High Country Valentine

This book was published by Shadowfire Press 2121 Canyon Blvd, #103 Boulder, CO 80302

Be My Naughty Valentine: High Country Valentine Copyright © 2010 Michael Barnette Cover art by Coyote Shadow Studio Edited by Helen Ravell Book layout and Design by Coyote All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for the purpose of reviews, the reproduction of this book by any means known or devised in the future, are prohibited. Scanning, uploading, posting to the internet on any download or sharing site, making available via peer-to-peer sharing, creating print, audio or electronic versions of the book, or offering this book for distribution by any other means is illegal and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you obtained this book from a source other than a book seller he author did not receive payment for the book. Our authors deserve to be paid for their work. You wouldn’t work for free and our authors should not be expected to work for free either. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, events and all characters are the creation of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to actual events, or persons living or dead are purely coincidental. The mention of, or reference to any product or service within this book is not intended to be a challenge to the trademarks or copyrights of those products or services.

Be My Naughty Valentine

High Country Valentine By Michael Barnette

Be My Naughty Valentine High Country Valentine

Chapter 1 Valentine’s Day hadn’t meant much to Sheelinn MacNamara in so many years he couldn’t clearly recall the last time he’d celebrated the holiday. But here he was packing for a fun-filled week away from the ranch with his lover, Bradford Thorne, also known as Bradley Thornton, the wildly popular science fiction author. “I’m glad Joe and Roy are going to watch the horses for us,” Brad said. His lover was deep inside the walk-in closet, the care he took picking out the clothes he wanted to take making Linn shake his head in amusement. He’s such a clothes whore, but I love him anyway. For his part, Linn had grabbed some nonhole riddled or stained jeans, a few button down plaid shirts, a couple of T-shirts and a nice pair trousers along with one of his good shirts in case they went somewhere fancy for dinner. A solid possibility as Brad had a taste for fine dining and 1

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there were some great places in Fort Collins, or so he’d been told. “Make sure you bring your hiking boots in case we decide to make the dive up to Rocky Mountain National Park,” he reminded Brad. “I’ve already put them in the bag with your boots.” Brad said, his voice muffled from whatever he was doing in the closet. “But if it’s too cold we’re not going.” Linn frowned but didn’t argue. Linn had learned Brad didn’t like being cold after the first hard cold snap when Brad didn’t want to come outside. But he wasn’t going to let Brad off the hook either. “Bring jeans too, not just those dressy pants you usually wear,” Linn instructed. “Those aren’t any good for hiking.” “I’ve got them packed already,” Brad replied. “I’m bringing two pair in case we decide to do some bike riding, provided there isn’t too much snow and ice on the ground. They’ve got rental bikes in Fort Collins.” “Sounds good,” Linn said as he folded up the jeans he was taking and started to pack them in 2

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his battered duffle bag which was the nearest thing to a suitcase he owned. “You double checked our reservation didn’t you?” Brad asked him as he exited the large walk-in closet where he’d been rummaging for things he felt were appropriate to wear on their mini vacation. Unlike Linn, Brad had a sense of style—which probably came from his life in the Big Apple. A life Brad had left behind for the peace and tranquility of Colorado, and Linn’s bed, among other things. “Yes. I double checked while you were at the scifi convention over the weekend,” Linn replied patiently. He loved Brad, but the man had an anal retentive streak wide enough to drive a big rig truck down, something he hadn’t discovered until they’d been together for a few weeks. “They confirmed our reservation. I also checked to see what’s playing at the three theaters, but I didn’t buy tickets. The plays on their schedules all seemed pretty boring, unfortunately.” “Just as well, I guess,” Brad said. “I probably wouldn’t be able to focus enough to enjoy a play the way things are.” Linn watched his lover as he carefully folded 3

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the shirts he had put on the bed, adding them to the contents of the suitcase. His handsome lover’s brow was creased in perpetual lines of worry that these days only left his face when he slept. The stress of his writing career was taking its toll on Brad. Linn wished he knew some way to ease Brad’s fears over the future, but he couldn’t think of anything that would make a difference. If Brad’s writing career went down the toilet at least he wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of income. They could survive just fine on the money Linn made. And he could pick up more income during the spring to fall months by renting out the cabin. That was how he’d met Brad in the first place. Brad had rented the cabin and they’d met, and fallen in love. Which came after Linn had disposed of Brad’s former lover, Victor Augustine, who it had turned out was a vampire on the verge of making Brad his next victim. Of course Linn knew the knowledge they could make it on what they made from the ranch wouldn’t help ease Brad worries. His lover lived to write, and without that outlet for his creative mind Linn didn’t know what would happen to 4

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Brad. Victor’s ultimatum to stop writing had served as the beginning of the end of Victor’s control over Brad. His lover’s need to write was so strong even a vampire couldn’t force Brad to stop writing. “I wish you would relax and stop worrying about things,” Linn remarked. “I’m sure it will work out all right.” Brad sat down on the bed and let out a harsh sigh. “I’m sorry, Linn. This shake up at my publisher has me really rattled and I’m trying to think about anything other than the fact I may not have an editor, or any contracts, by the time it’s over.” Linn joined Brad on the bed, put his arm around him. “It’s okay, Brad. I know you’re upset. It’s understandable. But you signed a contract for your next book already. Even if they do let your editor go won’t they just reassign you to a new one?” Linn had no clear concept of how publishing worked, but just because an editor left that didn’t mean Brad would be out of a publisher, did it? He certainly hoped not. “Aren’t you one of their top authors?” he asked. “My last two books made the New York 5

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Times bestseller list,” Brad answered, but he didn’t sound as if that provided any reassurance. “And yes, they’ll probably just assign me to a new editor and that’s what worries me the most. Every editor has different likes and dislikes and if this new person doesn’t like my books, or if we don’t get along, it could mean the end of my contracts. Maybe even my career depending on what my agent can work out if this deal goes south on us. I’m in the middle of a series and if they dump me I don’t know what happens to the rest of the books I had planned.” Which explained a lot more about publishing than Linn could readily get his mind around. He wasn’t stupid, far from it, but the world of publishing was as alien to him as equine genetics for breeding pintos was to Brad. Raising horses is so much easier, Linn mused. Time to try and get his mind off this mess and focused on something less stressful. Linn took Brad’s head between his hands and forced him to meet his gaze while he searched Brad’s beautiful chocolate brown eyes. He wanted to figure out a way to take Brad’s mind off of his problems, but he knew only knew one 6

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sure fire way. Unsure how Brad would react to his idea, Linn had to test the waters to make sure Brad would accept the diversion. Linn set his lips to Brad’s in a tender kiss that made Linn’s blood sing in response to the contact. They were both creatures of fae blood, neither of them human. Brad returned the kiss, his arms slipped around Linn in a welcoming embrace that told Linn Brad wanted what he was offering: temporary respite from the worry that gnawed at him. Linn was more than happy to give Brad what comfort he could, the desire to protect and insulate him from the harsh world outside—or more to the point, the vampire that had been stalking him at the time—was what had initially brought them together, at least in part. The long forgotten fae blood in Brad had been calling to him, a subtle siren song his soul had responded to long before his mind caught up with the knowledge of what was happening. He’d awakened Brad’s fae blood fully, but Brad, reluctant to change too much, had yet to make an effort to tap the power that lived within him. Perhaps someday Brad would get past his hesitancy, or maybe he wouldn’t. Linn didn’t 7

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know, and he also didn’t intend to push Brad into developing his magical abilities. They’d only been together six months and, with everything that had happened—Victor, Brad’s move from New York City, and all the little stumbling blocks that take place on a daily basis—Linn hadn’t wanted to further stress their fledgling relationship. Though that might be what Brad needs to distract him from the problems with his publisher. Linn ended the kiss to gaze into Brad’s eyes where a tinge of leaf green glittered around the rim of the dark iris. He smiled, stroked his hand through Brad’s hair and leaned in closer to whisper, “Do you know how much I love you?” Brad gave a soft laugh. “I bet you love me as much as I love you,” Brad said. Linn shivered as Brad’s lips brushed along the side of his neck. The call of the fae blood had strengthened in the short time they’d been together, which probably helped account for Linn’s patience with Brad. He loved the man with an intensity that came close to pain, like a sliver of witchiron lodged in his flesh, but with 8

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an altogether different sort of agony: one of the heart not the flesh. “You’re right, I do,” Linn agreed as he reached for the buttons on Brad’s shirt. He deftly slid his fingers along, opening them one by one, fingers trailing over the exposed skin, the hairs on Brad’s chest tickled. That was one change he’d noticed. Since he’d awakened Brad’s fae blood a lot of his body hair had begun to vanish. He had mixed feelings about it, and Brad had just about freaked out over it at first. Once he understood what was happening his concern had melted away. Too bad his fear of using his fae magic hasn’t faded away, Linn mused as he leaned in to kiss Brad’s throat as he undid the last of the buttons. Brad’s hands caressed him, the tingle of fae lovemaking crept through his skin, sank into his flesh like sunlight, or honey poured over his tongue. The sensation, sweet enticement, urged him on to other things. Linn sighed and lowered his head to kiss his way down Brad’s chest. The tip of his tongue flicked across the tiny bud of sensitive skin and Brad gasped at the contact. The soft cry of pleasure sent a wave of lust, of pure need through 9

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Linn and he moaned as that wave hit his groin, sending a blaze through his balls, his cock. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around Brad, holding him in place as he laved his tongue over Brad’s nipple. He grinned when Brad arched into the touch, his head falling back, lips parted on a soft cry of desire. Linn sat Brad up, removed his shirt and gazed on finely defined musculature of his lover’s upper body. The arch of his pectoral muscles was deeper than when they’d met. Brad had elected to work around the ranch for his daily exercise rather than employ machinery in an effort to keep from developing the notorious ‘author butt’ he worried about. “I think you’ve got to be the most beautiful man I’ve ever met.” Brad shook his head in a fervent denial, but he was grinning. “Just like a fae, glib tongued liars all of them. Bad as the Irish, and the Scots. Must be the fae blood in them that accounts for the stereotyping.” Linn couldn’t help himself, he broke out in deep, rolling laughter. “Aye, me boyo an’ don’t ye be forgettin’ it.” 10

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Brad smacked him on the shoulder. “Goof.” “Aye, an’ no mistakin’ it.” He leaned in close and whispered right in Brad’s ear, “An’ ye love me this way.” “I freely admit that I love you just the way you are,” Brad replied. “With all your warts and imperfections.” “Warts is it? Are you intimating that I started out as a frog and it took a kiss from a prince to transform me?” “I thought it was a toad that got kissed,” Brad remarked. Linn chuckled. “Smartass.” “You did fall in love with an author,” Brad reminded him. “So ‘smartass’ comes with the territory.” “And it’s such lovely territory,” Linn said and kissed Brad. His lover melted into his embrace with a contented sigh. Linn resumed what he’d been doing before they’d gotten sidetracked by a moment of much needed silliness. He caressed Brad’s body, deepening the kiss until the hard rod of Brad’s cock pressed against him through 11

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the confines of Brad’s pants. He could feel the beat of Brad’s heart in the rock hard erection, the pulse of life, of a body driven by need, beating against his belly. ♡ Warmth, like a summer sea, washed through Brad. Fae magic tingled through over his skin, filled his veins, suffused his flesh with a glow like sunlight through the forest. He closed his eyes and relaxed in Linn’s embrace, surrendered to the passion that only Linn could awaken in him. His blood sang a refrain of love and passion older than humankind. A wild, carefree emotion that erased the concerns of the present from his mind. He moaned as Linn’s tongue tip laved over a pebbled nipple his hands clutching at Linn’s night black hair. He groaned when Linn’s thigh bumped his aching erection. He needed more contact, more skin against skin. Sudden as a summer storm, he had to get out of his clothes, his body too hot, too deprived of the contact he desired. Frantic, Brad tugged and squirmed, fighting 12

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with his pants and underwear. Linn’s hand on his chest stilled him. His lover murmured, “Easy love. Take it easy.” Linn’s puca magic seeped into him through the touch of the hand on his chest. The contact acted like a balm to the frenetic desire that raged inside Brad. He took a deep breath and relaxed. “We’re in no hurry, Brad. Just take it easy,” Linn murmured as he kissed down the side of Brad’s neck. “I know, but I can’t help it. The second I feel the touch of your magic on me I start to feel as if I’m on fire. I can’t stand having clothes on.” “I know. We’ve been through this before. You can control it if you just try.” Brad chuckled. “Why should I try when it feels so good?” Linn’s deep laughter slid over Brad’s senses like molten chocolate, sweet and rich as sin. He closed his eyes, shuddered and wrapped his arms around Linn, breathing in the scent of sun warmed forest, the faint tang of spice and honey that seeped from Linn’s very pores. 13

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The scent of the fae, alluring, meant to entice the right lover to his bed, just as the equally sweet odor of heather exuding from his own skin was meant to attract other fae to him. It hadn’t always been that way for Brad. But meeting Linn had awakened the fae blood in him, something he still hadn’t gotten used to in the six months they’d been together. He caressed Linn’s broad shoulders, ran his hands down his spine to grip his butt, fingers digging into firm muscle. Linn’s appreciative murmur sent a flare of intense want through Brad and he let go of the tight behind to push at Linn’s shoulders. “I want us both naked,” he told Linn, his tone showing he wouldn’t accept anything but them both getting undressed. “You’re always in such a hurry.” Linn teased. “But if that’s what you want, I won’t deny your wishes.” Linn slipped off the bed, stripped off his clothes and boots while Brad watched each inch of skin appear from beneath the concealment of Linn’s cowboy attire. He licked his lips at the sight of Linn’s perfectly formed body, his long, lean legs and the stiff length of his cock. 14

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And he’s mine. All mine. He reached for Linn, but his lover’s eyes glinted with bright mischief. Linn shook his head and pointed to Brad. “Someone’s still dressed.” Brad wiggled out of his pants and underwear in record time and tossed them onto a nearby chair. His cock jutted toward the ceiling, a crystal droplet of precum glistened on the tip. Linn stalked toward him, his eyes intense like those of a predator stalking its chosen prey. Brad shivered, goosebumps rising on his skin at the hungry way Linn gazed at him. Linn leapt onto the bed like some predatory creature, Brad his prey. Linn pinned him to the mattress and kissed him, almost as if he intended to devour Brad. Brad trembled under his lover’s dominating assault, no longer uneasy from such displays. Victor was long gone, turned to ash and blown away by the wind and his reluctance to let another man solidly top him had faded with the memories of the vampire who wanted to own him. To eventually kill him. Brad put the bad memories aside and concentrated on his puca lover. Linn’s tongue invaded his mouth like the first wave of a conquering army and he 15

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relaxed under the invasion. Linn’s arms encircled him, pulled him tight, held him still. Brad held tight to Linn and returned the kiss, his own tongue fighting a dual with Brad’s on the battlefield of love. No matter which of them ‘won’ they both won because they shared the pleasure of their bodies and the joy of mutual conquest. Linn’s hard cock pressed to Brad’s thigh reminded him how much he needed that rod of steely flesh sunk inside his body. He groaned and took hold of Linn’s behind, pulled Linn closer and wiggled to create some friction against the sensitive flesh of Linn’s cock. Linn groaned which made Brad smirk because he’d gotten Linn’s attention with his antics. “Have I mentioned what a cock-tease you are?” Brad laughed softly. “I’m not a cock-tease. I want you to fuck me, there’s a big difference.” “True,” Linn admitted. “But you are pushy.” Brad ran his hands up Linn’s spine, focusing the tiny bit of magic he had under his control 16

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and running it through his hands. Brad grinned when Linn’s amber eyes went slightly glassy with pleasure. “And you don’t play fair either,” Linn remarked as he lowered his head. His teeth nibbled along Brad’s neck, sending another flood of shivery pleasure through Brad. “Linn, I need you inside me.” Brad felt a powerful tingle as Linn opened a magical portal into one of the Fae Realms. Linn reached through the tiny portal and gathered a thread of magical energy. It wound round his fingers. Familiar with the technique, Brad pulled his knees up and spread his legs to give Linn access to his anus. The fragrance of the Summer Country filled the room as Linn pressed his fingers to the tight ring of muscle, breeching it. Warm as summer itself, the slick magical substance flowed into Brad. It tingled, tickled, made him squirm on the bed. Brad’s eager cock gone rock hard. Beads of precum dripped down the head in a glistening trail. The scent of sweet honeysuckle filled the room. 17

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“Linn, please,” Brad gasped out, voice strained with the intensity of need that filled him heightened by the fae magic Linn pulled from the Summer Country. “Shhh....” Linn murmured. His hand caressed Brad’s hair, his cheek. He could smell the sharp tang of desire mingled with the sunny fragrance of the magic that clung to Linn’s fingers. He turned his head into the caress as Linn moved between his spread legs. Linn’s hands touched the back of his knees. Complying with Linn’s unspoken request Brad hooked his legs over Linn’s shoulders as his lover moved closer. For a moment Linn’s amber gaze was locked with his, then Linn leaned down and kissed him. The head of Linn’s cock touched his entrance, then pushed inward to fill him. The magic blossomed inside him. Perhaps it was simply the head of Linn’s cock pressing the bundle of nerves inside that made being fucked so pleasurable. But being fucked by the men in Brad’s past had never felt the way it did with Linn. The hard flesh inside him moved, sending a shower of sparks through Brad’s vision as burst after burst of pleasure rolled through his body. 18

