Yuri acted like the perfect date. He poured him water and served him as the dishes were presented. Joe didn’t have to lift a finger. His company was pleasant, and Joe found himself relaxing into the man’s casual banter and mood. Whatever the cause, he was glad he was getting to know the handsome and mysterious Master Vampire from France.

  He asked Joe about food preferences followed by telling him the many offerings available in his hometown of Orléans in the Loire Valley. He seemed to love his homeland and made references to Joe visiting the area, but he didn’t see that happening. He could barely cover his bills, let alone save for a European vacation, but he nodded and agreed that it would be nice. No sense in making things awkward.

  Everything was smooth and easy until dessert, and the conversation turned decidedly towards Joe. It had been a light conversation, stories of old times, and minor business until Master DuCane asked. “Have you ever wondered about your birth parents, Joe?” That came right out of nowhere and caught Joe with a scoop of chocolate cream halfway to his mouth.

  Placing his spoon back on his plate, he took a tentative glance around the table and saw that everyone seemed way too interested in his response. They knew something that he didn’t. He felt his nerves kick back in, and his heart began to thump in his chest. It was a common enough reaction when he felt trapped and alone, and he was suddenly swamped with that feeling.

  Yuri placed his hand on Joe’s thigh and whispered softly to him. “You have nothing to fear here, Joseph.” With that statement, Joe took another quick glance at Baylen, who was still standing with Andre at the door. Joe figured if there was going to be trouble for him here that Baylen was the man who’d be leading it. But instead of stink eye, Baylen looked at him with sympathy. Joe returned his attention to Master DuCane.

  “No, sir, I was told they were very young, too young to be responsible for an infant,” Joe answered because if Master DuCane asked you a question, you answered it. Joe just hoped he wouldn’t keep pursuing this line of conversation because it made him feel small and inconsequential.

  “Your adoptive parents never told you any more than that?” Master DuCane continued.

  “No, sir.” That was short and sweet and better be the end of it. Joe felt himself growing tense, but Yuri massaged his leg, and the anxiety began to drain away. His touch calmed him and brought him back to reality, taking away the fear of being trapped.

  These were all people he knew, and they never bothered him before, so they had no reason to do so now. He was okay, he told himself and placed his hand over Yuri’s. He was taking massive liberties here, but he needed more of this guy’s warmth and control.

  Master DuCane stood, and everyone followed. “Come, Joe, sit with me a while.” Again, Joe did not understand what was happening. With Yuri’s arm placed protectively around him, they walked together behind Master DuCane, Ezra, Ismael, and Easton with Eddie and Robert coming up behind them. This was a meeting, and Joe knew for a fact that he was to be the focus. The questions at the table were the precursor to something bigger and more intrusive.

  They entered what looked to Joe as a lounge, comfortable, and private. Everyone seemed calm and friendly, not at all tense like Joe. He finally had to ask and turned to Yuri, who was still holding him in a loose embrace. “What’s happening? I don’t belong here.”

  Yuri regarded him directly, bending slightly to look him in the eyes. “You belong.” That was all he said but said it with such authority that Joe took a deep breath and followed. Yuri directed him to the sofa where he sat down, and Yuri sat next to him and placed his hand back on Joe’s thigh.

  Joe was quite attracted to Yuri’s dominant and controlling nature through the course of this evening. He’d always enjoyed the alpha male types but didn’t realize how utterly stimulating such a man could be in the flesh. If it weren’t for the power vibrating through the room and Joe’s need to run getting stronger, he would have enjoyed the attention Yuri was laying on him.

  Joe looked over at Eddie once everyone was seated, hoping for some understanding, but Eddie just shrugged and winked at him, two contradictory signs as far as Joe could tell. But then he smiled, and it was warm and genuine Eddie wouldn’t smile like that if Joe were about to be eaten alive.

  “I know you have any questions, but let me start with this.” Master DuCane spoke directly to Joe. He sat across from Joe and Yuri with Ezra beside him, and Ismael and Easton sat to his left. “I wish that I’d taken the time to meet you sooner, Joe.” That was unexpected but nice.

