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Ulkna slithered through the house, heading upstairs. Usually when he wanted solitude, which was often, he went into the woods behind whatever house the gang rented. Unfortunately, they were in town near Albuquerque visiting a gang member who’d settled there, having chosen to stay with his human mate after bonding. Therefore, the house they were renting was in town, so no woods out back.

Due to that, Ulkna planned to curl up in a closet and take a nap. As a coral snake shifter, he’d always been a loner, and his time trapped by witches in a zoo had cemented that even more. Getting rescued had saved him from the sadistic women’s poking and prodding, but he still had very little desire to interact.

Several members of the gang encouraged Ulkna to try shifting on a regular basis. He hadn’t bothered to reveal that he’d regained his ability to change forms months before. Few things interested him enough to resume his human form.

What was the point when living as a snake was so much simpler?

Pausing at a closed door, Ulkna contemplated slithering under it. It would be a tight fit, but he was pretty sure he could make it. Then he heard the unmistakable sounds of two men getting it on.

Never mind.

While Ulkna wasn’t a prude by any means, and he’d watched others having sex more than once over the couple of centuries he’d lived, shifters were a possessive lot. If the guys going at it hadn’t been fated mates, he would have slipped in, ignored them, and made his way to the closet. Except, all the shifter pairs in the gang were fated, so that idea was out.

It was a sign that Kontra’s gang was truly blessed by the fates, and Ulkna was happy for them.

Ulkna moved down the hallway, spotting two open doors ahead. Peering into the first room, he found it empty. He headed toward the closet, prepared to curl up in a dark corner to relax.

The words of one of the guys filtered out through the other open doorway, causing Ulkna to pause.

“Really, Lamar?”

The penguin shifter, Yuma, spoke with a teasing tone.

“You want to get on a horse and ride a dusty trail into the Grand Canyon?”

Lamar responded in a slightly haughty tone.

“Rueben wants to check it out. He says it’s on his bucket list.”

“Ah, that explains it,”

commented the deep voice of Hunter, Yuma’s human mate.

“We’ll do anything for our mates.”

Ulkna had heard that. Although he’d never understood it. He’d never felt the urge to put another’s wants or needs above his own. At first, Ulkna had thought maybe it was his snake nature, but there was another snake shifter in Kontra’s gang—the python shifter, Eli—and Eli showed the same care and devotion to his wolf shifter mate as the others.

What would that be like?

Truly, Ulkna couldn’t imagine it.

“Anyway,”

Lamar continued, redrawing Ulkna’s attention.

“I’m asking around to see if we can get a group of guys together, and I thought you’d both be interested.”

“Well, yeah,”

Yuma replied, sounding perky.

“We’d love—”

Ulkna didn’t wait to hear the rest of Yuma’s reply. Reaching for his human form, he started to shift. His slender, roughly five-foot snake form expanded. Arms sprouted from his sides, and his tail split to form legs. Ulkna let out a soft hiss as he felt the peculiar pressure of his head reshaping.

After nearly a minute, Ulkna rolled his body and sprawled nude on the carpeted bedroom floor. He wiggled his fingers and toes as he caught his breath. Once his heart no longer raced, Ulkna reacclimated himself with his human form, lifting his legs, bending his knees and elbows, and rolling his shoulders.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Ulkna crunched to a sitting position. He slowly gained his feet, using the nearby bed frame as support, just in case. Ulkna tentatively took his first step, then a second one, pleased to find himself steady.

Ulkna opened a dresser drawer, searching for something to wear. He’d seen the guys fill the dressers with sweats and shirts. Rummaging through the drawer’s contents, Ulkna checked sizes. After a glance down at his slender, muscular frame, he chose a medium pair of sweatpants and pulled them on. He used the drawstring to cinch it at his hips, then went in search of Lamar.

The clean-cut peacock shifter was still in the same bedroom where Ulkna had heard his voice. Yuma and Hunter were there, too. They’d been joined by Payson and Land, and they were all on the bed, huddled around a laptop.

From their murmured words, Ulkna figured Lamar was showing them the particulars.

Payson noticed him first, not surprising since the hyena shifter was one of the gang’s enforcers. Narrowing his eyes, he pinned his gray-eyed gaze on him.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Payson demanded. Ulkna opened his mouth to respond, but in the next instant, Payson’s eyes widened, and he grinned broadly as he shouted.

“Carol, you shifted.”

Then he snickered as he swept his gaze up and down Ulkna’s body as he added.

“Guess we shoulda called you Cory instead.”

Ulkna didn’t bother responding to Payson’s attempt to be witty. The hyena had a bad habit of giving the unshifted members of the gang nicknames, and the rest of the guys just went along with it. For some reason, since Ulkna was a coral snake, Payson had thought it clever to switch the O and A and call him Carol.

Either no one had bothered to tell Payson that Ulkna was male, or the hyena just didn’t care.

