Chapter Eleven
Toby
He wasn’t one to oversleep, but it seemed the accident had changed that, and worry-stressing over how today would go meant Toby woke late. He then had to listen to his bird side complain bitterly at the delay in getting started on the hunt for their mate as he showered.
Do you have to be so finicky, we’re already late.
I want to be clean and presentable when we meet our mate, and how can we be late when he’s not expecting us?
Just get your ass moving.
Really, was there any need?
Naked, Toby, who had been warned he needed to eat to help his body return to full health, wandered into the kitchen.
Bowl in hand, he leaned against the counter and munched his way quickly through a bowl of dry cereal that the box said was full of vitamins, while he acted like he wasn’t getting peppered with demands to hurry.
As his apartment was in the basement, Toby considered how to get out without being seen.
In his bird form, he wouldn’t be able to open doors or close them.
Niall would be in the café, as would Morty, so it wasn’t likely he’d be caught naked wandering up the stairs.
The basement stairs led past the kitchen entrance, though.
His friends had seen him naked before, but Toby was a little self-conscious because the boner he’d sported since Saturday hadn’t deflated fully because he’d kept the hoodie close.
Another reason he had slept late was that he had buried his face in the material, ignoring the dirty smell, and imagined it was his mate he was cuddling.
A blissful state he wanted to try for real.
Come on then, get a wiggle on.
Excitement poured through him, and it wasn’t all his birds. Give a guy a second. It’s not you naked, roaming around with a boner!
Bowl in the sink, he was out his door, a furtive look around, and he was out of his apartment. Door shut, key under the mat, he crept up the stairs, listening out, back to blocking the huffy tweeting going on in his head.
He didn’t release a breath until he had the back door open and had slipped into the empty alleyway. The second air hit his skin, his bird forced the shift before he could blink. It took to the air, squawking with delight as it hit the thermals.
Being in the balloon basket flying in human form, Toby could say, was as much fun as this—if he ignored the head banging on the ground part.
The soft air glided over his feathers, and the sense of freedom bloomed between him and his animal. The genuine accord between them was never more than when they flew.
Toby’s cognizance remained where usually he would recede, giving over to his animal. Only this time he wanted to see where they were going.
Are you sure this is the right way?
Of course. I know exactly where I’m going, his bird snapped.
Don’t get your feathers in a flap, I’m just checking. This doesn’t look like the way the balloon traveled. It didn’t.
That’s because I’m going the way our mate traveled in the car when he took us to the hospital.
Is that wise?
His bird made a noise that most definitely sounded like a curse before he was the one blocking Toby. Something he could only do when in bird form.
Toby fretted as they continued flying, right until he noticed the covers and crosses on the ground up ahead, which he’d noticed before they’d crash landed.
His tiny heart fluttered much the same as his wings as they circled the large house and considered where to land.
Except Toby suddenly had a thought. In all the excitement and pushing his bird had done to fly to find his mate, he hadn’t considered he’d be naked when he got here.
If they shifted, then he was going to be naked.
Like buck naked. Because it wasn’t like his bird could knock on the door and introduce itself. Dang it all!
I’ll use my beak and peck at the window. One smell and he’ll know it’s us. Then you can do something about the boner.
Toby couldn’t argue with the logic. Just he didn’t think that was the right etiquette to get straight to the bone jumping part of the mating without so much as a first date.
He’s our mate, he’ll be as desperate as us to claim you, so give over!
Again, he couldn’t argue with the logic. It was just that Toby had rules about putting out.
Can you hear your stupid thoughts? We aren’t putting out, he’s our mate! Humans, why do you have to complicate everything by tying yourself up in these strings?
While they argued, his bird took matters into its own beak and landed on a window ledge and banged its beak against the glass incessantly.
“What’s all this?” rumbled a voice from behind them.
His bird flapped its wings and took to the air, flying over the head of the man who stood glancing up.
That’s not him.
Toby agreed, the smell wasn’t right. You’ve brought us to the wrong house.
I have not.
Have too.
“Are you okay?” the deep voice rumbled as the guy scratched at his jaw, watching them fly over his head.
The tweeting became frantic as his animal worked to make itself understood.
Who’s being silly now?
“I can scent you’re a shifter… would you be looking for someone?”
Not you.
Not you. They both said together.
