by Mary Rundle
Smirking, Ian replied, “Sure, let your brother think that, but I know for a fact, no one can stop Kieran when he puts his mind to something. Both Jackson and Hunter’s Alpha power combined couldn’t do it.”
“So you admit Mac isn’t responsible for what happened to Kieran?”
Standing, Ian walked around his desk, sitting down on his mate’s lap. Looping his arms around Colton’s neck, he nibbled along his mate’s jaw, before saying, “Yes, I do. And I promise to apologize to Dr. Mac Evans.”
Grinning, Colton swatted Ian’s ass. “Glad to hear that. Otherwise, I’d be forced to put you over my…”
“Oh fuck!” Mac exclaimed, entering the office just as Colton slapped Ian. “I…uh, uh…I’ll just leave the rest of my notes…uh…at the nurse’s desk,” he said, quickly backing out the door.
Looking over Ian’s shoulder, Colton saw his red-faced cousin retreat. Laughing, he turned to his mate. “Now, where was I? Oh, yes.”
Jumping up, an embarrassed Ian said, “Oh my gods…I should go and apologize to Dr. Evans.”
Pulling Ian back down on his lap, Colton tugged him in tight. “Trust me, he’s gone. How about after he’s had his breakfast? In the meantime, you can make up to me for your crappy mood yesterday.”
Chuckling, Ian replied, “And what will it take for you to forgive me?”
Leaning forward, Colton whispered into his mate’s ear, causing Ian to grin.
~/~/~/~/~
Fionn wandered among the piles of gold coins, jewels and priceless artifacts from long ago, eating a sandwich. It had been a while since he acquired anything and it annoyed his dragon, but it was too risky; his father might have found out and been able to track him. Now, that was no longer a problem. Stopping, he picked up the green diamond he’d given to Reif, running a fingertip over the facets, feeling the fire inside that had given it life.
Soon, he would add his father’s hoard to his and, according to the list of assets the family attorney had sent to Penn, he’d become one of the richest dragons in the world. Looking thoughtfully around the cavern, Fionn made a mental note to speak with Mystia about enlarging it so he could move his inheritance here once probate was over. That couldn’t happen too soon; he’d then be free of his relatives forever. He had a new family, now, one who wanted him for himself, not for his white dragon’s power or his hoard and that thought made him smile until his mate’s face crept, once again, into his mind.
Then, growing glum at the thought of the mate waiting for him back at the Blackwood Pack house, he flopped onto a gold coin pile. He was sure his mate would want him to go back east, but his friends were here, along with Jackson, the Alpha the gods and Fates had designated to protect him. So why the fuck do I need a mate?
Panicking when he first felt the bond grow between his dragon and his mate’s wolf, Fionn had slipped inside the house to hide. It was then he made the decision to go to his hoard, giving him time to sort out how he felt and…leaving my family is not an option. But what if my mate, or Jackson, or maybe both of them use their Alpha power, like they tried to do with Ki, to force me to go somewhere against my will? I’d be helpless.
“Gods, I need Ki!” Fionn shouted, his fists pounding the gold coins in frustration, but unless he went back to the pack house, it wasn’t going to happen. Standing, he headed to the gold table where he’d left his drawing pencils and sketchpad. After sitting down and finding an empty page, he picked up a pencil and began to put down his thoughts about having a mate. After twenty minutes, Fionn paused, reading his list, realizing that while he was confused about many aspects of being mated, there were three points that were very clear, giving his mind some order.
His frustration now gone, Fionn flipped back to the sketches he made yesterday. Studying the first one while lightly running his finger over his mate’s features, he wondered what it would feel like to actually touch them. Moving on to the others, he repeated his actions, trying to decide which one he liked best; each captured a different expression. In the end, he realized they were all missing something. Picking up his pencil, Fionn began a new sketch, determined this time to capture the sorrow he saw in his mate’s face.
Several hours later, he stretched, arching his back while listening to his growling stomach. Reaching for his backpack, he dug around, finding another sandwich and a bottle of water. Grabbing them, he walked over to the chair he’d built from gold bullion bars and collapsed in it. There was enough food for dinner but then he’d have to go back. Munching his food, Fionn idly thought about the options open to him, realizing he wasn’t ready to leave yet. I wonder what my mate is doing. Probably pissed he can’t find me, so he can control me.
