“Hey. Hey.” Horvan was there, his hands so gentle on Rael’s back. “Easy. You were having a bad dream. I could feel it from my bedroom.” He scooped Rael up into his arms like he was made of feathers and carried him out of the living room into the dark bedroom.
“What… what are you doing?” Rael blurted out between the sobs that still shook him.
“I’m taking you to my bed. You’re sleeping with me.” Horvan laid him gently on the bed. “Get in.”
“But… I thought we agreed—”
Horvan silenced him with a finger to Rael’s lips. “Hush now. I’m just going to hold you, okay? Nothing else, I swear. You’re going to sleep in my arms.”
With a final sob, Rael realized it was exactly what he needed. “Yes,” he managed to get out. He got beneath the sheets, and Horvan climbed in beside him. He gathered Rael to him and held him close, his arms around Rael’s body, Rael’s back pressed against Horvan’s warm chest.
Horvan kissed his hair. “Go to sleep, sweetheart.”
“But the dream… it was so real.” Rael’s heart quaked. “It was like we were losing him.”
“Then we’ll work as fast as we can to get him out of there, all right? Tomorrow. Wait and see what tomorrow brings.” Another kiss, but this time it was unexpectedly tender. “Sleep, sweetheart.”
Rael closed his eyes and lost himself in Horvan’s warmth and strength. That wonderful feeling of peace washed over him again, and he knew it came from the connection with his mate.
Tomorrow, then.
He prayed it wouldn’t be too late.
Chapter Six
MATE. FUCK. I have a mate. Scratch that. Two of ’em. And both needed his help.
Horvan stood beside the bed, gazing at his sleeping mate and holding a mug of steaming coffee. Rael’s distress the previous night had left Horvan unsettled initially. What assaulted him was guilt that he hadn’t shared Rael’s dream. Then he realized Rael had an advantage—he’d met Dellan in the flesh. Maybe that’s what’s needed to connect us psychically. For all Horvan knew, the first time he laid eyes on the tiger, he’d have the same experience as Rael.
How the fuck is this going to work? He’d always been a “love ’em and leave ’em satisfied” kinda guy, but the man currently curled on his side in Horvan’s bed, snuffling into the pillow, had gotten under his skin in a matter of hours. Except it was more than that. Rael was already inching his way into Horvan’s heart. And when we rescue Dellan? What then? Can a heart love two people at the same time?
Horvan had always experienced enough difficulty loving one.
It still seemed like some weird dream.
Bang—there are mates.
Bang—I have a lion for a mate.
Bang—there’s a tiger who needs rescuing.
Bang—and by the way, he’s my mate too.
He knew he should be scared shitless—this was all new territory, after all—and he wasn’t sure why his brain was accepting all this so calmly, but some instinct told him it would work out. Theirs couldn’t be the only case of three mates, right? This had to have happened before, right?
Then he chuckled inwardly. What the fuck do I know? All he did know was from the moment he’d awoken with Rael in his arms, all he’d wanted to do was snuggle, to wake Rael with a kiss. Of course, there was a lot more he wanted to do, but that wasn’t gonna happen. Despite his grumbling the previous night, he knew Rael was right.
It has to be the three of us. Only problem was, them finally getting together was looking like it might be a long way off. Horvan glanced down at his dick pushing against the soft cotton of his shorts and sighed internally. You’re gonna have to make do with my hand for a while.
Then he stilled. I can’t believe I thought that. Because that simply wasn’t him. If Horvan had an itch, he made sure it got well and truly scratched. There was always a willing hole somewhere, right?
Apparently that way of thinking was now wrong, and the fact that Horvan was even contemplating monogamy was all the proof he needed that his world had been turned upside down.
“That for me?” Pale, sleepy blue eyes, barely visible beneath a mop of tousled blond hair, gazed up at him, and Horvan pushed his thoughts aside.
Horvan grinned. “Well, that depends what that refers to.” And whether or not Rael had heard his thought. “Did anyone ever tell you how cute you are when you’ve just woken up? I think it’s that whole bedhead thing you’ve got going on.”
“My hair is a curse,” Rael groused as he sat up and leaned back against Horvan’s mountain of pillows. “I guess it must be part and parcel of being a lion, because it always looks like my mane no matter what I do with it.” He smiled. “You have the same eyes when you shift, do you know that? They’re this lovely warm brown.”
Horvan was usually pretty good at accepting compliments, but for once he was at a loss for words.
“Please, tell me that is my coffee.”
Laughing, Horvan handed him the mug. “It wasn’t, but I can go pour another. Looks like you need this.”
Rael wrapped his hands around it. “Trust me, you do not want to get between me and my first cup of coffee.” He glanced around the room. “What time is it?”
“After nine, but I let you sleep. You had a rough night.” Horvan perched on the edge of the bed.
“Sorry for disturbing you last night, but that dream….” Rael shivered.
Horvan nodded. “I get it.” He might not have shared the dream, but Rael’s reaction to it had permeated his slumber. “How did you sleep once you were in here?” Horvan had slept like the proverbial log.
There was that adorable flush again. “Great, thanks. It’s a comfy bed.”
Horvan nodded, smiling. “Was I comfy too?”
Rael smirked. “You were okay. A bit lumpy in places.”
“Hey, one of those lumps was all your fault.” He cocked his head to one side. “Can I ask you something? What’s Dellan like?”
Rael took a sip of coffee before responding. “I think he’s about my height. Brown hair, a lovely bronze shade, actually. A bit of a beard that isn’t much more than stubble, with a little gray in it. And the most beautiful green eyes.”
Horvan liked the sound of Dellan already. “How old is he?”
“Thirty-eight.” Rael smiled. “And I’m thirty-five, in case you’re interested.”
Horvan shrugged. “I’m not. Age is just a number.” He bit back a smile. “And before you ask, no, I’m not sharing my number.”
Rael widened his eyes. “Oh come on. I’m your mate. You can tell me.”
“Nope.”
Rael smirked. “But it’s okay to ask how old Dellan is, right?”
Horvan couldn’t hold back a second longer. He leaned in and kissed Rael on the lips.
Rael made a disapproving noise and broke the kiss. “Hell no. Morning and coffee breath? Are you nuts?”
Horvan chuckled. “I don’t give a fuck.” He pulled back, however, and let Rael drink his coffee. The boys would be there soon, and once Horvan had treated them to breakfast, they could get the ball rolling.