“And you’re too young to be so jaded. I’ll bring dinner at six. We can eat before we go. I’ll bring one of the pack’s SUVs,” Rafe said.
“I’m perfectly capable of getting there on my own.”
“It’s not as satisfying, though, is it?” Rafe asked.
He didn’t wait for Adri’s reply before leaving. He’d pushed his kitten enough for now. Through the reflection in the window, he watched his mate’s gaze trained on his ass as he left. Adri might not feel the mating drive the same way, but he was definitely feeling something.
He’d planned to take over with his afternoon appointments once he got back to the clinic, but Rocco nudged him away and up the stairs with his air magic before he could do more than ask how they were getting on.
“Don’t need you, Doc. You’re still scraping the bottom of your magical barrel. Go rest and get your mojo back,” Rocco said.
Rafe shook his head in annoyance at being pushed out of his own space, but at least the unexpected free time would give him another chance to trawl the medical archives for the information they needed. Settling down in bed with his laptop on his lap, Rafe dived into researching any mention or statistics on feral shifters.
Most of it he already knew, although it wasn’t a speciality he’d developed. Feral shifters were rare, but there was a one-in-five chance that a bite from one would infect the victim and pass it on. Usually, there were enough warning signs that they could be contained before they turned and hurt someone. Feral shifters lost their humanity—an animal stuck in human form, scared and hyper-aggressive. A common, unproven assumption was that the condition was a magical, rather than physical, malady of some kind, given it interfered with the shift.
Early efforts to treat the condition had focussed on partnerships with witches through the Council. However, as the Cruor Coven’s pharmaceutical company took off and proved the value of human technological advances to the supernatural community, some researchers were now looking to broaden their methods.
Following a trail of footnotes led him to one such study. The researchers had been using MRI scans to establish which part of the brain the ferality affected. Already under pressure from the Council ethics committee because of the risk involved, they’d been shut down when one of their subjects got loose while being scanned and spread the condition to a lab assistant. Three scans before that had shown a consistent pattern of activity in one of the glands unique to shifters.
Rafe’s instincts were screaming that this study was important in some way. Which was all very interesting, but didn’t get him any closer to understanding exactly how one might trigger ferality in a shifter at a specific time and location, like had happened to Adri’s opponent, let alone how to stop it. Given another decade and a team of specialists, he could probably figure out how to use some combination of magic, drugs, and technology to stimulate that section of the brain in the right way, but it would be beyondunethical to even attempt it. How had the D-2S managed it without anyone noticing?
Glancing at the clock, he realised he needed to get going if he was going to feed his mate before the fight. Now that he had a place to start, he could send Luca in the right direction to hunt through the city’s records. Especially if they focussed on the period when the MRI study was shut down. Typing out an email that included the names of the relevant scientists, the date at which the study had come out, and notes of what to look out for, Rafe sent everything he had to the pack’s hacker before heading to shower and change. Once he got back, he’d give Bella’s wife a call as well. She was a brain surgeon at the local hospital, and might have some insight that he’d missed.
Rafe might not have seen Adri in over a decade, but he’d learned everything he could about him, nonetheless. He knew the jaguar shifter had a weak spot for a particular sushi restaurant that was a little too far away and too expensive for him to visit frequently. Viviana had told him Adri devoured it whenever she brought it in for celebrations at the gym, but never sought it out himself. His interest in the jaguar was the worst-kept secret in the pack, and they all tended to feed him bits of information like that.
Placing an order for all of Adri’s favourites, Rafe dressed down in slacks that hugged his ass a little too well to be polite and a collared shirt he left several buttons open on. He wasn’t above luring Adri closer with the sexual tension constantly thrumming between them, and he really hoped his jaguar might cave and let them play a little tonight.
The wool peacoat he grabbed before heading down to the pack SUV Marco left at the clinic for him to use would stand out at the gritty fight, but he wasn’t about to pretend to be something he wasn’t. There were certain expectations that came with hisposition with the Lunettis. The vehicle was also stocked with everything he could need in an emergency—a rolling pharmacy and field hospital. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be needed.
He was right on time when he knocked on Adri’s door, bags of food in hand. His jaguar’s reaction when he opened it was worth the detour out of his way. Annoyance turned to surprise as Adri drew in a deep breath and smelled the food. For once, his kitten seemed lost for words. It didn’t last long.
“How did you know that’s my favourite?” he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“I pay attention.”
“Stalker.”
Rafe shook his head. “That’s Rocco. I don’t peer in your windows or follow you through town. I just make it my business to know how to please you. Are you going to let me tonight?”
A predatory thrill had his wolf perking up inside him as Adri’s pupils dilated and his heartbeat sped up. The intoxicating perfume of his mate’s arousal bloomed around them as Adri subtly shifted his weight, leaning closer. The moment was broken when Adri snatched the bag away from him, placing it on the coffee table nearby before heading to the kitchen to grab chopsticks, plates, and a bottle of whiskey.
Rafe unbuttoned his coat and placed it carefully folded over a chair as he tracked Adri’s movements setting everything out on the table. His mate might be playing aloof, but choosing to eat in the living area rather than at the tiny dining table meant they’d either be pressed in close together on his small couch or sprawled out on the floor. Either option sparked a wealth of fantasies in his mind.
As Adri straightened from his task, Rafe reeled him in, gripping behind his neck to pull him close and nuzzle into his neck, reinforcing his scent. He was forced to jerk his head away as Adri snarled and snapped at him with lengthened fangs in response, but in typical cat fashion, his mate almost immediately changed tack to butt his head against Rafe’s jaw instead.
Squeezing his fingers tighter, Rafe started kneading the muscles in Adri’s neck, massaging out the ever-present tension there. Adri groaned in pleasure, relaxing as he leaned into Rafe’s body. Desperate to draw out more of those noises, Rafe wrapped both arms around his mate, shifting his attention to his shoulders and working out each knot with firm strokes. Their position had their chests pressed together, and the vibration of Adri’s involuntary purr against his heart was the sweetest reward for his efforts. Another moan escaped his mate as his hands dropped to his lower back to keep working him over.
Pausing when his hand reached the edge of Adri’s T-shirt, Rafe ran his nose up the shell of his ear.
“This okay?” he asked, teasing up the fabric.
Adri huffed. “Yes. How did you turn me into a fucking kitten in less than five minutes?”
Rafe chuckled when his mate froze, clearly realising he’d accidentally used Rafe’s nickname to describe himself.
“Not that kind of kitten, Doc,” Adri snapped.
Rafe was still nuzzling into his neck, and Adri’s warm skin brushed across his lips as he smiled.