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It rampaged through his mind until he couldn’t focus on anything else. His mind, his body, his very soul was ruled by the feel of the cock sliding in and out of him. Each stroke marked him as Linn’s, renewed the magical bond between them. A bond that could only be broken by death. Brad clung to Linn, holding tight to his puca lover, fingers digging into silken skin. He couldn’t speak, wasn’t able to tell Linn how much he loved him. Not with words. But they didn’t need words, their souls reached out, touched, merged as their bodies soared upward toward the peak. A hand closed around his cock and pumped it, fast and hard in time to the rapid thrusts of Linn’s erection inside him. He felt his balls tighten, the tension of impending climax. His body awash in the pleasure that glowed bright as summer sunshine throughout his body, filled him with a warmth unlike anything he’d known before his fae blood awakened. Brad cried out as his mind fragmented under the onslaught of orgasm. His cock spilled semen that smelled of flowers onto his belly as he gave a joyful cry in praise of Linn’s skill as a lover. 19

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Chapter 2 They hit the road to Fort Collins at eight the next morning. Linn drove the SUV they’d bought after Brad moved in at the ranch so they’d have more than one vehicle. While Linn still drove his truck most of the time, they opted to take the SUV because their luggage had protection the pickup didn’t offer. “I hope that snow doesn’t materialize,” Brad remarked and took a sip from the travel mug of coffee he’d brought. “Me too,” Linn agreed as he navigated a tight turn in the road. Snow clung to the trees, sparkled on the rocks and lay in mounds along the sides of the road. They’d had heavy snowfall in early December— nearly two feet in the first two weeks of the month—and a good seven inches in January. So far February’s snowfall had barely amounted to a couple of inches. While the state needed the snowfall, Linn hoped it would hold off until they 20

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got home from their lovers’ weekend. Otherwise they might be stuck in Fort Collins until the roads were passable again. Linn glanced at Brad. Being stuck in that Bed and Breakfast a couple extra nights might not be a bad thing. Brad sighed. “Do you wish we’d stayed home?” “No. Of course not. Why would you ask that?” “I just feel, I don’t know, strange about this trip for some reason.” Linn glanced at Brad, took in the worry that creased his lover’s forehead. He reached over and patted Brad’s thigh, gave it a gentle squeeze. “It will do both of us good to get away from work for a few days.” “I guess,” Brad replied, his expression no less darkened by concern. “Okay, tell me what’s wrong,” Linn demanded, keeping his tone gentle because he didn’t want to upset Brad more than necessary. Brad was already too upset as it stood. 21

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Brad shook his head. “I... don’t know,” he replied, brows furrowed with worry. “Brad, come on, there’s something you’re not telling me,” Linn prompted. “Spit it out.” Brad turned his head, met Linn’s eyes. Linn had to look away to pay attention to the winding road. Something’s seriously bothering him, and I don’t think this has anything to do with his editor or publisher. “I... don’t know what’s wrong,” Brad reluctantly admitted a few moments later. “I was looking forward to this until last night.” Now it was Linn’s turn to frown. “What happened last night?” He had to slow the SUV to make it around another hairpin turn. Brad shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think I had some kind of weird dream. It left me feeling really odd.” Despite the vagueness of Brad’s remark, Linn felt an odd chill roll down his spine. “What sort of dream?’ “That’s just it. I remember waking up. I remember how odd I felt, as if some sort of threat 22

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hung over me, but...” Brad spread his hands in a gesture of confusion. “I didn’t remember what the dream was about and I still can’t recall any of it.” Linn slowed the SUV around a right turn and hit the brake, slowing their forward progress to a creeping one as he skirted a patch of thin ice on the road. “I wish you did remember your dream. It could be important.” “It was just a dream,” Brad replied, sounding as if he wanted to dismiss it, and yet he’d apparently been worrying about it for some time. “Sometimes dreams are more than dreams for the fae, Brad. Especially ones that leave such a mark on your mind after you wake up. That’s why I wish you could remember anything, even a tiny detail. It might help us figure out why you felt so odd then and why you feel so uneasy now.” “So we have prophetic dreams?” “Sometimes a dream will carry a warning, or urge us to do something that will change our lives.” Linn explained. “There’s so much you don’t know, and so much I want to teach you about being fae, but we’re both so busy all the 23

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time that I never seem to have a change to tell you anything of importance much less or show you how to use your magic.” “And I’ve told you I don’t really want to learn. I need time to adjust to the idea I’m no more human than you or Victor.” Linn frowned. “Don’t compare yourself to that bloodsucking asshole. He wasn’t human, that’s true, but you’re not a killer like him.” “Yeah, I know, but...” Brad began. Linn interrupted him. “Brad, please, don’t compare yourself to those monsters. Fae aren’t anything like vampires.” Brad turned a frown on him. “What about the unseelie? You said they weren’t friends to humans.” “They aren’t. But they don’t go around killing humans for food either. Not usually at any rate. And the ones that used to be killers are mostly gone from the Mortal Realms. These days they stick to the Unseelie Realms where they’re welcome, rather than come here where they’d be hunted down by mortals and seelie alike.” 24

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“I wish there were books I could read on this. It would make it so much easier,” Brad remarked. “I know of a few books that have accurate information in them. When we get to Fort Collins we can look around at the bookstores. If they don’t have the books we can order them and have them mailed to us,” Linn replied. Brad nodded, but the glum mood darkening his thoughts hadn’t lifted if his dour expression was any indicator. Linn wanted this trip to be special, a nice getaway for the Valentine’s holiday. The way things were shaping up, the trip would be money wasted because Brad wasn’t in the mood to enjoy anything. Linn sighed and sped the SUV up. They were making good time, but they still had a long way to go before they reached Fort Collins where they planned to get some lunch and take in a movie. They couldn’t check into the bed and breakfast until four that afternoon, so they’d have the latter part of the morning and the early part of the afternoon to do a few things before settling into the suite they’d booked. “Try not to dwell on that dream you had,” Linn finally suggested after a dozen miles had 25

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rolled by. “It was probably just that bologna, hot pepper, cheese and mustard sandwich you ate before bed that gave you the weird dreams.” Brad offered Linn a wry smile. “That’s it, blame the sandwich rather than that awful movie you had on when I went to sleep.” “What? Revenge of the Zombie Hairdressers from Outer Space? How could that cause nightmares? Indigestion maybe, but nightmares?” Linn shook his head in denial. “Couldn’t happen.” “I don’t know, I’m just saying I don’t think those ‘Z’ grade movies you like to watch are good for my brain when I’m trying to sleep.” “I say it was that sandwich, and I’m sticking with that reason for your weird dream,” Linn stated. I hope that’s all this dream of his turns out to be, a sandwich or movie related nightmare. If it’s something more important he’d remember at least part of it, wouldn’t he? Linn didn’t know for sure, but the more he thought about it the more uneasy it made him. He finally opted to try not to think about Brad’s mysterious dream. Their vacation was already 26

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off to a rough start without him adding his own brand of worrying to the mix. “Since the plays going on all suck, what are we going to do with our evenings in Fort Collins?’ Linn asked, changing to a safe topic. “Well we could go to a couple of movies. I think there are a few we could watch, and there’s got to be other things we can do.” Brad seemed relieved at the change of subject. Linn slowed the SUV for another tight turn. “That sounds good. I guess we can check out the tourism directory once we’re there. As many times as I’ve gone to Fort Collins it’s always been connected to work, not for fun. I bet there’s all sorts of things we can do that we don’t know about.” “Probably,” Brad agreed. “Oh, did you notice our room has a Jacuzzi?” Linn grinned. “Yes, I did notice that. Do you have a plan involving the Jacuzzi?” “I might. But it will depend on the cooperation of a certain puca.” Linn raised one eyebrow. “Oh? Well I might 27

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be able to arrange something with the puca if you give him a reason to cooperate.” Brad’s hand grasped Linn’s crotch, startling Linn enough that his foot slipped off the accelerator for an instant and the SUV wobbled as it nearly stalled. “Shit!” “Well you said the puca needed a reason to cooperate, I just wanted to show you a reason.” “Yeah, that works,” Linn agreed as he downshifted to keep the SUV from conking out. “I’m willing to fully cooperate in anything involving the use of my cock.” “Good thing too,” Brad stated. “Otherwise a certain puca would find himself sleeping alone.” Linn chuckled. “You’re a cruel, cruel man, Bradford Thorne.” “But I love you, Sheelinn MacNamara.” “Good thing for me,” Linn remarked. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to share my life with.” “I can’t think of anyone else who’d put up with a guy who can’t decide if he’s a wolf or a horse.” Linn smirked. “Well that’s one thing you can 28

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say about me that’s not really true of a normal human.” Brad frowned at Linn. “What are you talking about?’ “Part of the time I really am hung like a horse.” “Oh for the love of....” Smirking, Linn turned his attention back to the winding road while Brad muttered uncomplimentary things about the fae penchant for awful jokes and terrible puns. ♡

♡

♡

They arrived in Fort Collins and spent some time in a coffee shop with free wifi where they’d looked up local movie theaters and found out what was playing along with the showtimes. They also search for the books Linn wanted Brad to read, only to discover that they were all out of print and considered rare collectables. The news disheartened Brad, but Linn promised to find copies somewhere, even if he had to consult a rare book dealer. After the coffee shop they went 29

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for lunch at a small mom and pop diner and ate really good hot off the grill burgers, crispy fries and iced tea. From there they went to the movie—entertaining but nothing worth seeing a second time—then they checked in at the bed and breakfast and unpacked. Done unpacking, Brad sat at the small desk in the parlor outside their bedroom checking his email. Linn went downstairs to get information about good places to have dinner, which had given Brad the opportunity to sneak onto the laptop. Brad promised not to check email the entire time they were on their lover’s holiday, but he’d been itching to get on the internet for hours and couldn’t resist the lure of free wifi any longer. Brad trashed the junkmail and the half dozen joke emails from various readers and authors that cluttered his inbox. With that stuff gone it left two emails for him to read. One from his agent saying he hadn’t heard anything from either the publisher or his editor regarding the shake up. The second one was from his editor saying that, so far, she still had her job. Done, he shut down the laptop and stuffed 30

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it into the case before Linn returned. He felt slightly guilty for going online when he’d promised not to, but what Linn didn’t know he couldn’t be mad about. Brad put the laptop case on the desk and glanced at his watch. Going on six in the evening of their first day away from the ranch and so far they’d managed to have a good time—more or less. He hadn’t enjoyed the movie all that much. The weird dream he’d had coupled with worry over his editor had conspired to ruin what little entertainment value the movie offered. At least now he could relax knowing that, so far, his editor hadn’t been let go. Brad heard the door downstairs open—their suite was a split level—and Linn called out, “I found somewhere for us to try. You ready to go?” Brad headed down the steps. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he replied. Linn had taken a seat on the couch, his long legs crossed, head back, arms spread out to the sides along the top of the couch. His eyes were closed as if he’d managed to fall asleep in the 31

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few seconds since he’d called for Brad to come down. Brad stopped where he stood to take in the sight of his lover. My lover. My man. It felt so good to be able to think those things. To know that the damn fine cowboy on the couch would do anything to keep him safe. He crossed the intervening distance, leaned down and kissed Linn who gave an appreciative murmur of sound and pulled him down so he sat straddling Linn’s hips. Brad ended the kiss and gazed into Linn’s eyes. Warm amber, Linn’s gaze caught the light in the room, reflecting it with a dim internal glow. He slipped his fingers through Linn’s hair, feeling the thickness of it, the soft waves that would turn into curls if Linn let it grow out much more. He loved the feel of it between his fingers and almost wished he had the nerve to ask Linn to let it grow longer. He was sure it would be as beautiful as the rest of his lover, but ranch work would make taking care of long hair a pain in the ass, so Brad kept his wishes to himself. “I thought we were going to dinner,” Linn remarked, his gaze fixed on Brad’s face. The 32

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gleam in Linn’s eyes told Brad he had Linn’s full attention. So did the hard bar of flesh pressed against his equally stiff cock. “We are going to dinner,” Brad replied and lowered his head to touch his lips to Linn’s mouth. “Eventually,” he added, his lips brushing across Linn’s in a way he hoped the puca would find seductive. It worked. Linn’s arms encircled him, drew him close. Linn’s mouth closed over Brad’s in a hungry, possessive kiss. Brad groaned as his torso was pressed closer to Linn’s belly and chest, the feel of the hard, male body sending a flare of heat through his entire being. Heat that coiled deep inside his flesh like a pool of lava beneath the root of his dick. Linn’s hands cupped his buttocks, and then his lover stood with Brad clinging to the front of him. He wrapped his legs around Linn’s hips, his arms around Linn’s neck and held tight as Linn climbed the stairs to the upper floor. Brad closed his eyes and reveled in the power of his shapeshifter lover, his hands pressed to Linn’s back, feeling the ripple of muscle as he moved. 33

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The feel of Linn’s powerful body, never failed ignite Brad’s need for Linn. “On the bed with ye,” Linn growled and tossed Brad onto the bed. Brad landed amid the loud squeak of bedsprings, flat on his back, his gaze on Linn as his puca lover reached for the buttons of his plaid flannel shirt. Brad’s mouth went suddenly dry as Linn lifted his shirt little by little to unveil his flat abs. But Linn didn’t stop there. He pulled the shirt higher until his chest and broad shoulders were naked to Brad’s wide-eyed gaze. Lust flamed through Brad, heating him to the point he felt as if he’d catch fire and burn into ash. With shaking hands he struggled with the buttons on his own shirt. He gave up and tugged it off over his head. The cooler air of the room did nothing to douse the intense heat coming from his body. His nipples pebbled at the change of temperature and he shivered at the erotic sensation. His gaze hadn’t strayed though. He continued to watch Linn as his hands moved over his own chest, splayed wide as they moved down toward his belly. Long, strong fingers 34

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gripped the button of his jeans and flicked it open. Brad crawled across the bed to crouch at the end to watch Linn’s slow strip tease. His lover had teased him in other ways in the past, but he’d never done anything quite as erotic as this and Brad couldn’t look away. Wouldn’t have done so even if he’d had the willpower. Linn’s fingers gripped the tab of the zipper and worked it down tooth by tooth, each soft click sending a thrill of anticipation through Brad. When the zipper was halfway down Linn let it go. The head of his cock peeped out from above the zipper, a tiny crystal droplet of precum sparkled in the dim light of the bedroom. Linn lifted his hands above his head, and started to move, his body swaying as if music played that only he could hear. Brad crouched motionless as stone at the end of the bed, his gaze fixed on the sexy creature before him. This was Linn. His Linn. And yet, the man dancing for him was a total stranger. He didn’t know this Linn of the sexy gyrations, of the slow swaying hips. He stared, sucked in a breath when he realized he’d stopped breathing 35

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with the shock, the beauty of what his lover had chosen to give him. He swallowed, gasped for air. And then Brad could hear it too. The gentle thump tap thump of a barely heard drum. A soft trill of some type of flute, or panpipes drifted through the room along with the scent of rich forest loam, the sweet fragrance of heather and lilac. Behind Linn the air shimmered and Brad felt the gentle warmth of Fae Realm sunshine. The essence of the Summer Country flooded into the room. Brad’s skin tingled, his entire body hummed with life, with magic that seeped into him from the opened portal. Brad reached for Linn, but his hands met empty air, his lover holding up a finger and shaking it from side to side in a wordless admonition not to touch. Why is he doing this? Brad didn’t know, but he liked what he was seeing, whatever Linn’s reason for such a startling performance. Linn’s fingers gripped the zipper tab and lowered it, click by erotic click. Linn’s cock 36

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sprang free of the cloth prison, the drops of precum sliding from the head like dew on a purple rosebud. Brad licked his lips. He wanted to grip Linn’s hips and take the enticing length of flesh into his mouth. Wanted to suck until Linn spurted the sweet cream of his seed into Brad’s mouth. He wanted to feel the fullness of Linn’s cock sunk inside his body, to sate the need to be fucked. But he didn’t move, hardly dared to breathe as Linn slipped off his boots and squirmed out of his jeans. Naked, his body gleaming in the light of the Summer Country sun that poured into the room from the open portal, Linn came to Brad. Linn’s hands caressed and touched Brad’s skin as Linn removed his clothes and shoes. He was pressed gently back on the bed, his legs pulled over the edge to dangle. Linn stood between his parted thighs, his gaze sliding from Brad’s face down his body to the stiff flesh that jutted upward from the tangle of dark curls between his legs. Linn’s gaze locked with his, and his lover licked his lips as if anticipating a special treat. 37

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Then Linn lifted his hand and reached into the Summer Country. A green-gold shimmer wrapped around his hand and he brought it out, lifted Brad’s right leg to gain access to his anus, and pressed his fingers through the tight ring of muscle. The light flowed into Brad and filled him as it always did with the warm glow of magical energy that replaced the lube they’d once used during sex. Linn lifted his legs and slid home. His cock sank deep into Brad, the head bumping into the nerve bundle at the base of his prostate. He gasped, arched into the contact, groaned when Linn’s hips moved to drive the hardness in and out at a merciless pace that met Brad’s desperate need. The hot molten core of his need, seethed inside Brad. It roiled beneath the base of his cock. His body demanded release. An end to the intense torment of passion that gradually consumed his awareness of anything but the dick which hammered out a tempo and sent a wave of inferno heat from his groin to his brain. Light, like a million shooting stars filled Brad’s vision and he cried out as an orgasm rocked him to the 38

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ends of his very soul, his cry of passion echoed by Linn’s sharp cry as Linn, spent, sank down on top of him. Brad’s last conscious act before the sleep of exhaustion claimed him was to wrap his arms around Linn.

