Chapter 14
“Let me go!”
Jackson jumped up and ordered, “Carson, stop. You will not shift!” Then using the full force of his Alpha power, he forced Carson to stop struggling and tilt his neck.
Once he had his brother’s attention, Jackson continued.
“I understand how you feel and if I had let you go it would have spelled the death of every last one of us. Do you understand?”
Carson’s wolf submitted to Jackson, but Carson was still furious. How dare my brother stop me from defending our family honor? But unable to do anything but comply, he said, “Yes Alpha, I understand.”
“Good, Dylon release him. Sit down, Carson.” When his brother had done so, Jackson continued, “I have no intention of allowing Josiah’s complaint to stand, but our pack has been put on notice by the High Council about our actions.
As of this moment I want you all to know that if any harm comes to anyone in the Silver Point Pack, then we’ll be held responsible.
” Jackson looked at each of his brothers and after he received an acknowledgement from them, he continued.
“After discussing it with Penn, I’ve decided on a strategy as to how we’ll proceed to fight this bogus charge.
It will be a two-pronged attack…the first will challenge the legality of the complaint and Penn will handle that.
The other relates to the trip we made to Las Vegas and how we prove we were there.
To handle that, I want each of you to remember where you went, with whom and when.
Write it down. Once we have that, Steel will compile it into a timeline.
Then Zane, I need you to search for proof showing we were in Las Vegas during that period… ”
“I can tap into the camera archives in the casinos right away if you can give me a list of the ones any of you were in,” said Zane, reassured there was something he could do to help.
“Perfect. So maybe everyone should make a quick list of the casinos and Zane can get started. I did my list last night, but I want Logan to look it over as we were together there. We can probably have it to you by the end of the day.”
“Sooner, Zane,” said Logan. “I remember all of them, so it won’t take me long to go over Jackson’s list.”
“Good,” Jackson said. “There’s only a very short period of time we need to account for as Josiah thoughtfully provided proof we were at school until the morning we left. And Mystia will be our witness as to when we arrived at Jimmy’s.”
Carson had calmed down and now understood how he almost put his brothers’ lives in danger.
Cursing himself for his lack of control, he thought about what he could contribute to show Jackson how sorry he was.
Then it hit him. “Jackson, I’m sorry about before and thanks for stopping me.
I have an idea that might prove we were in Las Vegas other than the cameras. ”
“Good. What is it?”
“Our cell phone records. Every time a call is made on a cell phone, the bill reflects the date, time and place of the call. So, when you called us after you found out, those bills would show we were in Las Vegas,” Carson said, excitedly.
As Carson’s idea sunk in, Jackson’s face broke into a broad smile. “That’s brilliant, bro. I’ll look to see if I have those records…”
“But even if you don’t we can request them from the company. If you want to give me the files, I can go through them.” Carson said.
“I’ll take you up on that. Okay, any questions? Kieran, Theodore, Norman? I know this is a lot to process…”
Kieran, Theo, and Norman exchanged looks, then Kieran said, “We don’t know the whole story, but we trust Cody and Dylon so if they’re with you, then so are we.”
Touched by the show of support, Jackson said, “Thank you guys, it means a lot to me and my brothers.”
“Just one thing,” Kieran said, “if there’s a fight, we want in on it too. It’s about time we get to kick some asshole’s butt.”
Smiling at the earnestness of the boys, Jackson said, “Wouldn’t dream of stopping you.
As I said, you all are members of this pack and if this comes to a fight, we fight together as one.
So, any other questions?” Jackson looked at each brother and was satisfied he found calm determination on each face.
“Okay, meeting’s over. Carson, come to my study and I’ll give you the old files.
Logan, here’s my list of casinos. See you all at lunch,” Jackson said as he headed for his study.
Logan glanced at the list his twin had given him of the casinos they had visited.
It wasn’t hard for him to remember because he’d made a mental note of each of their interior designs.
So as he went down the list, each was checked off against the picture filed in his head and he found the list accurate.
But he remembered one other possibility and when he handed the list to Zane, told him to check to see if there were cameras there also.
