"You're very careful, and I can appreciate your hesitance, but let me assure you that this is forever, and my love is a fact." Tanner chuckled this time and gave him another squeeze.

  "You're one in a million, Zeke Montgomery."

  "I'll accept that." He said and moved up and over Tanner, taking his lips in a possessive kiss that took his breath and his doubts away, hopefully.

  They lay together a little longer, and then Zeke suggested they needed sustenance, so they washed up, and Zeke headed to the kitchen. With Tanner sitting at the breakfast bar, watching and helping where he could, Zeke prepared steak, potatoes, and a nice salad. He took his time and prepared a dinner that he hoped would be a hit with his new bonded mate.

  Tanner helped plate the meal, and they sat down at the dining room table for dinner. Zeke poured the wine and set the bottle on the counter, noticing that Tanner was looking at his food as if he had not eaten in a long time. That thought bothered him too much, and he was adamant that he would make sure his mate was always well-fed from now on.

  "I haven't enjoyed steak in so long I think I have forgotten how it tastes," Tanner commented.

  "Dig in, sweetheart, and there is more where that came from." Tanner buttered a roll and set it on the side of his plate before taking his first bite of the New York strip." Zeke enjoyed his expressions and found himself getting turned on by the way Tanner seemed to make love to his meal.

  He received a call back from Cross mid-meal, so he excused himself to the living room. It wasn't so far away that Tanner couldn't hear, and it gave the impression he wasn't hiding anything from him. "Hello." He answered the call.

  "We have information on the shot that shattered the window in your mate's apartment." He stated and then continued. "It was a man, a wolf shifter, working with the same men who killed Griff, so your worry for Tanner was justified. You don't have to worry about him. One of Griff's clan caught him out front of Tanner's building as he was pulling the trigger. He is no more."

  “What about the man they all work for?”

  "No name yet, but I doubt he will be bold enough to continue going after Tanner. If I was him, I'd be lying low until Griff's clan has sated their blood lust." Cross said, and Zeke agreed. "If need be, bring Tanner here, and you two can stay in the apartment upstairs. We are more than willing to help you protect him."

  "I know, and thank you. I'll do that if things get out of hand." He closed the call and returned to the dining room. "My boss." He said in reference to the call, and Tanner did not question him. He felt sorry for keeping secrets from him but didn't know how to share without completely opening Pandora's box.

  He sat back down, and they finished dinner and had a couple of glasses of wine. Zeke decided to see if he could dance around the subject of assassins and murder and still get some idea as to what, if anything, Tanner saw that night in the back lot.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "I work surveillance at the club and keep an eye on the private areas in the back and the exterior of the club. You made a delivery a couple days ago around midnight. You used your own car, not the delivery truck." He began and noticed Tanner nodding to his statement.

  "My boss likes us to use our personal vehicles when making late-night deliveries so we don't stand out. We're usually delivering expensive liquor, and he believes we are less likely to be a target. I guess it makes sense, but I don't like making the late deliveries downtown." He explained himself, but he didn't have to.

  "When you parked in the back and waited for someone to let you in, did you notice anything in the parking lot next to you?" Tanner's eyebrows rose slowly and then lowered as if he was remembering something.

  "The lights got dim, and it made me a little nervous. Then that guy came to the door and motioned me inside, so I put my focus on the delivery and forgot about the parking lot." He stopped, and his gaze dropped to the left, indicating he was organizing his thoughts.

  "When I finished the delivery and was getting into my car, I heard something from the lot. I stopped and looked over there, but it was too dark to see anything. I figured it was nothing, but still, it freaked me out a little, so I got out of there." He caught Zeke's gaze then and asked. "Did you see something in the parking lot?"

  “When the lights returned to normal, I saw two men walking away.”

  “Were they parked in that lot?”

  “I assume they were.”

  "Why did you ask if I saw anything?" Tanner asked.

  "The two men in the lot are part of a criminal organization." That made Tanner's eyes pop. Zeke was getting himself in too deep, and he didn't want to tell him about the shifter's death, not yet, anyway. "It was probably nothing. I was just curious because you looked startled when you jumped in your car and left."

