a lot. You wouldn’t have come into this town if you hadn’t been doing your job. I don’t expect you to share any work secrets but is anyone I care about in trouble?”
Shaking his head, Dian rumbled, “No. We didn’t come into town because anyone here was in trouble.” Please don’t ask me why we are here. Dian didn’t want to spill any of Cam’s secrets.
But Kee raised his hand instead, hovering it near Dian’s face. “Can I?”
Unsure whether he could deny his mate anything, Dian nodded, even though he wasn’t sure what Kee wanted to do. The first touch on his raised brow made Dian want to groan and that feeling increased when Kee’s fingers trailed down his cheeks. The last person to touch his face was his mother back when he shifted for the first time. That was a dozen lifetimes ago.
“So different to your human shape,” Kee mused as his fingers continued to explore. “But your eyes are still the same color and shape. Did you know that?”
Dian knew he was preening – he couldn’t help it. He had the most beautiful man in the entire world sitting on his lap and that same man was stroking him. “Our eye colors denote our clan status. Back, you know, when we had clans.”
“And what status does your eye color denote?” Kee had both hands working now, stroking Dian’s face and shoulders and even the junction where his wings met his shoulders. Dian wanted to sink down onto the floor and purr.
“Higher up.” Oh, gods, don’t wiggle. You’ll feel my… “Lighter the eye color the higher up we are.”
Kee wasn’t listening to any mental plea. He sniffed and rubbed his nose over the skin on Dian’s chest, giving a very happy wiggle. Then, just when Dian thought he was going to stop breathing due to pleasure, Kee leaned away enough so he could see Dian’s eyes clearly. “So, sexy – what do gargoyles do with their mates?”
“We shift.” And then maybe my cock will go down. “If you move for just a moment, I can…”
The front door burst open and Eagle came staggering around the arched frame, a bottle in one hand and a tiny shifter of some sort tucked under his arm. “Hey.” Eagle’s eyes widened. “Hey! So, that’s…”
“Oh, my gods, what is that thing? Argh, it moved, it’s going to get me.” The shifter let out a high-pitched squeal, definitely rabbit, and fainted.
“Well, fuck.” Eagle looked down at the rabbit in disgust but made no move to pick him up.
“Fuck? Is that all you’ve got to say?” Kee slid off Dian’s lap. “I’ve spent god knows how long trying to convince my sexy mate he’s not someone that people in this town would scream at, and then the first bit of fluff you bring home does exactly that.” Skirting around the table, Kee poked the rabbit’s knee with his toe. “Hey, idiot. Wake up. I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”
Chapter Eight
Kee had no idea what it must be like to be ashamed of a shifted form. Having anxiety at being caught shifted had never occurred to him, and while he had been born not long before paranormals were outed, if he was ever seen in his shifted form by unaware humans, they just thought he was a rarity, or cute, and left him alone.
But that bloody rabbit. Kee recognized him from the bar. At first, he thought it was Roger, a well-known pool shark in town, but Roger hadn’t been around the bar lately. No, the rabbit who had the audacity to upset his mate was Roger’s younger brother, Ronald.
Ignoring Eagle, Kee knelt down, slapping Ronald’s face hard. “You. Wake up. Get up, you lazy sod, or I’ll ban you from the bar for life.”
“You can’t.” Ronald’s eyes opened, but he didn’t get up. “What are you doing here anyway? I came home with Eagle. You’d better not touch him.”
“Not that I would, but why would you care? Are you guys mates or something? Remember, I can scent a lie.”
“We all can.” Ronald scowled. “No, he’s not my mate, but he’s a hunk, here for a week at most… what do you think I’m doing with him.”
“You’re a rabbit shifter.” Kee stood up and tapped his foot on the floor. “Rabbit shifters don’t have nookie before claiming.”
“They don’t?” Eagle sounded shocked.
“They don’t!” Kee kept his eyes on Ronald. “So, tell me what you’re doing here.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Do I have to spell it out