Lucky

An Amber Quill Press Book

This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations,
and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or have

been used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or

events is entirely coincidental.

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

http://www.AmberHeat.com

http://www.AmberAllure.com

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any

form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the

publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the

purposes of review.

Copyright (c) 2011 by K. M. Mahoney

ISBN 978-1-61124-135-8

Cover Art (c) 2011 Trace Edward Zaber

Published in the United States of America

Also by K. M. Mahoney

Troy's Surrender

Dedication

This one's for you, Shannon.

But I'm still not calling it "Lovers Unite."

Chapter 1

Alli sighed in relief as he stepped outside into the chilly evening
air. One more Friday gone. Of course, being the owner of his own
shop made tomorrow a work day, too. Took a bit of the fun out of
the end of the week.

That was okay. He hated Fridays anyway.

He yanked the door shut. The bells, which had jingled merrily for
everyone else all day, tumbled free. They hit the floor with a
symphony of discordant jangles. He glared at them.

Locking the door while juggling an umbrella and an oversized tote
bag full of books presented something of a challenge, but Alli did
it and dropped the bag on his foot only once. Not too bad, all
things considering, although it didn't make his toes throb any
less. At last count that made four boxes, six piles of books, and
two bags that had landed on that particular foot today. And it was
six o'clock. He had the whole evening ahead of him.

He stepped out from the relative shelter of the awning, pulling up
the hood of his jacket. The trickle of rain promptly became a
torrential downpour.

Alli's resigned sigh would have knocked over a sign. He slung his
bag over one shoulder, wincing at the pinch of the weight, and
struggled to pop open his umbrella. A sudden gust of wind made
him stagger.

He watched with a distinct lack of emotion--achieved over many,
many Fridays--as the umbrella, now inside out, flopped its way
down the street. He didn't bother to chase after it. No point. He
shoved his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker, hunched
his shoulders, and accepted the fact that he was going to get wet.

He really, really hated Fridays.

Absently, he scanned the area for any sign of his friend Chris. A
local deputy, Chris made something of a habit of walking Alli
home. Protection, he claimed. Chris had altered his patrol route
shortly after Alli had arrived. There had been an incident, a
kitchen fire when Alli was sleeping. The fire department couldn't
find any cause. Chris had kept hounding Alli, and Alli had finally
broken. Chris was well-educated in the paranormal world. Alli
said "Fayte" and Chris caught the implications immediately. Now
he kept an especially close eye on Alli on Fridays, the day of the
week when Alli's magic bubbled over and bad things happened.

Chris wasn't anywhere in sight, so Alli looked both ways with
exaggerated care before stepping out onto the crosswalk. Jack
Bower, owner of the local newspaper, called his name. Alli
looked over to wave. When he looked back, a large van was
barreling down the formerly empty street right toward him. He
stared, transfixed, at the large vehicle and knew a collision
between them was imminent.

He knew who would win, too, and it wasn't him.

"I hate my life," he whispered.

* * * *

Michael Lakkis kicked the tire of his truck in frustration, knowing
he had only himself to blame. Here he was, two hundred and
eighty-three miles from home, with a rust bucket heap of a truck
that just had to die. He should have spent his last paycheck on a
down payment for a new vehicle, not bought a blasted hunting

cabin in Northern Wisconsin.

Michael still didn't know what trouble-making imp had possessed
him. He didn't even hunt, for crying out loud.

Then again, maybe he did know. He'd been living in Madison for
too many years. He could practically hear his older brother's
voice in his ears. "

Cities and shifters don't mix."

Michael wasn't going to tell Evan that he had been right. The
press of humanity was starting to get to Michael, make him itchy.
Make Bruce itchy. His shifter half had started popping out at
weird times, Bruce impatient with the confinement and the lack of
greenery. Weekends by the lake didn't cut it.

When Michael had stumbled across the ad for a place in Putman
County, it had seemed perfect. Not a paranormal species on
earth hadn't heard of the place. It had become something of a
haven for the supernatural, somewhere they could be themselves
without fearing discovery. Not that it meant Michael could wander
down the street in animal form, but perhaps he wouldn't have to
lock half of himself away quite as often.

