Chapter 35
“Babe, I’m so sorry…” Colton began, before his mate interrupted.
“I heard everything you said to Cody and now I know why you kept your power a secret,” Ian said, wriggling an arm out of the blanket so he could touch his mate’s face.
He loved Colton’s day-old scruff and wanted to feel it on his body.
But before that could happen, he needed to tell Colton some things, too.
“Darling, while I get it, I can’t have you making decisions based on how you think it will affect me.
In Mexico, what mattered most to me was your survival.
How you were saved didn’t matter…just as long as I could be with you. ”
“I promise I won’t do that ever again,” Colton pledged. “We’re partners in this mating and we both deserve honesty from each other.”
“Yes, we do. And I’m sorry I ran off. I should have stayed and talked it out instead of throwing a hissy fit.”
“Ian, I deserved it because I lied to you. My parents, Jackson, and Cody knew I was a natural healer and they kept it from me. I was furious when I found out. What’s worse, knowing what it was like to be deceived, I should’ve known better than to do it to you,” Colton said, pausing to give his mate a deep and sensuous kiss, before continuing.
“After you left, I thought about everything Oracle revealed to you about your past and imagined how I would feel if I were in your place.”
Then Ian said softly, “When Oracle gave me the trunk the other night, I wasn’t as surprised as you might have imagined.
Throughout my childhood and into my adult life I had visions of the trunk, the crowns and a castle.
When I asked my mother about them, she told me they were dreams and I should forget about them.
“But they weren’t dreams; instead they are memories of life with my birth parents.
That’s why I was upset…not because of what Oracle told me, but that my parents…
guardians, I guess would be more like it…
knew who I was. And while I can understand the need to keep it secret when I was a child, why not tell me about it when I’d grown up…
especially when it would answer questions that had troubled me my whole life? ”
“You remember your birth parents?”
“Yes, I do. All my life I felt alone, but really didn’t know why.
Now I do. When I left you, I was still trying to forgive the people who claimed to be my parents for lying to me all those years…
and when you lied to me about using your natural healing on Jackson, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I felt betrayed by the one person on earth I thought would always be honest with me. ”
“I’m so sorry, Ian. It will never happen again.”
“I believe you. I know you did it out of love and not to hurt me.”
Colton sat before the fire holding Ian, gently caressing his back through the blanket. “You know, babe, why don’t we go to Scotland? It might help you put some of these ghosts to rest and besides, you have a castle there.”
Ian’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea. Where would we go? Maybe where the smoky quartz that covered the trunk can be found? I seem to remember hearing about it. And of course, our castle and maybe the thrones are still there and we can sit on them, wearing the crowns and take selfies.”
Laughing, Colton agreed. “I could use the photos to tease my brothers.”
Ian nuzzled his nose against his mate’s neck, inhaling the scents of home.
“Damn, now I know why I was homesick when Mystia removed the spell. You remind me of my real parents and Scotland. Your scent gives me a feeling of safety and security just like theirs always did. When I’m with you, I’m home again, Colton.
And wherever you are, that’s where my heart will always be. ”
“When I awoke in Mexico,” Colton remembered, “your scent invaded my mind, heart, and soul and I knew at that moment I’d found the person who’d repair my shattered heart and make me whole again.
I love you, babe. I belong to you because you own my heart and soul today, tomorrow, and for the rest of time. ”
Bending down, Colton’s lips sought out his mate’s and when he found them, his tongue slid out and gently caressed them before slipping inside for a taste of his mate.
Finding what he’d been seeking, Colton’s tongue explored Ian’s mouth as his mate’s unique flavor seeped into his soul.
Pulling out his tongue and then thrusting it back in made Colton think of another opening he wanted to enter.
Ian couldn’t stop the moans rising from his chest, only to have them swallowed by his mate.
His cock was hard, leaking and seeking relief.
He needed more but wasn’t willing to give up what he had.
When Colton broke off the hottest kiss Ian could ever remember getting, he whimpered at the loss.
Raising his arm, he wrapped it around Colton’s neck and tried to bring those soft, beautifully shaped lips back to him.
