Claiming the God Below

Claiming the God Below

M/M Gay Fantasy Romance

J.B. Black

Claiming the God Below by JB Black

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

CLAIMING THE GOD BELOW

Copyright © 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Love blooms in the dark.

Sirideán longs for adventure, but in the modern world, there’s little left to explore. After a backpacking tour of Faerie ends with him certain there’s nothing left to see, a wrong step sends the sorcerer tumbling down the wrong path in a cavern system and into a secret world below.

There, he meets Enki — one of the last gods on Earth and the guardian to the gates of the Underworld. Injured, Sirideán must rely on the god’s hospitality, but the more time he spends with the isolated and innocent man, the deeper in love the intrepid sorcerer becomes.

Will love be his greatest adventure?

Enki expects nothing.

In a world where the gods are dying or going into hiding in other realms, Enki grows lonely in his subterranean realm. Hidden beneath the Earth, he guards portals to the Underworld, ensuring every soul peacefully makes its way in the great beyond, but while his subjects at times visit the surface and the sprawling cities humanity has made, Enki must remain at the gates. Trapped in a crystalline palace left to him as a child.

When a sorcerer stumbles upon his realm, Enki fears another attempt to destroy the gates in a foolhardy quest to conquer death, but the world above has forgotten about them and him.

Sirideán paints a picture of a wonderland, and every day as Enki falls in love, he realizes more and more that he could never ask the sorcerer to abandon the universe for him.

When other magic users come looking for the wayward sorcerer, will Sirideán leave Enki behind? Will the gates be discovered and the attacks start again?

Claiming the God Below is a gay fantasy romance with mpreg, no cheating, and a HEA.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Chapter One

Mortals expanded, conquering the wilderness and building their cities. They chased away the magic, pushing it into the corners and crevices of the world they built. Where once gods cut sections of the world into realms, ruling and protecting the magical beings within their realms (or tormenting them depending on the individual god), but now, finding a realm ruled by a god was no easy task. They appeared in the strangest places.

Not that Sirideán hadn’t accomplished the task regardless. He dedicated his life to exploration, and if anyone could find a god — accidentally or intentionally, Sirideán could do it. Of course, he already had met the bulk of gods. From harvest gods in random fields to a few forest realms or ones in the high mountains, Sirideán found them all, charting them for the councils and guilds, so that the elders could protect those last vestiges of the magical world.

But the more he explored, the more empty the world seemed. Climbing Everest, Sirideán expected a god at the top. Some yetis in the Himalayas or ice giants hidden somewhere in Siberia, but even Antarctica stood empty. Only the very depths of the oceans held secrets, and Sirideán spent the last five years enjoying the company of mermaids and swimming between realms, playing with krakens and other denizens of the deep.

You just came back, Cassandra complained, sprawling out over Sirideán’s bed as he packed.

The sorcerer rolled his eyes. I’ve been back for a week. Anyway, when am I going to get a free pass to explore Faerie? They don’t let anybody in, especially not researchers like me, unless we’re mated to somebody.

Propping herself up on her elbows, the witch sighed. You’ve been to all nine realms, probably beyond if you weren’t joking about Hell —

I have the map and hellfire to prove it, Sirideán pointed out.

Spinning in his computer chair, Hermes scoffed, Any magic user worth their salt can summon hellfire.

But mine has primordial brimstone, Sirideán argued, pointing to the enchanted sphere where he displayed his demonic bounty. Now, I’m going to Faerie. It’s not my fault you weren’t invited, so give me the damn list of what you assholes want me to bring back.

As the two pouted, Gigi returned, slipping her cell phone back into her pocket. We don’t need anything.

Gigi! Cassandra cried, sitting up to glare at her wife.

What? Our house is full enough, Gigi retorted, joining her wife on the bed.

The two witches glared at each other, arguing silently. Sharing an intimate connection, the two fated mates could speak telepathically, but Sirideán appreciated being spared the bickering.

However, Hermes stilled his spinning. I’ve got a cousin who we’re pretty sure is fated for a fae. I’ll just wait until I can go myself.

You mean Jakob?

The wizard nodded. His string looks to belong to another realm. It’s kind of like yours.

My string disconnects and reconnects at random, depending on which stringmaster or seer I ask. If anything, I’m proof stringmasters are fucking scams, Sirideán huffed, finishing packing. He pulled on his pack, turning to the two witches. Okay, give it to me.

We’re good, Gigi repeated.

Nose-wrinkling, Cassandra nodded. We’re fine.

Then I’m out. Don’t know when I’ll be back. Faerie’s pretty big, the sorcerer proclaimed, and Hermes shook his head.

I give you a decade tops, the wizard said.

Clucking his tongue, Sirideán tilted back his head to smirk down his nose at the other man. Faerie has multiple gods and constantly expanding borders, including side-realms, I might end up staying there a century.

His three friends looked among each other before Gigi gave him a somewhat condescending look. You’ll get bored faster than that.

You’ve been through how many realms since you turned eighteen? Cassandra asked, and when Sirideán frowned, counting them in his head, she continued, Do you really think Faerie will take longer than all that?

Well, I’ll send a message when I’m headed back. If it’s under ten years, I’ll buy everyone a round at Patrick’s, Sirideán grumbled.

***

To say Sirideán was embarrassed would be an understatement. He imagined Faerie as a giant realm. Something bigger and more terrifying than the years he spent in Atlantis. Instead, Faerie was smaller than the underwater kingdom, and considering most fae families were entirely fae and, therefore, very unlikely to have children, Faerie seemed to only be getting smaller. Gods reproduced more, but they had even longer than the long-lived fae, so while a few new mountain ranges, forests, and rivers popped up now and then, Sirideán found only one of these happened in the six years he spent exploring Faerie.

The most exciting moment came when a god decided he wanted to retire. He looked no older than Sirideán, but he had lived for centuries. Belvedon ruled over a forest. His horns curled like a ram’s, and his two sons had sat beside him. Though never specified how, the court spoke of how Belvedon’s mate preceded him into the Underworld.

But what happens now? Sirideán asked the god. Are you killing yourself? Does someone kill you?"

Belvedon laughed. Oh, goodness no! I’ll descend and walk into the Underworld like any retiring god. My mate and parents await me there.

Your sister as well, his elder son, Hevedean added.

I’ve remained here for so long, but now my granddaughter is of age, and I knew she would replace me. My trip into the Underworld will be much more peaceful than any others, Belvedon assured Sirideán as the feast continued on around him.

None of the magical beings seemed terribly concerned, and though long lives might’ve been something to celebrate, Sirideán had also attended a fae funeral. Wailing and agony painted that day despite the fae being old even by fae standards. They spoke of the dead fae’s growing