Chapter 27
Hearing a knock, Jackson looked up as Dakota stuck his head in, and said, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were in a meeting.”
“Come in, we’re just looking at some pics Colton sent of Kieran and Logan. Wait till you see what Kieran dressed Logan in to go out tonight.”
Reaching for Jackson’s phone, Dakota looked at the photo of Logan. “Holy crap! Is he wearing a leather harness? Logan? How the hell did Kieran get him to do that?”
“I thought Logan was your twin?” Slate said, eyeing the picture.
“Fraternal twin…he’s taller and heavier than me,” answered Jackson.
Slate looked at Dakota and said, “Okay…I’m missing something. Why is it such a big deal for your brother to wear a leather harness to a gay club?” Taking a closer look, Slate added, “Shit, isn’t that The Meat Locker?”
“Enough with the cursing!” Jackson demanded, pointing to Daniel sitting on his lap. “I swear if the first word he says is a curse word, the last person who used it is going to face me.”
“Sorry, bro. I forgot. What’s The Meat Locker?” asked Dakota.
“It’s a gay club in Edinburgh,” answered Slate. “So what’s the big deal with what Logan is wearing?”
“He never showed off like that whenever we went out clubbing,” said Dakota.
“Scroll to the next pic,” Cody said.
“Oh, my gods, Logan let Kieran go out dressed like that?” Dakota exclaimed.
“The operative word is ‘let’ and, as Dylon said, nobody tells Kieran what he can wear,” Steel said.
Chuckling, Slate said, “I bet they put on quite a show for everyone tonight. I wonder how Logan kept everyone away from his mate.”
“A slew of enforcers and club security,” Jackson said, laughing at the image of Kieran and Logan surrounded by enforcers while trying to dance.
Oracle appeared in the study’s doorway, smiling at the boisterous group while looking carefully at Dakota and Slate. Pleased with the connection between them, she cleared her throat. “Dakota, Slate, you wanted to talk to me?”
“Oracle, please come in,” Jackson said. “Cody, Dylon, please leave…babe, you stay.”
After she took a seat, Oracle said to Dakota and Slate, “Now since you have completed your mating, I am sure you have some questions.”
Slate looked at Dakota, then turned to his mother, “I…we…want to know what happened to us last night. Has it to do with Dakota’s gift from the Fates?”
“Wait…what happened last night?” asked Jackson.
Oracle began to explain. “As Dakota and Slate know, their claiming wasn’t a normal one.
In response to your question, Slate, yes, it does concern his gifts.
Dakota is the only shifter to possess both empathy and Shadow Voice.
Therefore, the Fates want to protect him from all who would seek to do him harm or to use him for nefarious purposes.
So they have joined your life forces together and each of you now has part of your mate inside of you.
Among other attributes each of you now possess, the most notable one for you Dakota, is Slate’s physical strength and for you, Slate, the Fates have given you Dakota’s mental ability to tolerate pain.
But there are also other abilities and you will discover them as time goes on. ”
“Does this change my gift at all? I’ll still be able to block other’s feelings, right?” asked Dakota.
“Yes. Your gift of Shadow Voice remains as I described it yesterday,” answered Oracle.
Slate exchanged looks with Dakota, then asked, “Will it affect our pup?”
“It will not affect your pup, but it will make it easier for Dakota to carry a Dire Wolf pup to term because he now is physically stronger.”
“Lucky you, bro,” Jackson chortled.
“I guess,” Dakota said, “I haven’t even focused on that yet.”
“Trust me,” Jackson said, smiling, “you will appreciate it.”
“Any other questions?” Oracle asked.
“No…I don’t think so. Wait, what other endowments did we get?” asked Slate.
“Sweetie, that would take all the fun out of it for you, but I recommend your wolves take a nice long run in the woods,” Oracle said, her eyes twinkling as a wide smile graced her face.
Slate grinned at Dakota as he got up. “Fancy a run?”
“Sounds like fun,” Dakota said. “See you later, guys.” Taking his mate’s outstretched hand, he rose and followed Slate out of the study.
“Mom, would you take Daniel up to his bedroom for his nap? I have a couple of things to cover with Jackson before my meeting with Dad.”
“With pleasure!” Oracle exclaimed, taking Daniel from Jackson. “Come here, sweetie, I have three new books to read you.”
Snorting, Jackson said, “At this rate, he’s going to need a bigger room.”
