Mason heard Hunter inhale sharply and hold his breath while waiting for the answer. He smiled. Leave it to Quin to ask the question neither of them would.
“He must still be upstairs,” Theo said.
“No he’s not,” replied Kieran. “His room was empty.”
“But he was there this morning. I heard the shower when I left my bedroom,” Theo said.
Quickly glancing at Hunter, Jackson saw the gleaming of his cousin’s wolf in his eyes at the news Fionn was back and, wanting to forestall any problems asked, “Are you sure, Theo, it was Fionn?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Theo said, “Yeah, I mean, who else would it be?”
“Theo’s right,” Logan said. “It was Fionn because I picked up a fresh scent of him in his room when we stopped there before coming down here.”
“Kieran,” Jackson said, “would you please check to see if he’s here now?”
Nodding, Kieran asked his spirit to find Fi, his eyes widening when he learned where his friend was and why he’d left. Staring at Hunter, Kieran saw the worry in his face and the fear of rejection in his eyes. Knowing the cause, he ran to him, hugging Hunter while whispering, “Fi is safe and hewillcome back to you. He just needs a little more time to sort everything out.”
Chapter 14
Startled by Kieran’s actions, Hunter quickly looked at Logan, expecting his cousin to shift and attack him for accepting his mate’s hug; his brothers had quickly closed ranks around him, ready to protect and defend him. But instead, Logan remained standing there, relaxed and smiling as he watched Kieran hug Hunter. Then Hunter felt tranquility wash over him, but whether it was from Kieran’s assurances, or something else the Shaman was doing to him, he wasn’t sure. His wolf, though, was relaxed for the first time since he scented his mate. “My wolf thinks Fionn’s in danger,” Hunter whispered.
Shaking his head, Kieran replied, “No, he’s safe.” Then, removing his hands from Hunter, he turned to Jackson and said, “Fionn is at his hoard.”
Watching his cousin closely, Jackson was relieved Kieran had calmed Hunter, easing his concern about Hunter’s control of his wolf. Not knowing what to expect, he’d asked Mystia to watch the pups this morning—to keep them out of harm’s way should Hunter still be at odds with his wolf about Fionn not returning. Smiling at Kieran, he asked, “Do you know when Fionn will be home?”
“Not exactly,” Kieran grinned, “but I know he’ll be back.”
Nodding, Jackson said, “C’mon everyone, time to eat. By the smell of it Theo and Steel have cooked up a great breakfast.”
~/~/~/~/~
Hunter wasn’t sure how it happened, but he found himself sitting between Jackson and Steel at the breakfast table while Quin was sandwiched between Kieran andTheo; the rest of his brothers were interspersed among the pack members. He was pretty sure it was by design and not some random happenstance since he ended up with the two most powerful shifters in the pack bookending him—not that he could blame Jackson for arranging it that way, the Alpha knew firsthand about Hunter’s pissed off wolf.
Speaking of which, when he checked on his wolf before digging into his breakfast, he saw him curled up and sleeping peacefully. Hunter glanced over at Kieran, wondering if he’d also calmed his wolf. Regardless of what his brothers might believe—if he ever told them—he knew something happened when Kieran put his hands on his back; he’d felt the penetrating heat emanating from them. Frowning slightly, Hunter remembered the reaction from Logan and Jackson when Kieran touched him.Huh, not a fucking reaction from any of my cousins…like this is a common occurrence. Shit!I have to talk to Mac about what Kieran did with Aunt Hope yesterday…something about removing negative feelings…I think that was it.Is that what he did to me?
Picking up a slice of bacon, Hunter chewed on it, feeling Jackson’s Alpha power surrounding him, but not as overwhelming as yesterday—more like a soft blanket, cocooning him, adding to the sense of calm Kieran gave him. Glancing sideways at his cousin, he wondered how Jackson learned to do that; it was a neat trick, something he never knew was possible. Mentally rolling his eyes, he added that to his list of unanswered questions about the Blackwood Pack. Hunter’s gut was telling him his cousin was hiding a lot more, but he couldn’t figure out why.
Out of habit Hunter’s gaze searched out his brothers, making sure they were okay, something he’d done since childhood. He saw Sawyer engaged in a discussion withZane who was a…that’s right, a computer nerd. He then heard his brother mention his favorite game and Hunter smirked. He’d bet anything that by the end of the meal, Sawyer would have issued a challenge to Zane.
He glanced at Mason who was speaking with one of the triplets…ah, yes, Carson.That cousin was an enigma, so he was curious as to what they were talking about; he’d ask his brother later. Seeking out Robin, he wasn’t surprised to find him jotting down notes in his ever-present notebook.Probably more song lyrics.
“Hunter?”
Hearing his name, Hunter looked up at Jackson. “What?”
“Steel asked you a question.”
“I’m sorry,” Hunter said, looking at Jackson’s mate. “I was deep in thought.”
“I understand. I wondered what you do?” asked Steel.
“Oh, I’m in finance.”
“Like a financial advisor?” asked Steel.
“Not exactly. My company does investment management, trust services, financial and estate planning for a select clientele,” Hunter replied.
“What’s the name of your company?” asked Jackson.
