plik

Shifter’s Song

by Vanessa North

of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or

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retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

This e-book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to

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within are from the author’s imagination and are not a resemblance to

actual living or dead persons, businesses, or events. Any similarity is

coincidental.

Musa Publishing

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Lancaster, OH 43130

www.MusaPublishing.com

Issued by Musa Publishing, March 2013

This e-book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or

distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International

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or sold by any person or business without the express permission of the

publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-61937-606-9

Editor: Elizabeth Silver

Artist: Kelly Shorten

Line Editor: Michele Hamner Moore

Interior Book Design: Cera Smith

Chapter One

“N

o, I’m not adding three more dates to the end of the tour. No.
You know you aren’t allowed to change my contract without my
say-so.” Lincoln couldn’t believe Stefanie was even going there.

Not now—three weeks before he was scheduled to leave on his very-much-needed
vacation and five minutes before he was due on stage for one of the last shows of
the tour. A sold out show, thankyouverymuch.

“Lincoln—”
“No, Stef. I said no. I need this vacation. I need every minute of it.”
“You’re going to be gone six weeks. No television appearances, nothing.

Throw your fans a bone.”

“My fans will live without me for six weeks. And you know the label is releasing

that ridiculous music video thing on the Internet while I’m gone. I need this, Stef.”

“Your fans are tweenage girls, Linc. I don’t think you realize how quickly

things change in the life of a twelve-year-old girl.”

And there she did it again. Brought up the whole sore spot in their entire

relationship. If his fans were tweenage girls, it was because Stef had been
marketing him as the goth answer to Justin Bieber. Lincoln wasn’t even really
goth, though he had to admit the eyeliner looked hot. He saw himself more like a
Southern-fried Bowie.

In your dreams, Tucker. Well, maybe someday. Once people over the age of

twelve started taking him seriously.

“So what? My fans are going to grow up, maybe I should too. Bieber can have

the tween set. I want to make real music, Stef.”

“Lincoln…you do make real music. These girls love your music.”

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“They love my face. Maybe my hair. They tell their parents I make them

contemplate their own mortality. I should shave my head and grow a beard and
stop wearing all this creepy black shit.”

“Don’t you dare.” When he looked up at her, Lincoln noticed the color had

drained out of Stef’s face. It really meant that much to her. His image. When
they’d first started out, he’d gone along with everything she said because his older
sister had a degree from UGA and knew shit. She loved him; she took care of him.
Just because they didn’t see eye to eye on his image didn’t mean she hadn’t worked
her ass off to get his career started.

He was a multi-millionaire because of her. A multi-millionaire who could

have anything he wanted. Except, it seemed, a vacation, colorful clothes, and
Cheerwine. Why didn’t they have Cheerwine in California?

“Okay. No beard. No haircut. But if I want to wear red or white or fucking

yellow while I’m at the Wiccan Haus, I will.”

“Just don’t let anyone take pictures, okay, babe?”
“One. I will do one more show at the end of the tour. Somewhere in the south,

please. Maybe I’ll go see Mom and Dad in Charlotte before I go.”

Stefanie squealed and clapped her hands together like one of the teenage girls

waiting for him to take the stage.

“Thank you, baby bro. Oh, and one more thing?”
“Yeah?”
“Just, kinda be discreet, okay?”
“Right.” Discreet was Stef’s code for “don’t get caught kissing a guy.” They’d

had the argument a few times about how and when he should come out, and
so far, they hadn’t reached détente. He got she was worried for him, but he also
wondered how much of this was her concern over his “image” and how well she
could sell him to the tween set. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when his sister had
started thinking of him as a product, but it stung.

He nodded, checked his eyeliner in the mirror—yeah, it really did look hot—

and took a deep breath. Time to give a sold-out stadium full of tweenage girls the
show of a lifetime.

He looked down at his red Converse—the only item of clothing in his stage

wardrobe that wasn’t black or grey—and stepped into the blinding stage lights.

Edouard took one last look at the bounty the Internet had to offer before they

left for the Wiccan Haus. The owners of the place, the Rowan siblings, seemed
to think technology had a negative impact on spiritual healing. Stephen had
warned him about the lack of outside contact. Two weeks with no Twitter, no

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

Facebook, no Tumblr. Edouard grinned at a gif that popped up on his Tumblr
dash—an animated image of a pop star, the twink with the eyeliner and a mouth
that was too pretty for words. The gif was just a stage shot, but somehow the guy
managed to make singing look pornographic the way he twisted and leaned over
that microphone. For a minute, Edouard thought about what it would be like to
be sitting in the drummer’s chair every night so he could watch that ass strut
around the stage in those skinny jeans. Damn.

“You ready, Ed?” Bruno strolled into Edouard’s room without knocking.

Bruno was the youngest, the baby of the family, but he and Stephen both treated
Edouard as if he were the one who needed someone to take care of him.

Edouard scowled as his brother sat on the bed, wrinkling the coverlet he’d

just smoothed.

“Jesus, Bruno.” He gestured at the bed. “Make yourself at home why don’t you.”
“Portal’s opening soon. C’mon.” Bruno grabbed one of Edouard’s bags and

gestured for the door.

It’s really happening. Fear tied a knot in Edouard’s gut, low and intense. After

years, he was finally going to do something about his problem.

“Hey, you don’t have to, you know. I can call and cancel the reservation. You

know I haven’t said anything to Stephen.” Bruno looked hesitant.

“No, I need to do this. Do you have a list of the stuff we’re supposed to bring

back for Romy?”

“Some ointment from Sage. It helps her with the tear duct issue. That’s it.”
“Cool.” Romy, their new sister-in-law, was blind. She and Stephen had met

at the Wiccan Haus and bam! those were hormones had announced she was
Stephen’s mate, and lo and behold, they had a sister. Not that he minded. She
was funny as hell, always joking, and since she was blind Stephen and Bruno had
been extra conscientious about keeping the house clean so she wouldn’t trip over
their stuff. Yeah, Edouard liked having the woman in the house. Thank God for
were hormones.

Were hormones. Another thing Edouard seemed to be missing. It’s not that

he didn’t have hormones. They just didn’t point him toward procreation. The
image of that pop singer bending over the microphone strolled, unbidden, into
his mind. It was almost embarrassing how easy it was to get off thinking about
that guy. Lincoln Tucker probably wasn’t even gay. All pop stars wore eyeliner. He
played coy with the media and occasionally was seen out and about with some
supermodel on his arm. Too bad. Lips like those…

“Earth to Edouard. Are you coming or not?”
Embarrassed at how he’d been mooning like a twelve-year-old, Edouard

looked down at his shoes. “Yeah, sorry.”

The opening to the portal wasn’t far from the house. The Syndicate had

helped them buy the land here because it was on the property. They got paid to

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

watch over it—if someone tried to use it, the noise would alert the three bears
and bring them running—and to keep their eyes and ears open for anything that
might mean trouble for the Wiccan Haus.

“I feel naked without my camera.” He turned to Bruno as they walked. “They

couldn’t make an exception?”

“No. Myron said something on the phone about an extra non-disclosure

agreement in the welcome packet too. Security is going to be extra tight for some
high-profile guest.”

“Great.” Edouard would’ve given anything to bring a camera with him. He saw

the world differently with the camera in his hands, and Stephen had described
the place as stunningly beautiful. Damn.

“Hey, you’re gonna be too busy working with Rekkus anyway. That’s the whole

point of this trip, right?”

“Right.” To fix Edouard. Because Edouard was broken. He reached into his

pocket to stroke the crystal that would serve as his ticket into the Wiccan Haus on
the other side of the portal.

The portal opening was loud, and for a moment, as Bruno talked, Edouard

couldn’t hear anything. He took a deep breath and stepped through, knowing the
Wiccan Haus waited on the other side.

The sound was deafening, and he clapped his hands over his ears, scowling.
The first thing he noticed was that the air smelled different, and there was a

blue stripe glowing along the floor. Other Paras—normal Paras—moved around
him. A flush spilled into his cheeks, as if they could magically guess why he was
there. Yeah, originally, it had been his choice not to shift. Now? It had been so
long, he wasn’t sure he even could anymore. But he didn’t want to see their pity.
He felt a shove from behind and a giggle.

“Sorry, man,” a werewolf behind him muttered. Just a kid, probably here to

learn how to control his shifts. A little kernel of superiority threaded through
Edouard. Control wasn’t exactly his issue, at least. He was in perfect control, as
long as the bear kept hibernating.

Finally, he started to walk forward, and he turned to say something to Bruno.

He expected his brother to be right behind him and was shocked to see he wasn’t
there. A quick glance around the hallway confirmed it:

Bruno was gone.

Chapter Two

“W

here the hell is my brother?” Edouard found a Wiccan Haus
employee by the portal and crowded into his space. Sure, he
didn’t shift, but he was still a were-bear, which meant he was

big and brawny. The man craned his neck back to look up into Edouard’s face,
then back to the paperwork in his clipboard.

“I don’t know. Everyone who came through the portal is present. Bruno

Bonsaint is not here.”

“Well, get on the damn phone and find out why not!”
“Is there a problem here?”
Edouard turned to look at the big man who’d approached. He was every bit

as big as Edouard—maybe even bigger—and dressed all in black. This had to
be Rekkus. The black were-tiger was head of security at the Wiccan Haus. He
smelled like danger and annoyance.

“Yeah, you Rekkus?”
“Yes.”
“Where the hell is my brother?”
“Which of the Bonsaints are you?” Rekkus asked, looking over the list in the

other employee’s hand.

“Edouard.”
“Well, Edward, I don’t know. He’s not on the Island. Maybe he changed

his mind?”

“Ed-ou-ard.” He drew out the French pronunciation of his name. “And he

wouldn’t let me come here without him. He’d…” Edouard swallowed, looking
down at his shoes. “He’d worry about me.”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Oh, that’s right. You’re the one who can’t shift. Okay, well, you’re safe here.

I’ll have Myron get on the phone and see if she can get a hold of Stephen and find
out if he’s still out at your place. Come with me.”

Edouard followed the were-tiger down the hallway as the other Paras brushed

past him. He caught a glimpse of a thin young man with an emo haircut and big
glasses, black skinny jeans and an ugly yellow T-shirt. As if he realized Edouard
was looking, the guy reached up and pulled fancy earplugs out of his ears and
lowered his glasses to wink at Edouard. He felt his face flush with both shock and
recognition. Even without the eyeliner, he’d know that face anywhere.

Lincoln-fucking-Tucker was a Para?
“Was your brother with you when you walked into the portal?” Rekkus called

over his shoulder.

“Yeah. I thought so, or at least right behind me.” Bruno would never have left

him willingly. Not after Stephen had been attacked the last time he’d come to
the Wiccan Haus. Edouard wouldn’t even be here if they hadn’t decided it was
imperative for him to learn how to shift again, to be able to protect himself against
the Para faction that was trying to get at Cyrus Rowan through the Bonsaints.

When they arrived in the lobby, the other Paras checked in and headed up to

their rooms from one of the elevators. He watched as Lincoln Tucker spoke with
a woman at the desk before following a bellhop outside and riding away in a golf
cart, leaving Edouard and a handful of teenaged wolves in the lobby while Rekkus
spoke in a furious whisper to the gypsy woman at the front desk.

“One of the Bonsaints didn’t show up? Which one?” She cast a curious glance

at Edouard. Rekkus let out an exasperated snarl before lowering his voice again,
but of course now Edouard listened.

“The younger one. This one is the one who can’t shift.” Edouard straightened

his shoulders and scowled as the teenaged wolves looked at him sideways.

“Telly.” The most Alpha of the young wolves held out his hand. Edouard took

it, shook briskly.

“Edouard.”
“You really can’t shift?”
“It’s complicated.”
“What kind of were are you?”
The question shocked Edouard for a moment before he realized it was

curiosity, not derision. He wasn’t being mocked for his inability to shift.

“Bear.”
“Badass. Like Bonsaint? Last time I was here, he took out a vamp and a wolf

defending his mate. So cool.”

“He’s my brother, and I have it on good authority that my sister-in-law took

out the wolf.”

“He’s still a badass. Too bad about the shifting.”

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“Why are you here?”
“Same reason as you I guess. Help with shifting. You don’t even shift during

the full moon?”

“No, I meant, why are you here in the lobby? Why don’t you go up to your

room? And no, I don’t.” Edouard looked at the wolf in exasperation. Telly just
grinned at him.

“We don’t stay at the main Haus. We have our own digs.”
Rekkus turned and gestured at them.
“Let’s go.”
The wolves moved toward Rekkus, and he turned to Edouard. “You too,

Bonsaint. You’re bunking in with these guys.”

Oh, hell no.
“Excuse me? Bunking in? With—?” Just the thought of sharing space with

adolescents and their obnoxious manners and dirty laundry made Edouard want
to throttle someone. “Rekkus, I need privacy.”

“You can’t control your shift? You stay in the kennel. Let’s go. Myron’s going

to call your brother. She’ll call you after she talks to Stephen.”

“Kennel?”
“Don’t worry, we have video games.” Telly clapped him on the shoulder.

The cottage was perfectly appointed. Lincoln didn’t know what he wanted

to do first, take a relaxing bath in the tub or nap. Or both at the same time. He
settled for kicking off his shoes and sprawling on the bed and letting his thoughts
wander to the big shifter who had been expecting his brother to come through
the portal with him. It’s not as though Lincoln had been eavesdropping; the guy
had been shouting.

And he was pretty much exactly what Lincoln would have ordered off the

menu if the Wiccan Haus were the kind of place that offered hookups as room
service: tall, dark, and—Lincoln was willing to bet at least ten percent of his
merch revenues—toppy.

Yes, please. He wondered what kind of shifter the guy was. He was huge, all

hard muscle and broad shoulders. That neatly-trimmed beard and close cropped
hair should have been elegant, but a rough wildness lurked under the surface. He
definitely wasn’t wolf. Something more exotic. Big cat? Please, not a big cat. They
were all right to look at, but they made Lincoln too uneasy to even think about
seducing one. When he realized where his thoughts were going, he tried to shake
them off. Good grief, the man’s brother was missing.

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Then he saw the guitar case. He’d had Stef send one of his guitars ahead of

time, and someone had been kind enough to place it in the cottage for him. A
perfect distraction. He hummed few bars of the song he was writing. He didn’t have
much in the way of lyrics yet, but he knew it would be his best yet. He could just
feel it in his bones.

He took the guitar out of the case and began picking out the intro. On this

new album, he really wanted to blend in some of the musical traditions of his
home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. He’d been picking along
with Doc Watson songs from the time his fingers were long enough to make the
chords with his fret hand. There was no reason he couldn’t bring a little bit of
home into his music.

He was starting to relax into the rhythm and start thinking about the lyrics

when he heard a pounding on the door to the cottage. He set the guitar down on
the bed and made his way to the front door.

“Yeah?”
One look at the man outside the door made him take a step back.
Rekkus. The big were-tiger made Lincoln nervous. Being this close to a

predator always made his heart rate speed up, and not in a good way.

“You’re late for dinner. The Rowans sent me up here to remind you that

everyone eats at the main Haus, rock star or no.”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot. Let me just—”
“Get in the golf cart.” Rekkus growled as he turned on his heel. Lincoln ran

back to the bedroom and grabbed his shoes, scrambling to pull them on as he
hopped back to the waiting cart. What was he thinking? This wasn’t his first visit
to the Wiccan Haus. He knew about the dinner rule.

When he looked up, a frisson of shock worked through him, making him

shudder. Big, brawny, and brotherless was in the golf cart arguing with Rekkus.

