“Finding out where Robin is,” Quin replied, typing out a message to Mason. “Do you know which of Red Force’s songs Fionn likes?”
“Why?” asked Norm.
“Because Robin’s stage name is Red Force.”
“Fantastico!” exclaimed Kieran,
“Yes,” said Quin, “and I’m going to ask him if he’d give a performance just for them and write them a love song to go with it.”
“Oh my gods!” Theo exclaimed, “I can make them a romantic dinner to have while your brother is singing to them.”
“And I know a special place where we can set it up,” Kieran said, clasping his hands to his heart. “Oh my, this is so romantic, Fionn can’t help but fall in love with Hunter, oh, we need some flowers and maybe some lights in the trees. Oh, I know, we can make these glass candle holders and hang them from the branches, so they’ll look like fireflies and then set up the table under them. That’s the bestest idea ever, don’t you agree? Are you sure your brother can write a love song fast enough because I know Fionn’s coming home soon and we don’t want to give Hunter any time to mess it up.”
“I know he can,” Quin replied, reading an answer to his text. “Mase says Robin’s in his bedroom.” Looking up at his friends, he asked, “Who knows where that is?”
“He’s in the south wing on the first floor,” Norm said, “but I don’t know which room is his.”
“Steel would,” Theo said. “We can ask him.”
“This is so exciting!” Quin exclaimed. “Hunt is going to be so thankful for our help!”
“C’mon, Love Queens, we have a lot to do,” Kieran said.
~/~/~/~/~
Standing next to his mom’s bed, Jackson gently leaned down, kissing her cheek. She looked older than he remembered; the deep lines on her face, no doubt, the result of that night she lost everything. “Mama,” Jackson murmured, “I have so much to tell you…I really need you to wake up. Me, Logan, the triplets, Kota and Zane…we survived Mama and are waiting for you to come back to us.” Grasping her pale, fragile hand resting on the bed, Jackson brought it to his lips, kissing it, wishing he had the power to make her world whole again. Tears veiled his eyes as he remembered his heart shattering when they found out about the massacre. The loss of his parents was sad enough, but what really devastated him were thoughts of his younger siblings eagerly anticipating their trip to Disneyland with him—a trip they’d never make.
Now, through some weird twist of fate, their mother had survived, coming back to him and his brothers. But the cruelty of it was it made him feel as if he’d just lost his younger siblings all over again. Sinking into the chair next to his mother’s bed, his grief was rekindled. His memories of the Long Night Moon Festival—when the pups opened the envelope and found his gift—tore through him like a chill wind and he began to cry. The excitement on their faces, the squabbling over what they would see first, the ribbing his older brothers gave him for wanting to go to Disneyland—these flashbacks were now just too much to bear.
His mother was going to come along to help him manage the over-excited pups on their first trip into the world they’d eventually be part of. But not anymore. Josiah had stolen it from them. His sisters would now be entering their teens and he’d looked forward to playing the big brother; checking out their boyfriends, warning them to treat his sisters with respect—or else.
Staring at his mother, he, more than any of his brothers, felt her sorrow at losing her pups. He was more their dad than just a brother, especially when pack business took their father away from home. Picturing his mother sitting on his cousin’s back porch day after day, staring into the woods, waiting for her pups to come home to her just shattered his heart.
Wiping his tears away, Jackson began, “Mama, I know you’ll find this hard to believe but I have a pup, Daniel. Wait till you meet him...so bright and clever…he’s already talking and standing up…and gets into everything. Last week, I found him in our bathroom, his face covered with shaving cream. I called Steel, my mate…you’ll like him…to clean up the mess. He’s so good with our son, mama.
“Now, I know you’re wondering how I had a pup…maybe thinking you’re hearing things, but no, it’s true. But before I tell you how it happened, let me tell you how I met my Fated Mate. I’d gone to my lawyer’s office and was driving home when…”
~/~/~/~/~
Quin stood outside Robin’s door, listening to his brother’s voice as he sang one of his songs. Looking over his shoulder at the other Love Queens, he grinned. “That’s one of his hits.”
“That’s the one Fi played over and over,” Norm said. “Drove me nuts.”
“Fi told me it helped get him through tough times,” Theo said.
“Uhmm, do you think the song has bad memories for him?” asked Quin.
“Good point,” Kieran said. “That wouldn’t be good if Fi is sitting there, listening to a song that makes him sad, cause then he might blame Hunter and that’s not good at all because then Fi isn’t looking at his mate with adoring eyes which is what he should be doing when Hunter woos him.”
“Maybe when he comes home, we can check the playlists on his phone and see which of Robin’s songs he has,” suggested Quin.
“Ki can do that!” exclaimed Theo.
“Absolument!” Kieran said.
Smiling, Quin turned back, raising his hand to knock when the door suddenly swung open, causing him to squeak in surprise.
“Quin, I thought I heard your voice,” Robin said. “What are you and your friends doing here?”
