Sean and Andrea’s cub, Kenny, ten months old, sat at the table in a high chair borrowed from the Lupines next door. The cub, who would maintain his human form until about age three or four, had dark hair like Sean, and gray eyes like Andrea.

Matt and Kyle eyed Kenny speculatively. They didn’t like the little Shifter in their territory, even though Graham had explained the concept of guests to them. Kenny watched them, unworried, nonchalant, even. An alpha in the making.

Misty’s eyes lit when she saw the pancakes Sean set before her. She poured a stream of syrup over them and then dug in.

Graham would love it if Misty would look at him in the same eager way she regarded the pancakes. And then reach for syrup and pour it all over Graham’s body.

He tightened. His c**k started rising, and Graham cleared his throat, moving in his seat, willing the thing to go down. Not that it mattered; Sean and Andrea would scent the change in his hormones right away. They already did, from the smirk Sean sent Andrea.

Misty didn’t notice, intent on her pancakes, stopping to dribble more syrup onto the stack. A sticky droplet clung to her lips, and it took all Graham’s self-control to keep from going over the table and licking it from her. Graham felt better since Andrea had patched him up—except for the continuing thirst—and his relentless need for Misty had returned, full force. Plus he’d mate-claimed Misty last night, which fanned the spark of his mating frenzy into a raging blaze.

“Want any more, Graham?” Sean asked, returning to the stove.

“No. Thanks.” Graham had conceded to eat a little, knowing he had to keep up his strength, but filling his stomach had seemed to make made the magical thirst worse. “Can you go now? I need to talk to Misty alone.”

Misty licked syrup from her fork. “Don’t be rude. They’ve traveled a long way, and they helped us.”

“And I’m grateful. Now I need to talk to you.”

Misty gave him the eye-rolling look, which warmed Graham’s heart, because she was alive to do it.

Sean clattered his cooking accoutrements into the sink. “Eric and Liam will want you with us when we question the Fae.”

Liam had found the Fae-blood human he’d promised to round up at the Shifter meeting, Sean had told him last night. Eric and Liam had stashed him in Eric’s hideaway out in the desert, ready for interrogation.

“I’ll come out later,” Graham said.

“And Graham really needs to talk to Misty alone,” Andrea said. She rose and lifted her son out of the chair. “We’ll take the cubs out too.”

“We will, will we?” Sean asked. But he didn’t look annoyed, he looked amused. “If you say so, love.” He dried his hands and came to bend over the cubs. “Want to go walkies?”

Matt and Kyle growled, Lupine for Who is this fool?

Andrea laughed. “Come with me, little loves. We’ll go play. Don’t worry about Sean. Though I know he smells like a cat.”

Matt and Kyle started eagerly out after Andrea, bumping into each other as they went. Sean shook his head, took up the high chair, and followed. “You want to watch yourself with this mate thing,” Sean said to Graham as he went. “The females, they take over.” He glanced from Graham to Misty, grinned, and strolled out of the house.

Graham left the table and locked the back door. He went out and locked the front door as well. Dougal had gone out early and had his key, but Graham didn’t need his guests deciding to charge back in while Graham was having a heart-to-heart with Misty.

When he returned to the kitchen, Misty was washing the dishes again.

Graham paused, remembering what had happened when he’d come up behind her doing dishes the last time. He pictured how he’d wet her with the spray then licked her skin, how he’d drunk her, how she’d made him feel incandescent joy.

He was rock hard again—not that he was ever very flaccid around her.

“Leave it,” he said.

Graham knew she wouldn’t stop, and Misty didn’t. “It’s not a lot,” she said. “Sean’s much neater than you are.”

“He must be a joy to live with,” Graham said. “Neat and clean, Irish accent, bloody Feline grin.”

“He is pretty good-looking,” Misty said without turning around. “I can understand why Andrea is madly in love with him.”

“He’s Feline. She’s Lupine. It’s wrong. Of course, she’s got Fae blood in her, which probably messed with her head.”

Misty stacked the clean plates in the drying rack and started scrubbing down the griddle. “I know you’re thankful they came and helped. You’re just being a shit. You can’t not be one.”

“It’s traditional with me.”

Graham leaned on the counter next to her. If he came up behind her, he’d bend her over, lift her skirt, and do her right there. To hell with dignity.

Misty cleaned, rinsed, and dried the griddle and rested the heavy thing back on the stove. It was the kind that stretched across burners, using the stove beneath to heat it. She washed her hands, dried them on the towel, then hung the towel neatly on the towel ring that had come with the house.

“What did you want to say, Graham?” Misty asked. “If you’re going to meet with Eric, I need to get back to my store. I have a ton of things to do.” She let out her breath. “I hate to leave you alone, but Eric can take care of you. Sean looks pretty capable too. I’m going to try to find Ben, and ask him again about curing you. I should have Reid talk to him with me—”

“Misty, would you stop?” Graham thrust his hand over Misty’s mouth. She looked up at him over his large fingers, indignant. “First, your brother went to your store with Xavier, plus I sent Shifters to help out. You don’t need to worry about it. Second, you’re not talking to that Ben person without me there—who the hell knows who he is? Third, I need you here.”

And now Misty was getting mad again. She moved her head so she could speak. “No, you need to go with Eric. If we both work on this problem today, we can pool our information later.”

But that would mean Misty not being here when Graham got back. “You have to stay,” he said. “I mate-claimed you.”

Misty’s eyes widened. “You what?”

“Mate-claimed. It means—”

“I know what it means. I’ve hung around Shifters long enough.” Misty spun away from him, her skirt swishing. “It means you’re saying you want me to be your mate and do the ceremonies. And have me live with you and have your kids—cubs.” Misty ran out of breath and stopped. “Are you insane? I know everyone expects you to mate with a wolf Shifter. One of your wolves even tried to attack me, remember?”