Michael kicked his tire again, but it was more for form than actual
emotion. After all, the day was temperate, the sky overcast but
not--okay, that was a rumble of thunder. Maybe he'd better get his
ass in gear. At least he didn't have far to walk.

The sign next to his truck read, "Putman County. Things are
different here." He'd made it to his destination before losing his
transportation. That was something, anyway.

He peered around the sign and to the town a quarter of a mile
beyond. He glanced up and down the nearly deserted street,
squinting through the pouring rain. There, at the far end, he saw a

mechanic. He grabbed his wallet off the passenger seat,
slammed the door shut, and began the long, wet trek to find help.

A panicked shout caught Michael's attention and his head shot
up.

What on earth?

Someone buried in an enormous jacket stood in the middle of the
road while a very large van barreled right toward them.

Michael cursed and began to run. He almost literally flew the last
feet, body slamming into the smaller figure. He felt the bumper of
the van brush by his leg. The slight impact sent them hurtling
toward the side of the road. Michael tried to twist sideways.

He didn't make it. He landed solidly on top of the other man. In a
very large puddle.

Oh, well. At least they weren't dead.

The man groaned and stirred. "I think you broke my back."

"Hey," Michael replied, struggling to untangle them. "Look on the
bright side. You aren't a road pancake."

"Easy for you to say. I'm not sure this is an improvement." The
man grunted when Michael's knee slammed into his hip.

"Hold still, will you? You know, people usually respond to life-
saving heroics with a little gratitude."

"You're squashing me!"

"If you would quit moving--"

"Need some help, boys?"

Michael tilted his head back, blinking against the rain. "Ah,
please. We seem to be stuck."

The burly man with a badge clipped to his belt helped them sort
themselves out. Once Michael's feet were released--somehow,
they had become wrapped up in the straps of an enormous
canvas bag--he was able to stand with relative ease.

The man rose to his hands and knees, moaning. Michael winced
in sympathy. All right, so maybe he could cut the guy a little slack.
The stranger didn't have Michael's weight or bulk, and they had
landed pretty hard. Poor guy was probably going to be black and
blue on both sides.

The man stood, staggering sideways until the police officer
steadied him.

"You need the doc, Alli?" the officer asked.

Alli grunted. "Nothing's broken," he replied, testing his body out
gingerly. "At least, I don't think so."

"Mark went after the guy," the officer offered helpfully. "Bastard
was doing sixty-five in a thirty."

"No offense, Chris, but that doesn't really make me feel any
better."

"Don't imagine it does." Chris turned, chuckling. He held out his
hand. "Chris Owens, Putman County Deputy Sheriff. The man you
blind tackled is Allegro Romani, resident florist. I'll say thank you,
since he seems to have his head stuck in his ass."

"Not funny, Chris."

"Wasn't meant to be, Alli."

Swear to God, Allegro actually stuck his tongue out at the officer.
The officer just laughed.

Michael had fallen through a vortex into a strange new world. He
wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.

So, he did what he always did. He smiled back, shook hands,
and jumped in with both feet. "We landed hard," he said. "I
imagine he's going to be pretty sore tomorrow."

"I'm right here," came the grumble. "And I'm sore now."

A speculative look lit the deputy's eyes for reasons beyond
Michael's comprehension. The big guy studied Michael with an
intense regard that Michael found distinctly disquieting. His mind
started ticking through paranormal possibilities. The deputy
clearly wasn't quite human, but Michael couldn't put his finger on--

"Oh, no!" The anguished howl had Michael's gaze swinging back
to Alli. Gray eyes were staring mournfully at the bag on the
ground. Several paperbacks had tumbled out onto the sidewalk.
They were now quite thoroughly ruined.

"Better you than the books," Chris pointed out.

From the look on his face, Michael thought the man would have
rather been sporting tire marks up his back.

Alli leaned over to scoop the books back up.

"Here, let me--"

Michael didn't even get to finish his sentence before the man
keeled over and did a faceplant onto Michael's tennis shoes.

* * * *

Michael wrinkled his nose at the scent of ammonia and that nasty

smell peculiar to all hospitals, wondering how in the hell he had
ended up sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair in the waiting
room of Putman County General Hospital.

