“A bat?”Seri mused, letting out a hum.“That makes sense, us being in a cave system and all.”
Craeg couldn’t resist bringing the small animal close to his nose.As he scented the bat, a fresh wave of arousal washed over his body.A shiver of excitement hit him as Craeg turned and began making his way back to Seri, holding the bat close to his chest.
“Holy shite,” Craeg mumbled, processing the rush.“The bat’s a shifter.”Meeting his friend’s gaze, Craeg grinned as he declared, “And he’s my mate.”
“Well, damn, man.”Seri returned his broad grin.“Congrats, Craeg.That’s fantastic.”Then he sobered and cocked his head.“I wonder what the hell he’s doing in here.”
Craeg shrugged as he settled with his ass and legs in a shallow section of the pool.“Maybe he likes spelunkin’.”Resting his forearms on the rocky ledge, Craeg continued to cradle the bat in one palm while gently petting his side with the pointer finger of his other hand.“We were interested in a possible new cave, so why wouldn’t he be?”
“Maybe.”Seri slipped into the water and began floating on his back.“Well, it’s not like we can take him out of that tunnel.It’s underwater.”He waved a wet hand in the bat’s direction.“Do you want me to go fetch Doc Anthony?”
Craeg yanked his attention away from his mate and scowled at Seri.“Why?”
Looking at him in confusion, Seri glanced toward the bat again.“Uh, because he’s unconscious?”
Wincing at his own stupidity, Craeg nodded.“Uh, aye.Right.Yeah.That’d be great.”He grimaced as he muttered, “Shoulda thought of that.”
Seri chuckled.“You’re just in shock because you found your mate.”Before slipping under the water, his friend promised, “Back in a jiff.”
“Thanks,” Craeg muttered, his attention returning to the bat.
Craeg settled in to wait for his mate to wake.Anticipation, excitement, and wonder filled him in equal measure.
I finally found my mate.
I wonder what he’s like.
Smiling, Craeg gently petted the bat some more, eager to find out everything about the man he held.
* * * *
SLOWLY, SILAS BEGANto rouse.His head hurt a little, as did his right wing, but that pain seemed to be countered by something else.A couple of somethings, actually.
First, there was a scent surrounding him that was wonderfully distracting.It smelled masculine with a hint of fresh, salty sea air.Turning his head, he hummed appreciatively as he inhaled more of the aroma.
Second, the soft stroking to the fur of his torso felt fantastic.The fingers were gentle and light, massaging him.There was just the hint of fingernails, creating a blissful bite of stimulation.
No one had ever petted Silas’s bat’s fur before, and he really,reallyliked it.
Wait.
That realization finally had a little sense returning to Silas’s brain.
Someone’s petting my bat?
Alarm surged through him, and Silas snapped open his eyes as he jolted.
“Easy, my pretty bat.”A deep voice that Silas vaguely recognized rumbled the softly spoken words.“You’re okay, my mate.You’re safe.”
Even as Silas scrambled away from whoever spoke, his movements began to slow.When the terrain beneath his claws and wing joints dipped suddenly, he lost his balance and began to topple.To Silas’s surprise, something pressed against his side, steadying him.
“Careful, little bat,” the stranger murmured.“Did ya hit your head in the tunnel?”He once again began to rub over Silas’s fur in a way that felt really soothing.“Ya seem a wee bit unsteady on your claws.”
Resting his wing’s thumb on the guy’s finger, Silas paused and looked up at the man.He saw the guy’s soft smile nearly hidden by his reddish-brown beard.There was a warmth in his deep green eyes that Silas didn’t understand.
Silas let out a soft questioning chitter, more to himself than to the guy.
Still, that seemed to please the man, for he grinned, showing off even white teeth.“I doona understand bat chitters, sweets,” he claimed.
