by Mary Rundle
“C’mon, my pet.” Gathering Fionn in his arms, Hunter carried him into the bathroom and lowered his mate into the bubble bath waiting for them. Then stepping into the tub, Hunter sat down behind his mate, pulling Fionn’s back against his chest.
“Fucking perfecto!” Fionn exclaimed, as the hot water eased his soreness. Turning his head, he kissed his mate’s jaw before licking it and savoring his mate’s taste. Letting his head fall back against Hunter, he murmured, “This is divine.”
Sliding his hands down Fionn’s arms, intertwining his fingers with his mate’s, Hunter sighed in contentment. His need to touch Fionn was more than casual; he was driven to continually touch him to satisfy an insatiable desire for his mate’s heat. Never in his imagination did he ever picture a mate as perfect as Fionn. Everything about him sang to his soul, calming him in a way he’d never felt possible.
Enjoying the silence, Fionn closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of security he now had, finally realizing he could breathe—and that made him feel free. Something he never thought would happen if he was claimed by a mate.
Guessing at Fionn’s thoughts, Hunter said, “You have nothing to fear, my pet, you will always be free with me…free to be who you are…free to soar…free to become anything you wish— and always know in your heart I will be there for you to help you any way I can,”
“I know… I feel it in my soul,” Fionn replied, grasping his mate’s fingers tighter. “I’m sorry I left.”
“You came back to me and that’s all that matters, my pet.”
“I was afraid of you…afraid of what you might do to me. I fought so hard for my freedom and…and…”
“Hush. I understand, but if there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I will never deny you what you need. I know that freedom feeds your soul and makes you happy and that, in turn, makes me happy.”
“Do you mean that? Really mean it?” Fionn asked, holding his breath, waiting for his mate’s answer.
“I do,” replied Hunter, licking Fionn’s earlobe, enjoying the shiver it brought forth. “Tell me, what is it you want to do?”
Knowing the answer but saying it out loud scared Fionn. What if he doesn’t think I can? Or what if he thinks I should follow in my father’s footsteps? Noooo, better to avoid answering…I learned that lesson with my father. “I don’t really know.”
Kissing his mate again, Hunter let the answer slide, not willing to push when it was obvious Fionn was reluctant to say. “Well, when you do, let me know.”
Nodding, Fionn was relieved his mate accepted his answer. It was in stark contrast to how his father had behaved. Thinking about it, Fionn realized his father had robbed him of his ability to trust— and his mate was trying to give it back to him. And he did want it back, as it dawned on him that his mistrusting nature had stripped away part of his soul. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Don’t be, my pet. It’ll happen when the time is right.” Picking up a cloth, Hunter poured some body wash on it and started to bathe Fionn, beginning with his chest. “I’ll order some gold rings today,” he said, teasing the pink nubs to hardness.
Shuddering at his mate’s actions, Fionn moaned, as heat flowed through his body. Feeling himself begin to react, he grabbed Hunter’s hands, stilling them so he could tell him something. “You don’t have to. I have gold rings…they’re with my hoard…I can get them later.”
That idea didn’t appeal to Hunter at all unless he could accompany his mate. But sensing it wasn’t the time for that discussion, he merely resumed washing him. In fact, Hunter realized he didn’t want his mate to go anywhere where he couldn’t protect him. So what do I do when he shifts into his dragon and flies away? Trying to figure out a solution, Hunter’s brow furrowed as he sorted out the possibilities. I can always ride on his dragon’s back, I suppose. But I can’t do that when I’m my wolf…so is that so important? Instinctively Hunter knew it was but how it could ever happen puzzled him. Maybe we’ll just have to accept what is and make do with me riding on my mate’s back…
“Hey, where did you go?” asked Fionn.
“Huh? I’m right here.”
Fionn snorted. “Ahh, not really. You’ve been washing the same arm for the last five minutes.”
“Oh, crap, sorry. Just thinking.” Feeling the water cooling down, Hunter quickly washed the rest of his mate, rinsed him off and lifted him out of the tub. Grabbing a heated towel, he dried Fionn before wrapping him in a robe.
