Page 49 of Colton’s Mate

Remy looked up and met his eyes. Brandon could see all the things he’d just been thinking reflected there.

The twins didn’t know what to do without each other. How could Colt ever choose between Remy and his true mate, if that’s what it came down to?

“Don’t tell him,” Remy said.

Like Colt wouldn’t know? He did already.

Ah, fuck. “Let’s just get you home,” Brandon said.

He stood up, then reached down and clasped Remy’s wrist, hauling him to his feet just like he had in the spirit world. He’d fix this. Whatever it took.

Brandon flung his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Come on,” he said. “Lean on me.”

Chapter 20

Colt pushed all the speed limits heading home from the building supply store. He was almost there before he got a text update from Brandon:

Found Remy. He’s okay. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me your animals were messed up? Does the word ‘alpha’ mean anything to you? I fucking feel like panther-slapping both of you morons.

Now he had a cold knot in his stomach, wondering what had happened to Remy, and if it was like what had happened to him the night of the bar fight—stuck between shapes.

They couldn’t keep that up. It would kill them.

Colt didn’t know what he would have done if Callie hadn’t been there.

Or if Brandon hadn’t found Remy.

Colt should have been there for him.

But the thing that really made the cold knot in his stomach worse was—what had set Remy’s animals off?

With Colt, it had been the fight—and Callie’s danger. All Remy had been doing this morning was delivering his ‘contractor bid’ to Callie.

And pretending it didn’t bother him that Colt might have found his true mate—and Remy hadn’t.

He knew he shouldn’t have listened to Remy. He should have just left Callie alone, because this was what happened. They weren’t ready for mates, either of them, and just the idea of him bonding to Callie was probably messing with Remy’s brand-new leopard.

Maybe his owl too—who the fuck knew what owls were ever thinking? Or why?

We are thinking about food, his owl said. And hunting. And the superiority of feathers.

Of course he was. Colt asked carefully, Do you ever think about a mate?

There was a long silence inside him.

Mates should have wings, his owl said finally.

What if they don’t?

More silence. Then they are not worthy mates.

Well, that was just awesome. Nobody wanted Callie to be his mate.

Not even you?

Colt wasn’t sure if that little voice inside him was his leopard or not. All he knew was that it sounded sad.

Into his head sprang the image of Callie’s lynx. He’d only seen it once, when she was staying with the Wild Bloods after the battle, and she’d Changed with them.