“Please, let me stay at the Haus. I can’t abide ‘bunking in’ as you put it, with

those animals.”

Lincoln looked back and forth between the two bigger shifters, not sure if he

was interrupting.

“Look who’s talking. Sounds to me like you have a really good incentive to get

better, don’t you?” Rekkus smiled tightly before turning to Lincoln.

“Get in, rock star.” He made it sound like a curse.
“Sorry.” Lincoln apologized again as he scrambled into the seat next to the

object of his seemingly unrelenting lust. Up close, the man was even sexier.
Lincoln didn’t have the most reliable gaydar on the planet, and half the time it
seemed to equal nothing more than wishful thinking, but he definitely got an
“interested” vibe from the big shifter.

“Lincoln Tucker.” He held out his hand.
“I know who you are.” The other guy glanced at him. “Edouard Bonsaint.”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Nice to meet you, Edouard.” Lincoln withdrew his hand when the offered shake

wasn’t accepted. He shoved it back into his pocket. “Any word on your brother?”

“How do you know about my brother?” The other man shot him a look that

could have felled an oak tree.

“You were…kinda loud. Earlier.”
“Oh. Yeah. No. Nothing yet, except that he’s not back home with Stephen, our

other brother, and Romy, Stephen’s wife.”

“Sorry.”
Conversation slowed to a halt then, and Lincoln was glad when the cart slowed

to a stop in front of the Haus. Rekkus dropped them off before taking off again.

“So…I suppose you don’t really want to eat with your bunkmates?” Lincoln

nodded toward the group of teenage wolves as they walked into the dining room.
Edouard shuddered in apparent revulsion. Uptight, much Eddie?

“No.”
“Join me, then.” He plastered on his most charming smile, the one he used at

meet and greet events and any time a reporter shoved a microphone in his face.

Edouard turned and looked at him sharply, and Lincoln suddenly felt more

alive than he’d ever felt before. The smile faded into something more genuine
under the heat of that intent stare. His heart thundered in his chest, and he felt
blood rushing south so quickly, he was pretty sure his skinny jeans wouldn’t hide
his erection very long. Just from a look. Hell, if this guy could do that with his
eyes, what could he do with his tongue?

“Okay.”

Chapter Three

douard  picked  at  his  food  as  he  stared  across  the  table  at  Lincoln
Tucker,  who  regaled  him  with  some  story  involving  a  comedy  of
errors  on  a  tour  stop  in  Alabama,  a  white  T-shirt,  and  something

called Cheerwine, which did not seem to actually be wine at all. As much as he
appreciated the other man’s efforts to distract him, not to mention his flawless
table manners, Edouard couldn’t get his mind off his brother.

Bruno was the youngest of the Bonsaints; sweet natured and shy, he’d grown

up sheltered by both Edouard and Stephen. While he embraced his bear nature
far better than Edouard ever had, his human side had always seemed a little more
fragile and in need of nurturing.

“Tell me about your brother,” Lincoln finally said, setting down the cup of tea

Sage had brought him.

“Bruno is…quiet. He’s the kind of guy who thinks about everything at least

three times before he actually does it. He’s a writer, and he doesn’t seem to mind
if most of his friends are fiction. He’s kind of a loner.”

“I’m sorry he’s missing.”
“Yeah.” Edouard tried to swallow a bite of his food, but it felt like it would

stick in his throat. Finally, he managed to get it down and took a sip of water. He
looked back across the table at Lincoln and his hand paused halfway back to the
table, forgotten.

The look on Lincoln’s face was thick and carnal, determined. He’d seen that

look on the dance floor of the gay bar he visited in Quebec City sometimes—when
another man looked at him that way, it usually meant he was going to get lucky.
Heat flooded his gut as he met Lincoln’s eyes. Lust, hot and sharp, flared up, and
his jeans suddenly seemed three sizes too small. Paired with it was a raging sense
of guilt that he was even thinking about sex while his brother was missing.

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“What do you do? For a living, I mean,” Lincoln asked.
“I’m a wildlife photographer. I sell prints through my website, and I’ve had

some pieces in some pretty big magazine spreads. Being not-quite-human helps
me get closer to the animals. I understand them better.”

“What do you shift into?” Lincoln asked. Edouard bristled, and then realized

Lincoln was just making typical Para small-talk. Still, he was surprised as anyone
when he answered.

“I don’t, that’s the problem—why I came to the Haus.”
“Okay, what are you supposed to shift into?” If there’d been any mocking to

Lincoln’s voice, Edouard wouldn’t have answered, but all he heard was curiosity.

“The Bonsaints are a very old brown bear clan.” He pushed his food around on

his plate some more as he said it, uncomfortable with this line of questioning. He
could talk about photography all night long, but shifting…no.

“You’re kidding me.”
Edouard looked up to see Lincoln laughing.
“What?”
“Bear? It’s just…” Lincoln’s laugh died down, and he glanced around the room,

as if to be certain no one listened. “…the beard, the muscles…”

Ah. Yeah, that. He was pretty sure Lincoln was gay now. Otherwise he wouldn’t

be snickering at Edouard with that sly little smile on his face. Okay, it was a little
funny. Guilt-be-damned—he smiled back. Fine, he could be just as unsubtle when
it suited him.

“So what does a twink like you shift into?”
“How do you know I’m a shifter?” Lincoln leaned close, and Edouard breathed

in his scent. Clean and cold, nothing he’d ever smelled before, but also sex and
magic, as familiar as it was strange. The combination sent a shudder of lust
through Edouard, and one look at Lincoln’s face, eyes sparkling with challenge,
and he knew he’d sensed it too. Maybe Lincoln wasn’t a shifter, but he certainly
hadn’t objected to being called a twink. Too young for you, Edouard.

“So what are you? Changeling? Fae?”
“No, you were right the first time.” Lincoln sat back in his seat. “Tell you what,

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Edouard, unfortunately, chose the exact wrong moment to take a sip of his

water, because at Lincoln’s innuendo-laden statement, it sprayed out his nose
and started a coughing fit.

“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Wake the bear, and I’ll show you what I look like in my other form.”
“No. Of all the people on this island, you’re the last person I’d want to see that

part of myself.”

Lincoln’s face stiffened into a smiling mask, and Edouard glanced away. It’s

for your own good, kid.

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

Rekkus was a good guy, Edouard had to give him that. However, he wasn’t

exactly…patient. They had tried a few different methods for getting the bear out,
but nothing seemed to be working. Try as he might, Edouard couldn’t let go of the
anxiety that swamped him when he tried to shift.

“You’ve got the animal side of yourself on lockdown. You need to integrate it

more fully into yourself, Bonsaint.”

“I’m trying.” He gritted his teeth, trying to visualize himself in bear form. But

every time he did, other memories surfaced. The smell of blood, the horror of not
being able to shift back to his human form. Rejection. Pushing those memories
aside, he reached deep for the bear again.

Rekkus immediately shifted into his tiger form, stalking toward Edouard. He

felt a flicker within, a reaction to the large predator animal moving toward him,
but the anxiety was stronger.

“Hey.” A voice behind him called out. “Do you mind shifting back so we

can talk?”

Edouard turned, noticing Rekkus shifted immediately once he did. The tall,

dark-haired man walking toward them wore gloves, even on a bright sunny day.
It had to be Cyrus. He nodded politely to Edouard before taking Rekkus aside.
The two of them whispered in hushed tones, and a few times Edouard caught his
brother’s name.

“Hey, if you all are talking about Bruno, do you mind letting me in on the

conversation?”

Cyrus looked over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Edouard, Kaleb wouldn’t involve

a human without special training. He’s not going to involve a shifter who can’t
shift. Sorry.”

Bitterness rose in Edouard’s throat. He nodded sharply and turned his back to

the other men. They were at the edge of the orchard, so he ventured more deeply
among the apple trees.

He could shift, and he owed it to Bruno to get his bear back.

Chapter Four

rom his perch in the tree, Lincoln could see the big bear shifter down
in the orchard. He didn’t mean to spy, but Edouard naked was an
unbelievably beautiful sight. Eddie paced about, clearly upset. Poor

guy. Lincoln tried to imagine how it would feel to be a shifter and not be able to
take animal form. He missed it, when he was out in public, but he’d been making
a game of it for the last few years. He’d go into a restroom and give his bodyguard
the slip by shifting into his avian form and taking off out the window. Stef would
explain it off as a training exercise for the bodyguards while Lincoln could fly and
sing, and be himself for a couple of hours.

As he watched the big man snarl and grab at his hair, he thought about what

it would be like to have all that strength holding him.

I want him.
Before he could stop himself, Lincoln let out a call. He watched as the man

below him stilled, cocked his head as if he were listening.

So Lincoln sang.
Instead of the typical birdsong one might expect, he improvised, and he ran

the gamut of his wide vocal range. He trilled, hooted, yipped, and put all the
yearning he felt into that song.

Silent once more, he watched Edouard tremble in concentration. For a very

brief moment, Lincoln felt that rush of energy that he associated with other
shifters, and then the brown bear sat back on his haunches in the orchard, staring
at big paws. If a bear could look amazed, in that moment, Edouard surely did.

Lincoln’s heart thudded rapidly in his chest as he stared at the magnificent

creature in front of him. The bear was even larger than Lincoln had imagined he
might be, with a long boxy nose and huge paws with dangerous-looking claws. He

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

let out another call and watched Edouard shift back to his human form, sitting
stunned on what Lincoln imagined was a very fine-looking naked ass.

A promise is a promise.
He launched himself into the air, and then swooped down to land on the grass

in front of Edouard. He tilted his head, watching Edouard’s breath catch in his
throat. He could feel himself smiling even before he’d taken his human form.

“Hi, Eddie.” He ducked his head, pulling his knees up to his chest.
“You’re a Blackburnian Warbler?” Edouard whispered, his eyes glowing in

what Lincoln hoped was admiration.

“You’re a birdwatcher?” He laughed, surprised Edouard could name the

species. “I’m nowhere near as powerful as a bear shifter. I can’t really do anything
cool, like fight or swim…”

“You can fly, and sing, and you’re beautiful. Hell, Lincoln, you’re the prettiest

thing I’ve ever seen.”

Lincoln felt his face heat up under Edouard’s praise. He met the other man’s

eyes and saw they were filled with something more than admiration, something
hot and gooey that made him flush all over. His cock filled with blood, and he
realized there was no way to hide it.

So he didn’t. He let go of his knees and pushed up to kneel in front of

Edouard, reaching.

Edouard was right there, his hand curling behind Lincoln’s neck and his lips

coming down hard and hot.

So fucking good. Lincoln hadn’t been kissed like this in a long time. Edouard

wasn’t gentle, but the rough desperation in his touch bespoke a tenderness that
came from wanting too much, and Lincoln loved to be wanted, craved it. It made
him feel alive like only flying and singing could.

Flying, singing, and kissing Edouard Bonsaint.
Edouard’s tongue stroked along his own, and one big hand reached down and

grabbed his ass, the fingertips curling into the crease where his butt and thighs
met, tugging him closer. A groan echoed through the orchard, and Lincoln was
shocked that the gravelly sound seemed to come from his own heaving chest.

“You’re fucking sweet, boy.” Edouard pulled back to whisper against his lips,

and Lincoln felt his cheeks flush again. He didn’t know what to say, so he just
pulled Edouard back into the kiss, reaching to get a hand between them. This
was insane, not the least bit careful. Anyone could walk by and see him groping
Edouard in the orchard, but Lincoln couldn’t seem to stop himself. He could feel
the other man’s cock jutting against his hip, heavy and leaking, and he seized
it, giving it a firm pump. This time, it was Eddie who groaned, nipping at his
lip. Lincoln felt intoxicated, drunk on the power of holding this big man in his
hands and making him moan. At this point, he didn’t care if a television crew
came around the corner, he needed this so badly.

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“I want to make you feel good,” he whispered. “Tell me what you like.”
“Like that, but harder. Twist a little at the head.” Edouard’s voice was rough

and needy, and it brought a smile to Lincoln’s face as he brought his hand up and
spat into it before reaching down and fisting Edouard’s cock again.

“Yeah.” Edouard’s head dropped back, his breathing heavy, and he pushed his

hips forward, thrusting into Lincoln’s hand. “Fuck, Lincoln, you’re gonna make
me come.”

“Yeah.” Lincoln grinned, working his hand faster until he felt the lurch in

Eddie’s body. He wrapped his free arm around Edouard’s back, hugging him
close as he shouted and jerked, come shooting between them to splash against
Lincoln’s belly. He worked Edouard’s cock with slowly gentling strokes. That had
to have been the most magnificent orgasm Lincoln had ever witnessed.

When Edouard’s eyes opened, they pinned Lincoln with heat. Lincoln’s

heartbeat sped up.

“Spread your knees,” Edouard whispered, moving around behind Lincoln.
Oh, shit. Lincoln rushed to obey, all the blood in his brain seeming to have

taken a high-speed train down to his already rock-hard cock at the order. Fuck,
this is hot. He waited to see what Edouard would do. Lincoln loved when a lover
was strong enough, confident enough, to boss him around a bit. Hell, he was
famous, people deferred to him, and lovers weren’t typically any different. But
Lincoln didn’t want deference from a lover, especially not this one.

“Put your hands on the tree.”
The tree bark felt rough under his hands, and the grass abraded his knees, but

Lincoln didn’t care. He knelt, legs spread, arms braced on the tree, and he waited,
his breath coming in rapid pants.

Then Edouard’s huge hand was brushing over Lincoln’s belly, sweeping up

the semen from his own orgasm and reaching for Lincoln’s cock. Yes, please…

Eddie’s grip was tight, perfect, and the slickness felt so good. Lincoln wanted

to thrust forward, to chase the feeling, but instead he held perfectly still and let
Edouard feed all that glorious sex energy into him.

“Good boy.” Edouard’s voice was rough, rasping close to Lincoln’s ear and he

could feel the heat of the other man’s breath. His cock seemed to grow in Edouard’s
hand, and he fucking whimpered. He was so close, so ready, but he needed more.

“Tell me what you need,” Edouard ordered. “Ask me nicely, and I’ll give it to you.”
“Finger me,” Lincoln said, and then remembered nicely. “Please, Eddie.”
“Bend a little for me.” And then that big hand caressed his ass and Lincoln

groaned as he pressed his forehead against his hands on the tree. He felt a gentle
rub along one cheek, then the other, a large finger sweeping from his balls back
to tease at his hole. He wiggled his ass a little, inviting.

Slap.
“Hold still.”

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Lincoln bit down on his lip. He couldn’t remember ever being this horny in

his entire life, and all the temptation was there to do something, anything, to
hurry it along, but he did as he was told. He stilled. Edouard’s hand slowed on
his cock, teasing. The shudder came from deep in Lincoln’s gut, expanding and
multiplying, swelling like a massive wave inside him as he waited, anticipating.

When Edouard’s finger pushed forward, Lincoln pushed back into him,

feeling the stretch and burn and loving it. A low moan erupted from him and
Edouard’s hand on his cock stopped moving.

“Okay?” Edouard whispered.
“Fuck, yes. Just make me come already.” Lincoln made the mistake of looking

back over his shoulder at Edouard in time to catch a glimpse of a particularly
devilish grin. Then his eyes slammed shut and pleasure flooded him, thick and
heavy, as Edouard’s hands began to move in perfect tandem, one teasing in
his ass while the other worked his cock. A storm was gathering in his balls and
Lincoln braced himself for impact.

