Chapter 40
Ignoring the gleeful roaring of his dragon at the sight of his brother’s mating gift, Alex walked slowly toward it, wondering how Fionn got it.
He’d seen a picture of it in a book about ancient Greece at his school’s library but now he was standing in front of it.
Slowly stroking the back of Apollo, the gold grew warm and glowed under his fingertips, causing power to flow through them to his dragon.
He realized how much his dragon had yearned for gold and finally understood why a hoard was essential to his animal’s well-being.
Surfacing in Alex’s eyes, his dragon gazed upon the gift, all the more valuable since it had been chosen by his brother’s dragon.
It was a perfect starter for his hoard, and it made him feel complete for the first time in his life.
“Do you like it?” asked Fionn.
“I love it!” exclaimed Alex, unable to stop touching it. “It feels so good.”
Grinning, Fionn said, “That’s what my dragon said.”
Looking at his brother, Alex asked, “Did he help you pick it out?”
“Yup…my dragon was upset because you didn’t have a hoard.”
Turning back to the statue, Alex kept his hand on it, softly saying, “No…never did.”
“I know…Oracle told me,” Fionn replied. “Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve kept control of your dragon all these years. When our father was trying to find my hoard, my mother told me to stay away from it. My dragon, to say the least, wasn’t very happy.”
“I can see why,” Alex said. “Just this one piece has my dragon dancing for joy.”
“We’ll have to find a secret location for your hoard.”
Alex was puzzled. “I’m not sure my dragon will like that…he wants us to sleep with our gift.”
Hunter snorted. He had to hand it to his mate, Fionn was right on the mark when he picked Alex’s gift. Smirking, he looked at Sawyer. “Good thing Ki found a huge bed for the four of…or should I say…the six of you.”
Giving his brother the finger, Sawyer studied the statue, before asking, “Apollo, right?”
Alex grinned at his wolf mate. “Right…the god of gay paranormals. Did you know he’s actually bi but prefers men lovers? Usually a threesome…just like us.”
“I thought he only has one lover at a time,” said Glenn.
“Oh, no, Apollo loves fucking and the more the merrier,” Alex said, grinning.
“But he always appears with just one lover,” Glenn replied.
“That’s what makes this statue so special,” Alex replied. “I read all about it one summer. Apollo lost a bet, and as payment he agreed to pose with two of his lovers. It was the only time he did, and why almost no one knows about his fondness for fucking with two men at a time.”
“Why does he want to hide it?” asked Quin.
“Well, according to the book, other gods felt he was embarrassing them and, in order to settle the dispute, Zeus ordered Apollo to stop…at least if others could see.”
Laughing, Sawyer said, “So Apollo was forced into the proverbial closet.”
Cocking his head, Alex thought for a moment before grinning. “Yeah…I guess he was.”
“That makes this statue very rare,” Logan murmured. “Where did it come from, Fionn?”
“I inherited it from my mother,” Fionn answered. “According to her hoard records, she was given it by an uncle when she hatched.”
Swirling around, Alex leaped into his brother’s arms, hugging him tightly. “Oh. My. Gods! From your mother? Oh. My. Gods! You have no idea what that means to me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Returning Alex’s hug, Fionn grinned at his brother’s reaction to the news of the origin of the statue, putting all his doubts aside as to whether he’d chosen wisely. “You’re welcome, brother. Tomorrow, I’m gonna ask Jackson about finding a place for your hoard.”
“I don’t need that,” Alex said, letting go of his brother. “I can keep my gift in our bedroom…close to my dragon.”
Listening to Hunter trying to suppress his laughter, Sawyer groaned, finally figuring out why his brother had given him that look after dinner.
Hunter knew Alex would want to keep it close to him.
And when Sawyer’s wolf had agreed with Alex, it left him having to explain to Glenn why they’d have to live with it, at least for the time being.
“I don’t think that’s…” Glenn started to say.
“Will be a problem,” Sawyer interjected, giving Glenn a slight shake of his head. “It’s an amazing gift, Fionn…thanks.”
Logan, deciding it was as good a time as any to bow out of the evening festivities, announced, “Hey, guys, we’re heading to bed.
It’s been a long day and tomorrow Quin and Kieran have to find a dress for Theo and Norm’s wedding.
” A chorus of ‘good-nights’ filled the air as he ushered his mate and Quin out of the bedroom.
After the door closed, Fionn said to his brother, “Trust me, you will need a place to put the rest of your hoard.”
Alex’s brow furrowed. “Why? I don’t have anything else in my hoard because our father set up a trust fund for me instead.”
