by Jo Penn
“So you rejected him, in essence.”
“When you say it like that, you make it sound much worse than it was!” Finn scolded haughtily. “I didn’t reject. In actual fact, I accepted Tristian was mine almost immediately, that’s why I can’t sleep and have lost weight. Being away from him is slowly draining me of life and energy. He mistook what I said as rejection and walked out on me! I know, I know, it was mostly my fault, and I’m sorry for that. I didn’t understand the significance of a shifter claiming a mate, and once I did I tried to make things right, but by that time Tristian was long gone, and I’ve been searching for him for months now! It took me a while to figure out he was actually my mate and yeah, I may not have wanted to see it at first. I’d just left Hell Island. I finally had some freedom to do anything I wanted. I wasn’t ready.” Finn sighed sadly. “It’s also why I let you claim me the moment you said I was your mate. I wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.”
Uri nodded. “Okay, but this Tristian won’t see it that way. He’ll think you rejected him. And to make it worse, accepted me instead.”
“H-has he turned feral?” Finn asked worriedly. “That’s what happens to shifters, isn’t it? You go feral if you don’t claim and mate? Except for Drax of course, he waited five years and was only a bit more irritable then now he and Mason have bonded.”
Uri smirked. “Drax was also covered in potions, spells and the special treatments to stop him going feral and crazy. And no, Tristian won’t go feral if he’s a sacred creature as you say. They’re a bit different from other shifters. Like Luka and Drax who are unique wolves. But as you saw with Luka, he had an extreme reaction to his mates and has higher level needs. While Drax is the three wolf and able to withstand the strain of not mating for longer. With a sacred bear, I’m not sure what reaction Tristian will have. But he will suffer.”
Finn’s stomach rolled. “Because of me? Because I didn’t understand and let him claim me?”
“Could be, angel. Hey, now, don’t get yourself worked up about it. You’re right, you messed up in a lot of ways, but you tried to fix it. Tristian had a hand in this also. He could have stayed and explained to you the importance of claiming and bonding. For some reason, he chose not to. Over the last six months, he could have changed that and didn’t. He could have come to me and sorted all this out. So while you fucked up, in the beginning, you were trying to fix it and find Tristian. Sounds like the bear was the one not interested.”
“Well, thanks, that makes me feel great,” Finn said sulkily, hurting.
Urian smiled without humor. “Sorry, angel. There could be a viable reason behind it, and we have to remember, Tristian’s alone and may be in danger.” Uri rubbed his bristly chin. “Though I’m surprised he hasn’t turned up in Milson Valley. Possibly his human side was hurt and angry by what he perceived as your rejection, but his bear side would have taken over and brought him directly to you. A shifter’s animal doesn’t like to be apart from their mate for too long, and usually gets jack of the human side deciding and just takes over.”
“Huh. That’s a bit weird.” How Finn wished that had happened though.
“Is there anything else you’ve kept from me? Another mate perhaps? A maniac aunt coming to live with us?”
“Oh ha ha.” Finn huffed, standing up and moving around restlessly. “No, that’s it. Only delusional Bastion wanting to kill Jude and me, so we’ll all be together, a clan of seers on a floating island and a grouchy little sun bear mate not bothered about being with me. You know, this is actually all your fault.”
Uri spluttered a bit. “How is any of this my fault?”
“Well, when I was going to tell you about Tristian four and a half months ago, you were too busy getting ready for your big fight at the Sanchez Compound,” Finn grumbled. “Blood and fighting are much more entertaining than talking to your mate.”
“The Sanchez pride was being invaded by Renegades!” Urian gave an award-winning eye roll. “And in the four and a half months since, you just haven’t found an opportune moment to share the fact we have another mate with me? Yeah, I can see how this is all my fault.”
“Whatever. We’ll have to agree to disagree.”
Uri gaped at his mate. “What? No way. You’ve had our entire mateship to tell me about Tristian—”
“I didn’t know! Okay, I did know, but that wasn’t until the last month or two.”
Uri closed his eyes briefly, breathed a couple of times, then stood. “Nope, we’re not going down that rabbit hole. Do you have any idea where Tristian would go? What he likes? Does he have family and friends?”