Sitting on the edge of the tub, Fionn watched his mate towel off the last drops of water. “What were you thinking about?”
Pausing before answering, Hunter finally said, “I was trying to figure out how my wolf and your dragon can spend time together.”
“And…what answer did you come up with?” asked Fionn, smirking.
“Nothing. I guess I’ll just ride on your dragon’s back,” Hunter answered, tossing his towel on the floor before slipping into a robe. Scooping up Fionn, he carried him into their sitting room, setting him down on the love seat. Sitting next to him, he continued, “And you can ride my wolf when I go for a run.”
“Have you checked on your wolf since I claimed you?” Fionn asked, grinning.
“Yeah, last night—your dragon was curled around him and they were sleeping.”
Fionn giggled. “I think you should do it again.”
“What? Check my wolf?”
“Uh, huh.”
Hunter snorted. Something was up but hell if he could figure out what his mate was laughing about. Checking on his wolf, he found him standing partially hidden by Fionn’s dragon. Then his wolf stepped forward…Oh shit. No fucking way! Tearing his eyes away from his wolf, he stared at his mate. “Does he have what I think he has?”
Smiling merrily, Fionn nodded.
“You gave my wolf wings!”
“Yup…well to be exact, my dragon did. So, now, we…they… can fly together.”
Chapter 23
Breakfast was ready and Theo hurried into the great room to announce it, but first there was something more important he had to do. Locating Quin, who was chatting with Robin and Sawyer, he rushed over, whispering into his ear, “I need to talk to you right away. There’s a problem.” Catching Kieran’s eye, Theo gestured for him to join them as he dragged Quin over to a corner.
Letting his friend pull him away from his brother Robin, Quin whispered, “We have an emergency!”
“What’s up?” asked Kieran.
“We have a problem…” Theo wrung his hands.
“And an emergency…” Quin added.
“Fionn came back last night…” Theo said.
“My brother claimed Fionn already…” Quin said.
“Hunter claimed Fionn? When?” asked Theo.
“Last night. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. We have a full-blown emergency on our hands,” Quin whispered. “What did I tell you? My brother didn’t romance Fionn. Nope, he just did the wham bam thing.”
“Wham bam thing? What’s that?” asked Theo.
“That’s what Hunter did,” Kieran said. “I bet he didn’t take any time to talk to Fi, just pulled him into bed and claimed him which can be rather exciting because that’s what macushla did with me and I loved it. Duh, actually that didn’t work out so well…well eventually it did because my mate came to Ireland and then romanced me so in the end it worked out okay.”
“But that’s the problem,” Quin said. “My brother won’t do that with Fionn. Love Queens, this is an emergency! We need to revise our plans.”
“Good idea,” agreed Kieran, “but we need more information.”
“About what?” asked Theo.
“Well, it would help if we knew how Hunter and Fi are getting along,” Kieran said.
“Can’t your spirit spy on them for us?” asked Theo.
“I asked him already,” Kieran said, “but he won’t. Said it’s private. Hey, I know. I’ll sit next to Fi at breakfast.”
“Robin told me
he doesn’t think they’ll be coming down to eat,” Quin said.
“Oh my gods! I know what to do,” Theo said. “I’ll take their breakfast to them and …”
“Perfecto!” Kieran exclaimed. “You can see if there’s any problem between them…like, I don’t know…oh, I got it, like Fionn is on the other side of the room or if Hunter is busy doing something else other than hugging and kissing Fi.”
Turning to Theo, Quin said, “Maybe if Fionn’s alone, you can ask him what happened.”
“If Fionn’s alone, then we know Hunter messed up big time,” Theo said, dejectedly.
“But we can still fix it,” said Kieran. “Quin, when will Robin be finished with the love song?”
“He said ‘today’.”
“Good, then we can do the private concert and dinner tonight. Theo, you’re on food duty, Quin and I will do the rest. Now all we have to do is make sure Fionn and Hunter show up,” Kieran said.
“I’ll ask Robin to arrange that. He owes me a favor since he told Sawyer about Fionn,” Quin said.
“Perfecto! Okay, Love Queens, Operation Save Hunter is on,” Kieran said.