Edouard found his prostate with that rubbing finger. The wave of heat and

need and desire that had been swelling in him hit Lincoln hard, dragging him
under. He shouted, a sob wrenching from his chest as his cock jerked in Edouard’s
hand and his ass clenched down on the invading digit.

He felt like he was flying and singing, lit on fire and shaking as Edouard gave

him the most perfect, beautiful orgasm of his life. And from a handjob, no less.

His chest heaved as he collapsed back against Edouard, who fell down with him

to the ground, chuckling. Edouard’s hands caressed and cradled, and he pressed a
gentle kiss to Lincoln’s forehead. As ridiculous as it was, knowing that Edouard was
little more than a stranger, Lincoln felt safe and cherished in that moment.

“You gonna fall asleep?”
Lincoln shook his head, unable to speak yet.
“Good, ’cause we probably shouldn’t be laying around naked in the orchard.”
Lincoln cobbled together as coherent a statement as he could, considering

that right in that moment, doing anything other than lying around naked in the
orchard seemed impossible. “We’re shifters, we have an excuse.”

“You’re a shifter.”
“So are you, Edouard. I saw you, you were amazing.”
“You saw me?” The tone of Edouard’s voice felt like ice down Lincoln’s spine.

He sat up, turning to look at his lover only to be shocked at the look on Eddie’s face.

“Eddie? What’s going on?”

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Edouard felt something in him breaking as he looked at Lincoln, the man he’d

just—oh hell, the man he’d just made love to—staring at him as though he had three
heads. Lincoln was unlike anyone he’d ever met before, and something about him
felt fragile and beautiful and if Edouard hurt him, he’d never forgive himself.

“Eddie…” And that nickname, hell. Every time Lincoln said it, Edouard’s brain

went to mush.

“You cannot, ever, be with me when I shift. Promise me.”
“No.” Lincoln’s chin came up. “You can boss me around while we’re fooling

around, fucking, whatever, and I’ll admit that’s pretty hot. But it doesn’t make me
your bitch. I don’t do what you want just because you want it.”

“I have my reasons, Lincoln, please.”
“So, what are they? If they sound reasonable to me, I might agree.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m on vacation, I’ve got time.”
Edouard stared at those full, gorgeous lips curling up in a smile. Fuck.
“Ten years ago, I was in a pretty serious relationship. I know I was really

young, and how serious can things be when you’re that young, but Allen was my
first in a lot of ways, you know? The first guy I did more than handjobs or blowjobs
with. The first guy I was out with. He was my first real boyfriend, and we were
just crazy about each other, you know? You know how that is?”

He looked at Lincoln, expecting some kind of acknowledgment of that

amazing feeling, but Lincoln just shook his head.

“No, I don’t, Eddie. I’ve never had that kind of relationship. Hell, I’m not even

out. So what happened?”

Edouard studied Lincoln’s face. Sure, there had been speculation on the

Internet about Lincoln’s sexuality, but nothing had ever been confirmed.

“We got in a fight, I don’t even remember what the fight was about, but it

was close to the full moon and I was so angry. I shifted and I couldn’t shift back.
I scared the shit out of him, but worse than that, I hurt him. I didn’t mean to, but
it happened fast, and he was reaching for me when it happened, and my paw…”

Edouard shuddered. All that blood. “I slashed his arm pretty deep. I couldn’t

shift back, and I couldn’t talk to him, and he went outside and called 911. Can
you imagine?”

Lincoln stared, shaking his head slowly.
“He told his family he tried to kill himself but changed his mind. He lied to

them. He went into an inpatient mental hospital for months, and I couldn’t see
him, I couldn’t talk to him.”

He sighed. “He lied to protect me, or maybe he thought no one would believe

him. For all I know, maybe he thought he was delusional. When he got out of the
hospital, he refused to speak to me.”

“I’m not him, Eddie. I’m not human. I’m not scared of who you are.”

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“You should be.”
“Why? You were unbelievably beautiful. I sang—a freaking mating call—

because you were so amazing.”

“That was you singing?” Edouard smiled as Lincoln nodded. “Because of me?”
“I couldn’t help myself. You were awesome.”
“I’m still a lot bigger than you. I could hurt you without ever meaning to.”
“I’m a shifter too, Bonsaint. You’re not gonna hurt me. Trust yourself.”
I can’t. Edouard blushed, ashamed. “I can’t. I’m sorry. Will you leave me

alone, please?”

Lincoln leaned into him, pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. It took

every ounce of control Edouard possessed not to grab him with both hands and
kiss all this ugliness out from between them. Lincoln pulled away a bit, resting his
forehead against Edouard’s shoulder.

“I’ll go for now. But, Eddie, I had a really nice time, you know?” He pulled

back and cupped Edouard’s face. Damn if he didn’t want to roll his face into that
palm like a cat. “I’m not going to promise to stay away from you. I’d like to do that
again. And more.”

Edouard nodded. “I had a nice time too.” And it was true. He and Lincoln

hadn’t just jerked each other off. There had been something glorious in the way
Lincoln had opened up to him and let him take control, knowing that was what
they both needed. He’d never felt that connected before, never felt that he could
give exactly what the other man needed. “Nice doesn’t even cover it. That was…”

Lincoln ran his thumb along Edouard’s lower lip and smiled. “Yeah, it really

was. I’ll see you later.”

He shifted faster than anything Edouard had ever seen, leaping into the air as

he went, a flash of brilliant yellow feathers as he soared away.

Chapter Five

he song was playing in Lincoln’s head on a repetitive loop now. He
knew exactly how he wanted it to sound. It was melancholy, but
with a little edge. A reluctant love song. The lyrics would be the hard

part. His brain kept wandering every time he tried to concentrate. He was finally
getting into his groove when a knock sounded on the door.

“Are you kidding me?” He groaned, setting the guitar down in its case and

crossing to the door. He flung it open to see the younger of the Rowan brothers
standing on his doorstep. He raised an eyebrow. He liked Cemil well enough, but
they were hardly “show up and knock on my door anytime” sort of friends.

“Hello, Lincoln.”
“Cemil.”
“I’ve come to ask you a favor. May I come in?”
“Sure.” He opened the door wide to let the other man inside.
“I’ve noticed you seem to have struck up a friendship with Edouard Bonsaint.”
Lincoln nearly choked at that. Sure, if by friendship you mean we flirted over dinner

before getting off together in the orchard. He snorted a laugh. Finally.

“Yeah, he’s a nice guy.”
“I think so too. Has he told you anything of why he’s come to the Wiccan Haus?”
“Yeah, his shifting problem. I saw the bear yesterday, just a glimpse.”
“He actually shifted? That’s fantastic.” Cemil grinned. “Look, Lincoln,

Edouard’s shifting problem, as you called it, is tied to an intense anxiety reaction.
Have you ever heard of post-traumatic stress disorder?”

“Of course, sure.”
“Okay, well, his coping mechanism for dealing with a traumatic event in his

past is exerting control over everything in his life. His obsessive cleanliness, his

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photography work, and so on. He’s frightened to let the bear out because he fears
he won’t be able to control it.

“If he could have come here ten years ago when he was a lot younger, closer to

the time of the event, then perhaps we could have helped him before it got as bad
as it has. Now when he tries to shift, his body goes into an acute stress reaction.
Fight or flight. And he picks flight every time.”

“I have a thing for flight myself.” Lincoln smiled. Poor Eddie.
“Well, I’ve noticed from observing him that he seems calmer when you’re

nearby. He seems to be a little closer to equilibrium. I think you’re a good
influence, and I just wanted to encourage that influence.”

Lincoln felt a rush of tenderness. Eddie was the most riveting, fascinating

person he’d ever met. He had to try to help him.

“Yeah.” He had no idea what he was agreeing with, but if it meant spending

time with Edouard…

Cemil gave a satisfied nod. “He and Rekkus will be working in the orchard

this afternoon before dinner. Maybe you could check on him for me?”

“Sure. What do you need me to do?”
“Just, exert a calming influence. He needs someone who doesn’t frighten him.

Rekkus means well, but his techniques are better suited to cocky young wolves
than a reticent bear.”

“Okay, I can do that. Think he’d mind if I brought the guitar?”
“I suspect he’d love it.” Cemil smiled. “See you at dinner.”

Edouard’s blood rushed in his ears as he attempted to shift again. He was

so close he could taste it. He’d managed yesterday, alone in the orchard—well,
almost alone—but now, with Rekkus prowling around him, watching, he felt
uncomfortable, as though everything was spiraling out of reach. Finally, he sank
back against one of the fragrant apple trees, exhausted.

“You need to stop over-thinking it.” Rekkus had barely shifted back into his

human form before he lit into Edouard.

“Damn it, Rekkus, I’m trying. Give me a break, all right?”
“May I watch?”
Edouard spun around to see Lincoln standing nearby, his guitar case in hand.

He shifted from foot to foot as he stared at Edouard.

“What are you doing here?”
“Well, I’m staying in that cottage right there, and I’ve been working on this

new song for the next album, and I kind of got writer’s block. Anyway, I thought

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maybe you wouldn’t mind if I watched. Sometimes watching naked men sweating
and grunting makes for good inspiration.”

“Oh, hell, Lincoln.” Edouard scowled. He saw Lincoln smile and realized he

was being teased. What a bizarre sensation.

“Rekkus, do you mind?” He turned to the were-tiger, expecting him to tell

Lincoln to go away. Instead, the cat-shifter stared at Lincoln thoughtfully. Finally
he nodded.

“Go ahead.”
“Eddie?”
Oh, that nickname again.
“Yeah, just stay way over there, okay?” Edouard moved to put Rekkus between

himself and the songbird. No way in hell he was going to risk hurting Lincoln,
and he knew Rekkus wouldn’t let that happen. As he stretched and moved for
another attempt, the were-tiger shifted and moved toward him.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Edouard looked up and met Lincoln’s

eyes at the exact moment that Lincoln started strumming his guitar. Rekkus
pulled his lips back in a hiss; Lincoln began to sing.

The song was an old folk song, something about a train. It didn’t matter.

Lincoln’s voice struck a chord in Edouard, made him burn, but a lovely burn.
Suddenly, Rekkus turned and stalked toward Lincoln, and Edouard felt his bear
come roaring to the surface. He lunged forward, shifting as he moved, and acting
on pure instinct, he did the only thing he could think of: he grabbed the tiger’s tail
in one huge paw.

Lincoln stopped singing, and Rekkus shifted back into his human form, laughing.
“Nice work, Edouard.”
Edouard stared at Rekkus curiously. He didn’t look different, exactly. From

his bear’s eyes, everything was a little sharper, a little more distinct. But overall
still the same. He turned to look at Lincoln, who grinned back. Lincoln took a step
toward Edouard, hand out like he wanted to freaking pet him or something.

Edouard shook his head, backing up. As quickly as he’d shifted to his bear

form, he shifted back, taking human form again. He tried not to notice the
disappointment on Lincoln’s face.

“That is what I’d call a breakthrough,” Rekkus said carefully. “You shifted to

protect your friend, and then you shifted back when the threat to him was gone.
Well done.”

The threat to Lincoln wasn’t gone though. Edouard was the threat, not Rekkus.
“Again,” Rekkus demanded, nodding to Lincoln. Lincoln grinned at Edouard

and began to strum the guitar again.

They carried on like that for what felt like hours. Finally, Rekkus tossed

Edouard his clothes. “Enough. Dinner at the main Haus in half an hour. Good
work today, Bonsaint.” And with that, he shifted and ran off.

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“Oh. My. God. Eddie! You were brilliant!” Lincoln grinned, reaching for him.

Edouard let the smaller man pull his head down into a kiss. What started as an
exuberant expression of affection quickly grew lush and hot between them, and
Edouard felt his cock flooding with blood.

“We don’t have time,” he said, pulling back. “Not for what I’d really like to do

with you.”

“Maybe after supper then.” Lincoln flashed a carnal grin. “Why don’t you stay

with me at the cottage tonight? I bet Rekkus wouldn’t mind. He’ll have his hands
full with the teenwolves, and besides, he knows you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“It’s a full moon tonight. I don’t want to take any risks.”
“You’re going to give up ten years of discipline and start shifting willy-nilly?”
“No.”
“Then stay with me.”
“I think I’d like that.” Edouard felt a jolt of elemental heat searing down his

spine as he tugged his clothes on. Stay with me. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Lincoln gestured toward the cottage. “There’s a golf cart

parked by the cottage. I’ll give you a lift to dinner.”

Chapter Six

douard looked around the cottage, drinking in the ambiance. It
seemed perfect for Lincoln. Relaxing, with a sweet citrusy scent in
the air. A basket of apples from the orchard sat on the table, and

Lincoln’s guitar rested against the wall in its case.

“This is nice,” he observed.
“Yeah.” Lincoln smiled at him. “I love it here. I try to come here when I’m not

on tour, just to chill, you know? Life on the road is exhausting. Keeping secrets
when there are cameras in your face all the time? Even worse.”

“I bet.” Edouard shuffled from one foot to another. “I don’t have any idea what

I’m doing here, Lincoln.”

“You’re here because I invited you.” Lincoln shrugged. “I like your company. I

saw how out-of-sorts the wolves make you, and I have this cottage all to myself.”

“It’s not because they’re wolves.” Edouard wrinkled his nose. “It’s because

they’re gross.”

“Oh come on. I don’t believe for a second that Rekkus lets them trash the kennel.”
“No, he doesn’t. I don’t know. I don’t feel comfortable with other people in

my personal space, and adolescents don’t have the best grooming habits, and—”

“And you, lover, are a priss,” Lincoln finished for him.
“Priss?”
“Priss,” Lincoln confirmed.
Edouard wasn’t sure whether to be offended or not. He saw the teasing tilt to

Lincoln’s smile and decided he’d rather be getting naked with him than talking
about the grooming habits of adolescent werewolves.

“Thank you for letting me stay with you.”
“You’re welcome.” Lincoln took a step closer and Edouard’s breath caught in

his throat. He wasn’t exactly starstruck, but sometimes, when he looked at the

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other man, he realized that this Lincoln, this sweet, funny guy who teased him
about being a priss, was the same guy he’d fantasized about back home surfing
the Internet. How did he get so lucky to have a fantasy come to life?

“I really want to kiss you right now, Lincoln Tucker,” he whispered. Lincoln

grinned at him.

“I like being wanted.”
“Is that so? Is that why you became a musician? To get the guys? To make

everybody want this ass?” He reached down and ran a hand over that sweet
curve, smiling.

“No, I became a musician because I love to sing. The guys are a job perk.”
Jealousy reared up in Edouard. He didn’t like to think about the perks of

Lincoln’s job. Didn’t want to think about someone else touching Lincoln. Mine.

“Come here.” He growled under his breath as Lincoln came closer and

wrapped an arm around his neck. He leaned in, not closing his eyes, and put his
teeth where Lincoln’s neck and shoulder met, biting just slightly. Staking a claim.

“Oooh.” Lincoln’s head tipped back and his pelvis rocked forward. Edouard

could feel Lincoln’s cock rubbing against his own through their clothes, thick and
hard. “That’s nice, Eddie.”

At the sound of the nickname, something snapped in Edouard, and he reached

down, hauling Lincoln as close as possible, gripping him under the ass with both
hands. He kissed Lincoln roughly, biting at his lips, and plunging his tongue inside.
Lincoln answered his roughness with a nip of his own. Edouard loved the feel of
Lincoln’s hands on the side of his face, in his hair, on his shoulders. He loved the
way Lincoln’s erection felt against him as they ground against each other.

This right here, this was something he never questioned. He’d never doubted

his sexual orientation, nor his dominance in the bedroom. Even when he had
most hated who and what he was—bear—this part of his life had always felt right.
And it had never felt more right than it did with Lincoln.

“I want you.” He pulled back to speak. “And when I say that, I don’t mean just

a quick handjob in the orchard.” He ran a finger over Lincoln’s lips, watched his
brown eyes darken with lust. “I want to fuck you. Is that okay?”

Lincoln’s eyes grew wide and he smiled shyly. “Yeah. That’s more than okay.

I want it too.”

“Yes.” Edouard kissed him again, elated, loving the taste and texture of him,

the slight roughness of stubble under his fingers. He’d called Lincoln “boy” out
in the orchard, but there was no doubt that Lincoln was all man. Edouard had
never met anyone who wore confidence and arrogance so unapologetically
while still managing to be—sweet. The contrast turned him on, made him ache,
made him need.

A thought occurred to him, enough to temper the heat rolling through him.

He wasn’t exactly prepared for this.

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“I don’t have any condoms with me.”
“It’s okay—both shifters, right? But if you’re worried about it, I keep some

in the guitar case with the lube.” Lincoln’s hand skimmed down between them,
rubbing Edouard through his jeans. A rough groan and a spike of need had him
pushing the hand away.

“Bedroom. Now,” he ordered, watching to see how Lincoln would react.

Edouard saw the flare of lust, the grin, and then Lincoln sauntered away, his ass
swaying provocatively. He paused to bend over the guitar case, and Edouard was
overcome by the desire to push the man down to his knees and fuck him right
there. But he wouldn’t, not when they had all night in a soft bed.

When Lincoln pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor on his way out of

the room, Edouard followed.

Lincoln wasn’t going to lie. He liked to get fucked. He sometimes fantasized

about doing another guy, but he definitely preferred things this way around. And
something about Eddie told him he could do it right, that he would make it good
for both of them. While he wouldn’t usually go beyond a blowjob or handjob with
someone he’d just met, he trusted Eddie. Tossing the lube and condoms on the
bed, he shucked off his jeans and stretched back, stroking his cock.

He loved the way Eddie’s breath caught when he walked into the room and

saw him there, laid out and waiting. God, he wanted this man, needed this man.

“Roll over.” Edouard’s voice was gravelly, deep. Lincoln groaned as he let go

of his cock, and he rolled onto his stomach. He felt the dip in the bed as Edouard
came and sat beside him.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Eddie whispered, running a hand down Lincoln’s

back. The tenderness of the gesture made Lincoln blush, the heat crawling up his
chest and spilling into his cheeks.

“You won’t.”
He could. All that strength? Edouard could break him in two, and they both

knew it. But Lincoln believed he never would, and he needed Eddie to believe it
too, so he said it again.

“You won’t hurt me.”
“You’re right, I won’t. You’re going to take me sweet and begging. Up on

your knees.”

Lincoln moved quickly to do as he was told, scrambling up onto all fours. Eyes

closed, he waited, his cock heavy and dripping. He was so hard it hurt, but he held
his breath, anticipation making him burn.

He felt Edouard spreading him wide, felt the tip of his tongue prodding.

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“Oh, fuck, Eddie.” He groaned, wiggling slightly. The man had game, there

was no doubt about that.

Slap.
“Still.”
Lincoln sucked in a deep breath and held it as Edouard licked and nibbled

and finally slipped one finger inside him, diving in for his prostate with unerring
accuracy. Heat pooled in his belly, flooding through his balls and his dick without
warning. The breath burst from Lincoln on something like a sob. God, he couldn’t
be about to cry, not from a finger in his ass, didn’t want to think about what it
meant that his brain was hardwired to his balls, and was churning out the kinds
of feelings that made him gasp for air like a drowning man.

And then the second finger dove in and started curling and stretching; the

gentle friction became a slow, subtle burn. Lincoln needed a hand on his cock. He
reached to stroke himself, and the fingers in his ass slipped away.

“No. Put it back,” Eddie ordered. Shuddering, Lincoln obeyed, fisting his

traitorous hand in the bed sheet where it couldn’t cause trouble. He should be
pissed, annoyed that Edouard wasn’t going to let him hurry it along, but he wasn’t.

He heard the click of the lube bottle opening, and then the fingers were back,

this time lubricated and sliding deep and smooth. His head sinking down to his
hands, Lincoln groaned against the bed.

“Eddie, please stop teasing.”
“I’m not teasing you, Lincoln, I’m preparing you. I told you, I won’t hurt you.”
“I’m ready.”
“Not until I say you are. Come here.” Edouard’s arm came down around

Lincoln’s body, hauling him upright, his other hand still working two fingers into
Lincoln’s ass with a steady, even rhythm. Lincoln wanted to wrap himself up in all
that strength and never let go.

Edouard was still fully clothed, and something about that made Lincoln feel

raw and dirty and so fucking sexy. Then Edouard kissed him over his shoulder,
hard and rough, urgent. Lincoln’s insides melted under the onslaught. His skin
felt too small for his body, and he could swear even his scalp tingled. When Eddie
pulled away, sliding his fingers out, he pushed Lincoln forward again.

Lincoln had to catch himself on his hands. Every sound seemed magnified.

He heard the rasp of a zipper, wondered if Eddie was going to take his clothes off.
Part of him wanted to feel all that hairy, naked skin pressed to his, but another
part of him visualized Edouard fucking into him, fully clothed, and it was so hot
he almost came just from thinking about it.

He trembled at the press of Edouard’s cock against his hole, and Eddie, bless

him, paused to run a hand down Lincoln’s back.

“Are you okay? You can change your mind. If this isn’t what you want…”
“Fuck me,” Lincoln demanded. “For fuck’s sake, Eddie, get that cock in me.”

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A low chuckle, and then the pressure returned. Edouard worked just the

tip inside, and then pulled it back, again. He did it over and over until Lincoln
wanted to tear the sheets and bite the pillows. He couldn’t remember a time in his
life when he’d been this close to coming with only air on his dick, but if Edouard
didn’t get that cock in his ass, he really was going to cry.

He hadn’t been lying when he said he was ready. By the time Edouard finally

pushed forward, there was no pain, just fullness. Edouard’s zipper rubbed against
Lincoln’s thighs, and the sensory overload was almost too much. Lincoln felt like
his skin must be on fire when Eddie paused, just rocking their hips together,
letting Lincoln get used to the penetration. When Edouard finally started moving,
he slipped his hand under Lincoln and grasped his cock, jacking it in time with his
thrusts. Eddie had found the perfect angle, the perfect rhythm, and the orgasm
built so full and so strong, Lincoln knew he was going to shout when it happened.

Shout he did. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find out he’d sung an aria

when Eddie pushed him over the edge. He truly wouldn’t have been surprised had
they heard him all the way at the main Haus because Edouard pulled every ounce
of feeling out of Lincoln’s body and then poured it back in, all fresh and new, and
how could he hold back when he was feeling everything all at once?

When Edouard shouted his own release, Lincoln reached back and gripped

Eddie’s thigh with one hand, feeling the muscles shaking through his jeans.
Satisfaction rippled through him at the sound of Edouard’s voice. He’s mine. I bet
no one else has ever made him sing like that.

They both fell forward onto the bed, and Lincoln rolled, wanting to wrap

himself up in Eddie and just hold on to that perfect feeling, but Eddie pulled away
from him to dispose of the condom in the garbage can by the bed. Lincoln felt
abandoned, just for that split second, and his face fell.

“Fuck, Lincoln.” Eddie sounded shocked as he turned around and Lincoln

wondered what emotions his face had betrayed.

Edouard crawled back onto the bed, reaching for Lincoln. “What did I do?

Was I too rough?”

“Rough? No, you were perfect. I can’t believe you didn’t take your clothes

off, though.”

Eddie laughed then, a relaxed, open sound Lincoln had never heard from him

before. He pulled his shirt over his head and shucked off his jeans. He folded
them carefully before pulling the covers over them, and Lincoln snuggled close to
all that bare beautiful skin at last. His cock stirred a little, though he knew it was
too soon to go again.

“It just felt like maybe you wanted me to leave my clothes on. It seemed like

you were turned on by it,” Eddie confessed.

“I totally was. Next time I want you naked though.”
“So, there’s going to be a next time?”

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Lincoln saw the wariness in Eddie’s face and wanted to curse the accident of

fate that had made him think he didn’t deserve more than one night stands. He
couldn’t believe that someone as amazing as Edouard Bonsaint could have such a
low opinion of himself, but every time he turned around he saw the evidence of it.

“Hopefully lots of next times.” He kissed Eddie teasingly. “You haven’t even

blown me yet. I don’t want to miss that.”

The post-coital buzz filled Lincoln, and his eyes started to grow heavy. He

tucked his head closer into the warmth of Edouard’s shoulder and felt him stiffen
slightly. What the hell?

“Hey, before you drift off to the dreamland of the very-well-fucked, where

should I sleep?” Eddie sat up, looking around. “Is this the only bedroom?”

Lincoln’s heart dropped into his stomach.
“You’re sleeping here, with me. That’s what I’d intended when I invited you.”
“Lincoln!”
“Eddie!” He mimicked the exasperated tone. “I trust you. You’re not going to

hurt me. You aren’t going to shift in your sleep and kill me, and I hate to break it
to you, baby, but I shift a hell of a lot faster than you do. If I get a clue that you’re
about to shift, I’ll be in the rafters before you can blink. So lie back down, go to
sleep, and wake me up with a blowjob if you’re so inclined, okay?”

“You’re impossible. I just want to keep you safe. If I hurt you, Lincoln…”
“I am safe, Edouard. Look, I’m twenty-four years old, and this is the only place

on earth I come without a bodyguard. If I didn’t believe with all my heart you
would never hurt me, I wouldn’t have invited you. Just…stay.”

He could feel the tension in the air between them, and he saw the exact

moment his lover decided to stay. As much as he was tempted to pump his fist
in victory, he settled for curling up close to Eddie and listening to his heartbeat
until he fell asleep.

Chapter Seven

loud knock on the cottage door woke Edouard. Should he wake
Lincoln? A melting rush of tenderness coursed through him as he
looked at the other man. Lincoln’s skin bore some abrasions from

Edouard’s beard, though his own stubble hid them slightly. Lincoln’s lips were
still red where he’d bit them last night while Edouard had teased him mercilessly.

God, that could get addictive, that rush he got from making Lincoln crazy,

making him whine and beg, all leading up to watching him come unglued and
hearing him shout in that beautiful voice. Edouard couldn’t think of a single night
in his life when he’d been more turned on, more connected. It was as though he
and Lincoln were creating something together and everything beautiful in life
was right there in the bed with them, in the flush in Lincoln’s cheeks, the sound
of his breathy moans.

Yeah, Edouard could get addicted to that.
The knock came again, tearing Edouard’s eyes away from Lincoln. Pulling on

his jeans, he decided to let his lover sleep.

When he opened the door, Rekkus gave him an appraising glare before saying,

“He’s found him. Stephen knows where Bruno is.”

“Thank God.” Edouard slumped against the door, relief washing over him in

waves. “Is he okay, is Stephen bringing him home?”

Rekkus shook his head.
“No, there’s too many of them for Stephen to go in alone. There’s a coven

of vampires and a pack of wolves, and they take turns. The vamps guard him at
night, the wolves during the day.”

“Fuck. We’ve got to do something, Rekkus. We’ve got to get him back. Are they

feeding from him? The vamps?”

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Rekkus growled. “I don’t know. Kaleb is going to help coordinate a rescue

effort. These guys are attacking your family because of the connection to the
Wiccan Haus. We need to eliminate this threat and close your portal for good.”

“First Stephen, now Bruno. Why wouldn’t they come after me, I’m the

weakest one?”

“It’s quite possible they are coming after you, Edouard. And that Bruno is bait.”
“If they had both of us…”
“Stephen is roaring to get at Bruno. He’s only holding back because we’ve

convinced him it would be stupid to go in alone.”

“At least you’ve convinced him. Let’s get to work. I want in on this raid; I need

to get my bear on a leash.”

Rekkus nodded. “I’m warning you—Kaleb won’t let you come along until you’ve

proven you’ve got control of yourself. If you really want to make it look like you’re
trying, you could take a few of Trixie’s classes and let Sage do her herbal thing.”

Edouard didn’t miss the eye roll that accompanied the suggestion. Meditation

and herbs weren’t any more Edouard’s style than they were Rekkus’s, and Rekkus
knew that.

“I’ll think about it.”
“Well, why don’t you and Lincoln have some breakfast and meet me in about

an hour?”

“Okay. And, do you mind…not saying anything to anyone about…well, about

me and Lincoln? He’s not out. I don’t want—”

Rekkus cut him off. “I don’t care what you two are getting up to in there, and

I don’t gossip.”

Lincoln woke up reaching for Eddie, but realized almost immediately he

wasn’t in bed. So much for the good-morning-blowjob idea. He sat up and glanced
around. Edouard’s T-shirt still lay folded on the table next to the bed, and his
shoes were placed neatly by the door.

Lincoln smiled, stretching. His body ached all over in the most delicious

way. He started toward the door, heard voices and pulled on some boxer shorts.
Almost immediately, he realized the visitor was Rekkus. He was getting more
accustomed to the were-tiger, but he still felt uneasy around big cats. Even ones
as hot as Rekkus.

He heard Eddie saying quiet and low, “…he’s not out. I don’t want—”
Rekkus interrupted with something just as Lincoln’s heart leaped into his

throat. Eddie wanted to protect him from gossip. For all his freaking out about
sharing a bed, he did care.

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“Hi.” He approached the two big shifters.
“Hey, I was just leaving. I’ll see you two in an hour.” Rekkus turned and left,

leaving Lincoln to blush at the carnal look in Edouard’s eyes.

“Good morning. Sorry about…uh, well, that. They found Bruno.”
“Thank God. Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. He’s being held by a wolf pack and a vampire coven who are

working together. I need to get my bear under control, or they won’t let me help
get him out.”

“Okay. How can I help?”
The look on Edouard’s face nearly broke Lincoln. Eddie’s frown looked

desperate, but something in his eyes caught fire as he crossed the room and took
Lincoln in his arms.

His kiss was soft, sweet, yet still fierce. Lincoln moaned, wrapping his arms

around Eddie’s waist and pulling him close.

“You help just by being here. Just by being you. Thank you,” Eddie kissed his

forehead. “It means everything.”

Chapter Eight

t was easier now, seeing Lincoln sitting with his guitar nearby, strumming
and singing. A few times, he even took his bird form and trilled from
a low-hanging branch. Rekkus generally ignored him, but Edouard

couldn’t, not with the memories of the night before thrumming through him.

It was also easier to take his bear form and sustain it now. There was still that

jolt of panic, that moment just before shifting when he feared his world would
come crashing down around him, but every time it happened, Lincoln would sing
a few notes, and it would calm Edouard enough to make the shift.

Shortly after he’d taken his human form again, after his third or fourth shift

in a row, something different in Lincoln’s song caught his ear. He looked up
sharply, watching the little black-and-yellow bird as he puffed out his chest and
sang a poignant little air, sounding ancient and alluring. He took a step toward
Lincoln and reached out his hand. The bird flew down and settled on his finger,
cocking his head as he trilled a final note. Mesmerized, Edouard stroked soft
golden feathers.

“What the hell?” Rekkus’s face turned white as he stared at the tiny bird. “Why

were you—?”

