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

They painted the house with muted,yet still bright yellow,then gorged on a truckful of grilled things,both meat and veggies.


“I forgot you were an ace with a grill,”Cal murmured at Derek,who seemed pleased.


“Yeah,hard to forget the first decent barbeque I’ve had in years.”Then,something mischievous took over Cal and he leaned even closer to Derek and whispered,“I’ve missed your meat.”


Derek choked on air and then began to laugh,his cheeks delightfully red.


“I don’t even want to know.”Noah chuckled as he passed them.


“I think I’m gonna go stay with Anton tonight,”Kit said pointedly as he brought his wooden plate and utensils to the fire pit.


“You have fun,just maybe not as much as we’ll be having,”Derek told Kit,who looked horrified and then ran off to join his friends.


“You’re really good at this parenting thing,”Cal said,making Derek throw back his head and laugh.


Chapter 21