pointedly at Dellan. “Work out what you’re going to say ahead of time. I don’t want you talking for long.” With that he left the room, heading for downstairs.
Crank handed Dellan a notepad and pen. “Get composing. Keep it short and sweet. You know, something like ‘Hey, asshole. I know what you did, okay? I’m coming to get ya. And if you’re real lucky, it’ll be me you face, and not the fucking tiger you kept locked up for a fucking year.’” He preened. “Whaddaya think?”
Dellan bit his lip. “Subtle, Crank. Very subtle.” He gave Rael and Horvan a sideways glance. Their lips were twitching too.
DELLAN SAT in front of the laptop, his pulse rapid. He had his notes, only he wasn’t sure he’d use them. He had a feeling he’d take one look at Anson’s smug face on the screen and lose his train of thought.
Horvan and Rael sat facing him. “You’ve got this,” Horvan stated with quiet confidence. Dellan knew the wave of calm slowly spreading through him was Horvan’s doing.
Rael lifted his chin and looked Dellan in the eye. Love you.
Dellan’s heartbeat was suddenly pounding for a different reason entirely. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing those words.
Rael smiled. That’s okay, because I don’t think I’ll ever tire of saying them.
Horvan smiled. What he said.
Dellan wanted to dance, he felt that fucking light. When this call is over, we are going up to our room, we are going to get under the covers, and we are going to—
Make love, Horvan interjected. You know it.
Right then Dellan felt invincible. He inhaled deeply. “Let’s do this.”
Beside him, Horvan checked the various devices he’d set up on the table. “Okay,” he said in a low voice. “Make the call.”
Dellan reached out to tap in the address, and his heart hammered.
“What’s wrong?” Horvan’s eyes widened.
“I….” A wave of nausea rolled through him. “I don’t think I can….”
Horvan was out of his seat and around to Dellan’s side of the table in seconds. He knelt beside Dellan’s chair, his hand on Dellan’s back. “Let me do this.”
Dellan swallowed. He’d felt so powerful, so sure, but….
Horvan squeezed his arm. Dellan. It’s okay to be afraid. After what they did to you? Hell, yeah.
“Let Horvan do it,” Rael entreated, his face anxious.
Dellan looked from Rael to Horvan. “Are you sure?”
Horvan nodded. “Please, baby. Let me.”
The sweet endearment was all it took to make up Dellan’s mind. He got up from the chair, and Horvan slid into it. Dellan reached over to tap in the details, and the familiar Skype ringtone filled the air. It went on for so long that Dellan was afraid it was going to time out, but then the call connected.
When he saw the face on the screen, he shrank back. It wasn’t Anson. Oh fuck.
Horvan stilled. That face….
Dellan swallowed. That’s the man who shot me. Then he recalled Horvan had already seen that face in his mind.
The man calmly stared back at Horvan. “Can I help you?” he asked coolly.
“Where’s Anson Prescott?” Horvan demanded.
The man gave a thin smile. “Why, he’s right here. I’m looking at him as we speak, but I’m afraid you can’t talk to him. Now, who are you?”
“I’m the man who took something from Anson’s office.”
Dellan was blown away by Horvan’s cool demeanor. Doesn’t he feel the menace in this guy? The man’s voice sent ice down Dellan’s spine.
In his head, Rael snorted. Horvan doesn’t do intimidation.
The man arched his eyebrows. “Indeed. So you’re responsible for stealing my property.”
Horvan scowled. “He’s not your property. He’s our mate. And who the fuck are you?”
That got him a look of mild surprise. “Language, please. Let’s be civil. And let’s just say I am an associate of Mr. Prescott.” Then he widened his eyes. “Mate? Well, that is interesting. We’ve never had true mates before.” His smile broadened. “And more than two of you, by the sound of it. How perfectly splendid. I think we’ll need to collect the whole set. Don’t you agree, Anson?”
“Quicker,” Hashtag hissed. Crank and Roadkill appeared horrified by the exchange, their faces pale, their eyes wide.
Horvan glared at the man. “You’ll get to my mates over my dead body.”
He let out an evil chuckle. “Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. We’ll simply drug all of you. The drug we gave Dellan… you have worked out what it does, haven’t you? It locks a shifter into their animal form for as long as we desire. It subsumes their humanity, their intellect.