White Knight (Blackwood Pack Book 8)

by Mary Rundle

  “But what if no one likes my art today?” Fionn whispered, afraid to voice one of his deepest fears out loud.

  “Then, we go to more galleries until we find one who will appreciate your talent. The key to success is to never give up, my pet.”

  “You really think someone will like my drawings?”

  “Yes, I do, pet,” Hunter said, giving his mate a kiss. “Now, ready to go and conquer the art world?”

  “Uh, huh,” Fionn said, still not completely convinced.

  “Good, Cody and Dylon are waiting for us downstairs.”

  “Are they going with us?” asked Fionn. “Did you ask them to?”

  “No, I think Jackson did. I’m sure given their powers, our Alpha thought they’d make good bodyguards for you,” Hunter replied. “Do you mind? Because if you do, I’ll insist we want to be alone.”

  “Nope. If it’s okay with you, I’m good.”

  “Pet, I’ll never object to having anyone around who can help me keep you safe,” Hunter said. Then taking Fionn’s sketchpad in one hand, he held out the other to his mate. When Fionn grabbed it, he planted a kiss on it before leading him out of their suite.

  ~/~/~/~/~

  Disgusted, Sawyer threw down his game controller. “I think you’re cheating.”

  “My mate doesn’t cheat,” David said, looking up from the computer he was using, when he heard the accusation.

  “Sorry, I’m just frustrated,” Sawyer said. “I just can’t figure it out. No one has ever beaten me, but with you, Zane, I can’t win even one fucking game.”

  “Maybe that’s because it’s his game,” David said, smiling.

  “What does David mean…your game?” asked Sawyer, looking at Zane.

  “Uh...because…uhm…I wrote the code for it,” Zane said.

  “No fucking way!” Sawyer exclaimed. “You mean you’re the developer? Fuck, no wonder I can’t win. You know all the secrets. Don’t you think you shoulda told me…oh, I don’t know…like a couple of days ago?”

  “You didn’t ask,” Zane said, shrugging his shoulders, trying not to laugh.

  Groaning, Sawyer slapped his forehead. “Of course that makes sense. I didn’t ask. Like it’s something every gamer should ask his opponent.”

  Hearing a knock on the door, Zane called out, “Come in.”

  Opening the door, Jackson entered. “Zane, are you free?”

  Standing, Sawyer said, “I’m just leaving to go lick my wounds.”

  Moving aside, Jackson waited until his cousin had left before asking, “You didn’t tell him before you beat his ass, did you?”

  “It’s not Zane’s fault,” David said, “Sawyer never asked.”

  “Hush, babe.”

  “Uh, huh…let me guess…there was a bet on how quick it would take you to beat him,” Jackson said, sitting down on the sofa.

  “That was Cody’s idea,” Zane said.

  “And who won?”

  “I did,” grinned David.

  Staring at Zane, his left eyebrow raised, Jackson asked, “So now you’re involving David, the moral compass of the paranormal world, in gambling activities?”

  “Oh no, Zane didn’t do that,” David quickly replied. “It was my idea because I wanted to make a bet since I’d never made one before. I had no idea I’d win because I really didn’t know what I was doing, but when Zane said ‘pick a time’ I did. There were lots of other bets made, but I only made that one.”

  Looking at Jackson sheepishly, Zane asked, “What was it you wanted to talk about?”

  “Just wondered if you’ve had any luck finding the name of Mom’s friend?”

  “No. I have the name of the restaurant they ate at…that came from the charge mom made, but unfortunately, there’s no security video from that night…my guess is they just keep recording over the old video. Without a name, I can’t go further,” Zane said. “I do have some good news, though. It’s about Josiah.”

  “You found something about the enforcers who were at the massacre?” asked Jackson.

  “In a way,” Zane said, nodding. “As I expected, the employment records for that time have been erased, but whoever did it wasn’t an expert. I have to dig around a bit, but I should be able to recover at least some of the names.”

