by Mary Rundle
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Pissed off that he couldn’t do it, Fionn gave up trying to do his tie and headed for the living room of their suite where Hunter was reading emails on his laptop. Stopping short when he caught sight of his mate dressed in a suit that did nothing to hide Hunter’s muscles—as he thought it would—but enhanced them instead, his cock grew hard. Holy fucking shit! The raw Alpha power emanating from his mate was awe-inspiring. Blinking several times, Fionn swore he could see an Alpha of old, strong and proud, dressed in armor, holding up a sword, ready to lead armies into battle to slay enemies that dared threaten his mate.
Fionn’s mouth slowly morphed into a smile as he felt Hunter’s Alpha power wrap around him, cocooning him in a blanket of security. Whatever worries he had about the court hearing faded away, leaving him relaxed. Sauntering over to his mate, his eyes devouring Hunter, he tried hard not to drool.
Sensing the presence of his mate, Hunter glanced up, giving a wicked smile at the lust he found in Fionn’s eyes. “Hot damn, pet, you better not look at me like that or you’ll find yourself bent over this desk.”
“Can’t blame me,” Fionn retorted, straddling his mate’s legs. “You’re sooo sexy…so fucking hot…I never thought the Fates would give me a mate like you. Fuck, I didn’t even know someone like you existed. After Ki rescued me, he took me to the Meat Locker so I could look at the men and see if anyone interested me…”
“You won’t need to do that, anymore,” Hunter growled.
Raising his eyebrows at his mate’s possessive tone, relishing how it made him feel, Fionn grinned, before teasing, “But what if I want to?”
Frowning, Hunter studied his mate, then seeing the small twitch of Fionn’s lips, relaxed. “So you think that’s funny? Maybe a spanking is needed.”
Squirming at the prospect of a cherry-red ass, Fionn nodded, yearning to feel the pain before the pleasure of being fucked. “I’m really bad, mate,” he said breathlessly.
“Are you, my pet?”
“Uh, huh.” Grabbing Hunter’s tie, Fionn undid it, using it to pull his mate’s head closer until their lips were touching, then whispered, “Very, very bad.”
Hunter reached around Fionn’s waist, squeezing his ass, his eyes darkening, picturing his hand prints on each cheek. Taking Fionn’s lower lip between his teeth, Hunter bit it before soothing it with his tongue. “Tonight, my pet.”
Groaning in frustration, Fionn palmed his bulge, easing the ache burning in it. “Why not now?” he whined.
Giving his mate’s ass a hard slap, Hunter smirked. “Penn’s waiting for us. Are you ready?”
Shaking his head, Fionn held up the two ends of his tie. “Ki showed me but I must’ve forgotten a step because every time I try, it comes out lopsided.”
As his hands moved quickly with Fionn’s tie, Hunter asked, “Didn’t your father teach you how to tie a tie?”
“No way. I didn’t even own one until Ki bought me this one to go with my suit.”
“What a fucking asshole!”
“Ki?”
“Nooo, your father. Good thing he’s dead otherwise I’d be paying him a visit,” Hunter said, patting the perfectly tied tie. “There…anything else I can do?”
“Uhh, spank me?” Fionn giggled.
“I’m planning on it.” Grinning wickedly, Hunter retied his tie as he said,” I received all of the Representative Agreements this morning and glanced at them briefly. There are some decisions for you to make before moving forward with them.”
Hopping off Hunter’s lap, Fionn straightened the crease on each leg of his pants while asking, “Like what?”
“Stuff like…are you allowed to sell directly to clients. Another is whether you want to give only one gallery the exclusive rights to sell your sketches. And then there’s framing and shipping and who pays for it, not to mention who sets the price and what percentage of it you receive,” Hunter explained, closing his laptop.
“Shit. All of that? I thought all I had to do was find a gallery who wanted to carry my work.”
“And you did…three of them, so the hard part is done.”
Looking askance at his mate, Fionn replied, “Really? Because I gotta tell you that was pretty easy yesterday.”
