“Who the hell is this?” Kenway snapped into the phone, his lip curling upward. He paused and then spoke again, only his tone had gone from angry to bewildered. “Are you the guy who just left here, the one who kissed him?”
Baker’s pulse sped up as he listened. He wanted to know who the stranger was. But Kenway didn’t say anything else. He just hung up the phone, scratching at the side of his jaw.
“What’s going on?” Baker wasn’t sure why he was so curious. He also knew without being told who had called. So why did that knowledge, and the kiss, make him feel a fluttering in his stomach?
“I need to call Maverick. I’m not sure, but I think you’re in deep shit.” Kenway’s words froze Baker’s deep arousal. There was no doubt the man who had kissed him was handsome and edgy, but was he dangerous? Never had a stranger just walked up to him and made such personal demands. That was very possessive, forward, and a bit scary. The guy had stamped ownership all over Baker.
Was the stranger deranged? Should Baker be worried? Kenway picked up the phone again, only he dialed this time instead of answering it. “You might want to get behind the counter with me.”
Baker glanced toward the door and then walked around the large encasement to stand next to his boss. “Is it that serious?” He could tell by the look on Kenway’s face that the question was unnecessary.
Whoever the stranger was, Baker should be worried. He took in deep breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves, but it wasn’t working.
“Maverick,” Kenway said after a few seconds. “It’s Kenway.” His boss explained to Maverick what had taken place in the shop and the odd phone call that proceeded the man’s visit. Baker had also learned from Kenway’s conversation that the guy who had kissed Baker was coyote.
Baker thought of the coyotes he had seen on television and shuddered. He didn’t know too much about the creatures, but the one thing he had learned was that they were very aggressive.
“Mating what?” Kenway asked and then he paused, one single thick eyebrow lifting. “No shit.”
Baker was not reassured by his boss’s response. He glanced at the door once more, expecting to see the guy swagger back in and demand Baker come to him, or worse, with him. A chill stole up his arms at the passive-aggressive comments coming from Kenway. One moment he was talking as if truly puzzled, the next his voice took on an edge.
“That’s some strange shit if you ask me.” Kenway said a few more things and then hung up, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he turned toward Baker. “I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say.”
Regardless, Baker somehow knew that whatever Kenway needed to tell him was extremely important. He pressed his back into the case as his eyes cut over toward the door. “How bad is it?”
“Have you ever played cat and mouse?” Kenway leaned his hip into the counter. Baker would have laughed at the question, but Kenway’s expression said he was dead serious.
“No.”
“When Lover Lips called, he told me you were his mate.”
Baker knew the ramifications of that claim. He had found out that vampires and shifters existed when the bakery was still being renovated. Kenway had further explained to him what a mate was and that Ross, the other proprietor, was Kenway’s mate.
He was so screwed. The man was handsome, with eyes so dark they reminded Baker of a dark roast espresso. Even though the guy had pretty eyes and a killer body, his attractive attributes did not make him sane. Hot guys could be just as nutty as the average Joe. “What does cat and mouse have to do with mates?”
Kenway tore off the register receipt left by the last customer and tossed it into the trash before answering Baker. “According to Maverick, certain breeds of coyote go through this thing called a mating dance. Your mate is going to pursue you and you are going to run until he catches you.”
That made absolutely no sense to Baker. “I take it you didn’t have this mating dance thing with Ross?”
Kenway shook his head. “Buffalos and vampires don’t go through that. We just claimed each other. Apparently it’s hardwired into the coyote’s DNA, or at least, your mate’s breed of coyote. From my understanding, letting him catch you too soon is not a good thing.”
Baker’s stomach twisted until it felt like there was a dead weight sinking inside of it. He let out a shaky breath as he tried to absorb what Kenway was telling him, but no matter how he turned it over in his mind, it still spelled out insanity. “I don’t understand.”
“He’s coming for you, Baker. He is going to chase you and play with you until his coyote is ready to take you. Until then, your best course of action is to stay out of the guy’s way.”
“But this is insane!” Baker shouted as he ran a trembling hand through his hair, remembering how the stranger had tugged at it as he claimed Baker’s lips. He quickly pulled his hand away. “I don’t want anyone stalking me.” That thought alone frightened him. Coupled with the fact that he was mate to a coyote, it terrified him. He had accepted Kenway because he had gotten to know the man before he found out the guy could change into an animal.
He didn’t know the person who was going to hunt him down.
Except for one amazing kiss and intense espresso eyes, Baker was clueless. He didn’t even know the man’s name.
“I can’t interfere,” Kenway said as he looked apologetically at Baker. “No one can interfere when it comes to mates.” Just as fast, Kenway’s features hardened. “Don’t give in to him so easily. I’m told that