“Or maybe, a playroom where the overflow of toys and books can be kept so Jessica, Jake, and the three new pups that are on the way can all enjoy them,” suggested Oracle.
“That’s not a bad idea, Mom,” said Steel.
Smiling, Oracle said, “Wave bye-bye, sweetie,” and after Daniel waved to his daddies, Oracle left, crooning sweet words to her grandpup.
“C’mon, babe,” Steel said, grasping Jackson’s hand, “let’s go cuddle on the loveseat while I bring you up-to-date.”
“Okay, but this won’t take the place of what you promised me for later.”
Snorting, Steel said, “As if!” Then he sat on the love seat sideways, placing one leg on the cushions and stretching out the other on the floor. Patting the place between his legs, Steel asked, “Works for you?”
“Perfect,” Jackson said, sitting in the spot Steel pointed.
Leaning back against his mate’s chest, Jackson relaxed.
He’d been worried since Oracle told Dakota about the future use of his Shadow Voice gift and even with Oracle’s assurances, it just wouldn’t go away.
Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath, letting his mate’s scent soothe him.
After a while, Jackson murmured, “Thank you babe, I really needed this.”
Chuckling, Steel replied, “My pleasure.”
Tension faded into calmness; Jackson was ready to listen. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Mom felt it was time to hire PAs for me, Slate and Dad. Actually, it’s perfect timing since I want to spend more time with you and Daniel.”
“Sounds good to me. What else?”
“In order for this to work, the PAs would have to live here but I don’t want to put Dire Enterprises’ office in the pack house because it’ll have to be big enough for the six of us plus Carson…
who we want to head up the grant division…
so I came up with a plan I think you’ll like.
Actually, all of this is happening at the right time because I just closed on a parcel of land that adjoins ours. ”
“How many acres did you buy?”
“750,000 acres.”
Jackson whistled. “Wow! With what we already have that’ll give us close to a million acres.”
“Yeah, I was lucky. The previous owner wanted to sell it to one buyer so he had refused other offers for pieces of it. What’s particularly attractive about the land is there are a number of flat areas we can build on.”
“So you’re thinking one will be good for the offices of Dire Enterprises.”
“Yes, and I plan on building a complex for our enforcers. With all these rare gifts, I think we need to increase their number, especially with the additional land they’ll be responsible for protecting.
Plus, they’ll need a bigger kitchen and dining area than they have now, their own offices and training facilities and… ”
Snickering, Jackson cut in, “Okay, okay, got it; you can stop selling me on the idea. You know I’m for anything that will keep this pack safe.”
Grinning in response, Steel said, “I’m also thinking of the future of Cody’s home for gay boys. Once the word gets out about what your brother is doing, I think we’re going to have a steady stream of them showing up on our doorstep and there won’t be enough room in the pack house.”
Turning his head to his mate, Jackson said, “Really? Are there that many crappy parents out there?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m already looking at a number of sites that will be big enough for the future home. Once I narrow it down to a couple of locations, I’ll show them to you, Cody and Dylon and you guys can make the final decision.”
“Good. What about the PAs ? Where will they live? And who’s going to vet them to make sure it’s okay for them to be around my pack?”
“Dad wants to promote from within the company and, if we can do that, you won’t have any worries because all the top managers have been fully vetted, not to mention they’ve been with us many years.
But they may not want to move here. In any case, don’t worry, babe, I have no intention of bringing in employees without a rigorous background check.
Anyway, I’m thinking of giving them quarters in the South wing for now. ”
“That sounds fine. I’ve been thinking we also should look for a medical doctor who can be a temporary replacement for Ian. We have three pups on the way so I want to be prepared ahead of time, just in case there are any complications like I had.”
“I’ll add that to my list. Do you want to ask my mother for a recommendation?”
“Yes, but first I’m going to see what Colton and Ian think. I’m just mentioning it because you’ll need to find temporary quarters for him too.”
“Uh-huh. By the way, based on Slate’s question to mom about his pup, I’m assuming Dakota and my brother are expecting.”
“Yup,” Jackson said, grinning, “I haven’t said anything as it’s their news to tell. But there will be another Dire Wolf pup coming soon and if he turns out to be an Alpha, I can’t wait to see how our son handles that.”
Steel snickered. “We’ll have to do what my dad did…
he taught us how to box and every time Slate and I got into an argument, he made us settle it in the ring.
