Chapter 28
Something’s missing. But as Hunter awoke, he couldn’t figure out what it was until he realized his mate wasn’t sprawled out over him.
No matter what position they fell asleep in, during the night Fionn would end up on Hunter’s chest. It was something he loved, and the young dragon’s need for closeness satisfied Hunter’s need to keep his mate safe, even while sleeping.
Rolling over, Hunter cracked an eye open, searching for Fionn, but to no avail.
He then checked the alarm clock, bolting upright when he saw the time.
“Fuck!” The lateness of the hour explained Fionn’s absence from their bed, but his mate not waking him up was a bad omen.
Nor was it a good sign that all he heard was silence.
Grabbing some shorts, he pulled them on before heading out to find Fionn.
On the off chance their overnight guests were still asleep, Hunter padded quietly down the hallway to check their bedroom but, just as he’d first thought, it was empty. Turning around, he headed downstairs.
Standing by the living room window, Fionn sipped his breakfast tea, keeping his eyes on the road running past their cottage.
According to Carson’s message on Fionn’s phone last night, Henri would be on his way to pick up Alex and his mates at the airport in Paris and the thought that he’d soon be meeting his brother made all his worries and self-doubts rush back in, turning his stomach into a butterfly farm, just as it had when he awoke earlier.
At first, he was going to wake Hunter but after thinking about it, decided it was time for him to learn how to face and cope with his fears.
That skillset was missing from Fionn and it was time he acquired it.
His mother had always sheltered him, making his childhood as stress-free as she could during his frequent bouts of illness.
And while he was grateful for her trying to give him a carefree youth, it left him ill-prepared to deal with the realities of life as an adult.
Acknowledging his weakness was a good first step, but he didn’t want to stop there.
The arrival of his long-lost brother was a perfect time to start doing something about it.
After slowly disengaging himself from Hunter’s arms, he’d crawled out of bed, making sure not to wake his mate.
After tending to his needs in the bathroom, he dressed and headed to the boys’ room.
Carson had also mentioned he’d be picking them up before Henri arrived to allow Fionn and Alex to talk without any interruptions.
Seeing the beds empty, he rushed downstairs, sighing with relief when he found Mrs. Beasley serving them breakfast in the kitchen.
“Good morning, Fionn,” chirped Mrs. Beasley, giving him a quick glance before returning her focus to Rune. “I hope we didn’t wake you.”
Smiling at her, Fionn said, “Nope…didn’t hear a thing.”
“Hi Finny,” Galen said. “Carsso said me and Eamon are goin’ treasure huntin’.”
Eamon then chimed in, “You can come with us but the treasure belongs to me and Gally.”
“What kind of treasure are you looking for?” Fionn asked.
“Gold! Right, Gally?” Eamon replied.
“Right! We’re pirates so the treasure hasta be gold!”
“Knock, knock,” Carson said, entering through the back door. “Is everyone ready?”
“Carsso!” yelled Eamon. “Can Finny treasure hunt with us?”
Before Carson could answer, Fionn said, “As much as I would love to go with you guys, I can’t today.”
“Aww, dang it,” Galen said.
“Yeah, dang it,” Eamon echoed, dejectedly.
“Go wash your hands and make sure you both use soap,” Carson said, picking up the boys’ empty bowls and carrying them to the sink.
“Just leave them,” Fionn said. “I’ll do them later.”
“Are you sure?” Carson asked.
“Yeah,” Fionn said, walking over to the cupboard to get a mug. “I’m gonna have me some tea while I wait for Hunter to wake up. We’ll do the dishes after we eat.”
Wiping off Rune’s hands, Mrs. Beasley said, “The water in the tea kettle is hot. I was goin’ to have a cuppa but this one decided to have some fun with his food.”
“Rune!” Carson said, trying to sound serious, but an angelic smile directed at him made it impossible to do anything except grin in return.
“Come here, sweet boy, you’re going to be a load of trouble when you’re older.
” Lifting him out of the booster chair, Carson set him on his shoulders. “Galen…Eamon…c’mon. Time to go.”
Fionn watched as the two boys ran into the kitchen, each grabbing one of Mrs. Beasley’s hands.
“What do you say to Fionn?” Mrs. Beasley asked, sternly.
“Twank you, Finny.” The voices of the two boys said at the same time.