Standing, Hunter said, “It was easy for you because your drawings are superb, but trust me, for many other artists it’s tough. C’mon, Dylon and Cody are waiting downstairs.”
Taking Hunter’s hand, Fionn twined his fingers with his mate’s. “Okay, so that part was easy, but…all this other stuff is like Greek to me. Like selling direct to clients? I don’t have any.”
“Not yet, but you will, pet.” Before ushering his mate out of their suite, Hunter checked the hallway before leading Fionn to the elevator. “Don’t worry about all this stuff cause I emailed a college buddy of mine who’s a fine arts photographer and asked him to give me his opinion on the three contracts, along with his thoughts about exclusivity, pricing, and the other stuff I mentioned to you. He should get back to me by tomorrow. It’ll give us some good pointers from someone whose work is carried by several galleries.”
“Thanks,” Fionn said, realizing once again how lucky he was. “We really make a good team.”
“That, we do, pet,” smiled Hunter.
Chapter 35
Dakota stood outside his mother’s hospital room, looking at her through the window, remembering how hard he’d willed her to wake up during his many visits— all to no avail. So here he was, after the meeting with Ian and Kieran, ready to use his Shadow Voice in an effort to help her find a reason to come back to him. Thinking about the possibility of failing, a shiver shook his body, causing Slate to move tight against his back, pulling his mate within the shelter of his embrace. Tilting his head back until it rested on his mate’s shoulder, Dakota felt Slate’s Alpha power encircle him, helping to calm his nerves.
“Babe, are you sure you want to do this?” asked Slate.
“I am…I have to try,” Dakota said, his voice so low only his mate could hear it.
“I understand. If it was my mother, I’d do the same,” Slate murmured, “Just believe, babe… just believe your mother will wake up.”
“I’m trying to.”
Ian joined Dakota and Slate. “How are you feeling, Dakota?”
“Pup-wise…okay, but otherwise…nervous as hell.”
“About what exactly?” asked Ian.
“Everything…what happens if Kieran is wrong and I can’t reach her…or I can but mom doesn’t wake up…”
“Whoa. First of all, if you can’t reach her, then you haven’t done any harm. This is a long shot, as I explained yesterday. And the same goes for whether Hope wakes up or not. Dakota, I know this is asking a lot of you but if what Kieran said is right, then both of you together can give Hope her best chance of coming back to us. Have you thought what you’ll say to your mother?” asked Ian.
“Not really,” Dakota answered, uncertainty in his voice.
“Hi guys,” Kieran said as he and Logan joined them. “It’s really simple, Kota, just start telling your mother about you and your brothers, their mates, and don’t forget about the pups. Make sure you tell her she’s a grandmother and her grandpups want to meet her and don’t stop, just keep talking the entire time because she won’t believe it at first, thinking her mind is playing tricks on her but if you just keep going, there will be a point in time your mother will start listening, eager to learn all about what is happening to her older pups, oh and I wouldn’t mention your younger siblings at all because that’s going to bring up memories of why she doesn’t want to live, but don’t worry, I’ll be with you and while I’m removing her grief, you will be giving her a reason to wake up if for no other reason than to see her grandpups—easy-peasy.”
Slate snorted. “Babe, you got all that?” he asked Dakota.
For the first time that morning, Dakota smiled. Kieran always had that effect on him. “Thanks, Ki, I’ll try to do just that.”
“Wh
y don’t we head into Hope’s room so I can get Dakota and Kieran hooked up to monitor the pups,” Ian said. “Oh, good…here’s Colton and Dr. Evans. Mac, Kieran is your patient today and Colton, you’ll be in charge of monitoring your mother.”
“Hey, Dr. Mac,” chirped Kieran, “you got an easy one today because my pup is doing good.”
“Glad to hear that, Shaman. Makes my job simple,” Mac replied, smiling at Kieran.
“C’mon, everyone,” Colton said, opening the door to his mother’s room.
