Chapter 2
After answering Fionn’s text, Kieran rolled over, snuggling in Logan’s arms inhaling scents of peat fire, early-morning dew, and salty sea air.
Sticking out his tongue, Kieran ran it up his mate’s chest, and paused between his nipples, licking one and then the other.
Grinning at Logan’s shivering, he repeated it several times until he heard the familiar growl.
“Good morning, babe,” Logan rasped. “Need something?”
“Ooohh, macushla, I do,” murmured Kieran, “but it’ll have to wait until later.”
Logan’s eyes shot open. “Why?”
“Because we have lots to do this morning,” Kieran giggled.
“Like what? David and Adam are safe. No one else is in danger.”
“Macushla, Brian needs our help. He’s on his way but I have to talk to Fionn first and that means I have to get up and go talk to him while you get your brothers up and make sure they’re waiting here before he arrives.”
Groaning, Logan rolled onto his back, pulling his mate on top of him. “Really? Brian? What’s his problem?”
Kissing Logan’s chest, Kieran said, “Don’t know. My spirit told me to help him.”
“So, why do you want everyone else to be here when you meet him?” asked Logan, kissing his mate’s forehead.
“Don’t know, exactly, just that my spirit told me Brian would need their help too,” Kieran replied. Then, searching his mate’s face, added, “I’m worried, macushla, Brian may be in danger.”
“Danger? Why? He’s been here for a long time and, as far as I know, no one ever wanted to harm him.”
“No, not that kind of danger,” Kieran said, twisting his fingers in Logan’s chest hair, “but a different kind of danger. I don’t know what yet, but I’m hoping my spirit will tell me more…soon.”
“Okay, that’s good enough for me. You want to shower with me?”
“I would love to macushla, but we don’t have time,” Kieran said, scooting out of bed. “Brian will be here shortly, and I must help Fionn before I meet Brian and you have to get everyone up and here.”
Groaning, Logan palmed his hard cock. “Hey, you’re leaving me like this?”
Laughing at the face his mate made, Kieran hustled to the bathroom.
~/~/~/~/~
Groose picked a chair in the hotel lobby near the front door to wait for Logan’s guest. Glancing at the private elevator, he gave a brief nod to his men standing guard there before resuming his surveillance of the arriving guests.
Pulling up to the elegant hotel where the Shaman was staying, Brian grimaced at his choice of clothes—well-worn jeans, slightly faded t-shirt and a pair of ‘had-seen-better-days’ boat shoes.
Shrugging his shoulders—it was too late to worry about it now—he got out, handing the keys to the doorman and entered the lobby.
Groose rose, locking his eyes on the sea serpent.
When Logan told him who Brian was, he nearly choked on his coffee.
The friggin’ Loch Ness Monster? Was he for real?
He’d heard the stories but just chalked them up to more human tales of things that go bump in the night.
But Logan assured him it wasn’t fiction and now he was going to come face-to-face with him.
Brian stopped, looking around for the front desk, and, just as he spotted it, someone approached him—a shifter. Pretty sure the wolf was connected to the Blackwood Pack, Brian smiled, “Hello.”
“Hey, are you Brian?” asked Groose.
“Ay, that’s me.”
“Pleased to meet you. Logan sent me to bring you up to see Kieran,” Groose said.
“Aahh, the Shaman. Thanks, and ye are…?” asked Brian.
“Groose. I’m the Blackwood Pack’s head enforcer,” he said, waving his hand in the direction of the private elevator. “Please follow me and I’ll take you to his suite.”
“Ay, let’s go,” Brian said, with a grin, after seeing the amazement reflected in the wolf’s eyes on meeting the ‘Loch Ness Monster.’ He never tired of that reaction. It happened less now since there were far fewer shifters in Scotland, but that wasn’t the only reason he rarely saw it anymore.
Brian knew changes were happening in the shifter world.
When he stopped in for a drink at Morgan’s now and then, he’d overhear shifters bragging about their financial successes.
He wasn’t exactly sure when it had begun, but darkness had found a foothold, making shifters turn against their own kind, all in the name of greed.
And as the stories became the rule and not the exception, Brian retreated into his own world, keeping his secret, worried about what someone might want him to do if his identity was ever revealed.