  “When we spoke last evening in the garden, I was surprised to find in you a kindred spirit.” Master DuCane smiled, and Yuri moved his arm to drape across Joe’s shoulders. “I’ve asked Ismael and Easton here because they have your background information, which I believe you have a right to. I’ve asked Eddie and Robert to be here because they are your friends and you trust them. What I have to tell you is going to be challenging for you to grasp, but it is the truth.”

  Damn, what in the hell was Master DuCane getting at? Was he in trouble? Did he do something wrong? His heartbeat began to pound once again, and once again, Yuri tightened his hold and dropped his head to whisper in Joe’s ear.

  “There is more to you than meets the eye, Joseph. You have a heritage that you are not aware of.” Yuri said in clarification, and Joe immediately looked over at Master DuCane.

  “What did you see in me last night, sir?” Joe asked soft but insistent.

  “You are shifter, Joe.” Master DuCane said the words, but Joe wasn’t processing them at first. A shifter was a human who was also an animal. The Sheriff was a cougar shifter, and he could turn into a large cat. There were also bear shifters and wolf shifters in Mt. Pleasant. Joe hadn’t met any, but Eddie told him they existed.

  “What kind of shifter?” Joe held his cool.

  “I saw a cat, not a cougar, a smaller breed.” Master DuCane delivered the words with a tender consideration that Joe had not expected.

  Joe furrowed his brow. “A house cat?” He was immediately deflated. On the surface of things being a shifter seemed rather thrilling, but being a little tabby or alley cat took that feeling away instantly.

  The room rumbled with a soft chuckle, and he saw that Master DuCane was smiling again, and Yuri kissed the side of his head. That felt really good, Joe wished he’d do it again, and then he did.

  “Not a house cat, my love. You are a lynx, a wild, untamed hunter; a beautiful, sleek, and powerful animal.” Joe sat and stared at Yuri silently for several seconds taking in the claim and searching his mind for corroboration. They weren’t joking with him, they were serious.

  “How.” He could only formulate a one-word question at that point.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Master DuCane explained the effect of having a powerful predator near and how he and Yuri were able to pull Joe’s cat to the surface. Whereas others would not have threatened or concerned his cat enough to come out. No one would have seen his shifter half, and the cat was buried so deep that other shifters would not have scented the animal in Joe.

  “Lynx do not as a rule run in packs or prides, they maintain familial groupings much like bear shifters.” Master DuCane explained. “Easton searched the Detroit area for leads on your biological parents.” Master DuCane then turned the discussion over to Easton, Ismael’s beloved and the Coven’s computer genius. Joe shifted his attention but continued to hold tight to Yuri.

  “Your parents were lynx shifters and resided in South Lyon, a suburb of Detroit. They were on their own, not connected to any other shifter group or family members, which is not uncommon for lynx shifters, as Master DuCane pointed out. Some shifters blend into the human population better than others. Your father worked construction, and your mother was a homemaker.”

  “What were their names?” Joe asked thoughtfully as Easton paused.

  “Edwin and Janet Carlson and you were their only child,” Easton responded, and Joe just sat quietly, taking it all in and trying to fit the pieces together.

  “They died in a house fire.” Easton landed that one, and Joe felt his heart swelling and then crashing for the love of two people he never knew. He felt Yuri gather him closer, and Joe did not stop himself from leaning into the embrace and taking strength from it.

  “Shifters can survive a lot of things but not a consuming fire. Your dad got you to safety and then rushed back in to save your mom, who had not followed him out. Apparently, she’d been overcome by the fumes. They died together. You were two months old.” Silence fell hard for a few seconds, and then Joe spoke.

  “How did I end up in that orphanage?” Joe stared at his hand that he’d placed on Yuri’s knee. He gripped a little harder, for he needed more, and Yuri seemed to be the source for his stability right now. He’d try and figure that out later, but in this moment, he’d take whatever comfort was offered.