“Please Colton, I need you…” Ian cried when his mate’s lips stayed just out of reach.
“Babe, there’s a bed inside the tent for us,” Colton said, carrying Ian in his arms. Parting the flap Cody left unzipped, he spied a pile of blankets waiting for them.
Slowly setting his mate down in the bedding, Colton joined him and settled between Ian’s legs.
Spreading them, Colton lowered his mouth to Ian’s glorious cock, just begging for him to suck it.
Covering just the head, Colton swirled his tongue around it, seeking the most sensitive parts before dipping the tip of his tongue into the slit.
Ian’s body flooded with heated passion as his mate continued his efforts.
Crying out as his cock was sucked into Colton’s throat, Ian’s back arched, seeking to bury more of himself in his mate’s moist, warm mouth.
Gripping the blankets, his level of need rose until it was at a feverish pitch.
Eyes wide with only a thin ring around the pupils, he fought against his rising orgasm, never wanting this to end.
The forest resounded with Ian’s cries of pleasure as his mate repeatedly deep throated him.
His legs were pushed open wider as Colton dropped one hand to fondle Ian’s balls.
But when his mate slid his hand down further and pressed on Ian’s puckered hole, his body gave up the fight—his seed shot down Colton’s throat as he screamed with pleasure. For a moment, the forest went silent.
Exhausted, Ian’s muscles were limp, more liquid than anything else.
He felt Colton gently clean his cock before slipping up to kiss his lips.
Ian could taste himself as Colton’s tongue once more invaded his mouth.
He could do little but enjoy the taste of his mate mixed with his as he had no control over his body anymore.
Colton turned Ian on his side, pulling his mate against his body until Ian’s head rested on his bicep.
He wrapped his other arm around his mate’s waist. Snuggling up to Ian, he whispered, “Sleep my darling, I love you.” He knew his mate was asleep when he heard Ian’s cute little snores.
Happiness infused his body and soul bringing with it a sense of belonging, missing since he’d lost his parents and younger siblings.
Resting his face against Ian’s hair, Colton slipped into slumber.
~/~/~/~/~
The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted into the tent and made Ian’s nose twitch.
Sniffing the delicious scent, he woke to find his mate’s leg wrapped around him, holding him tight to Colton.
As his stomach growled, Ian slowly wriggled out of his lover’s embrace and left the tent, taking a blanket to ward off the morning chill.
Once outside, Ian’s jaw dropped at the sight in front of him.
Under the sweeping branches of a large pine tree, covered plates of food sat on a small rustic table.
The fire was burning strongly and a coffee pot bubbled on a wire grill, steam curling up from its spout, filling the air with the scent of coffee that had awakened him.
Ian walked over to the pot and saw two mugs sitting on the ground alongside the stones circling the fire.
Grabbing one, he poured a cup before setting the pot back on the grill to keep it hot.
He took his first sip and moaned at how good it was.
Another sip helped warm his body and by the third his stomach was demanding more than just coffee.
Suddenly, he felt his mate’s strong, muscled arms wrap around him as Colton’s lips kissed a sensitive spot behind his ear.
Leaning back, Ian sighed, loving the perfection of the moment.
“Good morning, lover,” Colton said, his gravelly voice sending shivers down Ian’s spine. “I see my brothers have been here.”
“Oh, I was wondering if a wulver had been here.”
“What’s a wulver?”
Ian chuckled. “Gods, I haven’t thought of them since I was a child.
In Scotland, wulvers are wolf-like creatures who leave food for poor families.
When I was growing up and food was scarce, I would go to bed hungry but in the morning, there was always something to eat.
When I asked my guardian mother where the food came from, she told me a wulver brought it.
After I grew up, I caught my guardian father sneaking out of our cabin late one night and I followed him.
He spent the night hunting so we’d have something to eat in the morning.
It took him all night because he wasn’t very good at it. ”
“Why? He was a wolf, right?”
“Of course he was, but when he was younger…before I was born…a human almost killed him and it was while before anyone found him. He eventually healed but so badly, he couldn’t do much anymore. So he became a teacher and taught me when I was growing up.”
“He sounds like a good man.”