Finn had been through all this with the private investigator. “Tristian wanders. He doesn’t talk about his past. All I know is, his sleuth hunts him because he’s the sacred sun bear and if they have him, they get control of his gift. Apparently, they’re a pack of Renegade assholes who murdered his family when they tried to leave with Tristian. He doesn’t have friends. The people and creatures who follow him everywhere are drawn to him because of what he is.” Finn took out his phone and flicked through to a folder he locked and had a passcode on. “He takes them where they need to go, whether that’s to another paranormal group or to find where they should be. I don’t know how it works, but he’s a sacred bear, and that type of creature can control others with their gift, entrance them.” Finn held up his phone. “That’s Tristian.”
It had taken a dozen or so trial and errors to gain that photograph as the annoying sun bear wouldn’t stay still. The photo was a good one though, Tristian actually looking into the camera and not scowling. He hadn’t smiled, but he didn’t need to. Tristian was striking no matter what expression he pulled. With hair, an abundance of wild light brown waves and curls, large blueberry eyes fringed by long brown lashes, sunken cheeks, and full lips, the bear had a gorgeous elfin look, and Finn understood completely why Urian took his time studying the photo.
Finally, Uri handed the phone back. “I’ll have Kelly bring the private investigator in. Once that’s done, we may have an idea where your—our, mate is.”
“You don’t believe me.” Finn watched Urian carefully.
Urian shrugged. “I believe you have come to the conclusion this sun bear Tristian is your mate. But as you said, he is a sacred sun bear and has the gift to entrance and control others. He could have made contact with you, entranced and taken control, changing your memories and making you believe. I need to scent him to be positive.”
Finn was ready to be offended, but what Urian said actually made sense in respect of what could be a possibility. But Finn knew the truth. He’d finally worked it all out a month or so ago. Now he just had to get Tristian back and fix everything. Yeah, that was going to be simple. Not. The sun bear was a grouch, anti-social and knew how to stay hidden. Then there was Urian, who Finn just knew that once he scented Tris and found the bear shifter was his, would become an overprotective Alpha wolf. Yep, not simple at all.
Finn moved closer to his big, strong mate and touched Urian’s chest. Not classically handsome and quite rough around the edges, Urian was one of those hidden gems often looked for and more often overlooked. The wolf didn’t like fancy anything, except in televisions, and whatever was needed to care for his pack and Milson Valley. He’d protect and defend, give up all his time and loved a good fight. And mostly, Uri was solid.
“Babe—”
“What we need to concentrate on is locating Tristian and sorting all this out. First, though, we need to see if Doc Eric has anything to help with your suffering.”
Okay then. Looked like Urian wasn’t ready to talk. That was fine, his mate needed to work it all out in his head. Finn got that and wasn’t offended. He’d give the man some time.
“Bastion wouldn’t go after the sun bear, would he?”
Finn shook his head. “No. You, yes, if you get in the way. My brother wouldn’t care less about Tris, unless he too got in Bassie’s way. Jude on the other hand…”
“Jude would go
after Tristian?”
“What? Oh, no. What I mean is, Jude, despite his desire to get as far from family as he possibly can and hide from us because he’s an overgrown teenager—” Finn took a deep breath and brushed aside his anger at his triplet—“would confront Tristian in a backward, underhanded, self-deprecating way.”
“Ri-ight. I better get on with finding this sun bear and speaking to Doc. Why don’t you get changed?”
And the mate hurried away. Finn wasn’t one to sit around wallowing and wailing, he was more the get on with things and order everyone around, so he did as Urian said and changed out of his pajamas and collected all the information he had on Tristian and what the private investigator, Milo Stints, had found out. Right now, what mattered was finding Tristian, wrangling the grouchy bear home, and making his rugged, manly handsome mate okay with all this. Yeah, time for champagne and a plan.
Chapter Three
Four hours after leaving Milson Valley, Uri was still chuckling over the expression on his mate’s face when he announced they were going on a road trip. The look of horror had been golden!
