Sawyer stood outside Hunter’s suite, listening to his brother’s mating howl. Chuckling, he walked towards the great room, eager to spread the word—his brother was back, safe in the arms of his mate…or should I say…safe inside of his mate.
Epilogue
Hunter awoke the next morning, finding Fionn sprawled over him, still asleep. Gently caressing his mate’s silky, smooth back, his thoughts turned to how much fun he had last night at the party Kieran threw in his honor.Shit, I can’t remember the last party I went to.Closing his eyes, he wondered how he allowed his life to become so dull, losing his ‘joie de vivre’ as his mother called it.
His mind went back to the day she died, remembering some of her last words: “I’m so sorry, sweetie, that I wasn’t stronger…that instead of carrying my burdens, I handed them over to you…but please don’t grieve for me because I’ll be with your father and we’ll be watching over all of you…just promise me you’ll find your joie de vivre again…life is too short not to enjoy it.”
After his mother’s death, all Hunter could do was grieve; the promise she extracted from him forgotten until last night. Feeling his brothers’ joy at his return was as intoxicating as the laughter, teasing and jokes that rolled on into the early morning hours. Dancing with his mate under the mirror ball Kieran had hung up—while Robin sang their love song—finally let him put his grief behind him, freeing Hunter so he could now look forward to a wonderful life with Fionn.
~/~/~/~/~
It was several days after the party when Hunter, along with Fionn and Mason, walked into a conference room for a meeting with Maximus that Penn had arranged. Dire Enterprises was interested in acquiring all the businesses Fionn inherited from his father. Why Mason had been asked to join them was a mystery, which deepened when he opened the conference room’s door and saw Steel, Slate, and his cousin Carson sitting at the conferencetable with Maximus. Nodding to everyone, he pulled out a chair for his mate, taking a seat next to him, and when everyone was settled, looked at Maximus, waiting for him to begin.
“Fionn, with your permission, Penn has forwarded all the information about the companies you wish to sell,” Maximus said, “and after going over the corporate documents, we’re interested in purchasing them all.”
“Why?” asked Fionn.
Smiling at the young dragon, Maximus said, “One of the main goals of Dire Enterprises is to provide good paying jobs for shifters. We achieve it by either investing in leading edge technology or by acquiring existing businesses. What makes your companies especially appealing is their location in France, one of the countries Dire Enterprises is not heavily invested in.”
“If you buy them, what happens to the people who are working at them?” asked Fionn. “Would you fire them…because I don’t like that idea at all.”
“Absolutely not,” replied Maximus. “It was a point my sons and I discussed, but Penn assured us your father employed only shifters; he didn’t trust humans.”
Squeezing Fionn’s thigh, Hunter asked, “What kinds of shifters? Are they all dragons?”
“No dragons. But according to Penn, there are a number of different species…some wolves, big cats…we won’t know exactly until we look at the employment records,” Maximus replied.
Placing his hand over Hunter’s, Fionn squeezed it, drawing his mate’s attention to him, seeking help since he had no idea what was coming next. “Mate?”
Hunter gave Fionn a brief nod before looking over at Maximus, “My mate is interested in selling to Dire Enterprises but I assume you first want to do a due diligence to make sure everything represented in the documents checks out.”
“Yes,” Maximus said, sliding over a copy of a document to Hunter and Fionn. “Penn prepared a Binding Heads of Agreement that gives Dire Enterprises thirty days to conduct our due diligence.”
Taking his copy, Hunter read it finding it simple, clear, and fair—everything an agreement should be—and many times wasn’t. He’d seen his share of one-sided agreements from his extensive experience as a financial advisor to investors.
Frowning, Fionn reviewed the agreement, not really understanding what it all meant. Glancing at his mate, he leaned over, whispering, “Mate, can I talk to you alone?”
“Sure,” Hunter replied. Helping Fionn up, he turned to the others and said, “We’ll be back in a few minutes…I need to consult with my mate.”
“Do you want me to come, too?” asked Mason.
“Fionn?” asked Hunter.
“Uh, sure.”
Rising, Mason joined his brother and Fionn in the hallway outside the conference room. “What’s up?”
“This,” Fionn said, waving the document Maximus gave him. “I don’t understand it…are they buying my companies or not?”
“Yes, but only if everything about them is truthfully represented. If it is, then they can’t back out…they’re legally bound to go through with the deal,” Hunter said.
“But what if they find problems?” asked Fionn. “Then they don’t have to buy the companies?”
“Technically, no, they don’t, but usually what happens is if there’s a problem…depending on what it is…they’ll give us time to fix it, like if some repairs are needed. Or they may decide to go ahead with the purchase anyway and handle it themselves, but offer less,” Hunter replied.
“So this is a good thing?” asked Fionn.
“Yeah, it is,” Hunter said. “Anyone who’s interested in buying your companies will insist on doing a due diligence just to make sure everything is on the up-and-up.”
