Just as Mateo was about to walk after them, Pax touched his elbow. "There's something I'd like to ask before we join them," he explained. "Your grandmother Cira, how do we get in contact with her?"

Mateo smirked, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He tapped the screen several times and held it out to show Pax. The contacts screen showed a picture of a lovely woman with dark, sparkling eyes and black hair shot with streaks of silver. She was blowing a kiss at the camera. A phone number was listed beneath it.

"Call or text?" Mat asked, laughing. "Abuela is never far from her phone. She can't stop playing Candy Crush and Plants versus Zombies."

"Usually, when we come across a new mate, we get another week off work," Pax explained. "But, we can't report January as our new mate yet. So, I have to go back to work on Monday. When do you think would be a good time to go see her?"

"Tomorrow, if that's not too soon," Mateo told him. "Uh, she'll be out tonight with her girlfriends. Saturday is, well, Bitch's Night, apparently." Mat's cheeks burned. He didn't ever want to know what those women got up to on Saturdays.

"Tomorrow sounds great," Pax replied with a smile. "We can ask her about her grandpa and the gods...and how to protect Jany."

Mateo was about to speak when he heard a giggle and a soft gasp from Elias in the other room, followed by January's seductive voice.

"We should probably head out before Jany and Eli get too...distracted," Mateo said with a grin.

"Good point!" Pax agreed as the two of them rushed over to the vampire's room.

Just as they anticipated, the four of them ended up distracted for a while. Eventually, January finished packing his clothes and suited himself up for the drive to Pax's house. He wore tight jeans, ankle boots, and a gray hooded sweater with long sleeves. The vamp wore black leather gloves to cover his hands. He carefully pulled on a macramé mask covering his entire face except his eyes. 

"I know, I know," Jany apologized. "I look like I'm either part of the JabbaWockeez dance crew or some kind of Mardi Gras thief. But, it's my best defense for the sun's rays."

"I think it's kinda sexy," Elias said, fingertips trailing across the golden swirls of the mask. "Mysterious."

Jany's purple eyes glimmered as he wrapped his arms around Elias's waist to tug him closer. "Oh? Ever dream about getting pinned by a mysterious man against the wall at a masquerade party?" He purred sultrily into the werewolf's ear. He then glanced at Mateo. "How about you, mon grenat?" (mon grenat= my garnet)

Elias sucked in a breath as a shiver swept through him. It was a good thing the vampire was holding him; the Omega's knees felt awfully wobbly. His new mate was so damn hot it was ridiculous.

"If I didn't before," Mateo admitted, his voice rough. "I do now."

"Hmm, then we should host our own masquerade one day," January mused aloud.

"Our first step is getting Jany home, right?" Pax insisted.

"Huh?" Elias whispered, gazing at the violet eyes that seemed to shimmer with shades of lilac and deeper purple behind the intricate mask.

January chuckled. "How about we go home so we can find a wall to pin you up against, hmm?" He suggested.

Elias couldn't hold back a moan, which turned into a squeak as Mateo swept the Omega into his arms, deciding to speed up the process by carrying him to the car. Mat suddenly stopped, turning to his mates.

"We went through your portal thing," the big wolf said. "How do we get to the car?"

"Like this," January offered as he held his hand towards the wall and opened a portal to the parking lot of the Black Orchid Club, where he assumed Pax had parked his car.

"That was amazing!" Eli chirped, hanging over Mateo's shoulder so he could face January. "How did you do that? Can all vampires do that stuff? Can you do other cool stuff?"

"Yes, I can do quite a few things...but maybe it's best to explain some of them on the ride?" January prompted as he lifted his bag of clothes in one hand and a quilt with the other.

"Agreed," Pax replied as the four walked through the portal.

"Ah, sorry," Elias said with a blush. "I get too excited about stuff."

"We like how enthusiastic you are about things, Eli," Mateo said as he deposited the Omega in the backseat of Pax's car, delighted that his little mate had allowed himself to be carried. "You don't have to apologize for it."

They tossed Jany's bag in the trunk, and Mateo sat in the front seat. Meanwhile, the vampire lay across Eli's lap with the quilt covering him. Elias smiled at the form of his vampire hidden under the quilt.

