascivious smirk as he got off the bed and held out his hand for Elias to take. "Join me?"

"Yeah," Eli said, taking January's cool hand. He couldn't help a small smirk, feeling calmer and more confident as their skin touched. "We have a date with a wall since we've been banned from the ceiling. Mat could have at least let us have a dress rehearsal before we put on a dirty Cirque du Soleil for them."

In a swift move, Jany scooped the Omega into his arms and carried him the rest of the way. "If you want to cheat, mi alma, I wouldn't say a word." He responded with a devious wink. (mi alma= my sou)

"I want..." Elias had to pause as the vampire's wicked lips trailed a tingling path up the Omega's throat. "Want you to pin me against the wall like you said." Eli gasped as January kissed a sensitive spot behind the petite wolf's ear. "Want to feel how strong you are...while you talk to me with that voice that you have. Fuck, I think you could read me an algebra book and make me hard."

When they reached the wall, Jany shifted his hold on Elias so that the Omega's legs were wrapped around his waist and his arms were wrapped around his shoulders. He gave him a languid, heady kiss as he carefully pressed Eli's back against the wall. His agile fingers traced the ring of flesh at the werewolf's entrance. "You're the one making me hard, mi joya," January rumbled sultrily while his slicked fingers slipped inside and began to stretch. He had coated the digits so fast that Elias didn't even see when he did it. "I want to see your lovely eyes nearly overtaken by the pupils in lust. I want to hear my name on your lips as you cry out your pleasure." (mi joya= my jewel)

The Omega struggled to open his eyes, his mind feeling fuzzy with arousal as his heart thumped a demanding beat. Elias arched in the vampire's arms, wanting more touch, more attention, more of January and the delicious excitement he stirred in the werewolf. He kept his eyes open, drinking in the sight of a man so beautiful it made something ache inside Eli's chest.

Jany's free hand took hold of the back of Eli's head, gently tilting it to the side as he sucked hard on the Omega's neck. His fangs only emerged half way, and he used them to carefully rake along the skin without breaking it. "Do you want me, Elias?" He whispered heatedly. "Would you rather have my shaft inside you instead of these fingers?"

The Omega had gone nearly boneless except for his fingers, which clutched January's shoulders desperately.

"H-holy fuck, Jany," Elias said with difficulty, fighting to concentrate on how to form words. It didn't help when the vampire smiled wickedly, twisting his fingers skillfully inside Eli's trembling body. Precum dripped down the Omega's length as he moaned raggedly.

"Tell me, tesoro," January purred, pausing to nibble beneath Eli's ear. "Would you like that?" (tesoro= treasure)

"Please," Elias begged. "P-please, Jany."

January gently raked his fingers along one of the Omega's most sensitive spots deep inside one last time before gently removing them. He then pressed the head of his hard member to Eli's entrance, his purple eyes locked onto emerald. Much like his fingers, the vampire had slicked his flesh faster than the young werewolf could see. So, it was a surprise when he gave one sharp, deep thrust inside. "Never have I felt such a perfect warmth enveloping me in its embrace," he groaned. "Quiero quedarme dentro de ti por toda la eternidad." (I want to remain inside you for all eternity)

"Ah!" Elias gasped, writhing against the wall that the vampire had pressed him tightly against.

January drew out in torturously slow manner, drawing soft whimpers from Eli's lips, before sheathing himself fully within the Omega again. Elias felt his body welcoming his mate within him, stretching him deliciously, and reaching so deep it stole the wolf's breath with every thrust.

Both werewolves and vampires boasted of strength. In general, the bigger the werewolf, the stronger he or she was. When it came to vampires, the oldest was the strongest; both in physical strength and power. January could quite literally keep Elias pinned to the wall for hours. But, a feral side of him wanted Elias to find his pleasure many times before then. The violet-eyed man dipped his head as he claimed Eli's lips in a kiss.

At first, the gentle stroke of tongue against tongue was completely normal. Jany then fed power through his tongue so that, with every stroke, Elias would feel an identical sensation along his shaft. When the vampire sucked on Eli's tongue, the Omega's shaft would feel the suction. When January teased the tip of Eli's tongue, the Omega would feel it on the tip of his shaft. The vampire couldn't have been more pleased when he felt Elias's legs and arms tighten around him.

"J-Jany, wait. I'm gonna..." Elias gasped.

The vampire smiled wickedly and stole Eli's warm lips again, letting the tips of his fangs drag along the Omega's tongue as January sucked it fervently. Eli could feel it everywhere. The ghost-sensation of a sharply pointed canine pricked his nipple, hot warmth squeezing his cock and even the balls drawn tight below. Elias came, crying out his release into January's mouth. The vampire seemed to devour every delicious wailing moan.