“You’re welcome, guys. See you later.” Fionn opened the back door, handing the boys’ small overnight bag to Carson on his way out.
Once quiet settled around him, he made his tea, taking it into the living room where he’d decided to await his brother’s arrival.
Sipping it, he realized how much he enjoyed babysitting the boys, no longer doubting his ability to handle them.
Maybe he’d feel the same with his brother’s son, though his nephew would be a lot smaller.
Fuck! Just the thought of that scares me.
Fionn’s mind began to be overwhelmed once again by his fears and worries. Taking another sip of the hot liquid, he decided to pick the one that bothered him most right now. There’d be plenty of time later to think about the others.
Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, Hunter studied his mate, noticing the tension in his body.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was due to the upcoming arrival of Alex.
Padding softly over to Fionn, Hunter tugged his mate’s back against his chest while murmuring, “Good morning, pet. You okay?”
Glancing over his shoulder, Fionn saw Hunter’s messy hair along with the worry reflected in his eyes. Setting down his mug on a nearby side table, he spun around, facing his mate. “I’m okay now, mate.”
Staring intently at Fionn, Hunter noted the tightness in his mate’s shoulders had relaxed somewhat, lending credence to Fionn’s claim.
But he wasn’t fooled; his mate’s apprehension at meeting his brother was still evident in their mind link.
Thinking briefly about what he could do to ease it, he asked, “Have you eaten yet?”
Shaking his head, Fionn said, “No…just tea. I wasn’t hungry.”
“Okay…then you can sit at the table while I make my breakfast.”
Glancing quickly out the window, Fionn saw only an empty road causing a soft sigh to escape from his mouth. Waiting for Henri to arrive was harder than he ever thought it would be; each minute that passed only forced him to imagine the worst about meeting his brother.
“You won’t miss Alex,” Hunter said, softly, quickly sensing his mate’s reluctance.
“Jackson sent a message that the plane made a stop along the way to check out what was causing a warning light to go on in the cockpit.” Seeing his mate’s furrowed brows at the news, he ran his hand down Fionn’s back, soothing him.
“Hey pet, don’t worry…it was just a malfunctioning sensor, but it will delay their arrival.
So instead of you waiting here, come keep me company in the kitchen. ”
Fionn hesitated for a moment, torn between staying where he was or joining his mate, that was, until Hunter’s stomach growled loudly. Chuckling, he said, “Let’s feed the beast in your belly or my brother’s gonna freak out if he hears that. He’ll wonder why I’m starving you.”
“I can always blame it on missing my protein shake this morning.” Hunter smiled while rubbing his hand over Fionn’s bulge.
“Uh-uh, we don’t have time for that,” Fionn said. “You need to eat, and then you absolutely have to shower. I don’t want you looking like some jungle savage when my brother meets you for the first time.”
Glancing down at himself, Hunter asked, “What’s wrong? Is it my shorts?”
“Oh my gods! Mate! You look like you’re going to…”
Leaning down, Hunter captured Fionn’s mouth, kissing him until his mate melted against him. Then pulling back, he grinned at the dazed look in his mate’s face. “If you take a shower with me, I’ll let you pick out what I should wear to meet your brother.”
When Fionn’s brain finally caught up with what his mate was proposing, he grinned, grabbing Hunter’s hand, tugging him toward the kitchen. “Deal. And you can make me something to eat, too.”
~/~/~/~/~
Eager to get up, but concerned about waking his mate, Lucius lay back and spent some time reviewing everything that had happened to him since yesterday.
Valerian’s death spell was gone…thank goodness for that…
and as far as he could tell, all the negative effects it caused had also vanished.
It was the first time he could remember his body this pain-free since Valerian turned him.
Smiling to himself, joy filling his soul, Lucius hoped his vampire abilities had also been restored and if so, was eager to show them off to his mate.
Sensing Lucius’ excitement through their mind link, Brady was pulled from his sleep and saw his mate’s happiness shining in the violet eyes staring back at him. “Good morning, leelan.”
Hearing Brady’s rough gravel voice sent a shiver through Lucius which ended at the tip of his cock.
The feeling was so unexpected, he gasped.
Never having experienced a reaction like that before, either as a human or a vampire, he wasn’t sure what to do about it.