"Thanks for coming with us," Elias whispered, feeling the need to be quiet as they snuck January home. "I'm glad you decided to. I'm really sorry we have to hide you. Are you sure you're okay with everything?" Eli was quiet for a moment. "Not just the hiding, but being a mate to werewolves. It had to have been unexpected."

Even though his hand was covered in a glove, January tried to take hold of one of Eli's hands. "Eli, I've lived and suffered a lot over the years. But, hiding out in a home with my mates? That doesn't even sound like hiding to me. It sounds like paradise," he confessed.

"Good," Elias said in noticeable relief, squeezing January's hand. "And you don't have to suffer ever again. We won't let anything happen to you."

"I wouldn't mind suffering for any of you," Jany admitted softly.

"And we'd do anything for you, too," Mateo said, turning around in the front passenger seat. "We couldn't stand to see you hurt, though. Wolves being your mates is kind of crazy intense in the whole taking care of your mate sense. It’s in our nature."

Eli nodded in agreement, then paused. "Hey, weren’t you going to tell me all the amazing things you can do?" 

"The car ride would end long before I told you about everything I could do," Jany admitted. "But, for starters, I make an adorable bat. At least, I've been told I'm a lot cuter than other vampires as a bat, in any case."

Elias covered his mouth, overcome with the idea of an adorable little January bat.

"Will you do it for me sometime?" 

"Oh, my gem, I will do it as soon as we're indoors," the vampire promised. "...in the dark with artificial lighting."

"Does the light hurt your eyes?" Mateo asked.

"Only direct sunlight does, so if the curtains are drawn, I should be fine," January explained. "But, unless a lightbulb's on, you won't be able to see me properly. My bat form's all black except my big purple eyes."

"I can't wait," Elias blurted. "Can you do other things?"

"I can walk on walls and the ceiling if I concentrate the power to my feet..." January continued. "And, in extreme circumstances, I can move very fast."

"Could you, uh, maybe carry something while walking on the ceiling?" Elias looked thoughtful, then blushed bright red. "Does it take tons of focus? Can you do other... things while on the ceiling?"

Mateo burst out laughing. "Jany, I think Elias is propositioning you for upside-down sex." He grinned back at a sputtering Eli and bobbed his eyebrows. "Can I watch?"

"There is a way, yes..." January confirmed. "Two ways, actually...and of course, you can watch my garnet."

"Yesssssss," Mat said, pumping a fist while Eli hid his burning face under the blanket.

"We'll just have to be careful not to bump your head to the ceiling wall the first time," Jany pondered aloud. "As I usually start mid-way up the wall first..."

"I probably wouldn't feel it," Eli muttered, squirming his hips back to avoid poking January with a part of his anatomy that was becoming inconveniently excited with the subject matter.

"In any case, it would be better not to have your head bash against the ceiling," Pax piped up. He had been busy concentrating on the road, but it was difficult when his mates were talking about odd forms of sex.

"Would you like to watch, too, Pax?" Mateo teased.

"I'd like to participate, as well," Pax pointed out. "Perhaps taking you while we both watch?"

"Yeah?" Mat asked, feeling his pants suddenly get a bit tighter but unable to stop himself from continuing to tease his mate. "You gonna be able to compete with ceiling sex?"

"I can if I have you facing their direction, so you have a front-row seat while I pound into you," Pax responded, the slightest of smirks tugging on his lips.

Mateo's breath stuttered in his chest, and he could feel his nipples tightening under his mesh shirt and hoped no one would notice.

"Can we watch Pax and Mat fucking while they watch us?" Eli whispered, the sweet scent of Mateo's arousal making his own body respond.

"Of course," January said with a chuckle.

Not a moment later, Pax pulled up to the driveway of his house and drove his car into the attached garage. When the garage door was completely shut, the four exited the vehicle. January was urged to stay in the garage while the werewolves shut all the blinds and closed all the curtains. They eventually decided to gather in a guest room with only one window. They ensured that the curtains on the window were thick and let no sunlight in.

"Alright, it should be safe for you to pull off the mask now," Pax prompted after he led the vampire into that room.

January did that and quickly glanced about as he pulled off his gloves.

"Umm," Elias said shyly, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Is it okay? How do you like it?"

"It's perfect," January replied with conviction as he unzipped his hoodie and removed it. "And it accommodates all of us. Honestly, I don't care where we live so long as we're together."