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Chapter 3 Two things conspired to awaken Linn. Daylight seeping into the room through a gap in the curtains laid a bar of bright sunlight across his face. Added to the light was the discomfort of chilled flesh: his back and butt exposed to the cool air in the room. He fumbled for some covers but Brad had managed to claim them all, his lover cocooned like some half-formed thing ready to metamorphose into something beautiful. Linn held in the groan he wanted to voice at the stiffness of his spine. He had a vague recollection of lifting Brad completely onto the bed last night after he’d recovered from their intense magic fueled coupling, but details were sketchy at best. He stretched, yawned and hauled himself upright, wincing at the way his chilled back muscles protested the motion. He headed into the bathroom and stopped in his tracks as he reached the mirror. The illusion 40

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of full humanity had slipped during the night and what stared back at him from the mirror was unmistakably not human. The long tips of slender ears peeked through his hair and his eyes had taken on the distinctive roundness and tilt of a seelie fae. His face too had changed, with finer bone structure, far more pronounced and higher cheekbones and a tiny upturned nose. Shit. I’ve got to fix this. I can’t go out in public looking like a damn reject from a fantasy movie. While those were his natural looks, he’d been ‘human’ so long seeing himself this way, as one of the seelie, disconcerted him. He concentrated on his appearance, forcing the magical glamour to resume the human guise that hid his true self from prying eyes. Especially the eyes of any hunters that might be lurking around. Not that he’d seen a hunter in years. There were laws against murdering people, and law enforcement officials didn’t believe in the supernatural these days. “Oh dear God!” Brad gasped from the other room. Linn smacked his hand into his forehead. If his own appearance had altered under the magic 41

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they’d shared during sex, then Brad must also be showing the effects. He stepped into the bedroom to find a very changed Brad sitting amid the mounded comforter. He too had taken on the appearance of a seelie fae, his usually brown eyes gone to green shot hazel, his ears finely pointed, the bones of his face delicate as those of a faerie prince in some child’s book of fantasy beings. Brad sat staring at his hands, which were slender, with very long fingers and a definite metallic cast to the nails as if they’d been dusted with powdered gold. His arms, though well muscled, were longer than those of a human. His torso had also become more slender and elongated. Linn reached the bed, sat down beside Brad. When Linn pulled the covers aside, he found Brad’s entire body had taken on fae proportions. He gazed on the beautiful cock nestled between Brad’s hairless thighs, touched the silken sheath of Brad’s restored foreskin. Brad gasped at the touch and the flesh in Linn’s hand hardened. The temptation to fuck his beautiful fae lover almost overpowered common sense, but in the 42

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end his brain won out over his libido and Linn let Brad’s cock go. “Some day we’re going to go make love in the Summer Country,” Linn told him. “And we’re going to do it in our true forms.” Brad stared at him with wide hazel eyes and Linn gazed into them realizing they were the color of sunlight through trees robed in the leaves of summer. A blending of green, brown and gold that captivated him. Linn reached out, touched Brad’s cheek, inhaled the sweet spice scents of a seelie fae. Brad glanced away, a tiny smile curling his sensual lips. “If that’s what you want, Linn, I won’t argue. It might be... fun,” Brad conceded. Linn smiled. “It will be fun. But I don’t want to step through the portal into the Summer Country here. We’ll do it at home where I’m sure we’re safe.” He kissed Brad. “And we’ve got to get some regular lube. It was foolish of me to draw magic from the Summer Country here. We’re not home, and there’s no telling who might have felt me open the portal into the Fae Realms.” 43

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Brad’s expression changed to one of alarm. “Other people could feel that? Normal humans?” Linn shook his head. “No, not normal humans. Those with a trace of fae blood like you might. A lot of them become psychics or....” he stopped himself from adding ‘or go crazy’ because it wasn’t something Brad needed to hear. “Then there are the sensitives who, for whatever reason, seem able to sense magical things. They aren’t fae blood, and no one really knows how they do what they do. Unfortunately some of them become hunters.” “Hunters?” Brad didn’t appear any happier at the mention of hunters. “Are there any of them here in Fort Collins?” Linn shook his head. “Not that I’ve heard of, but you never know when those people will show up. Just because you don’t see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t around.” “But you said they weren’t common anymore.” “They’re not. But all it takes is one person 44

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willing to go to prison or face execution for murder and another of our kind dies.” Brad nodded. “So we be careful and use bottled lube instead of magical essences.” “Right.” Brad took his hand and lifted it to his lips. Brad kissed the palm, a tingle, the barest trace of magic thrummed along Linn’s nerves. Brad held his hand close to his chest so that Linn could feel the beat of Brad’s heart beneath is fingers. “At least we don’t need to fool with the condoms anymore,” Brad remarked, still holding Linn’s hand in both of his. “True.” Fae couldn’t get sexually transmitted diseases, or any human diseases for that matter. Now that Brad was fae neither of them had to worry about catching anything, or dying either. Unless of course a hunter with witchiron caught up with them. And that was something even Linn refused to think about. He’d just found Brad, the thought of losing what they had together was.... unbearable. Must not risk being discovered. 45

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With that in mind, Linn quickly opened the portal and pulled power from the Summer Country. He used it to return Brad to his human form, warping Brad’s fae shape into something far less beautiful, but much safer. He shut the portal and sighed. “No more of that for a while, just to be safe.” Brad nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.” Linn got up and returned to the bathroom, Brad joining him a moment later. When they’d both taken care of full bladders Brad climbed into the shower and Linn moved to the sink. He wanted to brush his teeth but when he looked in the mirror Linn discovered he had canines that would have been at home in the mouth of the Big Bad Wolf of Mother Goose fame. He frowned and altered them to human teeth. “So what are we going to do today?” Brad asked as the steam from the shower filled the room. Linn spit out toothpaste and rinsed the brush. “I thought we’d discuss it over breakfast. They’ve got a good spread here according to the brochure, or we could go hunt up somewhere else to eat.” 46

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“Let’s eat here,” Brad replied. Linn opened the shower door and joined him. The warm spray went a long way to ease the stiffness in his spine, and Brad’s hands as he both washed and massaged Linn’s body, finished the job. Linn considered having sex in the shower, but decided against it. They had plenty of time for a steamy shower fuck later. Right now he wanted to get food into his empty middle before his stomach tried to eat his own skull for lack of food. Dried off and dressed Linn led the way down to a breakfast of coffee, raspberry and apricot pastries and cheese and ham filled omelets. ♡ Brad took a sip of coffee and turned the brochure about the Rocky Mountain National Park over in his hand. “I guess we could go hiking, but isn’t it going to be really cold?” Linn glanced up from a booklet about one of the local art and theater locales. “Yes, it will 47

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be cold, but the Rockies at this time of year are spectacular.” Brad frowned. “Linn, we practically live in the Rockies.” Linn shook his head. “We live in the Flatirons. The Rockies are even bigger.” Brad set the brochure down. “I don’t know, it doesn’t sound like very much fun to me.” “You’re a homebody, Brad. You’d rather sit at home and watch TV than go outside. I know that, but the point of this vacation is to do things we don’t normally do, right?” Brad shrugged. “I thought it was for us to get away from work for a while and have fun.” “Okay, we won’t go hiking today. What would you like to do instead?” “What about the museum?” Brad asked. “They’ve got an exhibit of Native American pottery I’d like to see.” Linn’s expression showed he’d rather get a painful dental procedure done than go to see pottery. Brad sighed. “Never mind. We can sit in our room and do nothing.” He took his 48

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napkin off his lap and set it on the table. “I’m going to go check email.” Linn’s hand closed around his wrist, the grip gentle, but firm. Brad met Linn’s gaze. He lifted an eyebrow. “What?” “Hike with me today and we can hit the pottery exhibit and the symphony tomorrow,” Linn offered, trying for a compromise. “Two hours then we come back,” Brad said, trying to negotiate a deal he could live with. He wasn’t an outdoorsman, and the idea of hiking in brutal cold had about as much appeal as hitting himself in the hand with a hammer. But Linn had about as much appreciation for art and classical music as a typical cowboy type. He would have thought a fae like Linn would at least like music but Linn preferred old Celtic folk tunes to the classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Personally Brad’s tastes ran toward loud music in minor keys, but they were supposed to be doing things to break their usual routine, not walking the same ruts in a new place. Linn regarded him as he turned one of the booklets over in his fingers, his gaze focused on nothing. He had to be thinking over the deal 49

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Brad offered of a two hour hike, but the process was taking too much time which made Brad wonder what sort of counter offer was coming. “Three hours, we take some pictures and then tomorrow we do whatever you want to do, except check email.” Brad sighed. Well I should have seen that one coming. “Okay, three hours and tomorrow we spend the entire day doing things I want to do.” “Deal,” Linn agreed and stood. “Get us some coffee to go and I’ll go up to our room to get your hiking boots and coat.” Resigned to a day of driving, hiking, and more driving Brad nodded and went out to their SUV to get the thermos bottles. He filled them— with permission—from the urn in the Bed and Breakfast’s dining area and then went out to find Linn waiting for him in the SUV. Linn had the vehicle running to warm up the engine so they’d have heat. Brad got in, put the two full bottles of coffee on the floor by his feet and took a last, longing glance at the place where they’d stayed. “Why the sad face?” Linn asked as he backed 50

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the SUV out of the parking space and headed for the lots exit. “You know I don’t like being cold, and the bed there is so nice and warm. We could have stayed in bed and had a nice time.” “You get to decide what we do tomorrow. If you want to laze around in bed having sex all day, then that’s what we’ll do.” “That’s not what I want to do, but this hiking in the cold isn’t my idea of a good time,” Brad reminded him as Linn drove. “I know, but it’s not that bad.” “Linn it’s going to be in the low teens once we get into the mountains. That’s damn cold and it’s the projected high for the day.” “Brad come on it’s not that bad. We’re fae, if you don’t want to feel the cold, you won’t. I’ve told you that.” “You’ve also told me that using our natural abilities can draw hunters,” Brad reminded. “We’ll be out in the middle of a National Park. And at this time of year there won’t be that many people around. Unless there’s snow 51

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up there, in which case there will be some skiers and snowboarders,” Linn countered. “Hunters don’t typically hang out in parks.” Brad relented. “All right, you can show me how to keep the cold out then.” Linn pulled off the road into the parking lot of a small shopping center. “I want to get a digital camera. You can wait in the car if you want.” “Get something for us to eat for lunch too since we’re going to be up there when we’d usually eat,” Brad instructed. “I’ll see what I can find.” Brad sat in the car and waited. The memory of the dream—if you could call it that—slid into the conscious part of his mind like a knife into flesh. He hadn’t been thinking about the vague uneasiness the dream had left behind, and yet, it resurfaced in his mind for no reason he could discern. He frowned and focused on the store window in front of him where big paper Valentines Day hearts and cutouts of Cupid decorated the windows. Why does a dream I can’t even remember keep haunting me like this? It doesn’t make any sense. 52

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Linn returned with a shopping bag and got into the SUV. “I found some self heating meals. With the coffee that should make a passable lunch and I bought two disposable cameras. They told me that digital ones don’t work very long if they get too cold.” Brad nodded. Linn started up the SUV and headed for the road which would take them to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The drive was uneventful the two of them alternating between companionable silence and the sort of chatter lovers engage in during long car rides. They arrived at the park in the latter half of the morning. Linn stopped by the ranger station to let the park rangers know they were there to go hiking. While he was inside Brad changed into his hiking boots and put his coat on. Linn returned to the SUV and got in where he studied a paper he’d brought with him from the ranger’s station. “There are a few trails closed, but they’re the rougher ones, so we wouldn’t be going on those anyway.” Brad said nothing, but he was grateful that he 53

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wouldn’t have to try climbing a path suited to goats, not that he thought Linn would force him on such a hike. He’d spent most of his life at sea level, and still got out of breath when he pushed himself too hard at the ranch. It took time to adjust to the high altitude, and his body hadn’t completed the acclimatization yet. Linn drove them to one of the parking areas and stopped the SUV. “Here we are,” Linn said shut the engine off. “It’s an easy trail according to the guide I got at the ranger’s office.” “Should we take the food and coffee with us, or leave it here?” he asked. “Leave it here. We won’t be gone too long,” Linn replied as he got out of the SUV. Brad joined him, his breath streaming in the cold air. He reached into the pocket of his coat and got out his hat and gloves and put them on. “It’s awfully cold,” he remarked. “Twelve degrees at the station,” Linn remarked as he headed toward the trailhead. Brad followed him, his boots crunching through a layer of iced over snow. Fortunately 54

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the ice wasn’t thick, and the snow on the ground was less than four inches deep where they were. Brad glanced behind him at their SUV, as an odd sense of dread crept into his mind, seeping up from his subconscious like a toxic fog. He wanted to tell Linn they should leave, that something bad might happen, but he knew how foolish it would sound to Linn because it sounded childish to himself.

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Chapter 4 Linn trekked upward along the rocky path, his pace slowed to accommodate Brad, who found the going tough on this part of the trail. Linn thought he’d chosen one that didn’t have a lot of steep areas, but he’d been mistaken and Brad was having trouble making it up the deeply angled slope they were ascending. This was supposed to be a fun break from work, a holiday we both needed and I put him through a hike a prong horn sheep would protest. I shouldn’t have insisted on doing a hike in the first place. It was really selfish of me to push him into it. Sure he likes to keep in shape, but hiking isn’t the same as an exercise machine, a treadmill or working around the ranch. Maybe this summer we can go camping, but I won’t make him hike this kind of trail. It’s just too much for him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Brad struggling to navigate the steep incline. If he breaks an ankle it’s going to be my fault. 56

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Brad wasn’t a country boy. He’d grown up in New York City and wasn’t used to hiking on rugged terrain. Linn kept forgetting that Brad hadn’t grown up among rugged hillsides and forests. The closest thing the Big Apple had to that was Central Park, and it didn’t compare to hiking the rocky trail Linn had forced Brad to undertake today. Linn paused, turned and offered Brad his hand. Instead of taking it, Brad sat down on a snow dusted rock and sighed, the plume of his breath rising in the still air. “I’ve got to rest,” he stated, and sucked in a deep breath. He started to cough. Linn frowned. He’s not used to being at the altitude of the ranch, much less this high up. It’s hard for him to breathe, and the cold’s making it worse. Linn turned and went back down the trail to Brad and sat down on a nearby rock. The freezing cold of the stone seeped through his jeans but Linn tapped into his fae magic and blocked the chill from seeping into his body. “I’m sorry, Brad, I didn’t realize this path had such steep areas.” Brad waved his apology off and sat there 57

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staring at the stunted pines and the tall peaks they could see between the trees. “The view’s worth it,” Brad said and dug a camera out of his pocket. He took a couple of pictures while he caught his breath. Linn could tell he was trying to make the best of the situation, the way he usually tried to do. Sometimes he did better than others. He was doing okay with the hike. The situation with his editor was one he hadn’t been handling so well. “I could show you how to use fae magic to block the cold and make it easier for you to breathe,” Linn offered. Brad put the camera back into his pocket. “I don’t know if I want to learn.” Linn frowned. “Brad it’s part of who you are. Don’t you think it’s time to accept your fae heritage?” “Maybe, but... I’m still worried about how it’s gong to change me,” his lover admitted. “You were changed when you woke up this morning. Do you feel any different now than you did before that happened?” 58

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Brad’s brow furrowed as he thought about it. “I’m not the same person I used to be. I do feel different, but that dates to the first time I felt the call of the fae blood in me.” “Just after I killed Victor, right?” Brad nodded. “And this morning? Do you feel changed somehow? Because you were very much changed Brad. For the first time your true self showed through.” He leaned closer to Brad, gazed into his warm chocolate brown eyes, brushed his hand across Brad’s cheek. “You’re beautiful by the way.” Brad actually blushed. “I felt... strange but....” Linn’s right eyebrow lifted in a silent question. “But?” he prompted. “Good,” Brad finally admitted. “That was your true form, your real self. This,” Linn touched Brad’s cheek again, “is just a seeming, a shape you wear to protect yourself from the humans. It’s a built-in defense mechanism all fae possess that dates back to the old countries where we originated. We’ve been 59

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forced to hide ourselves from humans for a very long time, Brad. These days it’s as automatic as breathing. A lot of mixed heritage children, like you, are born in their hidden forms. It kept their parents from putting them out to die the way most humans used to put out children that were different in appearance. Superstition and the Christian fear of Satan—which many of us believe came from contact with the horrors among the unseelie—condemned many mixed blood children. Magic, being what it is, warped the seeming of such children to protect them from death.” While Linn talked Brad listened, his expression intent as he absorbed yet another tidbit of Linn’s knowledge regarding the fae. While Brad wasn’t ready to learn how to use fae magic, he had a definite interest in learning about the fae in general. “I don’t understand why the differences don’t show up through modern technology. I mean, blood tests, DNA, something would show the differences.” “They do, which is why full-blooded fae like me stay the hell away from hospitals and doctors. 60

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We don’t usually need them anyway. Anything that doesn’t immediately kill us we recover from, eventually at any rate, unlike a human.” “Oh. But what about accidents? What if we were in a car wreck?” “There are enough part fae blooded people around that they are recognized as part of the ‘human norm’ like you would have been before the transformation.” “That doesn’t answer my question, Linn,” Brad retorted. Linn smiled. “There are fae and supernaturals everywhere, Brad. Even at hospitals. They know how to cover up stuff that makes no sense to modern medicine. You’ve heard the stories. People who are at death’s door then make a ‘miraculous recovery’ and leave the hospital good as the day they went in, even if they were apparently dead when they arrived.” Brad’s eyes widened. “You mean those people are supernaturals?” Linn nodded. “Yep, they are.” “Wow, I never realized....” Brad admitted, 61

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his expression showing he’d had an ‘eureka’ moment. “Tell you what, you rest here, I’m going to go farther up the trail to see if it levels off and then I’ll be back.” Brad shook his head. “Please don’t go. I just need a little longer to catch my breath.” Linn studied Brad critically. He really did look tired. Too much stress from the uncertainty of his future as an author coupled with a boyfriend who’d forced him into a hike up trail a goat wouldn’t want to follow didn’t really make a combination anyone would call fun. “I’m sorry for bringing you up here.” “Don’t be. The view really is worth it.” “Tell you what, Brad, the park’s pretty empty, I’m thinking of going wolf and taking a run. Would you mind? You could stay here and rest, take a few more pictures and admire the scenery.” “I thought you were worried about hunters.” Linn shook his head. “It’s a weekday, so there aren’t many people in the park. Plus we’re alone 62

