Chapter 26
When lunch was over, Steel hurried to meet Jackson in his study.
Dropping off Daniel with Cody and Dylon, he smiled when he thought about the Alpha traits appearing in his son at such an early age.
Daniel’s protectiveness towards his cousins was so cute, especially when he growled at anyone who made Jessica cry.
Once in his mate’s study, he saw Jackson leaning back in his desk chair, staring out the window. Alarmed at the tension he felt radiating from his mate’s body, he sat down in a chair next to Jackson and asked, “What’s the problem, babe?”
Giving Steel a tight smile, Jackson handed him an email to read.
When it arrived in his inbox just before lunch, he opened it thinking it was about some business matter, but as he read it, tears welled in his eyes.
So many years had passed, that he’d forgotten all about them.
The last time he could remember seeing his cousins was when he was five.
Hell, Zane and Dakota never even met them and he doubted the triplets would remember who they were.
“Cousins? On your father side?” asked Steel, after he finished reading the email.
“No, on my mother’s side…her sister…my aunt. The last time I saw my cousins, I was five and they were moving back east because their father became Alpha of his home pack after the death of his father.”
“No visits between you guys?”
“None that I know of. They just kinda disappeared off the face of the earth. Nobody ever mentioned my cousins or aunt again after they left, at least not in my presence.”
“They found you through the High Council?”
“Yeah, I guess they found out about the complaint I filed.”
“Okay, so what are you going to do? Give them permission to visit the pack?”
“What’s your opinion?”
“They’re family and even though you guys haven’t been close, they’re still relatives and personally, I think it would be good for you and your brothers to meet them.
It might help heal the wounds Zane and Dakota have from the loss of their parents.
Just to know they aren’t alone in the world except for one crazy-ass, mean motherfucker of an uncle. ”
“That I agree with…”
“But what, babe?”
“I just get the feeling there’s a lot left unsaid in their email. Why now? Why not last year or the year before?”
“The only way you’re going to have answers to those questions is to talk to your cousins.”
Sighing, Jackson said, “I know. What time is it? I want to call Logan and see if he remembers anything about them.”
“If you’re wondering if he’s up, the answer is yes.”
“And you know this, why?”
Snickering, Steel said, “Because your brother and his entourage…maybe not Lizzie and Ian’s parents…are presently enjoying themselves at The Meat Locker.”
“I’m guessing it’s a gay club.”
“Yup. And before you ask, they are very safe for two reasons; one, all of the enforcers are with them and two, the security in the club is also protecting them.”
“Really? How did you manage that?”
“Simple. We own the club.”
“What? You own a gay club in Edinburgh?”
“No, babe, we own a gay club in Edinburgh.”
“Yeah, yeah, but really…a gay club!”
“I…we have a chain of them throughout the world.”
“No shit! How the hell did you ever get into that business?”
“It was an accident. One day, I overheard one of my employees on the phone trying to find a family to take in a shifter who’d been kicked out of his pack for refusing to marry.
When she hung up, I called her into my office, apologized for eavesdropping, and then asked her how I could help.
She picked up a two-inch thick binder and put it in front of me.
I was amused at her response, but once I opened it and read her report, there wasn’t any other choice except to figure out how to help hundreds of shifters who were homeless, usually living in cities, trying to figure out how to survive. ”
“So you came up with gay clubs?”
Chuckling, Steel answered, “Not right away. I thought of several other ideas at first, but the numbers wouldn’t work because they needed jobs and a place to live.
A couple of weeks later, she came into my office and told me some homeless shifters wanted to meet me.
She’d told them what I was trying to do and they wanted to thank me.
Thank gods for that because when they came into my office, I realized they were all gay and then everything made sense about why they couldn’t marry, and so on. ”
“How could you tell?”
Chortling, Slate said, “My gaydar…and the fact they were checking out my ass.”
Jackson giggled. “I’ve always said you’ve got the finest ass in the world.”
“No babe, that title belongs to you.”
“To both of us, then!” Jackson said, grinning. “C’mon, finish the story…you found out they were gay so how did that translate into you owning a series of gay clubs?”
“That’s easy. When I talked to the shifters who came to see me, I found most had migrated to cities because they could be killed if they trespassed on a pack’s land…even if it was by mistake. Living in cities allowed them to pick up odd jobs.”
