Filed to story: A Claim of Fortune Book PDF Free by Jaymin Eve
“They better not throw my flowers away,” I choked out between heaving breaths as I tried desperately not to pee myself.
Finley couldn’t even speak he was laughing so hard, and when he eventually calmed, he rubbed a hand over his face. “They wouldn’t dare, but if they did, I’d kill them and then head my ass back over to Old Jim’s nursery and dig another one out.”
Oh crap. Somehow, I knew
Old Jim was not going to be happy with Finley when he found out what he’d stolen from him.
“Well, thank you for my flowers,” I said, sobering. “I’ve never been given flowers before, and that was certainly a spectacular start. And thank you for fighting your demons to be in my life.”
His chest rumbled as a heavy hand landed on his door. “Hey, Fin, you better get downstairs before Florence and Gerry send your tree through a chipper,” Kellan called, sounding amused. “I can get our omega ready. No worries.”
Finley’s sigh gusted his sweet scent over my face. “Golden missed you so much when we were gone. I suppose I can share with him since I got to sleep with you for like seven glorious hours.”
They really were glorious, and genuinely restful. For a shifter I’d initially thought was all rage and attitude, Finley had a surprisingly calm and tranquil aura.
“Let’s do it again soon,” I told him, finding myself taking the initiative to lean in for one more lingering kiss. Kellan, having exhausted his limited reserves of patience, burst into the room and bounded across to us.
He launched himself over the bed, most of his weight landing on Finley. “Brother,” the bear said, slapping his hand on Kellan’s shoulder. “Perfect timing.”
Kellan pulled away and squinted suspiciously at Finley. “Okay, I’m with Shortcake here. I think we should do a DNA test on you. I’m worried that the witches dropped a doppelganger in our midst.”
Finley scoffed as he shoved Kellan half off the bed, crawling out after him and standing all lumbersnacky in a pair of shorts. “This is just me with a full night’s sleep. You can thank Emme for my amazing mood. The fact that I’d usually be kicking your ass and I’m not, speaks of my growth as a shifter.” He sent a wink my way. “See you soon, darlin’.”
Kellan remained gobsmacked as he watched Finley wander into the bathroom, and when he turned back to me, his eyes were wide and very blue. “I never thought I’d see the day. You’re a miracle worker.”
Shaking my head, I held my arms out for him to crawl into the spot Finley had just vacated. “Nope, this is a credit to Fin’s hard work and the magic of a true mate bond. Not even a grouchy bear can fight against that forever.”
Kellan’s hands slid up under my shirt to tangle in the back of my hair as he pulled me closer. I lifted my leg to wrap over the top of his hip. “How are you feeling about this progress with Fin?” he asked me. “Are you having any worries or issues with the pace that it’s moving at? If you’re not ready to bond, you don’t need to rush. Our bear is not going anywhere. You’re literally all he talked about while we were gone.”
And there they went, reminding me how lucky I was to have this pack.
“I’ve forgiven him,” I said, knowing I truly meant it. “My connection to him has always been there. Even when I was denying my feelings, I couldn’t shove him completely from my mind. I love him, Kel, and I think we can make this work. When the goddess finds the right time for us to bond, I’m ready to take that step.”
His whole face softened as he dropped his forehead to mine. “Aw, pretty mate. I’m so happy to hear that. Fair warning, though, Finley is going to love you until you’re consumed. It can be overwhelming to be part of his life, but if it ever gets to be too much, just let him know. His comprehension of boundaries is skewed from his fucked upbringing, but he responds well to honesty.”
His words reminded me of how Finley had held me last night, as if he wanted to imprint on my very soul. Which really wasn’t a problem for me.
After my own fucked upbringing, I craved that sort of thorough and unconditional love. A love I never had to question.
In that way, Finley Thornton and I had a lot in common.
EMME
Despite his promise to help me get ready, Kellan was summoned by Hunter to haul the grill and coolers of meat and drinks into the street to start prepping for the barbeque. Everyone was expected to show up today after weeks of the event being postponed or cancelled.
I didn’t have any experience with this barbeque yet, but I was excited to see it all in action.
While Finley was in the shower, I pulled myself out of his comfortable bed, and I took a second to look around his room. From the moment I stepped foot in this house, there’d been two rooms off limits to me: Slade’s and Finley’s. I hadn’t been sure I’d ever get to see this one, and I took my time taking it all in.
The walls were white, and like all the bedrooms, there was a bank of windows along one side. Heavy curtains in the same shade of blue as my eyes blocked the outside world, and when I pulled their thick length aside, weak sunlight filtered in. It looked super chilly out there today, and if I had to guess, there was more snow on the horizon.
Leaving the curtains open, I perused the many shelves that covered the walls, ending up in a corner set up like a tattoo studio. Artwork was pinned to corkboards, and the stainless-steel tables held sealed boxes of equipment. I still had no idea what was required to tattoo shifters, and it was a relief to know I could ask Finley questions without getting my head bitten off.
Maybe I’d even ask him if he’d work on the tattoo I had brewing in the back of my mind.
Examining the sketches, his artistic talent was abundantly clear, from landscapes, dark symbols, and insanely detailed animals. There were even a few portraits, and I paused at a bear standing next to a familiar side profile, freckles dotted across her nose.
My nose.
Whoa. I blinked at this new piece of evidence that I was important to Finley. He’d drawn us staring out into the distance, expressions pensive.
We didn’t have many photos together, other than the few on my phone from the night we’d celebrated at Luxuria, and I couldn’t stop staring at his drawing. It was so much more than a photo; it was his heart on paper, and I was about to break down if I didn’t get out of here.
Tearing myself from the art corner, I focused on his shelves again. I’d have expected Finley to be minimalistic like Slade, but he was far from that. The first shelf was filled with hockey trophies-hundreds more than Kellan, as if Finley had never lost or misplaced even one. They were all shiny, not a lick of dust across them, and each had its own space to shine.
He was proud of his achievements, and I was determined not to let him give up hockey for me. No matter how hard it was for us to be apart.
The next shelf was filled with books, and I scanned the spines noting they were mostly non-fiction: Biographies, self-help, history. He appeared to enjoy reading about human wars, and I noted five or six on the art of origami. I loved that while the origami was recent, the magazines first appeared before he made the choice to fight for us. As if even back then, he couldn’t quite manage to hate me fully.
The next set of shelves had glass doors protecting the treasures inside. Everything looked old, and I guessed this held significant pieces from Finley’s childhood. There were multiple pairs of old skates, shards of pottery that had been broken and repaired with what looked like gold, and some sports memorabilia.
Along with shelf after shelf of origami, surrounding the largest paper flower I’d ever seen in my life. It must have been created using multiple differently colored papers, until it formed one massive bloom. It looked older as well, the colors fading around the edges.