Land and flap your wings to show we need something to put on if we’re going to shift and talk to him.
His bird came down to the porch railing and flapped its wings at the man, bobbing its head.
The man continued to scratch his chin, eyeing the bird with interest. “Do you need something from me?”
They nodded their head.
“Do you want to shift and talk to me?”
Back was the head bobbing.
“Right… erm… you need clothes, right?” he eventually asked, eyeing him up and down.
His bird squawked loudly.
The man’s lips twitched at the corners. “Give me a minute.” He walked to the door, opened it, and then paused to turn to them. “Are you big?” They shook their head. “Are you small?” They nodded. “Right, I’m not sure anything Ernest has will fit, but you’ll be covered.”
Ernest? Do you think that’s our mate?
Your guess is as good as mine.
The man disappeared, and they listened as he stomped through the house with a familiarity that said he’d been in there a time or two. Who was this man?
If this was indeed their mate's home, who was this man to their mate? Toby started to doubt that they were in the right place when the man returned with clothes bunched in his meaty hand.
He swooned when he caught a good whiff of the scent coming from the clothes. It’s the same. It’s the same. The scent clinging to his hoodie came from Ernest.
His bird became a frantic-tweeting-flapping manic.
Honestly, you’re giving such a terrible impression.
The enormous man took a step back, eyes widening, before he slowly placed the clothes down like they might attack him. That wasn’t Toby’s biggest concern. Where was their mate?
You can ask when you shift. Get a shifty on.
Toby didn’t have time to prepare or figure out how to get the man to turn around when he was in human form and as naked as a jaybird.
He squeaked in alarm, hands dropping to his crotch to hide his cock, and he curled in on himself, trying to make himself as small as possible just as he heard a vehicle approaching.
Toby groaned in distress, his gaze darting from the man who was now not paying him any attention, but staring at the vehicle.
Seeing he was about to be naked in front of two men, Toby dived for the clothes, frantically holding them against the front of him, seeing nowhere to hide behind.
Then, the next thing, a huge, attractive man flung open the car door and ran towards the house shouting, “Toby! Toby! You’re here!”
“This is Toby?” asked the other man.
“It is. W-why is h-he… n-naked?” stuttered Ernest, coming to a grinding halt in front of Toby, his attention moving to the other man. “What’s going on here?” His bushy brows formed a solid line as he frowned.
The guy held up his hands looking to placate the other man. “Nothing. He flew here, and I’m assuming he was looking for you if this is your Toby, and I got him some of your clothes just before you got here. To cover up.”
The way he rushed to explain it gave Toby a chance to watch them both. There didn’t appear to be anything other than friendship between the two men, which was a relief because Toby didn’t want his mate to have an issue with him being so tiny.
When Ernest looked back at him, Toby offered a sweet smile, fluttering his eyelashes. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself,” Ernest replied, blushing deeply as he took a step forward, his nose twitching noticeably.
Another step closer and Toby’s already overreacting body went into hyperdrive. He was glad of the clothes he held. There was plenty of material to hide his reaction.
Don’t hide. He needs to see how much we want him.
Leave off!
“I’ll leave you to it,” the other man said, making a quick dash for the steps.
“Thank you, Rick,” Ernest called after him, but didn’t move his gaze from Toby. “I’m Ernest… your mate.”
“I know,” he murmured shyly.
“You do? How?”
“Your friend told me your name.” He lifted the clothing to make his point, not thinking about what it was covering. “Your scent—it was on my hoodie.”
“How did you find me? I’ve only just left Remy.”
Toby wasn’t quite sure what Remy had to do with this. “Remy?”
“Yes, the lovely person who runs Bucket List Buddies, I left my information with him to pass on to you. I waited at the hospital… and… yes… you see…” He heaved a sigh, fingers running through his thick mane of graying hair, licking at those juicy plump lips Toby wanted to suck on.
He was a hunk… and big… so damn big and sexy.
Toby’s nose twitched as blood circulated directly to his nether region, and he tugged back the clothes, his blush now matching Ernest’s. He hid what he was sure his mate could smell—his arousal. No, I will not jump his bones. I won’t! We haven’t been on a date.
Are you sure?
He wanted to answer his animal with assertion, but what came out was, maybe… sort of… oh gods I want to jump his bones!