“What kinds of jobs?” asked Jackson.
“That was my question, too,” said Steel.
“It came out they’d sell themselves for sex to other gay shifters who were residents or visitors.
This led me to believe there were a whole hell of a lot of gay shifters who wanted sex but were still in the closet, afraid to come out because of the prejudice they’d face. ”
“So you decided to open a den of iniquity,” laughed Jackson.
“Funny, funny,” said Slate. “That’s not the point at all.
I thought that a gathering place for gays, where they could be free to be themselves, even if it was only for a night, would be a good thing, so I built the first one in Paris, as a pilot project, and hired and trained homeless shifters to work there. ”
“Obviously,” said Jackson, “it must have been a success if you have all those others around the world.”
“The financials are great,” Steel said. “I reinvest most of the profits into building an apartment complex in each city where we’re located so shifters we employ can have a decent place to live at a rent they can afford.”
Jackson loved his mate but never more than he did in that moment when he saw how deep and wide Steel’s heart was.
Throwing himself into his mate’s arms, he whispered, “Babe, you are amazing! Our son is so lucky to have you as a father.” Then because he was so close to his mate’s ear lobe, Jackson started nibbling on it, bestowing tiny kisses at the same time.
Turning his head, Steel’s lips found the ones causing him such sweet torment.
Catching Jackson’s lower lip with his teeth, he gave it a quick hard bite before licking it to soothe the pain.
Then his lips gently descended to Jackson’s full, cocksucking red lips, loving the plump softness at first, then pressing harder, eager to taste his mate.
Steel thrust his tongue in, rubbing against Jackson’s as the two dueled for dominance.
Reaching down to palm Jackson’s hard cock, Steel’s moan was swallowed by his mate as Steel’s tongue finally gave up control to Jackson.
He had to stop or his mate would find himself bent over the desk with his cock in Jackson’s ass.
Slowly moving back from his mate’s puffy lips, Steel gave Jackson’s lower lip one last nibble before letting go.
His mate’s whimpers skated along his skin, raising bumps as they fueled Steel’s desire.
Leaning his forehead against Jackson’s, Steel crooned, “Later babe, I promise. My mother will be here shortly as well as my brother and Dakota and trust me, what I want to do to you should be done in private. Now did you want to call Logan?”
Trying to rein in his desire, Jackson took several deep breaths, before nodding. Picking up his phone, he called Logan.
“Hello?”
Jackson held the phone away from his ear so Steel could hear the heavy beat of the music in the background. Then moving it back to his ear, he said, “Hi Logan, got a minute?”
“I can’t hear you. What did you say?”
“Babe, hang up and send a text telling him someone will show him to an office where he’ll be able to hear.”
While Jackson was doing that, Steel sent a text to his manager, explaining what he wanted done. Within five minutes, a text came through confirming Logan was now in the manager’s office. “Go ahead and try Logan now, babe.”
Hitting the number again, it was a moment before he heard his brother’s voice say, “Jackson, is everything all right?”
“Hey, yup everything is okay. I just wanted to ask your opinion on something. Got a minute?”
“Sure, Kieran, Theo and Norman are helping Fionn shop. So go ahead.”
“Today I got an email from our cousins on our mother’s side and they want to visit.”
“Wow…shit, I haven’t seen them since…what were we four or five?”
“Five. So, what do you think? Should I give them permission?”
“How did they find us?”
Jackson smiled, knowing his twin was suspicious just as he was. “Supposedly through the High Council. Do you remember our parents talking about them?”
“No, but then we were so young, even if they did, we wouldn’t have paid any attention. Have you asked Cody if he remembers them?”
“Not yet.”
Logan took a moment to sort through his thoughts about his cousins and the problems a visit could cause and it all came down to two things.
First, they knew nothing about these long lost cousins and second how would Dakota and Zane feel about them?
No doubt, they wouldn’t trust them; how could they when Jackson couldn’t reassure them that the cousins were okay.
“My recommendation,” Logan said, “is to do some research on them. First see if Cody knows anything and, if not, ask Dylon if he could use his contacts to find out just who our cousins are before giving permission. That way, if you find they’re no better than our uncle’s son, Kahn, you can refuse them without Dakota and Zane ever finding out. ”
“Good plan. Thanks Logan. By the way, love the leather you’re wearing tonight.”
