Chapter 27
Taking a deep breath, Fionn blurted out, “I want to be an artist!”
Moved by Fionn’s trust in him, Hunter kissed his mate’s forehead. “I think that’s great. The world needs more beauty in it.”
“You do?”
“I do, pet. Theo mentioned you draw and I’d love to see your work…when you want to show it to me.”
“Most of my drawings are with my hoard because I was afraid my father would destroy them, but I bought myself a sketchbook in Scotland and I can show you those,” Fionn said, excitedly climbing over Hunter to reach his backpack on the floor.
“I began when I was very young…I was sick and had to stay in bed a lot. My mother gave me some paper and pencils to keep me busy. When she saw what I’d drawn, she hired a teacher who taught me how to use different mediums, but in the end, I loved using my drawing pencils best.” Yanking the bag off the floor, Fionn sat back on his heels, looking at his mate.
“I haven’t shown these to anyone else.” Opening his backpack, pulling out his sketchpad, flipping through it until he found the first one he wanted to show his mate, he then handed it to Hunter.
“When I was at my hoard, all my muse wanted me to do was to draw you.”
Hunter’s eyes looked at the drawing, astonished at a portrait of himself, so realistic he felt he was looking in a mirror.
Fionn had captured him perfectly. “Oh my gods, pet, this is fantastic! You are so fucking talented…I’m impressed, really, really impressed.
It would be a terrible shame to deprive the world of your talent.
” Shaking his head, Hunter continued, “You did this after seeing me just once…from memory?”
“Uh-huh. There are others I did of you but this is my favorite.”
“May I see more?”
“Sure. I also sketched a bunch of my friends when we were in Scotland.”
Slowly flipping through the pages, Hunter studied each drawing, awed at the talent his mate possessed.
Fionn’s ability to capture his subject’s moment in time was extraordinary.
Pausing at one his mate had done of Kieran and Logan, he felt the love they had for each other radiating from the sketch.
“What did your father think about your talent?”
“Until my mother died, he didn’t know I drew.
He wasn’t around a lot; he was mostly at his chateau in France.
When he was in Scotland, my mother made sure my teacher stayed away,” Fionn said, angrily.
“One day he caught me sketching and he tore up the picture, saying I was wasting my time…that I had more important things to do, like learning about business.”
Reacting to his mate’s anger, Hunter looked up at him.
“Jackson told me your father refused to help your mom when she was sick. He sounds like a real asshole for doing that. Couldn’t your mother access her hoard so she could get the medicine she needed?
” Then Hunter quickly added, “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay too. ”
“No, it’s all right. When my mother married my father, he took control of her hoard and put it in a trust that only he could access.
I could never figure out why he did that, but I recently found out my mother’s family sold her to my father and I’m guessing that was part of the deal.
And I couldn’t use my hoard because, until I was 16, it was under the control of our family’s attorney.
So if I wanted anything from my hoard, I needed my father’s permission…
which he never gave. After my mother died, I finally figured out why he refused all the requests I made when my mother was ill.
The greedy bastard wanted it all for himself.
He would have gotten it too, if Ki hadn’t rescued me. ”
“I owe Kieran a lot for saving you, my pet.”
“Me, too,” Fionn chuckled. “He and Logan took me to Ian after he got me out of the cave. There wasn’t anything Ian could do because I just didn’t want to live anymore, at least not with my father.
But Ki…he wouldn’t leave me alone. He got into my mind and just kept talking and talking and talking until I finally woke up just so I could tell him to shut up.
I never met anyone who could talk as much as Ki does.
My world changed that day…for the better. ”
“So did my world when I found you,” Hunter smiled. “Luckiest day in my life.”
Gazing at his mate, Fionn lost himself in the love Hunter had for him. A love so wide and deep, he’d never find where it ended. Leaning forward, he softly kissed his mate’s lips, feeling the bond between them as Hunter responded.
Setting Fionn’s drawings aside, Hunter pulled his mate close to him, deepening the kiss.
His body responded as Fionn’s heat ignited his need.
Falling backward on the bed, Hunter took his mate with him, settling Fionn on top of him, his hands roaming down his mate’s back until they ended up on Fionn’s perfect bubble butt.
Taking a globe in each hand, Hunter squeezed them, loving their firm resilience.
Keeping his lips against Fionn’s, he murmured, “These are mine.”
Whimpering at Hunter’s declaration, Fionn felt his body respond to the mastery of his mate’s voice. Melting into Hunter, he relished the closeness, seeking to be one with his mate. Running the tip of his tongue along his mate’s lips, Fionn then pushed in, wanting to taste him again.