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up here. I doubt there’s anyone within a mile of us.” Linn offered Brad a hopeful smile. “I could really use some wolf time. At home I can be a horse all I want without spooking the stock. But if I turn wolf the horses get uneasy. They don’t like the smell of predators of any kind.” Brad got out the camera again. “Go be a wolf. I’ll sit here with your clothes, take some pictures and wait for you.” “You’re sure you don’t mind?’ Brad turned a wry smile on him. “This is your vacation too, and you’re right, you don’t get to be the wolf around the ranch.” “Very true. It freaks Dingbat right out.” Brad chuckled. “Poor Dingbat. I hope he doesn’t mind being at the kennel.” “He has a good time at the kennel, lots of other dogs to play with.” “He still misses you.” “Us, Brad. He misses you a lot too when you’re gone. He howled for an hour after you went to that scifi convention.” 63

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Brad smiled. “That’s because when I’m gone he can’t get on the bed.” Linn chuckled. “Good point.” He removed his coat and boots, set them aside then stripped off his shirt, jeans and underwear. He didn’t even notice the cold because he simply tapped into fae magic to ward off the bitter chill. Reaching out for the magic a second time transformed him from his semblance of humanity, into one of his puca forms, that of a black wolf. He went to Brad and licked his lover’s face, then gave a soft woof and stood there waiting for Brad to give the go-ahead for him to take his run. “Don’t just stand there giving me that goofy look, Linn. Go have your run. The sooner you’re back the sooner we can return to Fort Collins and our nice, cozy suite at the bed and breakfast.” Linn wagged his tail, gave Brad’s face another lightning fast tongue-slurp and bounded off, racing up the snow covered path. The world was a mass of sound, smell and motion. Birds fluttered in the trees, and a squirrel chittered at him as he hurried off the 64

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trail into the forest. The scent of pine, spruce, and fir, mingled with the odor of deer, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks and other small forest creatures. He paused, the feel of the snow under the pads of his feet sent a thrill of excitement thorough him. He lowered his head, sniffed to take in the crisp, cold/wet scent of the snow then bounded toward a tree, knocked the load of snow off a branch and romped around as it fell on his dark fur. He bit at it, enjoying the sensation of freedom, of simple joy at being the wolf. Brad might not be able to join him in this, but sometimes, no matter how much you loved someone, you simply had to get away from them and have fun on your own. He capered between the trees, leapt into the air, biting at branches that dumped their load of snow over him. The game was fun, but it soon palled. A sound caught his attention and his head came up, ears tipped forward to focus on the odd noise he’d heard. Voices. People talking. One of them Brad. His lover’s voice carried a tension the wolf recognized as.... 65

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A low growl rumbled in his chest and he bolted through the trees toward the place where he’d left Brad. Keeping to the cover of the forest, he stopped on a ridge above the spot he’d left his lover and found Brad confronting two people, a man and woman by their scent though it was difficult to tell visually because of the thick coats they wore. The pair menaced his lover with pistols. Linn’s teeth pulled back in a silent snarl, his eyes narrowed. Are they thieves? What do they think Brad has? Why come to the park to steal things? People don’t usually bring anything of value to a park but camping gear, maybe a bit of cash for the trip home. A low growl rumbled in Linn’s throat. He crouched belly down and crept closer to the edge of the drop-off, his ears forward, trying to catch what the people holding Brad at gunpoint were talking about. He swiveled his ears and focused the wolf ’s keen hearing to pick up what they were saying. “We know what he is! No sense in trying to deny it. Now tell us where he went!” 66

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“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brad replied. “The fucking werewolf !” the woman snapped. “Where’s the fucking werewolf !” Werewolf ? They think I’m a damn werewolf ? But why? And where did they come from? I don’t get this. Did they find us in Fort Collins? This doesn’t make any sense to me. “I don’t know anything about a werewolf,” Brad told them, his voice tense with fear. I have to do something, but if I jump down there they could shoot Brad, or me. He was fae, and a puca, but he could still be killed if the bullets had the right properties. Knowing hunters as he did, the bullets were probably made to kill magical creatures with some broad spectrum anti-magic compounds. But if they’re relying on the old standby of silver they won’t have the effect on me that they’re expecting. Silver doesn’t effect fae, it only kills werewolves. While he wasn’t too worried about his own safety, he couldn’t risk attacking the hunters so long as they had guns pointed at Brad. Brad 67

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wasn’t able to tap into his fae abilities, so any kind of bullet, even a normal one, could prove fatal. “There’s no point in lying. We know what he is.” Brad shook his head. “You people have to be crazy. There’s no such thing as werewolves!” The woman jammed the gun into Brad’s chest and Linn’s breath caught in his lungs, his mind went numb with terror. They were going to kill Brad. He had to do something but the terror eating away at him left him without the ability to come up with a plan. And leaping to the attack could very well cause the thing he most feared: that the woman would shoot Brad. “Don’t shoot him, damn it. He’s the bait for our trap. It’s the only way we’re going to catch that bastard!” the man snapped at the woman. “We don’t need bait, we know the werewolf ’s here,” the woman argued, her voice cold as a blizzard wind. “Yeah, but we don’t have him yet do we?” the man countered. 68

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A sound, so soft and stealthy Linn almost didn’t hear it came from behind him. He turned his head to see a man in torn and bloodstained clothes standing in the trees behind him. He stared, taking in the man’s pain-wracked expression, the hollow cheeks and sunken eyes of someone who’d undergone a terrible experience. That’s their werewolf. He didn’t need to catch the man’s scent to figure out the person standing in the trees nearby was the werewolf the two hunters were seeking. He took a final glance at Brad then backed away from the edge of the drop. He and the werewolf needed to talk. And he needed to rescue Brad, ASAP before the woman decided to kill him. ♡ His heart hammered a mad techo music sort of beat, uneven and erratic as it slammed into his ribcage. He could barely breathe, barely think, his mouth gone bone dry, palms sweating. A pins and needles feeling swept along his body, 69

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Linn where are you? These crazy shitheads think he’s a werewolf ! God oh God, what is wrong with them? The woman looks totally batshit insane. Cold blue eyes glared hate at him from behind the Cyclopean eye of death, the cold opening of the pistol’s barrel aimed directly at his head. Brad swallowed, tongue dry as sand, body covered in a cold sweat. Terror. This is real terror. Even Victor Augustine, his former boyfriend and vampire hadn’t caused this depth of fear in him. Then again, he hadn’t known Victor was a vampire until Linn told him. He didn’t need anyone to tell him he was a bullet away from dying. The guns the two people held were more than enough proof. “I’m going to ask you one last time, where did he go?” the woman demanded, voice icy and merciless as the gun she held. “I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brad forced the words out. They were the truth. He didn’t know anything about a werewolf. Linn was a puca, a totally different 70

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creature. To Brad’s knowledge he’d never seen much less met a werewolf. “Those are his clothes lying right there!” the man pointed to the things Linn had left behind. “Tell us where he’s going, or we’re going to kill you.” Linn where are you! Brad screamed it out mentally, wishing Linn could hear him. *Lie to them,* Linn’s voice said clearly in his head. *And say what?* *I don’t know.* The woman jabbed his chest with the gun in her fist. “That thing you’re protecting is a killer. He murdered three people, friends of ours and we’re going to kill him for it!” Brad shook his head. “You’ve got the wrong person. My friend’s never killed anyone.” She drew the pistol back as if she planned to hit him with it but the man grabbed her wrist. “Stop it, Rayleen. He’s not going to talk if you start beating him.” “Shut up and let me go, Davis. I know how to 71

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handle these traitors. A good beating and they’re ready to tell us whatever we want to know. He’s no better than they are! He’d rather protect one of these bastard beasts than his own kind!” Brad glanced around, trying to find Linn, searching for a way to escape. He found neither Linn nor a way out of the dangerous situation. “But this isn’t the place,” the man argued. “That thing is here! We need to find it and put an end to its miserable existence before it can kill anyone else!” “And if we take him with us that forces the werewolf to come out and fight us on our terms.” “Do you really think that thing brought this man here to do anything but kill him?” The man shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But if it didn’t, then he’s not much good to us here or at our safe house, is he?” Brad took a step back. His heel hit a rock and Brad lost his balance and fell, landing on the edge of the trail. He grabbed for a rock, desperate not to fall off the sharp drop. His hand closed on a 72

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stone, fingers scrabbling for a hold. They slipped and he started to slide heading for the big drop off the side of the trail. The man jumped forward to try and grab him, but the woman knocked him aside and took aim. “Idiot, he’s trying to get away!” “Stupid bitch, we’re going to lose him!” the man yelled. Better to die this way than have that bitch beat me to death or.... Brad closed his eyes and let go. He fell with his eyes shut. It felt like he’d fall forever, then Brad hit something hard as a steel pole, which was probably a tree. His eyes snapped open then as the world went crazy in his vision. He rolled, hit something that might have been a train—a big rock?—then he was rolling down, down into darkness.... ♡♡♡ “Shhh... it’s okay, I’ve got you.” The soft darkness of unconsciousness turned to hard edged awareness. Pain lanced through 73

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his ribs and bones grated as he tried to breathe. Brad gasped with the pain and opened his eyes. Everything was a blur. The roof above his head was an odd dusty green-gray color, and it seemed far too close. He blinked trying to clear his vision. Confused, he couldn’t figure out where he was, or who the man holding him might be. “Shh... Brad it’s okay. I’m here. Just stay still. You’re hurt pretty bad.” The voice... so familiar but his brain failed give attach a name to the man speaking. Not Victor. Certainly not Victor. Isn’t he dead? I’m pretty sure he is. Something cool brushed across his face, and his vision blurred as if his eyes were filled with fog. The scent of heather and violets, a faint hint of rose the smell of rain on the grass filled his nostrils and Brad inhaled. The scent soothed him for some reason he couldn’t fathom and he pain in his head, the agony that clamped his ribcage eased. Little by little the fog that muddled his thoughts cleared and he grasped at the memories which trickled into his consciousness. With the suddenness of a summer 74

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storm, Brad knew who the voice belonged to, knew where he was, and what had happened. Linn. His cowboy, the puca whom he loved held him. The strange roof over his head was the low hanging branches of an evergreen tree. They were in Rocky Mountain National Park and two lunatics with guns had almost killed him. “Those people want to kill you!” he blurted out. “We’ve got to get the hell out of here and tell the police.” “No, Brad, we’re not leaving. They’re killers, but we’ve got no proof. It will be your word against theirs, that’s if the cops can even find them once we make the report.” “Then what are we going to do?” Brad asked, the terror he’d felt when he’d been held at gunpoint returned. Those people—that insane woman—were still nearby, might be coming for them at that very moment. “We aren’t going to do anything,” Linn remarked, his expression harsher, far more grim than anything he’d ever seen on his lover’s face. “Then... what do we do?” 75

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“They were asking you about a werewolf. They came here looking for him, they got me confused for him.” “Him? They didn’t call the werewolf a him, they just asked about a....” It clicked in Brad’s mind. The hunters were here in the park looking for a werewolf. They’d run into Linn and him instead. When they’d seen Linn’s clothes piled on the rock, they’d made the snap judgment that they’d found their ‘werewolf ’ by that fact alone. Mistaken identity. But that also meant that they’d tracked the werewolf to the park. Which in turn meant.... Brad’s heart beat hard, fast, a new wave of fear rampaged through his body, gnawed at his mind and soul. It meant the werewolf they were looking for was somewhere in the park. Linn nodded as if he’d heard Brad’s racing thoughts. “His name is Seth Calloway. They’ve been chasing him for almost two months,” Linn informed him. His lover’s hands stroked across his face and he felt the cool, soothing sensation of Summer Country magic as it flowed into him. 76

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The fear lessened and the last vestiges of pain were erased from his battered flesh and bones. Brad sat up and Linn pulled him into a gentle embrace. “Brad?” “Hmmm?” Brad felt sleepy. The pain and fear had taxed his body. Linn’s magic had done it’s best to restore him, but even the magic couldn’t fully offset the aftermath of such fear, or the fall he’d taken down the steep hillside. He wanted to sleep there in Linn’s arms. To forget about the hunters and go home. Home to the ranch, Dingbat and the herd of painted ponies that Linn kept. “You should wait here. Seth and I are going to go deal with those hunters.” The lure of sleep fled at Linn’s words and Brad’s eyes flew open. He pushed Linn away to glare at him. “You’re doing what?” Brad asked, voice loud with the renewal of fear, this time for Linn. Linn touched his lips and whispered, “Not so loud. Those people aren’t far away as the buzzard flies. They’ll hear you and they might start shooting.” 77

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“Sorry.” “Brad, I want you to listen to me. Those two have to be stopped,” Linn informed him. “Seth told me they’ve been killing anyone they think he’s had contact with, even some poor sixteen year old bag boy at a grocery store where he and his wife used to shop.” Brad stared at Linn in disbelief. “Is that the same kid we heard about on the news? The one they found killed and shoved into a dumpster a month ago down in Aurora?” “Yes,” Linn replied, his tone harsh. “They murdered him because they saw Seth’s wife talking to him. They also murdered her. She was a human. Not a shifter, just a human who’d learned to love a supernatural being.” “Is that the woman the police found a day later in that abandoned house down there?” Linn nodded. “They grabbed her when she was coming home from work, took her to that house and... did terrible things to her. Seth told me he didn’t even recognize her. They had to use dental records to identify her body. And apparently, from what Seth’s found out, they 78

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aren’t the only people these hunters have killed. He told me there have been others, but not here in Colorado.” “Oh... God....” Brad gasped. This was happening. He was sitting in the middle of a park talking to Linn about two hunters who were murdering people. Innocent people like grocery store bag boys just to get to a werewolf. “What did he do to get them so mad?” Brad asked. If Seth the Werewolf had gone around killing people during the full moon like werewolves did in the movies, he might be able to understand their anger. “He was born with the ability to change shape, just like me. He’s not a killer.” “You’re sure?” Linn nodded. “I’ve taken down rogue shifters before. Once you’ve killed a human for fun the smell of that murder sticks to your essence. It’s a taint. Sort of the way lunchmeat smells when it goes bad. If you’ve got a wolf ’s nose or a stallion’s sense of danger it can’t be hidden.” Brad wanted to run away and never look back. They’d gone from the possibility of being 79

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found by hunters to the all too true reality of two murderous people bent on the destruction of a werewolf. And if they had to kill dozens of people to attain their goal, Brad knew they’d do it. He believed Linn, knew his lover would never lie to him about something so terrible. “So where is he?” “He’s waiting for me just out of your field of vision. He doesn’t want us involved, but it’s a bit late for that as far as I’m concerned. They could have killed you. Would have, if you hadn’t fallen down here.” Brad nodded. I don’t want us involved in this, but... What alternative is there? If they kill that werewolf they might come after us too and we’ll still have to do something about them, without the help of the werewolf. He closed his eyes, realizing that, while he might not want them to be involved in this awful situation, they were involved. The hunters would have taken him somewhere and tortured him, the same way they’d tortured the poor bag boy and the werewolf ’s wife. That woman, Rayleen, had said she wanted to do just that. 80

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He shivered, but it had nothing to do with being cold. The sheer bloody-minded nastiness of the woman hunter left him feeling as if his body were filled with ice. Her heart surely must be a solid block of the stuff. “Okay, what do we do?” he asked, his mind gone numb at the necessity of what they’d have to do to stop the two hunters.

