Chuckling, Hunter calmly watched his mate extinguish the flames—something he was used to when his mate got overly agitated. “Pet,” he said softly, “Mac told me it might speed the process if you were surrounded by gold, so why don’t you lie down on that pile of coins over there so I can bury you in it.”
“My dragon will love it.”
“I’m counting on it. Now, c’mon.” Hunter took care of his mate for the rest of the day, holding bottled water to Fionn’s lips so he could drink, feeding him small bits of food, singing softly, telling him stories about the mischief his brothers got into—anything to distract him from his embarrassment. When the flames began to diminish and occur further apart, Fionn asked his mate to join him under the gold and Hunter happily complied. Finally, the young dragon fell asleep, the pain gone, his hangover ended. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hunter lay there quietly, waiting for his mate to wake up so they could return to France.
~/~/~/~/~
Once out of the portal, Fionn led Hunter over to the living room sofa, pushing him down before climbing into his mate’s lap. Cupping Hunter’s face, he said, “Thank you mate, for taking care of me. I love you so much!” Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against the ones he’d craved all day, hungering to kiss them, but afraid he’d scorch them, instead.
Grasping his mate’s hips, Hunter held Fionn in place while his teeth bit his mate’s lower lip. Then, letting it go, he growled, “I’ll always take care of you, pet, because you mean more to me than anything else in the world.”
Grinning, Fionn wiggled his ass over Hunter’s hard cock. “Mate, are you ready for me to use the cock ring?”
Before Hunter could answer, they were interrupted by a knock on the front door. “Fuck!”
“Let’s ignore it, mate,” Fionn giggled. “They can come back later after you make me come three times.”
“Hunter, I know you’re back!” shouted Carson. “Open up, we have to talk! It’s about Fionn!”
“Me?” squeaked Fionn. “What about me?”
“I don’t know pet, but let’s find out,” Hunter replied, lifting his mate off his lap. “Stay here till I see what it’s all about.”
Curling up in the corner of the sofa, Fionn watched his mate stride over to the front door, knowing whatever Carson had to say probably wouldn’t be good. Quaking in fear—the same fear he felt whenever his uncle was nearby—Fionn extended his claws, digging them into his palms in an effort to stop the trembling that had suddenly overtaken his body.
Opening the door, Hunter growled, “This had better be important.”
“It is,” Carson replied, leading Remy into the cottage. “Where’s Fionn?”
“Follow me,” Hunter said. Turning, he walked back into the living room, upset when he saw the state his mate was in. Rushing to Fionn, he lifted him up, cuddling him close to his chest, giving him several kisses on the top of his head before sitting down with him. “Pet, what is it?” Hunter asked, taking one of Fionn’s hands in his, alarmed when he saw the blood dripping from the punctures dotting his palm.
“My uncle is dead, right? I saw him…you killed him, right?” asked Fionn, his voice quivering.
“Yes, he is,” murmured Hunter, soothingly. “He can’t hurt you anymore.” Flooding his mate with his Alpha pheromones, he waited until Fionn calmed down. Looking up at his cousin, he asked, “What’s this about my mate?”
“Someone’s been committing acts of sabotage at the winery and the other companies. It started after Fionn’s father died,” explained Carson.
“So, you think these are somehow tied to my mate?” asked Hunter.
“Not think…knowthey are. Eideard MacDùghlas hired two witches to do it. The most recent one occurred the morning we arrived in Paris,” Carson said.
“Can’t be…MacDùghlas was dead,” Hunter growled, feeling a shiver go through his mate.
“But his son isn’t,” Carson said. “After his father died, his son, Niall, took over and ordered the witches to continue.”
Hearing his cousin’s name, Fionn looked up at Carson. “Why the fuck is my cousin doing it?”
“I don’t know…we were hoping you could tell us,” Carson replied.
Shrugging, Fionn said, “I have no idea…I never met him or even saw a picture of him. When I was very young and sick, my mother told me my father was going to name my cousin his heir but, for some reason, he never did.”
“Your uncle Eideard was here quite a bit,” said Remy, “always trying to order me around. I usually ignored him and he’d tell me to make sure I had my bags packed, because he was the boss’s heir and when Artur died and he became owner, he was going to fire me.”
“He wasnevermy father’s heir,” said Fionn, emphatically. “If he had been, my uncle would have had to file my father’s will with probate court and Penn would have found it.”
“You’re right,” said Hunter, “but maybe he was trying to force you to sell to him at a cheap price.”
“And you think that’s the reason my cousin is doing this?” asked Fionn.