The incursion of humans into his world initially dismayed him, but that had changed over the years as he got to know many likable ones living in his corner of Scotland.
As the years passed, Brian became more and more protective of them, and thinking someone might use him to harm his neighbors caused many a shiver to run down his spine.
Noticing the shifters guarding the elevator, Brian felt reassured that his friend, David, the High Priest, was now safe within the folds of the Blackwood Pack.
Standing next to Groose as they ascended, he thought about what he was going to ask the Shaman, hoping Kieran and others in the pack would offer their considerable power to help him find the intruder.
Stirring from his reverie when the elevator stopped, Brian glanced sideways at his escort.
When the door opened, they were greeted by two shifters—their guns pointed at him.
~/~/~/~/~
Kieran sat on Fionn’s bed, watching his friend pace back and forth. “Wait a minute,” Kieran said, “are you telling me you are an adult in dragon years?”
“Yes,” Fionn answered, stopping in his tracks as he glared at his friend. “Aren’t you listening to me?”
“I am, but I can’t believe your father wanted to declare his nephew as his legal heir instead of his son. What a fucking asshole!”
“Yeah, well, that motherfucking uncle of mine has petitioned the court for an emergency hearing so he can assume legal custody of me. Ki, I’m telling you, he wants to kill me and take my and my father’s hoard for himself. What am I gonna do if Penn loses?” he asked.
“Does he think there’s a chance the judge won’t believe the midwife or her certificate?” Kieran asked.
“I don’t knooow,” Fionn wailed. “All he said is ‘you never know how the judge will rule’. That isn’t very reassuring.”
“No, it’s not. Mmmm, there has to be a way to convince the judge. When’s the hearing?” asked Kieran.
“Two days from now. Cody and Dylon will be there and Penn said I had to tell Logan today,” Fionn said.
“That’s not much time, but I promise I’ll come up with an idea. Have you talked to Cody or Dylon yet?” asked Kieran.
“No, Penn was doing that,” Fionn answered. “Ki, I won’t go to my uncle’s…no matter what the judge says.”
“Hmmm, no, I agree. I wonder if it would help to have David there…after all he is the High Priest of all paranormals,” Kieran mused.
Then, hearing his spirit announcing Brian’s arrival, he jumped up and, wrapping Fionn in a tight love-sending hug, said, “I promise everything will be all right…the Alpha won’t let your uncle get his hands on you. ”
“Are you sure? I’m not a wolf,” Fionn said, his mind now calmed by Kieran’s touch.
“Trust me Fi, it doesn’t matter. Your Alpha took in Theo and Norm and they are Ghost Bears. Besides, my mate told me Jackson loves dragons,” replied Kieran, grinning. “Now, I want you to do me a favor, okay?”
“Sure, what?”
“Don’t leave this floor unless you tell me first. I don’t think your uncle would try anything before the hearing but better safe than sorry, right? Logan and I have to meet with Brian this morning but then we’ll be free so you can bring my mate up to speed, okay?” Kieran asked.
“No problem cause I promised to help Theo this morning,” answered Fionn.
“Perfecto!” Kieran exclaimed. Leaving Fionn’s bedroom, he headed to the living room where he found Theo and Norm sitting at the table, each with a big pad of paper and several pens. Joining them, he said, “Hey, whatcha doing?”
“We’re trying to figure out what our life goals are.
I read in a magazine that it’s something every engaged couple should talk about to make sure there aren’t any surprises after the wedding,” Theo said.
“So I went online and found this questionnaire that covers all the points that could become conflicts in a marriage.”
“Life goals? What does that mean?” asked Kieran.
“You know…like…do we want cubs? Where do we want to live? What about careers? You know stuff like that,” Norman answered.
“Ooohhh,” squealed Kieran, “That’s fantastic! Your cubs can play with my pups!”
“Uh, Ki, we haven’t decided if we want cubs yet,” Norman said.
“I know but I’m just envisioning how cute it would be, your little white cubs rolling around with my little black pup,” giggled Kieran.
“Oh, pooh bear, that would be so cute,” Theo said.
“I know, honeybunch, but let’s wait till we get to that question,” said Norm.
“Fionn is going to help you with this?” asked Kieran.
