Catching a Bit of Irish

Out of the Cage: A bit of Irish magic isn’t

always a good thing!

Frederick Reb Drunger is accompanying his

alpha and the alpha’s mate on vacation. He’s one
of the wolves charged with protecting them while
they  all  enjoy  the  sights  of  Ireland.  He  never
expects to discover his mate is a human friend of
the local Irish pack. That should make him easy to
claim,  since  Daithi  Murphy  knows  all  about
shifters.  Except  Daithi  already  has  a  boyfriend,
Evan,  who’s  extremely  possessive  and  not  at  all
happy  when  Reb  wants  to  get  to  know  his  mate.
When an Irish goblin targets Reb, can he find the
culprit behind the attacks and convince Daithi it’s
worth uprooting his life and moving to Colorado
with him?

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Catching a Bit of Irish

Charlie Richards

ISBN: 978-1-77111-331-1

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Catching a Bit of Irish

Wolves of Stone Ridge: Book

Thirteen

Charlie Richards

Chapter One

rederick Drunger, Reb to his friends, had the
bottle of beer halfway to his lips when he

spotted  the  muscular  man  across  the  clearing.
There  wasn’t  anything  very  spectacular  about
him. From this distance, Reb guessed he stood just
shy  of  six  feet.  He  had  brown  hair,  brown  eyes,
and a nice solid well-muscled build.

The guy’s smile caught and held his attention. It

was  wide,  and  open,  and  seemed  to  make  the
hunk  glow  with  life.  Reb  found  he  wanted  to  go
over there and bask in that look, maybe see  if he
could get it directed at him.

“Better not let Evan catch you ogling his

boyfriend. He’s got a jealous streak a mile wide,”
Conor warned, dropping into the seat next to him.

Reb smirked at the local wolf pack enforcer. It

had  been  stressful  traveling  through  Scotland
because  Reb  constantly  had  to  be  on  guard,
watching for danger to Declan and Lark. Not that
his  alpha  couldn’t  handle  problems  on  his  own,
but  if  anything  happened  to  Lark,  Reb  just knew
Declan  would  go  off  the  deep  end.  Declan  loved

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his little human more than anything else in the
world.

He acknowledged that, as mates, that was how

it should be. Reb hoped he’d find that, someday.
Now, they were in Ireland visiting a wolf pack
Declan knew from his time living on the Emerald
Isle, and Reb could finally relax and enjoy himself
a bit. This pack was their ally.

Tipping his beer back, he finished taking the sip

he’d been about to take earlier. Once he
swallowed, Reb tipped his bottle in the guy’s
direction. “He looks happy, anyway.”

To Reb’s surprise, Conor shrugged. “Right now,

he is. Wait until Evan’s had a few beers. He’ll start
hanging all over Daithi. Won’t let him out of his
sight. Eventually, Daithi will get tired of Evan’s
whining and they’ll leave,” Conor told him.

Reb didn’t have much experience with

relationships, but he was young by wolf standards
at  only  forty-eight.  Still,  that  didn’t  sound  like  a
healthy  relationship  to  him.  He  cocked  his  head
and  asked,  “And  the  pack  is  okay  with  how

—

Daithi you say? Everyone’s okay with how he’s
treated?”

He wasn’t certain why it bothered him so

much. Maybe it was because Reb didn’t like the
idea of having the joy lighting Daithi’s face
replaced with unhappiness.

“Daithi isn’t really pack. He’s human,” Conor

Catching a Bit of Irish

revealed. “Not much we can do.”

Reb’s brows shot up. It wasn’t often that a pack

invited unmated humans  to their gatherings, and
this particular party was to welcome Declan to the
area for the week. “I’m assuming he knows about
shifters,  then?”  he  said,  giving  the  male  another
once  over.  With  the  way  he  was  acting,  Daithi
seemed comfortable laughing with the two guys

—

two guys Reb knew were wolves. They’d been
introduced as a couple of the pack’s trackers.

Thinking about it, why the hell did a spike of

irritation shoot through Reb’s veins when he saw
one of them, Ross, slap him on the back, making
Daithi stumble forward a step.

“Well,” Conor started, drawing his attention.

“Daithi  is  good  friends  with  Craig  and  Ross,”  he
said,  waving  toward  the  group  again.  “Ross
accidentally  shifted  in  front  of  him  when  they
were  cubs.  He  knows  everything  about  shifters,
and  I  do  mean  everything,”  Conor  added  with  a
snort.

“Everything?” Reb stated skeptically, once

more watching the interaction between the three
laughing men.

“Yep,” Conor confirmed.
Reb couldn’t help it. His smile turned

lascivious. “If he knows the benefits of having a
shifter lover, why the hell is he with that guy?”
His smile faded as he watched a tall, slender man

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lurch up to Daithi, wrap an arm around him, and
press kisses up his neck.

An unexpected spike of jealousy shot through

Reb, and he had to turn away.

“He won’t date shifters,” Conor stated.
Frowning, Reb asked the obvious. “Why the

hell  not?”  Yet,  why  the  hell  did  he  feel  so
disappointed? He didn’t poach, no matter what a
douche  he  thought  the  boyfriend  was.  Not  to
mention, why had he formed opinions so quickly
about  two  people  he’d  never  met?  Humans,  to
boot?

“He knows about mates and has no desire to

get into a relationship with a shifter when he
could possibly be replaced at Fate’s whim.”

Reb’s brows shot up at Conor’s words.
Conor shrugged one shoulder. “His words, not

mine,” he added before taking a swig of beer.

Okay, now that, Reb could understand.
“Who’s upset with Fate?”
Reb turned and watched his younger brother

drop  into  a  chair  on  his  other  side.  He  smiled
faintly.  Franklin  was  bigger  and  stronger  than
Reb,  with  the  same  red  hair,  but  brown  eyes
instead of green.

“No one is upset at Fate, Frankie,” Reb assured

affectionately. “Conor’s friend won’t date a shifter
because he understands Fate might bring that
shifter’s mate along at any time. He doesn’t want

Catching a Bit of Irish

to get hurt emotionally,” he explained slowly.

Frankie’s size and strength would have allowed

him  to  be  a  great  enforcer,  and  Reb  was  very
proud that Carson, their pack’s lead enforcer, had
recognized  this  and  offered  him  a  chance  to  earn
an enforcer position. However, due to an accident
when  Frankie  was  two,  before  his  shifter  genes
kicked  in  fully,  he’d  suffered  brain  damage  and
was  diagnosed  with  mild  retardation  as  a  result.
He’d  lost  the  challenge  to  a  couple  wolves  with
military and martial arts experience.

Reb hated the label since his brother could do

anything any of the other shifters could do. It just
took  him  a  little  longer  to  figure  things  out,  that
was all. In addition, he was easily manipulated, so
Reb  had  made  Frankie  promise  at  an  early  age
only  to  obey  commands  given  by  ranked  pack
members, himself, or Reb’s close friends.

He never regretted the day he left the military

to go home and care for his brother when his
parents had died in that car accident. Reb loved
his brother dearly, and would do anything for the
other wolf.

Frankie’s brows drew together, and he nodded

slowly. “Okay. I see. He doesn’t want Fate to take
his boyfriend away.”

“Right,” Reb replied.
“I can understand that,” Frankie said softly. “I

wouldn’t want to be replaced either.”

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Something in his brother’s tone caught Reb’s

attention.  He  reached  over  and  squeezed  his
shoulder.  “You’re  family,  Frankie.  You  always
have me, even after we find our mates.” There was
no  doubt  in  Reb’s  mind  that  there  was  a  mate
waiting out there for both of them.

A relieved smile claimed Frankie’s face for just

a second, then his brother took a swig of his beer
and  the  moment  passed,  but  Reb  told  himself  he
couldn’t  forget  it.  He’d  have  to  make  certain  his
brother  never  felt  replaced.  It  had  taken  Frankie
years to understand that mom and dad hadn’t left
of  their  own  accord,  especially  while  struggling
with his own rehabilitation.

Reb swallowed hard, hating those memories.

Shoving  them  aside,  he  listened  to  Frankie  and
Conor’s  conversation  about  their  plans  now  that
they  were  in  Ireland.  To  his  surprise,  Frankie’s
eyes seemed to glow as he said, “I read about all
the  horse  activities  here.  I  want  to  ride  on  the
beach or maybe in the mountains.”

“Well, why choose?” Conor asked. “You’re here

a week. Do both.”

Frankie’s whole face lit up, and he looked

toward Reb. “Can we, Reb?”

Why the hell not? When am I going to get to Ireland

again? “Sure, bro. Sounds like fun. I’ll clear some
time with Declan and we’ll make plans.”

“All right!” Frankie did a fist pump, flexing his

Catching a Bit of Irish

arm and showing off an impressive bicep.

Reb caught, with interest, the way Conor eyed

his brother’s heavily muscled frame. He hid a grin,
thinking he might end up with a few evenings free
while they were here. Slapping his brother on the
shoulder, Reb levered himself to his feet. “I’ll see if
I can find Alpha.”

He turned and looked at Conor. The wolf

shifter realized he was being eyed, and met Reb’s
gaze, giving him a rueful look.

Reb lifted his brows. “You gonna be here?

Should I ask Killian if you’re going to have time to
join us?” he teased.

Conor licked his lips, cast a side-ways glance at

Frankie, then nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t been on a
horse in a few years. That’d be fun.”

Smirking, Reb nodded and headed away. He

glanced  over  his  shoulder  and  grinned,  seeing
Conor slide over a chair, lay his arm on the backs
of  the  seats,  and  lean  toward  Frankie  as  he
engaged  his  brother  in  conversation.  Reb  knew
Frankie  had  been  out  on  dates.  His  brother  lived
with  him,  after  all.  He  was  even  fairly  certain
Frankie was no longer a virgin.

As long as Conor was up front that they were

just having a fling and didn’t lead Frankie on, he
didn’t  have  a  problem  with  them  hooking  up
while  they  were  here.  He’d  rather  like  to  find  a
piece  of  ass  of  his  own.  The  picture  of  laughing

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brown eyes and a muscular body immediately
came to mind. Fighting a sigh, he shoved the
image away.

Reb found Declan and Killian, the alpha of the

Nenagh wolves, seated on the deck. Both men had
their  mates  curled  up  in  their  laps  and  were
laughing  about  some  memory  shared  between
them.  Lark,  on  Declan’s  lap,  smirked,  while
Abigail, on Killian’s lap, smiled indulgently at her
mate.

Reb cleared his throat. Declan looked his way

and  nodded,  and  Lark  grinned  up  at  him.  From
the  dilation  of  the  human’s  eyes,  Reb  knew  the
alpha-mate had had one too many of those fruity
drinks  he  favored  so  much.  As  he  watched,  Lark
took  a  sip  from  the  straw  in  his  peach  colored
drink.

Reb made a mental note to keep an eye on the

human. He might be in friendly territory, but that
didn’t mean things couldn’t happen. Reb had seen
the barely disguised looks some of Killian’s pack
members had given Declan and Lark when they
didn’t think anyone was looking.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Alphas. My brother and

I  plan  to  take  advantage  of  a  day  or  two  and  go
horseback  riding.  You  and  your  mate  are  always
welcome  to  join  us,  otherwise,  we’ll  coordinate
with  Kade  and  Tom  to  make  certain  someone  is
always  available  if  you  need  us,”  he  assured

Catching a Bit of Irish

formally.

Declan opened his mouth, but before he could

say anything, Lark squealed. “Horseback riding?
Really? That’d be so much fun! I saw an ad about
riding on the beach.” He turned to Declan. “Can
we do that, too?”

His lips twitching, Declan nodded. “Of course,

love. That sounds like fun.”

“Grand!” Killian said, cutting in. “One of me

pack owns a riding business that offers beach
rides. I’ll get ye his number.”

Reb nodded. “Thank you. That would be most

appreciated.”

Killian grinned. “Yer wolf is so formal, Declan.”

He winked at his mate and then turned to Reb.
“Perhaps we can find someone to help loosen ye
up?”

If he’d had anything in his mouth, Reb would

have choked. Instead, he swallowed hard. “I—”

To his shock and relief, Reb was saved by the

arrival  of  a  staggering  pair,  except  only  one  man
seemed to be drunk. The second was desperately
trying  to  keep  his  amorous  boyfriend  on  his  feet,
or  away  from  his  neck.  Finally,  the  sober  guy
spoke.

“I’m sorry, Alpha Killian. Thank you for having

us, but it’s time we go.”

The melodious tenor caused Reb’s heart to race

and blood to pool in his groin. He licked his lips.

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Furrowing his brows in confusion at his reaction,
Reb turned to find Daithi standing just behind him
with Evan leaning all over him.

Seeing the man up close, Reb didn’t know how

he could ever consider the human plain. His eyes
weren’t brown

—

more like honey gold. Muscles

rippled under the skin of his arms as he struggled
to keep the pair upright. And his scent—oh my
God!—Reb wanted to rub against the man, roll in
his sweat, and cover himself in that heady scent.

Mate!
His wolf howled in his mind. It all made sense,

the initial attraction, the jealousy. Daithi was Reb’s
mate, and he was in a relationship with someone
else!

He’d completely missed whatever conversation

Daithi had with the alphas, for now the man was
helping his drunken boyfriend around the house.

After quickly excusing himself, Reb followed

them discreetly, stepping around chatting clusters
of wolves. He carefully timed his arrival just right.
Daithi had just tucked his drunken boyfriend into
the car and closed the door. Reb tapped him on
the shoulder, drawing his attention, just as he
rounded the rear of the vehicle.

“Excuse me,” he murmured. He couldn’t

control the way his voice dropped a bit, finally
being able to stare his mate in the eye for the first
time. He held out a hand. “My name is Frederick

Catching a Bit of Irish

Drunger. My friends call me Reb.”

Daithi took his hand. “Hello, Frederick. I’m

Daithi Murphy.”

Reb watched the human look him up and down

and lick his lips. The pink tongue slid across the
plump flesh and it took every ounce of self-control
in Reb not to lean down and follow the path of
that tongue, suck it into his mouth, taste it.

“What can I do for you?”
Daithi’s voice came off in a breathy whisper

that  almost  made  Reb  moan.  Pulling  his  head
together,  Reb  became  aware  of  how  Daithi  was
tugging at his hand. Instead of releasing him, Reb
tightened  his  grip  slightly  and  tucked  the  hand
against his chest.

“I’ve been told that you know everything about

shifters,” he stated softly.

The human frowned at where they joined

hands. His body trembled in response to the way
Reb rubbed his thumb over his knuckles, caressing
them. “Uh, aye,” Daithi replied almost
breathlessly.

Leaning close, Reb whispered into Daithi’s ear.

“I normally wouldn’t dream of poaching, but you,
Daithi, are my mate—my other half. I plan to
pursue you. To do whatever it takes to please you
in every way possible.”

Reb lifted his free hand and stroked it gently

down Daithi’s jaw, loving the feel of his mate’s

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five o’clock shadow. “You know what that
means?” Reb asked.

Daithi’s honey brown eyes grew wide. He

nodded, then shook his head.

Grinning, Reb leaned close again and brushed

his lips against Daithi’s temple. “My sole purpose
in life is to keep you safe and please you.” He
nuzzled his mate’s temple again, inhaling the
heady aroma of his scent.

His sensitive hearing picked up the click of a

door lock and the passenger door swung open in
his peripheral vision. “Best get going, sweetheart.
I’ll see you soon.”

It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but Reb

managed to release Daithi and step away from the
human. Without looking back, he strode back to
the house and around the side. Heaving a sigh, he
returned to his chair and frowned over at Conor.

Conor’s brows lifted and he eased away from

where he had his head bent to talk with Frankie.
“What’s wrong?”

“I need to know everything about Daithi and

his boyfriend.”

Conor frowned. “Why?”
“Because I’m gonna split them up.” At Conor’s

shocked look, Reb added, “He’s my mate.”

Catching a Bit of Irish

Chapter Two

aithi stared at the disappearing wolf shifter.
He knew the man was one of the visiting

shifters  because  he’d  had  to  make  a  point  of
steering clear of him the entire evening. One look
had Daithi’s mouth pooling with drool and an odd
desire  to  climb  him  like  a  pole,  which  wasn’t
something  he’d  ever  desired  before.  It  unsettled
him.  In  addition,  with  a  boyfriend  as  jealous  as
Evan, it could only spell trouble.

Now, the shifter, Frederick—no, Reb—had

sought him out. Reb, odd name.

Movement to his right told him Evan was

stumbling from the car. Daithi groaned. He hated
dealing with his boyfriend when he was this
smashed. Evan could be so sweet and wonderful
when he wanted to be. Too bad those occurrences
were rare anymore.

Daithi had thought about breaking it off on

more than one occasion, but he’d been with Evan
for almost a year. They were in a rut, maybe not

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always a comfortable one, but the holding pattern
was tolerable, and at least Daithi got laid on a
fairly regular basis. Now, it looked like Reb
planned to disrupt that pattern.

He quickly turned and hurried to Evan.

“What’s going on?” his boyfriend slurred. “Who
was that?” Evan peered blearily in the direction
Reb had disappeared.

