Doc frowned. “You think they gave her something to force a shift?” He shivered. “That’s diabolical. Who would create such a drug, and for what purpose?”
“So we thought that’s how they kept Dellan in his present form.” Rael gazed earnestly at the doc. “And if that’s the case, how long will it be before the drugs are out of his system and he can shift back?”
Doc gave Roadkill, Hashtag, and Crank a wry smile. “I imagine you three have had quite an education this last week.”
Crank snorted. “Not so much as you’d think.” He pointed to Horvan and Rael. “These two know diddly squat about shifters. But yeah, as for finding out shifters even exist? That was… unexpected.”
“Not to mention totally cool,” Hashtag added, his eyes gleaming as he handed the doc a mug.
“Can we get back to Dellan, please?” Rael asked anxiously.
Doc gave him a compassionate glance. “Okay. In a human, we’re talking two to four days, max, for drugs to leave the body. I don’t know much about tiger physiology, but let’s assume there’s little difference. How long has he been out of their clutches now?”
“Fifty-six hours, give or take,” Horvan told him.
The doc nodded. “Then all you can do is wait. He could shift today, tomorrow, or any day after that. But it’s not just the drugs. From what you’ve told me, there’s a possibility that Dellan might be keeping himself in tiger form.”
“Is there nothing we can do?” Rael’s heart sank.
Doc sighed. “All you can do is what you’re already doing—make him feel safe and loved. Because he’ll only shift if he feels that.”
“He knows we’re his mates,” Rael said softly, stroking Dellan.
“And that is wonderful.” Doc shook his head. “You three are the first mates I’ve ever encountered.”
“Seriously?” Horvan’s mouth fell open. “I felt sure you’d have come across others.”
Crank huffed. “It sounds like you don’t know much more than we do, Doc.”
“And we have so many questions,” Roadkill added. “Like, where do shifters come from?”
Doc chuckled. “You may not believe this, but if I’m honest? I don’t have a clue.”
Hashtag stared at him. “But… you’re one of them. How can you know nothing about your own origins?”
Doc scrubbed a hand over his lined cheek. “There are a lot of rumors, of course. Some say we came about because of something the government did that got out of control, but that’s nonsense. I get the feeling shifters existed before there was such a thing as government. Others believe we’re an evolutionary offshoot, and there are even those who think shifters are the children of a moon goddess.” He shook his head. “For every shifter, there are a dozen different stories and ideas. Sadly, we aren’t immune to conspiracy theories any more than humans are.”
Crank chuckled. “That part right there… you saying ‘humans’ like that….” He shuddered. “Welcome to the world of the paranormal.”
Roadkill sagged into the couch. “So you don’t know anything?”
The doc shrugged. “Nothing concrete. When I was little, I used to wonder all the time where we came from. As I grew up and saw man’s inhumanity to man and animals alike, I felt that shifters were the better species, but after some of the things you’ve told me….” He sighed heavily. “It would seem shifters are just as susceptible to greed and lust for power as any human.”
“We don’t know shifters had anything to do with this,” Horvan insisted, even though Rael’s gut told him otherwise. The doc said nothing but gazed steadily at Horvan.
“So you can’t help us.” Rael had hoped for more information.
Doc held up a single finger. “Now, I didn’t say that exactly, did I? I do know some people you could probably talk with. Just… keep in mind you’ll need to take everything they say with a grain—or maybe a saltshaker—of doubt.”
“That sounds more promising.” Hashtag sat upright. “How do we find these people?”
Doc laughed. “Patience, my boy. I’ll get in touch with them initially. After that, they will approach you, not the other way around. Remember what I said about conspiracy theories, that’s all.”
Crank chuckled. “This gets more and more interesting by the day.”
“You have no idea. The first time I met one of them, I got the distinct feeling he already knew everything about me.” Doc gave another shiver. “Very unnerving.”
“Now you’ve got me intrigued.” Horvan cocked his head to one side. “Do you trust these people?”
“That’s the strange part. Yes. However—” He speared Horvan with an intense look. “—if you do get to meet with them, be careful.”
“Why?” Rael blurted out. “What does your gut tell you?”
The doc locked gazes with him. “That they’re dangerous.”
Chapter Seventeen
RAEL STARED at the doc. “You’re kidding, right?” His heartbeat sped up a little. “If they’re dangerous, then we shouldn’t even be thinking of meeting them.”
Doc smiled. “Rael, did you ever stop to think that you’re sharing a cabin with four dangerous men?”
He laughed. “They’re not danger—” The word died in his throat. What do I know about them? They’d been in the military together, hadn’t they? That didn’t exactly suggest they were members of a sewing circle.
Horvan nodded knowingly. “Fifty-seven ways, remember?” His eyes twinkled.
Rael took a deep breath. “Then if these guys do come calling, I’m in the right company.”
“You know it,” Roadkill said, his voice brimming with confidence.
“Can I ask you something?” The doc’s gaze alighted on Dellan. “Have you tried to get him to shift?”
Rael cleared his throat. “Not exactly.” When the doc gave him a quizzical glance, he sighed. “Okay, it was… in a dream. Only perhaps it was more than that.” He looked the doc in the eye. “Dellan came to me in a dream. I know that sounds strange, but—”
“I wouldn’t even think of presuming such a thing,” Doc declared. “You three can hear one another in your minds. If that isn’t evidence that there are things we know nothing about, then I don’t know what is.” He smiled kindly. “Tell me about the dream.”
Rael tried to remember Dellan’s exact words. “I asked if he could switch back to human, and he said he wasn’t human like me. He was a tiger.”
“Which you might expect if he’s been locked in this form for so long,” the doc said, nodding.
“We were waiting for the drugs to wear off before we asked him to try,” Horvan added.
“But maybe things have changed,” Doc declared. “Those nightmares of his… was he a tiger in his memories? Or a human? Because if he can recall that, maybe it’s a step in the right direction.” He indicated Dellan with a nod. “Why not give it a try?”