Then he headed to his design tower, smiling to himself at the new name Jackson had given his studio.
Cody walked over to his boys and, after making sure Theo would be spending the day in the kitchen with Dakota and Norman with Carson, he said, “Kieran, Dylon and I are going with you because Logan said he wanted to show us some ideas for Jake and Jessica’s nursery so if you’re ready, let’s head up. ”
Kieran felt a shiver run up his spine knowing he would be with his mate for the rest of the day.
He tore his eyes away from Logan as he left the room and closed them.
Last night, when his songs found Logan, his spirit was able to pierce Mystia’s spell concealing Logan’s scent allowing Kieran to finally smell his mate.
He loved Logan’s scent; it reminded him of a peat fire, the dew in the early morning and the salty tang of the sea.
And there in the shower, as the songs played on, Kieran’s body and wolf reacted to the age-old call of a Fated Mate, calling for his mate to claim him forever.
Now, he would be in a room with Logan—all day—as he, his wolf, and spirit joined together to begin their journey to their final claiming.
Excited, yet still fearful of rejection, Kieran rose and said, “Good to go.”
~/~/~/~/~
Zane sat on the couch in his computer room, clutching the list from Logan.
Looking off into space, he was thinking about the meeting when Jackson told them about their uncle’s complaint.
Something happened to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
One moment he was shaking in fear that his uncle was coming for him and his brothers and the next—poof—gone as if he never had the emotion.
So, he sat there, searching for it, the one that had been his constant companion since he found out his parents, younger siblings, his friends in the pack, and even his home were gone—all gone—never to be a part of his life again.
And when he didn’t find the fear anymore, he knew he was right and something had happened to him—but he couldn’t figure it out and that was as frustrating as hell.
Technology was his life, and yet he believed in what was unseen.
Shit, I’m proof of that. He’d categorized the paranormal world into topics and sub-topics, clearly outlined in his mind so he always knew what and where he was.
But this—a total removal of an emotion—left him fumbling to find the rock he counted on as a defense against his uncle.
If he feared Josiah, he would be safe. That was the mantra he lived by ever since that fateful night.
Zane snorted. He knew how crazy it would sound to anyone else, but to him, it allowed him to function in the aftermath of the massacre. So, what do I do now?
~/~/~/~/~
Logan opened the door to his studio, relieved to find the open windows had done the trick but the rest of the space needed help.
Grabbing a garbage bag, he emptied the overflowing waste baskets and gathered up the many spent Kleenexes in the bathroom, adding them to the bag.
Then grabbing a dirty towel off the floor, he wiped down the sink, filled the soap dispenser and hung up fresh towels.
One more pass through the space yielded his dirty laundry which he dumped in the hamper.
Doing a quick check, he sighed with relief that Kieran wouldn’t see a mess.
Why he was worried about what Kieran thought escaped him for the time being, instead he justified his actions as his desire to look professional.
Just as he finished, Cody knocked and then entered with Dylon and Kieran. “Are you ready to talk about your ideas? If not we can come back,” said Cody.
“Now is fine,” replied Logan as he pulled up an extra chair for Kieran.
“Please sit with us. I’m going to propose some initial concepts for Jake and Jessica’s nursery.
It’s one of many discussions I’ll have with Cody and Dylon through the process of finalizing a design.
Any questions?” Logan breathed an inward sigh.
He thought he sounded professional—and not like he was thinking how it would feel to be balls deep in that tight little ass that constantly tempted him.
“Uhm no…no questions. If you don’t mind, I’ll just sit and listen,” Kieran said softly.
“Uhm sure…no problem…sorry everything’s a mess…just a second…here, let me move this out of your way…can I get you anything?” Logan asked, nervously trying to sort his drawings and notes.
“No, thank you.”
“Uhm, okay, should we get started?” asked Logan as he sat, looking expectantly at Kieran.
Cody was flabbergasted. No one was acting as they should. Logan was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof and Kieran was as quiet as a church mouse. What the fuck was going on? Where is my self-assured brother and the sassy, without-a-filter Kieran?
