Friends and Foes Ch. 09

"Got hit by a tranquiliser dart, woke up to find myself getting hit on by the man of my dreams. Maybe that's it, pinch me to make sure I'm actually awake, will you?"

Jamie laughed. "So Michael is cute then?"

Chris glared again. "Hands off. Although you don't do lions, so we won't have to fall out over this."

"Turns out I do 'do lions', but Michael is safe and completely off limits, I promise."

"Can I stop with the glares, and you just explain please. I'm too confused right now to cope."

"Michael has a very cute best friend, called Peter. He's what I woke up to, and believe me when I say I am just as confused as you are. I think he's my mate, how the hell does that happen? I woke up and just started staring into his eyes, then he asked my name and I couldn't even remember it, I just told him 'I'm yours'."

Chris grinned. "Not playing hard to get then?!"

"I'd take the insult, if it weren't coming from a guy who was kissing the man he woke up to within minutes. Or was it less time than that?"

He was amused to see Chris blush before he replied. "It was at least a minute. I don't know what he did to me, I've never felt that lust and want before. It felt like I'd known him for ages and it was all I could do not to strip him naked right there. I'm always cautious with men and I've never behaved like that."

"He's your mate. We're not going to be able to help what we feel."

"I was avoiding using the 'm' word. How can I be sure of that when I've only just met him?"

"Because it is that different to anything else you've experienced. They are sure they've found their mates."

"How can you know that?"

"Did you actually talk to Michael at all? Beyond finding out his name?" Chris just blushed again. "Didn't think so. Peter and he were lovers, right up until today. They broke that off over our unconscious bodies because of what they felt. That seems pretty certain to me."

"Christ. No pressure then. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm glad he thought that way, and that Peter did too, but I'm kind of scared that he could be that certain about me before I even woke up. Plus I'm strangely jealous of the fact that a man I've never met has already had his hands on Michael."

"Like no-one has ever had their hands on you before!"

"That is not the point. He's not going to have to face them. What if he wants to go back to Peter?"

Jamie let out a possessive growl. "Peter is mine."

Chris just smirked. "I thought you were his."

"Same difference."

"He's lion."

"I know that. He, well they, are also part of a commando unit, which means danger. However, he told me it is headed by Alpha mates, one wolf and one panther. Turns out that cross-species is not as much of an issue as our families made out, although it is unusual."

"What about the man/man relationships?"

"Those Alphas are both men, plus everyone knew about Peter and Michael and it wasn't a problem. I don't care what he is, I need to be with him. I've never needed anything more, and when he got called away I had a lot of trouble letting him go."

"Tell me about it," Chris said wryly. "I was about two seconds away from ripping Michael's trousers off and inhaling what he kept in them."

"Let's hope they get back soon then, because that sounds like a very good idea of what to do to my mate as well!"

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