“Sawyer…wake up! Sawyer…something’s outside…please, babe, please wake up!” Climbing on top of his mate, Alex, leaned down, grasping Sawyer’s shoulders, shaking them hard. “Sawyer…wake up…or I swear…”
Trying to ignore the attempt to interfere with the attainment of his deepest wishes, Sawyer brushed aside the insistent voice calling to him—that was, until his demanding wolf pushed into the dream. The loud mating howl his wolf gave set every nerve in Sawyer’s body on fire, drawing him out into the real world. Opening his eyes, Sawyer found Alex staring at him, fear written on his face. Quickly grabbing his mate’s biceps, he asked, “Are you hurt? What happened? Oh shit, I didn’t bite you, did I?”
“Shh, lower your voice…something’s outside…it sounded like a tiger…at least I think it’s a tiger…didn’t you hear the roar?”
“No. Are you sure it was a tiger?” whispered Sawyer. “Maybe it’s a bobcat or a mountain lion.”
“Maybe,” Alex murmured doubtfully, “but it sounded like a tiger.”
“How do you know what a tiger sounds like?”
“I heard one at the National Zoo in Washington when I went there. One of the tigers jumped up and bounded toward me and roared…like several times. I don’t think he liked me.”
“Sweetheart, he was probably roaring at something else.”
“No, I’m pretty sure it was me.”
“Well, there aren’t any tigers here. It had to be a mountain lion. They’re all over California. Do you want me to check it out?”
“Maybe it’s gone. I haven’t heard it again.”
“What were you doing awake?”
“I don’t know…my dragon and fox woke me up with their fighting.”
“I thought they didn’t do that anymore.”
“I thought so too, but what the hell do I know. I just hope this won’t happen again.”
“Wait…what was the fight about?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Alex murmured, “Something weird…like who gets to mate first with whom…I don’t get it. I thought they agreed my dragon would claim your wolf first.”
“Well they both have to wait since I’m claiming you first.” Pulling Alex down to him until he felt his mate’s breath ghost over him, Sawyer crooned softly, “And after I give you my claiming bite, then you can fuck and claim me.”
Trembling at the image his mate’s words invoked in his mind, a low moan escaped Alex, desire filling his body. Closing the tiny distance between them, he pressed his lips against Sawyers, gently at first then harder, pushing his tongue inside for a taste of his mate as thoughts of anything else fled his mind.
Reigning in his tiger was almost impossible, but Glenn won the battle, knowing it would be the last time his animal would obey his commands until their mate was claimed. But before that could happen, he needed tofigure out why his tiger was pushing to claim a fox when Sawyer was a wolf. Shaking his head, Glenn decided his first priority had to be getting Fouché to a safe place before addressing his tiger’s mistaken belief about who their mate was. Wanting to solve the easiest problem first, Glenn knocked on the door, but when no one responded, he called out, “Sawyer Evans!” Glenn waited, then pounded on the door of the motorhome. “Sawyer Evans! Jackson sent me.”
Muffled sounds pierced Sawyer’s brain while he was absorbed in Alex’s kiss. Gone was his shy mate; instead, the peeling of Alex’s layers was unfolding before him. And damn, did he ever love it. His mate was everything he ever could hope for and so much more. Circling his tongue around Alex’s, Sawyer enjoyed his mate’s tiny mews of pleasure. But when he heard Jackson’s name, his ardor chilled—as if doused with ice water. Pulling back from his mate’s lips, he held his breath, listening.
“What is it?” Alex asked.
“I thought I heard someone.”
“Like the tiger?”
“Not exactly…I…”
“Sawyer Evans! Open up…Jackson sent me!”
“Shit!” Sawyer sat up, lifting Alex off of him before setting him on the bed. “Stay here until I see who the fuck that is.”
“Wait...isn’t Jackson your cousin? Why would he send someone in the middle of the night?”
“I don’t know…but please, just stay here.” Quickly climbing out of bed, Sawyer grabbed his shorts, pulling them on. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but…”
The rest of his mate’s sentence was cut off by the closing of the bedroom door, leaving a worried Alex alone in the dark. Chewing on his lower lip, he mentally chastised himself for letting his mate go into an unknown situation that could be dangerous.Anyone can use his cousin’s name…after all, what better way is there to lure my mate out into the open. No, no, no. I’m not going to lose him after waiting my lifetime for someone to love me.Making the only decision he felt was right, Alex jumped out of bed, tugged on his shorts and, opening the bedroom door quietly, slinked down the hallway, calling on his dragon to be ready in case he was needed. Slowly moving toward his mate, Alex heard Sawyer talking to someone.