  "Uneasy, I was uneasy, I don't like late-night deliveries downtown, so that fed into my uneasiness." Tanner gave a self-deprecating smile and finished his wine.

  “Downtown after midnight can be challenging.” Zeke agreed.

  "Did you know I was the delivery guy when you answered my ad?" Now, what was he going to say?

  "I didn't know your name," he said, and that wasn't a complete lie since he didn't know his whole name, just his first.

  "I'm glad you answered my ad." Tanner went in a different direction than expected, and Zeke was both pleased and relieved.

  "I'm glad I answered your ad, and I'm glad you let me move in." Zeke reached over and took Tanner's hand, and they stood up. "Let's go into the living room." He led Tanner over to the couch, and they sat down together. Zeke slipped his arm around Tanner's shoulders and pulled him closer. He then dimmed the lights.

  "This all seems so surreal to me. Nothing exciting ever happens to me, so this, and you, and the possibilities, it's overwhelming." Tanner was trying to express himself, but finding the right words was difficult.

  "I assure you this is real, and I am sincere in everything that I say and do. I'm not a person who plays games, and I am not playing with you. I know what I want when I see it, and I want you, Tanner." Zeke wanted to make his feelings clear and to be as honest as he could under the circumstances.

  "Keep doing what you're doing, and it won't take long for me to feel the same," Tanner responded and snuggled into Zeke's side. He then suddenly turned and looked up at Zeke as if surprised by something. "Are you a shifter?" He asked out of nowhere, and Zeke couldn't have been more shocked.

  “What do you mean by shifter?” He countered just in case they were thinking of two very different things.

  Tanner remained silent for a few seconds, weighing and measuring Zeke's non-answer before responding. "Shifter, animal shifter." He clarified in a clipped tone. Zeke didn't know what to say that wouldn't blow everything up, including their bond.

  "Salem is a fox shifter. I observed him shifting one night after he had a particularly ugly run-in with an ex-boyfriend. He roughed him up badly, and I wanted to call an ambulance. Salem shifted and healed himself." Tanner paused, looking suddenly nervous. "He told me I couldn't tell anyone and swore me to secrecy. He's not going to get into trouble, is he?" Zeke shook his head, and Tanner relaxed.

  "Are you aware that his current boyfriend, Blake Christopher, is a wolf shifter?" Zeke asked, curious about how much he knew.

  "No, but that makes sense. His dominance is off the charts, and Salem said that wolf shifters were very dominant in their actions and lifestyle." Tanner was not surprised in the least, and Zeke began to get the impression that the paranormal was not a problem in Tanner's eyes.

  "Are you a wolf shifter?" Tanner asked again, more specifically. "Salem told me that the Zephyr Club was owned and run by wolf shifters." Salem was getting a little too free with other people's information.

  "No, I'm not a wolf shifter." He said and then added. "I'm a Siberian tiger." Tanner stared at him for a few seconds, taking it in, and then drew his eyebrows together in scrutiny.

  "Why does that not scare me?" He reached over and placed his hand on top of Zeke's where it lay on his thigh. "You don't scare me. You make me feel safe. Ever since I first met you, I've felt safe with you, protected even. It made no sense, but I liked the feeling."

  Things were moving fast, and the mate talk was apparently going to happen much earlier than Zeke had planned.

  The shifter reveal went smooth, or as smooth as could be expected, but just how was the fact they were mates going to go down? Hopefully, Salem, with the loose lips, had also given him some information regarding paranormals and their mates.

  "I recognized you the moment I entered that coffee shop. Your scent called to me sharp and sweet; it was the aroma of lily and jasmine, and I knew in that instant that you were mine." Zeke noticed a guarded expression enter Tanner's eyes. "Did Salem tell you anything about mates?"

  "Yes, he said he wished that he and Blake were true mates because Blake is strong and rich. He told me that mates are together forever. He called it a fated bond. If Blake were his fated mate, he would have been the perfect lover, companion, and partner, and he would have loved him unconditionally for the rest of their lives.” Salem had shared quite a lot.

