“Yes.” Kade didn’t like where this was going. He could tell that the doctor had more to say. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it.
Kade had heard talk about Liquid Wrath when he was in prison. He heard that it was a new designer drug that was killing people. But of course he had been locked up with nothing but humans. They wouldn’t know anything about what was happening in the paranormal world.
Dr. Sheehan cleared his throat. “If the vampire who bit your mate was infected, then the next time you two are intimate—or I should say the next time you bite him, you’ll convert him into—what is your breed?”
“Snow leopard,” Kade said, his head reeling from what the doc was telling him. He had never heard of being able to convert anyone. Not even vampires had that capability. A person was either born human or other. Kade’s mouth went dry as he stood, wiping his hand over the stubble on his jaw.
Good god, this meant that when he claimed Keaton, his mate would become a snow leopard. The idea both terrified and thrilled him. He hadn’t even gotten around to telling Keaton that they were mates. Now he had to explain to the man that he was going to be converted.
What if that was something Keaton didn’t want? What if Keaton refused him? Kade’s head began to pound with all the unknown variables. He was getting ahead of himself. The vampire may not be infected at all. He needed to wait for the doctor to give him the results before he said anything. “How long will it take before you know?”
“A few hours.” The doctor stood. “Let him stay here and rest. He should gain some of his strength back before you move him.”
Bishop rushed into the room as the doctor was leaving. “I heard what happened. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but I’m not so sure about my mate.”
Bishop’s eyes grew round as he glanced from Kade to Keaton. “I dropped you off in town to find a job, and instead you find your mate. How the fuck did you get so lucky?”
“I might not be.” Kade explained to Bishop what the doctor had just told him.
“I heard about that drug,” Bishop said. “I hadn’t heard that it mutated.” His brother’s eyes dropped down to Keaton and a warm smile appeared on his face. Kade wasn’t sure why Bishop was smiling when he had just explained that Keaton was attacked by a vampire who might be infected. “You did good, bro.”
Ah, that was why Bishop smiled. He had to agree with his brother. Keaton was one gorgeous-ass man. A wide smile parted Kade’s lips as he glanced down at Keaton. “That I did.”
He just hoped that Keaton would allow Kade to claim him. Even though Keaton had chased him down and asked him to be friends, what Kade was going to ask just might scare the man away. He hoped not. Just from the little bit of time he had spent with Keaton, Kade had found the human refreshing and fun. The earlier edginess he had been feeling in the diner was gone and Kade knew that Keaton had something to do with him calming down.
He just wasn’t sure how Keaton was taming his insides.
“I’ll stick around town until your mate is well enough to travel,” Bishop said as he moved close to Kade and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll be over at the diner if you need me.”
That was what Kade loved about Bishop. His brother always knew when Kade needed time alone. When his brother was gone, Kade crawled back in beside Keaton, pulling his mate into his arms and sending up a prayer of thanks that the vampire hadn’t killed Keaton.
One fucking day back in town and it seemed that all hell had broken loose. Kade hugged Keaton close, inhaling his mate’s scent and relieved that Keaton had survived his attack.
“You have a lot of explaining to do,” Keaton said as his eyes fluttered open. “Mates?”
Chapter Four
“Nice room,” Keaton said as he glanced around Kade’s bedroom, noticing how sparsely it was decorated. It almost looked like a prison cell. There was just a bed, dresser, and a nightstand with a lamp on it. That was it. Heck, his office had more furniture than this bedroom.
He watched Kade pace back and forth, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck in an agitated manner. He had just explained a hell of a lot of things to Keaton and his head felt like it was stuffed full with so much information.
“Who did you kill?” Keaton hoped Kade explained to him about his past, the reason he had gone to prison. The guy didn’t look like a murderer. He had seen his fair share of crime shows on television and Kade didn’t fit the profile.
The man was edgy, private, but Keaton wasn’t getting a homicidal vibe from the man.
Kade stilled, his teal eyes glancing to where Keaton was lying, but the man wouldn’t look at him. “I just explained to you about shifters and—” Kade seemed to become flustered, his hands falling to his sides in tight fists.
Keaton hoped the guy didn’t clam up on him. He needed to know what he was getting into and he needed to know that Kade was a good man. He had already felt those vibes, but he wanted to hear how Kade had ended up spending time in prison.
Kade studied the floor for the longest time, his expression resembling a faraway look. It was almost as if the guy had been slung into his past, reliving it in his mind.
Finally, the guy spoke, his tone filled with deep emotions. “Fifteen years ago I was fresh out of high school. I was excited about
