Baker thought of the coyotes he had seen on television and shuddered. He didn’t know too much about the creatures, but the one thing he had learned was that they were very aggressive.
“Mating what?” Kenway asked and then he paused, one single thick eyebrow lifting. “No shit.”
Baker was not reassured by his boss’s response. He glanced at the door once more, expecting to see the guy swagger back in and demand Baker come to him, or worse, with him. A chill stole up his arms at the passive-aggressive comments coming from Kenway. One moment he was talking as if truly puzzled, the next his voice took on an edge.
“That’s some strange shit if you ask me.” Kenway said a few more things and then hung up, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he turned toward Baker. “I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say.”
Regardless, Baker somehow knew that whatever Kenway needed to tell him was extremely important. He pressed his back into the case as his eyes cut over toward the door. “How bad is it?”
“Have you ever played cat and mouse?” Kenway leaned his hip into the counter. Baker would have laughed at the question, but Kenway’s expression said he was dead serious.
“No.”
“When Lover Lips called, he told me you were his mate.”
Baker knew the ramifications of that claim. He had found out that vampires and shifters existed when the bakery was still being renovated. Kenway had further explained to him what a mate was and that Ross, the other proprietor, was Kenway’s mate.
He was so screwed. The man was handsome, with eyes so dark they reminded Baker of a dark roast espresso. Even though the guy had pretty eyes and a killer body, his attractive attributes did not make him sane. Hot guys could be just as nutty as the average Joe. “What does cat and mouse have to do with mates?”
Kenway tore off the register receipt left by the last customer and tossed it into the trash before answering Baker. “According to Maverick, certain breeds of coyote go through this thing called a mating dance. Your mate is going to pursue you and you are going to run until he catches you.”
That made absolutely no sense to Baker. “I take it you didn’t have this mating dance thing with Ross?”
Kenway shook his head. “Buffalos and vampires don’t go through that. We just claimed each other. Apparently it’s hardwired into the coyote’s DNA, or at least, your mate’s breed of coyote. From my understanding, letting him catch you too soon is not a good thing.”
Baker’s stomach twisted until it felt like there was a dead weight sinking inside of it. He let out a shaky breath as he tried to absorb what Kenway was telling him, but no matter how he turned it over in his mind, it still spelled out insanity. “I don’t understand.”
“He’s coming for you, Baker. He is going to chase you and play with you until his coyote is ready to take you. Until then, your best course of action is to stay out of the guy’s way.”
“But this is insane!” Baker shouted as he ran a trembling hand through his hair, remembering how the stranger had tugged at it as he claimed Baker’s lips. He quickly pulled his hand away. “I don’t want anyone stalking me.” That thought alone frightened him. Coupled with the fact that he was mate to a coyote, it terrified him. He had accepted Kenway because he had gotten to know the man before he found out the guy could change into an animal.
He didn’t know the person who was going to hunt him down.
Except for one amazing kiss and intense espresso eyes, Baker was clueless. He didn’t even know the man’s name.
“I can’t interfere,” Kenway said as he looked apologetically at Baker. “No one can interfere when it comes to mates.” Just as fast, Kenway’s features hardened. “Don’t give in to him so easily. I’m told that if you do, the coyote won’t be happy with you and mating a shifter is forever. You don’t want to spend your life being resented by the beast your mate carries within him.”
And Baker had thought the only exciting thing that would happen today was getting a chance to watch his recorded shows after work. Now he had a whackjob coming after him with the intent of running him to ground.
Chapter Two
Baker glanced over his shoulder every few seconds as he walked hurriedly toward his apartment. Kenway had sent him home right after their talk, promising that Baker was still going to be paid even though he wasn’t there.
He didn’t want to be hunted. Baker wasn’t even sure how he felt about being a shifter’s mate. Although he had seen Ross and Kenway together, and envied their close relationship, having a coyote coming after him was not his idea of romance and courtship.