With the slightly crazy shifter, it was better not to bother engaging. The guy didn’t really listen to anyone but Kontra, anyway.

Instead, Ulkna simply stated.

“Yes, I shifted.”

Then he turned his attention to Lamar and held out his hand.

“You may call me Ulkna, and I would very much like to join you on your Grand Canyon ride.”

When Lamar reached out and took his hand—probably due to rote instinct more than anything else—Ulkna shared.

“Many years ago, I was a horse trainer. I would very much like to enjoy time with them again.”

Ulkna was downplaying it a little. Before his capture by the witches, he’d worked with horses in one capacity or another for over one hundred and fifty years. He’d done everything from being a cowboy to training Civil War cavalry mounts to trick riding. There wasn’t much Ulkna couldn’t get the average horse to learn.

Just have to figure out each animal’s personality and work with it.

“Of course,”

Lamar responded, sounding formal, which didn’t surprise Ulkna. While in snake form, he’d had plenty of time to observe everyone in the gang, and they all had their quirks.

“I’ll make certain you’re included in the reservation, Ulkna.”

“Thank you,”

Ulkna replied, uncertain if he was appreciating the opportunity to go or if it was the fact that Lamar had used his name. Either way.

“I appreciate it and look forward to it.”

“Ulkna!”

Yuma bounced off the bed and slammed into Ulkna, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.

“It’s so good to finally meet you!”

Ulkna tensed, doing his best to keep his jaw from clenching. While he’d been handled regularly as a coral snake, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been given a...hug. In fact, even his last, barely remembered lay, hadn’t hugged him.

After a few seconds of discomfort, Ulkna slowly lifted his arms and wrapped them loosely around the affectionate penguin shifter.

“You, too, Yuma,”

he forced out evenly. Ulkna even managed to awkwardly pat the guy’s upper back.

Yuma finally, finally, released him and took a step back. Even as Hunter yanked the small male onto his lap, Yuma continued to beam at Ulkna.

“How long have you been able to shift?”

As he snuggled into his mate’s embrace, he added.

“Or is it the fact that we mentioned something that interested you that you decided to finally give it a try?”

Considering every shifter in the room would be able to scent any lies, Ulkna decided to go for honest...and blunt.

“I’ve shifted a few times in private over the last six months.”

He shrugged, adding.

“Living as a snake is easier, but I can’t horseback ride in my snake form.”

Yeah, the horses wouldn’t be too pleased about that.

Ulkna barely repressed a snort at that thought.

“Especially since you’ve been doing it for so long,”

Yuma stated, nodding as if he totally understood.

“So, you love horseback riding? Or horses in general?”

Then his eyes widened, and he hopped off of Hunter’s lap.

“Oh, we totally need to introduce you to Kontra.”

As Yuma continued his excited chatter, Ulkna was sort of appreciative. That meant he didn’t really need to say anything. Instead, Ulkna just let the exuberant penguin shifter grab his hand and lead him out of the room and back down the stairs.

Ulkna didn’t fail to notice that Hunter and the others followed close behind.

Swinging off the back of Lamar’s Goldwing motorcycle, Ulkna found his feet. He took a few steps away, tipped his head back, and inhaled deeply. The hot dry air filled his lungs, reminding him of days long past while out riding the range.

Gods, I’ve really missed this.

I guess living in snake form does have its drawbacks after all.

With a sigh, Ulkna reached up and unstrapped his helmet. He handed it to Lamar, who’d also dismounted and had opened his rear saddlebag. After the peacock shifter took it, Ulkna slipped out of his freshly purchased leather jacket and handed that over, too.

“Thank you, Lamar,”

Ulkna murmured, just remembering his manners. Then he grabbed a pair of water bottles out of the saddlebag and offered one to the other shifter. “Thirsty?”

“Thanks,”

Lamar replied, taking it.

Ulkna twisted off the cap and drank deeply, all the while watching as his driver closed and locked the saddlebag. By the time that was done, Rueben had joined them. The big, redheaded human offered Ulkna a wide smile even as he slung his arm around Lamar’s shoulders possessively.

As if I need reminding that Lamar is taken.

The shifter was saturated in Rueben’s scent.

Ignoring the action, Ulkna just returned Rueben’s grin with a small smile of his own. Then he turned and headed toward where the rest of the guys were gathering. As it turned out, sixteen guys had wanted to check out the tour, including himself. Ben’s mate, Mutegi, had declined, but he’d driven his human mate. From what Ulkna had heard, Mutegi intended to hang out and explore the area on foot...or in animal form. Ulkna wasn’t totally sure.

Ulkna fell into step beside the others as they followed the signs and made their way to the check-in area.

In the distance, Ulkna could make out the distinctive scent of horse hide.

Damn. I’ve missed that.

Except, as Ulkna inhaled deeply, relishing the familiar smell, he noticed something else mixed in there, too.

Huh. What is that?