  “Your parents weren’t affiliated with any other shifters, and no one realized what you were so with no family left you were placed in care and put up for adoption as a human infant.” Easton finished, and Joe looked over at his friend Eddie who seemed as blown away by the information as he was, and that was comforting actually.

  “I know this information is a lot to take it, and it has been given to you in a blunt and hurried manner, but you know our world and you are not the typical human. You can handle this, Joe.” Master DuCane spoke sympathetically and leaned forward in his seat, shifting his glance to Yuri and then back to Joe before speaking further.

  “You weren’t nurtured or taught to understand and be one with your cat, so it regressed and hid deep within your mind and your soul. You would have had some connection, for there is always a connection. No matter how deep he goes, your cat is a part of you. You may have enhanced perception, keen eyesight, something that comes from your cat.” Master DuCane was waiting for a response, but Joe wasn’t sure what to say. He only recently felt that his senses were keener.

  “He’s a very good small game hunter,” Eddie spoke up for him and caught everyone’s attention. “Joe prefers wild game. He told me that food just tastes better if you’ve hunted it yourself.”

  “What do you like to hunt, my love.” Yuri turned to him with an indulgent smile.

  “Rabbit, partridge, wild turkey, whatever is in season,” Joe answered, easily remembering the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction he experienced following a successful day. “The lynx makes me a good hunter?” Was his skill tied to his heritage?

  “Lynx are expert hunters, and they favor small game,” Yuri told him.

  “This is all so much. I believe you, it’s just that I can’t believe this is happening to me.” Joe wished he could go somewhere alone and try and come to grips with this. Sitting here in the middle of all these powerful vampires and their beloveds was wearing on his already frayed nerves.

  “It’s difficult, but you needed to know that this is your truth. Know your cat and appreciate that he is one with you and always has been.” Yuri stated, and this time his tone was firm, not consoling, and it was what Joe needed. He was right; this was bizarre, outlandish, and insane, but Joe accepted it as the truth. The people in that room would not lie to him.

  “I’ve experienced a heightened sense of smell; my general awareness is sharper, and all my senses seem more on point since meeting you Master DuCane and you Master Petrov,” Joe reported, understanding now why his instincts were getting fine-tuned.

  “Call me, Yuri.” He said then immediately went on to explain further the effects of being in the presence of a more dominant paranormal. Master DuCane sat back and let Yuri take the floor.

  “You hadn’t been in the company of a dominant shifter or vampire before, so your cat had remained docile and hidden. The threat that we posed caused him to come to the surface to see if he was in danger. If you recall, you tilted your head to Louis and to me when we first met. That is a sign of submission among shifters. Your cat was telling us that he was not a threat and was submitting to our authority.” Yuri told him but then added. “Your cat is no longer fearful of me but rather looks to me for protection and comfort, and that is another conversation we need to have.”

  Joe was on process overload, but the tone Yuri used and the words that washed over him made him feel that something even more world bending than finding out he was a shifter was coming his way. Also, why was Master Petrov, Yuri rather, being so personal and intimate with him? They’d just met that afternoon at the gas station, and yet Joe felt as if they were friends and maybe even more than that. Was there a connection between Yuri and his lynx?

  …

  Yuri felt Joseph’s discomfort and channeled his own calm to him through his touch. The young man was learning fantastical things about himself and seeing his life altered, and yet he knew to draw strength from the man seated next to him. This was the bond between a vampire and his beloved and a shifter and his mate.

  He’d managed to keep Joseph close even though he continued to question his right to be by Yuri’s side. Dinner was lovely with Joseph so sweetly submitting to Yuri’s care and attention and letting Yuri take the lead.

  Joseph’s lynx was preening and enjoyed the attention which spilled over to the human half. It was made evident by the way Joseph moved closer when nervous or looked to Yuri when he didn’t understand a question or comment. It was a very fine beginning for their bond.

  His acceptance of his shifter side may take some time. But Joseph was an intelligent and reasonable man, and he would find a way to assimilate this new understanding of himself.

