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things? His confusion began to cut through the strange
heartache plaguing him.
Growling under his breath, Grady slammed the truck into
gear and got them moving again. He yanked his phone out
and hit a button. Declan, he grunted into the phone.
We ve got a problem. Ailean mated Drake but he didn t
explain& anything.
He heard the frustration in the voice on the other end of
the phone, but couldn t make out the words. Grady grunted
an acknowledgement then said, We re about fifteen
minutes out, before snapping the phone shut.
They drove in silence for several minutes, Drake sneaking
glances at Grady. He could tell from the man s tightly
clenched jaw and narrowed eyes that the man was upset. He
just couldn t figure out why. Why would Ailean dumping me
make Grady so angry? It isn t like it impacts him, right?
When it didn t look like the detective was going to
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explain, Drake frowned, Okay, what s going on?
Grady shook his head. I m sorry Ailean put you in this
situation, he replied. I never thought the doctor was that
selfish.
Drake frowned, indignation stirring. I m sure he s not
selfish. He has a lot going on, what with Lyle showing up
and then& His words failed him, and he fought back a
sniffle. I just met him, he whispered. Why do I miss him
so much?
Sighing, Grady reached over and squeezed his shoulder.
Just hang on for a few more minutes. Once we get to
Declan s, we ll explain everything.
He nodded, his focus returning to the passing trees
outside the window. A niggling of concern ate at him. His
entire life was in upheaval and now the detective made it
sound like there was even more to deal with.
Part of him wished he could go back in time and never
take that contract. Then he d never have gone to that
meeting the other night, never have been hijacked by Lyle,
and he d never have met Ailean. But then Drake never
would have experienced the most amazing sensations while
in the man s arms, either. Or the broken heart he had now,
and his heart was breaking, because somehow, in the course
of twenty-four hours, he d fallen in love with the doctor.
And didn t that just suck?
When he walked into the house, he heard Declan s Irish
lilt growling from another room. What do ye mean yer not
coming over after yer shift at the hospital ends tomorrow?
He s yer mate, damn it! Ye can t just&
Drake s steps faltered, the man s words telling him
exactly who the Irishman spoke to, and he wrapped his arms
around his belly. A wash of bile rose up his throat and he
struggled to breathe. Why did he have to walk in right at
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this moment? Wasn t hearing it from the man himself
enough? Now he had to overhear others talking about their
whirlwind affair, too?
Come on, Grady muttered gruffly and led the way into
the room where Drake could still hear Declan arguing with
Ailean.
He followed slowly and discovered a growling Declan
holding Lark, who was trying to soothe the big man. His
brother sat stiffly on one end of a leather couch. His head
cocked to the side and his shoulders tense as he listened to
the angry men around him. Drake hurried over to him and
settled next to him, rubbing his brother s arm to reassure
Dagus of his presence.
He blushed when Dagus leaned toward him and sniffed,
realizing his brother, whose senses were heightened, could
probably smell that he d had sex. Dagus grinned and
bumped shoulders. It s about damn time, he whispered.
I guess, he muttered back.
You didn t like it? His brother cocked his head,
obviously trying to gauge the tone of his responses. Did he
hurt you?
I don t understand why everyone is making more of it
than it is, he hissed back. It was just a short fling. Ailean
got what he wanted, and I finally figured out the allure of
sex.
The bite on yer neck says otherwise, Drake.
Surprise shot through him, and he lifted a hand to the still
tender mark not quite covered by his shirt. It s okay. I& I
liked it, he managed to admit, his gaze drifting from a
solemn Declan to the floor.
Damn that shifter, Declan growled. I canna believe he
did this to ye without explaining what it meant. He knew
the question was written all over his face, especially since
Grady had said something similar in the truck. Look, this
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Accepting His Animal
may be a little hard to accept, but Ailean biting ye is not to
be taken lightly.
At the hospital, you told me how different the DNA was
than anything else you d ever seen, right? Grady said,
drawing his attention. He stared in shock as the big man
began to slowly remove his shirt, his face so serious that
Drake didn t know how to respond except to nod dumbly.
Those men who hired you found out about something
we ve successfully kept secret since the early third century.
He grimaced, his shoulders lifting in a shrug. Well, at least
until now.
What secret? he asked. He wasn t certain if he should
feel dread or expectation. Gripping Dagus s hand tightly, he
leaned forward. What s going on?
There were human and reptilian components together
because it was DNA from a shape-shifter, Drake, Grady
said solemnly. Ailean is a shifter. So am I, and so is
Declan.
His eyes widened and his body tensed for several long
seconds, before he shook his head, his blood chilling. I
know Ailean is your friend, but you don t need to
compound the humiliation of him dumping me by making
fun of my work, too. He rose, pulling Dagus up after him.
We ll pack our things and go, thanks.
He started to turn away, when he heard Declan say,
We re not playing with ye, Drake. We figured ye d need
proof, being a scientist and all. Allow us to prove it.
That peaked his curiosity, and he paused. Okay. Prove
it, he challenged. Did these men really believe they could shape
shift?
He watched with interest as Grady stripped the rest of his
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