The now-familiar bulk of Chris came around the corner. He
guessed the local PD didn't go in for uniforms, because the man
certainly seemed to be on duty, despite the jeans and Wisconsin
Badgers sweatshirt. Michael stood.

"Our boy is getting a couple of stitches put in his shoulder, then
he should be good to go. But the doc is making grumbly noises
about that concussion. I told him you would wake Alli up a couple
of times tonight, make sure he wasn't dead."

"Me?" Michael gaped. "How did I get involved in this mess?"

"You're the one who tackled the guy." Chris pointed that fact out
like it made everything else completely reasonable.

Michael wondered if everyone in this town was freaking nuts, or
just the ones he'd met. When he'd been introduced to "Doc," the
man had shared a significant look with Chris. Chris had waggled
his eyebrows. The doc had giggled. Giggled. Like a teenage girl.

This place was straining Michael's "go with the flow" philosophy
to its limits.

"Your truck won't be ready until tomorrow afternoon, earliest,"
Chris pointed out.

Michael didn't even ask how Chris knew. It was Michael's truck,
and he hadn't even talked to the mechanic yet. Hell, he couldn't
remember telling Chris about his mechanical troubles in the first
place, let alone arranging for transport with the local garage.

"In the meantime," the deputy continued, "you can sack out on
Alli's couch. Save you the cost of a hotel and that way Alli won't

have to stay here overnight."

A crash from behind the double swinging doors made them both
wince.

"I think everyone would be happier," Chris added.

Michael made a little noncommittal sound. He'd been sucked
down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. It was the only explanation
that made any sense whatsoever.

The doors flung open and Alli burst out. Well, if you could manage
a burst while weaving like a drunk on a week-long binge.

"He's going over!" yelled a nurse.

Chris and Michael both reached for Alli at the same time and
collided. It was the doctor, following right on Alli's heels, who
caught the injured man by the shoulder before he could take out
any innocent bystanders.

"Hold on there, Lancelot," Doc ordered. "That's the maternity
ward."

"Right," Alli drawled. "Don't need that."

"Hardly."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Will someone please get the man a
wheelchair?"

A second nurse appeared with the requested item before he'd
even finished his sentence. Efficiency. Had to love it.

It appeared to be something of a rare commodity in this area.

Doc pushed back on Alli and Alli dropped into the wheelchair.

"Man the torpedoes!" Alli yelled, thrusting one hand in the air.

"He's been on a naval biography kick," Chris said in an aside.

Michael completely lost it. Here he stood, in the middle of a
hospital in a Podunk town in the middle of the Midwest,
surrounded by strangers, and, man, was the situation just the
most...

Hell, he couldn't even begin to describe it.

Michael laughed until tears streamed down his face and he had
to lean against the wall for support. Most of the surrounding staff
ignored him. Chris and the doctor looked on and heck if they
didn't look almost...indulgent.

"Come on," he finally said, wiping the tears away. "Someone
needs to give me and the admiral here a ride."

It was Wonderland. And he kind of liked it.

Chapter 2

Michael hit the speed dial on his cell phone, watching the rain
drip off the eaves and slide down the windowpane. It had been a
long night. Very long. It had seemed to take an eternity to get
Allegro settled comfortably in his small bungalow. The man in
question was currently tucked under the covers, snoring like one
of Michael's relatives.

The phone clicked and Michael steeled himself. Time for the big
brother lecture.

Sure enough, the first sentence out of Evan's mouth was,
"Michael, where in blazes have you been? Mom has been frantic.
You were supposed to call last night."

Ah, the joy of older brothers.

"I'm fine, Evan. How are you?"

"Shut up."

"Jerk."

"Baby."

Pleasantries exchanged, all was right with the world. Of course, it
would be better with a couple hours of sleep. Michael could also
use a really large cup of coffee. Probably should have gotten that
before he called Evan. Michael's family was much easier to deal
with when fully caffeinated.

"I made it to Putman around six," Michael said.

"So what have you been doing that you couldn't take a minute to
call your worrying family?"

"I was at the hospital. Didn't get back until nearly one A.M.

Figured I should--"

"Damn, I knew we shouldn't have let you go alone. What did you
do, shoot yourself in the foot? Maryanne, pack up the kids while I
call Mom!"