January purred like a cat as he nuzzled the crook of the Omega's neck. "I'll give you a little moment to recover, but we've only just begun, my emerald," he whispered headily into Eli's ear. The pleasured whimper that followed caused a wider smile to form on the vampire's face.

::

After they enjoyed themselves on several more surfaces like the top of the cabinet, the bed, and even the shower, January and Elias found themselves naked and cuddling beneath a clean sheet on the bed. The vampire's long fingers dug gently into the Omega's scalp as the two of them relaxed. He would also press a gentle kiss to Eli's temple or the top of his head every several minutes.

Elias hummed softly, leaning into every touch, returning the gentle affection that the vampire seemed to bask in like a cat who'd found a warm spot over a furnace vent.

"I should have known you'd be a snuggler," Elias said with a soft giggle. "I really like it, though." The Omega let out a long, content sigh as he curled into his new mate. "It makes me feel all noodley and relaxed." Eli looked at the soft pleasure painted on January's face while the wolf drew lazy patterns on the vampire's cool skin. "You love being touched, huh? Not just in a rawr-sexy way, warm fuzzy stuff, too."

"Oh yes," January freely admitted. "I enjoy it all, any contact with someone I care about. I enjoy it even more now that I have been chosen as one of your mates by the gods. I never would have dreamed of it...I was quite close to giving up." He frowned as he briefly thought about it, the general pain of his past failures. He had gone into every relationship with hope. Every time a lover left him, he would feel pain. The pain ranged from person to person and how long the relationship lasted, but there wasn't a single lover he hadn't mourned throughout the centuries.

The redhead had witnessed other vampires becoming colder and less attached to their emotions. Many of them began to ignore such feelings as empathy, camaraderie, trust, and a general good will towards others. They simply became more selfish. The werewolves and humans, on the other hand, would generally better themselves as the years past. Some were just like the vampires that became colder, but the majority of them made an effort to be kind. The empathy that werewolves and humans felt towards others that shared the same kind of pain that they did always astounded him. That's why January always tended to gravitate to them more than his own kind.

Jany had begun to think that he'd never come across a lover that cared enough about him to stay.

"No, you can never give up," Elias demanded as he squeezed the other man tightly. His words and actions seamlessly pulled the vampire away from his thoughts. "And now you don't have to even think about it."

"Don't worry, my lovely jewel," January responded as another genuine smile formed on his face. "Such thoughts will soon be a distant memory."

"Good." The Omega was quiet for a moment before peeking up at January, an adorable pink blush rising to the wolf's cheeks. "Hey, Jany? Umm, that was a lot of...activity earlier. Aren't you, you know, hungry?"

January shook his head. "I'm old enough to only need a small amount of blood every several months, even with a lot of 'activity,'" he explained. "Very young vampires and recently-turned vampires are the ones that need a daily taste for the first year or so." The vampires could consume many different kinds of blood, even blood from their own kind. Human blood was the best for weaning them, as it generally did not cause them any side effects. The exception was if any of the consumed garlic or spicy food, as it would bring a sense of spiciness to the blood as well, which most vampires did not like. January, however, had grown to enjoy it.

"Oh," Eli said softly, sounding disappointed as he rubbed his cheek idly against January's chest.

A small smirk tugged at the purple-eyed man's lips. "Could it be that you are offering, my beloved?" Jany questioned. "Werewolf blood is a stimulant to us, very much like coffee...and from just the taste of Mateo's blood last night, the blood of any one of my mates is sure to be delicious. You're not afraid that I'd draw more than I need?"

"Of course not," Elias said, looking at the vampire as though he'd said something silly. "You're my mate. You can hurt me a little, as long as I want it and everything is, umm, consensual." Eli blushed harder but continued. "You wouldn't be able to actually harm me, though. It would make you too sad. Like your heart was breaking." The flushed Omega drew little circles on January's chest with his fingertips, avoiding the vampire's compelling violet eyes. "And you could bite me if you wanted to. You don't have to. It's cool if you'd rather not. I just thought maybe you might need some. But if you're already full... I know you probably have tons of people you've had a chance to drink from before you met us. There were probably people throwing their necks at your mouth all the time."

January couldn't help but laugh. The laughter held a touch of surprise, joy, and desire. How was it that the young Omega made him so happy in such a short amount of time? Elias seemed to sense what Jany needed before the vampire even realized that he needed it. "How could I ever resist such an offer?" He responded as he pressed a soft, lingering kiss along the side of the Omega's neck. "Elias, my love," he pleaded in a low, sultry voice. "Would you allow me a taste of your bold blood?"