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Chapter 5 Linn gazed into Brad’s eyes. “You don’t have to do anything but sit here and wait for us.” His lover clutched Linn’s arm. “Not a chance! I’m not staying here while you....” Brad’s voice was rising in anger laden fear. Linn touched his lips in a gentle warning for him to stop speaking so loud. “Brad, listen to me,” he said, keeping his voice down, though his tone was firm. “You’ve never had to fight. You don’t know how to use the magic that is yours as a fae of the Summer Country. Without that you’d be a liability in a fight. And since they’ve got guns, there’s no damn way you’re going anywhere near either of them.” Brad opened his mouth to make a protest but Linn shook his head vehemently. “No arguments, Brad. I’m right and you know it.” Brad sighed. His shoulders slumped in evident acceptance—or defeat. “Yeah, you’re right. And you were right: when you told me I should learn 82

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how to use the fae magic I should have so I could defend myself if it came down to it. I should have listened.” “Shouldda, woulda, couldda,” Linn said. “Hindsight, Brad. But at least you understand why it’s important. A supernatural of any kind, even fae with good intent toward humans like the two of us, aren’t safe from hunters. They don’t care. Their philosophy is ‘if it’s not a human, it has to die’ and they can’t be reasoned with. People don’t become hunters if they have doubts about what they’re doing. They’re all fanatics.” Brad nodded. “Yeah, I understand. There wasn’t any reasoning with that woman. If I’d had magic I could have gotten away from them—without half killing myself falling down here—or done something to keep them from using their guns.” “That’s very true,” Linn stated. “So you stay here while Seth and I go take care of those hunters. We’ve got to make sure they can’t hurt anyone ever again. Especially not sixteen year old kids who don’t know shit about supernaturals.” He gave Brad a quick hug and backed away so he could get out from beneath the evergreen 83

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without shaking the branches. He didn’t think the hunters would see them down here, the slope was simply too steep, and there were a number of trees and big boulders between them and the hunters up on the trail, but he didn’t want to take chances. Brad’s hand closed on his wrist, stopping him. He started to ask what was wrong, when Brad’s mouth closed on his in a hungry kiss that tasted of Brad’s fear and the lingering honey sweetness of magic. Brad’s hands moved to hold the sides of his face, keeping Linn from moving, forcing him to stay there for the kiss. Brad didn’t let him go until Linn’s cock had stiffened to the consistency of granite. Freed, he gasped for breath and frowned at his erection. Still naked, the state of his body would be all too apparent to the werewolf even if he shifted to one of his two animal forms. He frowned at Brad. “You’re incorrigible.” Brad smirked. “You already knew that.” “True.” He gazed at his beloved’s face, touched Brad’s cheek. “Please stay right here. Don’t try to follow us. Promise.” 84

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“I promise,” Brad replied in an earnest tone. Brad turned his head into the touch and kissed Linn’s palm. “I love you.” “Love you too.” “Be careful.” “I will.” Brad took his hand, gave it a squeeze and let him go. Linn regarded his lover. Brad had gone pale, his lips pressed tightly together. He knew that look too well. Brad was worried, afraid for his safety. “It’ll be okay, Brad.” Brad just nodded and his lips pressed tighter together as if he might be afraid to speak. Linn backed from beneath the tree, glanced up the slope. He couldn’t see the hunters, but he knew they were still up there, arguing about what to do now that they’d lost their ‘bait’. The werewolf, in his human form and as naked as Linn, stood about twenty feet down the rocky slope waiting. Seth was a stocky man several inches shorter than Linn. In his human form he looked close to forty years old, his face 85

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weathered by wind and sun, his deep brown hair sprinkled with gray. Seth was probably closer to a hundred since weres aged much slower than normal humans did. “You ready to take these bastard children of hell down?” Seth asked. Anger simmered in the werewolf ’s voice. He’s got a big dose of hate going. I can’t blame him. If they’d butchered someone I loved the way they butchered his wife, I’d have a strong hate going for them too While Linn didn’t hate the hunters he could understand Seth’s rage. The thought of finding Brad in the condition Seth’s wife had been found in, sent a cold chill through Linn which turned into a spark of anger. They’d killed some poor kid and Seth’s wife in an effort to get at Seth, mistakenly thinking he’d gone into hiding right before their arrival. The sad truth was that Seth had gone to an outlying town in eastern Colorado to buy some ewes for his sheep ranch. He’d come back to find his wife missing. Then the police had called.... “Yes, I’m ready. We can’t let them do this to anyone else.” “Let’s go then.” The man turned but by the time he’d gone 86

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two steps he had transformed into a dark brown wolf with grey and black markings. Linn drew on his fae magic and transformed into his black wolf form. Side by side the pair of them trotted up the steep hill, keeping to the trees, using whatever cover they could find because they could tell the hunters were definitely where they’d been holding Brad at gunpoint. Linn could hear their strident whispers and smell the sharp tang of anger and the acrid stink of their hate on the wind. They reached the edge of the trail and crept beneath a spruce tree to watch the pair of hunters. “I’m telling you he was another werewolf. How else could he have gotten away like that?” the woman snapped. “He fell, Rayleen. For all we know he could be dead.” “Good!” The man sighed. “This isn’t helping us find those two werewolves.” 87

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Two werewolves? Shit, they must have looked in my pants pocket and found my wallet. Linn glanced at Seth. The real werewolf was snarling, but remained where he was, his ears tipped forward as he listened to their conversation. Seth returned his gaze after a moment, then he tipped his head to the side in a silent question. Linn looked behind them, trying to indicate they needed work out how they would take the hunters out. Instead of creeping up the rest of the slope and then bounding over the rim of the drop onto the trail, Seth charged out from under the tree, rushing toward the pair of hunters. Startled by the abruptness of Seth’s attack, Linn jumped from hiding and ran after him. Gunshots rang out, reverberating in the steep valley below them, rebounding off the face of the rocky mountain side above them. The sound rolled in broken echoes through the rocky areas around them. The woman went down under Seth as he shifted into his bipedal manwolf form. She screamed and more booms from their pistols 88

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roared in Linn’s ears, the man shooting Seth at point blank range. Seth bellowed in pain as Linn reached through the portal into the Summer Country. The magic poured through him flowed outward to cover the gun in the man’s hand with threads of magic that nullified the technology of the Mortal Realm and rendered the gun into nothing more than a lump of steel filled with dud bullets. Linn collided with the male hunter, knocking the gun from his fist with a paw that transformed to a hoof as black wolf became black stallion. The impact of his larger, heavier stallion form took the hunter off his feet and sent him flying down the path. The hunter hit a large boulder and fell to the trail, stunned and bleeding. Linn shifted to his human guise and spun around to check on Seth as the werewolf staggered away from the woman he’d killed. Blood covered his chest, spilled in torrents from several bullet wounds that peppered his chest. Normal bullets would have dropped from rapidly healing wounds. But these bullets weren’t normal. The wounds weren’t healing. They did have bullets with silver pellets inside. They were 89

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unfortunately common-place with hunters who went after werewolves. If they’d hit Linn they would have had no more effect than a real bullet. Something he could heal in a moment, unless it hit his heart or head. Then he’d be in trouble since Brad couldn’t use his fae gifts. If nothing else, this has shown him how important it is for him to learn how to be what he is, a fae of the Summer Country. He approached Seth, calling up the fae magic as he did. The scent of blood faded under the perfume of heather and lilacs, the soft scent of growing things. The warmth of summer cut through the sharp bite of winter. “Patty and Sam are avenged,” Seth gasped, struggling to speak with a muzzle-like-mouth not fully able to render human speech. He gave Linn a sad smile and crumpled to the ground. His manwolf form changed to his fully human aspect with an abruptness that told Linn the werewolf ’s injuries would be fatal if he didn’t get help. Linn hurried to Seth, crouching down at the werewolf ’s side, but he kept an eye on the male hunter. The man was still alive, and Linn didn’t 90

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know what other hunter tricks he might have that could kill them both. Though, from the look of it, they both might be dying already. He touched the werewolf ’s shoulder. “How bad is it?” Seth turned his head to regard Linn. Blood coated his lips. “Gonna be with Patty. S’okay.” Linn could smell death in the air. The woman. Seth. “I can help you. I can save you.” Seth frowned. Shook his head. “It’s better this way. Loved her... so much... so... much....” The werewolf ’s golden eyes closed. He gave a shudder, his lips curved into a faint smile and he sighed out, “Gonna be with my baby... gonna love her... for...ev... er....” Then he was gone. Linn stood, regarded the wounded male hunter where he lay sprawled out, legs in positions that suggested his spine must be broken. Linn felt no remorse for the dying man. No pity. He’d killed who knew how many innocents all in the name of a brand of justice no sane person would consider the right thing to do. 91

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But no one ever said hunters were sane, except themselves of course. Off the top of his head Linn could think of three serial killers who’d been hunters carrying out their ruthless brand of ‘justice’ no matter who they hurt or killed in the process. “Creatures of hell....” the man gasped out. Spit blood. Dying, the hunter still felt the need to spew vitriol with the gore. “Funny—” Linn remarked, his tone hardedged with anger and sadness “—he said you two were creatures of hell. From my point of view, he’s the one that was right.” The hunter glared hate at Linn for another moment then the last breath slipped from his body. The man was dead, his hunt for supernatural beings at an end. A cold knot in his belly, Linn did what he had to do. He couldn’t leave any evidence of what had happened for innocent park goers—or one of the park rangers—to find. Linn summoned up the magic and extended his hand toward the man’s body. The hunter’s corpse vanished in a ball of green energy that seethed and roiled like 92

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storm clouds. When the cloud was gone, so was the hunter, his body broken down by the magic into its component elements which became part of the soil. Linn gestured and the storm of energy crept across the stony ground toward the woman and the dead werewolf. Linn picked up his clothes and scattered possessions and turned as the green cloud finished consuming the woman’s body. The magic fog took Seth as Linn got a grip on his things with his mouth and changed to the wolf. He bounded downward, running fast as the terrain allowed, leaving nothing behind to show that two humans and a werewolf had died there except two lumps of metal that had been guns, and a few small pellets of lead mixed with a small pieces of silver. ♡ Brad jumped to his feet the instant he saw Linn in his black wolf form. His lover carried his clothes in his mouth. Brad ran to him, tripped over a rock, staggered and wound up in Linn’s very human arms, his lover pulling him close, holding him tight. He could feel Linn’s body 93

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shaking, trembling with emotion. His lover dropped his clothes and held him even tighter. “I was so afraid when I heard the gunshots!” Brad blurted out. Linn’s lips closed over his, his lover’s tongue invaded his mouth. Linn tasted of cloth, a faint hint of honey and something bitter as absinthe. Is that the taste of death clinging to him? Brad suspected it might be, but he wasn’t sure. Linn hadn’t tasted that way after he’d killed Victor. But Victor had been a rogue vampire, not a human hunter. Linn’s hold on him tightened until his ribs creaked and he felt a ghost of pain from the recent magically healed breaks. Linn’s kiss continued, their tongues touched, caressed, fought a love battle on the field of eased fears and the joy of surviving their second deadly encounter together. They’d survived Victor. And they’d survived two hunters. They were both alive and, for the most part, unharmed though Brad would never be quite 94

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the same. He realized that he’d stopped being human and needed to accept it. He had to embrace what he’d become and go forward from this point on as a fae. Linn ended the kiss. “Let’s go.” “Okay,” Brad agreed. Linn took him by the arm and started up the slope. “Umm, Linn?” Linn stopped. “What?” “You might want to get dressed.” Linn stared at him. Looked down at the clothes he’d dropped on the path. “I’ve got a better idea. The path’s steep, and you probably can’t climb it.” Brad glanced up. “You’re probably right.” “Take my clothes. I’ll change to my stallion form and carry you up.” Brad’s mouth gaped open. “I don’t think a horse can get up that.” Linn shook his head. “Oh ye of little faith. Don’t you think I know my limitations? Besides, 95

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I’m not a horse, I’m a puca, we’re not exactly the same.” “I’ve noticed. For one thing none of the horses at the ranch raid the fridge in the middle of the night.” “True,” Linn agreed, a little smile curled his mouth. Brad helped Linn pick up his clothes, wondering where Linn’s boots had gone but not asking. They could look for them once they reached the trail. Linn knelt down. “I know you don’t ride that well so you can get on my back while I’m in human form. Hold onto my hair and when I change you’ll have hold of my mane. It’ll help you keep from falling off. I’ll go slow and make sure you don’t slip off my back.” Brad regarded Linn dubiously. He tucked Linn’s clothes inside his coat, and gripped Linn’s coat with his teeth. Then he sat down on Linn’s back, abruptly reminded of the ‘pony rides’ his dad had given him as a kid. He gripped the hair at the nape of Linn’s neck and gasped as his lover went from human to horse so fast he felt like he 96

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was on a ride at the fair, the only difference being the abrupt rise ended much sooner. Linn turned his head and gave a soft nicker. Brad gripped Linn’s long black mane tighter and Linn started up the slope, his steps careful. Brad found he had to lean forward and hang on to Linn’s body with his legs to keep from sliding backward. His knuckles soon turned white from the death-grip he had on Linn’s mane. He could feel the power of Linn’s horse form between his thighs, the puca’s hooves digging into the rocky ground as they ascended step by step. In a matter of a few minutes Linn reached the relatively level section of the trail where he’d stopped to rest. “Shit!” Brad cried out as the black stallion transformed into Linn’s human form. He slipped off of Linn, landed on his butt and sat there staring at his lover. “Do you think I can change form like you do?” he asked as he got Linn’s clothes out from inside his coat. “I doubt it. Very few of the seelie fae can change their shape the way a puca does.” “Oh. Too bad. It looks like fun.” 97

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Linn’s eye widened, his surprise at Brad’s remark clear to see in his expression. “You’ve never expressed any opinion on my ability to change form.” Brad frowned. “I haven’t? I thought I had.” Linn shook his head. “Nope.” Linn was still naked and Brad couldn’t take his eyes off of his lover’s lean, masculine form. He looked good enough to do all sorts of naughty things to, but this wasn’t the time, or the place for fooling around. People had died up here. Which brought up the question of where the bodies had gone. Brad didn’t really want to see any corpses, but the fact they weren’t in evidence left him wondering what Linn had done to hide them. His lover had walked away, his gaze on the ground. “Do you see my boots and socks anywhere?” Brad pushed himself to his feet and glanced around them. I hope I don’t have to see the bodies. Do werewolves dissolve into nothing like vampires do? Even if the werewolf did, those two hunters wouldn’t evaporate that way. “Your boots were 98

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by those rocks where we were sitting, but I don’t see them.” “They might have gone over when you fell. Guess I’ll go down and try to find them.” And Linn was the wolf again. The sleek predator vanished over the edge of the trail. Brad sat down on the rock where he’d been awaiting Linn’s return when the hunters had found him. He glanced at his watch to see how much time had passed since the mess with the hunters began. He frowned at the black display. A crack in the face showed why the watch had stopped working. Must have broken it when I fell. He looked at the surrounding area, realized he might spot a corpse, and turned his gaze on the trail. Several odd pebbles caught his attention and he turned to look at them. They had a strange shine to them, so he reached out and picked one of them up. The ‘pebble’ was heavy for its size. He’d seen a number of cop shows over the years. Enough to recognize what he held in his hand. A bullet which had distorted from an impact with flesh. But there was something strange about the bullet. An odd silvery area amid the lead. He 99

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pushed his fingernail against the spot. Silver. This is silver. So this is what they used to kill the werewolf. A silver filled bullet. I wonder if the bullet itself would do the job, or does it really take silver to kill a werewolf like in the movies? Linn rejoined him on the trail, boots gripped in his teeth. He dropped them and took on his human guise and sat down on a rock. Brad moved closer, sat down on the rock beside Linn as he pulled on his underwear and jeans, hopped off his butt to pull them up. “You okay?” Linn asked. “I think so. I just feel...” Brad shrugged. “I guess I’m still in shock or something. It’s like some sort of bad dream but I’m not waking up.” Linn put his shirt on and reached for his boots, pulled the socks out, and put them on. He’s not talking. He didn’t get this quiet after he killed Victor. I wonder what’s wrong. “Are you okay, Linn?” “Yeah, I’m okay. I wish there’d been something 100

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I could have done to help Seth, but he didn’t want help. He wanted to....” Brad heard Linn’s voice tighten, and his lover went silent, shook his head and stood abruptly. He’s not okay. He’s not okay at all. “Let’s get out of here.” Linn put his coat on but didn’t button it up. Brad stood and followed Linn down the trail toward their SUV. When Linn got closer he began to swear. At first Brad didn’t know what was wrong. Then he saw the four flat tires, the shattered windshield, the smashed door windows, and the shattered hatchback window. “Damn them,” he said, joining Linn’s string of imprecations. “They didn’t even know who this vehicle belonged to, and they wrecked as much of it as they could.” “Fanatics of any kind are a detriment to their people,” Linn remarked. “What are we going to do?” Brad asked as they reached the SUV. “If I was a werewolf we’d be screwed,” Linn 101

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remarked. “But since we’re fae, we’ve got options.” “Which are?” “I can fix it with magic, or we can step through the Summer Country and go anywhere we want,” Linn explained. “Which do you want to do?” “We can’t leave the SUV here like this. If it snows then the interior is going to be as wrecked as the outside is. And someone could steal it.” “All true. So you want me to fix it and we drive to Fort Collins?” “I think that’s what we should do, Linn.” “I could fix the SUV and we can leave it here and go home if you want.” Brad shook his head. “We paid for that expensive suite at the bed and breakfast. I think we should go back and do our best to enjoy our Valentine’s Day vacation.” Linn regarded him for a moment, his face barren of expression. “You’re sure? I won’t be upset if you want to go home after this.” “Is that what you want to do? Go home?” Brad asked. 102

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“I want to do what makes you happy, Brad. That’s all I’ve wanted to do from the day we became lovers. I want to make you happy, to protect you, to show you how much I love you no matter what happens.” Linn closed the distance between them. Brad was taken into a tight embrace—not a bear hug this time for which he was grateful—and held close. Linn’s lips met his, the kiss a gentle show of love. He wrapped his arms around Linn and returned the kiss. This scared him as much as it scared me. He was right all along. I do need to know how to control the magic that is part of who I am, that way I won’t be helpless if we run into hunters again. Linn ended the kiss. “I love you, Bradford Thorne.” “And I love you with all my heart, Sheelinn MacNamarra. Now fix the SUV so we can leave.” Linn nodded and let him go. The portal into the Summer Country gaped open, the scents of summer filled the chill air. Threads of magical energy spun around Linn’s 103

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fingers, danced across the tiny distance between him and the vehicle. Broken glass spun upward, glittering like fragments of ice as they tumbled and whirled, returned to the window frames in the doors, at the front of the SUV and at the back. Frond shaped energy scooped the bits together and spread the glass out, other fronds of power moved over the tires. The entire SUV shuddered and shook as the tires re-inflated. Brad stared, amazed by Linn’s display of power. Everything he’d ever heard or read about the fae said that technology was anathema to them, and yet, here was Linn restoring a machine with magic. “How can you do that?” Linn smiled but didn’t answer. He has to focus so he can’t talk to me. He left Linn alone so he could finish what he was doing without any distractions. The windows finished reassembling, and the magic faded away as the portal to the Summer Country closed. Linn sighed, his shoulders visibly slumped, and Brad hurried to offer his support. He’d never seen Linn look so exhausted. 104

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“Are you all right?” “Tired,” Linn admitted. “I don’t use magic much anymore and I’ve channeled a lot of energy today.” “And you fought with those hunters and carried my useless butt up that slope,” Brad added. “You’re not useless. Don’t ever think that,” Linn said, his hand caressed Brad’s cheek. “Even if you couldn’t do anything but love me you wouldn’t be useless. I need your love Brad. I need it the way plants need sunshine.” Brad turned his head and kissed the palm of Linn’s hand. “I love you too, Linn.” Tears blurred his eyes. “I was so scared when you left me to go after those hunters.” His voice cracked and he pulled Linn into his arms and held him close unable to say anything else. Death had stalked them today in the form of two hate filled humans who didn’t care who they killed in their quest to destroy one man who happened to be able to change his form. “To answer your earlier question, I set a green magic charm on the car the day after we bought 105

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it. The magic can work so long as the charm is in place.” “Is that something I can learn to do?” “Probably,” Linn replied. Brad stood there holding Linn, his eyes closed, the two of them silent. We survived. Somehow we both survived. “Can you drive?” Linn asked after a moment. “I’m beat.” “Sure.” He accepted the keys from Linn. Brad paused. “Linn?” “What?” “I want to get one thing straight with you.” Linn’s lips quirked into a ghost of a smile. “Brad, me boyo, I don’t think either of us can get anything straight. In case you forgot, we’re both gay.” Brad gave a soft laugh. “Good point. Okay. I want to make something perfectly clear then.” “What is that, Brad?” Brad gripped Linn’s shoulders. “We are never going hiking again.” 106

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Brad was pulled into another tight embrace. “Agreed.” Linn gazed into his eyes. “That dream you had?” A chill rolled along Brad’s spine. He’d forgotten about the dream in all the recent fear and worry. “What about it?” “You had a premonition of what was going to happen. You couldn’t remember what you saw, but you knew we were going to be in danger.” Brad nodded, unsure what to say. “Once you start using fae magic I’d be willing to bet good money on the fact you’ll know exactly what threatens us so we can avoid it next time.” “That would be a good thing.” “Yeah,” Linn agreed, “it sure would be.” “Let’s get out of here,” Brad said. They got into the SUV and Brad drove them out of the park toward Fort Collins.