  “He also said that once a shifter meets their mate, they desire no one else; cheating is impossible with true mates. I doubt someone like Blake has a true mate. That man could never love someone else more than he loves himself. He also said shifters recognize their mates by scent."

  Zeke continued to lock eyes with him as Tanner processed what Zeke had said to him and what he'd just shared. The realization dawned, and then Tanner tried to hide it.

  "Don't hide, sweetheart." He said and pulled Tanner a little closer, rubbing his cheek across Tanner's jaw and then leaning back to take in those beautiful eyes. "Tell me what you're thinking."

  “You said I smelled like lily and jasmine, and you knew I was yours.” He voiced the conflict in his head. “What are you saying, Zeke?”

  "You're my mate, my Fated mate, and everything Salem told you about mates is true. You're human, so you will receive a few extra perks being bonded to a shifter, including rapid healing and a longer life." He didn't say anything for several minutes but also did not try to pull away. Tanner held his hand and leaned into him while also feeling distant.

  Tanner reached up and touched the scar on his shoulder and closed his eyes briefly as the sensations coursed through him. “We’re bonded.”

  "We are bonded," Zeke repeated.

  "I'm not sure what to say or what to think." His tone was thoughtful, but still, there was a distance that Zeke did not like. "I know what I feel and what I've been feeling every time I get close to you, so I'm not doubting your words. I just need some time to process this and what it means for me, for us." He took a deep breath, fortifying himself for more.

  "My head is a little scrambled right now. You see, I came out of a long-term relationship about ten months ago. It's the reason I moved to Cincinnati. I had to get out of Columbus and away from everyone. We were together for three years and had even talked about marriage, and then one day, nothing mattered anymore, and he told me he never loved me. He said he was only with me because I was the best he could do at the time." His hand that was holding Zeke's started to tremble, and Zeke covered it with his other hand.

  "The minute someone better came along, I was history. He kicked me out of our apartment, and I had to move back in with my family, which was not a good situation. Finally, I figured I needed to get out of town and away from him and all the triggers. I came here and started fresh." He fell silent, and Zeke did not push.

  "I know you're not him, and I know that I feel more for you than I ever could have imagined feeling for anyone. I know this is different, but . . ." He shook his head and dropped his gaze.

  "But the pain you felt then is still in your heart, and trust is difficult." Zeke filled in the words for him. Tanner nodded but did not look up at Zeke. "I'll be patient, and you will see that we are meant to be. I have claimed you, and I will desire no other." Zeke reached up and touched the scar, and once again, Tanner trembled at the touch. "I will never betray or abandon you." He added.

  "It's getting late, and I'd like to rest and think." Tanner began to extricate himself from Zeke's embrace. It wasn't abrupt. He gradually and with care got to his feet while Zeke stayed seated. He could see that Tanner needed to be alone, and he wasn't going to force something that Tanner wasn't ready for.

  "Rest, sweetheart, and we will talk more in the morning. Just know that I have waited to find you for more years than you can imagine. Mates are the greatest gift of all in a shifter's life. Good night, Tanner." Tanner did not speak but nodded and turned to his bedroom door. He paused for a few seconds, and Zeke thought he was going to speak, but he did not. He did not turn around and simply went into his bedroom and closed the door.

  Zeke sat on the couch, playing back everything that was said over and over and wondering if he could have handled this better. They were bonded, so he could feel Tanner's confusion and his desire. They were both present. The story of the boyfriend's betrayal was painful and put Tanner on the defensive, but a shifter bond was strong, and he would come to see that Zeke was in this for the long run.

  He would recognize that what Zeke was offering was deeper than anything any ex had presented, but that would take time. Zeke accepted Tanner's need to process even though it was driving him and his tiger crazy being separated from their mate.

  He decided to remain on the couch for the night rather than go to his bedroom; he wanted to be close to his mate in case he was needed. Zeke contemplated shifting into his tiger and curling up on the cushions but didn't want to startle Tanner, so he made himself as comfortable as possible. He then turned out the lights, leaned back, and closed his eyes. It was going to be a hellishly long night.