“That fucker. I’m going to kill Colton. He sent you photos, eh?”
“Ahhh, bro? I don’t think knocking him off is a good idea because you’re going to need him for Kieran’s pup.”
Groaning, Logan knew his brother was right but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t find a different way to pay Colton back for his crap.
“Steel thinks Kieran did a great job dressing you for a night in his club.”
“Funny, funny. Don’t get me started on that.”
“Well, I think you’re lucky he didn’t make you wear pink like him.”
“Shit, so you got a picture of him too?”
“Yup, Colton is keeping me fully apprised of your haute couture fashion choices.” Jackson smirked.
“Ha, he’s just jealous because I’m better looking than he is tonight.”
“Yeah, you go with that, bro,” Jackson said laughing, before continuing. “Have fun tonight and I’ll let you know what Dylon finds out about our cousins.”
“Thanks, and Jackson? Delete those pictures!”
“Sorry, bro, Can’t hear you, connection must be bad.
Bye.” Jackson chortled at his brother’s string of curses as he ended the call.
“Kieran is so good for my brother,” Jackson said, grinning.
“Never in a million years would he ever wear a leather harness out to any club we ever went to. I owe Kieran a lot for giving me back my brother.”
“What ever happened to Logan that made him an old man before his time?” asked Steel.
“I don’t know and whenever I’d ask Logan about it, he wouldn’t answer, telling me it was over so there wasn’t anything I could do.”
“What was over?”
“That’s just it…I don’t know,” Jackson said, while sending a text to Cody. “Did you leave Daniel with Jake and Jessica?”
“Yup, and as soon as I put him down, he crawled over to Jessica and plopped down next to her.”
Giggling at the picture of his little, protective Alpha, Jackson said, “Looks like he’s building his own pack.”
“I think so. What are you going to call it…the Blackwood Puppy Pack?” Steel asked, as a short rap was heard at the door.
“C’mon in Cody, Dylon,” Jackson called, and as they entered he saw his brother had Daniel in his arms. Reaching to take him from Cody, he asked, “Where are the twins?”
“Down for their afternoon nap. Daniel didn’t want to leave them, but eventually agreed when he found out we were going to see you,” Cody said.
Jackson reached inside his desk drawer, pulling out a stuffed bunny he’d just bought for his son and offered it to Daniel, who grabbed it. Turning to Cody, he asked, “Do you remember our cousins on our mother’s side of the family?”
“Vaguely. Why?”
Jackson handed him the email and waited while his brother and Dylon read it. When his brother looked up at him, Jackson said, “Before I grant permission, I want to know more about our cousins because the last thing I remember is they left when I was five.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Dylon. “Is Zane going to do the research?”
“No, not this time. In fact, I don’t want it mentioned to anyone else until we know more about them. If I decide to grant permission to visit, then I’ll tell them.”
“I’m guessing you’re concerned with how they might respond,” Dylon said, “So you want me to see what I can find out with my contacts.”
“I’d appreciate it,” said Jackson.
“Okay, give me a day and I should have something for you. Is there any reason in particular for concern?” asked Dylon.
“Nothing in particular. I’m just suspicious as to why they’re contacting me now,” Jackson answered.
“Okay, I’ll get right on it.”
“Thanks,” Jackson said, then pulling out his phone, he added, “Did Colton send you the pictures of Kieran and Logan he snapped tonight? They’re at The Meat Locker, a gay…”
“Hey, I know that place, well not the one in Edinburgh but I went to the one in Paris,” Dylon exclaimed.
Scowling at his mate before turning to Jackson, Cody snapped, “No, my triplet did not send me anything. I can see I need to have a talk with him about the triad code. Just because he and I are mated doesn’t mean he’s exempt from the rules.”
Chuckling, Jackson brought up Kieran’s picture first and handed his phone to his brother.
“Holy cra…cker! Logan let Kieran go out dressed like that? Is he nuts? That’s just in invitation to every dick out there!” Cody exclaimed.
“Babe, I don’t think Logan has a chance in hell telling Kieran what he can wear,” Dylon said, chuckling.
Taking his phone back, Jackson then brought up the picture of his brother. “And this, according to Colton, is what Kieran convinced Logan to wear.”
“Oh, my gods! Who the hell is this and what has Kieran done with our brother?”