Dellan growled. “Don’t give me a reason to like the little bastard, not when I’m ready to kick his ass out of the building.”
Horvan snorted. “Trust me, you can still do that. He had you locked up in a cage. That warrants major ass kicking.”
“Don’t forget pounding,” Crank called out from across the room.
Horvan guffawed. “Crank, if you wanna pound his ass, we won’t stop you.” He grinned. “I may even bring popcorn.”
“And I’ll record it on my phone, then put it online,” Hashtag added, his eyes gleaming.
Crank paled. “Hell, no. My mom might see that shit.”
“Your mom checks out porn sites?”
Crank shuddered. “You wouldn’t believe half the stuff she gets up to. Makes my hair curl.”
“What hair?” Horvan teased.
“Fuck you.” Crank grabbed his cigarettes. “Smoke time.” He pulled on his boots and headed for the door.
“Whereas for me, it’s playtime.” Dellan needed to get out into the fresh air. He pushed back his chair and stood. A familiar tingle trickled over his skin, and he welcomed it. He knew exactly what it meant.
Dellan needed to shift.
Chapter Twenty-One
RAEL GRINNED. “Playtime. I like the sound of that.”
Dellan’s eyes sparkled. “Good. Because I want to play out there.”
“In the snow.”
Dellan nodded slowly.
Rael narrowed his gaze. “You’re not talking about dressing warmly and throwing snowballs, are you?”
Dellan shook his head, his gaze locked on Rael’s. “I’m talking lions and tigers and bears.” He grinned.
“Oh m—” That was as far as Crank got before Roadkill slapped a hand over his mouth.
Horvan laughed. “Thank you, Roadkill. And as for playtime, I like it. What’s wrong with a little snow?”
“Ugh, lions aren’t big fans of snow?” Rael shivered. He didn’t know if this was true of all lions, but it was for him, so that was good enough as far as Rael was concerned.
“Is it safe to go out there?” Doc inquired.
Hashtag grabbed his laptop and opened it up. “Time I checked the perimeter cameras anyway. Not that I’m concerned—we’d have heard an alarm if anyone crossed the property boundaries.” He grinned. “And if you really wanna play, I have an idea that might make it fun.”
Rael glared at him. “No. No ideas.” Nothing that meant they stayed out in the snow longer than necessary.
Doc cleared his throat. “Something to be aware of. I made a phone call last night to that contact I was telling you about.”
“The dangerous guy?” Horvan frowned.
“I wouldn’t have asked him to come here if I thought he was a threat,” Doc commented.
“Then he is coming?” Hashtag asked.
Doc nodded. “I only gave him the bare bones of the situation. But as soon as I mentioned taking Dellan from his cage, he became very interested. Of course he knew about it—the op was national news—but finding out it wasn’t perpetrated by an animal activist group was a surprise. He wants to meet Dellan.”
“And you’re certain his coming here presents no danger?” Horvan didn’t appear convinced, judging by his narrowed gaze and pursed lips. “I’m not happy about you inviting someone here who I haven’t vetted.”
“Did I mention the fact that he is also a shifter?” Doc met Horvan’s stare head-on. “I would never do anything that might endanger you.”
Hey. I trust the doc. I thought you did too. Rael’s stomach clenched.
Horvan drew in a deep breath. “I know that, Doc. Sorry. It’s just that—”
Doc got up from his chair and walked around to where Horvan sat. He patted Horvan’s shoulder. “I do understand. You have mates to protect now,” he said softly.
“Guys?” Hashtag coughed. “All clear, so if you wanna shift and go play, I’ll keep an eye out.” He smiled. “A little exercise will do you good. That’s if you didn’t get enough exercise last night.” He waggled his eyebrows.
Horvan rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t resist, could ya?”
“I want to know about Hashtag’s idea of fun,” Dellan declared.
“That will be a surprise.” Hashtag’s eyes lit up. “Trust me, you’ll love it.”
Rael sighed. “Okay. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it.” He shrugged off his clothes and shifted.
That is so fast! Dellan gaped.
Rael shifted from lion to human to lion and back to human again, loving the sound of Dellan’s delighted laughter.
Horvan let out a low whistle. “You are amazing. I can change that fast now and again, but you do it like your body flows from one form to another. What’s your secret?”
Rael grinned. “Most teens masturbate. I practiced shifting.”
Horvan snorted. “Well, if that’s what it took to learn to shift so fast, I’m glad I stuck with jacking off.” He undressed, and a short while later, there was his beautiful bear.
Out. Now.
Rael crossed the floor to the cabin door and opened it, laughing. “Can you get through this gap?”
Seconds later, Horvan was back in human form. “Smartass.” He stepped outside and shifted again, then lumbered over the snow.
“Looks like our mate wants to play too,” Rael said, smiling.
Dellan squirmed out of his sweats and top, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and Rael’s heart soared to see him shimmer into a healthy-looking tiger, his fur sleek, his eyes bright. Dellan leaped from the door to land on the snow with a soft thud.
“If you can’t beat them,” Rael said with a smile. He shifted and followed his mates.
Dellan pounced on him as soon as his paws touched the snow. Soon they were both rolling around in the cold powdery substance, Dellan batting at it with his heavy paws. Horvan was on them in a heartbeat, and there began a playful chase as they padded over the ground, leaving their prints in it.
Dellan gave Rael a nip on his rear, then ran off, clearly wanting Rael to retaliate. Horvan wrestled Dellan to the ground, and Dellan was on his back, twisting and turning, batting Horvan as the bear nuzzled his belly.
A strange low-frequency buzz attracted Rael’s attention, and he sought the source. Dellan rolled onto his front and froze, his attention riveted on the object that flew toward them. Then he gave chase, running at it. Catch it.
Horvan followed suit. Drone. Catch drone.
Rael caught sight of Hashtag in the doorway, grinning, his hands occupied. The drone led Dellan and Horvan a merry dance, both of them running in circles and sprinting across the snow, Dellan executing huge leaps to try to catch it.
Rael was not playing. Rael was freezing his furry ass off.
Dellan leaped into the air, trying to clamp the drone between his paws, but the device rose higher, evading him. Then it dropped, and Dellan went for it again, only this time he caught it, pulling it to the ground, where it lay, steam rising from it. Dellan and Horvan approached it with obvious caution, Dellan pawing at it. Both reared back when it rose into the air again, and the chase was on once more.