  Tanner stripped to his briefs and lay on his bed in the dark. His mind was racing, and sleeping was impossible. Everything Salem had told him went through his mind over and over as he dissected every word. Then he thought about everything Zeke had said to him from the very first word, and the only thing he couldn't figure out was why Zeke answered his ad in the first place.

  He knew that Zeke wasn't the type of man to have a roommate. He was established and educated and not new to the city. He didn't need a roommate; there was something other than just being mates going on there. That question haunted him for hours. He could feel Zeke in the outer room; he could sense that he was still there, seated on the couch. Tanner wanted to go out and sit with him to hold him and to be held, but he remained on his bed, running sad scenarios through his mind.

  Zeke was offering him so much, and, in his heart, he believed him, but what if he were wrong? Should he give Zeke the ammunition to hurt him so badly? He didn't want to hurt again, and he didn't want to have to move again, but he also didn't want to lose something that felt this right and this good. There seemed to be no figuring it out, so he put the pillow over his head and closed his eyes.

  It was just past four in the morning when Tanner was awakened by a loud commotion in the outer room. Tanner jumped to his feet and pulled on his sweatpants before opening the door to a brawl going on in his living room. Zeke was fighting with four men, two of whom were carrying guns, and Tanner began to panic. "Zeke!" He yelled, so worried and not knowing what to do.

  "Get back in your room and close the door," Zeke yelled as he tossed one man into the wall by the kitchen. The man was in the wall, not moving and stuck in the wall. What kind of force would it take to put a man through a wall? Zeke was fighting two of them, and one was shifting his attention to Tanner and taking a step toward him. "Get in your room, lock the door," Zeke shouted once more, but he couldn't just leave Zeke to these men. He might get hurt or worse.

  "I'll get the kid. You two finish the boyfriend." The thug raised his gun and pointed it at Tanner, and then suddenly, in a flash, the man was flat on his back on the floor with a huge tiger on his chest. The gun was gone, and so was the man's arm. The other two took the opportunity to run away as the tiger mauled the man on the floor. The man shifted into a wolf, but he was too injured and no match for a tiger.

  Tanner was frozen to the spot, watching the action before him. The man ultimately lay motionless on the floor, and the tiger turned to look at Tanner. He didn't move toward him; he just stood still and watched him.

  Tanner recognized those soulful eyes he'd seen watching him often, and they always made him feel protected and seen. This was Zeke; he had no doubt about that. His tiger was gorgeous, just like the man, large and sleekly muscled with impressive color.

  He took a tentative step in Tanner's direction as if testing his resolve, and Tanner did not move, so he took a couple more steps, moving ever closer. "I know it's you, Zeke. Come to me. I'm not afraid." Zeke walked up to him and rubbed his cheek against Tanner's thigh, and Tanner ran his fingers through Zeke's course fur, loving the feel of it between his fingers.

  In the blink of an eye, it was Zeke standing there naked and beautiful, and he pulled Tanner into his arms and kissed him. Tanner needed that kiss more than he needed to breathe. He trailed that kiss across his jaw and down his throat to the little scar at the base, and Tanner was made putty in his hands. "We need to get out of here. Those men were after you, my love." That had Tanner's attention.

  “Why me?”

  "I'll explain later, but now I need you to get dressed as fast as you can. We're going to the Zephyr Club; Cross and the guys are waiting for us. You'll be safe there." Tanner believed him, although he had a million questions. He quickly dressed, grabbed a few personal things, and headed back to the living room.

  Zeke was dressed and standing at the door that was hanging askew, obviously having been broken in. Tanner was surprised his neighbors hadn't called the cops, but then most of them were college students and probably not home or had passed out or were sleeping heavily at this time of the morning.

  Zeke secured the door, took the backpack Tanner was carrying, and slung it over his own shoulder. "Let's go." He said, and Tanner noticed that Zeke kept him close to him, tucked to his side as they hurried to the car.