"You can't tell anyone about this until we figure out what to do."
George nodded.
"What does Leon say about all of this?"
George swallowed hard when he felt his stomach start to roll again. "He said he didn't understand any of this, but he'd stick around until his assignment was over."
"Just until his assignment was over?"
"That's what he said."
"That bastard!" Ford snapped.
"No, no!" George grabbed Ford's arm when the man started to spin away. "You can't blame any of this on Leon. I bit him, remember? I didn't ask. I just did it."
Ford gasped, his eyes growing huge. "You bit him without asking?"
George shrugged. "It was kind of a heat of the moment thing. We were having sex, and my bear just kind of took over. Next thing I know, I'd bitten him and the mating bond had kicked in."
"Jesus, George." Ford rubbed both hands over his face this time. "You can't mate someone without their permission. That can get you exiled."
"From what?" George asked. "I don't belong to a clan, remember?"
"I don't know, but you just can't do that."
"Do what?" Leon asked as he walked into the kitchen. "Is this something I need to be aware of?"
"Yes!" Ford shouted.
"No!" George shouted at the very same time.
Leon's eyebrows lifted as he glanced between Ford and George. "Yes or no? Which is it?"
"No," George said vehemently. "It's nothing to be concerned about." He shot Ford a hard look. "Right, Ford?"
Ford frowned. "Yeah, right."
Leon's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say any more about it. Instead, he nodded toward the coffee pot. "Is the coffee done?"
"Oh, yeah." George turned and grabbed a cup then poured Leon a cup before handing it over. "There's sugar in the container behind you, and milk is in the fridge."
"I take it plain. I never learned to like it doctored up once I got out of the service." Leon chuckled. "Although, I do occassionally have a little coffee with my sugar."
"You were in the service?" Ford asked.
Leon nodded. "Army ranger."
"And now you're a bodyguard for hire?"
"Bodyguard, investigator, document carrier." Leon shrugged. "Whatever assignment the boss man sends me on."
George glanced away when Ford looked at him.
"You get a lot of assignments like this?" Ford asked.
Leon chuckled. "I've never been on an assignment quite like this."
"What's so different about this assignment?"
