Page 14 of Colton’s Mate

Sometimes he thought he was turning into a fucking sociopath.

He pulled off Sawmill Road and up the driveway to the mansion. As always, driving through the woods to the house made him feel better.

Ever since the crew had bonded during the battle with the crows and panthers, this territory Brandon had staked out felt like home. Both his animals relaxed when they were here—even psycho owl. Now all he needed was to kick back on the wraparound porch with a cold beer, and—

The noise hit his ears over the sound of the engine. His twin’s voice, almost drowned out by the snarling roar of a very large, very annoyed polar bear shifter.

As Colt pulled up in front of the house, a huge, hairy, Sasquatch-looking man wearing nothing but buckskin pants strode out onto the third-floor balcony, holding Colt’s squirming, struggling brother over his head.

Squatch reached the railing and heaved Remy over with all of his enormous strength.

Remy’s cry of “Fuuuuckerrrr!” echoed around the yard as he plummeted toward the ground.

At the final, most dramatic moment, just before he hit the dirt, Remy’s body shimmered and morphed to owl. His huge white wings snapped out, sending him skimming just above the ground.

His work boots and tool belt thunked into the sparse grass. A gust of wind caught his discarded jeans and they floated over and draped themselves across the windshield of Colt’s truck.

Flapping furiously, Remy rose, circled, and tried to crap on Sasquatch’s head. The big man ducked to the side and the owl crap splatted on the balcony railing.

Kitty came out the kitchen door and down the steps, a half-open package of Funny Bones in her hands.

She craned her neck to look up at the balcony. “Hey, Squatch, you okay?”

Remy flew down behind Kitty and Changed. “Nobody asked if I’m okay. Remy gets thrown off a fucking balcony, and does anyone worry about Remy? No.”

Without turning around, Kitty said, “Stop annoying the fuck out of him, and he won’t throw you off the balcony.”

Squatch growled from three floors up, “Next time I’m going to roast him over a fire and make owl pot pie.”

Kitty contemplated that. Finally she called up to Squatch, “I like pot pie. Want a Funny Bone?”

There was a long silence. Then a grumpy “Yes” came from the balcony.

Kitty backed up a couple steps and threw the snack cake package up to Squatch. He caught it, and a second later they heard cellophane crinkling.

Kitty turned to Remy and said, “Stop being a dick” before heading back into the house.

Remy called sulkily, “Hey! Don’t I get a Funny Boner?”

Kitty kept walking. “You’re a dick, and your boners are probably always funny because they’re so teeeeensy.”

“Squatch is her new favorite,” Remy grumbled to no one in particular. “She never gives me snack cakes anymore.”

“I never gave you snack cakes at all,” Kitty called over her shoulder.

“I know. You never loved me.”

Kitty just shook her head and went back into the house.

Colt got out of the truck and stood with one foot on the running board, his elbow resting on the roof. “What did you do to Squatch this time?”

Remy came over and plucked his jeans off the windshield of the truck. “Um. Epoxied his hammer to the floor? And also maybe the crowbar. And possibly the toolbox.”

Colt felt his mouth twitching in spite of himself. “What are you, twelve?”

“That sounds about right.” Remy shimmied into his jeans and collected his boots and tool belt.

“You should give the guy a break.” Nobody knew much about Squatch—not even his real name. Just that Austin Raines’ panthers had killed his family, and he’d followed them here for revenge. Colt wasn’t sure if he’d actually bonded to the crew or not, but he’d fought on their side in the battle against Raines, which made him okay in Colt’s book.