“Hunter, answer your damn phone!” Robin yelled, pounding on their bedroom door. “I’m not leaving until you do!”
The knocking echoed through Fionn’s head, interrupting his exploration of Hunter’s mouth. Finally, when he could no longer ignore it, he whispered against Hunter’s lips, “Mate, someone’s at the door.”
“Ignore it.”
“I think it’s your brother.”
“Fuck him.” Pushing his tongue into Fionn’s mouth, Hunter groaned as his mate’s tongue wrapped around his.
“If you don’t answer your phone, I’m kicking this fuckin’ door in,” Robin yelled, continuing his staccato pounding.
Approaching his brother in the hallway, Sawyer tried to make sense of the scene he’d stumbled onto. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Hunter won’t answer his phone, so I decided to get his attention this way.”
“Dude, you know he’s with his mate. You can’t fucking expect him to stop what he’s doing to take your call. If you need something, try Mase.”
“You don’t get it,” Robin said, by now pissed to the extreme.
“I promised Quin I’d make sure Hunter and Fionn appeared at the dinner thing he’s doing for them.
Look at the time, damn it! I’m pretty sure they’re not sittin’ around, showered and dressed, sippin’ a cup of tea, before they show up.
And I’m sure as shit not gonna tell Quin the dinner is off. ”
“Fuck. I see what you mean. C’mon.” Sawyer raised his fist, yelling and pounding on Hunter’s door along with Robin.
Pulling back, Fionn murmured, “Mate, now there are two of your brothers out there. Maybe something happened.”
Closing his eyes, Hunter muttered a stream of curses. “It better be an emergency or else there’ll be two less brothers for you to meet.”
Giggling, Fionn gave his mate’s nipple a quick pinch. “No way…I want as many brothers as possible.” Tilting his head, he listened, before saying, “They want you to answer your phone.”
Groaning, Hunter reached over to the nightstand. Grabbing his phone and putting it on speaker, he growled, “Robin, this better be good…or else.”
Grabbing Sawyer’s arm, Robin said, “Stop, he finally answered.”
“Robin, I’m hanging up in ten seconds,” Hunter barked.
“Hey bro, Quin arranged a special dinner tonight for you and Fionn and I’m supposed to make sure you’re there on time.”
Fionn’s eyes widened. “Oh my gods, that is so sweet.”
Muting his phone, Hunter asked, “Is that okay with you?”
“Absolutely. I can’t believe your brother did this for us.”
“That makes two of us,” Hunter muttered. Turning the speaker back on, Hunter asked Robin, “What time are we supposed to be there?”
“A half an hour from now, so go shower and get dressed. Quin has a surprise for your mate, too.”
“We’ll be ready.” Hunter said, ending the call.
“Oh my gods,” Fionn squealed, scrambling off the bed and heading to the bathroom.
“I wonder what my surprise is. He hasn’t met me so…
” his voice trailed off as he turned on the water.
Then sticking his head out the door, he shouted, “C’mon!
We can’t be late. Do you know what Quin got me?
Oh fuck…should I give him a gift back?” Getting into the shower, Fionn ducked under the water, now a bit anxious about the upcoming dinner.
Smiling, Hunter joined his mate in the shower, pressing up against Fionn’s back. Holding his mate tight to him, Hunter said, “No, you don’t need to give him a gift and no, I don’t know what he has for you.”
Back in their room, Fionn stood in the closet, trying to decide what he should wear for dinner with his mate. Rejecting his suit as too formal, his jeans as too casual, he was beginning to panic, knowing he was running out of time. I need Kieran.
Bemused, Hunter sat on the bed watching Fionn flip through his skimpy wardrobe and, when his mate went through his search routine for the fifth time, he asked, “Pet, is there a problem?”
Stopping, Fionn looked at his mate. “I don’t know what to wear on a dinner date. I never went on one before.”
Suppressing a smile, Hunter rose and, quickly selecting a pair of dress slacks and a shirt, said, “This is perfect.”
Looking at Hunter’s pick, Fionn realized it was similar to what his mate was wearing. “Do I need a tie?”
“Nope, leave the top couple of buttons open, like mine.”
After slipping into his clothes, Fionn stood in front of the mirror, examining his image, turning left then right, liking what he saw.
I need to go shopping with Ki again so he can pick out more clothes that make me look hot.