"I'm fine!"

He had to bellow the words three times before they registered
with his overprotective sibling.

"Yeah? Define

fine

?"

"I wasn't the one hurt. There was this guy crossing the street and
a car tried to make a meal out of him. No big deal, he was just
banged up. I'm at his place now, following strict instructions on
the care and feeding of concussion patients."

Evan snorted. "My brother, the wonder medic. So I don't need to
come running to the rescue?"

"Hardly."

"How's the cabin?"

That's what he admired about his family. They had such
incredible focus.

"Haven't seen it yet. I was kind of sidetracked by the whole car-
meets-person thing."

"I still don't know what you want with a hunting cabin in northern
Wisconsin. You don't even hunt."

"Yes. Thank you for pointing that out. Again."

"Just trying to be helpful."

"Do me a favor. Be difficult. We've gone over this. I want a place
where I can be myself, you know?"

"So move back home."

The argument was a familiar one. Michael's family had never
understood why he felt the need to move away after college. In
fact, Michael's mother would have been happiest if Michael had
moved back into his old room. Most parents couldn't wait for the
kids to leave; the Lakkis family didn't want to let them go.

The phone clicked in his ear again. "Michael? Is everything all
right?"

Michael smiled at the soft voice of his sister-in-law. He freely
admitted to liking Maryanne a whole lot more than he liked his
brother. "I'm just fine, sweetheart."

"Don't call my wife sweetheart."

"I wanted to see what was going on," Maryanne replied, roundly
ignoring Evan. "If I waited for hubby dearest to tell me, I'd never
find out anything."

"I had a little excitement when I hit town," Michael said. He quickly
repeated his story for her. "So, as you can see, I'm unharmed and
making friends. No worries."

Evan snorted. "You telling us not to worry. You do know that has
the opposite effect, right?"

"I'm hanging up now."

"I'm not done lecturing you."

"Yes, you are." Maryanne replied for Michael, which was probably
a good thing. Michael didn't know what would have come out of
his mouth, but Evan wouldn't have liked it. What could he say?
Michael loved his two brothers, but they all seemed to have what
you could definitely call a tumultuous relationship. It was just so

much fun to poke and prod. And Evan was really, really easy to
stir up. Michael rarely could resist. Or, in fact, even tried.

Michael shoved his glasses back up his nose, humming absently
in agreement as his sister-in-law related a story about some
magnificent deed performed by his three-year-old nephew. Evan
sighed loudly in his ear.

"Maryanne, Michael really doesn't care about Bryce's drawing of
a fish."

"It was a horse."

Oh, man. When Maryanne's voice got all cold like that...

Michael cleared his throat. "Well, I think I should go check in on
my host. Patient. Whatever the heck he is. I'm sure he needs
something."

Honestly? Michael didn't think they even heard him. He hung up to
the sounds of marital bliss, Maryanne raking her husband over
the coals with a truly impressive snarl.

He shook his head, tossing his phone onto a nearby table. He
stretched, arching his back a bit, still feeling kinked up after the
long drive. Those blasted hospital waiting room chairs hadn't
helped much, either. Or the night spent on the couch. He was
really going to need a nice long run, but he didn't see it
happening any time soon. And not just because of his "patient"
snoring so loudly in the other room. No, he wasn't stupid enough
to go wandering the woods without checking the area out
thoroughly first.

Besides, Bruce hated the rain.

* * * *

Alli felt like warmed over shit. Seriously. He wanted to yank the
covers over his head, snuggle in bed, and block everything out,
but the smell of coffee was calling to him. Shouting. Like a drill
sergeant at a wayward private.

He tossed the blankets back and lay on his back, staring blankly
at the ceiling, willing his limbs to move. He was having extremely
limited success when a thought occurred to him. Coffee? He
hadn't moved, his coffeemaker was an ancient thing without a
timer. So who the heck was in his house making coffee?

The thought was enough to give him the added impetus needed
to swing his legs over the edge of the mattress. He sat up,
groaning when his head threatened to fall off and roll down the
hall. He clutched his temples and staggered across the room on
feet that weighed five pounds. Each.

