Page 10 of Sobek’s Joy

“Don’t.” Sobek’s growl would have intimidated anyone else. “Not yet.”

“I see. I take it there are some complications. But seriously, congratulations. A human mate, that’s so…wait. Did you say he’s been raising three orphaned shifter children? As a human?”

“He has no idea what they are.” Sobek resumed pacing. “He thinks the occasional fur, scales, claws, and fangs are...anomalies. Things to be dismissed or explained away.”

“That’s actually kind of adorable, in a concerning way. Those kids must have incredible control for ones so young, especially if you claim they are showing signs of wanting to shift.”

They did. It actually made sense if all three children had been traumatized, that their animal sides had been trying to come forward to help them survive their trauma - an evolutionary trait on steroids, so to speak.

Sobek’s crocodile side surged forward, rumbling through his consciousness. Mate. Hatchling. Pack young. Pride young. Ours. Protect. Claim. For once, Sobek didn’t argue.

His crocodile instincts had always been about territory, family, and protection. Unlike many other ancient gods, Sobek had never embraced the bedlam and debauchery that seemed to define their kind. He’d watched civilizations rise and fall. He’d seen countless families form and dissolve. He’d remained separate from it all because nothing and no one had ever called to him the way the Nile once had.

Until one small human with freckles and no verbal filter had opened his door and bathed Sobek in sunlight.

“Paulie, what are the protocols for a god claiming a mate with existing children?”

“There aren’t any, really. You claim your mate, the mate claims you back, boom - instant family. The Mother of All Things blessed all children of bonded mates with immortality and health, remember? So once you and this Rudy person are properly bonded, the young will be yours in every way that matters.”

Is that how those children survived? Sobek didn’t know, but his chest tightened. Once he claimed his mate - and he realized it was when not if - those children would become his family.

“I feel I should court him properly.” The words came out stiff because Sobek had exactly zero experience with anything remotely similar to dating. “I need to…what do humans expect? Do you have protocols for this?”

“Most couples tend to find their own way in those matters. Being honest is mandatory, and being consistent seems to be important. I believe, but I only have anecdotal accounts about this, that letting him see who you really are will be vitally important in your case.

Sobek stopped by the cabin’s back window, staring out at the pond where he’d first seen Timothy. “I have to tell Rudy the truth about what I am and what his children are.”

“Yes, although I would use caution for such an interesting conversation. ‘Hi, I’m an ancient Egyptian god, and surprise, your kids are shapeshifters,’ might not work very well. Most humans would struggle to accept information like that.”

“Rudy isn’t most humans.” Sobek didn’t know how he knew that, but he did. “He’ll listen...correction, he’ll probably listen eventually. I did mention that his children were shifters when we met, and he thought I was being rude or that I was suffering a head injury. He’ll...he’ll need proof, but he will listen.”

“Just don’t lead with ‘I’m a giant crocodile.’ That tends to scare people.”

Sobek snorted. “Noted. I need to...build trust first. Let him become comfortable with me. Then I’ll tell him everything.”

“And in the meantime?”

“In the meantime, if Timothy appears at the pond again, I’ll make him welcome.” Sobek’s jaw set. “I’m not turning away my hatchling.”

“Your hatchling, Lord Sobek. You sound very attached already.”

“He’s a crocodile shifter child with no one to teach him what he is. Of course, he’s my hatchling.”

“And the other two?”

“Mine.” Sobek wouldn’t turn his back on them either. “Rose and Jack are mine as well. If I claim Rudy, I claim all of them. That’s how family works.”

The app was silent for a moment, and then Paulie said, “I wish you luck, Lord of the Crocodiles. Yours won’t be an easy path, but from what I hear, it is well worth it. Contact me again if you need anything. All hail the Almighty Zeus and his beloved mate Paulie.”

The app went quiet. Sobek set his phone on the counter and walked back to the window. The pond gleamed in the fading sunlight, peaceful and still. It was tempting to slide back into the water’s embrace, but he had things to do - articles on child rearing to read and finding a way to be someone a human could trust enough to hear an impossible truth.

But he couldn’t deny how his crocodile side settled deep in his chest, content for the first time in forever, and how, for him… Is that excitement I feel? It certainly could be.

It would help if his crocodile side wasn’t still doing his caveman impersonation with his single word phrases. As if he could hear him - and his crocodile could - Sobek heard mate. Hatchlings. Ours. Will protect. We will prove ourselves worthy, running through his brain.

“Yes, yes,” Sobek murmured to the empty cabin. “Yes, we will.” He wasn’t going to go against the will of the Fates, who had clearly worked overtime to bring a mismatched family together.

Chapter Six