by Mary Rundle
“Perfect,” Emilia said, jotting down the time in her diary.
Hunter handed her his business card. “If something changes, you can reach me here. It also has my email address on it, so you can send the Representative Agreement to us there.”
“Perfect,” Emilia replied. Standing, she held out her hand.
Rising, Hunter shook it. “I look forward to Monday.”
Amazed at how effortlessly his mate managed the meeting, Fionn slowly got up, trying, but not succeeding to hide his happiness. “Thank you, Ms. Miralles,” he said.
“No, thank you, Fionn. I can’t wait to view more of your work and I already know several buyers who are going to snap up your pieces as soon as they see them.”
Taking Fionn’s sketchpad, Hunter ushered his mate out of the office and found Dylon and Cody leaning against a wall, waiting for them.
“From the goofy grin on Fionn’s face, I’d say it went well,” Dylon said.
“It did, she wants to carry his drawings,” Hunter said,
“Hey, well done, Fionn,” Cody said. “This calls for a celebration.”
“Can we leave before she changes her mind?” Fionn whispered to Hunter.
“Pet, trust me, she isn’t going to change her mind, but let’s go, we still have the rest of the galleries on my list to see.” Leading his mate out to the car, Hunter waited till everyone piled in before telling the driver to head for the next gallery on his list.
“Why are we going to another one? She’s going to handle my work.”
“Yes, but we haven’t seen her Representative Agreement yet…and there is always the possibility it won’t be fair to you, so since we’re here, let’s check out the rest because it won’t hurt to have a backup.”
“Thanks, mate, for watching out for me,” Fionn murmured, snuggling against Hunter’s side. He’d never have thought of that and he thanked the Fates for giving him someone who knew about business.
~/~/~/~/~
“Hey babe,” Steel said, entering Jackson’s study. “Got a minute?” Bending down, he gave his mate a kiss before pulling up a chair next to him at his desk.
“Yeah,” Jackson said, turning away from his computer and looking at his mate. “What’s up?”
“Carson asked my dad and brother if he could transfer to a different position within Dire Enterprises.”
“Why? I thought he loved what he was doing.”
“I thought so too, but at their meeting, Carson said he wanted to find a job overseas some place but wouldn’t tell my dad and Slate the reason why. Do you know anything about it?”
“No, he never said a word about it to me, at least not yet.”
“Dad asked him if you knew and your brother said he was going to tell you, but not until his plans were firm.”
“Hmm, I bet Cody knows but I’ll have to wait until he gets back. Or, maybe Colton does…but I don’t want to bother because he’s looking after mom. Does Dire Enterprises have a position for my brother?”
“Slate said he’s putting together a list of openings we have, for dad to look at.”
“Okay.” Frowning, Jackson knew something had to be wrong if Carson wanted to leave the pack, wondering if their mother’s survival triggered his request. His brother was the quintessential Alpha and he and Carson had butted heads ever since the massacre. Just as Dakota was closest to their mother, Carson had bonded with their father. Mulling over the possibility his brother couldn’t deal with his feelings that the wrong parent had survived, he thought it might be the reason his brother wanted to leave.
Sighing, Jackson kicked himself for not figuring it out sooner. Shit…of course not that it matters because I can’t change what is. “When will your father make a decision?” he asked Steel.
“Don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll speak to you first before offering anything.”
“Thanks. Cody will be home tomorrow, so I’ll see if he knows why Carson wants to leave. In the meantime, how fast can you build a place for David to use for his duties?”
“That’s one of the reasons I met with my father and Slate. They agreed it only made sense for me to move our construction division here, at least temporarily, so we can speed up building the different structures we need—and that includes one for David. Since it won’t be very big, I put that at the top of the list.”
“Also,” Jackson added, “Adam needs an office, hopefully close to Zane’s computer room since that is where David always is.”
“No problemo,” Steel said smirking.
“Oh no, not you, too.”
Shrugging, Steel replied, “What can I say? Kieran grows on you after a while.”
“Oh shit, that reminds me, Logan wants to know which room he and Kieran can have for their pup’s nursery.”
