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He exhaled a sigh of relief when they finally reached the entrance to the cave. With luck, they would be flying home before dark. If not, he could think of worse places to spend the night.

He followed Jayden through the narrow opening into the sizeable area of the cave’s first chamber. Markers and ropes, embedded by eager scientists, divided the enormous cavern area into sections. Jayden paused and stared at the bright yellow lines and white signs with a puzzled frown.

“What happened here? What are all these yellow things?” she asked.

He stepped up beside her. “Finding humans is pretty cool; and well, our archeologists think they’ve discovered a brand-new toy store.”

She snorted out a laugh and shook her head. “Shifters are weird.”

He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “Yeah, but we are also very cute, cuddly, and lovable.”

Her smile faded and her eyes swept down to his lips. “Yeah, some of you are.”

Peterson’s low rumble filled the air, capturing her attention as she locked eyes with him. Van was certain she had no idea of the effect she was having on them. Her hair was tousled from their trek, her lips slightly parted in anticipation, and her eyes locked onto them like a child being offered a tray of freshly baked treats.

The mere thought of her succulent, pink lips enveloping a specific area of his anatomy made Van let out an involuntary groan as he moved closer to her. Their lips met in a fiery kiss, her arms coiled around his neck, their embrace filled with intensity.

Her lips parted under his and her tongue teased the edges of his teeth. Their breathing became as one. He loved the way she tangled her hands in his hair and tugged on it, demanding more.

Her breath hiccupped and her eyes, which had been closed, flew open when Peterson stepped close enough to sandwich her between them. Peterson’s eyes glittered with desire and determination.

“You two aren’t making this easy,” Peterson muttered.

Van didn’t break his kiss with Jayden. He was pleased—very pleased—when she pressed back against Peterson. It was getting harder to wait for her full acceptance of them. She broke their kiss and bent her head until his lips rested on her forehead.

“I need to find… what my grandfather sent me to retrieve,” she said, lifting her head to study his face.

“We’ll set up camp. It’s too late for a retrieval team to come today,” he said.

She nodded, looking over her shoulder at Peterson. Van chuckled when Peterson dropped a quick kiss to her lips. She released a strained snort and shook her head.

“I have a feeling you two are going to drive me crazier than I already am,” she muttered.

“We’ll do our best,” he teased.

“When it comes to driving someone crazy, no one is better than we are at it,” Peterson agreed.

“Whatever. As long as you two set up a place to sleep and cook something to eat, I’ll deal with it,” she retorted, slipping out from between them.

“Damn, but I love a bossy woman,” Peterson muttered.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the delight clearly depicted on his friend’s face. Jayden held onto her spear firmly as she walked towards the back of the cave, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. He found himself in silent agreement with Peterson’s viewpoint. Jayden’s playful defiance added an exciting twist to their interactions, promising years of lively experiences ahead.

“She is finally trusting us,” he murmured.

“Thank the Goddess. It’s taken long enough,” Peterson replied.

“Yeah, but it was worth it. Let’s check in and put in a pickup request. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had about all the primitive life that I can take for a while. I’m ready for a hot shower, proper food, and a soft bed,” he replied.

“Oh, I’m ready.” Peterson grinned. “I’ll take care of the setup if you want to get a fire going and start dinner. There should be something around here that I can use to make us a decent bed.”

Van’s chuckle was warm and infectious as he nodded in agreement. His laughter came to an abrupt stop as a faint scent wafted towards him. Just as he was about to warn Peterson, he suddenly lurched backward. His hand trembled as he reached for the silver cylinder embedded in his chest.

Peterson’s furious growl echoed through the room as he shifted, catching his attention. Peterson’s clothes were ripped to pieces as his wolf materialized. Peterson’s red wolf filled the cavern with its menacing snarls that reverberated off the walls. He knew his friend was trying to warn Jayden of the danger they were in.

His forward stumble ended with a sudden drop to his knees, followed by a tilting motion that led to his collapse onto the cave’s sandy surface. Peterson let out a sharp yelp of pain. Van watched helplessly out of the corner of his eye as Peterson staggered, an expression of fury crossing his face. Through his blurred vision, he faintly noticed the silver darts piercing Peterson’s shoulder, chest, and hindquarter. His paralyzed body was consumed by a sweeping wave of rage. A dose of tranquilizer that large could be lethal for a person—even a shifter with a high metabolism such as theirs.

Jayden… please… run.