His voice cut off and he looked up, eyes sharpening. He growled low and angry.

Then Edouard heard it too, a woman’s voice, humming what sounded like a perfect
melodic counterpoint to what Lincoln had been singing. Her voice was lovely,
beautiful even, but it didn’t capture his attention the way Lincoln’s song had.

“Serena!” Rekkus bellowed. The humming stopped.
Lincoln leapt from Edouard’s hand, shifting on the fly. He reached for the

pile of clothing next to his guitar case and pulled on his jeans just as a blonde
woman strolled out from behind a tree. She carried a basket of apples and looked
chagrined. Edouard snatched up his T-shirt and covered himself.

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“Sorry, Rekkus, I didn’t realize anyone was out here. And I wasn’t singing, honest.”
“The hell you weren’t, Serena. You know you’re not supposed to hum either.

You might have—”

“But I didn’t. Did I boys?” The woman, Serena, smiled at Edouard. He was

pretty sure if he’d been straight, that smile would have been devastating, but as it
was? He just shrugged.

“How the hell could you possibly have known that they’re gay before you

started? Seriously Serena, you have to be more careful.” Rekkus turned to stare at
the other two shifters.

“Oh relax. Even if they weren’t gay, they’ve both definitely met their mate.

Immune to a mermaid’s song.” She winked.

“You need to be more careful,” Rekkus scolded her again.
She nodded. “I will be. I’m sorry. I’ll go now.” She hurried away before Rekkus

could say anything else. He turned to face Edouard and Lincoln. He gave them an
appraising look, and then shook his head. Edouard turned and looked at Lincoln
and a chill went down his spine at what he saw.

Lincoln’s face was pale, his eyes dark and wide. He bit his lower lip, and he

held his T-shirt close to his chest, forgotten. A surge of possessive energy worked
its way through Edouard as he realized what the siren had told them: they had
met their mates. Lincoln was his mate.

“Linc?” he whispered.
Lincoln frowned, staring at Edouard in shock.

“I can’t do this. I can’t handle this.” Lincoln turned his back on Eddie and

shifted, soaring away to leave him standing there with Rekkus.

Oh, hell. Edouard called up his bear, shifting and running after the small black

and yellow bird. But bears can’t fly, and in only moments, he was left staring after
the disappearing speck in the sky.

He let go, let the bear slip away.
“He’ll be back.” Rekkus approached from behind. “If you guys are really meant

to be together, he won’t be able to stand being away from you for long.”

“Is that how it was for you and Dana?” Edouard cast a curious glance at the

were-tiger, who smiled at his mate’s name. “Like you just couldn’t possibly get
enough of her?”

“Yeah, something like that. That was really nicely done, Edouard. Your shift

back there was effortless. Good work.”

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The guitar was in tune. Lincoln knew it was in tune, he’d checked it three

times, even breaking out the electronic tuner in case he’d lost his ear along with
his fucking mind.

Mate.
Mating was a biological thing, right? Which meant somewhere, some woman

he’d met had some sort of metaphysical claim over him and he didn’t even know
it? Fuck that. He didn’t do women. While a part of him thought it might be cool to
be a dad someday, some day way, way in the future, all his other parts were firmly
in the bachelor-for-life camp.

“Lincoln!” As if his banging on the door wasn’t enough, Eddie stood out there,

bellowing. Hauling himself to his feet, Lincoln moved toward the door.

“Go away, Eddie,” he shouted, walking right past it.
“Fuck that, we need to talk, and I don’t want to yell what I have to say through

a door.”

“I don’t think we do.”
“Just…open the door and let me see you. Please?” No longer bellowing, Eddie’s

voice sounded a little desperate. Sighing, Lincoln threw the door open. He crossed
his arms over his chest and stared at Edouard. God, the man is insanely hot.

“Look, I know you’re scared, but it doesn’t have to be—”
“Scared? No, I’m pissed.” Lincoln shouted. Edouard’s face recoiled like he’d

been slapped, but Lincoln continued. “Some woman somewhere who I don’t even
remember has some kind of biological claim staked on me? Some sort of dibs?
That I’m supposed to just ignore the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever been attracted
to a woman in my life?”

“Not a woman, Lincoln, is that what you were thinking? No woman has a

claim on you.” Eddie flashed one of his brilliant smiles. “No woman has a claim
on me either. You do.”

Lincoln scoffed, raising one eyebrow at Eddie. “Mating is a biology thing, just

like my brightly-colored feathers and my instinct to sing when I’m turned on.”

“You know that’s only part of it. Mating is a binding of the souls, Lincoln. And

your soul and mine are calling to each other.”

“No.”
“No?”
“No. I don’t believe that. Look, Eddie, I like you, a lot. But we’re gay; we don’t

get to have that.”

“God, do you really hate yourself that much? I thought you were in the closet

because of your career, but holy hell, Lincoln. Do you really believe you don’t
deserve to be happy because you’re gay?”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Hate myself? That’s really rich coming from you, Bonsaint. You get so worked

up over the fact you’re a shifter you can’t even hold your bear shape for more than
a few minutes.”

“That’s different. You know what happened to me.”
“Nothing happened to you!” Lincoln exploded. “Good grief, Eddie. Your

boyfriend fucking dumped you, and that was ten years ago. Get over him and
grow up. This isn’t a dress rehearsal, this is life, the only one we’ve got, and I’d
rather go through it without any delusions about happy-ever-afters.”

“Lincoln.” Edouard growled, pushing past Lincoln into the cottage. Too startled

by the aggressive move to protest, Lincoln let the door close and turned to face him.
Lightning quick, Eddie had him backed up against the door, lips dropping down
over Lincoln’s and one large hand rubbing Lincoln through his jeans.

And it was hotter than anything Lincoln had ever felt in his life. His hands came

up and buried themselves in Eddie’s close-cropped hair, and suddenly the kiss
softened and a rough groan rumbled through both of them. That rubbing hand
had brought Lincoln’s cock roaring to life, and he’d forgotten why exactly he’d
wanted Eddie to leave. He moved his lips under Eddie’s, cupping the back of his
head with one hand to hold him in place. All this man, mine. Just another minute.
Another lick. Another nibble.

Chest heaving, he pushed Eddie away.
“I want you so bad,” he confessed. “But I need you to leave.”
“Why? Why can’t you believe me when I tell you that this thing between us…”
“Because I don’t believe in all that soul mate shit, Eddie. Not for us.” Lincoln

wanted to, oh, man how he wanted to when he saw that little spark in Eddie’s eyes
dim at his words. He wanted to, just so he could bring that spark back and see
Eddie smile. “Look, I want to help you with your brother. I just can’t handle this
mating talk right now.”

“I got it.” Eddie frowned, reaching out to stroke a hand along Lincoln’s face. It

felt good, almost as good as kissing. He didn’t know if he could handle it if Eddie
kept touching him like this.

And he didn’t. He dropped the hand and took a step back.
“Okay, well, good luck with your songs.” Eddie cleared his throat.
“Yeah, thanks.”
They stood there, not looking at each other, as the silence stretched awkwardly

between them. Eddie cleared his throat again.

“Was there something else?” Lincoln finally asked.
“You’re standing against the door,” Eddie whispered, smiling slightly.
“Oh. Right. Okay, so, I guess I’ll see you at dinner?” Lincoln opened the door

to let his unwelcome guest out.

“Yeah, I guess.”
“Eddie…”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Don’t. I get it. More than anyone else here, I get it. I hate a part of myself

too, Lincoln.”

And then he was gone, tugging the door shut behind him.
Something bubbled up inside Lincoln, and he thought it might be anger. His

eyes burned and his nose stung, and everything inside was hot and ugly, raw and
undone. He’d just had everything he’d ever wanted in his hands, and he’d pushed
it away. And for what? To keep a secret he didn’t even want to keep? To keep the
peace with Stef?

God, Eddie was right. He really did hate himself.

Chapter Nine

douard looked around the small office as he and Lincoln sat down in
the chairs that Rekkus indicated. Rekkus sat behind the desk, large,
imposing, utterly in charge.

“Okay, I’m going to get Kaleb on the line, then connect with Stephen, and we’ll

go over the particulars of this weekend’s mission.” Rekkus held up a hand when
Lincoln started to speak, and the smaller man hushed. Lincoln glanced over at
Edouard while Rekkus dialed. The eye contact sent a thrill down Edouard’s spine,
tingling as it went.

“Hello?”
“Kaleb, it’s me. I’ve got the older Bonsaint brother and the bird shifter on

the line.”

“Bird shifter? Why?”
“I can help,” Lincoln said. “I can fit into small places and fly in and out without

being observed. Surely you can appreciate the tactical benefits.”

“I see your point. Okay.”
“I’m going to get the other brother on the phone, Kaleb, if you’ll hold on for

just a moment.”

There was a pause on the line as Rekkus added Stephen to the call. Edouard

grinned at his brother’s gruff voice. He’d missed him over the past week.

“Okay, Stephen, go ahead and tell us about the location where they’re holding

Bruno,” Kaleb ordered.

Edouard heard Stephen clearing his throat before he began. “It’s an abandoned

farmstead, maybe twenty miles from our property by car, but not so far cutting
across land. There’s a grain silo that’s half rotted, an old equipment barn, and a
farmhouse. It’s not a modern house, hasn’t been lived in for decades, but of the
three buildings on the property, it’s in the best shape. I wouldn’t be surprised to

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

see new curtains on the windows, and the property reeks of vampires. I smelled
at least three unique vampire scents, and I’ve seen some animal carcasses in the
woods that have been drained.”

“What about wolves?”
“Very obvious. They’re patrolling the perimeter of the property.”
“How many vampires do you think there are, total, in the coven?”
“Can’t say for sure. I don’t even know if it’s a full coven or just a handful of

vamps. I couldn’t get close enough.”

“Okay. Here’s our objective for this weekend. Stay out of sight, but we need to

know which building is housing Bruno, how many vamps there are, and if there
are more than five wolves, I need to know that too. Do not try to bust Bruno out
yet. I will be there in a few days to handle the rescue. Have you got that, Bonsaint?”

Stephen’s growl came over the line loud and clear.
“He’s right, Stephen. There are too many of them for you and me to handle on

our own,” Edouard said quietly. “We need to wait for Kaleb’s crew.”

“Reconnaissance only, got it.” Edouard could tell Stephen wasn’t happy.
“Well, it’s very clear to me what needs to happen,” Lincoln spoke up. “Stephen

and Eddie will show me where the property is, I’ll fly around and see what there is
to be seen, talk to Bruno if I can, and fly back. We can do this.”

“Eddie?” Stephen sounded amused.
“Much as I dislike depending upon a shifter I’ve never met—no offense,

Lincoln,” Kaleb said, “tactically, it’s solid.”

“Okay, then, that’s the plan.” Lincoln nodded.
Edouard looked at his lover with something like amazement. A pop singer.

Plotting a raid on a vampire coven and wolf den combination with special ops
guys as if he did it every day of his life. A new respect started to filter into his
awareness of Lincoln. Clearly he was more than a pretty voice and a hot body.

“Lincoln, thank you,” he whispered, leaning close.
Lincoln made a short, dismissive gesture with one hand.
“Really, no big. I’m happy to help, Eddie.”
“We’re gonna have to talk about that nickname.” A laughing female voice

came over the line, and Edouard knew his sister-in-law had been listening in.
“See you boys soon.”

“Yeah, see you,” he said gruffly.
Rekkus ended the call, and Lincoln excused himself to use the restroom.
The were-tiger pinned Edouard under an intent, analytical stare. “Can you

handle this? Tell me now, because if you can’t, you’ll stay here and Kaleb will
assign someone to go with Lincoln.”

“I can handle it.” Edouard bit out the words, even as a worm of worry crawled

through him.

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“Edouard, look, you only shifted for the first time in ten years just a few days

ago. If you can’t handle this, no one will think less of you.”

“Bullshit. You’ll think less of me. Everyone knows your opinions on weak

Paras who need a spa.”

“Well then, Edouard, I can’t think less of you than I did on the day you showed

up here. I think you can do this. I know you have one damned fine incentive now.
Protect your mate. Your bear will do anything you want to protect your mate.”

“He’s not…”
“He is. To you, he is, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Protect him. You’ll be fine.”

Lincoln watched Eddie warily as they walked back toward the orchard

together. “What were you and Rekkus talking about? When I walked back in your
face was red as a tomato.”

“We talked about whether or not I can handle shifting and such while we’re

in Canada.”

“Did he make you doubt yourself? Damn him. You’re doing so great, Eddie, don’t

let that big cat—” Lincoln bit off a sound of disgust. How dare Rekkus spoil Eddie’s
newfound confidence in his shifting? Wasn’t he supposed to be helping Eddie?

“Relax, Linc. He was just giving me some pointers. He made everything

very clear.”

“Oh.” Lincoln smiled, relieved. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. What exactly did he

make clear?”

Edouard paused, reached out to stop Lincoln. Standing toe-to-toe like this,

Lincoln had to look up into Edouard’s face. Heat, blazing, intense, poured between
them, sticky and wonderful. Lincoln almost moaned just from that look. Eddie
made him feel new, stripped bare, reborn, when he looked at him like that. Every
over-competitive, ambitious, ugly bit of drama in Lincoln’s life was forgotten and
nothing existed but the heat of the moment between them.

Eddie’s hand moved from Lincoln’s shoulder to cradle the side of his face, and

Lincoln rolled his face into it, breathing in the thick masculine scent of musky
bear. He knew what was coming next, he couldn’t help himself, he rose up on his
toes to meet Edouard’s kiss.

It was hot and intense, but managed to be gentle and tender at the same time,

Edouard’s tongue stealing inside to lick softly against Lincoln’s. If Lincoln had felt
wanted when Edouard had been rougher, it never prepared him for this aching
sweetness, this expanding wet thing in his chest that had him pulling Edouard’s

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

face into the crook of his neck, gasping for air as he fisted a hand in the other
man’s hair.

Finally, he let go, and Edouard pulled back enough to look in his eyes again.
“He told me, when I was in doubt, to protect my mate, and the bear would do

whatever I wanted.”

Lincoln’s eyes shot up to Edouard’s and oh, it was all there between them.

That sticky wet heat in Edouard’s eyes had magnified. His thumb moved across
Lincoln’s lips like a long wick on a dynamite charge. Edouard was going to ignite
Lincoln’s world, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

“We’re not…”
“I know you don’t believe. But I do. And the animal part of me does. I’m

soothed by you. You make it possible for me to shift, to be my whole self.

“I’m not going to push you on this, I’m a man of my word, Lincoln. But it’s

here between us, this thing, and it’s what made me whole again.”

So unfair that hetero couples could just take “this thing,” as Eddie called it,

for granted, and still Lincoln doubted. He believed Edouard meant every word he
said, believed Eddie put his faith in this mating thing.

But it scared the hell out of him, and he wasn’t ready to dive into that yet. His

sense of self-preservation was too strong, too deeply ingrained.

“I can’t be that man, Edouard. I’ll never be able to stand my ground and fight

for this thing. It’s not who I am. I’ll see you at the portal. I have to go pack an
overnight bag.”

He didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know Edouard didn’t follow him,

but he could feel the other man’s eyes on him all the way to the cottage door.
When it closed behind him, he leaned back against it and let out the breath he
didn’t realize he was holding.

He might not fight, but sooner or later, he wouldn’t be able to fly away from

Edouard anymore. A reckoning was coming between them, and Lincoln had no
idea how he was going to handle it.