Shaking his head, Fionn recoiled from going home to face all the drama that awaited him with his mate. It would be different if he was sure Jackson wouldn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want to do, but though he liked his Alpha, he still didn’t totally trust him.
Swallowing the rest of the water, he grinned as he reached a decision that pleased him. Resuming his work, he found himself drawing his white dragon wrapped around a large black wolf.
Chapter 13
Looking at himself in the mirror, Quin’s hands floated down to his skirt, attempting to smooth out any wrinkles left over from being jammed into the tiny closet. Accepting Theo’s invitation yesterday to have breakfast with him and Norm in the pack house seemed like a good idea, especially after enjoying the time they spent together, but now Quin wasn’t so sure. Rubbing his temples, feeling the beginning of a tension headache, he contemplated the consequences if he backed out.
After leaving his bedroom, he walked over to Mase and Hunt who were talking at the dinette table. Waiting for a break in the conversation, he tried to figure out how to refuse his friend’s invitation without losing Theo’s friendship.
“And he’s positive there isn’t any way to reach him?” Mason asked Hunter.
“Only Fionn can go there,” Hunter replied, shifting his gaze over his brother’s shoulder and noticing Quin dressed and apparently waiting for him. “Quin, honey, you look very pretty today.”
Turning his head, Mason’s eyes widened when he saw what his brother was wearing. “Oh wow! You look fantastic!” he exclaimed. Then a frown appeared on his face. “But I thought you were saving that outfit for Las Vegas.”
Smiling and forgetting for a moment why he was wearing it, Quin twirled around, relishing the feeling of the skirt fluttering on his legs. Stopping, he bit his lower lip as his fear rose again. “I was, but Theo invited me to breakfast…”
“Uhmm, breakfast? Inside?” asked Hunter.
“Yes, my friend is training to be a chef…our cousin Dakota is teaching him and so he asked me to come…” Quin’s voice trailed off.
“And you decided to dress up,” Mason finished for his brother.
“Yes, but now I don’t think I should go,” Quinn said in a rush. “Would you apologize to Theo for me, Mase?”
“Uhmm, are you sure?” asked Mason.
“Uh, huh.”
“Hun, why don’t you want to go?” asked Hunter. “Don’t you like Theo?”
“I do. He’s the first friend I ever had,” Quin said quietly.
“So now, why don’t you want to go?” asked Mason.
“Because…”
“Because of all the new people that’ll be there?” asked Mason.
“Ye-e-s-sss.”
Hunter looked at his youngest brother, seeing how much he really wanted to go, but given what happened to him in the past, couldn’t get over his fear. Setting his anger aside at the assholes who’d done this to Quin, he thought of what he could say to change his brother’s mind. “Hun, are you worried our cousins won’t like you?”
Staring at his oldest brother, Quin never understood how Hunter always knew what he was thinking. Nodding, he bit his lip, hating himself for being scared of other people’s opinions, but then, Quin knew the damage those opinions could do to him.
“I understand,
” Hunter said, “but in this case, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, hun, cause I spent some time with our cousins, especially Jackson, the Alpha, and they all strike me as good guys.”
“Then why are you so angry with Jackson?” asked Quin.
Choking back his laughter, Mason asked, “Yeah, why are you?”
Giving Mason a kick under the table, Hunter said, “I’m not angry exactly…more like frustrated, but he’s a good Alpha. He won’t tolerate bullying from any pack member. And besides, I think it’ll hurt Theo’s feelings if you don’t show up.”
“Why are you frustrated if he’s so nice?” asked Quin.
Smirking, Mason said, “Yeah, good question.”
Scratching his head, Hunter gave Mason a dirty look, hoping it would shut him up, but he wouldn’t bet on it. During their discussion this morning, Mason advised him that keeping his mate a secret from the rest of his brothers would only end up biting him in the ass and now it was obvious what Mason was trying to do. Inwardly groaning, hoping he wasn’t making a huge mistake, Hunter asked, “Can you keep a secret from your brothers?”
