Enforcer Ewan “Cal” Calder hasn’t shifted into his Scottish wildcat form in two years. He should’ve gone crazy by now, because that’s how these things are supposed to work. The governing body of all shifters, the Council, has sent him and his adopted teenage son Kit to a sanctuary in Finland. It’s a last-ditch effort to wean Cal off the morphine he’s been using to keep his cat at bay. If he doesn’t shift soon, there’s no way he’s going to retain his sanity.<br><br>Two years ago, Council security officer Derek Lamont was tentatively dating and getting to know Cal, but then he lost an eye in a tragic accident. While he was recuperating in the hospital, Cal and Kit vanished from the house they’d all shared. Derek has been searching for them ever since, traveling the world and grasping at straws because of the undeniable truth: Derek knows Cal is his mate, even though humans aren’t supposed to be able to feel the mate bond.<br><br>When Derek finds Cal and Kit at a small farm in the middle of nowhere, Finland, he feels relief. But their problems are far from over. From Cal’s guilt over the accident, to stray hunting dogs, to figuring out how to deal with the Council, things keep piling up.

Off and On Again

Derek waited until the yard was quiet before going outside.Without any extra senses,he hoped he could still find Kit and Cal somehow.


He peered everywhere from the airing holes in the foundation of the house to the nooks and crannies of the outbuilding.


Finally,he gave up.“Kit,can you show me where you are?”he called out.


A moment later,he heard a rustling,then a tiny sand-colored head with massive ears peeked out from inside a…currant bush?Kit chattered at him in fox speak,which he didn’t understand at all.


“Is he okay?”Derek asked as he slowly approached the bushes on the edge of the yard.He’d noticed them,of course,but hadn’t really paid attention to them because they didn’t look like they’d produce any berries anymore.


“I’ll cut up some meat that’s in the fridge.I’ll leave it in a bowl in the kitchen.Try to get him inside.”He looked up.“Seems like it’s going to rain soon.”


Chapter 11