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Chapter 6 Steam rose from the Jacuzzi, filling the room with steam. The warm water that swirled around his tired body felt good, easing the aches and pains that fighting, and directing so much magic left in his flesh. Other than Victor, I haven’t done any fighting in years. And it showed when I had to face those hunters. I hesitated and Seth died. But that wasn’t the entire truth. Seth wanted to die. He’d loved his wife so much that he couldn’t face life without her. Most werewolves didn’t feel that way. Sure they mourned those they loved when they died, but werewolves lived for several centuries if nothing killed them. They outlived their human lovers and that’s why most werewolves mated with others of their kind. You couldn’t make love happen, or turn it off once it had. A slight smile curled his lips. He hadn’t 108

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intended to fall in love with Brad. And Brad certainly wasn’t looking for love when he’d rented Linn’s vacation cabin. But love had found them, taken root, and grown faster than kudzu. Linn heard a sound out in the bedroom and casually reached out with his puca senses to see who had come into the room. Someone from housekeeping. The woman was leaving clean towels and another blanket. He smiled. Brad was very efficient when it came to getting things done, or getting other people to do things for them. He let his eyes drift shut. I wonder when Brad will be back? He said he wanted to take a walk and have some time alone to think, but I wish he was here with me. I wouldn’t mind having his firm body pressed against mine while we share the hot tub and talk about anything other than what happened today. He sighed and sank deeper into the Jacuzzi forcing the thought of what he’d had to do— killing a human being—from his mind. He shouldn’t feel anything about ridding the world 109

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of such scum. They’d killed and tortured an innocent kid, tortured a woman to death and who knew what else heinous crimes they’d committed in their time as hunters. And who knew how long they’d been at it before they got caught. Some hunter cells were even more secretive and dangerous than the terrorists so many people worried about these days. While there were fewer hunters than there had been even a couple of decades ago, they were better armed and more organized. At least that’s what he’d been hearing through his occasional contact with the internet based supernet, a secret batch of servers run by supernaturals that held databases of known hunters and other resources for supernatural people. Linn seldom logged in, but he knew about the supernet. Until today he hadn’t run into any hunters since the mid-1960s, but he’d spent most of the intervening decades in hiding. He hadn’t opened his horse ranch until spring of 2001, and he’d done it away from any sizable cities far to the west of anywhere he’d lived before. And he hoped he didn’t run into any more hunters for a long time. 110

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Maybe logging into the supernet when they got home would be a good idea. There might have been a warning about these two hunters which would have helped him and Brad keep well clear of them. He heard footsteps on the stairs leading to their bedroom, recognized the cadence of the footfalls. Brad had returned. Maybe I should get out before my entire body tries to prune. I’m sure Brad’s hungry by now. We could go catch some dinner, find a movie or something else to do, come back and fool around. The door opened. Linn turned to smile at Brad, and wound up staring at his lover. Brad held an opened bottle of champagne in one hand. He had a pair of stemmed glasses in the other hand, and a small silver gift bag decorated with bright red hearts dangled from that wrist. A traditional red heart shaped box of chocolates was tucked under his arm. The thing that caught and held Linn’s astonished gaze was the wide red ribbon Brad had tied around his hips. A large bow at the front tried, but failed, to hide Brad’s erection. 111

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Linn welcomed Brad with a lust-heated grin. “I was just thinking about you,” he admitted. Brad’s gaze went to the half of Linn’s body under the water. “So I see,” his lover remarked, eyes fixed on Linn’s own hard-on. Brad put the champagne and glasses down and held out the box of chocolates. “I thought we could use some champagne and chocolate.” Linn dried his hand on a towel and took the red foil covered box from Brad. “Good thinking. Makes me wish I’d thought of it.” Linn scooted aside so Brad could join him in the tub. He didn’t sit down. He stood with his bow covered cock pointed in Linn’s direction. “Want to unwrap the rest of your present first?” “Oh hell yeah,” Linn said as he gripped the end of the bow and gently tugged on it until the ribbon fell loose. He caught it to make sure it wasn’t sucked into one of the jets on the Jacuzzi and set it aside. I’m saving this. I’m sure we can think of other things to do with a nice satin ribbon... later. “What’s in the bag?” Linn asked as Brad 112

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removed the small gift bag and set it down on the side of the Jacuzzi. “You’ll find out later.” Linn’s left brow rose toward his hairline. “Another present?” “It goes with the present that you just took the ribbon off of.” Linn’s mouth curled in a very wide grin. “Oh that sounds really good. Maybe we should skip the treats and get to the main course.” Brad shook his head. “Nothing doing, buddy boy. We’re having our champagne and chocolate appetizer. Then we can get to something....” Brad grinned at him, “meatier.” Linn chuckled. “Still incorrigible.” “You better believe it!” Brad agreed. He set the glasses side by side and filled them with bubbly. “Are you going to open that chocolate?” “Sure.” Linn picked up the box and stared at it. At first he’d thought it was one of the commercial kind you could buy in any store at this time of year. Closer inspection revealed it 113

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came from a specialty online store, but he wasn’t familiar with the name of the place. “You brought this with you from home didn’t you?” Brad shook his head. “I had it shipped here. I ordered it online when I was at the scifi convention last weekend.” “Sneak,” Linn accused, laughing as he opened the box. He removed the lid and stared. It was filled with chocolate cocks complete with balls decorated with finely shredded coconut dusted with cocoa powder to make the ‘hair’ look darker. Mixed in were a selection of white chocolate dildos and gold foil flecked dark chocolate vibrators. “The vibrators are almost the same as truffle candies I brought back from that convention in Chicago,” Brad remarked while Linn continued to stare at the box’s contents. “These are just....” Linn shook his head. “Well they aren’t what I expected.” Brad laughed and said, “That’s the idea. These are hand made gourmet candy, not the cheap crap from the grocery store.” 114

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“You wouldn’t find a box of candy dicks, dildos and vibrators at any store around here, that’s for sure,” Linn agreed. He picked up a vibrator and popped it into his mouth. The chocolate felt like silk in his mouth, and the flavor was superb. Linn closed his eyes at the sensual feel of the confection as it melted over his tongue. The filling inside was creamy and rich and it filled his mouth with something close to pure sin. “Good?” “Oh yeah,” Linn agreed as he swallowed the first mouthful of chocolate heaven. Brad put the glass of champagne in his hand. “Have a drink, relax. We’ve got all night to enjoy ourselves,” his lover reminded as he took a sip of champagne. Linn noticed he was being watched over the rim of the glass Brad was drinking from, his dark eyes were bright with a mixture of mischief and desire that fanned the fire of Linn’s sexual hunger. Brad sipped some of the sparkling liquid and reached out to take a chocolate cock from the box. Instead of eating it himself, he offered it to Linn who accepted the treat. His lips closed around the tips of Brad’s fingers as he accepted 115

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the chocolate cock, and he managed to flick his tongue over them before Brad moved his hand. “You’re so naughty, Linn.” With his mouth full of rich flavors, Linn smirked and gave a slow nod of agreement. ♡ Brad took another sip of his champagne and watched Linn’s reaction to the expensive chocolate with pleased contentment. While part of their day certainly hadn’t gone as planned, at least they could enjoy one another’s company and in a couple of luxury items he’d splurged on for their vacation. He’d planned to do this Valentine’s night, but the bad afternoon they’d had made Brad feel it warranted something to put them both in a better frame of mind. “By the Mother of Horses—” Linn remarked in tone nearing one of awe “—that’s the best chocolate I think I’ve ever eaten in my life.” “Glad you like it.” Linn took the glass from his fingers. His lover set it down on the ledge of the Jacuzzi. “I think 116

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I want something a little less sweet, but no less enjoyable.” “What did you have in mind?” Linn’s arms encircled him and pulled him through the water. He was lifted onto Linn’s lap where a hard bar of flesh was pressed to his groin. Cock to cock, their chests pressed tight together, Brad parted his lips as Linn’s mouth locked over his. The taste of the chocolate which lingered on Linn’s tongue filled Brad’s mouth as they kissed. The sweetness quickly replaced by Linn’s own special flavor. Honey, a sweet spiciness, the nectar of honeysuckle flowers.... The flavors of summer, the taste of his lover, so familiar and always so welcome. He draped his arms around Linn’s shoulders and returned the kiss. Linn’s hands moved up and down his back in long, stroking caresses. Brad groaned into the kiss, his cock aching for Linn’s firm touch. He wanted to be filled, fucked in the worst way. But he also wanted this to last, to ease the lingering fragments of horror and fear that clung in the shadowed recesses of his consciousness. Linn broke off the kiss, his amber eyes focused on Brad’s face. “Do you know how much I love 117

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you?” he asked. His wet hand glided over Brad’s face as if Linn was trying to memorize the shape of his cheek, the line of his jaw. “As much as I love you,” Brad replied. He took Linn’s hand in his, bought it to his lips and kissed each finger, the work roughened pad of Linn’s thumb, the hard palm. He could feel the strength of Linn in that hand. The power of his lover’s work hardened body never ceased to leave him with a sense of awe. He let Linn’s hand go, gripped his shoulders. “Linn, tell me something. How much of this is from work, and how much of it is magic, or being a puca?” Linn’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m this way from hard work, Brad. Most of my life I’ve had to do hard physical work to earn my bread.” He grinned. “Now I’m working to earn my Brad instead.” “Goof,” Brad remarked as he ran his damp hands through Linn’s raven dark hair. He loved the way it caught the light and reflected it back in flashes of blue and purple. “Aye, me boyo, an’ ye dunnae forget it.” 118

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“You never said if you’re Irish or Scottish.” “I’m fae, Brad. I’d be a wee bit o’ both, and none of either.” “What?” The remark made no sense and left Brad slightly confused. “All the Gaelic folk have fae blood in them. I’m sure you’ve seen lots of Irish and Scottish redheads, that’s the mark of the fae.” “So red-hair means someone has a faerie in their ancestral tree?” “Among the Gaelic folk, yes. If you ever see a red-haired Japanese that’s the mark of demon blood. Probably the Prince of the Coldlands, damn his hide to eternal fire. Those people you need to avoid. Demonspawn are dangerous in the extreme.” “Oh.” Brad frowned. This wasn’t the time for a conversation about fae or demonspawn. They’d have lots of time to talk about fae, demons and other supernatural creatures once they got home. He hugged Linn. “We can talk about that stuff later. Right now I want to do something else.”

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Linn smirked at him. “How about a rousing game of hide the sausage?” Brad grinned. “You’re still a goof.” “An’ ye be incorrigible.” “Yep. That’s me. One track mind and all,” Brad agreed as he reached for the small silver gift bag. “Time to open this.” Linn wiped his hands dry with the towel and took the gift bag from him. He opened the mouth of the bag wide, stared inside and then grinned. “You like it?” “Yes. And you really are incorrigible,” Linn remarked. “And brilliant too, in a very naughty way.” “I sure am,” Brad agreed as Linn reached into the bag. Brad had filled the small bag with brightly colored shredded paper he’d bought to make taking things out of the bag more of a surprise because they weren’t easy to see through the paper. Linn reached in and pulled out a bottle of super slick lubricant which he sat down on the 120

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edge of the Jacuzzi. The lube was followed by a bright violet water proof vibrator. Then, one by one, Linn set down an assortment of cock-rings Brad had put toward the bottom of the bag. There were rubber rings, leather rings, and even a couple of metal ones. “You had fun picking this stuff out, didn’t you?” Linn asked. Brad nodded. “Don’t put the bag down. You missed something.” Linn’s eyebrow crawled upward, but he stuck his hand back into the bad and dug round in the paper. Brad eagerly waited for Linn to find the final item. Brad loved the shocked expression on Linn’s face as he stared at the last item from the bag. Two pairs of chrome handcuffs and the keys that went with them. “We’re supposed to be doing things differently than we do at home, right?” Brad asked. He watched Linn, a hint of trepidation slid through the excitement he felt. What if this is too much for Linn? He’s always been unquestionably the top in this relationship, and he’s shown some dom 121

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qualities, but... maybe this is taking things farther than he wants to go. Linn set the handcuffs aside. “We did agree not to do the same things we do at home, didn’t we?” Brad nodded. “We did,” he agreed as Linn closed the box of chocolates and put them on the floor, well away from the Jacuzzi. I wonder why he did that. “Now where were we? Oh, yes, I remember now,” Linn remarked. Linn’s mouth closed over his, the invading tongue instantly conquering the territory of Brad’s mouth with the speed of Genghis Khan’s army. Brad surrendered. His body melted against Linn’s, his soft moan almost silenced by Linn’s mouth over his. Their tongues wrestled, Linn’s dominated, held his a captive to their mutual passion. Brad wrapped his arms around Linn’s shoulders and leaned closer to trap their cocks between them. He rocked his hips slow and easy, adding a hint of friction, of teasing pressure to the contact of their erections. 122

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Brad gasped as Linn pulled him closer so their cocks were trapped tightly between them. The pressure, the sensation of being cock to cock, sent a lightning bolt flash of pleasure through Brad. He moved with Linn, undulating his body to increase the contact between them. Linn groaned his pleasure, the sound enflaming Brad. He fumbled around on the ledge of the Jacuzzi, searching by touch alone for one of the cock rings. His hand encountered the pile of silicon, steel and leather and he felt around until he found the one he wanted. A gel type silicone ring with beads inside that were supposed to increase pleasure while the ring itself extended the time it took to ejaculate. Brad wiggled in Linn’s lap, scooted back so he could get his hands between them. He pulled the ring open wider, slid it over Linn’s big cock, and rolled it down until the ring rested against the root of Linn’s dick. Linn ended their kiss, glanced down at himself, lifted his eyes to regard Brad. “That feels interesting.” Linn’s amber gaze turned from Brad to the remaining cock rings. He picked up a bright blue one, turned it over in his fingers, 123

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put it back and picked up a thick red ring which he stretched between his hands. He pulled it open, then placed it on Brad’s erection. The feel of Linn’s hands on him sent a tremor of need through Brad. He groaned and put his hand around Linn’s, urging his lover to grasp his cock and stroke it. But Linn didn’t do what he wanted. Instead he seated the cock ring at the base of Brad’s aching dick and gently eased Brad off his lap. “Brace your hands on the side of the tub,” Linn instructed him. Brad turned his sexiest smile on Linn and did as he was told, kneeling in the water. Linn guided him to one side which aimed one of the jets of water directly at his groin. The heated water washing across his dick and balls sent intense waves of need through Brad and he clutched the rim of the Jacuzzi at the sensation. “Close your eyes and don’t move,” Linn said, the tone of his voice bordering on a command. Brad glanced at him. “Is that an order of some sort?” “Should I make it an order?” 124

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Brad shrugged. “Only if you want to.” “Do as you’re told!” Brad smiled at the crack of authority in Linn’s voice. They’d never really played BDSM games but the tone of command seemed to come naturally to Linn. Brad turned his head to look at the wall and then closed his eyes. “Don’t move! Understood?” “Yes.” He knelt there, the water pounding his balls, his cock, as he waited for Linn to do something. He heard a small click, and wondered what the sound had been until he felt something cold and wet slip into the crack of his butt. That’s lube. Guess we’re going to get down to business and fuck now. Something warm touched the tight ring of his anus, slid through the barrier. Not Linn’s cock. It was either the dildo or the vibrator. In an instant he felt as if a hive of bees had invaded his groin. The buzzing object stroked across his prostate and he cried out at the white125

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light jolt that blazed through his body to become a bright glow behind his closed eyelids. He shook with the sensation as the vibrator worked in and out of him, each stroke more intense, more pleasurable than the one before it. Brad lost the ability to do anything but feel as Linn drove the thing in and out of him. “Going to.... going to...” he tried to warn Linn of his impending orgasm, but he couldn’t get the words out. The vibrator retreated, and something equally hard replaced it, the rod of Linn’s flesh hammered into him. “Gonna... gonna..” he groaned, his hands gripping the rim of the Jacuzzi so hard the knuckles ached. “Do it Brad. Come for me,” Linn whispered, the spice and sweetness of his breath, the feel of his hands on him sent Brad careening over the precipice. “Linn..” Brad groaned as the first spurt of semen pushed past the cock ring. The pleasure intensified with the second spurt, and Linn’s 126

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hands gripped his hips, fingers digging in as Linn’s cock jerked inside him over and over. “Epona... Mother of Horses...” Linn gasped. Brad sagged against the edge of the Jacuzzi as the last spurt of semen spilled from him. “Damn.... that was.... amazing,” Brad managed to say as he gasped for breath. “Cock rings were a good idea,” Linn agreed. Brad smiled and reached for a towel. “Yeah, they were weren’t they?” Smiling he handed Linn the towel. “Let’s get out of here.” “Good idea,” Linn agreed. “Too bad I don’t have the energy to move.” Brad chuckled and helped Linn out of the water. He removed the cock ring, bent down and kissed the limp flesh. It twitched in reaction. “Enough of that. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Linn remarked. “Me too. Let’s get some dinner,” Brad suggested. “Then maybe we can come back and try out something else.” “Sounds like a plan to me,” Linn agreed. 127

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Brad put his arms around Linn and gave him a slow, languid kiss that Linn returned eagerly. “Hell with it, dinner can wait,” Linn remarked and scooped Brad into his arms. Brad laughed, but he didn’t argue. “I like this plan even better.” Laughing, Linn carried Brad to bed. They never went for dinner that night, they were too busy doing other far more interesting things.

