Page 10 of Coral Rustling

“Sure thing,” Payson quipped, pulling out his phone and starting back the way they’d come.

Ulkna surprised Trey by taking his hand and twining their fingers together.When he looked at the slightly smaller man, he winked and gave his hand a squeeze.Letting out a pleased breath, Trey squeezed Ulkna’s hand back.

“Come on,” Ulkna urged, tipping his head toward Payson and Land’s retreating figures.“Let’s go spend some time together.”

Trey nodded.“Yeah.”

They made their way through the horse paddocks, Ulkna releasing his hand only long enough to help Trey over the fences, even though he didn’t need it.The trek took them back through the paddocks, the horses distracting them.Many of the animals knew and liked Trey and hurried over to him for attention and pets, which Trey was happy to give.

To Trey’s pleasure, Ulkna didn’t rush him, and he even offered the friendly mounts pets and scratches, too.

Eventually, Ulkna helped Trey out of the last paddock where Payson waited, leaning against a tree.He had his arms wrapped around Land’s waist, holding him against his chest.His head was dipped, and he was placing suckling kisses along the column of the human’s neck.

With the way Land relaxed in the shifter’s arms, they both appeared completely comfortable with showing and accepting affection.

Trey didn’t think he’d ever seen men quite so...relaxed with expressing their obvious love.

Huh.Wonder what that’s like.

After glancing discreetly at Ulkna, Trey wondered if he would eventually find out.

“Come on, guys,” Payson encouraged, easing Land forward and turning him toward the trees.“Yuma told me roughly where they set you up.”With an eyebrow waggle, he told them, “They even found a tent and sleeping bags.”

A surge of anticipation and heat rushed through Trey, and while his stomach rumbled again, butterflies bumped within, too, and he wasn’t certain if it was due to the promise of a meal or thinking of a night alone with his newly found mate.

Chapter Five

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Ulkna lounged on theblanket, watching Trey devour his second sandwich—a roast beef one after polishing off a ham first.His mate was also working on a canister of BBQPringles.There was an open container of fruit—cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, and kiwi—and, occasionally, Trey would pluck a piece with his forefingers and drop it into his mouth.

The way Trey sucked the juices from his fingers damn near had Ulkna’s cock twitching.He wondered what his mate’s lips would feel like around his dick’s crown and immediately had to shove the thought away.Ulkna knew he needed to wait, to see to Trey’s needs first.

Every once in a while, Ulkna would take a piece of fruit for himself, mostly the cantaloupe.He enjoyed watching his mate eat heartily.Ulkna figured carrying people up and down the canyon burned plenty of calories, and shifters ate more than was standard as a general rule.

“Thank you for letting me stuff my face,” Trey mumbled after swallowing a chip.His cheeks had a hint of pink to them, but that didn’t stop him from taking another bite of his sandwich.

Ulkna smiled.“It pleases me to watch you eat,” he admitted.Scoffing, he told him, “I know I didn’t really make the food, but”—he paused for a second, analyzing his feelings—“it still gives me this sense of satisfaction.As if I’m providing for you.”

Trey chuckled as he swallowed.“Yeah.”He grabbed a grape, and before popping it into his mouth, he stated, “I know it’s a shifter thing.”

“Exactly.”Ulkna nodded.

“So, I’ve already told you a bit about myself,” Trey pointed out as he glanced from his half-eaten roast beef sandwich to Ulkna and back again.“How about you tell me a little about you while I’m finishing up?”Trey waved his sandwich in the direction of where the guys were setting up camp about a quarter of a mile away.“How’d you end up with them?”With a laugh, he shook his head.“They sure seem to be an eclectic group.”

Ulkna let out a laugh.“You don’t even know the half of it.”Humming, he eased to a seated position and rested his forearms on his upturned knees.“I suppose I could give you theReader’s Digestversion because the in-depth version would take too damn long.”

Trey’s dark brows shot up, betraying his surprise, confusion, and probably interest.

“So, uh...”Ulkna thought about just where to begin.“Well, I’m a snake shifter.I share my spirit with a coral snake.”He figured the basics would be best.To his relief, Trey nodded, not showing the least bit of reticence or fear—so many people had an issue with snakes.He was glad that, evidently, his mate wasn’t one of them.“My kind aren’t real family-oriented, but we did live in a loose pod.”Ulkna waved a hand dismissively.“That was a long time ago.Over two hundred years, and I haven’t spoken to anyone from there in...over a century.”

“How old are you?”Before Ulkna could answer, Trey added, “I’m one hundred forty-two.”

“Two hundred and fourteen,” Ulkna told him.Although, beyond confirming that a mate had reached the age of consent, most shifters didn’t really care.Their long life spans made that sort of thing irrelevant.

“And the gang?”Trey lifted his sandwich to his lips.“How’d you get mixed up with them?”Before taking another bite, Trey asked, “Is it because the guys are gay, so you felt comfortable joining them even though they’re not snakes?”

Shaking his head, Ulkna shared, “No, I’ve only been with them a little over a year.I was captured and held by a circle of witches who drew my blood to use in their spells.”He grabbed a chip from the canister and lifted it to his lips, his focus on it.“I was rescued by the Horseman of Death and his demons.They—”

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