“I’ll meet with them and find out what their plans are about moving to a suite.”
“Thanks. By the way, be sure your meeting takes place in Logan’s studio.”
Raising his eyebrows, Steel asked, “Why?”
“You’ll see,” Jackson said, standing. “Meanwhile, Ian is waiting for me, so if that’s all…”
Tugging his mate down onto his lap, Steel nibbled Jackson’s lips before devouring them in a hungry kiss. Finally, he pulled back, crooning in Jackson’s ear, “That’s all…for now, but later I have plans for you and me. Remember that, mo chroí.” Then setting his mate on his feet, Steel gave Jackson’s butt a swat, before letting go of him.
Grinning, Jackson walked away, making sure to wiggle his ass, laughing when he heard his mate groan.
~/~/~/~/~
Fionn was floating when they arrived back at their hotel. Of the six galleries they visited, three of them offered to sign him as one of the artists they represented. He couldn’t wait to tell Ki, Theo and Norm.
Stepping out of the elevator along with Dylon and Cody, Hunter kept Fionn close to him as he surveyed the hallway, making sure there was no one was there. Checking in again with his wolf, Hunter found him pacing around the white dragon, issuing occasional low growls. Something was wrong, but he didn’t know what since his wolf hadn’t warned him that Fionn was in danger.
Stopping at their suite’s door, Hunter unlocked it and, glancing at Dylon and Cody said, “Dinner at eight?”
“Yeah,” Dylon answered. “I made reservations for us at a place Jackson recommended. Pick you up at seven thirty?”
“Pet, what do you think? Enough time for you to come down from the high you’re on?” Hunter asked, smiling.
“No! I don’t think I ever will,” Fionn exclaimed.
Chuckling, Hunter replied to Dylon, “That’ll be fine. See you then.”
Waiting until Hunter and Fionn were inside their suite, Cody whispered, “Did you see how Hunter reacted when we got out of the elevator?”
“C’mon,” Dylon said, not wanting to discuss anything while they were in the hallway. Once inside their suite, Dylon said, “Yeah, I did. I don’t know if his wolf warned him or whether it’s just being out all afternoon with his mate, but there was definitely something bothering him.” Removing his jacket, Dylon grabbed some equipment from his bag. “I’m going to take a look around, babe. Make yourself invisible till I get back, just in case.”
Hugging the wall in the hallway, Dylon crept towards the door leading to the stairs. Reaching it, he opened it a crack, sniffing, but after detecting no strange scents, he opened it wide enough to slip through. Letting the door close silently, Dylon remain still, listening for sounds that would reveal someone in the stairwell. Hearing nothing, he looked down over the railing to make sure no one was lurking below. Then he started up the stairs, intent on checking the roof, just two flights up. Reaching the door to the roof, he turned the knob; it was locked. Pulling a set of lock picks and a tension wench from his pocket, he went to work.
When the lock yielded, Dylon slowly opened the door and sniffed—only to catch the scent of night air in the city. He walked out onto the roof, searching for signs that someone had been th
ere recently, but found nothing until he reached the center of the rooftop. There, lying at his feet, was a canister of Trackno, a scent eliminator, long banned by the High Council. Unfolding his handkerchief, he carefully placed it over the canister and depressed the trigger. Empty. I hope this sucker wasn’t smart enough to wear gloves. After slipping a clear plastic bag from his pocket, Dylon dropped the canister into it and zipped it shut.
Tucking his prize into his pocket, Dylon made a note to call his father in the morning about it. Whoever was using it was up to no good; only criminals disguised their scent and hopefully Zane could find out who was selling this stuff since it was only available on the dark web. Even if there were no prints on the can, finding sellers might lead to who bought it. Now satisfied there was no imminent threat to the white dragon, Dylon descended the stairs to rejoin Cody.