It was a good thing his house was small, because his path was
far from steady. He bounced off the hallway walls like a pinball.
But that was okay, because the periodic support kept him
upright.

Alli finally reached the doorway to the kitchen. He clutched at the
frame with shaking hands, panting and sweating.

Great Glorious

Heavens.

He should have just stayed in bed. Let whoever was

here murder him in his sleep. At least he'd feel better.

Alli shook his head at himself. That made absolutely no sense. A
murderer wouldn't be making coffee.

Oh, well. Maybe he could still talk the guy into killing him.

Someone cleared his throat a few feet from him, but Alli didn't

have the energy to be startled.

"Um, I'm not going to kill you," the vaguely familiar man offered
uncertainly.

Only then did Alli realize he'd been muttering aloud to himself.
Marvelous.

"Coffee?" he asked hopefully.

The man bit his lip. "I don't know. Caffeine probably isn't a good
idea." He leaned closer, squinting at Alli through the lenses of a
pair of round glasses. "Your pupils are still really huge."

Alli should be embarrassed at the whimper he made but...coffee.

He got a small smile and a gentle agreement in response. "But
just half a cup."

Alli could live with that caveat. He got coffee. It had to help the
pounding in his head. It certainly couldn't hurt.

Alli shoved himself away from the door and zigzagged his way to
the table, the stranger hovering at his elbow with one hand
extended, as if to catch him when--if--he started to go down. Alli
made it there without incident, though, dropping onto a chair with
a huge sigh of relief. He accepted the offered cup, pouting a bit
when he saw the man hadn't been kidding about half a cup. But
his first sip helped ease the disappointment. He could feel the
fog clearing from his head almost immediately.

Unfortunately, the pounding didn't go away.

"Who are you?" Alli asked.

"Oh! Sorry. Figures you wouldn't remember." The man took a
seat with his own mug and smiled. It was a nice smile, Alli noted
absently. Friendly and warm, turning the man's deep brown eyes

to a lovely melted chocolate color. "I'm Michael Lakkis. We met
last night. On a curb."

Alli opened his mouth--and the memories flooded back. This
time, he managed to suppress the groan. But, damn. Did he
always have to embarrass himself in front of the good-looking
ones? Alli's Law. Cute Guy equals Klutzy Disaster.

Michael chuckled. "I see you do remember me."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for," Michael said with a wave of his hand.
"I'm just glad you ended up in one piece."

"My head disagrees with that assessment."

"I imagine it does. You need more pills? The hospital sent home
some really nice painkillers. I stashed them in the bathroom if you
want one."

Alli hated taking drugs, but... "Yes, please."

"Be right back."

Alli watched the guy go, wishing he felt better. Because

that

was

a really nice view. Snug, faded jeans hugged a firm bubble butt
and clung to strong thighs. Michael wasn't a big man, but he was
compact. Not like Alli's skinny, underdeveloped self. No, Michael
was built and yummy and--Michael jogged back into the room
with a small bottle. The view was even nicer coming than going. A
T-shirt showcased muscular arms, the faded script only
enhancing the well-developed chest. The jeans wrapped around
a nice-sized package to match the nice-sized butt.

Alli took the pills gratefully and swallowed them dry; his coffee
was gone. Hopefully, the drugs would stop his rambling thoughts.

His lower body didn't seem to realize that the rest of him felt
ready for burial.

Michael wrapped large, callused hands around Alli's elbow and
hoisted. "Come on," he said. "Let's get you back into bed. If
those pills work anything like they did last night..."

Alli blinked at him. Oh. Oh, the world was fuzzy. Wow. Those were
good drugs. Fast, too. Of course, Alli had found out the hard way
in the past that human drugs didn't always work so well on his not-
so-human self. Or rather, they worked too well.

Michael laughed, a low, rich sound that wrapped around Alli's
cock and squeezed. And he was starting to feel like doing
something about it, too.

Alli hung off Michael's arm, letting the bulkier man guide him back
to the bedroom. Damn. Was that him giggling like an idiot? Yep,
it was. Huh.

"Okay," Michael huffed. "Bed."

"Only if you join me," Alli teased. He lost his balance and
dropped backward, impressed when the mattress appeared to
catch him. He giggled again and ran a hand over Michael's cut
abdomen.