Chapter Ten

douard and Lincoln gathered with the other Paras who were traveling
back home at the week’s end. They’d all be going through the portal,
but Edouard and Lincoln would go last. Edouard clutched the crystal

that served as his ticket back to the Wiccan Haus firmly, rolling it in his fist with
his thumb.

Telly saw them and ambled over.
“Hey Bonsaint, if you’re here next month, you owe me a round of Guitar Hero.”
“Yeah, okay, Telly.” Edouard smiled. He might not like bunking in with the

wolves, but he couldn’t help but smile at Telly’s eagerness to kick his ass at every
video game he could. “See you.”

“Bye.”
Finally it was their turn, and for a brief moment of panic as they moved

toward the opening, Edouard wondered if Lincoln would disappear like Bruno
did. He glanced at the other man, who reached out and brushed Edouard’s hand
with his own.

And then they were in the woods of the Bonsaint property in Quebec. The

familiar smells and sounds of home brought a smile to Edouard’s face. He turned
to Lincoln.

“This is home.”
“It’s beautiful.” Lincoln smiled at him, gesturing toward the house. “C’mon,

take me up there and introduce me to your family.”

Edouard tried to get a feel for Lincoln’s thoughts as he introduced him to

Stephen and Romy. Would their blissfully happy hetero-normative mating
bother Lincoln? If it did, it didn’t show. He smiled as he shook Stephen’s hand,
then Romy’s. He said something quiet to her that made her blush and laugh,
fumblingly patting his shoulder as they invited him inside.

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

Edouard shifted from one foot to another. Should he invite Lincoln to stay

in his room? Would that seem like he was pressuring him about the mating? He
didn’t want to do anything else to alienate the other man, but he would be lying if
he said he didn’t crave closeness with him.

In the end, he pointed gruffly to Bruno’s doorway. “He’s not using it; someone

might as well sleep in there.”

Lincoln gave him a curious look, then nodded, tossing his overnight bag on

the bed.

“Thanks Eddie.”
“I’m across the hall, if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
Edouard scrubbed the back of his neck with one hand, avoiding eye contact.

Finally, he nodded.

“Bye.” He pulled the door shut behind him.

Bruno’s room. Lincoln looked around him, trying to get a sense of who

Edouard’s brother really was. A writer, that was clear from the laptop on the desk
and the overflowing box of craft books. He had just picked up one and started
glancing through it when he heard a knock. Eddie?

No, Romy.
“May I come in?” she asked, looking past Lincoln in that blank stare of the blind.
“Of course, it’s your home.”
“True, but you’re our guest.” She reached out, feeling for the wall. Lincoln

noticed she didn’t use her cane in the house. He took her arm.

“Let me help you.” He guided her to the chair at the desk and she sat. Since

there wasn’t another chair, he sat on the bed.

“So you and Edouard have something going on, don’t you?” She was direct,

and this time, she pinned him with a stare so pointed, he almost believed she
could see him.

“Kind of.”
“It’s okay, I know he’s gay. We don’t care about that. What we do care about

is whoever he loves treating him with care and respect. Why are you sleeping in
Bruno’s room?”

Lincoln stared at her. So matter of fact about it. He looked down at his

fingernails, flicking his thumb over the calluses on the pads of his fingers. He
wasn’t sure what to say. Because Eddie thinks we’re mates and I’m a chickenshit who
can’t handle it?

“I’m scared,” he confessed.

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Of Edouard?”
“No. I’m not out. Not that it really matters. I’d like to be out. But my career...”
“I see.”
“Do you?” He looked at her sharply.
“Well, not literally.” She winked. “But I think I understand. I had a very

competitive career. I lost it when I lost my vision. I was pretty distraught,
depressed. I didn’t know what to do next because my whole life I’d been training
and planning, and devoted to one thing. Now, Stephen has helped me start a new
career as a choreographer, and I’m so very lucky. But your career is dependent
upon your public image.”

“Yeah.”
“And you’re afraid for your career if you were out?”
“No, that’s not it at all, or not most of it anyway. There are a lot of gay men

in show business. But we’re also at higher risk of being attacked. And so are
our partners.”

Even as he said it, he knew it for what it was: an excuse.
“Ah. Now, Lincoln, I don’t know you very well, but you don’t seem like the kind

of person who would let something like that stop you. You have bodyguards, right?”

“Yeah.”
“Don’t you think Edouard deserves to be able to make his own choice when it

comes to his safety?”

“Of course I do. I just...”
“Just what? It’s really very simple, Lincoln. If you love him, it’s the simplest

thing in the world.”

“Easy for you to say.” He envied her relationship with Stephen, the ease of it,

the way they just seemed to fit together.

“Yes, it is easy for me to say. But keep in mind, when I met Stephen, I had been

blind for only weeks. I’d had my career ripped from me. I was angry, and I was
scared. Very scared. And I didn’t know that shifters or vampires or witches or any
of that Para stuff was real. So I had to accept a lot of things into my life in order
to have Stephen as a part of it. And I’m better for it. It really is the simplest thing.
When it’s love, it’s simple.”

“How do I know?”
“I can’t answer that. You’ll know.” She started to stand, and Lincoln reached

out a hand to help her.

“I’m okay, Lincoln. I don’t need help, but thank you for offering.” She smiled

warmly. “Good luck. But please, no matter what you decide, please be kind to
Edouard. He deserves that much.”

“I would never hurt him, Romy.”
“Good.”
She pulled the door closed behind her, leaving Lincoln with his thoughts.

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

Edouard followed Stephen through the woods to where the vampire coven

had gone to ground in the abandoned farmhouse, Lincoln flying above their
heads. They smelled werewolves around the perimeter of the property, and the
two bears stopped. Everyone shifted back to human form.

“Fuck, it’s getting cold.” Stephen cursed. He looked over at Lincoln. “You ready?”
“Yeah. I’m going to fly in, find Bruno, let him know what we’re working on to

get him out. Okay?”

“Good, do it.” Stephen nodded.
“Wait,” Edouard whispered. “Lincoln...”
“Don’t, Eddie. I’m happy to help.”
“Thank you.”
Lincoln nodded, shifting on the fly and soaring into the air. In his animal

form, everything looked wilder, brighter, sharper. He could see the bars in the
window of the lowest level of the silo and wondered if they were storing a bear
shifter in there instead of grain. He slipped in between the bars and let his eyes
adjust to the dark.

The man lying on his side in the small room had to be Edouard’s brother. He

was hairy and bearded, and Lincoln could tell he was huge. He hopped over to the
sleeping man and let out a small chirp.

Bruno’s eyes snapped open, focusing immediately on the small bird. He

snarled, and Lincoln hopped back a few steps. He chirped again, and then shifted.

“Hush,” he cautioned. “I’m a friend of Edouard’s. He and Stephen aren’t far

from here. We’re trying to get you out.”

“Can’t shift. Drugged,” Bruno whispered.
“Any idea what they’re giving you?”
“Smells like sulfur. Rotten eggs.”
“Pills? Liquid?”
“Injection.” Bruno held out his arm. Lincoln saw the red marks where a needle

had pierced the skin. He leaned close and sniffed, and yes, the sulfur smell lingered.

“The security staff from the Wiccan Haus is in pretty tight with some Para

special ops guys. They want to lead the raid on this place. Now that I know where
they’re holding you, I can tell them. Do they always keep you here in the silo?”

“Yeah. Come during the day. The vampires are strong. They come in after

dusk and feed.”

“They’re feeding from you?” Lincoln’s heart sank. That was bad. Bruno would

be weak from the blood loss.

“Only two of them, a man and a woman. The woman never takes much. The

drugs are worse. Can’t shift.”

“It’s okay. Eddie and Stephen can.”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Edouard’s shifting?” Bruno’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never seen his bear.”
“He’s magnificent. And he’s coming for you. I’ll fly in here at the start of the

raid, okay? Just hang in there.”

“Thank you.”
“I’m Lincoln, by the way.”
“Yeah, recognized you from TV. Hurry up, okay?”
“We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
Lincoln took his bird form again and flew up to the house, looking for a way

inside. He finally found a hole under one of the eaves.

He found the vampires in the basement, counted five sleeping bodies.

Storing that information away, he found his way back to the attic and slipped
back outside. From the roof, he could see three wolves patrolling between the
buildings. Taking flight, he saw two more tracing the perimeter of the property.

Confident that he had the information Kaleb needed, Lincoln rejoined

Stephen and Edouard, happy to be able to tell them that Bruno seemed largely
unhurt, at least on the outside. But Kaleb and his team would need time to plan
the raid and clear everything with the Syndicate.

What would another week do to Bruno?

Chapter Eleven

“O

kay Edouard, let’s concentrate on breathing.” The silver-haired
meditation teacher pressed a hand between his shoulder blades,
forcing him to straighten his spine. Her other hand came to rest

on his stomach.

“When you take a deep breath in through your nose, let your body move with

the breath. Your diaphragm moves, allowing your lungs to fill with air, and your
lower abdomen, here—” she pressed gently against his belly “—will expand.
When you let out that breath, allow your shoulder blades to slide down your back,
loosening the tension.”

As her voice droned on, he tried to focus on what she said to do, relaxing

different parts of his body, becoming self-aware.

He felt stupid. If his brothers saw him doing this, they’d laugh at him.
His shoulders bunched, and Trixie stopped.
“Edouard, where did you go? You weren’t here with me anymore.”
“Sorry, this is just...”
“Embarrassing? Oh, you are a tough nut to crack, aren’t you?” Trixie’s eyes

were kind, but there was humor in them. “If you’re in the moment, you can’t be
embarrassed. Do you think the bear side of yourself cares at all about what it
looks like when he breathes? Of course not. And neither should you. In order to
make your transition from human to bear and back again as seamless as possible,
it needs to be reflexive. You can’t continue to trigger this anxiety response every
time you shift. Have you ever done yoga?”

Edouard snorted. That hippie-dippie shit that Stephen and Romy did on the

porch sometimes? Hell no.

“No.”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Okay, well, I want you to sign up for the group class later. I think it would

benefit you.”

“Benefit me how?”
“Teach you to coordinate your movement and your breath. Teach you to

understand what your muscles are doing. Teach you to let go of whatever
influences are breaking down your control.”

“I’m in control.”
“Yes, I suppose in a way you are. But is shutting down one side of yourself out

of fear really being in control?”

“Oh, hell, Trixie. Can we get back to the breathing and leave the philosophy to

someone else?”

“Okay. Deep breath in...”
This time, Edouard tried to shut out the thoughts of his brothers, thoughts of

embarrassment or shame. He concentrated on the flow of air through his lungs,
the expansion of his diaphragm, the sensation of his shoulder blades “sliding
down his back” as she said.

It surprised him then, how quickly the hour passed, once he’d gotten into the

motion of the breath as Trixie led him through the meditation exercises. When
it was over, he couldn’t remember ever feeling so relaxed. He felt as though he
could just...

And he did. He reached for the thread of his other self, pulling it to the surface.

The transition came without threat or danger. It came effortlessly, and he looked
down, down at Trixie, her silver hair shining in the sunlight. She smiled up at him.

“Very good, Edouard.”
He’d done it. He’d shifted, without feeling the anxiety, without embarrassment,

without fear. He’d just let himself be who he was, and it happened. Joy spiked
through him, sharp and sweet. He shifted back, sweeping Trixie into a brisk hug.

“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Come to that yoga class later; we’ll work on your flexibility.”

“Edouard, let’s talk about your diet.” Sage, the youngest Rowan sibling,

looked at him with wide, serious eyes as they walked through the garden. “And
that coffee you drink.”

“There’s nothing wrong with coffee!” he sputtered.
“No, for most people I suppose there isn’t anything wrong with it, but for

someone with an anxiety disorder, the caffeine can exacerbate the problem.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” He snarled at the blonde woman, who laughed as if a bear

snarling at her was no big deal. Then he realized that Rekkus worked for her—
she’d probably seen worse. Much worse. And often.

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Have a cup in the morning if you insist.” Her nose wrinkled. “And if you can’t

live without it, one after lunch.”

“How very magnanimous of you, Sage,” he teased. “What about the rest of my

diet? Am I eating too much Cap’n Crunch? Should I go high-protein-low-carb?”

“Cap’n Crunch? What are you, four years old?”
She had a point. But it was still his favorite.
“The sugary cereal probably isn’t the best thing for you to eat in the morning,

but that’s not a hill I’m willing to die on. You should be sure to eat more protein if
you’re shifting into your bear form regularly. Lean meat and fish will be especially
beneficial. I know Romy eats a diet with a lot of protein because of her dancing.
Maybe she can suggest recipes for you.”

“Okay.”
“Now, let’s talk about herbs. You’re not taking any medications are you? For

your anxiety, an SSRI or anything?”

“No.”
“Okay, good. I made you some tea. The herbs sort of mimic what an SSRI does,

but it’s not as strong, fewer side effects, and much more natural.” She handed
him a small tin. “Drink a cup a day. There’s no caffeine it, so you can make it
before bed if you like.”

Edouard opened the tin, taking in the scent of the tea. It was sharp and

citrusy, but also mellow. The citrus scent reminded him of Lincoln’s cottage.

“Is that—?”
“Oh, the lemongrass. That’s mostly for flavor.”
Lemongrass. He liked the way it made him think of Lincoln, the way it had

felt to sleep with his mate in his arms. Suddenly they ached with emptiness. He
needed Lincoln.

“Hello, Edouard,” Cemil greeted him as he entered the garden. “Hi Sage.”
Sage reached for her brother, giving him a quick hug. “We were just going

over Edouard’s diet, and I gave him some tea.”

“Sage can do anything with herbs. That tea will work miracles.” Cemil smiled

at his sister. The love between the two of them was very plain to see, and it
reminded Edouard of his own brothers, and why he was here.

“So, am I ready?” he asked the Rowan siblings. They looked at him with

appraising eyes.

Sage nodded. “From what I can tell, yes. You still have some anxiety issues;

those will probably never completely go away. But Trixie’s meditation techniques
should help you deal with acute attacks, and paying close attention to your diet—
and drinking my miraculous tea...” she winked at Cemil “...will help prepare your
body to accept your other self.”

“What do you think?” He turned to Cemil. Stephen had warned him about

Cemil’s empathic skills, so he braced himself. “Am I ready?”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

Cemil reached out and took Edouard’s hand. It felt odd to him, holding the

hand of a man who wasn’t his mate. His brows furrowed together, and he looked
at Cemil, wary.

“I think you’ll be fine.” Cemil smiled, but didn’t drop his hand. “Oh, but it’s

a different kind of nerves now…he’s stubborn isn’t he? He’s not rejecting you,
Edouard. He just doesn’t know how to accept what you have. Be patient with him.
One day at a time.”

Edouard felt his cheeks coloring. He hadn’t asked for Cemil’s input on his love

life. He pulled his hand back, breaking the connection.

“Cemil, you embarrassed him. That was none of your business,” Sage scolded.
“Sorry.” Cemil grinned in a way that made Edouard think he wasn’t sorry at

all. “My bad.”

“Are we done here?” Edouard growled low.
“Yes, go on. Start drinking that tea tonight. That way we can make some

changes if we need to before you go back.” Sage smiled, dismissing him with a
little wave.

The song was done, and it was everything Lincoln had hoped. Sitting there in

the orchard, with the heavy scent of apple blossoms in the air, the soft sounds of
insects, the memories of coming in Edouard’s hand next to this exact same tree...
he felt alive and connected, at one with the earth in a way he usually only felt in
his bird form. He strummed through the song a few times, humming, getting the
rhythm just right. It should be recorded like this, one guitar, one voice. Hell, he’d
love to play it like this on stage, just by himself without the over-produced band.