Chapter 34
Waking up before Fionn, Hunter looked at his wolf, relieved to find him curled up with the white dragon. Whatever upset him last night after their afternoon of successes was gone, making his worry seem silly. His White Knight power was going to take some time to get used to, so he could tell the difference between the real thing and a false alarm by his wolf, which obviously was the case last night. Thankfully, by the time they left for dinner, his wolf had calmed down, spending the rest of the evening cuddling with his mate.
“I had a great time last night, mate,” Fionn’s sleep laden voice mumbled.
“Me, too.”
“Being up so high in that restaurant was just like flying.”
When their driver had stopped at a very modern hotel, Hunter wasn’t sure what to expect, but Dylon and Cody assured him the restaurant inside had great food. Helping Fionn out of the car, Hunter tucked his mate tight against his side as they followed their dining companions inside to an elevator. When it finally stopped and the doors opened, Hunter’s lips parted at the stunning sight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was his mate’s gasp, followed by a “holy fuck” that brought him back to reality; Fionn’s face was alight with wonder. Dylon had reserved a table next to one of the windows so they could enjoy a bird’s eye view of San Francisco. It was an unforgettable dinner.
Now, as the morning light crept through the curtains of their room, Hunter said, “I can’t wait until you teach my wolf to fly so I can see your world. It must be so peaceful up there.”
Turning over to face his mate, Fionn couldn’t resist licking Hunter’s nipple, grinning at the moan it caused. Cupping his mate’s face, Fionn murmured, “So quiet, mate, when I’m flying…it’s what you’ll notice first. Then the stars above, calling to me, urging me higher up into the clouds, blanketing me with their softness and mist until I break free, soaring into the blackness lit only by moon glow. There’s nothing like it anywhere else. The peace my soul finds when I’m up there washes away my problems, makes me forget the hatred on earth, even how cruel my father was to me and my mother.
“During the times I was sick, my mother would move my bed so I could stare out the window and I imagined I was flying, leaving behind the pain of my illness. And after I’d recover, we both would shift and spend a night flying over Scotland…so many amazing times I had with her. When she died, I wanted to shift and fly up to the heavens to join her…to make sure she was finally happy.”
“Pet, I never met your mother but I know she was happy on earth because the gods gave you to her.”
“That’s what she said, but I can’t see how I ever made up for the suffering she went through in life.”
“Trust me pet, you more than made up for it. To have a child she could love with her whole heart and have that love returned ten-fold from him…that made your mother’s life richer than all the gold in the world. And if given the choice to do it again, I know your mother would say ‘yes’.”
“Do you really think so?” asked Fionn, staring intently at Hunter.
“I do and what’s more, I know so. Your mother raised an amazing man, one who is generous, loving, loyal…someone who avoided the darkness surrounding him and instead stayed true to the values your mother gave you. What mother wouldn’t be proud of that? And a chance to do it over again? Absolutely.”
Pulling his mate’s face to his, Fionn’s tongue flicked out, licking Hunter’s lips before kissing them. Then, snuggling his face against his mate’s chest, he whispered, “I love you, mate. So. Freaking. Much.”
Hunter tugged Fionn’s body tight to his, murmuring, “Pet, my world changed when I found you…no longer was it shrouded in gray, with me merely existing. Instead, it became filled with light…giving me a life worth living…a purpose I desperately needed. I. Love. You…now, tomorrow and forever and when our time on this earth has come to an end, you and I will fly among the stars for eternity.” Gently, Hunter grasped Fionn’s chin, lifting it until their eyes met, locking their gazes together. Then he slowly lowered his lips to his mate’s.
~/~/~/~/~
“Hey guys, need any help?” asked Steel.
Tickling Jessica’s belly, Theo grinned at her before looking up. “Nope. They both slept through the night.” Picking up his charge from the changing table, he gave her a stuffed toy before setting Jessica down in the playpen. “Pooh bear and I have everything under control.”
Glancing around, Steel grinned at the mess. “Good. Is Dakota expecting you to help him this morning, Theo?”
“Yes, I was just about to leave.” Joining his fiancé, Theo watched as Norm finished changing Jake and then helped him dress the pup in the onesie Kieran had picked out for his uniform of the day. “There you are big fella, fed, changed and looking sharp,” Theo said, lifting Jake into his arms, cuddling him before putting him down next to his sister.