"Mmm, yeah," Eli answered, voice rough as he wondered how it was possible to feel so turned on when his mate had made him cum so many times already. He tipped his chin up, something that meant submission to his wolf but so much more with January.

Jany gave the area a gentle lick, ensuring that his power passed through. He wanted to numb the area enough so that, after the initial sting, Elias wouldn't feel much pain. He then allowed his fangs to extend enough to form an even set of punctures as he carefully bit down. Drinking blood in such a primal manner was always a bit messy, despite how careful a vampire could be. Some of Eli's blood trickled past the corner of his lips as he took in his mate's amazing taste.

Eli squeaked softly, fingers digging into January's strong arms as he squirmed beneath him. The bite was a distant sharpness that made the Omega's heart thump with excitement. He drew in the scent of his own blood, imagining what January looked like with his powerful body over him, caging Elias in as the vampire took carefully from the wolf's bared throat. That mouth on him...the sensation seemed to go straight to his cock. In moments he was blind with rapture, shouting as he came, nails digging into whatever bit of the vampire's skin he could reach.

In a sudden burst, the door to the bedroom flew open as a confused Maribelle froze in place and outright gaped at the scene before her. Her hazel eyes widened in horror as they narrowed in on the blood trailing down Eli's neck and the stranger's chin. Instinctively, she shifted into her wolf form and leaped at the vampire, knocking Jany off the bed and pinning him to the floor with her paws. Maribelle was larger than Eli's wolf form but smaller than Pax's. Her hazel eyes stood out in sharp contrast to the dark brown and black pelt. The menacing growl that she let loose spoke volumes about how she'd rip the man's limbs apart for daring to hurt her precious cousin-in-law.

Eli yelped, slapping his hand over the neat punctures in his throat, lucky that January had removed his fangs when the door had been flung wide. The blood had slowed to a trickle but had already left a crimson trail down his chest.

"M-Maribelle?" Elias stammered. "Wha-?"

January held his hands up beside his head in a display of peaceful surrender. "It was with complete and sober consent," Jany explained. "I would never hurt my beloved Omega."

Maribelle's eyes narrowed, but she continued to growl menacingly.

Eli was looking like a hot mess, in desperate need of a shower to clean off the blood and cum. He was also bare-assed naked. The Omega didn't think of any of those things as he hurled himself off the bed to wrap his arms around Maribelle's furry neck. Eli nuzzled at the brown wolf's chin.

"It's okay, Mari. Please, don't hurt him!" Elias begged. "He's my mate. We found him last night!"

The wolf let out a confused sound before finally stepping back and off the pale man. When she shifted back, she was as naked as the two of them. "Ok...we all need clothes right now," Maribelle responded shakily. "And I'm going to need a drink and a few more El hugs."

"Uh, yeah," the Omega agreed, turning scarlet and covering his crotch. "Follow your nose to our usual room, and you can raid the closets. I think Mat brought some things in here that we can wear. Do you maybe mind if we grab a quick shower?"

"Alright. You two shower, I'll go find something of my cousin's to wear, and we'll meet back here?" Maribelle suggested.

The shower was longer than anticipated, owing mostly to Eli's inability to keep his hands and mouth off his new mate. The punctures in his neck had healed rapidly, even faster than what was normal, considering that January hadn't been able to probably seal them. Elias wasn't sure if it was because the wounds came from a vampire, because that vampire was his mate, or if he was simply getting better at healing, for some odd reason. When Eli walked out of the bathroom, hand in hand with January, it was with damp hair and a burning blush as he realized the other Omega had no doubt heard and smelled everything that had happened while the pair were supposed to simply make themselves a bit more presentable.

She had plenty of time to mix herself a little Sierra Mist with some Hypnotiq to drink by the time the two men were done. Mari all but downed it and left the glass in the sink. Though Maribelle had an eyebrow raised when they gathered back together in the room, her hazel eyes remained warily on the vampire.

"Let's see it, then," she urged as she motioned towards Eli's bonding stone. "What color is he?"

When the green-eyed Omega lifted his necklace for her to see, the vivid purple that now joined Pax's yellow and Mateo's red was unmistakable.

"Kindred Khonsu!" she hissed. She raised her head back up to gape at the pale man's purple eyes. "Rutting Ra!"

"You can't tell anyone," Elias begged, reaching out to take Maribelle's hand. "You heard from the devotees? I'm scared they'll hurt him or try to separate us. It's not some screw-up with the stone. He's meant to be our mate. It's different, but it's not wrong. Please..."

