Porpoiseful Intent [Placida Pod 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Tymber Dalton Page A

assistance with the search operation. People arrived Saturday morning from all over the state to help. Alexis was left in the care of Sean and Louise, while Sean and Emery’s house became an impromptu staging area for people to gather to get their marching orders. Sean taped a marine chart of the area on their sliding glass doors and marked off search zones, coordinating between Emery, Joseph, and the other shifters designated as leads for each search area.
    Three dolphin shifters from West Palm Beach, friends from Brad’s home pod, arrived a little after ten that morning. Sean couldn’t send them out until the next check-in in less than an hour. As Sean and Louise conferred over the marine chart, trying to decide where to send the newcomers, Sean tuned out their conversations with Alexis.
    He kept his voice low. “Can I ask you something?”
    “Of course, dear.”
    Sean tipped his head back, toward the living room. “Why wasn’t she out searching with her husband? And why isn’t she out there now looking for him?”
    “She’s not a shifter.”
    “I thought she was. So she’s human?”
    Louise sadly smiled. “No. Her parents are both dolphin shifters. She’s the only one of their four children who can’t shift.”
    “Oh.” A sudden wave of sympathy washed through him. Not only was her husband missing, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do but sit there and wait with the rest of them.
    When they turned from the chart a few minutes later, Sean frowned. “Where’s Alexis?”
    One of the newcomers—Sean thought his name was Gus—shrugged without looking away from where he and another male were watching MSNBC. “I think she walked outside with Carter.”
    Now that Gus had mentioned it, Sean realized the third male shifter was also missing. After exchanging a quick glance with Louise, Sean headed outside. He didn’t have to look far. He found the two of them sitting on his front stoop, talking.
    They both looked up when he opened the door. For some reason Sean got the impression he’d startled or interrupted them. “Hey, we should be getting a call here shortly and we can send you guys out.”
    Carter stood, helped Alexis to her feet, and waited for her to walk inside first.
    Sean didn’t miss how Carter glanced at him and then quickly away again. A guilty sort of look.
    Weird.
    Maybe it was a shifter thing.
    I’m sooo done trying to figure their shit out.
    Not to mention he was exhausted and worried about Emery and the rest of the shifters. A nasty, niggling feeling in his gut told him maybe Erik was behind the missing shifters.
    When the call came in, Sean conferred with Emery and his dad on where to send the three shifters. After they’d left, Sean turned to Louise. “I need a shower.” He tipped his head toward Alexis, who was sitting on the couch and staring at the TV. It didn’t look like she was actually paying attention to it, though. “Can you…”
    Louise nodded. “Of course.” She held out her hand. “Give me your cell in case anyone calls.”
    He handed it over and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Louise.”
    The hot water stung his skin, but he didn’t move. He felt totally brain-dead, so exhausted that if he rested his head against the shower wall, he would fall asleep.
    What was that old saying, once was happenstance and twice was coincidence, and the third time…?
    He couldn’t remember. More accurately, he didn’t want to think like that despite logic telling him otherwise. Weary to his very core, he could only imagine how tired Emery and the other shifters out on the water felt.
    Closing his eyes for a moment, he pictured Emery’s handsome face. It was as if the man of his dreams fell into his boat, so to speak. Barely two months into their relationship, he knew it was for life. Without a doubt.
    He’d started drifting into a pleasant memory of their last pool sex session when a knock on the door disturbed him.
    “Sean?” Louise called out. “Emery’s on the