  “That is good news. The other thing I wanted to talk about concerns you and David,” Jackson said. “I’ve received a number of requests for permission to visit David, but I haven’t granted any because I wanted to speak to you guys first.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry you’re being bothered with this, Alpha,” said David.

  “No,” Jackson replied, with a gentle smile. “I didn’t mean that it’s a problem, but I’d like to know how you want to handle it.”

  “I don’t know exactly,” David said, looking helplessly at Zane. “What do you think?”

  Keeping his eyes on David, Zane said, “I have a couple ideas, babe. First, your assistant, Adam, can go through the requests and, if the sender has left some key info out, he can email them and ask for it. Once he has everything he needs, he can do further research and present his findings to you, so you’re prepared to discuss each issue at the meeting.”

  “I like your plan,” David replied.

  “So do I,” Jackson said. “I’ll ask Steel to find a place for Adam where he can get started on this. The next question is where will these meetings take place once the dates are set?”

  “I’m not keen on holding them in the Blackwood Pack house,” Zane said.

  “Neither am I,” said Jackson.

  “But it should be close by because I don’t want us to travel too far from here…if at all,” said Zane.

  “Agreed,” Jackson said. “I’ve been thinking about it and came up with this possibility. What if we put up a separate building on the Blackwood Pack grounds, near where the enforcers will be staying. That way…”

  “David can be protected whenever he’s meeting people there,” Zane said, finishing Jackson’s thought.

  “Exactly, and no one has to leave the grounds,” Jackson smiled.

  “Babe, what do you think?” asked Zane.

  Nodding slowly, David said, “I really like that part…that I don’t have to leave you here and go somewhere else.”

  “Babe, it wouldn’t matter where you were, I plan to be with you at each meeting. Remember, I’m your protector,” Zane said, grinning.

  Relief radiated through David as he gazed at his mate. He’d been petrified at the thought of meeting all those strangers alone, ever since he’d found out about the High Priest role the god’s had planned for him. Secretly hoping his mate would be able to be with him, he’d been reluctant to ask, since he knew Zane had his own work to do.

  “What do you think David?” asked Jackson.

  “Ohh…it’s fine,” David replied, grinning at his mate.

  “Good,” Jackson said. “I’ll forward the requests I’ve received to you, bro, and ask Steel for a timeline on the construction. It also might help everything move faster if Logan can dash out a quick floor plan of what the building should have, so talk to him soon. And…just one more thing. Only I can give approval for a visit so make sure Adam is aware of that.”

  “Got it,” Zane said, as Jackson stood, signaling the end of the meeting. “I can do a quick program for Adam to use so he covers all the bases for what’s needed from these guys before he asks for your final approval.”

  “Sounds good.”

  ~/~/~/~/~

  Laughing at his mate’s attempts to walk in high heels, Logan finally said, “Babe, maybe you should ask Quin for some help.”

  Sighing, Kieran kicked off the heels. “Maybe, macushla.” Straddling his mate’s lap, he grinned. “They do make my legs look longer.”

  “They do, babe. Is that important to you?”

  “Not really…my legs are long enough to wrap around your waist which is especially important when you are pounding away and I want you as deep as I can get you. My legs do a really good job then a
nd I wouldn’t be wearing heels then anyway, so it doesn’t really matter if they make my legs look longer because my legs are just perfect.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better, babe,” Logan chuckled. “So how did last night go?”

  “You mean with Hunter and Fionn?”

  “Uh, huh. Did they fall in love?” asked Logan.

  “They did, macushla. It was the mostest romantic time ever and Quin is so happy, I hope he finds his mate soon because he needs one badly, but I’m pretty sure he will, so that is a good thing and, I got loads of ideas for Theo and Norm’s wedding.” Then, glancing at the birdcage, Kieran continued, “I was thinking maybe we can let Queenie free tonight to let him stretch his wings and we can go flying with him. I think that would be good for him because I read in the book I got about taking care of him that it’s good to let him fly occasionally.”