Maribelle gave the other Omega's hand a squeeze and tugged him into another hug. "El, hun, I'd never do that. You're family...and that means that he's family too," she insisted. She tilted her head as she regarded the other redhead in the room. "I'm sorry, what's your name? I'm Maribelle, Pax's cousin."

"January," the vampire responded with a relieved smile. "But, friends and family call me Jany."

The young woman let go of the Omega to extend her hand out. "Elias calls me Mari. You can call me Maribelle," she replied, still quite miffed from seeing her brother-in-law dripping with blood.

"Enchanté de faire votre connaissance, Maribelle," Jany practically purred as he pressed a kiss to the female werewolf's knuckles. (Pleasure to meet you/enchanted to make your acquaintance)

Mari hated how her body reacted to the man's voice and touch. Were all vampires innately sultry? She quickly took her hand back and let out a soft huff. "Don't get all cocky. The only reason I'm not giving you a beating is cause El and Pax wouldn't like it."

"Understood," January stated.

"Wait a sec," Elias mused aloud. "Why were you rushing about the house in the first place, Mari?"

"Oh, right!" Maribelle responded as a blush formed on her cheeks. She tucked her long dark hair behind her ear to show off her own bonding stone earring. The dangling gem was a solid, deep aquamarine hue all the way through. "I finally found him...or, rather, he all but crashed into me...the point is, I wanted to come over and show you guys!"

"Congratulations!" Eli said with a grin and a hug for the other Omega. "Tell me all the things."

Maribelle felt a blush rising to her cheeks. "Well, you see...his name is Klaude. He's a human," she began. "After those two weeks of searching, I decided to take a break and ended up on the human side of town for some shopping. And, of course, that was when I pretty much crashed into him. I was holding too many bags, and as he began to help, the Khonsu stone flashed so bright I was nearly blinded." She rubbed her nose in a nervous gesture. "I tried my best to explain to him what it meant. He knew about Omegas searching for mates, but he didn't know anything else."

Elias made a delighted little squee. He'd certainly come a long way from how he'd seen things before he'd mated Pax and the others. Elias could see Maribelle's mate as a positive thing.

"Where is he?" Eli asked. "How is he not glued to your side right now?"

The redhead knew very well how strong the pull was to be touching his mate. It was especially strong when an Omega was newly mated. Eli blushed, realizing his side was pressed up against January. He didn't move, however. He liked feeling his mate close.

Mari's face burned with a full-on blush. "Th-that's why I came here. I already told my parents I'm moving in with him in a few hours. I just wanted to let Pax, you, and Mat know that I'm gonna be on that side of town, too," she concluded.

"Mat and Pax are talking to Mat's grandma at her house," Eli explained. "Mat thought she might know something that could help keep Jany safe. Khonsu may be my Goddess, but I'm not going to let her or the devotees do anything to him or try to split us up."

January took hold of one of Eli's hands and kissed the palm. "Even if I have to confer with Anubis himself, I refuse to be separated from any of you," he added.

"Oh, shit," Eli cursed, wide-eyed. "Is your God gonna be all pissed, too? Should we have let Mat and Pax go off without us?" The Omega leaned even closer to January. "What if your Anubis devotees got a message from him about things and they're looking for us too?"

January shook his head. "Anubis's followers aren't like your devotees. They rarely know what's going on with the gods," he insisted.

"Ok, so...do you know how long until Mat and Pax get back?" Maribelle asked as she shifted from one foot to the other. "Cause I don't know how much longer I can go without clinging to my mate like a monkey."

"Umm, I dunno," Eli had to admit, making a mental note to ask January more about Anubis later. "Do you want me to have Pax call you when he gets back? Or we could just call his phone?" Elias asked. "Then you can go get your cling action on and we can make plans for when we can meet hunky Mr. Maribelle."

The two Omegas' heads tilted in unison as the front door clicked open.

"Or I guess they're here right now," Elias said with a smile as he felt something comforting and safe seem to click into place in his chest. His mates were close and that's what he wanted. He wasn't above clinging like a monkey. He could sympathize with Mari's feelings.

"We're back," Mateo called. "I hope you saved some of that hot lovin' for us. I need a brain scrub from some of the mental images Grandma forced on me." The Hispanic wolf's voice dropped as he spoke to Pax next to him. "Seriously, remind me to never mention to our future grandkids how flexible or not flexible we were when we first mated."

