by
Paulie’s life changed for the better when he was saved from a fate worse than death one night just before Christmas. His saviors, Wes a wolf shifter and Cass who was a demon, would only tell him that his innocence had been noted by others and they’d been sent to save him. Handing Paulie a briefcase that contained all he needed for a fresh start, Wes and Cass put him on a bus that would take him to his new life, and that was that.
But despite everything he’d been given, and his strong desire to make things work, Paulie struggled to fit into normal life. For one thing, tiger shifters were solitary animals, and Paulie found it difficult to make friends. Having been homeless for twelve years didn’t help either, as Paulie felt he had nothing in common with the people around him. When another attack resulted in Wes and Cass intervening for him a second time, all three realized that Paulie needed more than the contents of a briefcase – he needed the security that only a Fated Mate could bring him.
Ancient Greek God Zeus realized who Paulie was to him the first time he’d spied Paulie being followed into a dark alley by a group of thugs up to no good. Sending Wes and Cass to intervene was Zeus’s form of a compromise. He knew he could never claim Paulie as his mate, but he could see to it the young tiger shifter was safe and had the tools to forge a decent life for himself. As he always got his own way, as far as Zeus was concerned, that was that. Until it wasn’t.
Pushy demons, interfering gods and even the Fates all seemed to have an opinion on what was best for Paulie. But when Zeus thinks Paulie has gone missing, he’s prepared to start another great war just to get him back. Which must mean Zeus does want Paulie – right? Maybe a summoning will help.
My regular readers were introduced to Paulie (as Paul) in the conclusion of Home is Where The Heart Is, which was Cass and Wes’s story (The Cloverleah Series #13). This book can be read as a standalone but reading previous books in the Gods Made Me Do It series will give a better understanding of secondary characters.
Contains strong language, some violence, and graphic intimate scenes intended for an adult audience. Please note, this is an MM Fated Mates story and includes elements of mpreg, although that is not the main focus of the story.
- 3 Read lists
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 5
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Protagonist 2 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Tropes: Fated Mates / Soul Mates
Setting: real world, USA
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
“Can we not talk about paranormals please?” Zeus winced. “If you really want a reason why I don’t visit earth, then that’s my reason. Paranormals. They were a bad idea from the start and should never have been allowed to keep breeding.”
“Zeus!”
Ra’s shocked tone let Zeus know he’d gone too far. “I’m just not a fan, okay,” he said quickly, holding up his now empty hands. “It’s fine if Hades and Sei want to bare their neck and carry scars proclaiming forever love, then that’s up to them. But paranormals can’t keep their teeth to themselves and to me that’s a direct violation of the free will law. One bite from a paranormal and a being is tied to that person for the rest of their lives, which for gods like us is eternity. How can that be fair or right?”
READ MORERa’s eyes mirrored his disbelief. “You do know that’s only among true mates, right? Unless you met your true mate, the one gifted by the fates, then any other paranormal bite would result in you smiting them from existence and no one would blink an eye about it. Immortals like us can’t be scarred unless the bite comes from a mate.”
“I do know that.” Zeus had spent months searching every text ever written trying to find a loophole to the true mate curse. “But the thing is, and this is something I bet the Fates haven’t even considered, not everyone wants to be mated and tied down to one person forevermore. Sei appealed to the Fates twice to get his mating to Claude broken. Those old crones laughed him out of their glade.”
“It was only once.” Ra shook his head. “If you’re going to tell a story get your facts straight. Sei complained about it after he did a runner from Claude the first time when Claude bit him. The second time he went to the Fates was because, and I do think he was right with that, he didn’t know Claude was from the god line and didn’t think the Fates had the right to impose children on the unwilling. But then it all worked out, because that brother of yours is a doting father on those twins.”
“Unless it’s their bath time,” Zeus muttered darkly. “Besides, it’s not the kid aspect that bugs me – it’s the other side effect that keeps me away from anything para.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Ra clicked himself up a chair and made himself comfortable. “A fated mate is every being’s dream, paranormal or not.”
“Not this being.” Zeus thumped the arm of his chair.
“But why?” Ra lounged back in his chair. “Honestly, I think the idea is adorable. You and I, we’ve lost count of the centuries we’ve been alive. It was all fine and dandy when we were being actively worshipped by thousands of people, and we could actually have a say in world affairs, but since we’ve become an afterthought in societal thinking, all we have to look forward to is centuries of boredom.”
“I’m never bored,” Zeus cut in quickly, but Ra kept going.
“Having a fated mate would change all that. I’m bloody glad the Fates are tying gods to mortals – paranormal or not. I’m hoping I get my turn real soon.”
“You’re missing the point.” Zeus could be just as stubborn as his friend. “Having a mate around for a while might be fun but look at all our mated family members. None of them have been mated longer than a year or so. They’re still swept up in the novelty of living as humans and creating new little families with significant others, but what happens when that novelty wears off?”
COLLAPSE