“One of the visiting shifters. He wanted to

make  certain  you  would  be  all  right,”  he  lied.
Adding  a  smile,  he  urged  Evan  back  into  the
passenger  seat,  saying,  “The  alpha-mate  for  their
pack  is  human,  so  I  guess  he  feels  the  need  to
protect all humans who know about shifters.”

“Huh,” Evan muttered, but settled back into the

car.

Closing the door, Daithi hustled around the

vehicle  and  dropped  behind  the  wheel.  He
brought  his  little  car  rumbling  to  life  and  eased
away  from  the  pack  house.  He  loved  visiting  the
shifters.  They  always  made  him  feel  like  part  of
the family, which was more than he could say for
his own folks when they’d found out he was gay.
Civil partnerships might be recognized in Ireland,
but  that  didn’t  mean  his  family  approved.  They
hadn’t  kicked  him  out  of  the  family,  at  least  not
officially,  but  it  sure  was  uncomfortable  to  visit,
especially  since  his  grandmamma  prayed  with  a
rosary over him every time he walked in the door.

Catching a Bit of Irish

Shoving those thoughts aside, he glanced at his

passed-out boyfriend and frowned. He bet Reb
wouldn’t make him cart his drunken ass home
from every party or gathering they went to. Daithi
grimaced. Gods above, he needed advice.

He stopped in front of Evan’s home and pulled

out  his  cell.  He  shot  a  text  off  to  Ross  and Craig,
asking  his  best  friends  to  meet  him  at  his  home
within  the  hour.  That  would  be  enough  time  to
pour Evan into bed, cuddle with him until he once
more passed out, and get back home.

It took him longer than expected. As soon as

Daithi  roused  Evan,  his  boyfriend  had  gotten  all
touchy  feely  with  him.  Evidently,  the  appearance
of  Reb  right  before  they’d  left  had  Evan  worried.
Daithi had always been up front with Evan, saying
he  hadn’t  ever  dated  any  of  the  shifters,  since  he
understood mating and knew none of the Nenagh
wolves  were  a  mate  for  him.  Finally,  after
avoiding  a  sloppy  make-out  session  by  giving
Evan a twenty-minute massage, Daithi confirmed
his boyfriend was down for the count.

Almost an hour and a half later, he pulled into

the lean-to attached to his small, seaside cottage.
Daithi was a fisherman by trade, and lived on the
outskirts of their small fishing community. He
rested his forehead on the steering wheel, trying to
get his thoughts in order.

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A knock on the car’s window had him jerking

up his head. Daithi gazed into Ross’s worried
brown eyes. “Ye all right, Dai?”

The concerned tone of his friend’s words

yanked Daithi out of his musings. He nodded and
opened the door, giving his friend a second to step
away so he wouldn’t slam the metal into him.
“Aye, just grand,” he muttered.

“Was it Evan? Did he do somethin’ to

upsetcha?” Ross asked, following him around the
house.

He found Craig standing on his porch, his

brows lifted, silently entreating Daithi to share the
answer to the very same question. “Nay, the
man’s the same as always.” And wasn’t that the
truth? Dating him for a year, and still they’d never
professed their love or even talked about moving
in together.

Daithi nearly missed one of the porch steps at

that admission. Damn! His life really had gotten
stuck in a rut. A deep one!

He opened his door and ushered his friends

inside.  Daithi  headed  straight  to  the  kitchen.  He
needed a beer after all the revelations today—both
Reb’s  and  his  own  internal  ones.  Daithi
automatically  handed  one  to  each  wolf,  and  they
took them while giving him beseeching looks.

Once seated in his small living room, Daithi

opened the bottle and swallowed a mouthful of

Catching a Bit of Irish

his favorite bitter brew. “What can ye tell me
about the Stone Ridge wolf pack?”

Ross’s brows shot up. Craig cocked his head in

a very canine move. They exchanged a quick look.
Ross slowly said, “Wheel, the alphas have known
each other for over a century.”

“From back before Declan moved his pack to

the states,” Craig added.

“He’s a fair leader, open to all kinds of matings,

be it human, vampire, gay, straight…” Ross
frowned as his voice drifted off. “Why you be
askin’?”

“Are they a trustworthy group? Would Declan

bring dishonest wolves with him?” Daithi asked.
He needed to know if Reb really thought he was
his mate or if he was just yanking his chain to get
into his pants.

Ross shrugged. “As far as I know, they are. I

can’t imagine Killian giving them free reign of his
territory for the week they’re here if he didn’t trust
Declan and his pack-members.”

Craig leaned forward and tapped his half-full

bottle against Daithi’s leg. “Why do ye ask, Dai?
What’s got ye in a snitch?”

He lifted the cool bottle to his forehead and

held it there for a second, knowing his next words
were going to turn his life upside down.
Reopening his eyes, Daithi looked at his two
friends and blurted, “Reb approached me before I

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left the party. He’s claiming that I’m his mate.”

Both men leaped to their feet, shouts and

exclamations  of  joy  erupting  from  them.  They
pulled Daithi to his feet, hugged him, and slapped
him  on  the  back.  Daithi  rolled  his  eyes  and  let
them.  He  knew  how  exciting  finding  a  mate  was
for  a  shifter.  Finally,  the  impact  of  who  his  mate
was seemed to dawn on the two men.

They once more exchanged a look, then Craig

asked nearly in a whisper, “Ye gonna leave
Ireland?”

Daithi let out a slow breath. He spread his

hands,  palms  up.  “I  have  no  idea.  We’ve  really
only  spoken  a  few  words  to  each  other,”  he
admitted.  “I’m  assuming  this  isn’t  something  a
shifter would say just to get into another person’s
pants, right?”

That really was his biggest fear. Not that he

wasn’t attracted to him—because the shifter was a
sexy fucker—but there was no way in hell he
wanted to screw up his life for some guy’s
vacation fling.

“Nay, nay, I can’t imagine any shifter doing

that!” Ross exclaimed.

Craig quickly shook his head as well.
“Okay.” Daithi set his beer on the end table and

scrubbed his hands over his face. Were there
fishermen in Colorado? Shit, I’m getting ahead of
myself. Maybe the wolf would be willing to switch

Catching a Bit of Irish

packs and stay here? Smiling wanly, Daithi looked
at his friends. “I guess I better get to know the
man, huh?”

“Aye, that be the best way,” Craig immediately

responded. He grinned and thumped Daithi on
his shoulder. “Let him woo ye a bit before ye
crawl into the sack,” he teased.

Daithi felt his face flush. “That could be a bit

difficult,” he admitted. At Ross’s lifted brow, he
muttered, “Reb is fucking sex on a stick. When we
shook hands, I felt like every nerve in my body
went on alert and I wanted to rub up against him
like a cat in heat. Even staring at him with thirty
paces between us I wanted to climb him and lick
every inch of his body.”

As the words tumbled out without any

conscious consent from his brain, his friends burst
into  laughter.  They  slapped  him  on  the  back,
again,  and  it  was  a  good  thing  he’d  been  sitting
down  or  he’d  have  stumbled  forward  several
steps.

“Aye, that be the mate-bond ye feel,” Ross got

out between guffaws.

Flushing, Daithi thought he really should have

realized  that.  A  number  of  pack  members  had
found their true mates, and they were always seen
touching  each  other  whenever  they  were  close.
Most  of  the  time  they  were  innocent  touches,
holding  hands,  an  arm  around  the  shoulders,  a

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hand on the waist, but they always seemed to be
in contact.

“Aye,” he muttered dryly.
“So, let us know when and where the first date

will be, and we’ll vet him for ye,” Ross stated,
crossing his arms and easing back into his corner
of the couch.

“Vet him?” Daithi asked, surprised.
“Aye,” Craig confirmed. “It’s not like yer

parents will give ye honest feedback.” He
grimaced. “No offense.”

Daithi scoffed. “None taken,” he murmured. He

knew his smile turned thoughtful as he stared at
the picture of his sister, Brenna. She was his one
supporter. Well, more like an encourager to be happy
than supporter, but it still meant the world to him.
Brenna had asked him several times over the last
year when he was going to kick Evan to the curb.
He guessed he could give her good news soon.

“So, I guess I need to let Evan know we’re

through,” he mused softly. “Do you think Killian
will know how to get in touch with Reb?”

“What the hell do you mean you no longer

want to be together? You’re dumping me?”  Evan
practically  roared  the  words.  “You’re  my
boyfriend!  There’s  no  way  I’m  giving  you  up  to
some damn shifter!”

Maybe he should have brought either Ross or

Catching a Bit of Irish

Craig, Daithi mused. Somehow he’d deluded
himself into thinking Evan would understand his
arguments about them being in a rut and needing
to see other people.

“Is this because I haven’t asked you to move

in?” Evan’s tone took on a whining quality that, in
the past, had made Diathi cringe and try to placate
the man. Evan took his hand and squeezed. “If
that’s what you wanted, how come you never said
so? We can move in together, baby. I didn’t know
you thought I was dragging my feet.”

Okay, that was out of left field. Diathi patted

their  combined  hands  with  his  free  one.  “That’s
not  it,  Evan.  We’ve  been  drifting  apart  for  some
time now. We’ve just grown comfortable with the
routine of calls a couple times a week, Friday and
Saturday  night  dates,  and  the  occasional  pack
gathering. Ye deserve someone who’ll care for ye
better than I do. Someone who appreciates ye,” he
said, trying to reason with him one more time.

“Damn it, no! I’m not letting you get away with

that,” Evan snapped, his pleading quickly turning
into irritation.

Bloody hell! Just how long had Diathi allowed

his  desire  to  placate  this  man  keep  him  in  this
relationship?  Shaking  his  head,  Diathi  pulled  his
hand away and crossed his arms. “I’m sorry, Evan.
It’s  time  we  both  move  on.  I’d  like  to  remember
the  good  times  we  had  together.  I  hope  ye  can,

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too.”

With that, he turned and strode toward the

door. He wasn’t surprised when Evan grabbed his
arm to try to keep him in the house. His now-ex-
boyfriend  might  have  been  taller,  but  Diathi  was
more  muscular  from  the  hard  days  of  fishing  on
the  ocean.  He  easily  pulled  his  arm  free  and
opened the door.

Pausing on the stoop, Diathi turned back to eye

the angry man. “I do care for ye, Evan. I wish ye
all the best. I know ye’ll find someone else right
soon enough.”

Evan’s fair-skinned face turned an interesting

shade of red. “This isn’t over, Diathi. You’re
mine.”

Daithi shook his head and let the door close. “It

is over,” he whispered. At the sound of the door
clicking closed, an odd feeling of rightness flooded
him. Diathi knew that even if there hadn’t been a
wolf shifter waiting, this was the right thing to do.
And he really couldn’t wait to get to know that
wolf shifter.

Heading to his car, Diathi prayed Reb had been

sincere, but even if he wasn’t, the sexy shifter
would make a great rebound fuck.

Catching a Bit of Irish

Chapter Three

eb sat in his hotel room, folding and
unfolding the slip of paper Conor had given

him. He’d already memorized the numbers
written on it. Tapping his cell phone on the small,
round table next to him, he tried to decide when
would be the best time to call his mate.

If he gave him twenty-four hours, would Daithi

think he hadn’t been serious about his claims? Reb
certainly didn’t want that.

“Just call him.”
He turned to look at Frankie. His brother

lounged  on  Reb’s  bed,  watching  TV.  “Shut  it,
cub,”  he  growled.  Why  had  he  thought  it’d  be  a
good  idea  to  have  his  brother  in  the  same  room?
Maybe  they  should  think  about  switching,
especially  after  seeing  how  Frankie  and  Conor
interacted.

To his surprise, Frankie turned to look at him,

rolling his eyes as he did so. “If the situation was
reversed, you know what you’d say to me?” It

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must have taken Reb too long to answer, because
Frankie  frowned,  lowered  his  voice  to
impersonate  him,  and  said,  “Fate  gave  you  that
mate  for  a  reason.  Get  off  your  ass  and  claim
him!”

Reb couldn’t help it. Though it was mockery, it

was good. He burst out laughing. His brother was
right. If Frankie had been waffling over calling his
destined mate like Reb had been doing, he would
give his brother a swift kick in the pants.

Screwing up his courage, Reb smoothed the

paper  on  the  table  and  dialed  the  number.  He
resisted  the  urge  to  gnaw  on  his  lip,  barely.  He
sighed quietly when his mate’s voice came on the
line,  just  the  sound  of  it  settling  something  deep
inside.

“Hello?”
Smiling, Reb returned the greeting. “Hello,

Daithi.  This  is  Reb  Drunger.  Do  you  remember
me?”  He’d  tried  to  make  their  meeting  as
memorable  as  possible  with  a  drunk  boyfriend
waiting in the car, but sometimes it was tough to
tell the effect the mating link had on a human. His
pack enforcer, Kade McGraw, had had to fight for
his mate tooth and nail.

“Aye, I remember ye,” Daithi replied softly. “Ye

told me we’re mates.”

“Yes,” Reb responded immediately. “We are,

Daithi. I know humans like to take time to get to

Catching a Bit of Irish

know someone before…jumping into anything,”
he finished, struggling to express his thoughts. “A
number of us are going to ride horses on the beach
tomorrow morning. Can you join us?”

“What time?”
The reply was immediate, with no hesitation.

Reb grinned. “We’re meeting at the ranch at eight
o’clock.”

“How long is the ride?”
That had Reb’s brows lifting. “I’m not

completely certain. A couple hours?”

With his shifter hearing, Reb made out Daithi’s

breathing on the other end of the phone, so he
knew the man hadn’t hung up. It did take Daithi a
moment or two to respond, though, and tension
coiled through Reb’s shoulders.

“I can do that. I need to get out on the water by

four in the afternoon, but I’d like to take ye to a
meal. Would that be okay?” Daithi asked, his tone
sounding a bit worried.

As if Reb would ever say no to that. He grinned.

“That’d be great, Daithi. Thank you.”

“We have quite a bit to discuss, I guess,” Daithi

said quietly.

“Yes, we do,” Reb acknowledged.
There was a pause, but it didn’t feel awkward

to Reb. More like, both were busy mentally
compiling a list of things to talk about tomorrow.
Finally, Reb smiled. “Can I pick you up tomorrow

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morning?”

“That’d be grand, Reb,” Daithi replied softly,

then he rattled off his address.

After writing the information down, along with

directions from his inn to his mate’s home, Reb
said, “I look forward to seeing you again, Daithi.
I’ll see you in the morning.”

Reb disconnected the call and sat staring at

nothing, a small smile playing across his lips. He
was going to take his mate on a date tomorrow.

“See. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
He’d completely forgotten his brother’s

presence  in  his  room.  Reb  grabbed  the  pen  he’d
been  using  to  write  directions  and  chucked  it  at
him.  “Shut  it,”  he  snapped.  From  Frankie’s  grin
and  the  way  he  ducked  the  pen  only  to  throw  a
pillow  back  at  him,  Reb  was  aware  his  brother
knew he wasn’t at all upset.

Reb stared at the cottage with the address

Daithi had given him. He could only describe it
as

—

well

—

cute. A stone walkway led from the

lean-to turned garage to the two, wide, stone front
steps. A green-shingled pitched roof sloped down
to meet the front window and door.

Stepping from his vehicle, Reb heard a

muttered curse coming from inside the lean-to.
The early light of dawn made it difficult for even
his shifter vision to pierce the gray interior, so Reb

Catching a Bit of Irish

headed in that direction.

“Daithi?” he called out. He inhaled, but all he

scented was the nearby sea.

“Bugger.”
That time, Reb recognized the voice of his mate,

even while irritated. He hurried toward the dark
interior and finally spotted him on the far side of
the small car parked inside the shelter.

“Daithi?” he shouted again.
His mate’s head popped up from where he was

trying  to  cram  something  into  a  bin.  “Aye?”
Daithi’s  brows  shot  up.  “Oh,  morning,”  he  said,
straightening.  He  dusted  his  hands  on  a  towel
hanging  from  his  belt  and  headed  toward  Reb,  a
sheepish  smile  on  his  face.  “Sorry  about  that.  I
thought I had a bit more time.”

“Everything okay in here?” Reb asked

curiously.  Looking  beyond  Daithi,  he  spotted
where  a  rose  lay  next  to  the  garbage  bin.  He
returned  his  focus  to  his  mate  and  lifted  a  brow,
hoping  Daithi  would  answer  his  silent  question.

Who was sending him flowers?

Following his look, Daithi shoved his hands in

his pockets and shook his head. “Evan isn’t taking
the break-up well,” he muttered.

Pleasure shot through Reb. My mate broke up

with his boyfriend already! Then the actual message
registered. Reb cocked his head, working to keep
his voice even. “What do you mean?”

Charlie Richards

Daithi waved his hand toward the discarded

roses.  “When  I  left  his  home  yesterday,  he  was
spoutin’  off  threats,  but  then  those  roses  was  on
me doorstep this morn.” Shaking his head, Daithi
led  the  way  out  of  the  shelter  and  around  to  the
front  door.  “He’s  always  been  a  wee  bit  on  the
jealous side, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Reb gently grabbed Daithi’s forearm, stopping

his  progress.  Daithi  turned  to  face  him,  and  Reb
took in his mate’s flushed face and the bob of his
Adam’s  apple  as  Daithi  swallowed.  Being  that
close  to  the  human,  Reb  could  smell  the  scent  of
arousal rolling off his mate in light waves. Daithi
couldn’t  hide  the  fact  that  he  wanted  him  from
Reb’s  shifter  nose,  although  he  was  certainly
doing a great job of controlling himself.