“I’m impressed, guys,” Steel said. “You’re going to make great parents.”
Beaming in appreciation, Theo was grateful that Steel’s compliments had included pooh bear, who was still doubtful about having cubs, even though he’d agreed to it. “Pooh bear is a natural,” Theo bragged, giving his fiancé a hug and a kiss before leaving.
Watching Theo leave, Norm felt his nervousness return, stronger now that he was left alone with the twins. Trying to hide it from the Alpha Mate, he turned to the changing table, straightening it up. Suddenly, he felt Steel’s hand on his shoulder. Turning slightly, Norm looked up at him, wondering if he was doing something wrong.
“The most important thing about being a parent is making sure your cub knows he’s loved. If you do that, the rest will all fall into place.”
Shaking his head, Norm said, “I’m not sure. Honeybunch knows so much more than I do—which makes me feel dumb. How can that be? Both of us were our parents’ only children and yet, he walks in here as if he grew up doing it. Me, I’m worried all the time about making a mistake that will end up hurting Jake or Jessica.”
“I felt the same way when Jackson was pregnant.”
“You did?” Surprised at Steel’s confession, Norm’s face reflected his doubt.
“Yes. I was freaking out when Daniel was born and you know what a very wise person told me?”
“What?”
“My mother assured me that every new parent felt exactly the way I did—scared to death of doing something wrong.”
“That’s how I feel about the twins.”
“Been there, but I can assure you, your fear will help you get through the first few weeks by making sure you’re careful…until you gain more faith in yourself. So don’t look at it as a weakness, but nature’s way of helping you navigate parenthood.”
“So that’s what happened with you?” asked Norm.
“Yup, and I know it’ll be the same for you.”
Glancing over at the twins, Norm nodded. “Yesterday, I didn’t know how to change a diaper and this morning, I did it all by myself.”
“See, babysit the twins a few more times and you’ll be an old pro when your cub arrives.”
“That’s a good idea.” For the first time, Norm could see himself as a pa
rent.
~/~/~/~/~
Lying in bed with Dylon, Cody was enjoying the laziness of the morning as his fingers lovingly carded his mate’s thick hair. “Who do you think was on the roof?”
“Hmm, hard to tell but my guess is it was Fionn’s uncle or one of his cohorts. Not sure what he hoped to do, though.”
“Did Fionn sense any other dragons?”
“No. I asked him when we arrived and the only one he could find in Northern California was his uncle’s dragon, which makes sense since he’ll be at the hearing to make his bogus claims.”
“Do you think we should warn Hunter…about what to expect?”
“Uh, uh, not necessary. Once you do your magic, the judge won’t dare accept them.”
“True, but it pisses me off that we know the judge is crooked and we can’t do anything about it.”
“Not now, but Dad has ordered an in-depth review of all of his cases, looking for other instances when his rulings didn’t follow the law. I’m pretty sure the High Council will find enough of them to prompt a full scale investigation. It’ll just take a little longer, but he’ll get what’s coming to him.”
“I wonder how Theo and Norm are doing with the twins.”
Rolling over to face Cody, Dylon grinned at his mate. “Are you worried about them or the twins?”
Pinching his mate’s nipple, Cody replied, “The twins, of course.”
“According to the latest report from Steel, our twins are just fine.” Dylon smirked. Twisting his shoulders, he reached for his phone on the nightstand. “Here, see for yourself.”
Taking the phone, Cody opened up the messages app, scrolling through the numerous texts from Steel which began an hour after they left. “You asked him to do hourly reports?”
“Absolutely, except during the night when they were sleeping.”
“No wonder you were so calm about leaving.”
“Hey, I did this for you, too, cause I know how much you hate to leave them.”
“And, like, you don’t ?” Cody said, snorting at his mate’s excuse.
Taking the phone from Cody’s hands, Dylon threw it back on the nightstand before grinning and gripping his mate’s hips, holding him still as he began to grind their cocks together—enjoying the moans filling their bedroom.