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Chapter 7 Their time in Fort Collins went by faster than either of them wanted it to. They went to three more movies, visited the museum, got some time in on the bike trail—which was not the same as hiking—and wandered around the downtown area window shopping. Valentine’s morning they watched the clouds roll in as they ate their breakfast. Then they’d returned to their suite to plan their activities for the day. Activities which included a lot of time alone in their room for sex. Linn gave a contented sigh and settled deeper into the chair, his legs stretched out in front of him a horse breeder’s magazine open across his lap. He was relaxed, reading about appaloosas—a breed of horse he planned to add to his already thriving pinto business. Linn was at peace with his world, the incident with the pair of hunters already fading into the past. Breakfast had been good—Denver omelets, toast, coffee and half a 129

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blueberry muffin—and he’d eaten far too much. But that’s what vacations were all about. Having a good time, lots of sex and eating too much. So had Brad if the occasional burp or hiccup coming from his lover was any indication of the state his stomach was in. He shut his eyes and listened to the fast tapping of Brad’s fingers as they flew across the keyboard. “One thing about being changed is that I sure type a lot faster,” Brad remarked. “How much longer are you going to be messing with your email?” “I’ve got close to three hundred messages, Linn. I’ve got to answer a few things, and make sure none of the rest is important before I delete it,” Brad replied. “Well next time I promise to let you pick up once a day so this doesn’t happen,” Linn replied amiably. “I shouldn’t set limits on you like that. It was wrong for me to restrict your access to your email, and I’m sorry.” “It’s okay,” Brad said. “I know you were trying to keep me off the computer as part of our deal not to do the same stuff we do at home, but this 130

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is important to me. Especially since the whole thing with my publisher is still up in the air.” Linn got up from the chair and went to the window. He pushed the curtain aside. Little flakes of white were drifting from a sky the color of lead. “We’re in for a real snow,” he remarked. “We’re supposed to head home tomorrow. Do you think the roads will be passable?” Linn shrugged. “Depends on how much snow we get. We might be stuck here for a couple more days if it’s bad.” Brad turned to smile at him. “And this would be bad, how?” Linn crossed the room and set his hands on Brad’s shoulders and leaned down. “It wouldn’t be bad at all. In fact, I’d sort of like it.” Brad leaned into the touch, turned and tilted his head up so their lips were almost touching. “A kiss might make me forget about this email.” “It would?” Linn asked. His lips brushed Brad’s as he added, “Sounds like a challenge.” 131

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“Not a challenge. An invitation,” Brad murmured breathily. Linn could see the way Brad’s heart rate had increased, a vein throbbing visibly in his lover’s throat. He gently took Brad’s face in his hands and leaned closer, his lips touched, then locked on Brad’s mouth. Brad responded, his arms encircling Linn’s neck as he turned to fully meet the kiss. Linn let go of his face and gripped Brad’s shoulders, urged his lover to stand. He guided Brad to the bed and eased him down without breaking the contact of his mouth against Brad’s lips. He held Brad tight, the two of them face to face, lying on their sides. He put a leg over Brad’s hips and pulled him close. Linn smiled when Brad’s leg moved, his lover’s thigh pushed gently against Linn’s balls, which added teasing pressure. He held Brad tighter, their tongues sparring, wrestling. He could taste Brad’s unique flavor. A sweetness like summer melon mingled with an underlying trace of mintiness. Brad’s fae lure hadn’t fully evolved, wouldn’t until he truly accepted being fae and learned his full potential. 132

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Soon. When we get home I’ll start to teach him. Then he’ll come into his own and we can find out what sort of fae he really is. The thought added another layer of excitement to the desire he felt for Brad. He’d wanted to know Brad’s fae nature since they’d discovered he carried the blood within him. Brad’s reluctance to know—his fear they would discover he carried the taint of the dark fae, the unseelie—holding him back. But there was nothing of the dark in Brad. No trace of the Winter Country, the Realm of Evernight, or the Black Caverns existed within his love. He was as sure of that as he was of his own origin in the Summer Country. Brad ended their kiss and Linn caressed his cheek. “What is it?” Brad smiled. “Don’t you think we’re wearing too many clothes?” Linn twisted his lips into an imitation scowl. “Maybe,” he conceded. “What do you intend to do about it?” He smiled when Brad sat up and pulled off the sweater he wore. “This for starters.” Linn couldn’t help himself—not that he 133

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really tried to resist the urge. He dragged Brad down onto the bed and kissed his well-muscled chest, flicked his tongue over a nipple. Brad’s groan of pleasure bought a smile to Linn’s lips right before he clamped his mouth over the nub of flesh. The tip of his tongue worked across the sensitive bit as he sucked. Brad’s hands gripped his hair. “You are such a wicked faerie,” Brad murmured. Linn stopped what he was doing, lifted his gaze Brad. To look at his lover and see the lust that burned in his gaze. He caressed Brad’s chest, enjoying the firmness of muscle beneath his fingers, the feel of Brad’s wide shoulders. He sat up, scooted closer and lowered his head to kiss Brad’s throat, his shoulders, chest. He kissed lower, lips and tongue explored, tasted, teased. Brad writhed beneath Linn, his hands clutched at Linn’s head, gripped his hair and urged him even lower. An idea, a naughty spark burned to life in Linn’s mind and he pulled away from Brad, reached into the drawer of the bedside table, stared at the handcuffs Brad had presented him 134

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with several days ago. They had them, but hadn’t used them. Linn turned a wicked grin on Brad. Linn gripped Brad and lifted him all the way onto the bed. “What are you doing?” Brad wanted to know. Instead of answering, Linn picked up the red ribbon he’d draped over the headboard and wrapped it around Brad’s eyes. “Well I’d say this looks promising, but I can’t actually see,” Brad joked. Linn laughed with him as he got out the handcuffs and fastened Brad’s right wrist to the headboard. “I’m planning to have some fun,” Linn remarked as he reached for Brad’s other hand. “Are you? And what fun might that be?” Brad questioned as Linn locked his left arm in place. “Some wicked faerie fun,” Linn replied. “Oh, yes, I can most definitely tell that.” Linn removed his own clothing and shoes and tossed them on the floor. Brad’s shoes followed. 135

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Linn knelt on the bed and gazed at Brad, helpless, blindfolded on the bed. He ran his hands up the insides of Brad’s legs, and grinned as his lover moaned and writhed at the teasing caress. Linn’s fingers brushed across Brad’s crotch, and he felt the heat of need through the fabric of Brad’s underwear and pants. He lowered his head, breathed in the masculine lust-musk that rose with the heat. He grinned at the faint trace of something sweet, floral, that mingled with muskier odor. He closed his eyes and drew the scent of his lover deep into his lungs. Brad’s legs wound around him, pulled him closer so that his face was pressed tight to Brad’s crotch. Linn smiled. “You sure don’t leave any doubt in my mind regarding what you want from me.” “If you didn’t know before now then you haven’t been paying much attention.” The remark made Linn laugh. “I suppose you’re right. I’d have to be blind—or blindfolded— not to know what you want.” He gripped the waistband of Brad’s pants and undid the button. 136

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He gripped the tab of the zipper and pulled it down slowly to reveal the bulge of Brad’s cock which pushed at the tight, bright red underwear covered with small darker red hearts. He put on holiday underwear for me. How cute. He lowered his head, nuzzled the hardness, pressed his lips to the heated flesh. “Like the underwear, Brad. Nice touch,” he murmured as he nibbled at the stiff dick under the cloth. “Th... thankssss,” Brad hissed out, voice strained by desire. Linn had to move his head back when Brad’s pelvis arched upward to press his cock into Linn’s face. Linn smiled. The handcuffs, blindfold and his teasing were doing a serious number on Brad and Linn discovered he liked the results. ♡ Brad shivered from the feel of Linn’s breath on his groin. The underwear he’d chosen for the day felt far too tight. Uncomfortable. Not being able to see left him feeling vulnerable. The handcuffs that bound him to the bed left him 137

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feeling exposed in ways being totally naked with Linn never did. Teeth nibbled along his erection, teased him through his underwear. “Linn, please....” he begged, unsure how much more teasing he could withstand. He wanted to come. His balls ached, his dick throbbed with the need for release. His entire body strained for it, and he realized he had started to struggle against the handcuffs because his wrists felt sore. He relaxed his arms, but it wasn’t easy to manage. He wanted free, wanted to touch Linn, to take Linn’s cock in his fist and guide it to where he so desperately needed the hard length of flesh: in his butt. “Ah, Linn, please I can’t take much more of this.” He groaned and thrashed on the bed, unable to control the desire heating his body to the point it felt as if his blood would begin to boil. “You’ve got no patience, Brad,” Linn remarked. He felt Linn ease the pants down his legs, kissing the insides of his thighs, Linn’s hair tickling the sensitive skin. 138

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“It’s your fault. I want you so much all the time. Some days I have trouble focusing on my....” He lost the ability to speak as Linn’s nails raked gently down his thighs, adding a whole new sensation to their love-play. A feeling that sent him whirling upward amid a different sort of passion, one tinged with the teeniest hint of something that wasn’t exactly pleasure or pain but a mixture of both. Linn’s amused chuckle trickled into his mind through ears in which the blood pounded like a dozen kettle drums. What the hell is he doing to me? Brad didn’t know, but whatever happened, he knew things would never be quite the same between them again. Whether it was a good or bad thing, he had yet to discover. One thing he did know, he’d never gotten quite this hot, this needy before, and he’d been known to beg in the past. Linn’s tongue traced the mounds and dips of his abs. “You were saying?” he prompted. “You make it damn hard for me to focus on work. Some days, when I look outside and see 139

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you working, your shirt off, skin glistening in the sun I want to drag you inside and make you fuck me.” Another velvety laugh slid through Brad to further enflamed his out-of-control libido. “Why haven’t you?” The question asked as Linn’s wet tongue flicked along the line of Brad’s underwear. More teasing. He had his limits and they had already been exceeded. He needed to be fucked before his dick split or his balls ruptured. At least that’s what they felt like they were about to do. “Because we’re not alone at the ranch during the day, that’s why,” Brad replied, struggling to keep enough mental facilities under his command so he could answer. But Brad didn’t know how much longer his brain would hold out. The sensations that coursed through him were so intense his mind wanted to rise with the passion and forget about anything else. Even breathing to talk had become hard as his entire body strained for the release Linn continued to deny him. “Linn.... please... I....” 140

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He didn’t get to finish what he’d been saying, Linn’s mouth closed over his, silencing his plea. Honey filled his mouth, the flavor seeping into his body, his mind, saturated his very being until he lost all ability to do anything but feel the rapid beat of his heart, the hum of magic through his veins. His own fae energy rose within him, answered the touch of Linn’s puca magic until his body seemed to fill with light, with a wild untamed song. He cried out, the sound muffled by the clamp of Linn’s mouth over his. Spice, flowers, the scents of the Summer Country bled into his awareness. Cool air caressed his overheated groin as his underwear was stripped away, his cock sprang upright, freed of the constraint. He wanted to wrap his fist around the aching flesh, to touch and caress himself, but the handcuffs denied him even that much relief. The kiss ended abruptly. Before he had time to wonder what Linn had in store for him next he found out. Hot and wet, Linn’s mouth engulfed his erection, taking it to the hilt in one deep swallow. Brad cried out, hips coming up 141

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off the bed to drive his cock deeper into Linn’s mouth as he fucked his lover’s face, desperate for the release his body wanted. Firm hands pushed him to the bed, the wordless command a ruthless denial of what he needed with such frantic desperation. The mouth worked his cock, tongue and lips moving over the entire shaft. Brad struggled against the restraint of the steel holding him to the bed. He wanted free, wanted to have Linn’s cock deep inside him. Most of all, he wanted to come so bad he would have screamed out a plea had Linn not shoved a corner of a blanket into his mouth to silence him. He fought the handcuffs, until Linn’s hands closed around his wrists to calm him. “Shhh... it’s okay Brad. You’re going to have everything you want. I promise,” Linn murmured into his ear. “Take it easy.” Brad mumbled into the fold of blanket, spit it out. “This is too much, Linn.” “Shhh... it’s not too much. Remember our promise, to do things differently on our vacation?” 142

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“Yes...” Brad groaned out the answer. Brad’s cock ached for the return of Linn’s mouth. For the contact of a hand around it. Anything to ease the incredible need that filled him. He was turned onto his side and he felt Linn lie down behind him, the touch of his lover’s erection on his butt sent a jolt of pure want through him. “Oh Linn, please, please,” he groaned. He was still handcuffed. Blindfolded. At Linn’s mercy. And he discovered he liked it. Liked being a helpless captive to Linn’s whims. Linn’s hand caressed down his side, stopped at his flank, swatted him and he jumped at the tiny flicker of pain that danced along his oversensitized nerves. His cock jumped, and his balls tightened. Hard and slick, Linn’s cock entered Brad, penetrated through the tight ring of muscle with no resistance. Brad needed that hardness inside him too much, his body relaxed and eager to be filled with what it craved with such intensity. A slid an arm around his chest, pulled him 143

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close. Linn’s other hand gripped Brad’s hip and then Linn moved. Brad gasped as the first whitefire flash of light erupted behind his closed eyes, the pressure of Linn’s cock-head on his prostate tore a cry of pleasure from him that became steady gasping moans as Linn fucked him. They found their rhythm, writhed together in a dance of passion, of a love so deep should one die the other would follow. Linn’s arm tightened around his chest. Brad wanted to grip that arm, wanted to touch Linn, to hold him. Something warm, a tingle not part of the sexual experience flowed through Brad and, to his shock, the handcuffs released. He reached back, touched Linn’s sleek hip, his other hand gripped Linn’s arm, squeezed. “I love you,” Linn murmured, voice tight with impending release. Brad rocked with the motion of Linn’s cock inside him, his butt clenched the hardness within. The white light of each stroke along the cluster of nerves inside him changed, becoming sparks of bright green, blue, a brilliant gold the color of summer sunlight. 144

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“Love you too,” Brad groaned out as the sparks became a shattering of brightness through his vision. He cried out as the world burst apart and the scent of roses and rain, of spice and honeysuckle filled the room. Linn’s cock throbbed and pulsed, his lover’s seed filling him, magic spreading through the contact of their bodies. Brad trembled in Linn’s embrace, as his own cock spilled his come onto the sheets. For a while Brad lay there in the circle of Linn’s arms too exhausted to move. He was sure they’d slept because when he finally removed the ribbon from his eyes the room had become much darker. His stomach rumbled and behind him Linn chuckled. “I’ll second that request,” Linn mumbled sleepily into his ear. “Too bad I don’t wanna move.” “Me either,” Brad admitted. Linn sighed, nuzzled the back of his neck, kissed it. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Brad.” Brad squeezed Linn’s hand in his. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Linn.” 145

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Neither of them knew what might happen a day from now, a year from now, or a decade into the future. All that mattered was the present and their love for one another. Brad closed his eyes and let himself drift to sleep, content in the arms of his puca lover. End

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About the Author

Michael Barnette grew up in the wilds of Miami, Florida where he enjoyed the nightlife and wide variety of cultures, but not the late night driveby shootings. Deciding on a change of pace, Michael moved to Athens, Georgia where he lived for several years before migrating west. He misses the ethnic food in Miami, he doesn’t miss the drive-by shootings. The last two years he was in Miami, Michael went from being a poet to writing short stories. One of the short stories he wrote, Zoner, was also the first gay erotica he’d ever written. Set in his cyberpunk world setting--which takes place in a future variant of Miami--and using characters established from an unfinished novel he was working on, he submitted the story to Circlet Press. The story was published and has been well received in the gay community, garnering a Gaylactic Spectrum Award nomination in 2003, while the anthology, Wired Hard #3, was a finalist for the Lamda Literary award that same year. He has since been nominated for the Gaylactic Spectrum Award five more times, both for novels and short stories. Seeing the popularity of erotica-- and finding

About the Author

it much easier to sell than poetry-- Michael changed his writing focus in 2003 and started researching the types of erotica popular with readers. The rest, as they say, is history. You can visit Michael and find out about his worlds at the following places on the net. Website: http://www.michaelbarnette.com

Immortal Heroes: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/immortal_heroes

LiveJournal: http://m-barnette.livejournal.com/

Book Excerpts

If you enjoyed High Country Valentine by Michael Barnette you’re sure to like the original story, High Country which is available at Loose Id. It’s hard to hide the heart in the high country as Bradford Thorne and Sheelinn MacNamara soon discover When he breaks up with his controlling ex, sci fi novelist Bradford Thorne heads for the high country to work on his new novel. Specifically, he finds sanctuary at a horse ranch that breeds pintos. Ranch owner Sheelinn MacNamara’s a puca on the run from Hunters. Shapeshifting Linn can turn into a black stallion or a black wolf, but his secret keeps him from finding love. Neither of them is anticipating the effect the other has on their libido, or on Bradford’s ex, Victor. They’re not looking for love, but it’s hard to hide from the heart in high country.

