~/~/~/~/~
Drying off after his shower, Brian dressed and, slipping his phone into his pocket, left the boat, and strolled to his favorite place to eat breakfast. It wasn’t something he did often, preferring his own cooking, but Millie’s was a close second, though the best thing about it was it was open 24/7. Saying hello to the few people who were out this early in the morning, he arrived at the restaurant and sat at his usual table in the back so he could keep an eye on who showed up.
After placing his order, he glanced around, lifting his hand to acknowledge the few customers he knew. Then, hanging out his imaginary ‘do not disturb’ sign, hereached into his pocket for his phone, to check his boat tour bookings for the next several days.After that it won’t matter.Turning on his phone, a message alert ding sounded; it was from Morgan. Opening and reading it quickly, he was so shocked, the phone slipped from his hands. Morgan had found his mate!Unfuckingbelievable!Retrieving his phone, he quickly scrolled through the photos his friend had included and, to his surprise, noticed his mate wasn’t a young man. Studying him, Brian saw dark, tousled hair on top, tapering to closely-clipped gray at his mate’s temples, gorgeous eyes and a perfect nose above beautiful lips, tilted up in a smirk. Both Brian and his sea serpent reacted immediately. Brian’s cock grew instantly hard, while his sea serpent stretched out full length, showcasing his body to their mate.
Setting down his breakfast food, Millie asked, “More coffee?”
Brian never heard the question. Focusing entirely on his mate, he was overwhelmed at the beauty he found in the photos. Millie nudged his shoulder. Looking up, he almost expected to see his mate; instead saw a hint of worry in Millie’s face.
“Did you want any more coffee,” Millie asked again, pointing to his empty cup.
“Sorry, sure, I definitely need my caffeine fix this mornin’,” Brian replied, setting his phone down next to his plate, making sure he’d be able to see his mate’s picture as he ate.
~/~/~/~/~
After their shower, Logan sat at the breakfast table, scanning the local papers while waiting for his mate to finish dressing. After the incident with his dragon lastnight, he wanted to make sure there’d been no reports to the authorities. After reading the last page, Logan folded the paper, relieved to have found nothing. Looking up, his mouth dropped open at what he saw; his lips tilted up in a roguish smile when he noticed the look in Kieran’s eyes.My mate wants to play.
“I’m ready,macushla,” Kieran said, advancing on his mate with merriment in his eyes.
Logan felt the blood leave his head, rushing south, making his cock harder then he could ever remember. Keeping his eyes on Kieran, he reached down, curling his hand around the part of him fighting to escape.Holy fucking shit! How the hell will I be able to think when he’s wearing that?
Kieran’s breath hitched when he saw the fire in Logan’s eyes—it was igniting his body with lust and neediness; he wanted his mate to take him again. Palming his cock, Kieran threw a sly grin at Logan. “You like?”
How the fuck could I not like it?Logan’s eyes dropped to Kieran’s cock, narrowing his eyes as he watched it being fondled by his mate’s hand. Studying his mate’s black jeans, he could swear they were painted on since every asset of his mate was clearly visible. Tearing his eyes away from Kieran’s nether regions, he slowly raised them, only to confront a black, skin-tight t-shirt, fashionably ripped in select places, exposing glimpses of his mate’s Irish, soft skin that Logan’s fingers just itched to touch.
Growling, his wolf appearing in his eyes, Logan advanced on his mate, intent on stalking and capturing his prey.
Kieran smirked as he slowly rubbed his cock. It had been a while since he was fucked rough and hard and hemissed it, but now Logan’s wolf had taken the bait and he couldn’t wait to be captured.
~/~/~/~/~
After paying the check, Brian meandered through the neighborhood, passing time until it was late enough to leave for Edinburgh. Not paying attention to anyone, his mind was focused on his mate and how to find him. He prayed the Shaman would work a miracle so Brian could claim him. Even if his mate didn’t want to stay around, at least he wouldn’t die, but how his sea serpent would handle it was anyone’s guess.
Rubbing his chest as he tried to ease the sharp pain settling in from that thought, Brian grimaced. Forcing his mind to concentrate, he suddenly had an idea and wondered if Morgan had already checked it out. With a sliver of hope now in his heart, Brian strode to the marina to get his car, eager to see his friend.
~/~/~/~/~
Reif rubbed the tiredness from his eyes after a night of searching the online sources each paranormal library offered, except for the one connected to the Church of the Four Gods. After trying to access it several times, he found that the Universal Paranormal High Council had closed it temporarily, without any details as to why. Leaning back, he closed his eyes, thinking about his options for further searching.
Dammit, if only I was back home, I could search our library.But with time running out, a trip back home was out of the question as was a trip to Italy to visit the shuttered library. Having found nothing during his search, it looked like his only viable option was to confide in his father, hoping none of the other elders would find out. Clearing his browsing history, Reif shutdown his laptop and, making sure no one was around to spy on him, hid it under a loose floorboard before covering the spot with a throw rug.
After what he’d come home to last night, it was obvious the man had searched his documents and his other computer, probably checking to see if he was being double crossed. But there was no reason for him to be suspicious; Reif was committed to buying his people’s freedom and that couldn’t happen fast enough. Standing, he stretched out his cramped limbs and then headed for the shower, after which he’d feed his growling stomach.
~/~/~/~/~
The man was hidden in the early morning shadows that would soon be gone when the sun rose higher in the sky. But for now, he was safe from prying eyes. Waiting for time to pass was the thing he hated most about this mission that required keeping tabs on what Reif did and where he went. Shifting his position, he caught a scent wafting through the air. Peering out, he saw the sea serpent walking toward him. Quickly fading back into the shadows, the man ran his tongue over a familiar scent, rolling it around in his mouth as he tried to place it.
The scent grew stronger as the sea serpent passed within a few feet of him and, extending his tongue, he scooped up more of it until he finally determined who it belonged to. Narrowing his eyes, he pondered this new development, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together only to find they resisted falling into place. Deciding he needed more information, he vanished, leaving his tell-tale smoke wisp behind.
Materializing in the bushes along the front door of Reif’s cottage, the man waited, hoping he’d discover if Reif had been claimed. He’d give odds Reif had rejected his mate.It’s the only logical explanation why Reif is allowing hismate to walk around unprotected.Shrinking back as the front door suddenly opened, the man’s tongue emerged, grabbing a whiff of Reif, who unknowingly passed by him.
The evil grin that spread on the man’s face after finding out his hunch was correct, would have sent shivers down Reif’s spine had he seen it, and made him wonder who the man was planning to attack next. Watching Reif leave the cottage, the man contemplated how this new information could be used. Then, making a decision, he grinned again before vanishing.
Chapter 15
Hoping Morgan would be up, Brian knocked several times on the back door of the Wolf Pack Pub. Backing up a step when the door opened, he found himself looking at an irate face, sleep still clinging to it. Ignoring that he’d awakened his friend, Brian asked, “Do ye know the name of the shifter?”
Looking bleary-eyed at Brian, Morgan growled, “Good morning to you, too, asshole.”