“Part of my job as your mate is to keep you

safe,  Daithi,”  Reb  said  softly,  trying  not  to  scare
his mate with the intensity of his need to do as his
words  said  while  still  getting  his  point  across.
“Please,  let  me  know  if  he  gives  you  trouble.
Okay?”

Daithi’s pink tongue swept out, licking his lips.

He nodded. “Aye,” Daithi whispered.

Desperate to follow the track that tongue took,

Reb ducked his head the couple inch difference in
their  heights  and  murmured,  “Good.”  He  gently
pressed  his  lips  to  Daithi’s,  sipping  his  lips,
swiping  his  tongue  across  Daithi’s  bottom  lip,

Catching a Bit of Irish

tasting his mate for the first time.

A masculine, salty musk exploded across his

taste buds. As a lover of every salty snack known
to  man,  to  Reb,  his  mate  tasted  better  than  his
favorite  tortilla  and  potato  chip  combined.
Cupping  the  back  of  Daithi’s  head,  Reb  tilted  his
mate’s head and deepened the kiss.

Daithi let out a cross between a whimper and a

moan. The sexy sound went straight to Reb’s balls,
making  them  ache.  It  also  gave  him  access  to  his
man’s  mouth,  and  Reb  slipped  his  tongue  in  to
duel  with  Daithi’s.  Reb’s  hand  dropped  from
Daithi’s  arm  to  his  hip,  urging  him  closer  as  he
delved into his mouth.

Reb pulled his mate’s body against him. A hard

length pressed against his own erection, sending
delicious tingles through the sensitive organ and
up his spine. Daithi groaned, his hands twisted in
Reb’s shirt, and he shuddered as he pressed closer.

The fact that Reb suddenly thought laying his

mate  on  the  ground  and  taking  him  like  the
animal  he  could  be  caused  a  spark  of  reason  to
return.  Reb  slowed  the  kiss,  easing  the  pressure.
When  he  lifted  his  head  slightly  and  Daithi  tried
to  follow  his  lips,  moaning  in  frustration,  Reb
pressed his forehead to his mate’s.

He held Daithi’s head against his own with one

hand while gently petting his side and back with
his other hand. After a moment, Daithi stopped

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trembling under Reb’s soothing strokes.

“I’m sorry, my mate,” Reb whispered. “We’re

supposed to be getting to know each other, and I
practically jump you on your front yard,” he said
ruefully.

Daithi’s kiss-swollen lips curved into an

amused smile. “I wasn’t complaining,” he pointed
out. He traced a finger along the lines of one of the
Celtic tattoos running the length of most of Reb’s
right arm. “I like ‘em. I want to use my tongue to
trace each line,” Daithi murmured, looking up at
Reb through his lashes. “Do you have more?”

Grinning, and feeling a measure of relief that

his mate liked his tats, Reb nodded. “Yep. I’m a
tattoo artist. Own my own shop in Colorado,” he
told Daithi, who looked appropriately impressed,
though it was clear to see the human’s mind was
focused on the designs on his arm. “A dragon on
my back and vines along my—”

“Why don’t you let me find them? It’ll be more

fun that way,” Daithi said, cutting him off.

He licked his lips and Reb fought the urge to

take his mate’s mouth again. He chuckled, trying
to get himself under control. “That’s very true,
and as much as I want to lay you down and claim
you right now, I think we really need to talk first.
Don’t you?”

His mate stiffened in his arms, and Reb

loosened his hold. He grudgingly let Daithi put a

Catching a Bit of Irish

few inches between them. “Aye,” Daithi
murmured, worry and concern filling his liquid
brown eyes. “No claiming until we—” he cleared
his throat before finishing—

“before we talk and figure a few things out.”
Nodding, Reb agreed. He forced himself to put

a bit more space between them, and asked, “Are
you ready to go?” Glancing at his watch, Reb
grimaced. “We should really get moving.”

“Aye,” Daithi murmured, but remained still,

just staring at Reb with wide eyes, like he couldn’t
figure him out.

Reb smiled. He gently gripped his shoulder and

turned him toward the house, giving him a gentle
pat on his ass. He growled seductively, “Get in
there, mate, before I decide talking is overrated.”

For a split second, there was an expression of

speculation on Daithi’s face, as if he wasn’t sure he
wanted to wait either, then he turned and fled into
the  cottage.  Reb  returned  to  his  car  and  leaned
against  the  vehicle.  He  took  several  long,  slow
breaths, willing his erection to go down. Smiling,
Reb just knew his mate would be the best lay he’d
ever  had,  and  he  could  hardly  wait  to  explore
every inch of his tight, muscular body.

His train of thought didn’t help ease the ache in

his dick, so Reb glanced over his shoulder at the
SUV he drove. He was glad his buddy Kade’s
mate, Tom, had read up on renting cars in Europe,

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otherwise the larger than average men in their
group would have been extremely uncomfortable
in the average size cars. They’d ended up
requesting two SUVs, and everyone had expressed
their gratefulness to Tom more than once.

Suddenly, Reb became aware of the way the

hairs  on  the  back  of  his  neck  and  arms  stood  on
end. He fought back a shiver. Reb inhaled deeply
as  he  looked  around  discreetly.  He  smelled
nothing out of the ordinary, and other than a herd
of  sheep  and  a  stray  goat,  he  was  the  only  one
around.  Staring  at  the  goat,  Reb watched  it chew
something,  probably  a  bite  of  sparse  grass,  while
the animal stared right back at him.

The appearance of his mate redirected his

attention, and he shoved the odd feeling aside as
he went to him. He took in the tan breeches, knee
high boots, and comfortable sports shirt Daithi
had changed into. Evidently, his mate rode often,
if the way the worn but clean boots molded to his
slender feet was any indication.

Reb grinned and opened the passenger door.

Before letting Daithi enter, Reb settled his hand on
the human’s shoulder and pressed a quick kiss to
his temple. “You’re an incredibly sexy man,
Daithi,” he murmured into his ear.

Stepping back, Reb watched his mate drop a

bag on the floorboard. He waited for Daithi to get
comfortable. His mate’s warm brown eyes were

Catching a Bit of Irish

wide, but he managed to reply, “Thanks.”

He grinned and strode around the vehicle,

more than ready to get his date started.

With Daithi’s help, Reb didn’t have any trouble

finding  the  stables.  Evidently,  Daithi  leased  a
horse  there  occasionally,  when  the  mood  struck
him  to  ride.  They  discussed  horses,  and  Reb
admitted his ignorance about breeds. He’d ridden
a few times, helping friends round up cattle in the
Colorado Mountains, so Quarter Horses were the
only horses he’d been on.

Daithi laughed at his admission, telling him

that  the  ones  they’d  be  using  today  would
definitely  be  different.  Whereas  Quarter  Horses
were  stocky,  powerful  animals  with  mellow
attitudes, which made them ideal for dealing with
unpredictable cattle, the horses at the stables they
were  going  to  were  predominantly  Warmbloods.
These  animals  were  tall,  more  slender,  and  had
plenty of energy.

“They won’t try to throw us or anything, will

they?”  Reb  asked,  instantly  worried  for  his alpha
and  his  alpha-mate’s  safety.  If  anything  were  to
happen  to  Lark  on  an  outing  that  Reb  had
planned, he’d be in hot water for sure.

Daithi placed a hand on Reb’s where it rested

on the gearshift. “Nay,” he assured. “All the rental
horses are very well trained. It’s just, if ye give

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them a kick, they won’t hesitate to go, and go
fast,” he warned.

Reb chuckled. “I’ll be sure to warn the alpha.”
He spotted his friends near the opening of the

barn. After parking his vehicle, Reb slipped his
arm around Daithi and headed toward them.

After the introductions, Reb realized that just

the fact that he could introduce the human as his
mate flooded his body with a different kind of
pleasure. Reb had never felt more content.

That contentment fled fifteen minutes later

when  the  stable  hands  led  out  the  horses.  The
plucky  cow  ponies  he’d ridden in  the  past didn’t
compare  to  the  fine  lines  of  the  tall  animals  in
front of him.

Some of his misgivings must have shown on his

face, for Daithi patted his arm and whispered,
“Don’t worry. They really are very well trained.”

Figuring his mate wouldn’t steer him wrong,

even if they had only met the day before, Reb
nodded and headed toward the stable hand
beckoning him.

Five minutes later, he was in the saddle and the

group was walking down the trail to the beach.

Frankie grinned at Reb from his left. “Isn’t this

awesome!”

Reb knew it wasn’t really a question, but he

grinned at his brother and nodded. “Yup. Good
idea, Frankie.”

Catching a Bit of Irish

And it was. The group rode down a sandy trail

to  the  surf.  Their  guide  gave  those  that  didn’t
really know how to ride some pointers, and for the
next  hour  and  a  half,  everyone  walked,  trotted,
and  cantered  through  the  waves  and  across  the
beach.

Daithi was right. The horses were well trained

and easy to control.

Reb came to a stop next to Frankie and grinned.

“Are you having fun?”

“Hell, yeah,” was the immediate response.

“Will you take my picture?”

Grimacing, Reb shook his head. “Sorry,

Frankie. I’ve misplaced my camera. I couldn’t find
it this morning. Do you have yours?”

Frankie shook his head, looking disappointed.

“No, I forgot it.” Then the grin was back as his
brother’s train of thought shifted. “I want to get a
horse when I get home.”

At Frankie’s declaration, Reb grinned. “Maybe

we’ll  get  a  couple.”  It  would  be  fun  to  go
horseback  riding  with  his  mate  whenever  he
wanted.  The  Rocky  Mountains  were  gorgeous,
and since Daithi was human and couldn’t shift, it
would be a great alternative to running together. It
didn’t  hurt  that  his  mate  looked  sexy  as  fuck  in
those tight breeches as he rode with obvious skill.

“Really?” Frankie asked, hope filling his

expression.

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“Yeah. Maybe I can get Daithi to help me pick

out some good ones,” he mused.

Frankie looked at Daithi. “I guess things are

going to change for us, huh?”

The quiet words concerned Reb. “Hey,” he

soothed.  “You’re  my  brother.  There’s  always  a
place for you with me. You know that.” He’d said
it  before,  but  that  was  before  Reb  had  found  his
mate,  before  the  reality  of  the  situation  probably
hit Frankie. He grinned and winked at his brother.
“Just  don’t  walk  into  my  bedroom  without
knocking first anymore,” he teased.

A flush swept up Frankie’s neck and his brother

rolled his eyes. “Whatever,” he said, but now he
was smiling.

Just the reaction Reb hoped for.

Catching a Bit of Irish

Chapter Four

aithi saw Reb chatting with his brother. For a
moment, the conversation looked serious,

what with the way Franklin was frowning and the
intensity of Reb’s stare. Then Franklin threw his
head back and laughed, and the moment passed.
Daithi headed his horse toward them.

To his relief, Franklin grinned at him. “Reb says

you’ll help us pick out horses of our own when we
get home.”

His brows shot up, and Daithi turned to look at

Reb’s  flushed  face  and  shocked  expression.  It
didn’t  take  a  genius  to  realize  what  Franklin
meant.  They  hadn’t  talked  about  it  yet,  but  from
that  one  comment,  Daithi  knew  what  the  wolf
shifter was going to push for.

“Well,” Daithi started slowly, drawing out the

word. “Should I get to the states, I’d be happy to
help ye choose a good horse.”

That seemed to be enough to placate Franklin,

for the younger shifter grinned. Franklin urged his

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horse forward and once more began to play in the
surf.

“Uh, that’s not exactly what I said,” Reb

mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

Daithi smirked at him. “Plannin’ me move

already, Reb?” He couldn’t say that it upset him.
Daithi even felt a bit flattered.

“Well, I—I mean I didn’t think—”
“Didna think I’d mind movin’ to another

country to be with me mate?” he asked softly,
cutting off Reb’s bumbling attempts at an
explanation.

Reb’s face turned a darker red. His jaw opened

and closed, but no words came out.

Daithi shook his head and looked out over the

ocean. “We did say we had some things to discuss,
didn’t we?”

“Yeah, I

—

I am sorry, Daithi. I shouldn’t have

just assumed you’d leave your life behind for me,”
Reb murmured, sounding sad.

Shrugging, Daithi replied, “We’ll see what

happens.” If Reb actually asked him to move,
Daithi wasn’t certain what his response would be.

“Hey, look at the goat,” Lark said, stopping his

horse next to the other riders, and pointing.

They watched the brown, nimble creature

scuttle down the trail toward them. It stopped
every few steps to flick its tail or ears and look
around at the group. Once it reached bottom, the

Catching a Bit of Irish

animal seemed to circle around them, giving them
all the eye as if trying to figure them out.

“Awe, he’s so cute!” Lark exclaimed. “I just

love goats.”

“Ye love all animals,” Declan teased. He leaned

over and bussed a kiss to his mate’s cheek.

Lark grinned at him.
An angry bleat made Daithi’s skin crawl. He

turned  around  and  watched  in  shock  as  the  goat
sped  across  the  beach,  his  head  lowered,  aiming
right for Reb’s horse. Reb’s mount shied violently,
making  the  charging  goat  miss.  The  move  nearly
unseated  the  shifter,  who  was  struggling  to  not
only  stay  in  the  saddle,  but  get  the  horse  back
under control.

Daithi swung from his own mount’s back and

ran toward Reb’s pitching animal. From the corner
of his eye, he saw the goat pivot and charge again.
The sand impeded his speed, and Daithi couldn’t
get close enough in time.

The goat rammed into the front legs of the

horse,  sending  it  into  a  rearing,  screaming  panic
attack. Reb tumbled from the horse’s back. Daithi
could  hear  the  wrangler  yelling  instructions,  and
he  realized  none  of  the  horses  were  taking  the
goat’s  crazy  antics  well,  and  all  the  riders  were
struggling to stay in their seats.

Reaching his date, Daithi felt relief when Reb

rolled onto his knees. To his surprise, the wolf

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shifter immediately pulled Daithi behind him,
placing himself between him and the once more
charging goat.

Suddenly, one of the biggest wolves Daithi had

ever seen tackled the goat. They rolled across the
sand  together.  Somehow,  the  goat  got  in  a  good
shot,  sending  the  tawny  colored  wolf  stumbling
back  a  few  feet.  The  wolf  righted  himself,  but
before he could attack again, the goat’s skin began
to ripple.

At first, Daithi felt certain the goat was shifting

into a man. Instead, it just seemed to grow, stretch,
and contort until the goat reached over six feet
and stood on its back legs. When it opened its goat
mouth and spoke, Daithi nearly fell on his arse in
shock.

“Be wary, wolf. You won’t always have your

friends around to protect you.” Once it issued the
warning, the creature turned and leaped away,
disappearing into thin air before it landed.

“What the hell was that?” Declan snarled.
Daithi turned and discovered the alpha wolf

staring right at him. The big African American
stood on the ground, holding the reins to both his
and Lark’s horse. Daithi’s brows shot up. The
guy’s glare was fucking intimidating.

“I don’t know what that was,” Daithi

murmured.

“It was a phooka.”

Catching a Bit of Irish

Daithi turned toward the speaker, their

wrangler, Donal. He frowned. “What’s a phooka
and why did it threaten me mate?”

Donal shrugged. “A phooka is from the fae

realm.  Most  consider  it  a  goblin.  It’s  a  shape
shifter, but not like us. It’s not tied to a particular
animal, but a goat is one of its favorite forms,” he
explained,  waving  to  where  the  creature  had
disappeared.  “As  to  why  it’s  going  after  your
mate, I have no idea. Did you take something from
somewhere  that  maybe  you  shouldn’t  have?  A
fossil or something?”

Rising to his feet, stretching his back as he

moved, Reb shook his head. “I haven’t been
anywhere but pack territory, the inn, and here,” he
said.

“But you did take something,” Lark murmured,

getting everyone’s attention. Reb looked as
confused as Daithi felt. Then Lark pointed right at
Daithi. “Weren’t you with a date at the pack
BBQ?”

Daithi frowned. “Aye, but…” He shook his

head. “You’re not suggesting Evan has something
to do with this, are you?”

Lark shrugged.
Snorting, Daithi rolled his eyes. “Sure, he was

upset about me breaking up with him, but he’s
human, and knows about shifters just like I do. He
knows what it means to find a mate.” Even as he

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said the words, a niggling doubt worked its way
through him. Evan sure had been upset when he
left.

“How the hell could a human be responsible for

this?” Reb asked what Daithi wanted to know, too.

“A phooka can be summoned by a witch or

warlock,” Donal mused.

“But Evan is human,” Daithi insisted.
Declan swung back onto his mount. “Witches

and  warlocks  are  normally  human,”  the  alpha
wolf pointed out. “And right now, we don’t have
any  proof  of  anything.  It’s  not  like  we  can  go  to
the  man  and  ask.  He’d  just  deny  it,”  Declan  said
reasonably.

“Well, what do we do?” Daithi asked.
Reb wrapped an arm around his waist and

pulled him against his side, offering reassurance
and comfort. “We wait, sweetheart. From what the
phooka said, it’ll be back. It seems willing enough
to talk. We’ll see if we can’t figure out what it
wants.”