  Their attention was drawn to the other side of the room when Louis stood and brought Ezra up with him. “We will leave you for now and let Yuri explain what remains. Such declarations are best made in private.” Louis bid them good night as did the others.

  “This is so cool, Joe,” Eddie said as he came up to stand beside them and then reached out and pulled Joe into a one-arm hug before excusing himself as did the others. Joseph was now alone with Yuri.

  Joseph looked down at himself and stated randomly that everyone at dinner had worn a suit. “I should have worn a suit, but I don’t own a suit. I should have dressed more appropriately.” Yuri could see that he was rambling. He wanted to talk about something mundane, something normal. Yuri stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the small man and hugged him.

  Joseph didn’t pull away or resist but rather stepped into the embrace and took full advantage. “You look perfect, my love,” Yuri spoke against the top of Joseph’s head. He felt Joseph take several deep breaths calming his nerves and his cat. The lynx was prowling scenting its mate and pushing for recognition. Yuri could sense the feline just below the surface.

  Joseph was shaking, but it was not fear or anxiety; it was the shifter within him growing stronger, reacting to the potency of its mate so near and so willing. Yuri smiled and pulled Joseph tight to his chest. The small man buried his face in Yuri’s jacket and his fists in Yuri’s sides and continued to take rapid, deep breaths.

  They stood like that for well over ten minutes, and Yuri had no complaints. He was willing to give whatever his beloved needed. One final deep sustaining breath and Joseph lifted his face and took a half step back, separating them only by a mere inch, but Yuri felt the loss.

  “Sorry about that,” Joseph spoke softly with his head down. Yuri tilted his face up towards him, not wanting the young man to feel he couldn’t meet his eyes. This was his beloved, and Joseph would soon come to understand that they were equals in their love and their bond. Joseph had rights and privileges with Yuri that no one else had ever possessed or ever would.

  “Look at me, sweetheart, don’t ever cower with me. I love your submission, but I will never abide your fear. Do not fear me.” Yuri used his most firm listen and obey tone to bore through the confused bewilderment in his beloved’s eyes.

  “I don’t fear you, but I think that I should. Why are you singling me out for attention?” Joseph asked, and Yuri could see that the courage it took to ask that question was making his beloved tremble.

  Yuri ran his knuckles down the side of Joseph’s face and felt him lean into the touch, and the tremble eased. “Let us move over to the sofa by the window and talk.” He guided Joseph with a hand on the small of his back. “I love what you’re wearing, by the way.” It was not a shallow compliment. The sweater brought out the honey softness in his eyes and fit him to perfection, as did the black dress pants. He looked gorgeous.

  “Thanks, you look good too.” Joseph returned the praise, and Yuri ate up the appreciative glance, which followed as Joseph’s gaze focused primarily on his lower region. Joseph was shy but not too shy Yuri discovered.

  Yuri slipped off his suit jacket and tossed it to the end of the sofa wanting to be able to get closer to his beloved and also allow the man to fully inspect him as he pleased. Having that admiring gaze touch him like that set his heart pounding in anticipation.

  They sat down, and Yuri sat very close. He put his arm across the back of the sofa behind Joseph. Joseph leaned forward and knotted his hands together, making his uneasiness clear. Yuri gently eased him back against the cushions dropping his arm to drape his shoulders and, with his other hand, massaged his grip until Joseph finally relaxed.

  “Will I be able to shift? How will I shift? What if I can’t shift back, and I’m a lynx for the rest of my life?” Not the questions Yuri was expecting but definitely a valid concern.

  “You may shift, in time, once you and your animal get more in tune with one another. You also may never shift having spent your life in your human form exclusively. You’ll have to wait and see, and you will not become stuck in your animal form. If you shift to your lynx, that means you know how to shift, and therefore you will be able to shift back.” Yuri explained as basically as possible not that Joseph wouldn’t be able to understand, but rather, he didn’t want to overwhelm him any more than he already was.