Oh fuck, not there. Rael shivered as warm lips kissed his neck. Horvan’s instincts were spot-on.
Inside Rael’s head, Horvan chuckled. Hey, I like knowing what you’re thinking. Talk about knowing exactly where to touch you to drive you crazy. He brushed his lips over the sensitive skin again, and Rael shuddered. You’re trembling. I can feel how much you want this. Horvan stroked a single finger along Rael’s stony length that pressed against his zipper. Oh yeah. You want this.
Now that was a smug thought if ever there was one.
“Hey, wait a minute!” Rael mentally poured cold water on his erection. “You don’t even know me.”
“You’re a shifter, you’re hot, you’re here, and I’m horny as fuck. What else do I need to know?” Horvan reached around to cup Rael’s ass. “Damn, that feels good.”
Rael placed both hands on Horvan’s broad chest, distracted for a second or two by the firmness of the flesh beneath his palms, and pushed him gently away. “Down, boy. We need to talk.”
Horvan grinned. “Fuck first. Talk later.”
Rael tried to glare, but it was damned difficult when all he wanted to do was strip off his clothing and find the nearest flat surface. Come to think of it, a wall would do fine. The image that came to mind was that of Horvan, naked, lifting an equally naked Rael into his arms and pinning him against the wall while he thrust up into him, Rael’s legs wrapped around him as he clung to him….
Horvan laughed. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
Rael’s libido was going to be the death of him. He drew in a deep breath. “We still need to talk.” He took another whiff of Horvan and then gaped. “What are you?”
“Bear.” Horvan’s eyes glittered. “Wanna see?”
Stupid question. Of course he wanted to see. “Show me.” Rael took a couple of steps back, giving Horvan room.
Horvan crossed the floor to the windows and closed the blinds. Then he rejoined Rael in the center of the room. Slowly, he pulled his T-shirt over his head, and Rael resisted the urge to drool. His mate was gorgeous, a mass of smooth tanned flesh and rippling muscles. When Horvan unfastened his jeans and tantalizingly lowered the zipper, Rael’s heartbeat slipped into a higher gear at the sight of the girthy cock that sprang up, thick enough to make his hole contract. Yes, please. Rael licked his lips.
“I thought you wanted to talk first.” Horvan was still grinning, the bastard. He pushed his jeans to the floor and stepped out of them. Before Rael could respond to his comment, Horvan’s body rippled before him, and in his place was a beautiful black bear. It dropped onto all four paws with a thud, standing about four and a half feet tall at the shoulders. Rael estimated it had to be at least five hundred pounds. Oh my God, those claws….
The rich smell of him was overpowering in the small apartment, and it was glorious.
Rael stepped closer, reaching out to bury his hands in the black fur. The bear’s muzzle was cream, its snout gray, and there was a touch of gray fur on its brow. But the eyes…. They were bright with intelligence and warmth.
“Look at you,” Rael breathed, rubbing his face against the bear’s. He smiled. “I thought you’d be a grizzly at least.” Horvan uttered a low growl, and Rael stroked his round ears. “Not that I’m complaining, you understand. You’re the most beautiful bear I ever saw in my life.”
Horvan emitted a strange sort of rumbling noise, and Rael’s instincts told him it was a happy sound.
It was no good. He had to shift. Rael took a step back and quickly squirmed out of his clothes. He concentrated, letting his lion emerge until he was standing beside Horvan, about a foot shorter at the shoulder. Rael tossed his head, shaking his mane, and moved closer until their noses touched.
Beautiful kitty. Horvan rubbed his snout against Rael’s mane, burying his head in it, and Rael’s heart pounded. Instinctively, he dropped down onto the rug, rolling onto his back and exposing his belly, his heavy paws in the air. Horvan nuzzled the long fur, moving lower to where Rael was already erect, before returning to rub his face in Rael’s ruff. Rael got up off the floor and leaned into Horvan, pushing against his neck and shoulders, and a wonderful sense of peace flowed through him.
Imagine how amazing it will be when there are three of us.
Then he gave a start as Horvan shifted back abruptly. “What do you mean—three of us?” His voice had a hard edge to it.
Oh fuck.
Rael shifted, ignoring his lion’s low roar of disappointment. They stood facing each other, both breathing rapidly, both of them trembling a little with the aftereffects of shifting. Horvan narrowed his gaze. “Up to the point when I opened my front door, I had no idea there was such a thing as a mate. You, I get, but that’s only because I can’t ignore how it felt when we shifted. But now you’re talking like there’s another. So spill.”
“Can we at least put some clothes on first?” Rael pleaded. It was going to be a difficult enough conversation without having to cope with Horvan in all his naked glory. Plus, Rael couldn’t hide his own arousal, and he didn’t think Horvan needed a distraction.
Horvan grumbled but then pulled on his jeans and T-shirt. “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.” He walked over to the cabinet, opened it, and took two squat glasses from a shelf inside. “How about you?”
“Whiskey if you have it.” Rael got dressed, his heartbeat returning to normal.
Horvan said nothing but poured the whiskey. He handed a glass to Rael, then indicated the couch. “So… mates?” His brow was furrowed.
Rael held up his hand defensively. “Hey, I’m only marginally ahead of you. I found out about this in the early hours of this morning.” He sat down and swallowed a mouthful of whiskey, wincing as the fiery liquid hit the back of his throat.
“But how did you know I was your mate?”
“I didn’t!” Rael sighed. “I came here to set up a rescue. Finding out you were both a shifter and my mate was as big a surprise to me as it was to you. Believe it or not, mates are incredibly rare.”
Horvan stilled. “This tiger you want me to rescue… it’s more than just a tiger, isn’t it?”
Rael nodded. “He’s our mate.”
His eyes widened. “Our mate?”
“Well, if he’s mine, it stands to reason he’s yours too. Only don’t quote me, because right now I don’t have a fucking clue.” Inside, he prayed Horvan was going to accept the bombshell Rael had dropped on him.
Dellan’s freedom depended on it.
Horvan sagged against the cushions, his glass in his hand. “And why does he need rescuing?”
As succinctly as he could, Rael shared his suspicions. Horvan’s face darkened as he listened. When Rael finished, Horvan drained his glass, then got up to pour another.
“You do believe me, don’t you?” Rael asked anxiously. Granted, he was asking a lot.
Horvan said nothing for a moment but sat on the edge of the seat cushion, his elbows on his knees, staring into his glass. Finally he raised his head and looked Rael in the eye. “I believe you, because all my senses tell me you’re telling the truth. I’m just having a hard time accepting it, that’s all. You walked in here and changed my world.”