He started over, this time singing along. The lyrics he’d written had surprised

him. They told a story of yearning and hope. He’d felt plenty of yearning over the
past week, but hope, that was a new one. When he got to the bridge, he realized he
had an audience, but he didn’t stop playing, didn’t stop singing. He met Edouard’s
eyes with his own, and he offered a gentle smile as he sang his reluctant love song
to the man he wanted more than any other.

The last chord hung in the air when Eddie dropped down beside him on

the ground. He set his guitar aside and reached, caressing the soft hair of
Edouard’s beard.

“Hi,” he whispered.
“That was beautiful, Lincoln.” Eddie smiled, leaning in to kiss the corner of

Lincoln’s mouth. Even this chaste, gentle, plucking kiss made Lincoln burn.

“Thank you.” He lowered his eyes. “I wrote it here, over these past two weeks.”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“It’s amazing. I didn’t know you wrote songs like this one. It sounds like the

best part of every old folk song ever written, but...new.”

Lincoln’s heart dropped into his stomach. Eddie had just pinpointed exactly

why this song wouldn’t be recorded like he’d played it, not if it were recorded at
all. And he wanted to record it. He wanted to sing it in front of every audience,
he wanted to celebrate this song, and the feelings it gave him, and he never, ever
would be able to do it justice.

“What? Did I say something wrong?” Eddie’s eyes widened. “Lincoln?”
“Just go, Eddie. I’m sorry, I’m not in the mood to talk about this now.” Lincoln

stood up, brushing off his jeans and picking up the guitar, moving as quickly as he
could back toward the cottage. He could hear Edouard thundering behind him.

Chapter Twelve

“H

ey, what the hell is the matter?” Edouard ran after Lincoln,
following him into the cottage.

“Fuck, Eddie, leave me alone.”

“No, tell me what the problem is. I tried to pay you a freaking compliment,

and you hightail it out of here like your asshole’s on fire.”

“Nice. Can you try being a little less crude, please?”
“I don’t know. Stop pissing me off.”
“You want to know what’s wrong? My whole fucking career is one gigantic

straight human closet, and I’m playing caricatures of songs with the melody and
the lyrics intact but the soul stripped out and hyper-processed and auto-tuned
until it’s not even recognizable.”

“So come out of the closest.” Eddie shrugged. “And play the stuff you’ve been

playing here. I’ve loved hearing your take on all those old traditional songs.”

“My sister would kill me.”
“Your sister? Why would she care? I’m sure she loves you.”
“Oh, she loves me all right. As long as I’m wearing eyeliner and squiring some

supermodel to the Grammy’s and pretending I’m saving myself for the perfect girl.”

“Your sister doesn’t know you’re gay?”
“Oh she knows. But she thinks it would be bad for my career for me to come

out. She’s also got a lot invested in my goth image, and every time I try to take my
music back to its roots a bit, she loses it. And she has approval over the song lists
for my next three albums. I should have known better than to give my manager
that much creative control, but I didn’t think...”

“Oh.” Eddie’s eyes widened, mimicking the “O” his lips had made. “So she has

some say in your career.”

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“Enough that I’ll go through contract hell if I want to fire her. And enough

that firing her is the only way to get her opinions out of my career.”

“I didn’t realize. Well, what if you just got caught – you know, accidentally –

kissing a guy? Then you’d pretty much have to come out. I volunteer, by the way.”

“That seems disproportionately cruel after everything she’s done for me.”
“Press conference? Open letter on Tumblr? Two words, ‘I’m gay,’ on Twitter?”
Each idea more tempting than the last. To live as himself, out loud, for

everyone to know him and see him as who he was?

“Oh, God, Eddie. You really think I should come out? And play my mountain

music too?”

“Yeah.” Eddie grinned at him. “You could even grow a mountain-man beard,

and I’d still think you’re awesome.”

Lincoln laughed. “No beard.”
“Okay, but yeah, Linc, I really think you should do what makes you happy.

The secrets are destroying you. They might be keeping the peace with your sister,
but they’re just a Band-Aid for what’s going on between the two of you. I’d rip
the Band-Aid off, rip it hard and fast and never look back. If she loves you, she’ll
understand. She’ll be pissed for a while, but she’ll understand.”

Eddie reached for him, and Lincoln walked into his arms, opening his own

to hug Eddie tightly around the waist. They rocked together for a moment, and
Lincoln’s eyes drifted closed. He wanted this, needed this intimacy with Eddie. As
much as the idea of being mated still nagged at him, he couldn’t deny he’d never
felt so suddenly and quickly attached to another person.

When it came time for Edouard to leave the Wiccan Haus, it would be far

worse than ripping off a Band-Aid. It would be more akin to amputation.

“Oh, God, Eddie, how are you just exactly who I need right now?” He leaned

in to lick along Eddie’s jaw, ending with a kiss at the soft, tender place between
his jaw and his ear. That place smelled perfectly of Eddie, spicy and clean and
oh-so-sexy.

“Lincoln…” Eddie’s voice dragged out the last vowel, his hands gripping

Lincoln’s shoulders.

“Lincoln. I need you.” Edouard meant it. “These past few days of not touching

you...wanting you, and not being able to touch, I’ve been going out of my mind.”
He stepped close and Lincoln took a step back, his shoulders hitting the wall. A
ragged breath caught in Edouard’s throat as Lincoln’s eyes closed, and he placed
a hand on Edouard’s chest.

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

“I still don’t believe...” Lincoln’s plaintive whisper snapped like a twig breaking

in Edouard’s heart.

“I’m not asking you to believe. Just touch me. Kiss me.” Edouard put a hand

behind Lincoln’s neck, eased him closer. A rough, grumbling moan ricocheted
between them at the contact. Then Lincoln’s hands were in his hair, and fuck, yes,
he kissed Edouard deep and hard. Those perfect lips parted and their tongues
clashed together and Edouard yearned for a deeper, tighter connection. He
wanted everything with Lincoln, wanted to share himself every way he knew how.

He pulled back, met Lincoln’s eyes as he reached a hand between them,

sliding it into Lincoln’s pants and rubbing Lincoln’s cock. It was hard, hot and
silken to the touch. He felt a drop of precome at the slit, and he slicked it over the
head. Lincoln’s head dropped back against the wall, and he thrust his hips into
Edouard’s hand.

“Lincoln, do you ever top?” he asked. Dark eyes whipped open, and a smile

lifted the corners of Lincoln’s mouth.

“It’s been a while, but yeah, I have.”
“Do you want to?”
“Do I want to fuck you, Eddie?” Lincoln grinned, sliding a hand down

Edouard’s back to cup his ass through his jeans. “You want me like that?” His
voice was teasing, but his eyes were serious and yes, absolutely, yes Edouard
wanted him like that.

“I need you, Lincoln. I haven’t done that in a long time. Not since Allen. But I

want to experience everything with you.”

“For you? Yeah.” Lincoln kissed him hard, his hand squeezing the hard muscle

over Edouard’s ass. “I can do that for you.”

A frisson of fear ran through Edouard as their lips met again, and the

unspoken arrangement they’d shared swapped. He hadn’t bottomed in years,
and he didn’t like feeling vulnerable, but everything about Lincoln was special.
Anticipation swelled in him, dissipating that fear.

“Hey…” Lincoln pulled back, as if he recognized the conflicting emotions

rolling through Edouard. “It’s okay if you change your mind. It’s one thing to
fantasize about it; it’s different to let someone in like that. If you don’t want to,
I’m okay with things the way they’ve been so far.”

“Let’s do it.”

Lincoln couldn’t believe big toppy Edouard was asking Lincoln to top, but he

wasn’t going to turn away a chance to be with Eddie again. No way. He kissed

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

Eddie, steering them back toward the bedroom. When they got there, Lincoln
pushed Eddie down to the bed, not breaking the kiss.

When they were gasping and groaning, dry-humping against each other,

Lincoln pulled away. He felt an unlikely swelling in his chest as he looked down
at his big bear, lips shiny from their kisses, eyes open and trusting. Mine. Unsure
where the possessive thought had come from, he leaned close to nibble an earlobe,
running a hand up under Eddie’s shirt to tease at his nipples.

“How do you want me?” Eddie whispered, arching into Lincoln’s touch.
“First? Naked.” Lincoln winked, tugging off his own clothes. As he dug in

the guitar case for condoms and lube, he saw Eddie shedding his clothes and
dropping them, unfolded, off the side of the bed.

“Jesus, Eddie. That desperate for my cock? You’re gonna wrinkle your T-shirt,”

he teased. Edouard growled, reaching for Lincoln again. Oh, he was going to be a
pushy bottom, wasn’t he?

The kiss was torturously slow, decadent, and flaming hot. Lincoln groaned,

pressing his erection against Eddie’s, grinding them together. The heat of the
other man’s cock was perfection, sizzling, scalding perfection. He let that roll
through him a bit as they kissed, getting increasingly turned on by the desperate
noises Eddie was making. Suddenly, it was the most important thing in his world
to make this good for Eddie.

He slicked one finger with lube, and without breaking the kiss, nudged Eddie’s

leg to the side with a knee. He cupped Eddie’s balls, letting the weight of them rest
in his hand as he teased that finger behind to probe gently at Eddie’s entrance.

“Fuck, yes.” Eddie pulled out of the kiss, throwing his head back and

pulling his knees up. He took giant gulping breaths of air, and the sight
was magnificent. Lincoln recognized the magnitude of Eddie’s gift to him:
his submission to Lincoln, this vulnerability, was something he’d never give
another man.

Smiling, Lincoln made his way down Eddie’s body, flicking his tongue

over each nipple as he went, nipping at the softly furred skin covering rock-
hard abs. When he reached Eddie’s cock, he didn’t hesitate; he sucked him
in and swallowed him down as he pushed his finger past the resistant ring
of muscle and into Eddie’s ass. He bobbed on his lover’s cock as he probed
inside, finding the prostate and rubbing until Eddie’s legs dropped farther
apart on a whimper.

He pulled off Eddie’s cock and lubed up another finger. He lined it up and

slowly, so slowly, teased inside. It had been a long time for Eddie; Lincoln didn’t
want to push too hard, too fast, and hurt him, so he took his time, stretching him,
teasing him, waiting until Eddie was fucking himself on Lincoln’s fingers before
he lined up a third.

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

The whining hiss that came from Eddie sent a spike of heat through Lincoln,

as though he were feeling the penetration in his own body. Yeah. Like that. He
rubbed two fingers hard against the gland, pulling the third away to stretch him
further. Finally, when Eddie’s fists clenched and his hips churned, Lincoln slid his
hand away and tore open the condom package.

“Are you ready?” He kissed the soft skin above Eddie’s collarbone.
“Yeah.” Something in Eddie’s face had softened and opened to Lincoln, just as

his body had. Gently, Lincoln turned him over, helping him up onto his knees. As
much as he wanted the intimacy of looking into Eddie’s face while making love
to him, he was frightened of how far into his soul Edouard would see. He lined
himself up and pressed in, gently, slowly, careful not to push too hard as all the
tight, welcoming heat surrounded him.

It had been so long, Edouard had forgotten what this felt like, the stinging

stretch and burn. But he wanted it. For Lincoln, for himself, for whatever crazy
life they would have together as mates. Because this was Lincoln, and he was in
love. Edouard shuddered as he worked himself back onto Lincoln’s cock, giving
himself to his lover.

“Oh, hell, Eddie.” Lincoln groaned, and the sound made Edouard wild. He

pushed back, slamming his body into Lincoln’s.

And then, Edouard bit back a curse, because damn that had been too fast.
Lincoln had said he hadn’t topped in a while. But hell, the guy knew exactly

what he was doing, because he stilled, reaching around Edouard to pump his cock
back to firmness, waiting until Edouard started moving, started trying to ride
back along Lincoln’s cock.

Lincoln leaned forward and began to whisper in Edouard’s ear. Sweet, sexy,

dirty words gave way to a stuttered fuck, yeah baby, take me so sweet. Slowly, they
began to move together, adjusting their motions until Lincoln hit Edouard at
exactly the right angle to make Edouard roll his hips into that thrusting and the
world narrowed down to that perfect pressure, making him want more.

“Fuck me harder,” he demanded. Lincoln’s hands found Edouard’s hips, and

Edouard discovered in himself the capacity to truly give his body over to the other
man because now Lincoln was pushing him to surrender. When he let go, let him
in, he felt his soul soaring, reaching.

The climb to orgasm was quick, sharp, and dizzying.
“Give it to me,” Lincoln demanded, his hand working harder on Edouard’s

cock, with that sweet twist on the head, and he was gone, lost in the wave of it,
body detonating as he shouted, and yes, gave himself to Lincoln.

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Lincoln followed a moment behind, shouting his own release as he pumped

hard into Edouard’s ass.

Their bodies slick with sweat, they collapsed down to the bed.
“I love you, Lincoln,” Edouard whispered.

Lincoln looked at Eddie cautiously, waiting for him to push about mating

again, but he didn’t say anything. Lincoln tied off the condom and tossed it into
the garbage can before laying back and tugging Edouard’s head onto his shoulder.

“That was amazing, Eddie.”
Edouard pulled away, rolling up onto one elbow, eyes dark and sad. “I mean

it. I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t know what that means for me, for us. I
don’t know if you want me with you, and if you don’t—”

The expression on Eddie’s face stung Lincoln. “Oh hell, honey. I’m scared. I

want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone or anything in my life. But you know
how I feel about this mating stuff.”

“Yeah.” Eddie yawned, tucking his head under Lincoln’s chin. “Okay. One day

at a time.”

“You’re okay with that?”
“Lincoln, at this point, I’d pretty much be okay with you keeping me tied up in

your basement if it meant I could stay with you.”

Well, Lincoln’s cock took an inordinate amount of interest in those words, a hiss

of desire curling in his gut, but there was no way he was ready for another round.

“We’ll tie you up another time,” he whispered, letting the sleepy post-coital

hormones drag him under at last.

Chapter Thirteen

incoln got a strange sense of déjà vu when they walked into Rekkus’s
office. This time, the two chairs he and Eddie had occupied the week
before were occupied by two dark-haired, somber-faced individuals,

one of whom Lincoln had never seen before. Cyrus, he’d never actually met, but
he’d seen him on previous visits. The woman sitting next to Cyrus wore dark
clothing – which looked like it had been bought from the same sorts of shops
where Lincoln got his own stage wardrobe – and a solid mask of annoyance. She
had to be Sarka. They were very different from Cemil and Sage, as dark as the
others were fair, but they were clearly family.

“Cyrus, Sarka.” Eddie nodded briskly at the two. “This is Lincoln Tucker.”
Two pairs of appraising eyes looked him over. Something flickered in the

woman’s face, something that appeased a little ache in Lincoln. He’d wanted her
approval, just like he wanted everyone’s approval—when would he get over his
need to be wanted? She smiled, barely. Lincoln got the feeling that smiles were
rare from Sarka, and it made him preen a bit. Yeah, definitely still desperate for
approval, especially from big-sister types.

“Nice to meet you.” Cyrus mumbled, turning his attention back to Rekkus.

“Have you got Kaleb yet?”

“I’m here.” Kaleb’s voice crackled over the line. “I’m at the Bonsaint house.

Stephen is with me, we’ve got you all on speaker.”

“Lincoln and I are here too,” Eddie said. “Hey, Steve.”
“Hey, Ed, Hey, Lincoln.”
“Okay, let’s get started,” Rekkus began. “We’ve got two main concerns here.

