Coaxing His Skittish Lynx — Charlie Richards

For the last twenty-five years, Roland's Iberian lynx had been used as an attraction in curiosity shows. One night, strangers take him away. Upon waking, he's disoriented and scared…until he recognizes the scent of his old friend, Vane. Separated when Roland was sold and Vane wasn't, Vane had since been rescued, and now offers the same freedom to Roland. With the force of Vane's entire gargoyle clutch behind him, Roland finally feels like he can make a new start. Except, one of the gargoyles claims that they are mates, but Roland can't sense it, revealing a secret he never wanted exposed.

Tobias is thrilled to discover that Roland is his mate until the lynx shifter denies their bond. When the pretty shifter declares he can't bond with anyone -- and Tobias learns the life-changing reason why -- Tobias vows that it doesn't matter to him. He'll stand by and care for his mate through any difficulty. His devotion is quickly called into question when dangers from Roland's past force Tobias to spend time guaranteeing his mate's safety instead of spending time with Roland. Can Tobias prove to his mate that he truly wants him and doesn't consider Roland just another duty?