It didn’t take long for us to figure out it was better for us to end our disagreements quickly, because getting punched in the face grew old fast.”
Jackson giggled at the image of Daniel wearing tiny boxing gloves. “That’s not a bad idea,” said Jackson. Then in a more serious tone, continued, “I just hope Dakota’s pregnancy goes smoothly.”
“I hope so too because I’d rather my brother didn’t have to go through what I did when I thought I lost you,” replied Steel. Giving his mate a kiss on the ear, he whispered, “Have I told you, lately, I love you?”
“Uhmm, let me think,” Jackson said, grinning.
“Oh? You are having a hard time remembering? Maybe this will help.” Steel’s fingers lightly tickled Jackson’s sides.
Giggling, Jackson cried out, “Oh, no! Stop, babe! I remember! I remember!”
“Glad to hear that.” Steel smirked, as he stopped tormenting his mate. “Speaking of Dakota, I’ve given him one day off from his cooking duties, so I’ll be filling in until Theo can.”
“That’s sweet of you but I think we need to think about hiring another chef who can fill in when it becomes too difficult for Dakota during his last months of pregnancy.”
“Mmmm, you’re right. I’ll talk to him.”
“Good just make sure you hire one that can cook as well as my brother. The last thing I need is a revolt on my hands.” Jackson snorted.
“I thought I’d ask Dakota if there was anyone he could recommend.”
“Smart. I knew there was a reason I mated with you other than your cute ass.” Jackson snickered.
“I see, well this is a topic we’re going to revisit tonight. I’m pretty sure you’ll be singing a different tune then.”
Laughing, Jackson said, “Promises, promises.”
~/~/~/~/~
Making his way back to their VIP table at The Meat Locker, Logan ignored all the eyes on him as he thought about his conversation with his brother.
He knew without Jackson saying anything, his brother was suspicious about the sudden appearance of these long-lost cousins.
So was he, but he was curious too. At one time, after his father had disowned him, Logan thought maybe he could go live with them, far away from the hatred that surrounded him, but in the end, he couldn’t figure out how to ask his mother to send him without telling her everything.
And he knew his mother would be devastated if she found out what her husband had done to him, so he kept quiet.
If the cousins visited, would their mother—his aunt—also visit?
Not that he would mind, but it might not be good for Dakota, seeing as his mother and aunt were identical twins.
It was on the tip of his tongue to say something about that to Jackson, but he decided against it until they knew more.
Hopefully, if their aunt did show up, Slate would help Dakota cope with seeing a ghost.
Putting aside his worries, Logan slid in beside his mate who was asking Fionn which men he thought most attractive. He chuckled listening to Kieran comparing the asses of two guys flexing their muscles.
“Fionn, look at that guy. He has a moose ass.”
“What’s a moose ass?” asked Theo.
“It’s a big rounded ass like a moose. I bet he had implants,” Kieran said.
“Implants? You mean to make his ass look that way?” asked Norman.
“Of course. Some guys like big asses, while others like big tits,” Kieran said. “What you have to figure out Fionn, is what turns you on when you look at a guy.”
“I like a big cock,” said Theo, smirking at Norman.
“Lucky for you I have one,” crooned Norman in Theo’s ear.
“Wellllll,” said Fionn, drawing out the word as his eyes searched the crowd. “There, that guy! See him? He turns me on.”
“Why?” asked Kieran.
“Because he has it all…great muscles, well defined chest and the perfect ass…so how do I meet him?” asked Fionn.
“By dancing, of course. You have to shake your booty so he can see what you got,” Kieran replied.
“You want me to go out there by myself?” asked Fionn.
“Of course not…at least not your first time. Babe, c’mon…you too, Theo and Norm. We go as a group and you’ll be dancing with us but alone. Trust me, if he’s interested, he will be all over you like a fly on honey,” Kieran said smiling.
“But what if he isn’t interested?” asked Fionn.
“Honey, that’s the good thing about being gay…there’s always someone who’ll be interested. Now let’s go and get Fionn his man,” Kieran ordered. Pushing Logan out of the booth, Kieran stood, grasping his mate’s hand, then looking at Colton and Ian asked, “Do you guys want to come with us?”
Exchanging glances with Ian, Colton snickered, “Nope, you go ahead. We want to watch the show. Have fun!”