“In the meantime, I’ll talk to Killian to see if he

knows anything about magic wielders in the
area,” Declan stated. He pointed a finger between
the two of them. “Ye shouldn’t go anywhere
alone.”

Daithi frowned. “I’m a fisherman. I can’t just

not go to work. When the tides are right, I have to
be out on the water.”

Catching a Bit of Irish

Donal waved a hand, drawing attention. “A

phooka is an earthbound fae. He’ll have no power
on the water.” Then he grinned. “Why don’t you
take your new mate? It’d be a perfect way to get a
little time alone and still get your job done.”

He felt a warm flush sweep up his neck, and

Daithi was grateful his sun-darkened skin hid the
evidence  of  his  embarrassment.  The  other  men
laughed,  and  Franklin  waggled  his  brows  at  his
brother.  Reb  grinned  and  pressed  a  swift  kiss  to
Daithi’s lips.

The tension broken, Daithi looked around for

his  mount,  but  his  and  Reb’s  horses  were  gone.
“Bloody  hell,  I  wonder  where  they  went.”  He
didn’t  relish  searching  the  shore  for  the  two
animals.

“They probably bolted right back to the stable,”

Donal assured. “We’ll go and check.”

Daithi nodded and took the first few steps of

what  would  be  a  long  walk  back.  Declan’s  voice
halted  his  progress.  “Lark,  come  get  behind  me.
We  can  ride  double  on  the  horses,  right?”  he
asked, questioning the wrangler.

Donal nodded. “Aye, that’d be fine.”

After getting to the stable and discovering that

the  two  spooked  mounts  had  indeed  returned
home  on  their  own,  the  group  peeled  off  into  a
couple  smaller  groups.  Declan,  Lark,  Kade,  and

Charlie Richards

Tom headed toward pack territory and Killian.
Daithi and Reb proceeded with their lunch plans
and were joined by Franklin and Conor.

Distracted, Daithi swallowed a mouthful of the

clam  chowder  he’d  ordered.  His  mind  swirled
with a confusing mix of ideas. Daithi didn’t want
to  believe  the  man  he’d  been  dating  for  almost  a
year  could  be  behind  the  attack  on  Reb,  but
nothing else seemed to make sense. And how did
Evan even manage to request the aid of a phooka?

Daithi felt a hand on his thigh and turned to

look at his mate. Hot damn, he really had a mate.
And with just a light squeeze of Reb’s hand and
his understanding smile, even though Daithi knew
there wasn’t anything sexual in it, he still felt
himself grow hard.

“Stop thinking so much,” Reb said, leaning

close.

His jaw tensed and Daithi shook his head.

“How can I not? How can you not?”

“No sense worrying over something I have no

control over,” Reb said, rolling his shoulders in a
semblance of a shrug. “At this point, I’ll just
remain vigilant.” He leaned back in his chair and
smirked. “I know you may not believe me, but we
will deal with this phooka and whoever is behind
it.”

Daithi nodded. Needing a subject change to get

his mind off the problem, he tilted his head and

Catching a Bit of Irish

asked, “Yer name is Frederick. Ye have red hair.”
He cocked his head and said ruefully, “In fact, ye
make a better Irishman than I do.” He pointed to
his own dark hair, which earned him a smirk from
the shifter, then continued. “Why are ye called
Reb instead of Red?”

Reb grinned. “Picked up on that, did you?” He

winked and then pointed at Franklin. “It’s because
of him.”

Franklin flushed and looked away. “Awe, you

could have changed it back.”

Daithi’s brows shot up. “How was it Franklin’s

fault?”

Reb’s brother flushed, his fair skin, so similar to

his mate’s, not hiding the color creeping up his
neck. “When I was little, I had trouble saying Red.
It always came out Reb,” he admitted.

Conor chuckled and bumped shoulders with

him. “Very sweet, cub.”

Daithi’s brows lifted at the affectionate way

Conor  treated him. From the way  Conor  touched
Franklin,  it  wouldn’t  take  a  genius  to  figure  out
that  they’d  be  getting  to  know  each  other  very
well  over  the  next  few  days.  This  brought  his
thoughts  back  to  his  own  mate.  Where  did  Reb
think this was going to go?

“My friends picked up on it,” Reb was saying,

“so I’ve been Reb ever since.” He shrugged. “It’s
not a bad nickname, so I don’t mind.”

Charlie Richards

Looking between them, seeing the fond

expression  on  Reb’s  face  as  he  gazed  at Franklin,
Diathi  realized  how  close  the  brother’s
relationship was. Daithi sure hoped he could stay
on  Franklin’s  good  side.  He didn’t want  to  cause
problems between them.

A glance at the clock caused Daithi to rise from

the table. “I gotta get to me boat.” He looked at
Reb. “Did ye—Did ye want to come?”

Reb nodded. He wiped his mouth on a napkin

as he rose to his feet. He leveled a stare at Conor.
“You take good care of my brother.”

The Nenagh pack enforcer grinned. “Oh, I plan

to.”

All the men laughed.
Franklin and Conor followed them from the

restaurant,  where  they  then  separated.  Daithi
directed Reb to the dock. He was impressed with
how  easily  they  fit  together,  Reb  following  his
orders quickly and efficiently. Daithi had his boat
launched  in  record  time,  and  they  headed  out  to
sea.

For several hours, Daithi instructed and Reb

learned  and  laughed.  They  laughed  a  lot  as  each
fish they brought in seemed like a new discovery
to  his  mate.  Finally,  Daithi  pulled  in  his  nets  for
the  last  time.  The  sun  hung  low  in  the  sky,  and
Daithi shivered through his sweat.

Strong, warm arms wrapped around him from

Catching a Bit of Irish

behind. Reb rested his chin on Daithi’s shoulder
and together they watched the streaks caused by
the setting sun create a beautiful tapestry of color
on the horizon.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Reb

whispered. “It’s so peaceful, so calm.”

Daithi nuzzled Reb’s temple. “Ye don’t get a lot

of peaceful and calm where ye live?”

Reb snorted softly. “No, afraid not. I raised my

brother from the time he was two. Caring for an
injured shifter who just lost both his parents
wasn’t conducive to peaceful or calm.”

He could detect no bitterness or resentment in

Reb’s tone. The shifter just stated it as a matter of
fact. “Is it okay to ask what happened?” Daithi
hazarded.

“I’d tell you anything, my mate,” Reb

murmured, pressing a kiss to Daithi’s temple. “But
there’s really not much to tell. I was in the
military. My parents were involved in a car crash.
It takes a lot to injure a shifter in an auto accident,
but having the entire front half of a car crushed by
logs will do it.”

“My God!”
“Hmm,” Reb toned, rubbing his cheek against

Daithi’s.

Daithi knew the wolf shifter did it in an effort

to get comfort just as much as to give it.

Reb’s voice was quiet when he continued. “I

Charlie Richards

was  told  my  parents died instantly.  Franklin  was
in the back seat. He was injured. Ended up with a
broken arm, a broken leg, and a concussion. It was
a  good  thing  a  few  shifters  were  out  running  in
the  area  and  had  heard  the  commotion.  At  the
time,  the  pack  doctor  was  an  old  wolf  shifter
named  Leonard  Mapston.  My  brother  was  taken
to  Declan’s  and  the  doctor  practically  lived  there
the  first  week,  keeping  careful  watch  over
Frankie.” Reb’s tone turned rueful. “It’s not often a
shifter ends up in a coma.”

“How old was Franklin?”
Another kiss bussed his temple. “He was two.

He’s a little slow answering sometimes, but that’s
not because he’s stupid. It just takes Frankie a little
longer to work words out in his head than others.”

“Ye’re a good man, Frederick,” he whispered.
Reb chuckled. “Not everyone would agree with

you.”

Daithi sank further into his mate’s embrace. He

could  feel  the  telltale  bulge  of  Reb’s  erection
pressed against the crease of his ass. Rocking back
into  it,  Daithi  felt  his  own  dick  stiffen.  “I’m  not
everyone,  and  I  think  yer  mate’s  opinion  should
be the only one that counts. Don’t you?”

Growling softly, Reb sucked on Daithi’s neck

for a few seconds before replying. “You may have
a point.” Then he returned to placing sucking
kisses and gentle nips along Daithi’s tendons.

Catching a Bit of Irish

He hissed his pleasure, rocking back again.

“Where do ye see this going?”

“Right now? I noticed that little cot you have

below deck. That looked good, although I don’t
have a problem with fucking you right here under
the stars,” Reb growled the words into Daithi’s
ear.

As he spoke, Reb slid one hand down Daithi’s

stomach  to  his  groin  and  palmed  his  erection
through  his  jeans.  Daithi’s  hips  bucked,  seeking
more  pressure.  Reb  didn’t  disappoint.  Daithi’s
grip on Reb’s forearms tightened as his soon-to-be
lover  worked  his  fly  open.  Daithi  just  knew  he
was going to leave marks on him, and boy if that
thought didn’t make him hot all over.

Daithi moaned when Reb wrapped his

calloused fingers around his hard cock and slowly
stroked  from  root  to  tip.  “Ah,  shite.  Reb!”  He
shouted  his  mate’s  name  when  Reb  flicked  his
thumb  into  his  slit,  sending  the  most  wonderful
sensations  shooting  through  his  stalk  to  settle  in
his  balls.  He  felt  his  testicles  roll  in  their  sacs,
pulling  tighter  and  tighter  with  each  stroke  and
flick to his cock and each suck and nip to his neck.

“Ah, damn it, Reb,” Daithi cursed, unable to

control the bucking of his hips as desire for
pleasure took over. “Gonna come if ye don’t stop,”
he warned.

“Mmm, yeah,” Reb purred against his neck,

Charlie Richards

sending warm gusts of wind over the sensitive
hairs of Daithi’s neck. “Come for me. Come apart
in my arms, mate. Show me how much you enjoy
my touch,” Reb crooned, continuing to work him.

Daithi’s balls pulled impossibly tighter and his

cock swelled even more, twitching and jerking in
Reb’s grasp. His slit oozed pre-cum. He felt Reb’s
canines scrape along his tendon and his entire
body convulsed as his orgasm swept through him.
Reb’s strong arms held him steady, continuing to
work him, as Daithi shuddered and moaned his
pleasure.

“Gods, you smell good, Dai. Gonna lick every

inch of your body. Gonna make you feel so good,”
Reb promised, growling the words.

Reb shifted his grip and easily swung Daithi

into his arms and carried him below deck. Instead
of  making  him  feel  feminine,  the  move  made
Daithi  feel  cared  for,  cherished  even.  With  gentle
hands,  Reb  lowered  Daithi  to  the  narrow  bed.
Enjoying  the  afterglow,  Daithi  relaxed  into  his
caresses as Reb worked his clothes off. The kisses
that  traced  every  inch  of  exposed  flesh  had  his
arousal rising again, his dick once more filling.

By the time Daithi lay naked on the bed, he was

a writhing, quivering mess. His dick throbbed, his
balls ached, already pulled flush to his body, and
his hole clenched in anticipation of what he hoped
was to come.

Catching a Bit of Irish

With lids at half-mast and his breath coming in

sharp pants, Daithi watched Reb ease away and
quickly strip. When Reb’s thick, hard dick was
revealed, already glistening with pre-cum, Daithi’s
mouth watered.

“Oh,” he breathed, “I like the look of that,” he

murmured lazily.

Reb grinned, wrapping his fingers around his

dick and pumping himself. “It likes the look of
you, too.”

He leaned over and grabbed a packet of lube

from the pocket of his jeans.

Daithi’s brows shot up. “Sure of yourself?”
Shaking his head, Reb settled on his knees

between Daithi’s spread thighs. “Nope, but better
plan ahead than be sorry later.”

“Ah, the Boy Scouts of America motto—Be

Prepared?” Daithi teased. He liked the playful
banter. Never could he remember a time when
he’d had such fun with a lover.

Reb smirked, leaning over him on one elbow,

his  face  inches  from  Daithi’s.  “I  wasn’t  a  boy
scout, sexy mate. I was a marine.” He lowered the
rest  of  the  way  and  took  possession  of  Daithi’s
mouth,  sliding  his  tongue  inside,  mapping  his
teeth  and  gums,  and  tangling  their  tongues
together.

When the kiss finally broke, Daithi grinned.

“Same thing, really,” he teased.

Charlie Richards

His mirth slipped away to be replaced by need

at the lusty look Reb gave him as his gaze traveled
over his body. Fishing worked Daithi’s body hard,
and it was easy to see that Reb liked what he saw.
Eventually, Reb’s gaze returned to his face, and
Daithi sucked in a gasp at the possessive fire
burning in Reb’s eyes.

“Are you ready for me, mate?”

Catching a Bit of Irish

Chapter Five

eb watched his mate’s breathing hitch. Desire
and need were etched clearly in his

expression. His dick flexed at his groin as a fresh
wave of lust washed over him. This human was
his, his mate, his lover, his everything. His wolf
howled and scratched at his mind, urging him to
take him and mark him as theirs.

Daithi lifted a hand, reaching out to him. “I’m

ready. I want you,” he whispered.

Moaning in delight, Reb quickly opened the

single  use  packet  of  lube  and  poured  it  onto  his
fingers  and  his  shaft.  A  bead  of  pre-cum  oozed
from  his  slit  when  his  mate  grabbed  the  backs  of
his  knees  and  pulled  them  to  his  chest,  revealing
himself to Reb’s hungry gaze.

He quickly pressed his fingers to the tight star

and  pushed  one  finger  inside.  His  mate’s  body
opened  to  his  fingers,  and  Daithi’s  moans  of
pleasure  filled  the  small  cabin.  The  sound  of  his
mate’s  enjoyment  was  music  to  Reb’s  ears,

Charlie Richards

spurring him on. He stretched his mate as quickly
as he dared.

“Now, oh God, now,” Daithi begged. “I need

you.”

Needing no further prodding, Reb removed his

fingers  from  Daithi’s  clenching  channel  and
settled  his  larger  frame  over  him,  aligning  his
crown  with  his  mate’s  hole.  Reb  took  his  sweet
human’s  mouth  in  a  claiming  kiss,  thrusting  his
tongue deep, tasting his passion, and sank his dick
into the tight, silky heat of Daithi’s ass.

Reb didn’t stop moving until he was buried

balls  deep  in  his  mate.  He  ended  the  kiss  and
pressed  his  forehead  against  Daithi’s.  A  shudder
worked  through  him  as  his  body  assimilated  the
glorious sensations of his cock buried in his mate
for the first time.

Snapping his eyes open, Reb stared down at his

mate. “Mine,” he snarled.

“Yours.”
His mate’s immediate reply snapped his control

and Reb let out a fierce growl as he pulled his dick
out and slammed it back in. Diathi arched his back
and moaned. He released his legs, wrapping them
tightly around Reb’s waist. His arms latched onto
Reb’s, gripping tight enough to leave marks as he
met Reb thrust for thrust. Pleasure filled Reb’s
body at the idea of Daithi marking him.

“Want to claim you,” he said through clenched

Catching a Bit of Irish

teeth, afraid that if he opened his mouth, he’d do it
without permission. His hips continued to move,
his dick sinking over and over in sucking,
rippling, heat.

“Aye,” Daithi moaned throatily, his glazed

expression telling of his pleasure. “Claim me. I’m
yours.”

A howl erupted from Reb’s throat. He pulled

away from his mate and flipped the man beneath
him,  causing  a  shocked  gasp  to  escape  Daithi’s
throat.  Reb  immediately  blanketed  his  back  and
sank  his  dick  once  more  into  Daithi’s  clenching
channel.  Daithi  wailed  in  pleasure,  bucking
beneath  him  as  Reb  once  more  started  a  swift
thrust and retreat rhythm.

Reb’s canines burst from his gums. He knelt

upright,  bringing  his  mate  with  him  until  Daithi
was in his lap. With one arm around his chest, Reb
pinched  and  rolled  a  beaded  nipple.  With  the
other,  he  worked  his  mate’s  cock,  all  the  while
continuing to pound up into his ass.

The mewls and moans escaping Daithi’s throat,

along with the shudder of his body, told Reb
exactly how close his mate was to release.
Wanting to give him as much pleasure as possible,
he scraped his canines across Daithi’s tendon, just
as he’d discovered earlier his mate liked.

Daithi screamed Reb’s name as he came, his

body shaking and twitching. Unable to wait a

Charlie Richards

second longer, Reb sank his canines into his mate’s
shoulder. His lover’s rich blood coated his tongue
and  he  swallowed  it  down,  moaning  at  the
exquisite  taste  of  his  mate.  His  balls  pulled tight.
Daithi’s  shout  as  another  orgasm  crashed  over
him filled Reb with feral delight.

Reb’s own release rolled through him. He

pulled  his  canines  from  his  mate’s  flesh  and
howled  his  release  while  his  dick  expelled  his
seed,  coating  his  mate’s  channel.  Clutching  his
lover  tight,  he  licked  Daithi’s  shoulder  clean  and
let the warm ping of afterglow soothe him.

Gently, he eased his softening cock from

Daithi’s  chute.  Nuzzling  the  back  of  his  mate’s
neck,  he  settled  them  both  on  the  bed,  spooning
up  close  to  his  mate’s  back  so  they’d  both  fit.
Sighing happily, Reb kissed the mating mark he’d
placed on his human.