Book Excerpts

Here’s a brief excerpt of High Country. Snow mantled the sharp peaks of the Rockies, the stark lines and ridges rising into the vivid blue of the sky. The road wended its way between the crags, the rental car rolling along on the pavement as the miles ticked by. The view was spectacular, and the driver— Bradford Thorne, also known as Bradley Thornton, science fiction author—glanced this way and that as he drove higher and higher into the mountains. He kept watching for the turnoff onto the ranch road, but so far he hadn’t spotted it. He glanced at his watch. I should be there by now. He said about an hour from Boulder on Highway 36. He ran a hand through his unruly mop of brown hair and sighed, anxious to get started on his vacation. Some vacation. I’ve left the city, and though I plan to work while I’m here anyway, it will

Book Excerpts

be a nice break from the usual grind. God, the mountains are spectacular, they really are. He tore his eyes away from the beauty and grinned when he spotted a large white sign beside the dusty road that read: HIGH COUNTRY RANCH HORSES OF COLOR STUD SERVICES MARES AND FOALS FOR SALE At the bottom was a phone number he recognized as the one he’d called to rent the cabin where he’d be spending the next month. He slowed the car, put on his blinker, and made the turn with caution when the road turned out to be unpaved, rather than dust-covered asphalt. Even going slow, the ride down the dirt path was a bumpy one. He glanced at the laptop case on the seat beside him and hoped nothing rattled loose. The last thing I need is a broken computer in the middle of nowhere.

Book Excerpts

He slowed more when he came to a rut running crosswise to the road, and the car bounced and rocked as it traversed the shallow ditch and climbed up the other side. I guess they’ve been getting a lot of rain. He loved the rain, and the thought of rain coming down in such beautiful country, the flash of lightning among the mountains, sent a chill of hopeful expectation through him. This is going to be great! I’ve got four entire weeks for less than what two weeks cost me the last time I took a vacation. A vacation that had been a huge disappointment. Not only hadn’t he gotten much writing done, but he’d also wound up with food poisoning from the buffet on the cruise ship. He’d spent four days of pure misery in the ship’s infirmary along with two dozen other passengers. This is going to be a lot better. I just know it will be. Best of all, Victor has no idea where I’ve gone. Victor Augustine, his former lover. He didn’t want to think about Victor. Sure, it had

Book Excerpts

been great…at first. But Victor had turned into a control freak about a month into their relationship, and by their six-month anniversary as lovers, controlling had turned into domineering shading toward abusive. Do not need the drama. He had enough stress dealing with his agent, his publisher, and the occasional appearances at conventions. The last thing he needed were problems in his home life. The car rounded a thick stand of trees, and the ranch came into view. White fences corralled grazing horses, all of them patchworks in black, brown, gold, and white, with a few spotted horses in the mix. The house itself was large, a ranch style—of course—with a large picture window at the front. Several SUVs and pickup trucks lined the double-wide driveway. He slowed even more and brought the car to a stop behind a rust-spotted blue pickup truck that was missing its tailgate. A brown mutt with a shaggy coat ran up to the car, wagging its tail and barking up a storm. Not

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sure how friendly the dog was, Brad waited in the car for someone to come out of the house. It didn’t take long for someone to appear from around the back of the house. The man was lean and lanky, dressed in dirty, work-faded, and aged jeans and a T-shirt for some sort of horserelated event. Possibly a rodeo, or maybe a race, he couldn’t tell because only the horse remained. The cloth was stretched tightly over broad shoulders and a well-defined chest that tapered to flat, ripped abs that were quite visible under the rather tight shirt. The sleeves of the T-shirt were gone, which showed off well-defined triceps and biceps and the deep sort of tan you only got from working outside. A cowboy hat and boots completed the man’s attire. He moved with the assurance of someone who knew his place in the world and enjoyed the life he led. A thrum of desire rolled through Bradford as he watched the cowboy approach. That’s one very attractive man, he admitted to himself as the dog—which had been barking his head off since he drove up—left the side of his car and ran to the man. It began to jump up and down, excited, tail wagging so fast, it became

Book Excerpts

a blur. Whether it was because of the cowboy’s arrival or the strange car in the yard, Bradford didn’t know. The guy came around to the driver’s-side door and leaned down to peer into the window. There were faint lines around his eyes, the sort that came from squinting in the sunlight. The eyes themselves were a light amber color that reminded him of a ring his mother used to wear, or maybe good-quality beer. I could sure go for a beer and something to eat. I should have stopped at one of those diners I passed. Too late now. The cowboy smiled at him, which increased the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. Make that damn attractive. He found himself staring at the man’s smiling mouth, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Okay, it hasn’t been that long since you broke up with Victor, so it’s not as if you haven’t been laid recently. Take it easy. Besides, he’s probably not even bisexual, much less gay. These rugged cowboy types are usually straight as they come. Too bad, though. I wouldn’t mind a literal roll in the hay. He reached for the button to roll down the window, but the smiling cowboy opened the

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door before he got the chance. Brad stepped out of the car. “Hey, I guess you must be the guy who rented the vacation cabin.” The cowboy held out his hand. “I’m Sheelinn MacNamara. Friends usually call me Linn.” He motioned to the dog that stood near the car wagging his tail, tongue lolling from his mouth. “This is Dingbat, so named for the way he acts when visitors come by.” “I’m Bradford Thorne. Everyone winds up calling me Brad,” he replied, taking the offered hand. The man’s grip was firm but not hard enough to hurt. The warmth of the man’s skin and his easy smile put Bradford at ease. He didn’t think MacNamara had ever met a stranger; everyone was a friend in the making. At least that was the impression Brad got from the way the guy acted. The rancher held his hand a little longer than necessary, and his amber gaze roamed over Brad from head to toe. Is he checking me out or…what? The man’s smile widened into a grin. “When you told me you were an author, I expected a pudgy old guy,” MacNamara remarked. “Not a guy in

Book Excerpts

his early thirties who looks like he works for a living.” Brad chuckled. “That’s what most people expect.” He’d learned early on that mental work led to snacking, and he either had to control his eating with fanatic zeal or hit the exercise equipment daily. If he didn’t, he got a case of author’s gut from too many snacks and not enough physical activity. Working out meant he could have his midafternoon snack. “Believe me, writing is hard work. Using your mind to such a degree can be very exhausting. Especially when you finally glance at the clock and realize you’ve been at it for twelve solid hours.” “Well, I suppose any job tends to wear a person out by the end of the workday,” Linn remarked. “There’s no driveway around to the cabin, so I’ll show you the way back there. I’ll have some of the hands help you with your suitcases.” Brad shook his head. “No need. I’ve got them.” He opened the trunk and got out his suitcase, retrieved the laptop from the front seat, and turned an expectant look on Linn. “Okay then, follow me.”

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Brad followed the rancher around the house, which had hidden a pair of stables, and a few more fenced paddocks, where several more of the patchwork horses grazed peacefully. The smell of manure and animals made a pungent counterpoint to the crisp mountain air. It reminded him of summers spent with his grandparents on their Pennsylvania farm, though they’d had a couple of ponies and cows, not horses. He smiled at the memory. “The smell’s not going to bother you, is it?” the rancher asked. “We had a lady author here a couple years ago, and she was really unhappy. Said it stank so much she couldn’t work.” “It’s fine. I spent my childhood on a farm.” You can find High Country by going to http://www.loose-id.com and clicking on the search by author feature in the left hand menu. Click on ‘Michael Barnette’ and you’ll find High Country along with other great m/m, menage and femdom books by Michael.

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You might also like Plague Dance by Michael Barnette. A plague ravaged the world. Cory and Deshawn survived. But can they survive Roderik, the man who would be King? After a mutated strain of Ebola ended the world as we know it, Staff Sergeant Deshawn Roberts finds himself alone and longing for companionship. Cory Wilson, one time office worker, finds himself a captive of Roderick, King of the Lone Star Empire. It’s a life of slavery worse than death, and Cory escapes to find himself on the run. Brought together by chance, can these two men survive in the harsh reality of post Collapse America, and will they find the love they both crave? Here is a short excerpt from Plague Dance.

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A torrent poured forth from the darkened sky, the pounding drops intermingled with the chattering sounds of hail against the windows. Bursts of lightning shattered the night, bright as explosions in an embattled city. Deshawn Roberts stared out at the fury of nature, wondering who else might be out there witnessing the storm. Wondering if he might be the only one left after the outbreak of Ebola tore through the country leaving millions dead. Millions that included almost everyone else on the base where he’d been stationed. Other than himself he didn’t know who else might have survived the pandemic that had swept the US— the entire world— and left more people dead than living. The barracks where he’d lived with the rest of his platoon was empty, the rest of the men he’d liked, and those he’d tolerated were dead. Their mortal remains lay in the mass grave he’d managed to dig with a backhoe from a construction site, a subdivision that would never be finished. There was no one left to do the work, and no one alive to buy the half finished houses anyway.

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Of the hundreds of people who’d lived at the base, he was the only one left. Him alone with the echoing silence. He’d never understood that term, ‘echoing silence’ until he experienced the utter quiet of a place so devoid of life that seeing a bird made his heart fill with joy. He braced his forearms against the window sill, stared out at the raging storm. Lonely. He craved the sound of a human voice. The camaraderie of other soldiers, of men he knew, missed, wished he could talk to one last time. Share a beer and off color jokes, stare at the TV and hear laughter and angry words exchanged. To hear any voice break the plague of silence that ate at him day after day the way the plague of the body had eaten away at the people he knew until all that remained was the dust of the grave. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. The words mocked him. Taunted him with the promise of a release from loneliness he was unable to take. A few others had survived, a couple men from

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a different platoon, one of the officers from his own command group. But they’d gone to find their families and no one had tried to prevent it. Not after captain Ferrel had killed himself in the bedroom of his home, surrounded by his Ebola murdered family. There wasn’t much point in saying anything to them about duty or remaining to guard the base. Not after the government collapsed. That’s what the media had begun to call it in the last few struggling days of the United States. The Collapse. The end of civilization as everyone knew it. Even then the reports of warlords rising to power were coming in. Men—women too— carving out a niche in the plague shattered land. He wondered if any of the men he’d known reached their homes. Wondered if they’d found anyone alive if they had. Deshawn sighed, gaze riveted on the wild night, the storm torn riot beyond the glass and came to a decision. At first light he would load up a Humvee with supplies and head out. There wasn’t any reason to remain at the base, no one left to care what he

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did or whether he remained loyal to his oath as a soldier. With no government he had no one left to be loyal to, so his oath meant less than the rain hammering the base. Sooner or later other survivors would show up. Survivors he might not want to meet. People like the warlord types the last few newscasts he’d seen reported about. He’d heard a few radio broadcasts after that, the station running on a generator for a few days. The last discjockey left for hundreds of miles talking himself hoarse, passing on any information he received, broadcasting rumors about the self-proclaimed King of the Lone Star Empire. A king who the rumors said was some former military guy named Roderik who’d raised an army and sent them rampaging around the countryside capturing the few people alive. People he forced to work for him, women he turned into servants fit only to cook and clean, the prettiest ones forced into lives of slave prostitution. Then the station went silent. Either out of fuel for the generator or silenced by one of

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the warlords. Deshawn didn’t know and he’d probably never find out. In the long run it hardly mattered. The world had gone from a thriving global economy, from civilized high-tech and instant communication across the globe to a barbaric age of savagery in the span of less than a month. There were some really bad customers out there, prowling the post-Collapse landscape. People he had no desire to meet. Nor any desire to join in their egomaniacal quest for power. “Rain, rain go away,” he murmured to himself before turning from the hammering of hail and rain to try and get some sleep. Deshawn climbed out of his bunk the next morning, loaded up the Humvee and rolled out into the new world created by the Hand of Fate at a wink from Old Man Death. Or you might like like Dragon and Fenyx 1: Called by Power by Auburnimp and Michael Barnette.

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Two powerful mages—one of wind, one of fire—are drawn together by their powers into passion neither of them expected to find. Flamespirit, a firemage and healer, is a virtual outcast living with a clan he will never be part of, a clan that refuses to accept him as one of their own. While most men have swordbrothers to love them and wives to give them children, Flamespirit has neither lover nor wife. Stormdragon, a powerful windmage and sunstone wielder, has lost any reason to live. His swordbrother, Sandrunner is dead, and his elder brother has ruined his reputation among their clan. Stripped of being Heir to the Chief for an act of cowardice he didn’t commit, he leaves his people rather than become a kinslayer. A chance meeting between the two men changes their lives in ways neither of them expected when they are called by power. Here is a short excerpt from Dragon & Fenyx 1: Called by Power.

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Storm lips touched the nape of Flame’s neck, warm breath tickling his skin. “Do you want the full reason no one ever became your swordbrother in your former clan?” Flame sighed and moved into that soft caress of lips. “Although I’m beginning to think it was fear of me, it would help destroy a few internal demons if I knew the truth.” “None of them had the power to hold a bond with you. Power like ours can kill lesser men without us meaning to do it. We can so overwhelm their own magic that they die, or become little more than a dim reflection of the power we ourselves have.” Storm nuzzled the back of Flame’s neck, and whispered, “And yes, many times yes, I want you.” The hardness pressing Flame’s bottom was unmistakably the man’s erect cock. “I wish I wasn’t so tired,” Storm murmured, his tone full of regret. So it had been fear of him coupled with the instinctive need to survive at all costs. He snuggled back against Storm, much more

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relaxed and sure of himself now, feeling a lot less foolish. “I think I’ve wanted you since I first saw you,” he admitted. “Seemingly like draws like somehow.” “They say that power calls to power. I believe that. I’d felt the pull from Sandrunner long before we were swordbrothers. Even as a child I watched Sandrunner and he’d watched me almost as if we had unspoken knowledge of what we were to one another. Sandrunner was older than I, but he’d never taken a swordbrother. Not until the day I became a warrior. He came to me and held out his hand without saying a word. I took it and we went off into the wasteland to be alone and make our bond.” “You know, now even more than before, I really want to see this cave,” Flame said with a low chuckle. He surprised himself with how huskily it came out and was glad Storm couldn’t see his heated face in the dark. He’d waited so long for someone to claim him, had been so lonely, and now the waiting was over and he’d never be alone again.

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Or you might enjoy Spellslayer 1: Curse of the Wizard’s Guild by V. Green. How much trouble can a trained barbarian hero and a celibacy-sworn Guild wizard get into? Turak is a barbarian by trade, breaking down doors, scaling walls and occasionally even rescuing a puppy. A sword-carrying professional hero, he is comfortable in his skin, easygoing and partial to men. But even heroes can hide darkness inside. Gazriel is a wizard trained by Thallia’s Guild, sworn to scholastic endeavors and celibacy, doomed to spend his life clawing for precedence within the cutthroat politics of the Guild. His dark secret is his street-urchin past, doing whatever he had to if it kept him alive. Set up to become enemies, they find themselves sharing a meal—and adventures. Their trail of broken rules soon puts them on the path to assassins, quests, and a tavern brawl or two.

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Spellslayer 1: Curse of the Wizard’s Guild. Gazriel smirked to himself as the last alarm faded. Every few weeks a barbarian would come along and try to kill him, because that’s what barbarians did. It seemed to be part of their training. Barbarians assumed that every wizard was up to no good, and they had fair odds of being right on any particular one. For his own part, Gazriel spent little time considering the morality of his researches. He wanted to learn; he wanted to make a discovery fit to make the Wizard’s Guild let him keep his comfortable tower past his ten-year journeyman’s lease. Those desires might or might not take him to intellectual territory which would bother the average man. Come to think of it, this was the third intruder this month. Gazriel wondered if there was a shortage of wizards to harass. The average barbarian had a short attention span, and once the would-be assassin had failed a sufficient number of times, he tended to leave. The knock at the door, then, came as an utter surprise.

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Gazriel supposed he could ignore it, as he had the more traditional assaults, but he hadn’t been top of his class for being incurious. After the third polite tapping, barely hard enough to carry through the thick door and up two floors, he sighed and rose to his feet. Upright, he noticed he was hungry. One peril of living alone was the lack of anyone to remind him of mealtimes. He’d deal with that after he sent the intruder packing. His defenses in place, he threw open the door. The barbarian at the threshold had an honestlooking face and far too much bare flesh, in Gazriel’s opinion, for the cool night. His clothing seemed to consist largely of strips of leather with weapons attached. His bare chest and legs had a light coat of fur in the same common brown as the hair of his head. In his great paw, he grasped the neck of a wine bottle. “Turak the barbarian, requesting the hospitality of your tower for the night,” he said by way of introduction. Gazriel bit back the first word that came to mind, as Shit was not a response to further his professional reputation. Who had taught this great lummox to ask for hospitality? It was the one request that could not be turned down,

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especially from someone who had brought wine. Stalling, Gazriel asked, “Weren’t you just pitching a grappling hook at my roof ?” Barbarians shouldn’t blush, but this one did. “Afraid so.” Gazriel narrowed his eyes and let his first word last three times as long as it should. “And why in the world should I let you in and make you comfortable after you’ve spent the past hour and a half disturbing my peace? I dislike letting in assassins.” “I’m no assassin!” The intruder looked genuinely offended. “So this determined assault was only an attempt to find the guest room?” Gazriel felt entitled to his skepticism.

You can buy Plague Dance by Michael Barnette, Dragon and Fenyx 1: Called by Power by Auburnimp and Michael Barnette and Spellslayer 1: Curse of the Wizard’s Guild by

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V. Greene along with other fine m/m erotic romance and yaoi titles from: Shadowfire Press Enter the Shadows... Set your imagination on Fire http://www.shadowfirepress.com