“Even Mase?”
“No, he knows, but I haven’t told your other brothers.”
“Told them what?”
“I found my Fated Mate.”
Quin’s eyes grew round, staring in disbelief at Hunter. “Oh. My. Gods! I can’t believe it! Really? When? Where? Can I meet him?” Quin’s hands crossed over his heart. “Oh this is so romantic! Wait…why don’t you want the others to know?”
“Because I’d like to meet him first!”
“Meet him? You mean you don’t know who he is yet?”
“Of course I know who he is, but he isn’t here right now,” growled Hunter.
“Oh no! Don’t tell me he ran away? That’s what happened in a story I read. How are you going to get him back? You didn’t hurt him, did you? That’s what happened in the story…the Alpha was mean to his mate, so he ran away,” Quin said.
“Holy fuck, Quin! Do you think I would do that to my mate?”
“Well, no…not really…but you had to do something to make him run away. It happens more than you think with mates. It’s in all the books I read so it must be true. The Alpha is always doing something stupid and then the mate…”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Mason’s laughter filled the motorhome. Pointing a finger at Hunter, he choked out, “He’s got you there, Hunt.”
Batting at his brother’s finger, Hunter replied, “Quin, I didn’t do anything because I haven’t spoken to him yet. Jackson said my mate is visiting his hoard and will be back soon.”
“His hoard? What’s a wolf doing with a hoard?” asked Quin.
“I never said he was a wolf. Where did you get that idea from?”
“So what is he?”
“A dragon. The Fates gave me a dragon as my mate,” replied Hunter.
“And his wolf is going a little crazy because Fionn hasn’t come back yet,” Mason said, trying to be helpful.
“Fionn? He’s friends with Theo and Norm,” said Quin.
“You know something about my mate?” asked Hunter.
“Not a lot. Theo was going to introduce me to him and Kieran today. He said they were his family.”
Hunter exchanged glances with Mason and smiled, knowing they both had the same thought. “Hun, I think it would mean a lot to Theo if you came with us to breakfast. You can sit between Mase and myself, but trust me, no one will be mean to you.”
Quin’s eyes narrowed. He knew his brothers were up to something and now he was sure it had to do with Hunt’s mate. In spite of his brother’s claim of innocence, he was sure Hunt had done something to his mate, but just like in the romance novels he read, his brother was clueless about it and was asking Mason to help fix it. But, now, he had the chance to find out what it was and fix it for his big brother and Theo could help him. Smiling, Quin replied, “I’m going…but you better be right Hunt, about our cousins not making fun of me.”
“Trust me, hun, no one will dare do it once they find out you have two bear shifters as friends,” Hunter said, finally feeling hopeful everything might turn out okay.
~/~/~/~/~
“Squawk. Suck me. Suck me. Squawk.”
“Babe, I think Queenie is hungry,” Logan called to his mate in their bathroom.
Applying the last touches to his eyeliner, Kieran replied, “Macushla, his food is on the table next to his cage, although if I were him, I wouldn’t want to eat that stuff but the dude in the shop said it’s the best food made for parrots cause it’s all organic. Dakota said he’d help me figure out what to feed Queenie so he can have fresh stuff. Huh, I wonder if I should let him out of his cage so he can go into the woods and find fresh food I mean that would really be the freshest food, right, and certainly the healthiest for him.” Taking one last look in the mirror, Kieran grinned, knowing it was going to be a wonderful day.
Sliding the cage door up, Logan warily set the dish of food inside before letting it fall as he quickly withdrew his hand. “Babe, I don’t think it’s a good idea to let Queenie loose.” Sitting back down, he picked up his tablet, checking his list of pending design jobs.
“Why not?” asked Kieran, swirling into the room.
Glancing up, Logan chuckled, wowed at what his mate was wearing. “Looking fabulous, babe.”
“I’m wearing this because Theo invited Quin to breakfast.”
“Okayyyy,” Logan said, “Why did Quin need to be invited by Theo? Jackson would’ve expected all our cousins to join us.”
“According to Theo, Quin was planning to eat out in the motorhome,” Kieran said.
