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

The next day,Kit and the boys had gone riding the horses again.


Cal and Derek had taken a nap,and were lazily making out on their bed post-nap.


“There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while,”Derek said when they went from kissing into cuddling mode again.


“Yeah,I…it’s something that I think we need still.”Something about Derek’s expression was troubled.


“All right.What is it?”Cal had no idea what this was about,but he’d go with anything Derek wanted.


“Could you shift for me?Just…it’s something that requires you to shift.”


Cal got off the bed and stripped out of his clothes,then called the cat forth and jumped back onto the bed.


The feeling was completely different now.He was an equal to his cat,not trapped,not holding onto the reins with shaking fingers.His cat appreciated him as much as he did the cat.They were one again,as much as they could be.


Derek didn’t sit up,but instead,patted the pillow next to his.


Chapter 26