  “Why don’t we wait till Hunter and Fionn are home and then we can all fly together,” Logan suggested.

  “That is a great idea, macushla, I’m so lucky you’re my mate.” Kieran grinned, impishly.

  “Oh, oh, I know that look. What are you planning?” asked Logan.

  “Moi?”

  Raising his eyebrows, Logan grinned. “Yes, you. C’mon, fess up.”

  Dropping his eyes, Kieran focused on one of Logan’s shirt buttons, twisting it in his fingers. “I think Queenie needs a mate because he’s lonely, I can tell, and I don’t want him to get so sad he doesn’t want to live anymore because I can’t help him like I helped Fionn, and if he died, then I would be very sad and so would Theo because I let his gift to me die… so I just think it would be good if Queenie had someone to keep him company when you and I can’t be with him.”

  Logan glanced over at the pink parrot perched on the bookcase, chuckling when he saw the bird nodding his head at him. “Babe, did Queenie put you up to this?”

  “Not really…well, maybe a little bit. Look at him, macushla, every day he sees how happy we are and I think it’s hard for him cause he’s all alone, and I want him to be as happy as we are so if we found a mate for him then he could be.”

  “Uh, huh. And I guess you’ve been looking into that, huh?”

  “How did you know?” Kieran grinned at Logan. “I originally thought we would have to go to Australia since I was sure there were other Queenies there but Zane suggested I go online and look up pet stores in San Francisco so I did and can you believe it, some of them have Galahs for sale. I was thinking we could go there and take Queenie with us and let him pick the one he wants for his mate.”

  “That was really, really nice of Zane,” Logan said, sarcastically.

  “It was, wasn’t it?” Kieran replied, grinning at his mate’s response. “He said he wanted to help you because he knows how busy you are and that reminds me, what do you want me to do first? I forgot to tell you I picked all of our squirt’s furniture so all we have to do is order it, do you know where his nursery will be? I would like him close to us so maybe he can sleep in our bedroom for the first few months, you know, just so I can hear him if he cries. Duh, of course we could use a baby monitor like Jackson does but I’d feel better if he was with us, what do you think?”

  “I like him sleeping in our room for the first couple of months too, babe,” Logan agreed. “As for our squirt’s nursery, we need to know the size of the room first before ordering anything so I’ll ask Jackson today about what room we can have. Have you thought about the nursery we’re doing for Reif and Brian?”

  Jumping up from his mate’s lap, Kieran ran to the new desk Logan had bought for him. “Oh my gods, macushla, I have…” Pulling out a drawer, he rifled through it before finally extracting a thick file folder. Holding it up, he said, “I found the perfect cribs for the baby nessies and this fantastic rug with all kinds of sea creatures…it’s just like you’re under water …so, so cute and let me show you the paint color I picked, it’s perfect. Good thing it’s a big room but I was wondering if they really need five changing tables since there’s just two of them, so how would they use all five tables at once, and if you agree, then we can replace three tables with these sweet, small dressers instead and that will give the baby nessies lots of room to play.” Climbing onto Logan’s lap again, Kieran gave his mate a big kiss, before opening his file.

  Chapter 33

  As the car came to a stop, Fionn studied the building where the first art gallery on Hunter’s list was located. The reality of what he was about to do took hold, immobilizing him with self-doubt. It would be the first time anyone saw his drawings except for his mother, teacher and mate, and he’d discounted whatever they’d said about them for one reason or another.

  “Pet, are you coming?” Hunter asked, holding the car door open.

  Snapping out of his reverie, Fionn’s eyes met his mate’s as he reached up to take Hunter’s hand before sliding out of the car. Biting his lower lip in an effort to hide his nerves he said, “Mate, maybe we should look around first before asking them about my drawings.”

  “Good idea,” Hunter replied, tucking Fionn’s arm under his. “C’mon, I’m going to enjoy this.”

  “You are?” Surprised at his mate’s words, Fionn couldn’t figure out why.

  “Yup.” Hunter replied. “I know very little so I’m going to go with my gut as to whether I like something or not.”