Daithi turned his head, eyeing him, then

grinned. “We really suck at talking,” he
murmured.

Reb grunted. “Actions speak louder than

words.”

“Ye expect me to move to Colorado, don’t ye?”
The words were blunt, without malice. Reb

sighed.  There  was  no  reason  not  to  be  equally
plain.  “Yes,  Dai.  I  hope  to  convince  you  to  move
with me. If it were just me, I’d ask to move packs,
but  it’s  not.  It  would  be  difficult  for  Frankie  to

Catching a Bit of Irish

adjust, and my business is there.”

“And me job isn’t here?” Daithi questioned

mildly.

Shit, he hadn’t meant to insult the man. Reb

rested his forehead against the back of Daithi’s
neck. So much for enjoying the afterglow…

“I know this isn’t an ideal situation for either of

us. I

—

shit,” he muttered, uncertain what else to

say. “Let me get a cloth to clean us up with,” he
whispered, pulling away from Daithi.

Reb crossed the small cabin and stepped into

the tiny room with a sink, shower, and toilet. He
turned the water on and dropped a cloth into the
basin, waiting for the water to warm. Setting one
hand on either side of the sink, Reb hung his head.
He didn’t know how to resolve this problem. His
mate lived in another fucking country.

Despair knifed through his heart. As was the

way of mates, Reb knew he was falling hard and
fast  for  his  little  horseback  riding  fisherman.  He
couldn’t  fathom  having  to  walk  away  from  the
man  at  the  end  of  the  week.  His  wolf  howled  in
his mind, echoing his grief.

Realizing the water was now warm, Reb

heaved a sigh, quickly rung the cloth out, then
cleaned himself up. He rinsed the cloth
thoroughly and carried it back to his waiting mate.

Daithi watched him solemnly as Reb gently

rubbed the cloth over his groin and crack, cleaning

Charlie Richards

away the outside traces of their interaction.

After returning the cloth to the bathroom, Reb

was at odds as to what to do next. Should he
return and hold his mate? Or find his clothes and
head topside?

Fortunately, Daithi answered that question for

him. “Come here, Frederick,” he said. The
command was so softly spoken, if Reb hadn’t been
a shifter, he wasn’t sure if he’d have been able to
hear it.

Reb obeyed.
When he paused at the edge of the bed, Daithi

held out a hand. Reb took it. Daithi tugged and
Reb went with the action, allowing his mate to
pull him down onto the cot.

Daithi positioned Reb on his back, then draped

himself half on top of him, his body levered up on
an  elbow.  “I  understand,”  Daithi  murmured
softly.  “I’ve  heard  about  shifters  and  their  mates
for  years.  It’s  why  I  never  dated  a  shifter,”  he
added ruefully.

Shaking his head, Daithi continued, “Me own

family practically disowned me when I came out.
Any  time  I  go  to  me  parents,  me  grandmamma
prays  over  me.  Yer  responsibilities  exceed  me
own.”  Daithi  took  a  deep  breath  and  stated,
“Killian  owns  the  cottage  I  live  in.  I’ll  let  him
know  he’s  going  to  need  to  find  a  new  tenant.
Between our two alphas, I’m sure they can find a

Catching a Bit of Irish

way to expedite the paperwork needed for me to
stay in yer country.”

Through the course of his mate’s speech, Reb

knew  his  brows  had  lifted  higher  and  higher.
When Daithi stopped talking, a sound reminiscent
between  a  groan  and  a  mewl  escaped  Reb.  He
wrapped  his  mate  in  a  tight  embrace  and  pulled
him  to  his  chest.  “I’ll  do  what  I  can  to  make  this
transition  as  painless  as  possible,”  he  promised,
nuzzling  Daithi’s  neck,  temple,  and  ear.  “You
amazing man. I feel so blessed.”

“Me, too,” Daithi whispered.
Reb grinned up at him before pulling him

down for another deep kiss.

After they docked the boat and handled

Daithi’s  catch,  they  piled  back  into  Reb’s  SUV.
Right  before  Reb  started  the  vehicle,  Daithi’s
phone  chimed.  Reb  removed  his  hand  from  the
key in the ignition and watched his mate give him
an  apologetic  look  before  pulling  out  his  phone
and answering.

His shifter hearing made it easy to understand

the other side of the conversation, although he
looked through the windshield at the sea in a
pathetic attempt to give Daithi privacy.

“Hello?” Daithi answered.
“Son?” a deeply lilted voice questioned on the

opposite end of the line.

Charlie Richards

From the corner of his eye, Reb saw Daithi roll

his eyes. “Aye, Dad. Who did ye expect?”

“Well, Evan has picked up yer phone a time or

two,” Daithi’s dad stated.

Daithi nodded, although Reb was certain he

knew his father couldn’t see it. “What can I do for
ye, Da?”

“I’d like ye to come over this evening, son.”

There was a pause, as if the man was gathering his
thoughts. “There’s somethin’ that’s come up that
we need to discuss with ye.”

His mate lifted a brow and glanced Reb’s way.

“Sure, Da. When do ye need me to swing over?”

“Eight thirty this evening. Yer mother and I will

be waitin’.” Before Daithi could respond, the line
disconnected with a click.

Daithi’s brows shot up. “Huh. I wonder what’s

wrong.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” The

words  were  out  of  Reb’s  mouth  before  he  could
think  better  of  them.  Reb  knew  his  mate  was
technically  out  with  his  family,  and  that  they
didn’t  seem  to  approve.  He  wondered  what  they
could possibly want.

He watched Daithi nibble his bottom lip before

shaking his head. Daithi gave Reb an apologetic
smile. “That probably wouldn’t be wise. No sense
subjectin’ ye to their snide comments.” The smile
turned more genuine. “How about ye meet me

Catching a Bit of Irish

back at me place this evening? How about around
ten or so?”

Reb grinned, liking the sound of that. “Sounds

like a plan. While you’re over at your parents, I’ll
catch  up  with  my  alpha  and  see  if  he  learned
anything from Killian.” He prayed they could get
all  their  problems  wrapped  up  quickly.  Figuring
out how  to move his mate across the ocean  to be
with him was going to be difficult enough.

He returned his mate to his home, grabbing

Daithi’s  arm  before  he  could  get  out  of  the  SUV.
At  Daithi’s  questioning  look,  Reb  whispered,
“Please be careful.” With his free hand, he gripped
Daithi’s  neck  and  tugged  him  in  for  a  too-brief
kiss.  “You  remember  that  there’s  a  phooka  out
there, okay? Stay on guard.”

“I will,” Daithi promised.
Giving in to his desire, Reb closed the distance

between their lips again. This time, he slipped his
tongue  in  deep,  tasting  his  mate,  enjoying  the
heady, masculine taste of him. He felt his dick go
ramrod  straight  in  his  jeans  again,  but  knew  he
could  do  nothing  about  it.  That  didn’t  stop  him
from plundering his mate’s mouth, loving the way
Daithi  sank  into  his  embrace  and  whimpered  so
nicely into his mouth.

Finally, Reb pulled away. He rested his

forehead against Daithi’s. Both men panted, their
breaths mingling. “You’re everything to me,

Charlie Richards

Daithi Murphy. I’ll see you tonight.”

Daithi nodded. “I look forward to it.”
From the glazed expression filling Daithi’s lust-

blown eyes, Reb didn’t doubt his words. After one
more kiss, Reb released him. He watched in
silence as Daithi grabbed his bag and slipped from
the car. A moment later, his mate gave him a quick
wave and disappeared into his home.

Reb swept his gaze over his surroundings, but

nothing caught his attention. He brought the SUV
roaring back to life and pointed the vehicle toward
his pack members. A quick phone call to Frankie
told him that everyone was at Killian’s place, so he
headed there.

Conor opened the door after Reb rang the bell,

ushering  him  into  the  home.  The  sprawling
Georgian  style  country  home  had  many  rooms
and  was  even  bigger  than  Declan’s  massive
hunting  lodge.  He  knew  the  beta  and  enforcers
also  lived  in  the  place,  which  meant  more  space
was needed for the wolves.

As Reb followed Conor through the manor, he

discreetly sniffed the man and caught his brother’s
scent on him. He grinned, knowing he himself was
probably reeking of Daithi’s smell. At least
everyone seemed to be enjoying their vacation.

He entered a large room that appeared to be a

cross between a study and a library, noticing the

Catching a Bit of Irish

left  and  back  wall  was  lined  with  bookshelves,
save for the two floor-to-ceiling windows breaking
up the stacks. On the right side, a large desk and
several  leather  couches  took  up  the  space.  A
number of shifters occupied the area, including his
own  alpha,  alpha-mate,  and  their  guards,  plus
Killian  and  his  shifters.  Several  heavy  looking
tomes were open on the coffee table in the center
of the couches.

Declan greeted him. “Reb, it’s good that ye’re

here. We think we may have found a way to
discover who’s behind the phooka’s aggression.”
His alpha looked beyond him, then at him again.
“Where’s yer mate?”

Reb appreciated his alpha’s concern, not to

mention his easy acceptance of the situation.
“Daithi received a call from his parents. They
asked him to drop by this evening,” he explained.

“Everythin’ okay on that front?” Killian asked,

cocking his head.

Shrugging, Reb inclined his head to both

alphas, then moved forward and dropped into an
empty chair. “His father said something important
had come up that he needed to discuss with him.
Daithi didn’t seem overly concerned. I’m
supposed to be meeting him back at his place in a
few hours.”

Kade leaned close and sniffed. The big wolf

enforcer grinned. “Congrats on your mating,

Charlie Richards

buddy.”

He grinned back. “Thanks. He’s agreed to move

to the states.” Reb looked at Killian. “We’d really
appreciate it if you knew someone, or could put us
in contact with someone who could help us with
the red tape on that.”

“Aye, I think I know someone who can help.

Ireland does recognize unions between same sex
couples. If ye go through a ceremony here, it may
help with gettin’ Daithi a green card.” Killian
paused, obviously thinking. “I’ll talk to a friend of
mine, see what she says,” he promised.

Relief flooded Reb. “Thank you.”
Declan cleared his throat, regaining Reb’s

attention.  “Now,  in  order  to  figure  out  what  has
the  phooka  riled,  we  need  to  capture  it.  These
books  here  give  a  few  ideas  on  how  that  can  be
done.”

Reb’s alpha picked up one and started reading.

He and his friends worked through various ideas,
often  deferring  to  Killian  and  Conor  on  the
workability  of  a  plan.  It  wasn’t  until  Abigail
slipped  away  and  came  back  with  refreshments
that  Reb  glanced  at  his  phone  and  read  that  the
time was almost eleven, realizing how late it had
gotten.  He  frowned,  also  realizing  he  probably
should  have  met  up  with  Daithi  almost  an  hour
ago.

His phone told him he hadn’t missed his

Charlie Richards

Chapter Six

t was unusual for his father, Anthony Murphy,
to call him. After Daithi had come out to his

family  six  years  ago,  nearly  all  contact  had  been
through  his  mother.  Even  when  Daithi  visited,
which  was  rare  anymore,  his  father  barely
acknowledged his presence.

Daithi rolled to a stop in front of his parent’s

home,  surprised  to  find  a  number  of  cars  parked
nearby. Frowning, he found a place to squeeze his
small vehicle and headed toward the door. It was
unusual to see all his relatives except on holidays.
He  walked  slowly  up  the  sidewalk,  racking  his
brain,  trying  to  remember  if  he’d  forgotten  a
birthday or something.

The door opened before Daithi reached it, and

Anthony  stood  there.  He  noticed  the  slight  smile
on  his  dad’s  face,  which  almost  made  Daithi  trip
over  a  step.  There  was  definitely  something  up.
Daithi  followed  Anthony’s  waved  hand,
preceding him into the small home. The click of a

Catching a Bit of Irish

lock behind him had him spinning around and his
brows lifting. Had his dad just locked him in the
house?

Anthony settled a strong hand on his shoulder

and guided him into the living room. Another
wave of trepidation shot through Daithi when he
saw nearly everyone seated in a circle around the
room. His father pressed him into a chair near the
kitchen doorway.

Daithi looked around the group. “What’s going

on?” he asked warily, finally finding his voice.

“We’re here to discuss yer addiction,” Anthony

stated calmly.

Confusion flooded Daithi. “My addiction? I

don’t have an addiction.”

“Yer addiction to,” his father swallowed hard,

“to touching boys.”

An intervention. His family was staging an

intervention because he was gay—as if Daithi had
some choice in this matter. Blood pounded
through his veins and his vision faded for several
seconds. He realized he was holding his breath
and he forced himself to inhale a lungful of air.

He licked his lips, trying to engage his brain.

Looking  up,  Daithi  realized  every  pair  of  eyes  in
the  room  was  focusing  on  him.  His  grandmother
had her rosary out and mumbled words too quiet
for  him  to  make  out.  The  only  one  who  was
conspicuously  absent  was  Brenna.  She’d  always

Charlie Richards

been supportive and loving. It made sense that she
wouldn’t be involved with this, but why hadn’t
she warned him? Daithi hoped it was because she
hadn’t known.

Swallowing, Daithi forced words past the lump

in his throat. “I’m sorry ye all feel the need to do
this.  With  the  acceptance  of  government  and  all
the  research  that  proves  that  whom  I’m  attracted
to is not a choice, it’s alarming that ye think this is
something  that  would  help  any  of  us,  let  alone
me.”

Daithi focused on his father, who was

obviously  the  spokesperson  of  the  group.  “And  I
don’t  touch  boys,  as  ye  say.”  The  fact  that  his
father  thought  so  little  of  him  sent  a  spike  of
irritation through him. “I have romantic relations
with  a  consenting  adult.”  He  struggled  to  keep  a
blush  from  working  over  his  features.  The  rosy
hues  of  a  couple  of  his  family  members  told  him
that  he  wasn’t  the  only  one  extremely
uncomfortable with the very idea of discussing sex
with most of them.

“It is an addiction,” his mother, Celine, insisted.

“It’s hurting you.”

He started to refute that, when his uncle, who

was sitting next to him, pulled the neck of Daithi’s
shirt down. “Ye’ve been bit. That is not normal
behavior.”

Daithi’s face flushed. His family didn’t know

Catching a Bit of Irish

about shifters or mates, so Daithi could
understand their confusion. He’d only learned by
mistake when Ross had accidentally shifted in
front of him while wrestling with Craig when they
were teens.

“And you will never have a family, the love of a

wife and children, someone to lean on when times
get bad,” Daithi’s grandmother said, speaking up.

It figured that she’d point that one out, Daithi

thought.

“I have someone to lean on. Someone who cares

for me,” Daithi insisted. He almost smiled
thinking about Reb, even while sitting amongst his
bigoted family members.

“That Evan character?” Anthony asked,

scoffing. “Even if he was a woman, he would not
be good enough for you. Clingy, possessive, and
weak.”

Daithi’s jaw dropped. He’d had no idea his

father felt that way about Evan. They’d only met
twice. “Well, no, I’m not with Evan anymore,” he
admitted.

His aunt’s face seemed to brighten. “Then this

is perfect timing. Don’t you see? It’s providential!
You  must  realize  that  getting  counseling  and
leading  a  normal  life  will  be  more  beneficial  for
you.  How  can we introduce  you  to  our  friends  if
you  carry  on  with  this  behavior?”  She  shook  her
head.  “You  must  learn  healthy  ways  to  express

Charlie Richards

your desires.”

He could feel the blood drain from his face at

each  word  his  aunt  spoke.  Daithi  shook  his  head
slowly.  “No.  No  counseling.  No  wife.  If  ye  don’t
want to introduce me to yer friends, that’s on you,
not me.” Daithi leaped to his feet when his father
opened  his  mouth  again.  “No,”  he  yelled,  no
longer  able  to  control  himself.  How  dare  his
family  do  this  to  him!  “I’m  leaving.  I  have  a
boyfriend who appreciates me and I’m moving to
the United States to be with him.”

At the shocked expressions on his family

member’s faces, Daithi knew he shouldn’t have
blurted out his little announcement that way. His
suspicions were confirmed when he was grabbed
by first his uncle, then his father.

“It’s obvious this tactic isn’t working, but don’t

worry,” Anthony said, as if his calm voice would
soothe Daithi. “We’ve got a hypnotist lined up
that has had great success with his patients.”

“What? No!” Daithi started to struggle. He

managed to yank his arm away from his uncle,
only to have two of his cousins immediately grab
it again. Daithi bucked and fought, but there were
too many of them. His family dragged him
upstairs to a bedroom and shoved him inside.

Daithi stumbled sideways. His shin banged into

a chair, sending him tumbling forward.
Fortunately, they’d shoved him into the room he

Catching a Bit of Irish

used as a kid, which was small, and Daithi landed
on his old twin bed. The creak of springs nearly
drowned out the sound of a slamming door.

Rising from the bed, Daithi crossed the room

and  jiggled  the  handle  of  the  door,  not  surprised
to  find it  locked.  He  strode  to  the  single  window
and tried to shove it open. It didn’t budge. Upon
closer  inspection,  Daithi  realized  it  had  been
nailed shut.