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Sitting in Penn’s office, thirty stories high above the city, Fionn’s eyes kept flicking over to the sweeping view outside the windows. His attorney’s voice faded into the background as he fought to control his dragon. Ever since Hunter’s wolf received the gift of wings, his dragon had demanded to be let loose so they could fly together. Sighing internally, he tried to bargain with him, promising it would happen as soon as they returned home, but it was a losing battle until Hunter’s wolf sided with Fionn. With his dragon finally placated, he was able to turn his attention back to Penn only to find his lawyer looking questioningly at him. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked if you have any questions about the assets of your father’s estate.”
Hunter jumped in, saving his mate from answering. “Have all the claims against the estate been paid?”
“Yes. Today’s hearing is merely a formality where the judge will close probate, transferring everything to Fionn, free and clear of any debts.”
“So I can sell my father’s businesses?” asked Fionn.
“Absolutely. Which ones are you thinking of selling?” asked Penn.
“All of them,” Fionn replied.
“I have a client who might be interested in them, or at least some of them. Do you mind if I mention it to him?” asked Penn.
Glancing at Hunter, Fionn asked, “What do you think, mate?”
“I can’t see any harm in Penn doing that, but I think if his client is interested and wants to go further, you should insist on a confidentiality agreement before disclosing any financial or marketing information,” Hunter answered.
“Okay. Go ahead, Penn. The sooner I can get rid of them the better,” Fionn said.
“Good, I’ll contact my client after the court hearing,” Penn replied. “If you have no further questions, how about having lunch with me? I can order in or we can go to the café on the first floor.”
“Pet, which do you prefer?” asked Hunter.
“Here, please, if that’s all right with you, but what about Cody and Dylon?”
“They had some errands to run,” Penn said, “and will meet us at the courthouse.” Pulling out some menus from a drawer, he handed them to Fionn. “Here, all these places have good food. Go ahead, you guys choose. I’ll be back in a minute.” Penn then left his office to check with his secretary about any messages from the lawyer representing Fionn’s uncle. The lack of communication since the contentious last hearing would normally have been welcomed, but he had a niggling feeling it was only the quiet before the storm, and all hell was going to break loose today.
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Invisible, Cody walked through the hallway in the courthouse, searching for the door that would lead him to the chambers of the judge in charge of Fionn’s probate case. Finding it, he took one last look around and, seeing no one, opened the door, slipping through it. Pausing for a moment, he pulled a small recorder from his pocket before proceeding further, where he found the judge napping on a couch.
Grinning, Cody shook his shoulder, waking him up while laughing silently to himself. The judge jumped up in an attack position but seeing no one, sat back down. Holding up the recorder, Cody pressed the start button and the voices of the judge and Fionn’s uncle filled the room.
“Look, you told me you wanted custody to gain control of your brother’s hoard and businesses. That can still happen.”
“How? He’s a fucking adult.”
“That part is settled but I still have control of the estate. All you have to do is submit claims against it and I’ll order them to be paid using your brother’s assets to do so.”
“Claims for what?”
“I don’t care. Just make sure you don’t fuck it up this time.”
“I won’t, but you make sure you deliver this time or I want my money back.”
“I’ll deliver, all right, but don’t fuck it up”
As he listened, the judge’s face grew pale. If the High Council ever heard this, he’d not only lose his judgeship but also end up spending the rest of his life in jail. Standing, the judge walked around the room, but couldn’t find the source of the recording. Finally, he sat down at his desk, wondering what to do next.
“Your honor…and I use the term lightly,” Cody said, still invisible.
“Who are you? What do you want?” asked the judge, his eyes darting around the room but unable to see who was speaking.
“Who I am is not important, but what I want from you is. When Eideard MacDùghlas’ bogus claims are presented this afternoon, you will reject them, is that understood? Or else this recording will instantly be in the hands of the High Council.” Cody watched as the judge frowned, his fingers tapping his arm of his chair as he tried to figure out how to avoid losing his bribe money.
“What guarantee do I have you won’t do that, anyway?” the judge asked.
“You have my word,” answered Cody.
“Huh, I should trust the word of someone who won’t show themselves to me…what are you afraid of?”