Waving his hand dismissively, Fionn said, “Well, that’s just wrong. Every dragon needs a hoard…that’s where they get their power from.”
“I don’t know how to do a hoard,” said Alex, somewhat perplexed. “Like what should be in it? Only gold? Or other stuff? What if my dragon doesn’t like something I like? Do I still acquire it? And for that matter, where do I go to buy stuff? At Hoards-R-Us?”
Bursting out in laughter, Fionn asked, “Hoards-R-Us? Oh my gods…we should look to see if there is such a place.”
Giggling, Alex replied, “Well, if there isn’t one, there should be. It would make it so much easier to stock a hoard.”
Shaking his head, Fionn said, “Tomorrow, we can go to my hoard so you can see it…and then we can figure out how to put one together for your dragon.”
After Glenn saw Alex tried to hide his yawn, he pulled his mate against his side and said, “Hey, Fionn, thanks for the mating gift…but can we continue this discussion tomorrow? It’s been a long day for us, too.”
“Oh…of course,” Fionn said quickly, seeing the fatigue in Alex’s face. Giving his brother a quick hug, he whispered, “So glad you’re here…sleep tight.”
“I am too…see you tomorrow…love you.”
“Love you, too, brother,” Fionn said before grasping Hunter’s hand and heading for the door. Glancing back before they left, he saw Alex and his mates motionless, their eyes transfixed on the golden statue.
The silence in the room was finally broken when in a quiet voice, Alex asked, “You don’t like it, do you tiger mate?”
Shifting his focus first to Sawyer, who merely shrugged in response to his unspoken request for help, then to Alex, Glenn replied carefully, “It’s a gift your brother personally picked out for you and that makes it special.”
“But you don’t like it, do you?” Alex persisted.
Sighing quietly, Glenn put his arm around Alex’s waist, tugging his mate to his side. It didn’t matter if he liked it or not, the thing to remember was that the gift was important to his mate—and so it was to him, too. “It’s beginning to grow on me.”
Snorting, Sawyer moved to Alex’s other side, placing his arm on top of Glenn’s. “You mean like a fugus?”
“No…not like a fugus, asshole,” Glenn growled. “It’s just…”
“Like porn?” asked Sawyer. “I agree…just looking at it is giving me all kinds of ideas of what we should be doing right now.”
“It is fucking hot!” giggled Alex.
“Yeah…but…” Glenn paused.
“But…spit it out tiger mate!” Sawyer smirked. “Are you too old for porn?”
“Fuck off,” Glenn growled. “I don’t have a problem with that…as you’ll find out tonight.”
“Then what’s bothering you?” asked Alex.
Pointing to Apollo’s eyes, Glenn muttered, “I just don’t like an audience…see, he’s looking right at us.”
Leaning in, Sawyer studied the statue closely before focusing on its eyes. Chuckling, he said, “All I see is a statue made out of gold…no moving eyes. What the hell have you been smoking?”
Growling in frustration, Glenn said, “I’m not saying they are…it’s just…”
“It’s just like you feel they are, right tiger mate?” Alex asked.
Nodding, Glenn replied, “I can’t shake the feeling we’re being watched…and maybe even judged…and it’s putting my tiger on edge.”
“Let’s cover it with a blanket,” Alex said. “Will that work for you?”
“Yeah…” Glenn said, “and also maybe moving it into the corner.”
Nodding, Alex replied, “My dragon is okay with that.”
Grabbing a blanket off the bed, Sawyer handed it to Glenn. “Here…you can do the honors.”
Once the statue was covered and moved, Glenn’s sigh of relief caused Sawyer to chuckle. “Now can you go to bed? My cock has been hard ever since I saw Fionn’s gift.”
Taking his mates’ hands, Alex grinned at them. “I hope neither of you plan on sleeping tonight because I still have stuff on my list. Ready to make our own porn?”
~/~/~/~/~
No matter how Lucius tried, he couldn’t stop nervously tapping his fingers on his knee.
And he knew what was causing it—his agreement to return to the Blackwood Pack house after the Alpha arrived at Brady’s house and explained the reason Zane killed Valerian.
It didn’t make any sense to him, but Brady seemed satisfied Lucius’ life was not in danger.
And since Brady asked him to trust him, he had no choice but to do so because to do otherwise would’ve hurt his mate.
So that’s how Lucius found himself sitting, once again, in Dylon’s office, but this time, Jackson was also there, standing guard over the two of them.
He didn’t understand why his mate had insisted on it, but he could tell Brady was calmer.
The only thing betraying his mate’s outward appearance of ease, was the tight hold he had of Lucius’ hand and the whispered instructions about disappearing if there was a hint of a threat.