“Oh he is…always in pain but he never complains. When I trailed him that night, I realized he was our wulver…” Ian’s voice trailed off as he thought about the sacrifices his guardian made for him and how hard it must have been giving up everything to protect him.
How many nights did my father brave the bitter cold to find food for me?
More than I can remember. Ian’s memories came flooding back about what his guardians—realizing he did regard them as his parents—sacrificed when they agreed to the King’s request. Both gave up so much to keep him safe and protected and he realized how childishly he was acting—getting angry because they didn’t tell him a secret they felt could endanger him.
As guilt flooded through his body, Ian hung his head.
Colton knew what was bothering his mate. “Babe, when we go to Scotland, why don’t you ask your parents to join us there? I bet they’d love to see you again and probably have tons of stories to tell you. I could meet them…which makes me nervous for some reason…”
“Don’t be, my parents will love you just as much as I do,” Ian said, lifting one of Colton’s hands up to his lips for a kiss and a taste, “Great idea, by the way.”
“You’re sure you want to?”
Turning around in his mate’s arms, Ian was now looking up into the face he loved and said, “Yes I am. Now is the perfect time for me and my parents to talk freely, now that I know everything. No more secrets; I think they’ll be quite relieved.
I can’t imagine how hard it must have been keeping silent all these years. ”
“How about we eat Dakota’s breakfast and we can talk some more.”
“Sounds great, I’m starved.”
Colton led Ian over to the table laden with the covered plates of food and Colton started unveiling dishes of scrambled eggs, crispy back bacon, link sausages, lightly cooked steaks, and lots of dishes he’d never seen before.
“Uhh, I’m not sure what these all are…”
“They’re breakfast foods from Scotland. Oh my gods, how thoughtful Dakota is. Let’s see, this is black pudding, these are tattie scones, and here, fuck, these are Lorne sausages. I can’t believe he did this for me,” Ian said excitedly.
Colton looked at his mate, pleased to see the sparkle back in his eyes. “Dakota loves to cook and is always trying out new dishes. When I was in Mexico, I wanted to get my brother a cookbook with authentic Mexican recipes. After I tried some, I was hooked. Okay, I want to taste everything.”
After filling their plates, Ian and Colton savored their special breakfast. Colton poured each another mug of coffee, noticing everything his brothers brought while they were asleep.
It was a message that told him to stay here with his mate and sort things out.
And that was exactly what he was going to do.
“Babe,” he said to Ian, “what you said about how hard it was for your parents to keep a secret, it must have been the same for Jackson after my parents died.”
“What was that time like for you?”
“Horrible, I blamed myself for a long time because I couldn’t save them.”
“But you weren’t there. So, how could you blame yourself?”
“For longer than I remember, there’s always been a deep, burning need in me to save anyone and anything I could.
That’s why I wanted to be a nurse. As young pups, my brothers always came to me when they were hurt and I sorta became the healer for my family.
Of course, at the time I didn’t know I was a natural healer. ”
Colton then fell silent, his eyes staring at the forest floor.
“When we went into hiding…after my parents and younger siblings were murdered…I had to leave school and couldn’t practice medicine anymore, other than fixing a smashed thumb from a hammer hit or some cuts and scrapes which really didn’t require my help.
I became desperate; roaming the forest around the house we built, looking for injured animals I could heal.
I know Jackson hated me doing that, but he never said a word.
He just sent Cody and Logan with me as bodyguards. ”
“So when Jackson became pregnant, I bet you were happy.”
“Fuck, you have no idea. I was floating, thinking about having a real patient after all those years in hiding. Now, how about a shower?”
“A shower? Here? A cold shower? I don’t think so.”
Colton got up and walked over to a sunny patch where a large, swollen, black rubber bag with a tube protruding from the bottom, hung from a tree branch. “Here, it is. See, the shower nozzle at the end of the hose? Go ahead. Take a hot shower.”
“Did you say hot shower?” asked Ian, looking at the bag, dubiously.
“Yep. The sun heated up the water in the bag and it’ll be toasty warm for you.”
Ian looked down at his body, filthy from his wild run the previous day and said, “Definitely!”