33. Finn #2
River waggled his brows at Chester. “Ooh, sounds stabby. Is it stabby? Our ‘urgent business’ always seems to involve a bit of murder.”
I privately resolved to never introduce River to Logan. He had a similarly unhinged vibe about him.
“Do you have Danny’s new number?” I asked. “If we can get that we can be on our way.”
“No need.” River waved his hand. “I messaged the group chat already and he’s on his way. Can I get you a drink while we wait?”
T he three of us made idle chitchat while sipping lemonade. River was very funny and had a knack for pulling Chester out of his shell.
I’d warmed to him immediately.
He was in the middle of a story involving Danny, Sebastian, and a red velvet cake when the door to the club burst open. Danny ran in, completely naked and wild eyed. “Finn? What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
Despite the reason we were there, a fierce joy lit inside of me. I strode over to him, ignoring his nudity, and pulled him into a tight hug. “Fuck, I’ve missed you, brother.”
Danny returned the hug immediately. “Okay, now you’re scaring me.”
I let him go with a chuckle. “Before we get into that, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
Gesturing for Chester to join us, I couldn’t stop the massive grin that spread across my face. “Chester, come and meet Danny.”
His cheeks were flushed as he joined us, and my arm went protectively around him once more. He kept his eyes pointedly above Danny’s collarbones. “It’s good to meet you, Danny. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Danny’s mouth popped open. It was almost comical watching the realisation dawn on his face. “Wait, are you two…?”
I nodded in confirmation. “Aye. We’re together.”
Chester didn’t have time to so much as inhale before Danny was grabbing him in a crushing hug. “This is the best fucking news.”
He released Chester, whose blush had turned scarlet. Thankfully, Danny hadn’t held on long enough for Buddy to get pissed that a very naked shifter was hugging our mate.
Our soon-to-be mate.
It was my turn to be enveloped in another hug. Danny croaked in my ear, “Seriously. I’m so fucking happy for you.”
I hugged him back with the arm not around Chester, remembering his words to me last year. His wish for me to find happiness. “Me too.”
Danny’s eyes were glassy as he finally pulled away. “As fantastic is this is, I don’t imagine it’s the only reason why you’re here.”
“It’s not,” I sighed. “Some shit’s gone down that you need to know about.”
Just then, River popped up and shoved a pair of joggers into Danny’s hands. “Put these on, for god’s sake. It’s bad enough knowing what you’re packing; we don’t need the constant reminders.”
Danny’s grin came easily as he winked at the mage. “Riley’s not complaining.”
“I bet he’s not,” River said. “I’d feel jealous if Mori wasn’t the same. ”
The door swung open again before Danny could fire a shot back. “Finn? Are you here? Is it safe to come in?”
My smile stretched wide as Riley peered around the door. Danny’s mate was a firecracker. The complete opposite to Sarah, but somehow exactly what Danny needed.
“It’s safe,” Danny said as he finished pulling on the joggers. “Come here and meet Finn’s ma—man.”
He stumbled over the word, sending me a look of apology.
“It’s okay,” I said. “We’re not mates, but Chester knows everything about us.”
“We are together though,” Chester added hastily, like he was trying to atone for earlier. “Very much so.”
Riley rushed forward, his mouth agape. “Seriously? You’re together?”
We didn’t get a chance to respond before Riley was throwing his arms around Chester. “This is so fucking awesome!”
Chester shot me an understanding look. We’d talked more about Sarah recently. About how Danny had wanted me to move on. Given how thrilled he and Riley were, they’d truly meant it.
Riley let go of Chester with a groan. “Oh my god, have you had to come down here because of the boat incident?”
“Aye,” I said. “River said there’d been a spot of bother.”
Danny shuffled on his feet as his mate whacked him on the shoulder. “See, I told you you shouldn’t have come in after me. Finn’s had to come all this way because your idiotic protectiveness got the better of you.”
“You could’ve died,” Danny muttered, in the tone of someone who’d had this argument already and lost. Several times.
“I. Am. Immortal.” Riley glared at him before turning back to us with an apologetic smile. “Now, is this the kind of conversation that requires alcohol?”
Chester and I exchanged a look. “It might be an idea.”
Riley worried at his lip as shadows crossed Danny’s face. “Let’s hit the bar and then you can tell us everything,” Riley said.
I offered Chester something stronger, but he claimed to be happy with his lemonade. The two of us returned to the table, and a few minutes later Riley and Danny joined us. When River pulled up a chair too, I shot my alpha a questioning look.
“River’s safe,” Danny said, waving a hand. “Whatever’s going on, they’ll probably end up involved somehow. Interfering fuckers.”
“It’s the demonic influence,” River explained. “They’re the worst of all supes.”
“Speaking of demons.” Danny frowned down at his phone. “It looks like Cal is stopping by. He’s got someone in Scotland he wants you to check up on.”
Chester stiffened beside me. “Who’s Cal?”
“The oldest son of Lucifer,” I said. “Why?”
He shook his head with a chuckle. “Just a weird coincidence, that’s all.”
Before I could push him further, the door opened once more and the person in question stepped inside. It had been a few decades since I’d seen Cal, but he looked just as he had then in his smartly tailored suit.
He took several clipped steps towards us before freezing. He was staring at us as if he’d seen a ghost. Then, he said the last thing I’d been expecting. “Chester?”