to argue the point. But I don’t want to mess this up. I want everything to be just right. And that includes the first time I get to make love to my mates.”
Rael blinked. “Make love. Not fuck. Now there’s a change right there.”
Horvan snorted. “Yeah, I know. Don’t spread it around, okay? I got a reputation to keep.” He sniffed the air. “Do you smell coffee?”
Rael’s stomach growled. “And bacon.” He threw back the sheets and launched himself out of the bed and into the bathroom.
Horvan cackled. “Well, I guess I know where I stand on your list of priorities.” But he did the same, reaching for his toothbrush. “I need a shower, but that can wait. With five guys in the house, we’re gonna need a lot of hot water.”
Rael blinked. “You’re going to stand there while I pee?”
Horvan rolled his eyes. “Lord, I never knew a lion could be so dainty.”
Rael laughed. “I suppose I can get used to it.” He shook, flushed, then washed his hands.
Horvan peered at Rael. “Did you get some decent sleep?”
That was all Rael needed to recall what had occurred to him in the early hours of the morning. He paused, his toothbrush in his hand. “I had an idea—several, actually—and I think we need to discuss them.”
Horvan stilled. “That sounds serious.”
Rael sighed. “It could be deadly serious. I’ll wait until we’re all together.” He put down the toothbrush, moved closer, and wrapped his arms around Horvan’s waist. “In case I haven’t told you already? I’m so glad I’ve got you for a mate.” He smiled. “The mate I never knew I needed—until I did.”
Horvan bent lower and kissed him, enfolding Rael in his arms. “Ditto, sweetheart.” He released Rael and grinned. “Now brush those teeth so I can kiss you properly. Then we’ll go see if Crank has cremated the bacon yet.”
The ablutions finished, they left the bedroom and walked into the living room. Mugs sat on the coffee table, and from the kitchen area came laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Horvan called out.
Roadkill stuck his head around the corner. “And good morning to you too. We were tossing a few ideas back and forth, that’s all.” He smiled kindly at Rael. “Did you get any sleep?”
Rael shrugged. “A little.” He craned his neck to see into the kitchen. “You guys are making breakfast?”
Roadkill nodded. “There’s bacon in the oven, Hashtag is doing the eggs, and Crank is burning the toast.”
“Hey!” Crank’s voice rose indignantly.
Roadkill disappeared from view. “Don’t take your eyes off that toaster, you doof. That’s how the first lot of toast ended up as charcoal.”
Beside Rael, Horvan laughed. “Ah, this feels like old times.”
Rael envied him a little. He didn’t have any friends who were as close to him as these guys obviously were to Horvan. Having said that, they’d been through a lot together by the sound of things.
Horvan’s hand was at Rael’s back. They’re your friends now too, sweetheart.
It was a comforting thought.
Once breakfast had been demolished and another pot of coffee was percolating, the men gathered in the living room. Rael couldn’t wait any longer. “I’ve been thinking….”
“Did it hurt?” Crank said with a cackle. Horvan glared at him, and he held up his hands. “Okay, okay, I’ll shut up.”
“That drug they gave the girl to force her to shift…. Maybe that’s what’s keeping Dellan in his tiger form.” Rael gazed at their faces. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. She shifted back awful fast,” Hashtag commented, stroking his stubbled chin. “They’d have to have Dellan on an IV of the stuff to keep him from shifting back.”
“Not if it’s in his food. In his water. In the air he breathes.” Rael’s heart sank as he uttered the words. “I know I’m guessing, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. And there’s something else. That first dream I had, when Dellan came to me and shifted? Well, I’m thinking now that it was… more than a dream.”
“What do you mean?” Roadkill got up to fetch the second pot of coffee.
“We kissed, okay? But there was something odd about it.” Horvan’s hand curled around his, and Rael laced their fingers. Rael struggled to recall what had struck him at the time. “When our lips met, there was a taste. A chemical sort of taste.”
Crank stared at him. “Like, a drug?” Rael nodded. Crank’s face darkened. “Those bastards.” His gaze met Hashtag’s. “We gotta make this happen fast, dude. As fast as you can pull it together.”
Hashtag nodded,