~/~/~/~/~
Stunned, amazed, shocked—none of those words did justice to what Hunter was feeling when he saw his wolf with wings. Fly? My mate expects me to fly with him? Staring at Fionn, Hunter’s mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out. The idea a wolf could fly was so far out of the realm of reality, he didn’t know what to say. How fucked up is that? Uhm…thanks for the wings? What the hell am I going to tell my brothers? Oh shit…Jackson. He’s planning a run in a couple of days…what’s he gonna say?
“Mate, aren’t you going to answer the door?” asked Fionn, his smile fading as he watched Hunter’s reaction to the news. When his dragon told him how to claim their mate, he didn’t ask questions, he just did it. But now, he was pissed off at himself for not taking the time to ask his dragon what actually would happen when he claimed his mate.
“Huh?” said Hunter. When the knocking started again, he realized what Fionn had asked him. “Uhm, sure.” Standing, he gazed at his mate, realizing he’d fucked up, then headed for the door, eager to get rid of whoever was on the other side so he could make things right. Yanking open the door, Hunter growled, “Yeah?”
Theo squeaked when he saw Hunter’s face. Stuttering, he was finally able to spit out, “I-I-I b-b-brought b-b-breakfast.”
Glancing at the trolley laden with food, Hunter remembered that his mate needed to eat. “Thanks,” he growled, snatching the cart from Theo’s grasp, wheeling it into the room and slamming the door behind him.
Gasping at Hunter’s abruptness, Theo only had a moment to look at Fionn’s face before the closing door blocked his view, but what he saw caused him dismay. Pivoting, he left to find Quin and Kieran to tell them about it.
Silently placing the food on the table in their room, Hunter cursed himself for hurting his mate—all because he couldn’t form a coherent sentence about his wolf’s gift. After everything was ready, he strode over to Fionn, intent on making it right. Getting down on one knee in front of his mate, Hunter grasped Fionn’s hands. “Thank you for the wings because they take a great deal of worry off my shoulders. I’m sorry, my pet I didn’t say it sooner, but I’m very happy to have them.”
Searching Hunter’s face, Fionn saw only the truth of his mate’s words, but that only confused him more. “Why did you look so angry before?”
“I wasn’t really…more like a ‘holy fucking shit’ moment with an ‘I don’t know how to fly’ tagged on.”
“I can teach you!”
“I hope so, pet, because otherwise, I’m going to look pretty dumb running alongside my brothers with my wings flapping at my sides.”
Giggling as he visualized that scenario, Fionn lifted one of Hunter’s hands, rubbing the back of it against his cheek. “I’m sorry, also. I thought you were angry with me.”
“No, not at all, my pet. I truly was overwhelmed, but really, I think it’s the best gift I ever received. My brothers are going to be so jealous.”
“Hey, maybe later I can give you your first lesson.”
“Good idea. My wolf and I are very possessive about you, so knowing I can go with you when you’ve shifted makes both of us very happy. C’mon, I promised you something to eat and luckily, Theo delivered our breakfast.” Rising, Hunter pulled his mate up, leading him to the breakfast table.
Sitting down, Fionn lifted the covers off the food dishes and found piles of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and a couple of steaks. Shoving the steaks over to his mate, he said, “These are for you.”
“Nope, one belongs to you,” Hunter replied, jabbing his fork into a red, juicy sirloin and placing it on his mate’s plate, followed by heaping servings of the rest of the food. When a loud rumble sounded from Fionn’s stomach, Hunter laughed. “Eat up, my pet, we have lots to do today.”
~/~/~/~/~
“You’re sure Hunter and Fionn claimed each other?” Jackson asked Steel.
Dumping Fionn’s backpack on the desk before answering, he said, “From what I’ve been able to put together, Fionn came home last night, met Hunter, and they’ve been fucking like bunnies ever since.” Then he began to chuckle.
“Thank goodness for that.”
“Why? They’re Fated Mates, after all.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Jackson picked up the backpack and threw it onto the loveseat. “I kinda thought Fionn wouldn’t want to surrender his freedom…especially since he fought so hard to get it.”
“Were you worried about that” asked Steel.