“Why?” asked Logan
“I don’t know but Theo messaged me early this morning, asking if I was coming down to breakfast.”
“And you wore that for Quin?”
Nodding, Kieran spun around before answering. “Theo told me to wear something cute, sassy and pink. What do you think?”
“I’d say, you nailed it,” replied Logan. “C’mon, let’s go…unless you want me to peel you out of those jeans right now.”
Giggling, Kieran ran and jumped into his mate’s arms, wrapping his legs around Logan’s waist. “Macushla, that sounds like fun. Maybe you can tie me up again cause you know I love it and then you can do all kinds of stuff to me and I just have to lie there and let you have your way with me and that is so exciting it makes my cock extra hard and then when your dick enters me, I have to fight coming because you always have my body right on the edge and it’s so difficult but I love it!”
Squeezing his mate’s ass cheeks, Logan grinned, feeling his cock harden at the image Kieran painted in his mind. “As much as I want to do that right now, Jackson’s expecting us so he can introduce us to our cousins but keep that thought and I’ll see what I can do tonight.”
“Perfecto, macushla,” Kieran said, and, as his mate was carrying him out of their bedroom, he leaned in, kissing Logan’s neck, leaving some hickeys behind.
~/~/~/~/~
Standing behind Hunter and Mason, Quin’s eyes widened at the size of the great room, his gaze then landing on the people gathered in it. Whimpering at the power he felt zinging around him, he started to back up, wanting to flee to the safety of the motorhome.
“Quin!” Theo called, waving as he came toward him. “Pooh bear, Quin’s here!” Pushing Hunter and Mason aside, Theo wrapped his arms around his friend. “I can’t wait until you taste the scrambled eggs, I made this morning…actually Steel made them, but he used my recipe. I was thinking of making Miss L’s frittata but there wasn’t time; I’ll make it tomorrow for you. C’mon, I want you to meet my friend Ki.” Taking Quin’s hand, Theo led him over to a couch where Logan and his mate were sitting. “Ki, this is my friend, Quin,” Theo said.
Jumping up, Kieran hugged Quin. “Nice to meet you, well, I did meet you yesterday but couldn’t stay because Hope needed me more, but I’m glad Theo found you and wow, you look fabulous! I love
your outfit and how long did it take for you to learn how to walk in heels, I tried once because I thought they’d make my legs look longer and sexier but I fell so many times, I just gave it up. Oh well, it doesn’t matter because macushla thinks I’m sexy just as I am so that’s a good thing since I can’t do heels.”
Quin’s panic at being pulled into the group by Theo subsided when Kieran hugged him, giving him a sense of peace he hadn’t felt for a long time. “It took me forever, but I did…finally. I can teach you if you’d like.”
“Oh, yes, please. I have a pair of …”
“PINK HEELS!” shouted Theo. “I told you Quin Ki loves pink.”
“I love pink, too,” Quin said.
“Of course you do,” grinned Kieran, “It’s a perfect color. Oh my gods, we need to go shopping in San Francisco while you’re here cause they have fabulous shops with lots of pink clothes. We can make it a day with just the five of us…it’ll be so much fun and you can help me shop for Theo and Norm’s outfits…he did tell you they were getting married, right? And I’m helping to plan the wedding so finding the right wedding tuxedoes is an absolute must because it’ll be something, they’ll remember the rest of their lives. They also need clothes for their honeymoon, but I don’t know where they’re going yet because Norm won’t tell me but he has to so I can make sure they have the right outfits. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
Logan, who’d been listening to his mate’s monologues from the couch, finally stood up. “Hi Quin, I’m your cousin, Logan. Kieran’s my mate.”
“Hi,” Quin replied softly, then gesturing toward Hunter and Mason who’d joined Sawyer, Mac, and Robin, he asked. “Have you met my brothers?”
“Just Hunter,” said Logan.
Jackson, who’d been listening in, rose from his chair and said, “Time to change that.” Addressing his pack members, he said, “Tell everyone who you are, starting with Steel.” When they all finished, he asked, “Any questions?”
“Yeah,” Sawyer said, “Where are the pups we saw yesterday?”
