Chapter 40
Ignoring the gleeful roaring of his dragon at the sight of his brother’s mating gift, Alex walked slowly toward it, wondering how Fionn got it. He’d seen a picture of it in a book about ancient Greece at his school’s library but now he was standing in front of it. Slowly stroking the back of Apollo, the gold grew warm and glowed under his fingertips, causing power to flow through them to his dragon. He realized how much his dragon had yearned for gold and finally understood why a hoard was essential to his animal’s well-being. Surfacing in Alex’s eyes, his dragon gazed upon the gift, all the more valuable since it had been chosen by his brother dragon. It was a perfect starter for his hoard, and it made him feel complete for the first time in his life.
“Do you like it?” asked Fionn.
“I love it!” exclaimed Alex, unable to stop touching it. “It feels so good.”
Grinning, Fionn said, “That’s what my dragon said.”
Looking at his brother, Alex said, “Did he help you pick it out?”
“Yup…my dragon was upset because you didn’t have a hoard.”
Turning back to the statue, Alex kept his hand on it, softly saying, “No…never did.”
“I know…Oracle told me,” Fionn replied. “Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve kept control of your dragon all these years. When our father was trying to find my hoard, my mother told me to stay away from it. My dragon, to say the least, wasn’t very happy.”
“I can see why,” Alex said. “Just this one piece has my dragon dancing for joy.”
“We’ll have to find a secret location for your hoard.”
Alex was puzzled. “I’m not sure my dragon will like that…he wants us to sleep with our gift.”
Hunter snorted. He had to hand it to his mate, Fionn was right on the mark when he picked Alex’s gift. Smirking, he looked at Sawyer. “Good thing Ki found a huge bed for the four of…or should I say…the six of you.”
Giving his brother the finger, Sawyer studied the statue, before asking, “Apollo, right?”
Alex grinned at his wolf mate. “Right…the god of gay paranormals. Did you know he’s actually bi but prefers men lovers? Usually a threesome…just like us.”
“I thought he only has one lover at a time,” said Glenn.
“Oh, no, Apollo loves fucking and the more the merrier,” Alex said, grinning.
“But he always appears with just one lover,” Glenn replied.
“That’s what makes this statue so special,” Alex replied. “I read all about it one summer. Apollo lost a bet, and as payment he agreed to pose with two of his lovers. It was the only time he did, and why almost no one knows about his fondness for fucking with two men at a time.”
“Why does he want to hide it?” asked Quin.
“Well, according to the book, other gods felt he was embarrassing them and, in order to settle the dispute, Zeus ordered Apollo to stop…at least if others could see.”
Laughing, Sawyer said, “So Apollo was forced into the proverbial closet.”
Cocking his head, Alex thought for a moment before grinning. “Yeah…I guess he was.”
“That makes this statue very rare,” Logan murmured. “Where did it come from, Fionn?”
“I inherited it from my mother,” Fionn answered. “According to her hoard records, she was given it by an uncle when she hatched.”
Swirling around, Alex leaped into his brother’s arms, hugging him tightly. “Oh. My. Gods! From your mother? Oh. My. Gods! You have no idea what that means to me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Returning Alex’s hug, Fionn grinned at his brother’s reaction to the news of the origin of the statue, putting all his doubts aside as to whether he’d chosen wisely. “You’re welcome, brother. Tomorrow, I’m gonna ask Jackson about finding a place for your hoard.”
“I don’t need that,” Alex said, letting go of his brother. “I can keep my gift in our bedroom…close to my dragon.”
Listening to Hunter trying to suppress his laughter, Sawyer groaned, finally figuring out why his brother had given him that look after dinner. Hunter knew Alex would want to keep it close to him. And when Sawyer’s wolf had agreed with Alex, it left him having to explain to Glenn why they’d have to live with it, at least for the time being.
“I don’t think that’s…” Glenn started to say.