Well, that wasn’t quite right, because he knew what he wanted to do, but wasn’t sure how to begin.
Brady wasn’t like one of the casual hookups he’d had when he was human and Lucius wanted to make sure his mate would realize that.
Fuck it! Throwing caution to the wind, he climbed atop Brady after pushing his mate’s briefs down, straddling him.
Gazing down at his mate, Lucius found what he was looking for?permission to continue.
Locking his eyes on his mate’s, Lucius leaned down till his cock met Brady’s, causing him to moan at the skin-to-skin contact and triggering his groin to grind against his mate’s. The sensations of his cock sliding against his mate’s, drove his need for even more intimate contact.
A frotting session with his mate wasn’t what Brady anticipated when he woke up but as far as he was concerned, it was the perfect way to start their morning.
Hooking his hand behind Lucius’ neck, Brady pulled him down until their lips met.
Running his tongue over Lucius’ luscious lips, Brady made sure to memorize the softness and flavor before sinking it deep inside his mate’s mouth.
Groaning as Lucius’ essence coated his tongue, Brady probed still deeper in an effort to get more of it.
Startled at first by his mate’s passionate thrusts, Lucius quickly got on board, his tongue dueling with his mate’s, realizing finally that there’d never be a time when he’d have his fill of Brady.
After sending a quick “thanks” to the heavens, Lucius reached down, wrapping his hand around their dicks, slowly stroking them.
When he heard his mate groan in response to his efforts, his eyes sought Brady’s.
Lucius grinned at the lust swirling in Brady’s eyes.
Ignoring his mate’s lips for the moment, Lucius ran his tongue along Brady’s neck, savoring every inch of it.
Then, giving Brady a quick kiss, Lucius sat up, increasing the speed of his hand on their cocks.
His orgasm was near but there was no way he was going to come without his mate joining him.
Reaching down with his other hand, Lucius rubbed Brady’s right nipple, coaxing it to a hard nub before moving on to the left one.
Whimpering at his mate’s touch, Brady’s hips thrust up, shoving his cock hard against Lucius’.
His mate was driving him crazy with need; nothing had ever excited him like this.
His balls drew tight against his body, the tingling sensation had begun, his orgasm was just a few strokes away.
Eager to feel his mate’s cock spasm as it erupted Brady grabbed Lucius’ hand, joining him for the final few seconds of pumping before they both would explode.
Only grunts and groans filled the air until Lucius screamed, “Braaaadee!” his cum splattering onto his mate’s chest, followed a split second later by his mate’s.
Looking up at his mate through hooded eyes, Brady found Lucius’s head thrown back and his chest heaving up and down as he gulped for air—a mirror copy of what he was experiencing.
When his heart finally slowed down, he gently took Lucius’ hand and together they spread their pools of cum over Brady’s chest.
When Lucius finally came to his senses, his mouth opened in surprise at what his mate was doing.
Whimpering at the lust building within him as he watched such a simple act, he bent down and scooped some cum into his mouth before moving up his mate’s body until he reached Brady’s lips.
Pressing them hard against his, he forced his cum-coated tongue inside his mate’s mouth.
Moaning as the taste of cum hit his tongue, Brady savored it, wanting more. Sliding his hands down his mate’s back until he reached his ass, he ran his hands over Lucius’ cheeks, grasping each one. Squeezing them gently, Brady murmured against his mate’s mouth, “I love you, leelan…now and forever.”
Blinking back tears at his mate’s declaration, Lucius knew he felt the same way.
Brady not only was his mate, he was his savior, his lover, his friend—someone he could trust with his whole heart and soul.
The certainty Lucius had about Brady’s feelings for him unleashed a feeling of freedom sorely missing from his life with Valerian.
Brushing aside a lone tear that had escaped, he gazed down at his mate, trying to figure out how to put all of that into words that would convey his feelings.
Brady smiled at his mate, using his thumb to wipe away another tear from his cheek, trying to find the words his mate didn’t know how to say.
“Leelan,” he murmured, cupping Lucius’ face, “I know…your feelings are clearly written in every look, every smile, and every touch you give me. Thank you, my love, for giving me everything…something I never expected, but now since I have you, I can never live without.”
“Same here,” Lucius whispered, afraid to say it out loud for fear someone might overhear and take Brady away from him. He knew if that ever happened, he would not survive.