Kieran beamed as Logan groaned. “Just don’t shift in the suite!” he said quietly, as laughter filled the car.
~/~/~/~/~
Colton felt their car slow down, then stop. Ian’s head was on his chest and from his tiny snores, he knew his mate was sleeping. Captain Crannach had asked them to return with any news so here they were but he felt there was a reason other than to discuss Fionn’s rescue. Gently shaking Ian, he murmured, “Wake up, babe. We’re here.”
Refusing to give up the world of sleep, Ian ignored his mate, squeezing his eyes tight. He’d been so tired lately and never seemed to get enough sleep which had him worried. So far, he’d been able to hide it from Colton and he hoped to speak about it to his mother before his mate picked up on it. As Colton continued his efforts, Ianslowly gave up and opened his eyes. “I’m awake, babe. Let’s get this over with so we can get on our way.”
They were standing on the dock next to the sightseeing boat, when the Captain came up from below. It had been a long day, and Colton wondered if they couldn’t have waited until tomorrow, but after searching the rugged face in front of him he got a feeling that whatever the Captain had to say would change their lives.
Once on board and down below out of the weather, Colton informed the Captain about Fionn’s status and the High Council’s temporary guardianship order. After receiving the Captain’s thanks, Ian got up to leave.
“Your Majesty, might I have a minute of your time?”
Sitting in his chair again, Ian said, “Sure.”
But Colton interjected before the Captain could speak, “I’ve been wondering how you knew who my mate was? I figure you were around when his father was alive, but Ian hasn’t been in Scotland since he was a child.”
“Aye, but he’s the spittin’ image of the King…I would have known him anywhere.”
“Wow! I didn’t know that! Thank you so much! I was wondering what my parents looked like,” exclaimed Ian.
“Aye, but I can see yer tired, Your Majesty, so I’ll make this brief. Do ye plan on meeting with your subjects while you are here?”
Chapter 41
Ian shook his head, sure he hadn’t heard the Captain correctly.My subjects? What in the world is he talking about?He grabbed Colton’s hand, hoping his mate got his mind message and began to think of other questions.There are other Scottish Wolf Shifters? Why didn’t Oracle tell me this?Feeling an answering squeeze from his mate, Ian sighed and leaned against Colton for support.Wait till I tell my parents!
“Who are you referring to as Ian’s subjects?” asked Colton. “We were told all Scottish Wolf shifters had been killed by humans long ago.”
“Aye, I know. I helped spread the story among humans, but a number of shifters hid in the far reaches of Scotland, the most rugged and hostile area in the Highlands. They planned to stay there until it was safe to return to their homes but by the time that happened, there weren’t any homes to come back to, so they decided to stay put and make a new life for themselves.”
“How many are we talking about?” asked Colton.
“Maybe two hundred or so.”
Two hundred Scottish Wolf shifters? Fucking two hundred? How the fuck didn’t anyone know about this?Colton stared at the Captain. When he found his voice, he asked, “How come no one knew about them? How could they keep their existence a secret all these years?”
“With the help of me and a few other shifters. When more humans joined in killing the wolf shifters, the King had his guards gather up as many of his subjects as they could and they escorted them to the one spot in Scotland shunned by humans, because it was harsh and desolate. The King was hoping to make peace with the humans andthen bring his subjects back but that never happened. Instead, he and all his guards were killed.”
“How have they survived?” asked Ian, still astounded that he and his parents were not the last Scottish Wolf Shifters.
“Well, it’s been tough, but so are they. I take supplies up to them a couple times a month and if ye want to meet them, my next run will be in a week.”
“Very much so,” Ian said, before asking Colton, “You don’t mind, do you babe?”
“That sounds fantastic. Let’s go meet your people. But in the meantime, if you don’t mind Captain, I need to take Ian back to the hotel, so he can get some sleep,” said Colton.
“Aye, ye have to look after the bairn yer going to have. Come see me early next week and we can sort everything out.”
“Thank you, Captain, I appreciate that. C’mon babe, time to go,” Colton said as he helped Ian up. Keeping his arm around his mate, they headed for the car and, once inside, Colton set Ian on his lap, hugging him close, while giving instructions to the driver. Soon, the darkness of the night enveloped them, and Colton felt his mate slip into sleep again. Worried about how tired Ian was these days, he vowed to do some research tonight after his mate had eaten and gone to bed.
~/~/~/~/~
Leaning back against his mate in the giant spa tub filled with bubbles, Kieran was singing some old Irish drinking songs because Logan had begged him for more of them after hearingSeven Drunken Nightsin the Irish country pub. Some were silly, some were bawdy, especially whenhe changed the words to reflect sex between two men, and some were rousing, but it didn’t matter, Logan loved them all.
As he sung, he piled bubbles on his head, made a bubble beard, raised his leg and coated it with bubbles, and ran his hands slowly from his toes to his thighs, teasing his mate until Logan grabbed Kieran’s cock, pumping and stroking it until it was primed to come. When his mate removed his hand, Kieran whimpered and cried out in frustration, not believing his mate was denying him his orgasm.
“We’ll finish this in bed, hot stuff,” growled Logan, rising and lifting Kieran out of the tub before drying him with a soft bath towel after which he dried himself. Then Logan scooped up his mate, carrying him to the bed, setting him down in the center. Logan knew he was tired from the enormous energy he’d expended on Fionn, so all he planned to do was jerk his mate off before they got some rest. Seeing Kieran yawn, he knew he was on the right track. “I’ll be right back,” Logan murmured, intending to get a wet wash cloth ahead of time so he could clean up afterwards. When he got back, he chuckled; his hand job would have to wait; his mate was sound asleep. Crawling into bed and pulling Kieran to his chest, he flicked off the nightstand lamp and buried his nose in his mate’s hair, desiring to smell him one more time before he fell asleep.