Mateo's voice grew louder as they came closer. Eli grinned, keeping quiet, not wanting to ruin Mari's surprise for Pax. They must have been distracted not to notice Maribelle's scent. Although, now that Elias thought about it, the female Omega's scent had already been in the house, making it easy to overlook. Mari had been there the previous week to see Mateo for herself. Eli bounced a bit, feeling happiness and excitement for Maribelle having finally found her mate. This would be a fun surprise. Elias loved surprises. His smile widened as he heard his wolf mates about to walk into the room, Mateo still talking.

"I don't even know how that even came up in a conversation about vampires and holy shit, Eli, please tell me that's not a devotee of Khonsu next to you!" Mateo blurted, frozen in the doorway and staring at Maribelle in horror.

Upon hearing the words "devotee" and "Khonsu" in the same sentence, Pax rushed into the room as well, only to have Maribelle turn around in place to greet them.

"Oh, no devotee of Khonsu can boast having these hips, Maty," the female werewolf teased before rushing over to give both Pax and Mateo a hug. "You're not gonna believe this, but...it's happened!"

"What's happened?" Mateo asked in confusion.

Mari once again tugged her hair back to show off the deep aquamarine gem dangling on her ear. "I finally found him...ah, that is, we crashed into each other...the point is I finally found my mate!"

Pax let out a whoop of joy as he lifted her right up in the air and set her back down. "Where is he? We have to see him for ourselves!" He suggested.

Maribelle shook her head. "He's a human and lives in that side of town. But, more importantly cousin-mine..." she trailed off as she pointed at January. "How come you haven't told me about him, huh?"

"Busted," Mat whispered teasingly as he sidled up next to Elias and January, giving the vampire a quick kiss and Eli a greeting cheek rub. "I didn't even realize it was Maribelle for a sec. I was sure we'd been found out."

"I mean, I get it," she continued to fume. "Any devotee finding out would be terrible. But, not even a text?"

A troubled expression formed on Pax's face. "We only just found him last night, Mari..." he explained. "And we snuck him in a couple of hours ago! We needed more information about this sort of thing, so it's been too chaotic."

Maribelle let out a loud huff as she folded her arms in front of her. "I'll let it slide this time...but, you guys better confide in me more from now on. That goes for all of you." She added as she spun and gave each man a glare of warning.

Everyone but January flinched.

"Girls are scary," Eli whispered to Mat, who nodded agreement as the redhead hid behind their vampire mate, peeking out from behind the tall man. January couldn't help his soft chuckle and fond smile. Being part of this group of wolves, this family, was rather delightful in a spectrum of ways. Jany pulled Elias out from his hiding spot, tucking the petite Omega into his side as he draped an arm around Mateo's waist.

Maribelle already had Pax's phone number, but she quickly collected the others' with solemn oaths that she would be called and informed of what they'd found out from Mateo's grandmother. The ebony-haired Omega softened, giving everyone a quick hug, even January, before hurrying off muttering about mates and monkeys.

"What did you guys find out?" Eli asked, flopping on the bed.

January, Mateo, and Pax joined Elias on the bed as the taller werewolves began to relay what they heard.

"Well, we were given a basic history lesson of the usual...you know, the weres versus vamps and how our devotees were urged by Khonsu to be firmly anti-vamp," Mateo began.

"To summarize, there was an alpha and an elder vamp who were tired of all the animosity and fighting and decided to form a truce," Pax explained. "According to Mat's grandma, the two of them were star-crossed lovers, and that infuriated Khonsu."

"And no one even knows what happened to them! Granny said something about the alpha leaving a note saying he had to leave," Mat added. "But both of them ended up disappearing."

"So, what are we gonna do?" Eli asked worriedly. "I'll leave if I have to, as long as you're all with me, but I don't want to have to go. Our families are here. I grew up here."

"I believe it's too soon to think about moving out," January responded as he gently rubbed the Omega's shoulders to try to calm him down. "We can ask Mateo's grandmother if she knows where that parting note was, try to search for anything the alpha and elder left behind..."

Pax shook his head. "According to Mateo's grandmother, all that the alpha wrote in the note was something along the lines of letting them know he was okay but that he had to leave. No further information was given," he stated.

"Then, perhaps it is time I visit some old friends. Perhaps one of them might know what happened on the elder vampire's side of things," Jany pointed out.

"Is that safe?" Mateo asked. "What if the vampires find out you're mated to us?"

"We tend to keep to ourselves. I doubt any of my kind would even care or react more than a simple raise of a brow," January responded. "Some vampires witnessed as much in the Black Orchid last night, but didn't pay it much mind after the 'show' was over."

"Shit!" Elias yelped. "There were wolves there! I didn't even think about it. We don't have a lot of time to figure this out before they figure us out."

"Then it's time I call in a few favors..." Jany mused aloud. "Though nothing can be done until the sun fully sets."