Sprinting down the pier to Brian’s boat, Kieran prayed to the gods to find a way to help the sea serpent. It was unfair to dump Fionn on Logan but when his spirit told him Brian was giving up, there was no other choice. Skidding to a stop, Kieran found the sea serpent on his boat slumped on a bench, his head in his hands.
Jumping aboard, Kieran knelt next to Brian, placing his palms on the sea serpent’s back to do what the gods expected of him. His hands grew hot, sucking all of Brian’s desolation from him, leaving only love in its place. When his hands cooled, Kieran sat down and, leaving one hand on Brian’s back, murmured, “Tell me why you gave up.”
“Ye canna keep on helpin’ me this way,” Brian mumbled.
“But it will buy you some time,” Kieran said.
“It’s nae going to help any. My mate will never want me.”
“I don’t believe that, Brian, not even for a second,” Kieran said.
“Well, tis the truth. Ye know what he did…sentencing me to death. I just canna figure out why he hates me so…that’s what’s hurtin’.” Raising his head, he stared at the Shaman with tear-filled eyes. “Can ye answer me that?”
Shaking his head, Kieran murmured, “No, but I don’t believe he hates you. There has to be a reason why he left before you could claim him…maybe someone interrupted him and he had to flee…or maybe he’s afraid if he stayed, you would be in danger. There has to be a reason because he’s your Fated Mate and hecan’thurt you.”
“Ay, but he did. Now I have but three days to claim him, but first I have to find him. How do ye find a mate who does nae want to be found?” Shaking his head, Brian mumbled, “It’s hopeless.”
“No it’s not. You aren’t doing this by yourself. You have all of us helping,” Kieran replied. “Brian, please, I know it looks bad but you asked for my help. Will you trust me now? Let us help you find him.”
“It’s nae going to change anything…he does nae want me.”
“Well, you won’t know unless we find him. Please, trust me?” Kieran pleaded.
The love that replaced Brian’s despair also gave him a speck of hope and, right now, he was clinging to it like a life preserver. That, and the Shaman’s belief his mate had a good reason for leaving him after the kiss, convinced him. “Ye have my trust,” he said.
Smiling, Kieran said, “Thank you. Now, ready to shift and search for your mate?”
“Naw, he’s nae here tonight. I dinna know where he is, but he will nae be comin’ here tonight,” Brian said.
“How can you be so certain?” asked Kieran.
Shrugging, Brian answered, “It’s our bond, but ‘tis weak since I have nae claimed him, yet.”
“Perfecto!” exclaimed Kieran. “Then hedidleave something behind…we can use your bond with him to find him and that’s more than we had to begin with.” Kieran studied the sea serpent before he said, “Hey, I got a great idea. Why don’t you come back to the hotel with us tonight? There’s plenty of space and tomorrow we can come up with a new plan to find your mate.”
“Naw, I’d miss my boat rockin’ me to sleep,” Brian said, “I can come down in the mornin’.”
Hearing the finality of Brian’s decision, Kieran used the hand that had remained on the sea serpent to flood him with as much love as he could. Standing, he said, “See you in the morning, then. Tomorrow we start fresh and I know we’ll find your mate.” Then, checking with his spirit, Kieran left the boat and headed back to Logan and Fionn.
Brian rose, watching the Shaman until he was out of sight and then went below. Sitting on his bunk, he stared into space; he wanted to believe his mate would never let him die…wanted to believe he’d return tomorrow to apologize for the pain he’d caused him and, to be honest with himself, wanted his mate to tell him he loved him. Giving a slight shake of his head, Brian lay down, not bothering to undress. Then concentrating on the gentle motion of his boat, he fell asleep, just as he told the Shaman he would.
~/~/~/~/~
Hiding at the edge of the woods where he could keep an eye on Brian’s boat, Kieran waited to hear from his spirit, hoping he’d done enough to save the sea serpent. Glancing down, he grimaced at how dark his aura had become with Brian’s hopelessness, yet it had become lighter than when it first entered him. Just the thought of how close to death the sea serpent was when he foundhim made him shiver—he hoped the love he gave would last until tomorrow morning. Hearing from his spirit that Brian was asleep, Kieran turned and hiked up the path to the clearing, unsure what awaited him there.
The next problem was Fionn. Trying to remember everything his Shaman taught him about white dragons, Kieran came to the conclusion Fionn was a lunar-white dragon; his scales glowed like the moon, but that also meant he had an awesome power. Which led Kieran to wonder why Fionn’s father had tried so hard to kill him, since Fionn was worth a king’s ransom, alive.
Unless he didn’t know!But how could that be?Then suddenly it made sense: Fionn’s uncle knew—somehowheknew—and that’s why he was trying to get custody. When all the pieces fell into place, Kieran began to run, knowing he had to get to Logan quickly so they could get Fionn somewhere safe. Stumbling over a tangle of tree roots in his race to get to the clearing, Kieran began to fall. Just before hitting the ground, two strong hands grabbed him.
Chapter 11
“PUT ME DOWN!” Kieran screamed, flailing about, trying to break free of his captor. “LOGAN! HELP ME!”
“Babe, stop it,” Logan growled, setting Kieran on his feet. “Look at me, you’re safe.”
No longer restrained, Kieran brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking up at his mate. “You grabbed me? You did it again! Scared me witless!”
“Sorry, babe. I heard you coming so I went to meet you and saw you trip. I knew you wouldn’t want to mar your gorgeous face, so I caught you.”
