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Personally, the idea of carrying a child freaks me
out. I mean& men weren t designed to carry
children, so for some gargoyle s seed to fuck with
my body and change the laws of nature? No
thanks. His smile appeared forced as he peered at
Cornelius again. No offense.
Fortunately, Cornelius snickered. No worries.
He shrugged. I d always planned to use a
surrogate, so this wasn t so much of a stretch for
me.
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Coaxing His Skittish Lynx
Well, you re doing very well, Leroy told
Roland, patting him on the thigh. Get out and get
some sun. The gardens are beautiful here.
Roland s face flushed at the mention of
gardens.
Mmm, Cornelius hummed, eyeing him
speculatively. I think someone already knows
how lovely the gardens are.
Shut up, Roland mumbled. The burn reached
his ears.
Cornelius laughed. Well, I m supposed to get a
little exercise every day, he said. Why don t we
take a short walk in the woods behind the
gardens? Has your lynx been out since you ve
been here?
Trepidation flooded Roland. Leave the safety
of the manor?
Don t worry, Cornelius assured. The
grounds are secured. Lots of cameras.
Um, okay, Roland conceded. His cat would
like that.
Well, have fun, Leroy told him, rising to his
feet. Exercise is always a good idea. He winked.
You know& other than what you ve been doing.
Again, Roland felt his face heat.
Cornelius chuckled and grabbed his arm,
pulling him to his feet and toward the door.
You ll get used to us, Cornelius told him.
Yeah, right, Roland responded absently.
Turning, he waved at Leroy. Thanks for
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Charlie Richards
everything.
No prob, Leroy responded. I ll see you
tomorrow.
After Cornelius added his own goodbye, he led
Roland toward the back of the house. Stepping
outside, Roland couldn t help but smile as the sun
warmed his face. Shielding his eyes, he glanced up
at the clear blue sky and smiled. His cat stretched
in anticipation.
Yeah, I guess I do need to get out.
Hey, guys, watch your step, a deep voice
called.
Roland pulled his gaze from the sky and found
a tall, well-built blond standing a few feet away.
He pointed at Roland s feet. Looking down, he
spotted a crisscross of red lines suspended about
six inches off the ground by stakes, and one of
them crossed the four steps in front of him.
Hi, Marty, Cornelius greeted. What are you
doing?
The male, Marty, shoved the pencil he held
behind his ear. He stepped over the red string and
strode toward them, his gait long-legged and
loose. Smiling, he waved around at the massive
grid. Maelgwn wants a deck.
Oh, okay, Cornelius responded. He pointed
at a much smaller grid off to the side. And that?
Area for a gazebo and hot tub, Marty replied.
Nice. Cornelius somehow danced on his toes.
Roland had no idea how the heavily pregnant
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Coaxing His Skittish Lynx
shifter moved like that. Carefully, he walked
down the stairs and stepped over the strands.
That ll be nice, he all but lied. He d rather have
grass beneath his toes or his paws and the tree-line
beckoned. When was the last time he d actually
been on a run? Remembering, he grimaced.
With my parents.
I need a new memory.
He d rather have made it with Tobias, but now
that he was out there breathing the fresh air, the
moist earthy soil, and the fragrant pine a need to
run nearly overwhelmed him. Carefully stepping
over the remaining threads, his focus riveted on
one thing, he headed toward the forest, stripping
his t-shirt over his head.
Hey, Cornelius called. You in a hurry?
Yeah, Roland replied, glancing over his
shoulder at the other shifter where he seemed to
be chatting with Marty. I need& He returned
his attention to the forest, unable to explain.
I get it, Cornelius said, hustling to catch up.
Your lynx calls.
Yeah, Roland admitted.
After he stripped, Roland wasted no time
initiating his shift. Over the sound of his muscles
popping and tendons snapping, he heard Marty
say, There s no way I can let you walk the
grounds alone. Einan would kill me.
Why? Your own mate has the place totally
secure, Cornelius argued. Roland needs to run,
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Charlie Richards
so I ll just wander behind him.
What if you go into labor? Marty pointed out.
With his shift completed, Roland turned and
bumped his head against Cornelius side, trying to
express his gratefulness for this opportunity.
Cornelius grinned and ruffled his fur before
tugging on an ear tuft.
I thought lynx were orange, Marty stated,
eyeing him. What s with all the black?
He s Iberian, Cornelius stated. Their
coloring s a bit different.
Roland chuffed and turned, ready to run.
Evidently, Marty must have thought he d
offended Roland, for he called, Hey, buddy. No
insult intended. You re a very pretty& cat.
Turning to look at the human, Roland chuffed
again, then took off running.
Apology accepted, Cornelius said behind
him. Let s go.
For a couple of hours, Roland bounded through
the forest, climbed up and down trees, and even
leapt from limb to limb. He reveled in the feel of
the dirt and pine needles beneath his paws. He
enjoyed how the warm wind ruffled his fur. His
favorite part though, was the freedom to run
again.
Occasionally he scented both Cornelius and
Marty. It seemed the pregnant rhino shifter had
convinced the human to go with him. Padding
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Coaxing His Skittish Lynx
through the forest, Roland slowly made his way in
the general direction of his friend s scents.
Roland found them sitting in a clearing.
Pausing at the edge, he took in their backs and the
lines of tension visible through their shoulders
and necks. He wondered what was wrong and a
niggle of concern worked through him.
Pausing, Roland tried to figure out if he should
go to them or go back to the manor and get Einan.
Here, kitty-kitty-kitty, a nasal-sounding voice
sang.
Roland recognized that voice and fear sliced
through him.
Ryker the head guard from the carny show
he d been rescued from stepped out of the
bushes to his left. In his hand, he held a weapon, a
tranquilizer gun.
Yowling, Roland spun on his haunches and
lunged toward the man. He knew he couldn t get
away, but maybe if the others
Ryker fired the weapon. A green-feathered dart
pierced Roland s shoulder. Still, his momentum
carried him into the guard. With the last of his
strength, Roland sank his teeth into the man s
shoulder as they tumbled to the ground as
darkness swallowed his senses.
Hey, Roland, wake up.
Roland whimpered and tried to pry an eyelid
open. He wanted to tell the person shaking him to
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Charlie Richards
leave him alone, so he could sleep, but all that
came out was an unintelligible mewl.
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