His phone beeped and vibrated in his hand. He tensed at the sound. The noise came back. He should look at the screen. Should. His heart hammered, and the lion clawed at him from within. He turned his attention from the big cat to the phone. A gigantic arrow with Justin’s photo in it bounced back and forth on the screen. He touched the arrow and held his breath. Justin had replied.

Hi. Saw you, too. I’d like to talk. Tell me about you.

Holy shit. Excitement rippled through him. The lion stood at attention within him, equally thrilled. Zeus blew out the breath he’d held. What should he say? He didn’t want to sound silly.

I’m thirty-three. Single. I work @ a shelter. He paused. What else should he add? I’m looking for love.

He hit send before he could delete the words he’d typed. He probably sounded ridiculous. When Justin replied, Zeus yelped. He glanced over at Joe, who didn’t seem to have noticed.

Love, huh? Are you a romantic?

A romantic? More like a horny bastard who wanted sex that might become love. He drummed his fingers on the desk. Answering would be smart.

Justin replied first. Oh. You’re unsure? I’m a romantic. There’s someone out there for everyone, and I’m looking for my someone.

Damn. Justin was a romantic or, at least, came across that way. Maybe, the sweetness was a little much, but oh well. He’d never know if he didn’t try. Want to meet? You sound like my kind of guy.

He wasn’t sure if he sounded that way since he’d bulldozed right over the romance part, but he was trying.

Can’t. No wheels.

Well, shit. He needed to get closer to Justin, despite knowing the sexy man was probably wrong for him. He had a car but wasn’t licensed yet. How about a virtual date? Those were a thing, right? We can talk on the video thing on here.

I’d like that.

Zeus paused. Things were moving too well. Part of him trusted Justin was being honest. The rest of him wasn’t even sure Justin wasn’t a farce. Are you real? Like not a fake profile or a bot or something? Is that even your actual picture?

That’s really me, lol. I’m wondering the same thing about you. You look like a comic book hero come to life.

He’d never heard that. Was Justin’s comment a good thing or bad? I’m real, too. I had my friend Markas show me how to take selfies. That photo is all me.

Markas? Justin replied. Your boyfriend?

No. My friend John’s husband. He refused to call Markas John’s “huslion”, despite John and Markas creating the term. The word sounded awkward to him. Besides, he didn’t want to scare off Justin. What if shifters freaked him out?

I got it. You’re in a commune?

A what? He’d never heard that word before. Markas and John referred to Sanctuary as a home for wayward shifters or a shelter. Not a commune. Were those terms nicer ways of saying a commune? He’d have to ask John or Joe later.

Do you have a web cam? You mentioned a virtual date. Why don’t we video chat?