Obviously, rescuing Bruno is huge. Sage made some kind of herbal concoction,
and Sarka cast a spell over it to boost its efficiency. It should work as an antidote

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to the drugs they’ve used on Bruno to keep him from shifting. The other concern
is eliminating the threat to the Wiccan Haus.”

“Your portal opening has to be closed. For good,” Sarka said, her voice stern.

“We recognize you three have been protecting it, and us. And while we’ve made it
very difficult for anyone other than you Bonsaint brothers to use it, we can’t take
that chance. The Syndicate has agreed to shut it down after the raid. Next time
one of you needs to visit us, you’ll have to come by ferry or through one of the
standard portals available for Para use.”

“Fine,” Edouard and Stephen agreed in unison.
Kaleb’s voice came crackling through the line again. “Okay, so five vampires,

who will all be asleep when we move in. At least two of them have fed on bear
recently, and therefore their strength is an X-factor. Five wolves. My team of four
will detain the wolves closest to the house and the vamps, until the Syndicate team
can come in and move them. Stephen and Edouard, I need you two to disable the
two wolves on the perimeter. No killing and try not to maim them.”

“But Bruno...”
“I’ll get Bruno,” Lincoln said. “You can tie the potion to my foot, I can fly it in,

and no one will notice. I’ve got this.”

“Lincoln, if they do notice... how are you going to defend yourself against

a wolf?”

“I’ll do what I do best. I’ll run away.” Lincoln’s face flushed. He wasn’t exactly

embarrassed, but his place in the food chain was pretty clear. He was no predator.

“Bruno should be able to shift within five to ten minutes of taking the potion,”

Sarka explained. “He may still be weak and disoriented. Lincoln, can you guide
him out?”

“Yes.”
“Okay. It sounds like we have a plan.” Rekkus looked to Cyrus and Sarka for

agreement and they nodded. Lincoln looked down at his red Converse, shuffling
them along the floor. This was it. Eddie was leaving. They’d rescue his brother,
and then he’d never see him again.

“Bring Bruno back here,” Sarka said, “I want to take a look at him, make sure

he’s all right. If the vampires have been feeding from him...”

“Do you want us to send him back through the portal?” Kaleb asked.
“As a matter of fact, that will be perfect.” She turned to Edouard. “I’m going

to make a pendant with one of our crystals; I want you to put it on your brother.
When it returns with him through the portal, the pendant will start the spell to
destroy your side of the portal. Your brother will be the last Para to travel through.”

“Okay.” Edouard nodded. “But what about Lincoln? He’s staying here four

more weeks.”

Lincoln’s heart thudded hot and angry in his chest.
“He’ll have his crystal. Make sure he comes through before Bruno.”

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“Okay then.”
“We’re done here,” Rekkus said quietly, gesturing toward the door. “Lincoln,

Edouard, Kaleb will fill you in further when you get to the Bonsaint house.”

“Thank you,” Edouard said, nodding to Rekkus and the Rowan siblings. He

took Lincoln’s hand and tugged him toward the door.

“I don’t want you to come along.” Eddie erupted the moment the door closed

behind them. He tugged Lincoln through the lobby to the golf cart that waited to
take them back to the cottage by the orchard.

“It’s not up to you. Kaleb wants me on the team.” Lincoln was hurt by Edouard’s

lack of faith in his abilities. “Just because I’m small doesn’t mean I can’t help. You
big shifters think power is all about size and strength.”

“It’s not about power, Lincoln. I love you, and I don’t want you to get hurt.

How is that so hard to accept?”

“I won’t get hurt. Have a little faith in me, Eddie.”
“Why won’t you let me protect you?” Edouard gestured emphatically as he

drove, and Lincoln shuddered at the way the golf cart lurched.

“Because I’m a grown man, Edouard Bonsaint. Just like you. And you can’t

protect me from everything.”

“I want to.”
“I want to protect you too. I think about what it would mean to be with you,

all the time. Out, as partners. As mates even.” Lincoln saw Eddie’s eyes grow wide
and hopeful. “And you know what crazy thoughts go through my head? Some
crazed fan with a gun comes to a show, and they aren’t after me: they’re after you.
Do you know what that would do to me?”

“I didn’t realize I was that important to you.” Edouard’s voice was small, uncertain.
“Stop the cart.”
Lincoln took Eddie’s face between his hands. “I don’t know about mating. I

know I’m crazy about you. In love with you. I want you more than anything, but I
don’t want you to get hurt or worse because we’re together.”

“You love me?”
“Yes.”
“This is the first time you’ve said it.” Edouard’s hand curled behind Lincoln’s

neck, pulling him close for a sweet, desperate kiss.

“I love you,” Lincoln said against his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Lincoln. God, what are we going to do about this?”
“First we rescue your brother. Then we figure this out, okay? I’m done fighting

the way I feel about you.”

Chapter Fourteen

he air was crisp, cool, and it smelled of anticipation. Lincoln had
practiced flying with the potion and the pendant tied to his leg. It
took some getting used to, his weight was different, but he knew

he could do it. Below him, Eddie and Stephen were gathered with Kaleb’s crew,
who were dressed in camouflage and putting receivers in their ears so they could
communicate. Kaleb gestured to the truck and his men climbed inside. With a
gruff nod, he joined them.

Lincoln watched as Eddie and Stephen stripped down and shifted. The two

big brown bears started running in the direction of the abandoned farmhouse,
and one of them glanced up at the tree where Lincoln waited.

It was time.
He launched himself into the air, feeling the currents lift under his wings. He

could easily cover the distance necessary in half the time it would take the bears,
so he trilled a few notes at Eddie and sped away.

When he flew in through the barred window of the silo, he could see Bruno

on the floor, in the same place he’d been the week before. He chirped once, and
the man lifted his head. Hopping down to the floor, he took in Bruno’s bedraggled
appearance. He looked worse, weaker.

Lincoln chirped again, hopping close enough to perch on Bruno’s hand. He

lifted the leg that had the potion bound to it.

“Hey there, Edouard’s friend.” Bruno smiled weakly, stroking his feathers.

It felt nice, the gentle gesture, but Lincoln was impatient. He needed Bruno to
remove the potion from his leg so he could shift. He lifted his foot again, digging
slightly with the other foot.

“Ouch. Hey be nice.” Bruno pouted, laying his head back down and closing

his eyes.

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Dammit. Lincoln squawked, fluffing up his feathers. Bruno’s eyes opened,

brow furrowed.

“Are they coming to get me out of here?”
Lincoln trilled, and tried one more time to show Bruno the package tied to

his leg.

“Oh man, I’m sorry little guy. I didn’t see it. I wondered why you weren’t

shifting.” Bruno’s big fingers fumbled with Eddie’s knots, trembling. It took
several attempts, but finally he managed to free the little package from Lincoln’s
leg. As it dropped into Bruno’s hand, Lincoln leaped down and shifted.

“Drink the potion, and put the pendant around your neck. Sarka bespelled the

chain, it will grow with you when you shift.

“Can’t shift.” Bruno sighed.
“Drink the potion. It’s an antidote to whatever they were giving you. Hell,

Bruno, you look like shit.”

“He’s been feeding from me.” Bruno shuddered. “The leader of the coven. He

damn near drained me the day before yesterday.” Bruno fell silent, wary. “The
woman gave me some of her blood. Enough to keep me alive.”

“Drink the potion, Bruno. Your brothers are coming.”
They heard the truck engine then, and Bruno nodded, gulping down the

potion in one swallow. He frowned as he pulled the pendant around his neck.

“How long?” he whispered.
“Maybe five, ten minutes?” Lincoln whispered back. “If I fly low, can you

follow me?”

“Yeah, that bright yellow chest? Shouldn’t have any trouble spotting you.”
“Do you think you can break through the door to the silo once you’ve shifted?”
“Yeah. I think so. It’s half rotten. I’m too weak like this.” Bruno gestured at his

human form. “But if I can shift? Yeah.”

They heard it beginning then, the sounds of conflict, a few howls.
“That’s Kaleb. Special ops. He’s going to detain the wolves guarding you before

he moves on the house. Eddie and Stephen are going for the two on the perimeter.”

“This Kaleb, he’s got guns? And he’s going in the house?” Bruno looked

alarmed, struggled to his feet.

“Yeah, why?”
“We need to stop him. He can’t hurt her.”
“Who?”
“The vampire. The woman, the one who healed me.”
“Hurting her isn’t part of the plan; they’re just going to detain them until the

Syndicate Police get here. She’s part of this coven, Bruno. They’ve been holding
you captive.”

“She helped me. She saved my life; I have to stop him. She’s sleeping,

she’s defenseless.”

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“Okay, slow down big guy. Can you shift yet?”
“Maybe.” Bruno seemed to struggle for a minute, then his shoulders fell. “No.”
“What does she look like? How many women are there in the coven?”
“She’s the only one. Lincoln, you have to stop him. Don’t let him hurt her,

please.” Bruno’s voice cracked as he pleaded.

“Okay, I’m going out there. As soon as you can shift, get the hell out of here.”
Lincoln shifted and flew out the window. He saw the three wolves bound and

caged in the back of the truck as he flew toward the house. Kaleb and two of his
men were about to push through the front door.

Fuck, what am I doing?
Lincoln flew right in front of Kaleb’s face, spreading his wings and squawking

loudly before shifting. “Whatever happens, don’t hurt the female. Bruno says she
was helping him. He says she saved his life.”

Kaleb nodded briskly, muttered something into his radio, and then nodded,

gesturing Lincoln away.

Lincoln turned, walking off the porch and started back toward the silo,

wincing at the cold ground under his bare feet. His attention on the silo, he
recognized the sound of a wolf running toward him a moment later than he
should have. He started his shift, frantically flapping to get some height as the
wolf lunged for him.

A brown bear collided with the wolf just as his teeth snapped in the air below

Lincoln’s wings. The bear and the wolf rolled together, snapping and snarling,
bellowing. Lincoln could tell immediately that it was his bear, his Eddie. When a
bellow and a crashing noise came from the silo, Lincoln felt a breath of relief. Bruno
had shifted at last. He moved forward slowly, as though still under the influence of
the drugs, but he managed to help Eddie restrain the wolf and add him to the cage
with the others. Then, he bellowed again and started toward the house.

“Bruno, don’t!” Eddie shifted, calling after his brother.
Lincoln shifted, reaching for Eddie.
“He’s okay. He’s okay. He’s going to be fine.” Lincoln wrapped his arms tightly

around Eddie. He was going to be fine. They were all going to be fine. He knew
then, a sudden realization crashing over him, that he didn’t want his freedom
from this man. He wanted to be bound to him, forever.

A moment later, Bruno emerged in his human form, carrying a wrapped

bundle in his arms, tugging the fabric close and tight.

“Let’s go,” he ordered gruffly, walking past Lincoln and Eddie with the

sleeping female vampire cradled close to his chest.

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After a lengthy argument with Kaleb that was settled by a curt call to the

Wiccan Haus, Bruno was finally allowed to carry the female vampire through the
portal with him, Lincoln’s crystal tucked inside her shroud.

“I’ll make other arrangements to return for the rest of my vacation,” Lincoln

smiled at Edouard. “Besides, we need to talk.”

Lincoln and Edouard gathered with Stephen, Romy, and Kaleb’s team to watch

their side of the portal collapse. The noise was deafening as Bruno walked through
it, and then it suddenly stopped, as though the whole world had gone silent.

Then the sounds returned. Insects, birds, small animals in the grass, the wind.
Edouard turned to Lincoln.
“Walk with me.”
He led him through the woods to a tree he’d staked out for months a few years

back. There was a nest high in the tree, but it had been abandoned long ago, and
only scraps remained. He had taken thousands of photos of its tiny inhabitants
that one magical summer. He pointed up to it.

“Three summers ago, a family of Blackburnian Warblers made their

summer nest in that tree. The mama bird, the papa bird, and four hatchlings. I
photographed them every day, all summer long. That’s how I knew what type of
bird you were.”

“Wow.” Lincoln looked up at the nest curiously. “I’d love to see the photos.”
“I’ll show them to you.” Edouard cupped Lincoln’s face in his hand, turning

him to face him. “I love you, Lincoln.”

“I love you too, Eddie.”
He watched the emotions crowding Lincoln’s face, and then the moment

of decision.

“Mate with me,” Lincoln demanded. “Let’s do it, Eddie. Let’s forge the bond.”
Edouard tugged him close, tilting back his head.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. God, yes.” Lincoln grinned. “Now, before either of us has a chance to over-

think it.”

The kiss was explosive, and Edouard felt his soul soaring free, reaching for

its mate. He wrapped around Lincoln, felt Lincoln wrapping around him, and
his breath caught. He pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting Lincoln’s, and saw
the same wonder in Lincoln’s face as the moment between them shuddered and
grew. Just when it seemed that they were on the brink of suffocation, his breath
flooded back into him, and he heard Lincoln’s gasp.

He felt it then, the way he felt fuller, more complete, his soul knit together

with Lincoln’s.

“Eddie…” Lincoln groaned, pulling him back into a kiss. It grew hot and lush,

and the air between them felt heavy and ripe. Lincoln’s hand dove into Edouard’s
pants, palming his dick, and he hissed as they arched together. Edouard reached

Vanessa North · Shifter's Song

into Lincoln’s pants, pulling his cock free, then pressed it with his own in his
hands, working them together tight and fast until Lincoln shuddered against
him, crying out as he came in Edouard’s hand. The wet heat was all Edouard
needed to let go, to find his own release as Lincoln bit and kissed at his neck.

“Wow.” He breathed, pulling Lincoln close.
“Yeah, wow. Our souls, they’re…”
“Yeah.” Edouard nuzzled his head into the place where Lincoln’s neck and

shoulder met. This, right here, could be his favorite part of the other man, this
part of him that smelled and tasted so damn good. He bit, worrying the tendon
between his teeth.

“Oh God, Eddie. You’d better be willing to back that up with your cock.”

Lincoln sputtered. “Or your ass.”

“For you? Yeah.” Edouard grinned, feeling lighter than air as Lincoln laughed.

His mate.

Epilogue

douard waited patiently in Lincoln’s dressing room backstage.
Tonight was the kick-off show of the new tour, and soon his man
would take the stage. He knew Lincoln was nervous, and not just

about the new direction his music was taking.

The Internet had exploded with gossip after they had done that interview, the

one where Lincoln had publicly come out, and they’d declared their intention to
get married. It was legal in Canada, but as an American, Lincoln had chosen that
interview to make a political statement in favor of marriage equality and against
what he described as “institutionalized bullying.”

Lincoln’s sister had reluctantly agreed to let Lincoln hire a new image

consultant to help with the transition from bratty pop-star with emo hair to
serious musician, but he still wore the eyeliner they’d both agreed was pretty hot.
Lincoln smiled at Eddie as he entered the room a few steps behind Stef, arguing
already about whether they could add a few dates to the end of the tour. Eddie
knew Lincoln was going to let her have her way by how Lincoln rolled his eyes
every time she wasn’t looking.

Stephen and Romy were in the audience, coming all the way to Los Angeles

from Quebec to see Lincoln’s first public performance since he’d helped rescue
Bruno. With the portal on the property closed, they didn’t need anyone to stay
behind to stand guard.

Edouard liked to think Bruno would be here too, to support the newest

member of the family, but no one had spoken to Bruno since the portal opening
closed behind him. Bruno was still recuperating from his ordeal at the Wiccan
Haus, unreachable by telephone or e-mail.