“Oh, shite,” he hissed.
Next he patted his pockets. Nothing. No phone,

no wallet. Someone must have swiped them while
he’d been struggling.

Resting his palm on the glass, he felt a shiver of

fear pass through his body. Just when he’d found
a measure of happiness, Daithi’s family had gone
off  the  deep  end.  For  a  fleeting  moment,  he
thought  about  breaking  the  glass,  but  dismissed
the  idea  just  as  quickly.  Daith  felt  certain  his
family would hear that, and there was no way he
could climb out the window and down the trellis
before they investigated the noise.

He pressed his forehead against the pane and

stared out at the darkness. Hating the feeling of
helplessness that invaded him, Daithi closed his
eyes and whispered, “I need ye, Reb.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Seven

is mate wasn’t answering his phone. Reb let
out a slow breath, trying to contain his

growing agitation. Why won’t Daithi answer?

“Hey, everything okay?” Kade asked.
His friend’s concerned gaze swept over him,

and from the furrowing of Kade’s brows, Reb
knew the other shifter noticed the too tight grip
Reb had on his phone and the tension in body.

Kade inhaled deeply, taking in Reb’s scent, then

he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Daithi isn’t answering his phone.” Reb knew

there could be all kinds of reasons for that, but
that knowledge didn’t set him at ease. “I’m not
sure why, but my wolf is telling me I need to find
him. Something is wrong.”

Kade didn’t question him further. “Okay. Let’s

see if we can find him.”

Reb followed the pack enforcer back into the

study. “Alphas, we seem to have a missing mate,”
Kade said without preamble.

Catching a Bit of Irish

That garnered the attention of everyone in the

room. Declan and Killian rose, both alphas
striding toward them. “What do ye mean?”
Declan asked.

“Daithi didn’t think he’d be at his parents long,

and it’s already nearly eleven. I can’t get hold of
him and I’m worried,” Reb admitted. Saying the
words out loud, it sounded ridiculous. Daithi was
a grown man and he was with family.

Killian crossed his arms over his chest and

frowned, which did nothing to reassure Reb. “He
went to his parents, aye?” Killian mused.

Reb nodded.
“Ross once told me that Daithi can only stand

his family in small doses, because they’re so dead
set against him bein’ gay,” Killian said. “They
don’t know about shifters, so it’s not like ye can
barge in searchin’ for yer mate.”

Frowning, Reb mirrored the alpha’s pose.

“What do you suggest I do?”

“Hmm,” Killian hummed, then a smirk curved

his lips. “I think I’ll give Ross and Craig a call.
They’ve been best friends with Daithi for years, so
them turning up on the parent’s doorstep lookin’
for him won’t rouse suspicion.”

Reb couldn’t stop the low growl from escaping.

“I  want  to  go  with  them,”  he  snapped,  a
possessive  need  to  stake  his  claim  and  help  his
mate rolling through him.  It should be me rescuing

Charlie Richards

Daithi, not his friends!

“Relax, Reb,” Declan soothed. “No one is trying

to steal yer mate.”

The tension in his shoulders eased at his alpha’s

calm  tone  and  tight  squeeze  to  his  shoulder.  He
breathed  out  a  sigh.  Reb  hated  feeling  helpless.
He’d  only  known  Daithi  a  couple  days  and
already  Reb  knew  he  couldn’t  live  without  the
man, even if they hadn’t already bonded.

“Give me just a moment,” Killian ordered,

striding  to  the  large  oak  desk  and  retrieving  his
phone.  He  leaned  against  the  heavy  piece  of
furniture  and  dialed  a  number.  Reb  was  too  far
away  to  hear  more  than  a  buzz,  signifying  the
speaker on the other end of the phone.

“Hello, Ross. Aye, I need yer help. It seems

Reb’s  wolf  is  telling  him  something  is  up  with
Daithi,  who  isna  answerin’  his  phone.”  Killian
stared  out  the  window  as  he  explained,  pausing
here  and  there,  evidently  listening  to  Ross  say
something.  “No,  it  seems  Daithi  went  to  his
parent’s  house.  His  father  called  and  said
something  important  had  come  up  and  they
needed  to  speak  with  him.  Aye,  I  thought  that
odd, too. Pick up Craig and come over here to get
Reb.”  Killian’s  lips  twisted  into  a  smirk.  “Aye,
we’ll have a cover story by then.”

Killian hung up the phone and turned to Reb.

“Ross and Craig should be here before long.”

Catching a Bit of Irish

Reb tapped his foot on the floorboard of Ross’s

car. Ross glanced over his shoulder at Reb where
he sat in the back seat. “Ye need to relax, Reb,”
Craig encouraged from the passenger seat in front
of Reb. “There’s probably a perfectly fine
explanation for all this.”

Frowning, Reb glanced out the window before

turning  a  glare  on  the  back  of  Craig’s  head.
“Daithi wasn’t at home. What if he left his parents
and  got  attacked  by  the  phooka?  I  should  never
have  let  him  go  to  his  parents  alone.  My  alpha
warned  us  not  to  be  alone,”  he  snarled,  angrier
with himself than at either of  the men in front of
him.

“We need to keep a steady head,” Ross warned.

“It won’t do any good if ye miss something due to
nerves.”

Knowing the shifter was right, Reb closed his

eyes and concentrated on  his breathing. He  drew
in  a  deep  breath,  taking  in  the  other  two  men’s
scents.  Knowing  they  were  worried,  too,  relieved
some of his stress. Ross and Craig were taking him
seriously. They’d told Killian and Reb how odd it
was  for  Daithi’s  father  to  contact  him,  regardless
of  the  issue.  In  the  past,  it  had  always  been
Daithi’s mother, Celine, who called to speak with
him or invite him to a family get-together.

They pulled up in front of the house and found

Charlie Richards

a number of vehicles, but none of them were his
mate’s.

“Oh, this can’t be good,” Ross muttered.
“Why?” Reb quickly questioned.
Craig glanced back at him as Ross parked.

“Dealing with this many family members is tough
on Daithi. Only his sister, Brenna, doesn’t seem to
care that he’s gay, and I don’t see her car.”

When Reb got out of the car, he inhaled slowly.

Daithi’s scent hung in the air, faint but there. A
mixture of relief and trepidation filled Reb,
knowing his sexy human had at least made it this
far.

He followed Ross and Craig up the walk, trying

to look relaxed instead of tense and stressed. Craig
knocked  on  the  door  while  the  other  two  men
stood a few steps back. He had to bang a second
time before someone appeared to answer the door,
which  Reb  found  odd  considering  the  number  of
cars.  Reb  would  have  considered  the  idea  of  a
party  going  on  in  the  back,  but  with  his  shifter
hearing, he would have heard the noise.

“Good evenin’, Mr. Murphy,” Craig greeted the

man, who appeared to be a slightly larger and
heavier version of Daithi. The eyes were the same,
but Reb noticed that they held a coldness that he
didn’t like.

“Craig,” Mr. Murphy replied with a small nod.

“What can I do for ye boys?”

Catching a Bit of Irish

Reb turned his head and sniffed discreetly. The

scent of his mate was heavy on the man. Heavier
than if they’d just shook hands or hugged. It
raised Reb’s wolf’s hackles.

“We be lookin’ fer Daithi. Me and the boys are

supposed  to  be  doing  some  late  night  fishin’,”
Craig  said,  sticking  with  the  cover  story  they’d
developed.  “We  can’t  find  him,  and  since  we
knew he was swingin’ over here this eve, thought
maybe ye may know where he’s gone.”

Mr. Murphy looked over Craig’s shoulder at

Ross and Reb, his gaze lingering for a few seconds
on him. He returned his focus to Craig and shook
his head. “Nope. Sorry. He came by for a short
visit a few hours ago, but I don’t know where he
went after that. Have ye tried the docks?”

In fact, they hadn’t, nor was there any reason to

head over there. Reb fought hard to keep the
scowl from his face. Mr. Murphy was lying about
something, and he wanted to know what. The
man’s scent reeked of deceit.

Out of the corner of his eye, Reb saw Ross’s jaw

tighten. Somehow, the man kept the smile on his
face.

Craig’s response caught Reb’s attention. “Well,

I guess we’ll try the docks. Thank ye for yer time,
Mr. Murphy.”

The human grunted and turned away, giving

Reb an unobstructed view into the home. From

Charlie Richards

where Reb was standing, he could just make out a
sliver  of  the  room  on  the  right  through  a  large
archway.  Several  overturned  chairs  and  scratches
on the wood floor caught his attention, but before
he  could  say  anything,  the  door  shut,  closing  off
his view.

Ross grabbed his arm before he could say

anything and pulled him toward the steps. “Not
now,” the shifter warned, low enough for only
him to hear.

They reached the car. Craig opened the

passenger door and both men urged him into the
seat,  then  Craig  took  the  one  behind  him.
“Something  went  down  in  that  house,”  Reb
snarled  as  soon  as  Ross  settled  into  the  driver’s
seat. “Mr. Murphy is lying about something.”

“We know,” Ross snapped back at him before

starting the car. “But we can’t really force our way
into the house or slam him into the wall and force
the truth, no matter how much I’d like to.”

Reb glared. “Then what the hell are we going to

do? Just drive away?”

“Don’t be an arse,” Craig growled. “Daithi has

been our friend for twenty years. We’ll not be
leavin’ him to the likes of him.”

He growled in frustration, but gave a jerky nod.

“Then what do you suggest?”

Ross grinned. “Park around the corner and

shift. See what we can sniff out.”

Catching a Bit of Irish

“Is it safe?” Reb liked the idea, but he had to

ask. They would need to find a different way if
shifting near the bigoted family endangered his
species’ secrets.

“Aye,” Ross replied. “It will be fine. There are

plenty of trees and brush round back. It’s dark.
We can stay in the shadows and figure out what’s
where. Did we mention we’re trackers for our
pack?” Ross winked at him. “We’ll find Daithi.”

That news eased some of the tension

thrumming through him. “It looked like a scuffle
took place in the living room. Do you actually
think they’d hold him against his will?” Reb asked
softly. What kind of family would do that?

Ross parked the car and rubbed his hands over

his face. “I’d never have thought it possible, but
for some reason, Murphy’s scent was off.” He
looked back at his friend. “Did ye notice that?”

Craig’s eyes narrowed. “Aye, now that ye

mention it. There was the smell of hydrogen
sulfide. Extremely faint. I just thought they’d eaten
something I didn’t like for supper.”

“The rotten egg smell?” Reb cocked his head.

“You all eat some funky shit. I just thought it was
food, too.”

Craig snorted. “Nay, man. Not the food. There’s

somethin’ else going on here,” he growled.

A sudden thought struck Reb. “Could the

phooka be behind this?”

Charlie Richards

The three men exchanged looks. “A phooka

can’t enter a person’s home,” Ross mused. “Could
he somehow manipulate others? Control them
somehow?”

“We won’t know until we trap it. After I find

my mate, that will be the next item on my to do
list,” Reb growled. “Now, show me the back of
Murphy’s place so we can start our search.”

To his relief, the two wolf trackers didn’t

hesitate to act. All three of them stripped and
shifted. Reb felt his muscles pop, his bones crack,
and his tendons realign. It wasn’t painful, as much
as it reminded him of a soothing stretch after
being in one position for too long. Giving his body
a good shake, Reb settled his fur into place.

A look to his left and right showed him that

Ross  and  Craig  were  in  their  wolf  forms  as  well,
both  smaller  and  leaner  than  Reb’s  large  canine.
Ross and Craig trotted through the trees and Reb
followed.  Slinking  through  the  underbrush,  Reb
stopped  next  to  the  others  and  peered  at  the
house.

Lights were on in several downstairs windows

and one upstairs. People were yelling, but due to
the distance and the walls, Reb couldn’t make out
what  they  were  shouting  about.  He  lifted  his
muzzle  to  the  wind  and  inhaled.  Reb’s  body
practically  vibrated  with  frustration.  He  could
smell  his  mate,  but  he  wasn’t  certain  what

Catching a Bit of Irish

direction it came from. The scent just seemed to
hang in the air.

A soft thump during a lull in the human’s

conversation  caught  Reb’s  attention  and  he  lifted
his  gaze  to  the  second  floor  window.  A  figure
stood  there.  A  figure  he  knew  very  well.  He
whined as he stared up at his mate.

Daithi stood at the window, his hand on the

glass, his forehead pressed against it, as if it were
too  heavy  to  hold  up,  as  if  his  lover  carried  the
weight of the world on his shoulders. Reb backed
several  steps,  slipping  deeper  into  the  shadows,
and  shifted  back  to  human  form.  The  other  two
followed suit.

“I need to get him out of there,” he whispered.
Crouching next to him, the other two nodded.
“Tell us what ye need,” Ross muttered.
Growling softly, Reb took in the structure.

There was a trellis across the back that looked
sturdy. “I need their attention on the front of the
house, so I can climb up and rescue Daithi.”

Craig snickered and bumped his shoulder.

“Climb the tower and rescue the damsel, aye?”

Ross smothered a snort.
Reb rolled his eyes, but the comments broke his

tension, replacing it with determination. He
smirked at the two shifters he was quickly coming
to respect. “Right. Just don’t ever tell Daithi that.”

Ross smacked Reb on the shoulder. “Give us

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twenty minutes and ye’ll get yer disturbance,” he
promised.

“Uh, you should probably let the alphas know

what’s going on, too,” Reb advised.

Craig gave him a thumbs up right before he

shifted back to his wolf form. A moment later, the
two  brown  wolves  disappeared  silently  into  the
trees.  Reb  looked  back  up  at  his  mate,  his  shifter
eyesight  allowing  him  to  take  in  Daithi’s  closed
eyes  and  despondent  expression.  It  nearly  broke
his heart and it took everything in him to stay put.

A few moments later, Reb heard screeching

tires and crunching glass. His brows shot up. Was
that the sound of a car crash? A commotion came
from the front, and Reb knew it was his cue. Reb
sprinted across the lawn and leaped for the trellis,
trusting the pieces of wood were sturdy enough to
hold him. The wood creaked, but held.

Reb climbed swiftly. It only took him a few

seconds to reach the second story. He peered into
the room and spotted his mate pacing, glancing
toward the closed door every few steps. He
tapped on the window.

Daithi wheeled around. His eyes widened in

shock, then a look of pleased disbelief covered his
face as he took the two steps required to reach the
window. Resting his hand on the glass, Daithi
called his name, the sound muffled by the thick
pane.

Catching a Bit of Irish

“Open the window, baby,” Reb ordered.
His mate tapped something at the bottom of the

frame and Reb leaned close. “Damn them,” Reb
growled. They’d nailed the fucking window shut.
“Are there other nails?” he asked, enunciating
slowly so his mate would understand.

Daithi’s eyes narrowed and Reb could tell from

the look on his face that he was trying to figure
out his words. Then his head snapped up and he
began searching the frame. Daithi seemed to look
carefully for several seconds, then his gaze
returned to Reb and he shook his head quickly.

“Good,” Reb muttered. He planted his feet as

best he could while barefoot on a slender trellis
and braced his knees on a couple of the slats. He
gripped the top lip of the bottom window pane
and shoved, putting all his shifter strength into it.

A deep groan sounded from the wood, then a

popping noise. The window shot up. Reb’s hands
slipped  from  the  sill  and  his  balance  shifted.  He
pin-wheeled  his  arms  wildly.  Jerking  his  torso
forward,  Reb  grabbed  blindly  for  the  trellis,  just
managing  to  catch  hold  of  the  slats  with  his
fingertips.  Once  righted,  Reb  heaved  a  sigh  and
looked at his mate’s startled expression.

“Reb!” Daithi gasped.
He grinned. “Hey, baby. You ready to get out of

here?”

“Hell, yeah,” Daithi replied. “What’s going on

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out front?”

“Distraction,” Reb told him. “Let’s go.”
He held out a hand, gratified when Daithi

immediately  took  it.  Helping  his  mate  over  the
windowsill,  Reb  made  certain  the  guy  had  his
balance  and  feet  placed,  then  they  started  down
the  trellis  as  quickly  as  possible.  When  they  hit
bottom,  Reb  put  a  hand  on  Diathi’s  elbow  to
steady him.

Daithi turned and smiled at him. “Thank ye for

coming after me,” he whispered.

Reb dipped his head and brushed a quick kiss

to Daithi’s mouth. “Always.”

His mate’s eyes widened. “You’re naked!”
Grinning, Reb got moving, tugging Daithi

behind him. “We were circling the house in wolf
form when we discovered you were being held in
that room. Come on.”

“We?” Daithi asked, following behind him.
Reb nodded. “Yup. Me and your friends, Ross

and Craig. Good guys,” he conceded.

“Yeah, they are. Where are they now?”
He didn’t respond to his mate’s question until

they were in the trees and out of sight of the
house. “They are creating the distraction.”

Catching a Bit of Irish

Chapter Eight

aithi couldn’t believe the shock he’d felt
upon seeing his mate hanging outside the

window.  Between  seeing  Reb  shove  the  window
up,  affectively  yanking  the  nails  all  the  way
through  the  board—who  knew  shifters  were  that
strong?—and  the  fact  that  the  guy  was  naked,
Daithi  had  trouble  focusing  on  anything  but  his
aching dick. His mate was fucking sexy.

Trying to focus, Daithi asked, “What

distraction?” His brows shot up as his brain finally
caught up. “I thought I heard a car accident out
front.”

Reb nodded. “Yup. Don’t know the specifics

because I was out back, but that’s exactly what it
sounded like.” The shifter smirked. “From all the
dents on Ross’s car, I don’t think one more is
going to make a difference. Although, from the
shouting, whoever he hit was mighty upset.”

Daithi snorted. “Aye, he isn’t the most careful

driver. His insurance must be through the roof!”

Charlie Richards

The soft chuckle Reb let out had the tension

around  his  eyes  and  mouth  easing.  The  desire  to
kiss  Reb  once  more  surged  through  Daithi,  and,
secluded  in  the  trees  as  they  were,  he  saw  no
reason to fight it.

Reaching up, Daithi cupped Reb’s jaw and

neck. He stepped in close, pressing their chests
together, feeling the heat from Reb’s naked body.

Reb followed his urging and dropped his head

the few inches needed to press their lips together.
The warm slide of lips against his own caused a
whimper to escape Daithi and he opened his
mouth for more.

Reb didn’t disappoint. His mate’s arms

wrapped around him, pulling their bodies flush
together. Through his t-shirt, Daithi could feel the
firm plains of Reb’s chest and his beaded nipples.
His grip on the sexy shifter tightened. His fear that
he’d never see this man again slowly eased, to be
replaced by a new heat, one of need and lust.

His cock leaked pre-cum in his boxers, and

Daithi rocked his erection against the crease of
Reb’s thigh. One of Reb’s arms slipped around his
ass, a big palm gripping one cheek. He felt himself
being lifted slightly, so their groins were more
aligned. Daithi hitched one leg over Reb’s hip, the
other still on the ground.

Never releasing his lover’s mouth, Daithi

humped unabashedly against his mate. His body

Catching a Bit of Irish

burned  with  the  need  for  release.  His  hole
clenched,  and  Daithi  wanted  Reb  to  fill  him  so
badly.  He  whined  and  Reb  swallowed  the  noises
down. Daithi knew he was just seconds away from
coming  in  his  jeans  like  an  untried  lad  and  he
couldn’t care less.

A steely grip clasped his body from behind and

tore him from Reb’s embrace.

Daithi stumbled several steps, a roar of anger

from his lover registering as he managed to catch
his balance. Daithi turned back around and
gasped. The phooka stood several feet in front of
him, between him and Reb.

“No,” Daithi whispered. Gathering his courage,

he spoke louder. “You stay away from him,” he
ordered.

The phooka actually turned to look at him.

Daithi almost thought his expression looked sad,
tortured, regretful. “He cannot have you.”

Daithi shook his head, confused. “Why? Why

can’t you leave us alone?”

“I have my orders.” With those confusing

words, the phooka turned back around to face
Reb.

While they’d been talking, Reb had taken

advantage of the distraction. The phooka hissed
his irritation that he now faced off against a nearly
two hundred and fifty pound wolf. Reb bared his
canines at the creature and let out a low, rumbling

Charlie Richards

growl.

The phooka shook his head, glaring at Reb as

the wolf stalked toward him. “You couldn’t just
leave well enough alone,” the creature snarled.

The phooka’s body began to stretch and

contort, his form moving fluidly into another.
Daithi’s jaw dropped and he retreated several
steps until his back hit a tree. Instead of a goat, the
phooka morphed into a bull. The massive animal
had heavy muscles and long, curving horns.

“Oh, shite,” Daithi muttered.
Dropping its head, the bull snorted and pawed

the forest floor with one cloven front hoof.

Reb crouched low to the ground, his body tense

as he waited.

The phooka charged.
Reb leaped sideways and snapped his jaws at

the bull’s shoulder, drawing first blood.

The bull bellowed and spun on its haunches,

swinging its head as it moved, and charged once
again.

Reb jumped sideways for the second time, but

didn’t move quite fast enough. One of the horns
gauged into his flank. The wolf howled and
skittered away.

Daithi’s heart in his throat, he swept his gaze

over the area, looking for something he could use
to help his mate. A broken branch caught his eye,
and Daithi quickly picked it up. It was heavier

Catching a Bit of Irish

than it looked, but he managed, all the while
thanking his strenuous job for keeping him fit.

Just as the bull charged Reb once more, Daithi

stepped  forward  and  swung.  The  thick  branch
caught  the  phooka  right  across  the  face.  The  bull
roared  and  struck  out  with  a  front  leg,  clipping
Daithi’s hip and sending him to the ground.

Reb sank his teeth into the fleshy butt of the

animal, but didn’t manage to release quick enough
when the phooka kicked at him. The wolf went
flying, his compact body slamming into a tree and
falling to the ground. Relief flooded Daithi when
Reb immediately lifted his head and shook it.

Fear replaced the relief quickly when the bull

once more lowered his head and charged at Reb.
Before it could connect, two brown blurs streaked
through the trees and slammed into the phooka,
knocking him off course.

Daithi struggled to his feet and watched the

pair circle and snap at the bull, forcing him away
from Reb, who was valiantly trying to rise. Never
had  Daithi  been  happier  to  see  Ross  and  Craig.
Before  long,  the  phooka  bellowed  in  frustration,
then  turned  and  ran,  disappearing  into  the
evening gloom.

Limping as quickly as possible, Daithi made his

way to his mate. Reb was at least on his feet, but
didn’t seem to be putting any weight on his right
front leg. Blood dripped from several wounds,

Charlie Richards

creating clumps in his strawberry fur.

“Oh, Reb,” Daithi crooned. “He got you good.”

He  wasn’t  certain  where  to  put  his  hands, finally
settling  them  on  the  wolf’s  ruff.  Reb  nuzzled
closer,  his  nose  sniffing  and  head  rubbing  as  if
trying to determine if Daithi was okay.

He held tight to the shifter, reassuring Reb with

voice and touch.

After a moment, Ross appeared at his side.

“Bloody phooka,” he muttered. “Come on, buddy.
We need ye to shift so we can get out of here.”

Nodding, Daithi encouraged Reb to shift. The

wolf whined, but then the tell-tale shiver worked
through the animal’s body from snout to tail tip. It
took longer than Daithi thought it should, but he
finally had his arms filled with his human lover.

Reb ignored his own injuries and quickly began

skimming his good hand over Daithi’s ribs and
chest. “Did he hurt you?” he asked, clearly
concerned. “Gods, I wanted to tear him limb from
limb for hitting you.”

“I’m fine,” Daithi assured, grabbing Reb’s hand

and gently holding it in place. “Nothing a warm
bath and a couple aspirin won’t cure. It’s you who
needs medical attention. Can ye even move yer
wrist?”

His lover seemed surprised when he looked

down and realized he was cradling his right arm
to his chest. “Oh, yeah.” He scowled as he moved

Catching a Bit of Irish

the injured limb from his chest. “Probably.”

Daithi rolled his eyes. “Come on, baby. Let’s get

you to Killian’s. I bet Lark is still there and you’ll
probably feel much better being looked at by your
own doctor, right?”

Reb gave him a relieved smile and nodded.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Now that I’m with ye again, I’m grand,”

Daithi murmured. He grimaced. “Did that sound
as sappy out loud as I think it did?”

Chuckling, Reb pressed a quick kiss to his lips

before saying, “Yeah, but I liked it.”

A fully clothed Craig appeared through the

trees  carrying  a  backpack  and  a  couple  pairs  of
sneakers.  He  tossed  the  bag  to  the  naked  men.
“The sooner we get dressed, the sooner we can get
the hell out of here. We need to put our plan into
action  for  catching  that  blasted  creature,”  Craig
growled.

“Plan? What plan?” Daithi asked, buttoning

Reb’s jeans for him since he only had use of one
hand.

“It’s something we were discussing while you

went to your parents,” Reb replied, grimacing as
he pulled his shirt over his head. “These are going
to be ruined,” he muttered.

Daithi nodded, watching blood seep through

on Reb’s left thigh and right shoulder. They didn’t
bother putting the right arm in the hole, but left it

Charlie Richards

tucked under the shirt when Daithi pulled it over
Reb’s broad chest and abs. He itched to touch, but
knew this was not the time for such thoughts. That
didn’t stop his cock from twitching in his jeans.

He glanced up and saw Reb giving him a

knowing, smoldering look. “Later,” Reb promised.

Shaking his head, Daithi replied, “Only if ye’re

given the okay from yer doctor.”

“I will be,” Reb replied huskily.
“Knock it off, love birds,” Ross teased. “Let’s

get out of the jungle and ye cleaned up before ye
try to jump Daithi’s bones, hmm?”

As they walked to the car, the shifters kept

scanning  the  forest  around  them.  Daithi  looked,
too, but didn’t see anything. He didn’t know if the
shifters  were  more  worried  about  the  phooka
coming  back  or  if  they  thought  Daithi’s  family
would be looking for him.

He had been locked up. It still tore him up

inside that his family could betray him that way.
Daithi knew they didn’t like the fact that he was
gay, but never before had they treated him like he
had an affliction that needed to be cured.

“Hey,” Reb crooned. “What’s wrong, baby? Is it

your parents?”

His mate’s astute observation surprised him,

but since Reb had raised his brother, figuring out
how to read emotions probably came with the
territory of parenting. Reb’s hand on his back,

Catching a Bit of Irish

coupled with the soft stroking up and down his
spine, made Daithi want to lay all his hurt and
frustration at his mate’s feet.

Well, why the hell not? Once they were in the car,

Daithi quietly admitted, “They held a kind of
intervention for me, as if being gay was the same
as a drug problem or something.” His brows drew
together and Daithi found himself burrowing into
Reb’s side, encouraged by his lover’s strong left
arm around his shoulders.

“I never knew they thought that way about

me,” he whispered.

He felt Reb kiss the top of his head.
Reb said the only thing he could say. “I’m sorry

that happened to you, baby.”

To Daithi’s surprise, Reb continued. “That’s

their opinion, and that’s on them. Because of their
bigoted  attitude,  they’ll  miss  the  amazing  man
you  are.”  Another  kiss  fell  on  his  head.  “But  I
know,  Daithi.  I  know  how  wonderful  you  are.
How  kind  and  caring,  and  sweet.”  Another  kiss.
“You  mean  everything  to  me,  my  mate.  I  can’t
replace your parents, but I vow to show you how
much I love you every day of my life.”

That finally made Daithi’s head jerk up. “Ye

love me?”

There was a pregnant pause, making Daithi

think maybe he’d misheard and jumped the gun.
Reb leaned down and rested his forehead against

Charlie Richards

Daithi’s.  “I  know  it’s  only  been  a  day,  and  I
shouldn’t  have  blurted  it  out  like  that,  but  yes,  I
love  you.  It  didn’t  take  me  long  to  fall  for  the
amazing man you are.”

“Oh,” Daithi breathed, his mind reeling from

everything Reb said. “How the hell can ye be so
coherent with a possibly broken wrist?”

Ross snorted. Craig snickered. Reb grinned.

Daithi blushed. “Shite, that wasn’t what I should
have said.”

Reb nuzzled Daithi’s neck and ear. “There’s no

wrong answer, baby,” he assured. “I didn’t mean
to overwhelm you. I know a lot has happened
today.”

Well, damn! Has it really only been just over forty-

eight hours since I met this man? Daithi’s emotions
threatened to overwhelm him as that realization
sank in.

“Hey, easy, baby,” Reb crooned, evidently

recognizing his growing panic.

“I don’t know what I feel,” he blurted out.
Instead of becoming upset, Reb nuzzled his

neck again. “That’s fine, sweetheart. We have time
for you to figure it out.”

Daithi pressed against his lover’s side, grateful

once more to be safe in his arms, and tried not to
think about all the shite happening around them.

They remained quiet as they made their way to

Catching a Bit of Irish

Killian’s.  Ross  had  already  called  ahead,  alerting
the  alphas  to  the  situation.  When  they  arrived,
Lark was waiting in a spare bedroom with first aid
supplies  spread  across  the  dresser.  The  small
human instructed Reb to strip and sit on the bed,
which his lover did without hesitation.

To Daithi’s pleasure, Reb held out his good

hand to him, asking for his touch. Daithi knew it
was  a  shifter’s  need  to  be  with  his  mate,  to  have
the  other  half  of  their  soul  close,  but  it  warmed
Daithi  anyway.  He  didn’t  hesitate  to  stand  at
Reb’s side and hold his hand as Lark inspected the
wolf’s  wounds.  Daithi  even  grabbed  one  of  the
towels—probably  intended  for  cleaning  blood—
and  draped  it  over  his  lover’s  exposed  groin.  He
gave  the  man  a  stern  look,  which  he  hoped  Reb
took  as  a  warning  that  only  he  should  see  his
exposed  body  unless  absolutely  necessary.  Reb
rewarded him with a warm smile and peck to the
lips.

“Well, you sure did a number on yourself,”

Lark muttered, shaking his head. His brows
creased as he washed the large gash on Reb’s left
thigh, which was already beginning to heal. “The
goat creature did this to you?”

Reb shook his head. “In a manner of speaking,”

he replied. “If it had turned into the goat from the
beach, I would have killed it. Instead, it turned
into a damn bull.”

Charlie Richards

“A bull?” Lark exclaimed. He shook his head.

“Ouch.”

“Good thing Ross and Craig showed up,” Reb

grumbled, somewhat grudgingly. “Too bad we
didn’t have the circle ready, or we could have
taken care of the phooka then and there.”

“Well,” Declan cut in. “We’ve almost got it set

up on the beach where ye were attacked the first
time.”

Daithi wasn’t certain when the alpha had

arrived, but he frowned and asked, “What are ye
all planning?”

They explained, and Daithi didn’t like it one bit,

so he told his lover. “I don’t want you used as
bait,” he whispered.

“I’ll be fine,” Reb assured. “Just promise me

that you won’t interfere again.” He leaned down
and nuzzled Daithi’s neck. “I can’t concentrate on
the fight if I’m worried about you.”

A mixture of fear and frustration settled like a

lead ball in his gullet, making his stomach churn.
Even though it galled Daithi, he nodded. “I won’t
be far away, but I won’t interfere,” he promised.

“Thank you, my love,” Reb murmured. Before

he could say anything more, Reb hissed and
frowned at Lark. “That hurt.”

“No wonder,” Lark retorted. “You probably

cracked one of the bones in your arm. This is too
swollen and too tender to be a sprain.” Lark

Catching a Bit of Irish

looked over his shoulder at his mate. “I
recommend X-rays and a delay in your little
plan,” the doctor advised.

Declan sighed and crossed to Lark. “We don’t

have much time, love,” he reminded Lark. “We’re
only here another four days.”

“Well, it won’t do any good if Reb dies,” Lark

reminded Declan gently, placing a hand to the
alpha’s chest to soften the reprimand. “At least
wait twenty-four hours. Right now, Reb can’t even
pick up a pen, let alone fight with that hand.”

Declan exchanged a look with Killian. He

glanced toward Reb, though he didn’t ask either of
their input, and Daithi wasn’t certain how he felt
about that. Since he didn’t like the plan to begin
with, he supposed it was for the best. “Very well,
love,” Declan said, redrawing his attention. Fixing
his gaze on Daithi and Reb again, the alpha simply
stated, “Twenty-four hours. Get plenty of rest.”

Daithi felt Reb wrap his good arm around him.
“You mind if Frankie and Conor come to your

place with us?”

It was then that Daithi noticed Franklin

hovering on the other side of the bed. The worried
lines and uncertainty looked so out of place on the
big man’s face. He watched Conor gently take
Franklin’s hands in his own, stopping the wolf
shifter from wringing them further, while offering
Reb’s younger brother support.

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Smiling at the two men, Daithi said, “Let’s all

go to my place. We’ll camp out on my living room
floor in front of the fire and make s’mores.” He’d
heard of the American treat, and if the way
Franklin’s eye lit up was any guess, the man knew
about them and liked them.

“Thank you,” Reb whispered, and Daithi knew

he’d made the right decision.

Catching a Bit of Irish

Chapter Nine

eb looked over and spotted his brother
passed out in a dozing Conor’s arms. He

smiled,  thoroughly  pleased  with  how  the  night
had gone. Daithi and Frankie got along great. Reb
liked  how  his  mate  treated  Frankie  as  an  equal,
and  didn’t  bat  an  eyelash  when  he  occasionally
had to repeat himself or explain something to him.

“What are ye thinkin’ about so hard?” Daithi

asked sleepily.

Turning his head, Reb reached up with his still

swollen hand and gently traced Daithi’s brow. It
still ached, but at least he could touch things now
without agony lancing up his arm. He’d hated to
admit how much pain he was in to Lark, but when
the doc had rotated his wrist, Reb’d had to grit his
teeth to keep from roaring.

“Just appreciating how well you get along with

my brother,” Reb admitted. “It means a lot to me.
You’re my mate, and Frankie’s the only family I
have left.”

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100

Daithi smiled lazily. “Franklin’s a good man.

Worries about ye, though. Ye mean so much to
him. Yer close bond is easily seen when ye’re
together.”

Reb chuckled at Daithi’s tired babbling. He’d

have to remember that should he ever want to pry
information out of his mate. Ask him when he’s half
asleep. Carefully rotating at the waist so he didn’t
put strain on his hip, Reb leaned over and kissed
Daithi. “Sleep, my love. There will be time for
other things in the morning.”

