Page 4 of Coral Rustling

Shifters.Holy shit, many of these men are shifters.

Evidently, a few of the men must have recognized the same in Trey, for a large, brown-haired man with a scar down his left cheek exchanged a look with a lithe redhead.They started toward him, and Trey couldn’t help but tense.Worry filled him that the pair would start something.

Surely, they won’t with the human wranglers around.

After all, keeping the anonymity of the paranormal world was sacrosanct.

Just as the pair stopped at Trey’s side, the handsome dirty-blond-haired guy who’d caught his eye slipped between them.He brazenly rested his hand on Trey’s neck and stroked his fur.Humming, he leaned close and inhaled, openly taking in his scent.

“Hello, pretty mate,” the stranger crooned into Trey’s ear.“I hope you’re here by choice, but we’ll help you no matter what.”

“Mate?”The large scarred shifter rumbled softly.“He’s yours, Ulkna?”

“Yep.”The man called Ulkna sounded so very pleased, and he continued to pet Trey.Smiling at him, he winked.“You gonna confirm, handsome?”

Trey realized he’d been standing frozen, barely even breathing.Between the fly spray and the shock of realizing many of the bikers were shifters, he hadn’t taken in Ulkna’s scent.Tipping his head, Trey rubbed his muzzle against the crook of Ulkna’s neck.

The shifter’s earthy, masculine goodness flooded Trey’s nostrils, and he let out a low nicker.Rubbing his lips over Ulkna’s smooth skin, earning him an amused chuckle from the slender male, Trey snuffled against him.Trey barely resisted the urge to shift right then and there, and a tremble worked through him.

“Easy, buddy,” the big scarred shifter rumbled, resting his palm on his forehead.“Just relax.We’re here for you.”

To Trey’s surprise, he felt his body calm.The stranger wasn’t a horse, and he wasn’t certain what his animal actually was, but the man’s dominant animal called to his own.Trey hadn’t submitted to an alpha’s nature in so very many years that he’d forgotten how soothing it could be from the right one.

“Hey, guys,” Reagan greeted, crossing to them.He glanced between the men, noting the way they were petting Trey, and a hint of concern flashed across his face.“We call this guy Bubba.He’s a great, dependable fellow.”Looking over them again, Reagan focused on the scarred shifter.“All our mounts will get you from top to bottom and back again, safe and sound, but you might be more comfortable on one of our large mules.”

“Sure.”The brunette held out his hand.“I’m Sam, by the way.”After shaking, he indicated the redhead first, then Ulkna.“That’s Payson and Ulkna.”

Reagan tipped his hat to each of them, then asked, “So, which of you is taking Bubba?”He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.“This mare is Shirley.The other can take her.”

“I’m on Bubba,” Ulkna declared.

“Okay,” Reagan agreed readily.“Do you need help adjusting your stirrups?”

Ulkna shook his head with an easy smile.“No.It’s been a few years, but I used to train horses.”With a chuckle, he added, “Some things you never forget.”

“You help me with Shirley then,” Payson stated, using the back of his hand to pat Ulkna’s upper arm.

“Will do,” Ulkna agreed.

After another glance between them, Reagan nodded before leading Sam toward one of their large mules.

Trey’s shifter hearing allowed him to make out Sam’s whispered comment, “Keep your mate calm on the ride, Ulkna.We’ll figure this out.”

Ulkna nodded.

Payson leaned close to Ulkna and murmured, “Well, this is one way to ride your mate.”He ended on a snicker with an added eyebrow waggle.

“Did I just hear you right?”A human with shaggy black hair and big blue eyes latched onto Payson’s arm.In a low voice, he hissed, “Did you just say Ulkna found his mate?Who?One of the wranglers?”

Grinning, Payson wrapped his arm around the clinging human.He bussed a kiss to his guy’s temple before tipping his chin toward Trey.“This horse is a shifter, cutie,” Payson told him.“They’re mates.”

The guy started to squeal in obvious excitement and even shimmied in Payson’s arms.

Shirley shifted away from them, lifting her head in wariness.

Trey pawed a hoof twice and shook his head as he eyed the guy, hoping the human understood his warning.Jumping around and making high-pitched noises around horses wasn’t the brightest idea.It was a damn good thing that all these trail mounts were very well trained.

Except, under the right circumstances, even the best horse could act up.

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