“Good try, judge, but I think the question you should be asking yourself is…are you willing to ruin your cushy lifestyle by going to jail? Because if you are, go ahead and honor MacDùghlas’ fake claims. Your order will be overturned and you’ll be sitting in prison, unable to enjoy the money you were paid to cheat Fionn MacDùghlas out of his inheritance.”
Contemplating his choices, the judge scowled, disliking them all. Finally, picking the one that promised to get him out of this mess unscathed except for returning MacDùghlas’ bribe, he growled, “Fine.”
“Nice doing business with you, judge,” Cody said, before leaving.
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Dakota looked at his mother, before glancing at Kieran who was smiling encouragingly at him. “Are you ready?”
“I am…what about you?” Kieran asked.
“I think so, but I don’t understand something. You want Slate to hold my hand and Logan’s…why both?” asked Dakota.
“Don’t forget Logan will also be holding onto me which will link you and me. That way my spirit will be able to guide and help me to the right issues,” Kieran explained.
“What issues are you referring to?” asked Dakota.
“Maybe ‘issues’ isn’t the right word,” Kieran said. “What I’ve been doing is a blanket removal of any grief or sorrow I find, but that doesn’t mean I’m removing the part connected to what happened and that’s because I can’t access her mind, so I have no idea how much I’ve removed pertaining to the massacre, including the loss of her pups. Once you breach her mind block, my spirit will be able to point me to the part that’s contributing to her decision to give up, because we’re linked. That’s why I wanted everyone to hold hands.”
“Your spirit will be in me?” asked Dakota.
“Not really, more like he is peeking through a window,” Kieran explained.
“Will I feel or sense him?”
“Nope, only macushla or I can do that,” Kieran replied.
“Okay,” Dakota said. “I’m ready when you are.”
Ian spoke up. “Mac, Colton, ready?” After hearing both answer affirmatively, Ian said, “Go ahead, Dakota…you have fifteen minutes.”
Squeezing Slate’s hand, Dakota closed his eyes and activated his Shadow Voice. Searching through the thoughts filling the room, he zeroed in on his mother’s. “I hear her but her thoughts are very faint.”
“That’s because they’re behind the
mind block,” Kieran told him.
Seizing a very faint one, Dakota pulled on it, slowly since it was very weak, finally arriving at the end where it suddenly became very strong. Realizing what that meant, he said softly, “I’m past the mind block. Now what?”
“Start talking to your mother and, remember, don’t stop no matter what she does,” Kieran replied. Then, he concentrated on his spirit, listening to it as he was directed to the part of Hope that contained the blackness associated with the massacre. His hands on Hope’s body growing warm, Kieran closed his eyes, increasing the heat. Then he began to remove the guilt and sorrow from her body while sending back love to fill the empty spaces. While the exchange was taking place, he thought how wonderful it was to be able to help Logan’s mom.
Following Kieran’s advice, Dakota began speaking to his mother, telling her about his mate and how much he loved Slate, about their trip to Scotland, the food he enjoyed, and the culinary workshops he and Slate attended. At first, his mother was silent. Then she told him to stop; she didn’t want to hear any more. But Dakota persisted, talking about his brothers, their mates, his chef-in-training, Theo, who Cody rescued along with Norm. Getting no response, Dakota hesitated, unsure if his mother could still hear him. Then he heard Slate in his mind, urging him to continue—despite his mother’s silence.
He needed to convince his mother he was real, so Dakota began describing how he felt when he learned his family had been killed. Tears ran down his cheeks as he confessed he couldn’t deal with the overwhelming grief of losing her. He told her how Logan saved him one day by holding him tight and letting him finally give voice to the awful loneliness he’d felt. And what happened when Jackson told him she was alive…how he’d used his gift to read her thoughts.
On he went, reassuring his mother she was alone no more…that she was needed and loved…and how much it would mean to her grandpups to have their grandma in their lives and how much he needed her to help him with his own pup. Feeling his mate’s hand squeeze his, Dakota opened his eyes, looking at his mate as Slate tilted his head towards Hope. Glancing at his mother, Dakota saw tears begin to roll slowly down her face.