  “That’s not a bad way of doing it,” Fionn replied, smiling. “It’s what I do. Sometimes, a piece of artwork will reach out and grab my soul…and there’s nothing I can do about it…except lose myself in the world the artist created.”

  “I’m not sure that’ll happen to me since I don’t have a creative bone in my body,” grinned Hunter as he pulled open the door, guiding Fionn inside. Looking around at the large open space, he said, “Why don’t we start in this corner and work our way around?”

  Nodding, Fionn approached the first painting with Hunter. Looking at it, he noticed the use of colors blending into each other, reminding him of the work of Mark Rothko. Saying nothing, he moved on to the next one and then the next. When they were half way around the gallery he came upon a watercolor that stole his breath away, filling his soul with joy.

  “Oh, wow!” Hunter murmured, standing behind his mate, gazing at the same painting. Mesmerized by it, he didn’t realize someone had joined them until she spoke.

  “This is one of our new artists,” the woman said.

  “It’s amazing,” Hunter said.

  “I quite agree,” said the woman. “We consider ourselves lucky to have his work. There are several more of his paintings on the far wall.”

  “Has he been painting long?” asked Hunter.

  “Yes, although I haven’t seen his early works. According to his bio, he just moved to the Bay area a short time ago.”

  “Do you specialize only in watercolors and oils?” asked Hunter.

  “Oh, goodness, no. When I opened this gallery, I wanted to find artists who were just beginning their careers and help them get known, regardless of their medium.”

  “How would an artist go about…”

  “Getting me to carry his work?” The woman smiled. “I’m assuming you know someone who’s a new artist?”

  “Yes…my husband, Fionn,” Hunter said, tugging his mate close to him.

  “Do you have any examples of your work with you I can look at?” the woman asked Fionn. “Or would you prefer to make an appointment for another time?”

  Holding out his mate’s sketchbook, Hunter replied, “This is his most recent work and now would be perfect since we’re only in town for a day.”

  Taking it, she said, “Why don’t we go to my office?”

  “Certainly,” Hunter agreed, clasping his mate’s hand.

  Dazed at the rapidity of events, Fionn let his mate lead him to the rear of the gallery and into an office. Sitting down next to Hunter, he watched the woman slowly turn the pages of his sketchbook, occasionally pausing, before continuing. The tension in his body was painful. As Fionn stu
died the woman’s face, butterflies fluttered throughout his stomach every time he thought he saw her mouth open, then close without saying a word. This was a mistake…I’m not ready…oh gods what will I do if she rejects me? Better not to give her a chance. Make an excuse and leave. Unable to take it anymore, he opened his mouth, about to tell her he’d changed his mind.

  “I love your work,” the woman said, looking at Fionn. “You are truly talented.”

  What? That can’t be.

  The woman continued, “I think it would make a great addition to the gallery and will give my buyers a different option. Many of them are collectors, always looking for the next great artist, and your sketches will give them an alternative to the watercolors and oils I presently display.”

  Glancing at his mate and finding him speechless, Hunter said, “That’s a good point. Excuse me, Ms…”

  “Oh, sorry, I’m Emilia Miralles.”

  “Ms. Miralles, I’m Hunter Evans. We’re both new at this so what’s the next step?”

  “I want to see more of Fionn’s work, either here or at your studio…”

  “I don’t have a studio,” replied Fionn, finally finding his voice.

  “Then here, it will be. We can schedule a time that’s convenient for you,” Emilia said. Her gaze went back to one of Fionn’s drawings, absentmindedly tapping her finger on her desk before continuing, “I’ll email our Representation Agreement for you to look over.”

  “That sounds good, right Fionn?” asked Hunter.

  “Uh, huh. When do you want to meet?”

  Emilia opened her diary and flipped through a few pages. “Does next Monday work for you? I have the entire afternoon free so that’ll give us enough time to go through your sketches and pick some for framing.”

  “How about one o’clock?” asked Hunter.