Again, Reb received that lazy smile and Daithi

muttered absently, “Can’t wait to feel yer cock in
me ass again.”

His dick went ramrod straight at those

whispered words and Reb stifled a groan. At least,
he tried to, because from the way Daithi looked at
him, his mate must have heard it. His sweet
human gave him a come hither smile, all signs of
fatigue disappearing.

“In need, me mate?” Daithi crooned, even as he

reached over and palmed Reb’s shaft with one
hand. Reb growled and thrust up, searching for
more pressure. “Guess so,” his mate teased.

“I’m having a sudden desire for fluids,” Daithi

murmured.

Then, to Reb’s shock, Daithi slithered under the

blankets and between his legs. Reb knew he
should stop his mate. There were others in the

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101

room,  even  if  they  were  asleep,  but  when  he  felt
those  strong  hands  and  nimble  fingers  work  his
sweats down his hips and wrap around his  cock,
he  knew  he  was  lost.  Reb  shoved  a  fist  into  his
mouth  and  closed  his  eyes,  losing  himself  in  the
wonderful  sensations  of  calloused  hands  on  his
dick and a wet tongue probing his slit.

The first sucking pull of Reb’s mouth on his

cock  head  nearly  had  Reb  spilling  his  seed  right
then. It was warm and intense and sent tingles of
fire down his shaft into his balls. They drew tight.
Reb  willed  his  orgasm  to  subside,  but  then  felt
Daithi’s palm against his testicles. He almost cried
out  when  his  mate  gripped  the  orbs  and  gently
pulled them away, easing his need.

Reb groaned. “By the Gods.” He loved his

mate’s talented mouth.

He bit into his arm to keep from roaring when

Daithi swallowed his dick to the root. Daithi’s
throat muscles massaged his head once, twice, and
he knew he was a goner. His mate was just too
good. He needed desperately to come.

“Daithi, love,” he whimpered. Biting his lip to

keep from crying out, his release crested. His balls
pulled  tight.  His  dick  thickened.  Daithi  moaned
around  his  shaft  as  Reb  expelled  his  seed.  The
sound  sent  vibrations  through  his  body,
heightening his pleasure.

Spots danced behind Reb’s eyes as ecstasy

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102

coursed through his system. He dropped his arm
and let out a sigh. He smiled as he felt his lover
lick him clean, his sensitive organ twitching at the
continued attention.

Seconds later, Daithi’s head appeared from

under the covers, a satisfied look on his face.

Reb pulled him close and nuzzled Daithi’s

neck. “Can I offer the same treatment to you?” he
whispered.

Daithi buried his face in Reb’s neck, his heavy

breathing caressing his hairs. It sent pleasant
sensations across his skin. “Daithi?” he prodded
softly.

Daithi finally lifted his head and smiled

sheepishly. “That’s not necessary.”

Reb lifted a brow in question.
“I came when you did,” he admitted.
Reb grinned and drew him down for a deep

kiss.  He  loved  tasting  his  seed  on  his  mate’s
tongue,  the  combined  taste  of  man  and  musk
settling  something  inside  him.  This  man  was  his.
His mate. His lover. His love.

“I’m so glad I please you,” he whispered

against the other man’s lips before delving back in
to explore the heady taste again. Finally, tired and
sated, Reb ended the kiss. He let his head drop
against the pillow and his eyes slipped closed.

“Do you think you can sleep now?” Daithi

teased, although it was a breathless sound,

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103

proving just how satiated his mate was, too.

Reb grinned, not bothering to open his eyes.

“You couldn’t keep me awake if you tried.”

His wrist felt pretty good, Reb decided, rotating

it experimentally. Lark had been right. Waiting a
day would make all the difference. Reb knew if he
needed to fight now, he’d be able to.

Reb followed Daithi up the beach, carrying a

picnic  basket.  A  blanket  was  draped  over  his
mate’s  shoulder.  Jogging  a  couple  steps  to  catch
up  with  his  man,  Reb  wrapped  his  free  arm
around Daithi and quickly kissed his temple.

“Let’s get this over with,” he whispered,

keeping a smile on his face.

“Do ye really think this will work?” Daithi

muttered back.

Reb knew, to anyone watching, it looked like

they were murmuring sweet nothings to each
other. It was what they wanted. “Nope, but it’s a
good bet the phooka can track me somehow.” This
made Reb wonder how that was possible.

Daithi nodded. “How about here?” he asked,

waving at the open stretch of beach.

To the left was the bend around which Reb

knew  their  friends  waited.  He  prayed  they  had
everything  set  up  and  were  ready.  He  nodded.
Daithi  pulled  the  blanket  from  his  shoulder  and
spread it out, careful to avoid any rocks.

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104

He even flipped up a corner and pulled a good

size stone out from under the fabric and tossed it
away. Smirking at Reb, Daithi said, “Don’t need a
bruise on that sexy ass of yours.”

Reb chuckled. “Thanks, babe. I appreciate you

thinking of my ass,” he added with a wink.

Daithi rolled his eyes. They both broke out into

chuckles.  The  tension  broke,  and  they  settled
down to enjoy their picnic lunch. Just because they
kept  watch,  their  gazes  searching  the  area  for
movement,  didn’t  mean  they  couldn’t  enjoy
themselves.

“Well, isn’t this just cozy?” The sneering tone

had both turning to stare south at the figure
walking, stalking, toward them, anger and disdain
on his face.

“Evan, what are you doing here?” Daithi asked.
Reb figured it had been too hopeful to get away

without  at  least  one  more  confrontation  with  the
ex, but there it was. If Evan was involved with the
phooka business, Reb had wanted to spare Daithi
the  anguish  of  actually  facing  the  man.  Knowing
what  a  betrayal  that  could  be,  and  compounded
with what his lover’s family had done to him, Reb
could only guess at how Daithi felt.

“What do you mean, what am I doing here?”

Evan snapped. “You won’t return my calls. Even
your family doesn’t know where you are,” he
snarled. “I had to track you down only to find you

Catching a Bit of Irish

105

with him!”

“You’ve seen my family?”
Daithi’s stricken tone made Reb look his mate’s

way. Unable to read his mate’s expression, he
reached out a hand and rubbed Reb’s back.

“Don’t you touch him!” Evan screeched. Then

he  pointed  a  finger  at  Daithi  and  snarled,  “I
warned  you.  I  warned  you  if  you  left  me,  you’d
regret  it.  If  I  can’t  have  you,  no  one  will!”  he
roared.  “Your  family  was  only  too  happy  to
facilitate  me.”  Evan’s  lips  twisted  into  a  cruel
smile. “With a little…persuasion,” he added.

“They locked me up because of you?” Daithi

gasped, rising to his feet.

Reb followed suit. “Easy, babe. Don’t let him

rile you. That’s just what he wants. He’s not worth
it,” he murmured, crooning gently.

“I am worth it!” Evan snapped. “I was always

worth it!” Then, Evan whirled around and
shouted, “Phooka! Finish this!”

Following the line of sight Evan used, Reb felt

his jaw tighten as the phooka, in goat-like
humanoid form, stalked over a sand dune and
took in the scene. “Kill the shifter,” it ground out
in its low gravelly voice.

Reb grabbed Daithi’s hand and started slowly

back-pedaling toward the bend where the others
should be waiting. Daithi came with him, but to
Reb’s frustration, he taunted, “What, Evan? Can’t

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106

do your own dirty work? You have to summon
some Irish goblin to do it for you?”

Actually, if Reb cared to admit it, he’d be more

interested  in  how  the  human  had  summoned  the
phooka.  He  already  knew  the  why.  Evan  was  a
controlling, manipulative bastard who didn’t have
the  balls  to  wield  his  own  knife,  which  was
actually a good thing. Reb would hate to have to
kill his mate’s ex-boyfriend.

“I’d think that was obvious,” Evan replied with

a  smirk,  following  them  behind  the  stalking
phooka.  “You  get  killed  by  the  phooka  here,  and
it’s  listed  as  an  animal  attack.”  He  shrugged,  his
smile cruel. “No fuss, no muss.”

Stripping his shirt, Reb ordered, “Run, Daithi.

Run, now.”

The command in his tone made Daithi snap his

wide-eyed stare at Reb. Working his jeans down
his hips, Reb jerked his head to the path around
the bend behind him. “Go!”

To his relief, Daithi took off.
Reb shifted. So did the phooka. Once more, Reb

found  himself  facing  a  massive  bull.  The  animal
charged.  Reb  lurched  to  the  left,  needing  to  give
his  mate  time  to  get  away.  Pain  shot  up  his  bad
leg.  Pushing  it  aside,  Reb  weaved  and  dodged,
feinted and danced away, all the while keeping an
eye on a laughing Evan. Slowly, he led the phooka
down the beach.

Catching a Bit of Irish

107

Reb took a chance and dove forward just as the

bull turned. He clamped down on the beast’s rear
leg tendon and jerked his head. The phooka
roared. Reb let go and took off, hearing the angry
animal’s uneven lope as it followed.

He streaked around the bend in the beach and

scented his friends. Relief flooded him as two
wolves joined him in the clearing and two more
closed in behind the phooka as soon as it rounded
the bend.

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108

Chapter Ten

aithi watched with wide eyes as Franklin,
Kade, Ross, and Craig joined Reb and

surrounded  the  phooka.  He  wanted  to  go  down
the  embankment  and  help,  but  Lark  had  a  firm
grip  on  his  arm,  reminding  him  that  his
involvement  would  only  hinder  Reb’s  decision-
making abilities.

A glance toward the doctor told him Lark

didn’t like sitting out and watching his mate fight
any  more  than  he  did.  Lark  stared  intently  as
Declan  and  Killian  ran  behind  the  phooka,
sprinkling  white  granules  from  large  sacks  they
both  carried.  Daithi  knew  one  held  salt  and  one
held sugar—the salt  to capture the phooka in the
circle,  the  sugar  to  snap  the  compulsion  spell,
hopefully.

The phooka swung its head this way and that.

It struck out with its hooves, trying in vain to hit
the shifters, although it did target Reb more often
than not.

Every time Reb took a blow, Daithi’s heart

Catching a Bit of Irish

109

nearly stopped in his chest. The phooka slammed
a shoulder into Reb when he didn’t move fast
enough, sending the shifter sliding across the
ground for ten feet.

Giving chase, the phooka hadn’t taken more

than a few steps when Declan and Killian
managed to complete the circle. The creature
froze. His body trembled, then shifted back to its
humanoid goat form.

An odd glow, like a bubble of light formed

around  the  phooka.  The  bubble  shined  brighter
and  brighter.  Daithi  had  to  shield  his  eyes,
watching  in  shock  and  wonder.  The  bubble
popped,  but  instead  of  dissipating  like  a  soap
bubble, the lights turned into shards that streaked
through  the  air  and  around  the  bend  in  the
direction they had come.

The phooka dropped to all fours and shook its

head. When it lifted it again, he looked around at
the group of watching shifters. He looked directly
at Killian and stated, “Thank you for breaking the
bond. I am in your debt.”

Daithi had no idea how the creature knew

Killian had come up with the plan, but it was clear
that the alpha was the only one who could call in
the favor.

Killian nodded. “Ye’re welcome, phooka. No

one should be forced to do somethin’ against their
will.”

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110

Nodding, the phooka looked at Reb. “I want to

apologize for my continued attacks against you. I
had no choice.”

Reb shifted and nodded. “No permanent harm

done, phooka, but if it’s all the same to you, I
really don’t want to see you again.” He said the
words with a grin, softening them.

The phooka snorted, then nodded. “That, I can

understand.”

“What happened to Evan?” Daithi asked,

drawing everyone’s attention. “I thought he was
following you?”

“Damn, we don’t want him to get away,” Reb

growled.

“Ye’re free to go, phooka,” Killian stated before

using a foot to break the circle.

The phooka nodded once, then disappeared.
“Let’s go,” Declan stated, holding out a hand to

Lark.

Lark went to his mate instantly, and Daithi

thought that an excellent idea. He rushed to Reb’s
side,  who  welcomed  him  with  a  grunt.  Daithi
rubbed  his  hands  gently  over  the  shifter’s  ribs,
already  able  to  make  out  the  bruising  on  Reb’s
stomach and chest.

“Are ye okay?” he asked, guilty that he’d

thought of Evan getting away before Reb’s well-
being.

Reb smiled, cupped his cheek, and kissed him.

Catching a Bit of Irish

111

“Much better, now,” he said, drawing away.
“Now, let’s go see if we can track down your ex.”
He looked down at his naked body and grinned.
“My pants, too, perhaps,” he added with a wink.

Daithi’s face flamed when he realized his mate

was  naked  in  front  of  the  others.  He’d  never
thought  about  their  nudity  before,  not  after  the
first time or two attending the pack’s monthly full
moon  BBQs.  He  knew  the  moon  didn’t  control
shifters, but they still liked to use the excuse to get
together and run.

It had made for great eye candy for Daithi, but

now, because it was his own lover standing naked
before everyone, he wished he’d remembered the
picnic blanket. He pulled his gaze away from the
sexy tattoos he still had yet to trace with his
tongue and frowned at his lover.

“Relax, babe,” Reb crooned. “Shifters aren’t

shy.”

Daithi glared. “I know. That doesn’t mean I

have to like it,” he grumbled.

Reb had the audacity to laugh before pulling

him  close  and  taking  his  mouth  in  a  deep  kiss.
Daithi’s blood surged, heat heading straight to his
groin, just like every time Reb kissed him. It was
hot,  and  carnal,  and  everything  Daithi  needed
right  then  to  remind  him  that  Reb  wanted  only
him.

When Reb lifted his head and grinned down at

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112

him, Daithi’s chest heaved and he leaned heavily
on his lover. “Never think I want any other but
you,” Reb whispered lustfully into his ear. “You’re
it for me, Dai.”

Burying his flaming face against Reb’s neck,

Daithi nodded. “I never thought I’d be the jealous
type,”  he  muttered.  Taking  a  deep  breath,  he
continued,  “But  I  love  you,  Frederick.”  He  lifted
his  head  to  meet  Reb’s  gaze.  “You’re  it  for  me,
too.”

Reb nuzzled his cheek, then cupped his jaw. “I

don’t like the idea of others seeing you, either, but
it’s a hazard of what we are,” he warned. “I love
you, too.”

“I know that, too,” Daithi said. “Let’s go find ye

some pants, so my little green monster can
disappear.”

Out of nowhere, a pair of jeans came flying

toward them. Reb caught them and Daithi turned
to see Ross grinning at them, a pair of sweats
riding low on his hips.

“Get dressed,” he called, fighting a laugh. “No

one wants to see ye’re pasty arse.”

As Reb pulled on his jeans, Daithi asked Ross,

“Did ye see Evan?”

“Well, that be one of the things I’ve come to tell

ye. Evan won’t be botherin’ ye anymore,” Ross
said, rubbing a hand over his jaw.

“You caught him?” Reb asked.

Catching a Bit of Irish

113

“More or less,” Ross replied.
Daithi’s brows shot up in question, and his

friend grimaced.

“It seems the magical backlash killed him,” he

explained.

Daithi’s jaw dropped. “Oh,” he whispered.

“I…I guess that’s best.”

Reb wrapped his arms around Daithi and held

him tight to his chest.

Daithi returned the embrace, letting out a long

sigh. “I never wanted him dead,” he admitted. “I
just wanted him to leave us alone.”

“I know, babe,” Reb crooned. “You have such a

good heart. I feel honored to be the one who gets
to spend the rest of his days with you.”

Daithi looked up at his lover. “Will ye take me

home? I have some packing to do.”

A look of surprise, then pleasure crossed Reb’s

face. “Yeah. I can do that,” he whispered. He stole
one more kiss, then keeping an arm securely
around Daithi’s waist, led him away.

Daithi went with him, unresisting. He smiled,

pleased  with  the  direction  his  life  was  taking.
Sure,  there  was  a  lot  to  get  straightened  out  to
make  a  life  with  his  mate  in  the  states,  and  sure
he’d  vowed  never  to  get  involved  with  a  shifter,
but  this  was  different.  Reb  was  his  mate,  and
Daithi  was  looking  forward  to  starting  a  whole
new life with the man

—

shifter

—

he loved.

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her
husband  and  furry,  four-legged  children.  She
started  writing  fantasy  when  she  was  eight,  and
after stumbling onto her first erotic romance at age
nineteen,  she  realized  her  true  calling.  She  now
focuses on writing erotic romance, normally of the
paranormal  variety,  with  heroes  and  heroines  of
all  kinds.  You  can  often  find  her  curled  up  with
her  laptop  and  a  cup  of  tea  or  glass  of  wine,
creating  her  next  adventure.  Charlie  enjoys
exploring the mountains on horseback, 4-wheeler,
or  motorcycle.  Her  favorite  exercise  is  jumping
lessons  with  her  Arabian  gelding  Apache  or  her
Thoroughbred  mare  Repo.  And  she  can’t  get
enough  of  sexy  highlanders  with  their  kilts  and
swords. Right now, she and her muse are working
with  dedication  on  her  Wolves  of  Stone  Ridge
series and Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She can be reached at:
ch.richards2010@yahoo.com
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com