“Yes. Fionn told me about his father who ruled him and his mother with an iron fist. It’s the reason Fionn wanted to be independent. Thankfully, Penn was able to achieve it for him. When I found out Hunter, who’s a strong Alpha, was his mate, I thought Fionn would reject him, even though my cousin isn’t anything like Fionn’s father.”
“So you were anticipating a fight with Hunter.”
“Frankly, yes. And I didn’t want that. The Fates picked Hunter to be the mate of the White Dragon and I’m pretty sure they got the gods’ approval before they did it,” Jackson said.
“Do you know if your cousin will get a gift?” asked Steel.
“Not a clue. But if he does, then Oracle will…”
“What will I do, sweetie?” Oracle asked, gliding into Jackson’s study.
“Right on cue,” murmured Steel.
“…want to speak to the newly mated couple.” Jackson said, smiling at his mate’s mother.
“Right you are,” Oracle said, as she sat down across from them. “Any idea when Hunter and Fionn will be available?”
“I’m not sure,” Jackson said. “Your son said they’re fuc…”
“They are busy right now, Mom,” Steel interrupted when he saw the devilish grin on Jackson’s face.
“Hmm, yes, I imagine they are,” Oracle said, smiling. “Maybe this afternoon?”
“I’ll text Hunter and let him know you want to speak with both of them,” said Jackson.
“Thanks, sweetie,” Oracle said. “In the meantime, I will be with Daniel.”
“He’s in the playroom with Jake and Jessica, Mom.”
“Oh good, I have presents for all three.”
Jackson watched Oracle leave, then, turning to his mate said, “You know your mother is spoiling our son.”
“Uh, huh, and I expect your mother will do the same,” Steel replied with a grin.
Pain sliced through Jackson at Steel’s words. The only hope for his mother to enjoy spoiling her grandpup rested with Kieran, but that came with its own risk—one he still wasn’t sure he wanted to take. Despite Ian’s assurance that Kieran could attempt another session as long as Logan was there to help him—and even though he’d set strict conditions to assure Kieran and his pup’s safety, Jackson was still worried about allowing another attempt to help his mother. He tried to be optimistic, but the fear of losing her again gnawed at him. All hi
s brothers were now spending time with her each day, hugging and talking to her about anything and everything and, while he accepted Ian’s medical opinion that it would help her, Jackson wondered what would happen to his brothers if she never came back to them.
Hearing Jackson’s concerns through their mind link, Steel pulled his mate onto his lap. “Babe, your mom is going to wake up. Trust me.”
Jackson’s eyes teared over as he tucked his face under Steel’s chin, trying to draw strength from his mate’s confidence. He wished he felt the same way—knowing without a doubt his mother would wake up and that everything would be all right—that Daniel would get to know his grandmother, the one Jackson thought was gone forever. But only time would tell if his wish would be granted.
~/~/~/~/~
“Wow!” Fionn exclaimed, setting down his fork. “I don’t ever remember eating this much.”
“Feeling better, my pet?”
“Yup.” Leaning back in his chair, Fionn rubbed his stomach. “So, what’s next? More hanky panky?”
“Hanky Panky?” Hunter chuckled. “Is that what we’ve been doing?”
“Ki calls it that,” Fionn replied.
“You’re talking about Kieran, right?”
“Yeah, he’s the first friend I ever had, but now I also have Theo and Norm. I’m part of their family,” Fionn said. “Have you met them?”
“Yes, I have,” Hunter replied. “They seem like nice guys.” Hearing his phone ding, he removed it from his pocket, read the message and said, “According to Jackson, Oracle wants to meet with us this afternoon.”
“Shit.” Fionn knew what was coming. Oracle was going to tell him about his supernatural power—something he neither wanted or needed. But as he’d found out throughout his life, his wishes didn’t matter. Worrying his bottom lip, he wondered if there was a way he could reject the power without his mate finding out about it.
From Fionn’s reaction, Hunter figured his mate knew why an Oracle wanted to speak with them. And by the look of the impressions his teeth were leaving on his lip, Fionn wasn’t too happy about it. “Fionn, do you know anything about this?”
