Page 21 of Coral Rustling

A second later, Trey took the lead, having probably shared that he knew the trailhead Reagan had indicated.

Once the five bikes were out of sight, Ulkna followed Ryan around the gate.He ducked into some trees off to the side, found a rock, and settled in to wait.Appearing ill at ease, Reagan parked his ass on a rock nearby.Ryan decided to find a sturdy tree and shimmied up, perching on a forked limb, clearly keeping a look-out.

“So, uh...you think grave robbers stole our horses?”Reagan asked quietly.

“Maybe,” Ulkna replied, unwilling to commit without having more information.

“Why?”

“There’s a lot of money in archaeological artifacts,” Ryan commented from above them.“Even without provenance.”

“Provenance?”Reagan looked up at the ex-military human, his brows scrunching in obvious confusion.“What’s that?”

“Paperwork that proves where it came from,” Ryan explained.“It’s meant to authenticate it.”

“Oh.”Frowning, Reagan glanced between them.“Well, shouldn’t we call the cops then?”

“This is just a hunch,” Ryan told him.“No proof.”Then he scoffed before adding, “Plus, how the hell would we explain how we came up with our theory of the horse trailer being taken down here?”Peering down at Reagan, Ryan gave him a wolfish grin.“A little hard to explain that our hyena shifter friend has a nose better than a bloodhound and could smell the horses even as he drove his motorcycle.”

Reagan’s eyes widened.“Hyena!That guy’s a hyena?”

“Yup,” Ryan quipped back.

That was when Ulkna realized that he hadn’t actually told Trey what any of the gang members shifted into.Hiding a grimace, he hoped his mate didn’t have a problem running with predators.Of course, Payson was more likely to bounce around Trey’s legs like a playful puppy than to attempt harm.

“Huh.”Reagan eyed Ulkna, then Ryan.“So...what are you guys?”Trey’s nephew winced, and a pink hue began to creep up his neck and into his cheeks.“I know it’s bad form to ask that sort of thing, but since you guys were sharing, I figured—” Reagan paused and waved his hand as if uncertain how to finish that thought.

Ulkna scoffed lightly as Ryan offered a reassuring smile.“We don’t mind,” the beta’s mate assured.“It’s okay when you’re amidst friends.”

Pointing to his own chest, Ulkna shared, “I share my psyche with a coral snake.”He pointed up at the tree.“Ryan’s human.”

“A c-coral snake?”Reagan stiffened and even leaned a little away from him, eyeing him askance.“Really?”

Not taking offense, Ulkna smirked at him.“Not a fan of snakes?”

Grimacing, Reagan shook his head.“Was bit by a rattler a couple of years ago.”His cheeks darkened even further.“Made me a little leery of them.”

Ulkna nodded.“Understandable.Venomous snake bites hurt.”Then he grinned broadly.“Or so I’ve heard.”

Reagan nodded as he mumbled, “Sure do.”

The sound of hooves beating the dirt drew Ulkna’s attention to the road.Before he could spot what was making the sound, Ryan chuckled.“Well, now,” he murmured dryly.“There’s somethin’ ya don’t see every day.”

When the group came into view around the bend, Ulkna had to agree.

Sam, Trey, and Payson were in animal form and were jogging steadily toward them—loping and bouncing in Payson’s case.Reuben rode Sam’s large, Texas longhorn bull, whooping with a hand in the air as if he was bull riding.If a bull could appear exasperated, Sam was pulling it off nicely.

Hunter sat atop Trey’s quarter horse form.His shoulders were tense, his body stiff, and he was holding onto Trey’s mane in a white-knuckled grip as if his life depended on it.The man had even caught his bottom lip between his teeth.

While Ulkna had heard that Hunter was trained as a large animal vet before joining the gang, and he’d claimed to know how to ride, that knowledge evidently didn’t extend to going bareback.

Ryan chuckled as he jumped down from the tree.“Lookin’ good there, handsome,” he told Sam’s bull as the large animal stopped next to him.He even pecked a kiss to the beast’s snout before looking up at Reuben.“Slide back, man.I’m getting in front of ya.”

As Reuben obeyed, Ulkna eyed their make-shift transportation and shook his head.“No sense either of you trying to carry three of us.I’ll shift and curl up on Payson’s back.”With a smirk at the startled-looking hyena, he challenged, “You won’t mind carrying me in shifted form, right?”

After a second of hesitation, Payson cackle-yipped before easing to his belly, obviously accepting the dare.

Ulkna grinned back, told Reagan to hand Rueben his clothes, seeing as he was wearing a backpack, and shifted.

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