Logan shoved some drawing at Kieran and began, “I started with who…”
Kieran held up a finger and pointed at Cody and Dylon who were standing staring at the scene in front of them. “Aren’t you going to join us?”
Startled, Logan’s cheeks turned a deep pink as he realized he’d totally ignored his two clients. Cursing himself for his mistake, he quickly tried to correct the situation. “Cody, Dylon, is there a problem?”
Cody glanced at Dylon, then returned his gaze to his brother, taking note of Logan’s blushing face. “No problem. Come on Dylon, I think this has gotten a whole lot more interesting.” Picking a chair, Cody sat and gave his brother a smirk as Dylon sat next to him.
“Okay, Logan, you may proceed now,” Kieran said using the same soft voice as before.
Clearing his throat, Logan got himself under control and started again. “I started with who Jake and Jessica are…tundra wolves…and used the plants and animals found there as a starting point for a color scheme.”
“I love that idea,” Kieran exclaimed, “it will bring a little bit of their old home to their new home. Well done!”
Logan smiled at Kieran’s praise. “Thank you. These are the colors I picked,” he said as he handed paint chips to Kieran.
“The soft yellow of tundra grass, the soft spring green of the bearberry and, of course, the creamy ivory of caribou moss.” Next he handed a dark brown wood chip to Kieran.
“I’m using the dark brown of the grizzly bear for the color of the furniture in the room…
grounding the room. On the walls, I’ll paint a mural of the tundra so even though Jake and Jessica are no longer there, they will grow up knowing what the place they came from looks like. ”
Kieran’s eyes sparkled with delight as he pictured the finished room.
His heart swelled with love as he discovered how caring his mate was.
Never in a million years did he think he’d ever find a mate who cared as much as he did about shifters, but after hearing the details and thoughtfulness Logan had put into the design, he knew he had.
“I think that is the loveliest design in the world,” said Kieran, “Jake and Jessica are so lucky to have you as their uncle. You know, I was so worried about what would happen to them, but I guess that was for naught. Tell me, have you thought about a rug? You know, so they’ll have a soft place to crawl on. ”
“Well, I would like to use this area rug…wait…here’s a picture. See how it has the soft spring green in the middle with replicas of the flowers found on the tundra around the edges. Dylon, who knows the tundra, can spend time teaching them about the flowers and life of a wolf living there.”
“Perfecto! But is it soft? You know some rugs can look great, but they would be too tough on their tender bare knees.”
“It’s a chenille rug, so…”
“Fantastic! Very soft and well padded. The twins won’t hurt themselves when they begin to walk.” Kieran gazed again about Logan’s choices and agreed with every one. “So, what do you do next?”
“Well, look at the room that will become the nursery and take measurements. Then I transfer those to paper and draw a preliminary plan.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see that,” Kieran said, looking at Cody and Dylon, sitting there, looking shell-shocked. “What do you think, guys, aren’t you excited to see the design on paper?”
Dylon nudged Cody. After opening and shutting his mouth a few times, and exchanging thoughts through their mind link, Cody finally spoke.
“Luckily, Dylon and I love your ideas for Jake and Jessica’s nursery.
” Then with a smirk, he added, “Especially since Kieran has approved them. We’ll talk to Jackson about which room we can have for the twins. Babe, you got anything to add?”
Dylon shook his head and then narrowed his eyes at Logan.
If Cody was correct, Logan had just found his Fated Mate.
But Dylon wasn’t sure. He felt it was more of a case of Logan wanting a quick fuck and he wasn’t going to allow Kieran to be used that way.
Though what they’d witnessed just now had surprised them both, Cody had to be wrong because the signs of finding a Fated Mate were missing—such as the smell of arousal, or the possessiveness both would feel or even the can’t-take-my-eyes-off-you weren’t there.
Granted, at least Cody had an explanation while he had none, so he fell back to the universal desire of men—the need to fuck.
And that’s where he was going to draw the line because Kieran wasn’t going to be anyone’s fuck toy.