Slate was overwhelmed with happiness. “I’m honored that you want to have pups with me but I disagree with your statement about not being brave. Last night, just before I fell asleep, I remember thinking you are the bravest person I know.”
“You make me brave,” Dakota said, softly.
Chapter 16
Oh my gods, I make him brave!Slate was bowled over by Dakota’s simple declaration. In those four words, Dakota had given him the greatest gift of Slate’s life—trust—something he promised to himself he’d never take for granted. “Thank you, babe,” Slate said, his voice filled with emotion. Pulling Dakota close to him, he rested his chin on his mate’s head, loving the skin to skin contact of their chests. Last night, it was a mutual decision to wear pajama pants to bed but the flimsy pants did nothing to hide Slate’s erection. Disregarding that need, he concentrated on the feeling of contentment he felt with his mate in his arms.
Slate never felt this way before, never experienced the feeling that all was right with his world. Thinking back to his childhood, he realized it was what had been missing. Now, Slate could understand why shifters so badly wanted to find their Fated Mates—the way he felt right now was something no one ever told him would happen.
Deeply inhaling Slate’s unique scent, Dakota was floating in a sea of need as his body reacted to his mate. No longer in doubt about wanting a mate, he yearned to be claimed with a ferocity he never anticipated. Yesterday, Slate’s reaction to Dakota’s curse was a surprise and gave him hope that there was someone who could understand him when everything spun out of control, someone who didn’t think he was a freak, someone who would see something of value in him when he was unable to, someone who would love him when he found it hard to love himself, someone to pick up the pieces of him and put him back together when his curse broke him into fragments. Overjoyed with the decisionhe made, Dakota murmured, “If you still want to claim me after knowing what I am, I’m yours.”
Dakota’s voice was so low Slate needed his wolf’s hearing to catch what was said, those words sending shivers of joy through his body. He heard his wolf howl his mating call; then Slate’s blood began to boil as he prepared to claim his mate until… his promise to his mother reared up, reminding him his mate had to speak with her before he could claim him. Hoping Dakota would understand, he said, “Babe, you are perfect just the way you are and I’m beyond happy to have you as my mate. But as much as I would love to claim you right now, I promised my mother not to do so until she spoke with you.”
Dakota gave a small giggle when he saw the unhappy look on his mate’s face. “Can we do that right away? It won’t take long because I already know what she’s going to say.”
“Good idea!” Slate grinned. “Right now, she’s probably having her first cup of coffee.”
“Fantastic!” Dakota said, scrambling out of Slate’s arms and bouncing out of bed. “Jackson said your mother is cooking this morning, so if we hurry, we can talk to her right away. C’mon! Otherwise, we won’t have a chance until after breakfast and if you haven’t guessed, now that I made up my mind, I’m in a hurry for us to begin our lives together.” Then realizing he only had the sweatpants from yesterday, added, “I’m heading to my room to get my clothes so at least I’m not sitting and listening to your mother half naked. Meet me there?”
“Sure, give me five,” Slate said as he rolled out of bed, eager to get dressed and get this talk over with so the claiming could begin.
~/~/~/~/~
Kieran was sitting on Logan’s lap in the living room of Theo and Norman’s hotel suite in Edinburgh explaining everything on the list that Fionn absolutely must have when Logan’s phone dinged. Shifting his mate slightly, he pulled the phone from his pocket and read the incoming text from Jackson telling him Mystia would be there in a few minutes. The lack of detail in the text told Logan his brother had realized the risk to the young dragon’s life.
“What’s the matter,macushla?” Kieran asked, after feeling his mate’s body stiffen.
“Mystia will be here shortly to help Fionn with his hoard,” Logan replied.
“Good, but why are you worried about that?”
Not wanting to disclose the details of the death threat to Fionn, he said, “Jackson didn’t tell me what Mystia is going to do so I’m hoping it’ll be all right with Fionn.”
“Of course it will be,” Kieran assured him, calling to Fionn who was in his bedroom sorting through his stuff with Theo and Norman’s help.
As they all entered the room, Theo asked, “Yo, sup?”
“Sup?” Logan looked at Theo, puzzled.
“Yeah, you know…sup?”
“I think my mate needs more information,” Kieran said, then in a stage whisper, giggled, “Heisolder, you know.”
“Older? Really? Maybe I need to cut out some nighttime activity so this older mate can get more sleep.” Logan teased.
Kieran’s eyes widened as he realized what Logan was referring to. “No, that won’t help at all, macushla.I thinkif you didmore‘nighttime activity’ it would keep you young like me. We can start tonight…I have lots of ideas we haven’t even tried, like bonda…”
Logan clapped his hand over his mate’s mouth, then looked at Theo, “What does ‘sup’ mean?”
Giggling at his friend trying to pull Logan’s hand away from his mouth, Theo said, “It’s slang for ‘what’s up’. See…sup! Fionn has been teaching us some slang. Isn’t it cool?”
Not letting an opportunity go to waste, Kieran’s tongue was busy licking the hand covering his mouth, hoping to excite him. Logan chuckled, pulling his hand away, knowing what his mate was trying to do. Giving a pinch to Kieran’s nipple, Logan whispered in his mate’s ear, “Later, babe, and then we’ll see who calls it quits first.” Turning to Fionn, he said, “Mystia will be here shortly to help you with your hoard.”
“Who’s Mystia?” asked Fionn.
“Ooohh, she is this really cool witch who’s married to a wolf shifter. You’ll really like her,” said Theo.
“But can I trust her?” asked Fionn.
