“I promise I’ll stay as safe as I possibly can, okay? What about you? Did you come up with any contacts for me?” Not that he’d need them if Horvan was as good as he claimed to be.
“Your dad did have one idea. Wait. He wants to tell you himself.” There was a moment’s pause before Rael heard his dad’s voice.
“Son? From what your mother’s told me, it sounds like you might need medical help once you’ve gotten him out of there. Well, I’ve been thinking. Do you have any contacts in the military?”
“No, but how about ex-military? Will that do?” The timing of his dad’s question was uncanny.
“Yep. Now listen. I knew a guy a few years back. Horse shifter. He said when he was in the military, there was always a medic around who knew about shifters. Maybe it’s a thing. Maybe a lot of shifters end up in the military. Stands to reason they’d have to have a doc on call who wouldn’t bat an eye if they had an emergency or something.”
“An emergency shift? Is there such a thing?” Rael chuckled.
His dad ignored the attempt at humor. “I’m just saying, maybe your ex-military contact might know of a doctor who’d be able to help.”
“Yes, they might,” Rael said slowly. “But you’re forgetting one thing. They’d only know that if they were a shifter themselves.”
“Yeah, but—” Dad sighed. “You’re right. Sorry. I guess I got carried away.”
“What about your horse shifter friend? Wouldn’t he know?”
Dad’s voice was so soft. “He died, son. Heart attack. Didn’t see it coming.”
Rael’s heart went out to him. This had clearly been a good friend. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
His dad cleared his throat. “Now get this straight. When this is all over and Dellan is safe, you bring him to meet us, okay? We want to meet our prospective son-in-law. Well, as good as.”
That was the first time the full implication hit Rael. “Oh… oh wow.”
Dad let out a soft chuckle. “You hadn’t thought about that part, had you? We always hoped you’d meet someone who was perfect for you. We didn’t care if he was a shifter or not. We only want you to be happy. Well… I guess you can’t find someone more perfect than your mate.” In the background, Rael could hear his mom crying again.
“I’ll bring him, I promise. As soon as he’s able to visit.” That was the unknown quantity. Rael had no idea what was going on physically with Dellan.
“You do that. Okay, we won’t keep calling you. We’ll let you get on with… whatever it is you have to do.”
A thought occurred to him. “Dad, are you okay? Why aren’t you at work?”
“Well, let’s see. Someone woke me up at an insane time because she was yelling at you over the phone, and then she kept me awake talking about you and your mate. So I took the morning off to see what I could find out for you. I figure you need all the help you can get.” His voice softened again. “God be with you, son.”
“Love you!” Mom called out.
“I love you both, so much.” Rael disconnected, then wiped away the tears that pricked his eyes. He had no idea if Dellan could hear him, but that didn’t matter.
Dellan? I’m going to get you out of there. I promise.
Now all Horvan Kojik had to do was live up to Rael’s promise.
RAEL LOOKED up at the red brick building on West Nineteenth Street. It stood in a pleasant neighborhood, made prettier by the murals and vibrant coffee shops. He’d strolled up and down the nearby streets, gazing into the windows of eclectic stores and cozy cafes, wishing time would speed up so he could go meet Horvan. When the wind picked up, he’d found sanctuary in a cafe.
Finally, it was almost six o’clock, and he hurried up the stoop to ring the bell. Except…. Apartment 1F wasn’t listed. Then he gazed down below the railings in front of the building. Steps led down to a basement, and a brightly painted red arrow, above which was written 1F, pointed to a deep red door. Rael leaped down the steps and rang the doorbell, his heart hammering.
The door opened, and there stood a mountain of a man, with wide, muscled shoulders, short-cropped dark brown hair, and intense dark eyes. His beard extended from a goatee to a thin line of hair along his jawline, accentuating his angular face. His white T-shirt clung to his chest, revealing his bulging pecs, the short sleeves tight around his muscular upper arms.
Horvan Kojik looked him up and down and gave a predatory smile. “Cute. Definitely cute.”
Oh my. Rael’s heart did a flip-flop. His skin tingled, the sensation spreading down his back and arms, and he knew exactly what had caused that reaction. It was the rich scent emanating from Horvan that filled Rael’s nostrils. He breathed Horvan in, and the smell was heavenly.
Shifter. He’s a shifter.
Horvan’s eyes widened, his smile replaced by a look of utter shock. Holy fuck.
The words were as distinct as if he’d spoken them, and the quick burst of nausea was beginning to feel familiar. Rael was stunned into silence, struggling to process what his brain was telling him. Except deep down, he knew.
He just didn’t believe it, because…. What. The. Fuck?
He drew in a long breath before speaking, trying to appear calmer than he felt. “Holy fuck is right.”
Horvan’s jaw dropped. “Wait—how the fuck did you do that?”
Rael sighed. “Because—according to my parents—we’re mates.” They are not gonna believe this. He wasn’t sure he did.
“Stop that.” Horvan glared at him. “Why can I hear your thoughts?”
“Because we’re mates,” Rael repeated patiently. Another mate? Seriously? “I have got to buy a Powerball ticket,” he muttered.
Horvan stood aside. “I think you’d better get in here out of the cold, because I’m freezing my nuts off, and then you can start explaining what the fuck is going on.”
As Rael crossed the threshold, he gently patted Horvan’s forearm, then opened his mind. Relax. It isn’t as scary as you think, once you get used to the idea.
“Like I’m gonna get used to hearing someone’s voice in my head,” Horvan said with a snort.
Rael could tell it was going to be a long night, with quite a few surprises in store—for both of them.
Chapter Five
HORVAN CLOSED the door behind them before leading Rael into a large living room. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, only a wide leather couch, a small coffee table, a tall cabinet, and a TV. An Oriental rug covered most of the wooden floorboards.
“Nice place,” Rael commented, striving to ignore the heat barreling through his body.
“Fuck, you smell good,” Horvan murmured as he moved in closer until there was barely an inch between them.
Not that Rael was complaining. Horvan’s scent was sending his blood rushing south, and Rael’s dick was like a lead pipe in his jeans. “I had the same thought.” He’d been around enough shifters to trust his olfactory organs. But no one had ever smelled this good.
“Speaking of thoughts….” Horvan lowered his head and nuzzled Rael’s neck. God, I want to fuck you right now.