Then he said, “Thanks, mate. I look great. Now I won’t embarrass you tonight. ”
Standing behind Fionn, Hunter growled with pleasure as he gently cupped his mate’s ass with one hand. “You’ll never do that, pet. C’mon, let’s go find out what my brother’s been up to.” Then, grinning lasciviously, he added, “By the way, you look sexy as hell.
Beaming, Fionn took Hunter’s other hand, leading him to the door. Hoping it would settle his nerves, he took a deep breath and then, after letting it out, opened the door. “Hi Robin, I’m Fionn.”
“Pet, this is my brother Sawyer. Where’s Robin?” asked Hunter.
“He had something to do, so I offered to show you where you’ll be dining tonight,” Sawyer answered, pushing off from the wall he was leaning against. “Please follow me.”
Grabbing his brother’s arm, Hunter snarled, “Where are your fucking manners? Can’t you say ‘hello’ to my mate?”
Sawyer’s eyes widened, then, smirking at his brother, said “I could ask the same of you. Would you care to introduce him to me?”
Mentally kicking himself at his mistake, Hunter said, “Fionn, this is my brother Sawyer. Sawyer, my Fated Mate, Fionn.”
“Nice to meet you, Sawyer” Fionn said, shyly.
“Same here, Fionn. Welcome to the family,” Sawyer grinned, before turning and heading down the hallway.
“He’s the brother who was the troublemaker, right?” Fionn whispered.
“Yup, a pain in the ass…still is,” Hunter whispered back.
“I heard that,” grinned Sawyer, leading them outside.
Glancing at the darkened forest, Fionn followed Sawyer along a moss-covered path through the woods. The remaining daylight was quickly fading and Fionn wondered how he’d see his food. “Are we really going to eat outside?”
“It looks like it,” Hunter said. “Is that okay?”
“I never had dinner outside before,” Fionn murmured.
Hunter looked down at his mate. “If you don’t want to, we can ask Quin to move it inside.”
“Oh, no, don’t do that,” Fionn said. “I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings,”
“Pet, I can guarantee the last thing Quin would want for you to be is uncomfortable,” Hunter replied, lifting his mate’s hand to his mouth and kissing it.
“No, really, it’s okay. I was just noticing how dark it’s getting.”
Stopping abruptly, Sawyer stepped aside. Pointing ahead, he said, “Just follow the path. It ends in a clearing where Quin is waiting for you.”
Peering into the darkness, Fionn saw the path but nothing else since night now blanketed the forest. “Mate?”
Hunter stepped in front of Fionn. “C’mon pet, I’m eager to see what Quin has done for us.”
Following his mate, Fionn wondered if he should light the way with his dragon’s fire, but remembering what nearly happened to Kieran in Scotland when he’d done that, decided not to, instead, sticking close to his mate he kept his eyes on the path.
Five minutes later, Hunter rounded a bend, stopping short when he came to a clearing, bathed in the glow of lighted candle jars hanging from the branches of an ancient oak tree. Stepping aside, Hunter murmured, “Look, pet.”
Fionn’s eyes widened, trying to take in everything.
Underneath the tree sat a round table, covered with a beautiful damask table cloth on which rested a cluster of elegant candles and a large vase filled with wildflowers.
A couple of wicker chairs with white throw pillows completed the picture.
Glancing up, he marveled at the candle jars swaying in the gentle, night breeze, their flickering lights casting dancing shadows on the table, “Oh my gods!” Fionn whispered, fearful of speaking out loud lest everything disappear.
Stepping out of a shadow, Norm appeared, wearing black slacks and a white t-shirt. “Welcome to your Mating Dinner. I’ll be your waiter tonight and, if you would, please follow me.”
Smiling, Fionn walked into the clearing with Hunter.
No one had ever done anything like this for him before; his eyes began to tear up.
Quickly dashing any telltale signs of wetness away, he sat down in the chair his mate held for him, grinning as Hunter sat next to him.
Surveying the rest of the clearing, he saw a chair on a small platform in the shadows at the edge of the clearing on which someone was sitting.
Curious as to who it was, he glanced up at Norm but before he could ask, Theo appeared, wearing his chef’s jacket and hat.
“Good evening, Fi and Hunter. I have prepared a special dinner for you tonight, beginning with an appetizer of hors d’oeuvres and white wine. Please enjoy your meal.” Snapping his fingers, Theo motioned for Norm to begin serving as the first notes of music began to float through the air.
Fionn’s eyes focused on the platform and at the musician seated there, playing a guitar.
There was something familiar about him but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
Then, realizing Norm was speaking, he turned his attention to him, just in time to see his friend pouring some wine after setting down a tray filled with scrumptious looking tidbits.