Glancing down at his empty plate, Colton then looked up at his mate. “Yesterday, you were quite angry with him and I couldn’t figure out why.”
Sighing, Ian scraped the last bits of food off his plate, gathering them into a little pile in an effort to delay answering. Finally, he said, “Kieran’s heart had stopped because he overdid it. Removed too much at one time and, while it’s true, he did save your mother’s life, I’d have never allowed him to do it when it could’ve cost him his life…and the life of his pup. At first, I didn’t know Mac was a doctor and, of course, I assumed he wouldn’t know who Kieran was. But when I got there, he talked about Kieran’s aura being lighter.” Ian paused, shaking his head.
“That’s when I got angry,” he continued. “You see…not everyone can see auras. It’s an ability…like your natural healing ability. Your cousin admitted he saw how black Kieran’s aura had become and yet did nothing to stop him. Then I found out he was a doctor and…I’m sorry, I know he’s your cousin, but I was furious he would risk Kieran’s life to save your mother when there wasn’t any certainty of the outcome.”
“But Kieran did save Mom.”
“Yes, he did…at least she’s alive, but Hope doesn’t want to live. You heard Dakota. And unless she finds the will todo so, I’m afraid, the prognosis is very bleak,” Ian explained.
“What can we do to help her?”
“Hope has to wake up. Her reason for living is right here… it’s you and your brothers. Until she knows that, she will continue to decline.”
“I get that,” said Colton, “but what can we do to help her wake up?”
“Nothing,” replied Ian. “The only possibility is Kieran…but I’m very hesitant about him trying again. If something happened to him or his pup…”
Colton nodded. It would devastate Logan. Then, thinking back to Ian’s reaction, he said, “It wasn’t Mac’s fault…what happened to Kieran. The only person I know who can stop him is Logan.”
Smirking, Ian replied, “Sure, let your brother think that, but I know for a fact, no one can stop Kieran when he puts his mind to something. Both Jackson and Hunter’s Alpha power combined couldn’t do it.”
“So you admit Mac isn’t responsible for what happened to Kieran?”
Standing, Ian walked around his desk, sitting down on his mate’s lap. Looping his arms around Colton’s neck, he nibbled along his mate’s jaw, before saying, “Yes, I do. And I promise to apologize to Dr. Mac Evans.”
Grinning, Colton swatted Ian’s ass. “Glad to hear that. Otherwise, I’d be forced to put you over my…”
“Oh fuck!” Mac exclaimed, entering the office just as Colton slapped Ian. “I…uh… uh…I’ll just leave the rest of my notes…uh…at the nurse’s desk,” he said, quickly backing out the door.
Looking over Ian’s shoulder, Colton saw his red-faced cousin retreat. Laughing, he turned to his mate. “Now, where was I? Oh, yes.”
Jumping up, an embarrassed Ian said, “Oh, my gods…I should go and apologize to Dr. Evans.”
Pulling Ian back down on his lap, Colton tugged him in tight. “Trust me, he’s gone. How about after he’s had his breakfast? In the meantime, you can make up to me for your crappy mood yesterday.”
Chuckling, Ian replied, “And what will it take for you to forgive me?”
Leaning forward, Colton whispered into his mate’s ear, causing Ian to grin.
~/~/~/~/~
Fionn wandered among the piles of gold coins, jewels and priceless artifacts from long ago, eating a sandwich. It had been a while since he acquired anything and it annoyed his dragon, but it was too risky; his father might have found out and been able to track him. Now, that was no longer a problem. Stopping, he picked up the green diamond he’d given to Reif, running a fingertip over the facets, feeling the fire inside that had given it life.
Soon, he would add his father’s hoard to his and, according to the list of assets the family attorney had sent to Penn, he’d become one of the richest dragons in the world. Looking thoughtfully around the cavern, Fionn made a mental note to speak with Mystia about enlarging it so he could move his inheritance here once probate was over. That couldn’t happen too soon; he’d then be free of his relatives forever. He had a new family now, one who wanted him for himself, not for his white dragon’s power or his hoard and that thought made him smile until his mate’s face crept, once again, into his mind.
Then, growing glum at the thought of the mate waiting for him back at the Blackwood Pack house, he flopped onto a gold coin pile. He was sure his mate would want him to go back east, but his friends were here, along with Jackson, the Alpha the gods and Fates had designated to protect him.So why the fuck do I need a mate?
Panicking when he first felt the bond grow between his dragon and his mate’s wolf, Fionn had slipped inside the house to hide. It was then he made the decision to go to his hoard, giving him time to sort out how he felt and…leaving my family is not an option.But what if my mate, or Jackson, or maybe both of them use their Alpha power, like they tried to do with Ki, to force me to go somewhere against my will? I’d be helpless.
“Gods, I need Ki!” Fionn shouted, his fists pounding the gold coins in frustration, but unless he went back to the pack house, it wasn’t going to happen. Standing, he headed to the gold table where he’d left his drawing pencils and sketchpad. After sitting down and finding an empty page, he picked up a pencil and began to put down his thoughts about having a mate. After twenty minutes, Fionn paused, reading his list, realizing that while he was confused about many aspects of being mated, there were three points that were very clear, giving his mind some order.
His frustration now gone, Fionn flipped back to the sketches he made yesterday. Studying the first one while lightly running his finger over his mate’s features, he wondered what it would feel like to actually touch them. Moving on to the others, he repeated his actions, trying to decide which one he liked best; each captured a different expression. In the end, he realized they were all missing something. Picking up his pencil, Fionn began a new sketch, determined this time to capture the sorrow he saw in his mate’s face.
Several hours later, he stretched, arching his back while listening to his growling stomach. Reaching for his backpack, he dug around, finding another sandwich and a bottle of water. Grabbing them, he walked over to the chair he’d built from gold bullion bars and collapsed in it. There was enough food for dinner but then he’d have to go back. Munching his food, Fionn idly thought about the options open to him, realizing he wasn’t ready to leave yet.I wonder what my mate is doing. Probably pissed he can’t find me, so he can control me.
Shaking his head, Fionn recoiled from going home to face all the drama that awaited him with his mate. It would be different if he was sure Jackson wouldn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want to do, but though he liked his Alpha, he still didn’t totally trust him.
Swallowing the rest of the water, he grinned as he reached a decision that pleased him. Resuming his work, he found himself drawing his white dragon wrapped around a large black wolf.