Michael blushed and caught Alli's hand as it started to wander
lower. "Okay, you're really high. Lie down."

Alli splayed his arms and flung himself down, flashing the lovely
man above him his best sexy grin.

Some little part of Alli was screaming,

"Stop, idiot!"

Alli didn't flirt.

Ever. And he never, ever came on to someone he liked. He was
more of the tongue-tied, hide-in-the-corner type. That same little
voice insisted he was going to be humiliated tomorrow. The

painkillers drowned it out.

Alli wiggled with as much enticement as he could manage.
Waggled his eyebrows for good measure. Then did it again,
because that was cool. He didn't know he could do that.

Michael snorted, hand coming up to cover a laugh. "I think we
need to let Doc know that you have a really low tolerance for
painkillers."

Alli just smiled. "I like it." His words sounded a bit slurred to his
ears and he shook his head to clear it, pleased when he didn't
feel even the slightest twinge of the pain from earlier. Alli ran a
hand up his--bare?--chest. Oh. Apparently, he was only wearing a
pair of boxers. Huh. He hadn't noticed that before. Well, the lack
of clothes made things easier, for sure.

Michael smiled, a touch regretfully.

No. No regret. Just get your ass down here.

Michael shook his head, the words spoken aloud again. Then he
lifted his watch and began counting. "Five, four, three, two..."

Alli never heard him hit one.

* * * *

Michael stared down at the sleeping man and set his amusement
free. He rearranged sprawled limbs, chuckling softly. His laughter
hadn't slowed, even after he tucked Alli back into bed and quietly
left the room.

The man was just the cutest thing. On those dang pills, he had

absolutely zero inhibitions. Unfortunately, Michael seriously
doubted that same lack of inhibition would last past the drug-
induced buzz.

He was right, too. Alli came stumbling out of the bedroom again
approximately four hours later, blinking sleepily.

"Who are you?" he asked, face scrunched adorably in confusion.

"We've been over this a couple of times already," Michael
offered.

"We have?"

"Michael. We met last night, then this morning, and--"

Michael could tell the exact instant that Alli remembered. His face
flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet. Michael stared in fascination,
having never seen a person quite that color before. It kind of
clashed with the hair. And what hair it was. Long, hanging halfway
down his chest in thick ropes, all tangled from a restless night.
The sunlight hit it just right, turning the deep red to a fiery halo.

Alli stammered out a few jumbled sentences, and Michael tore
his attention away from the hair to the man's mouth. Of course,
that didn't help. Alli's mouth was almost as appealing as his hair.

"Are you hungry?" Michael asked.

Those lush, extremely kissable lips opened and closed
soundlessly a few times. "I suppose?"

The silence grew increasingly awkward as Michael put together a
couple of sandwiches. By the time Alli had nibbled on half of his
turkey and Swiss, Michael was beginning to squirm in his seat.
He didn't do silence like this. Not for long periods of time. But
whenever he would start to say something, Alli would flush fiery

scarlet again. The color wasn't so fascinating anymore.

Michael actually sighed in relief when his phone started singing
from the living room. He dropped his sandwich and bolted.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Michael." The doctor's voice echoed cheerfully
across the line. "I was just calling to check in on our patient."

"He's fine," Michael assured him. "Woke up earlier with the
mother of all headaches, but I gave him another one of those pills
and he seems to be better now. Next time, though, I think I'll chop
the pill in half."

"Might not be a bad idea," Doc replied dryly. "He certainly seems
to be more...sensitive to the side effects than most people."

"You can say that again," Michael said.

"Well, I appreciate you looking out for him. Not everyone would."

"I didn't get the impression I had much choice," Michael teased
with a wry voice.

"Oh, we could have found someone else. But you were just so
handy. Anyway, he should be all right on his own now, in case you
have somewhere else to be. Tell Alli I'm glad he's feeling better
and I'll check in with him again sometime in the next day or two."

"Will do. Thanks."

Michael hung up and turned, taking an involuntary step back when
he found Alli right behind him. "Oh. Hi. That was the doctor. He
said he'll check in with you soon, but you should be okay now."

"Thank you," