“Somethin’ changed, Smokey, and he thinks you’re beating him,” posited Glenn.
“Nothin’ changed. After six fuckin’ months, I know nothin’ more than I did when I started.”
“But Panther thinks you do, which is why he wants you out of the picture. What have you done since you returned?” asked Glenn.
“I spent the time putting together a new list of possible people who might know something. I’ve been slowly contacting them one by one. Pieces of info started to dribble in and that is when I finally realized someone, other than me and his parents, must know what Kevin is.”
Suddenly it hit Glenn. “Kevin’s hiding from the Collector! That’s why you agreed so quickly when I asked for your help to go after him for what he did to my mom.”
“Yeah, well…it was perfect timing. A month ago, one of my contacts told me Panther was bragging about the big payday he was gonna get when he finally captured a shifter. I figured the asshole was hunting Kevin, intending to turn him over to someone who would pay top dollar.”
“And no one pays more than the Collector,” muttered Glenn.
“Bingo!”
~/~/~/~/~
Grinning at Hunter’s wolf, Fionn walked around him, marveling at the beautiful, black, feather wings tucked in against his sides. Reaching out a finger, he ran it over the feathers, savoring their softness. His mate’s wolf was gorgeous, far more than he ever imagined.
Chuffing, Hunter’s wolf turned his head, seeking the touch of his mate on his fur. It was the first time since their claiming that his wolf would meet his mate and his excitement was palpable. Closing his eyes, Hunter’s wolf relished Fionn’s touch, wanting his mate’s fingers buried in his fur forever.
Finally, stepping back, Fionn said, “Okay, first you have to spread your wings, then start to run as you flap them…start slow at first then speed up the movement of your wings as you run faster and before you know it, you’ll be airborne. It’s that simple. But wait until I shift so if you start to fall, I’ll be able to catch you.”
Looking askance at his mate, Hunter’s wolf followed Fionn’s instructions. Awkward in his first few attempts, his wings finally opened. Then his wolf stretched them out before flexing them several times. Turning his head from side to side, Hunter looked at his wings in amazement, comparing them to his White Knight’s wings. They were smaller, but just as powerful when he began to move them. Looking back at Fionn, Hunter stood quietly, waiting to see his mate’s dragon.
“Oh, and one more thing, my dragon will lift off without running so don’t worry if you can’t feel me behind youbecause I’ll be above you.” Then, smiling at his mate, Fionn walked over to a clearing before calling on his dragon to shift. He was always amazed at his dragon’s power when it burst forth during a shift. Looking from side to side, he stretched his wings to make sure he had the space to lift off. Then, snorting a small burst of flames at his mate, he pumped his wings vigorously, rising into the air and hovering over Hunter’s wolf, let loose a scream, calling to his mate.
Responding, Hunter’s wolf hunched up his shoulders, brought his wings up and, while taking a step and then another, began flapping his wings slowly. His paws digging into the soft earth, he threw his weight forward, gradually picking up speed as he headed down the hill. Concentrating hard on following his mate’s instructions, he beat his wings faster. And then it happened. Hunter’s paws left the ground as his powerful wings took over, lifting him up into the air.
Looking down, Hunter saw Fionn’s dragon now flying beneath him, ready to catch him if he faltered. But he knew that wasn’t going to happen. His mate was right; flying was like nothing Hunter had ever experienced before. The freedom was intoxicating—along with the sheer joy of knowing he’d always be able to be with Fionn, no matter where he was. Why Hunter ever dreaded flying was all forgotten as he and his mate spent the rest of the afternoon soaring through the air.
Chapter 16
Waking up, Alex found himself sprawled over Sawyer’s chest, clinging to him like a limpet on a rock. He’d never spent a night with someone before and was pleasantly surprised at how well he slept surrounded by his mate’s scent. Listening to his mate’s heartbeat, Alex closed his eyes again, allowing himself to be lulled into a mellow state. He realized his fear of being owned by a mate was unfounded—just idle dormitory chatter by ignorant classmates who wanted to appear knowledgeable about Fated Mates.
That was only one of his misgivings about having a mate; his other assumptions were also wrong. Time and time again, Sawyer proved to be kind, gentle, considerate, patient, funny and understanding—his list could go on and on. All were traits he never expected to find in his Fated Mate, but Sawyer possessed them all, and more. Now Alex was eager to see what the new day would bring.
“Sweetheart, whatcha thinkin’ about?”
Sawyer’s low, gravelly sleep-roughened voice caused a low moan from Alex as fire from his animals filled his body. They were impatient, not willing to wait much longer but as good as he felt with his mate, Alex simply needed more time before binding himself to another person for life. Squirming against Sawyer, he felt their hard cocks brush against each other, shooting streaks of electricity through his groin. Refusing to give in to his desire, he replied, “I’m thinking about what we should do today. Maybe the beach again…though maybe we should do something touristy.”
“Like what? do you have anything on your list you want to explore in LA?”
“La Brea Tar Pits!”
“Uhm…sure…okay…that sounds interesting.” Glancing down at his mate, Sawyer found Alex looking up at him, smiling broadly.Oh wow!He didn’t know how he’d brought that smile to his mate’s face, but whatever it was, he wanted to do it for the rest of their lives. Now fully awake, Sawyer was captivated by the sheer joy Alex exuded.
Bubbling over with happiness at his mate’s response, Alex felt the cracks in his heart heal more, overcoming some of his last reservations about claiming Sawyer. Without realizing it, he’d held his breath after announcing where he wanted to go, anticipating Sawyer would exert his Alpha power to override his choice, but it never happened, prompting Alex to finally agree with his animals—it was time to claim his mate. Levering himself up, he hovered over his mate’s face, taking in the sheer beauty he saw there. Then, lowering himself until his lips lightly brushed against Sawyer’s, he whispered, “Or we could just stay in bed and explore each other.”
Stunned, Sawyer stared at Alex. Then, he murmured, “Sweetheart, as much as I’d love that…and I really would…how about we shower, eat, then do some touristy stuff first. Then, remember the hotel I told you about?”
“The one with the bed that feels like you’re sleeping on a cloud?”
“Yeah, that one. We can check in tonight and enjoy a bed three times the size of this one, giving us lots of room to have some fun.”
“Hmm…” Alex murmured, tilting his head as if he were thinking about his mate’s offer. “Is dinner included?”
“Absolutely! You’re gonna need lots of energy.”