“Yes…well no…not with answering the questions but we agreed he could be the mediator if there’s something we don’t agree on,” Theo said.
Giggling, Kieran said, “I can’t wait to hear what you two decide. Maybe this afternoon we can sit down for a good old fashioned gayfest. I gotta run, but have fun.”
Shutting the door behind him, Kieran hurried down the hallway, wanting to meet Brian at the private elevator, but was still some distance from it when he heard the doors open. Seeing the enforcers with raised guns, Kieran ran towards them, shouting, “Stop. He’s with me.”
Groose grunted his approval and ordered his men to stand down.
Turning to the sea serpent, he said, “Sorry about that, but I can’t be too careful.”
“Tis okay,” Brian said, impressed with the level of security protecting his friend, David, and also Ian, King of the Scottish Wolves. Suddenly, the Shaman was at his side, breathless, but smiling.
“Hi Brian, my spirit told me you were coming and you needed my help so I had Logan get all his brothers up and dressed, thank goodness, or else I think we might have had a few problems with their mates but now it won’t be a problem so that’s good.
Have you eaten? I ordered some food because most of us were up late so we slept in and I’m pretty sure no one has had breakfast. They can get so grumpy when they’re hungry.
C’mon, Logan is waiting for us,” Kieran huffed out, as he caught his breath.
Finding himself grinning at the joyful aura always surrounding the Shaman, Brian stepped from the elevator, following Kieran a short distance before being invited into his and Logan’s suite.
“Macushla, I’m back with Brian! Has the food arrived yet?” Kieran called out, gesturing the sea serpent to follow as he headed to the living room.
A chorus of ‘hellos’ and ‘hi’s’ greeted Brian as he rounded the corner and found Logan, Slate, Dakota, Zane, David, Ian, and Colton sitting around the room— all looking at him with curiosity.
Taken aback, he was overwhelmed by the power radiating from the group.
Never had he felt anything like it. He’d had an inkling of what to expect after meeting some of the brothers previously, but that was one-on-one.
But this—their powers plus the ones radiating from their mates—this was other worldly.
Suddenly, one huge shifter stood up, facing him.
“Hi Brian,” Slate said, “please accept my belated thanks for helping to rescue me. I want you to know anything I or my mate can do for you, consider it done.”
Dakota rose next to Slate. “Hi Brian, glad to see you again. And my mate’s right…anything at all.”
“Hey, Brian,” Logan said, giving Kieran a kiss as he stood up, “have you eaten yet? The food’s just arrived. How about joining us for brunch?”
“Ay, I had breakfast, but can always have more,” replied Brian.
“Perfecto,” Kieran exclaimed, taking Logan’s hand, pulling him to the dining room table.
“C’mon everyone, chop, chop! The food’s getting cold.
Brian, you can sit here at the head so it’s easy for everyone to talk to you.
Everyone else find a seat.” Grabbing a chair next to the sea serpent, Kieran then patted the chair next to him, indicating where Logan should sit.
After everyone settled down, platters of food were passed from hand to hand around the table.
Brian dug into his food as he listened to the chatter among everyone. Keen to discover how David was fitting in, he was pleased to see his friend joining in the teasing between the brothers—a way of life in the Blackwood Pack.
Observing Brian throughout the meal, Kieran saw fatigue in the sea serpent’s face he hadn’t seen before and figured the cause of it was the reason for his visit.
Thinking back over the various times he’d been with him, one stuck out—when he, Theo, Norman, and Fionn spent the day on Brian’s boat.
Asking his spirit, Kieran found out why that day was different from all their other encounters.
Brian leaned back in his chair after he finished eating, letting his gaze roam over everyone as he mentally listed the abilities these shifters possessed—empath, shape shifter, extraordinary healing, among many others and wondered what plans the gods and Fates had for this pack.
In his entire life, he could count on one hand the number of times he encountered a shifter with even one of these attributes and that amounted to over 600 years.
And then there was David, a High Priest sent from the gods, and Kieran, the most powerful Shaman he’d ever met.
Two very rare shifters immune from being infected by the evil gone viral in the world—and ending up in the rarest of packs.
His eyes settled on David, noticing the big difference in his demeanor, wondering what Morgan thought about it.
Maybe when I’m finished here, I’ll stop by the pub and ask him.