The look of horror and loud ‘no fucking way!’ changed as soon as Finn saw their mode of transportation. A huge, luxurious motorhome. Finn was so excited he knocked Urian out of the way when climbing in to check it out.
“A motorhome? I thought we’d take a plane or travel by fae portal air.”
Urian managed to snag the belt loops of his mate’s snazzy tailored pants and draw Finn against him. The feel of his mate pressed lightly against his own body heated up Uri’s need. All this talk of another mate, knowing Finn was suffering emotionally and physically possibly from a creature’s entrancement, was causing Urian’s wolf to be agitated, pacing back and forth, fangs needing to claim what was theirs, reaffirm their bond. He breathed deeply and ran his hands over his mate’s tall, toned body, shifting Finn closer, and sniffing deeply.
“We never had a honeymoon, angel,” Urian murmured, nose pressed against Finn’s divine smelling throat. He licked, tasting his mate and enjoyed Finn’s trembling.
“Funny, I don’t remember the wedding,” Finn retorted between puffs of breath.
Chuckling, loving his mate’s sharp wit, Uri nuzzled and enjoyed Finn’s crisp, masculine scent. His mate always smelt like champagne and tropical drinks to Uri. Maybe because those were two of the things Finn loved to indulge in.
“I remember sinking my fangs deep into your elegant throat and my dick in your beautiful ass. That’s the shifter wedding way.” He lightly squeezed said ass and pressed their hard groins together. He groaned. “Best moment of my life, right after the moment I first laid eyes on you.” He licked another spot on Finn’s neck. His mate shuddered and pressed closer, their groins straining together. “I knew, angel. The exact moment our eyes met. I didn’t need to scent you, didn’t need to do anything but look into your gorgeous aqua eyes, and I knew my life had finally found the joy and love I longed for, someone just for me. That you would fill my heart and stop the shadows, bring my life technicolor and fun I’d never experienced.”
Finn had wrapped an arm around Uri’s neck and pulled him down, so their lips met in an urgent need to join. It was mad and out of control, and they were both desperate to feel one another. Uri just had enough time to close the motorhome’s door before they were devouring each other, hands grabbing and touching as they stumbled back toward the bedroom.
“Christening.” Finn tore his mouth from Uri’s.
“Huh?” Uri tried to grab his mate back, but the seer was damn fast, dancing out of the way of his grasping fingers.
“Every surface of our honeymoon motorhome.” With a hard push, Finn had Uri seated on the long, creamy colored plush leather L shaped sofa and climbed on Uri’s lap.
Oh yeah, Urian was up for that! Grabbing hold of his mate, he lifted and spun Finn around so Finn’s back was pressed to Uri’s front and his legs were hanging off either side of Urian’s lap.
Urian stroked Finn’s arm, claws extended. “Who do you belong to, Finbarr Visióne?”
Shivering as those claws caressed, Finn leaned back, head tilted exposing his neck. “Me. And share myself with you.”
Urian made a funny noise, sort of like a snort, laugh, and growl. His mate always had an answer.
He yanked Finn’s top off and unsnapped the man’s pants. He wanted Finn now, and his wolf was a lusty beast, demanding and craving their mate, to fuck and reclaim, to spill inside and make sure everyone knew just who Finn belonged to…or only shared himself with, as Finn said.
He couldn’t get enough of Finn, and though the seer was a smart ass, independent and sure of himself, he liked when Uri was dominant, pounding Finn, taking what he wanted and giving at the same time, or when he was sweet, loving and tender. Leaning back, Finn draped an arm across Uri’s shoulder and laid his head against Uri’s as he arched his back and pushed his dick upward.
“What a delicious cock.” Uri ghosted his hand over Finn’s throbbing sex, his mate murmuring incoherently. “Yeah, beautiful.”
Finn cried out as Urian’s hand gripped him firmly and stroked. Uri knew how to get Finn hot and hard in seconds and ready to blow. With a bit of claw and movement, they were both naked, and Uri was glad he remembered the lube satchel from his pocket. He coated his fingers and spread his legs wide, which opened Finn up for him to reach between them to rub over the little pink star he couldn’t wait to get his cock into. But first, the anticipation, the buildup was always so sweet. He loved to make Finn beg and whine, then become aggressive and start demanding Urian fuck him. He took his time, enjoying holding his mate with one arm and teasing with his fingers. Finn was the most responsive, open lover Urian had ever known, and he was often amazed by his seer’s playfulness. They were well matched, their loving going for hours as they played, teased, loved, and fucked.
By the time he had two fingers inside his mate, Finn was whimpering, begging, and Uri’s cock felt like it would explode before he ever got inside his mate’s sexy, tight ass. But neither liked to be rushed. Sure, they enjoyed a quickie and were sometimes so desperate their loving was fast and hard, but right now they were relearning and enjoying one another. Finn’s hands were in Uri’s hair, their lips joined. Uri played with Finn’s ass, stroking inside that silky channel, teasing the knot of nerves that caused little convulsions of pleasure. With his other hand, Urian tweaked Finn’s pale pink nipples till they were stiff and red and aching.
Adding another finger, Uri slid his hand from Finn’s well-loved on nipples down along his nicely toned six pack, playing with the golden blond hairs that lightly covered his mate’s groin and brushed the base of Finn’s long, slender dick that Urian had enjoyed in his ass a few times. Scissoring his fingers in that tight, silken channel, loosening his mate, Uri used the pre-cum that drizzled from the small slit at the top of Finn’s cock as a lubricant.
“Yes! More, another finger and stroke me, my wolf.”
Urian did just that, his strokes firm, long and slow, teasing as his fingers worked Finn’s ass loose to take him. Their need was building, their playing coming to an end. He nipped Finn’s neck at the same time he removed his fingers.
“Take me inside you, mate,” Uri growled.
“Oh yeah, going to take you so fucking deep I’ll feel you for a week.” Finn lifted off Uri, and reaching down, took a firm hold of his cock. “I love your thick, long rod, my varg. I need to feel how much you want me—”
Growling, Uri took his cock in hand, pushing Finn’s out of the way and lining up, pulled his mate down, his need burning through him like a flame so close to the fire it melted everything in its path. Finn cried out, his back arching and he sunk down further, taking more of Uri’s cock until his ass rested on Uri’s thighs. His mate liked a little pinch and burn on occasion.
They both moaned and paused, letting their pounding hearts settle a moment, then Finn began to move, fucking himself and Urian, lyrical little words falling from his lips. Uri stayed still, hand
s so very lightly caressing Finn’s body, so delicately touching his stomach and the well-defined muscles there, his mate’s lightly haired sack that quivered from the pleasure and Finn’s oh so sensitive inner thighs. His mate made keening noises and leaning forward, twisted his hips and gave just a little more bounce that nearly had Urian clawing and screaming to come.
Dragging his mate back against his chest, he pinched his nipples and whispered how much Finn turned him on. How he never wanted to leave his man’s beautiful, tight ass…and oh the things he wanted to do to him. Screaming out, Finn came, shooting all over his chest and Urian as his ass swallowed and convulsed around Uri’s cock. He wiggled, groaning and moaning, jerking. Urian growled. He grabbed Finn’s waist and began lifting him up and down, pounding into Finn’s ass over and over, holding his delectable mate so the man couldn’t move and with a snap, sunk his fangs deep into Finn’s throat.
There was a gurgled scream, and Finn’s ass muscles worked Uri’s dick, and the smell of more spunk filled the air. With that combination, and the silken warm channel squeezing so tight he could barely move, Urian’s balls spasmed and his dick spurted. His orgasm was nearly blinding with its ferocity, and seemed to go on forever as the pleasure overwhelmed all his senses.
They panted together in a tangle of limbs, covered in sweat and semen. Urian chuckled when Finn whined as Uri’s cock slipped from his ass. He held Finn close, nuzzling and licking his neck, cheek, and lips, and laid his mate down along the sofa and began cleaning his seer up. Amazingly enough, Finn’s cum tasted like champagne and mojitos to Urian with a little bit of tartness thrown in. Once cleaned up and their bodies untangled, they’d dressed and went through the entire mobile home and packed.
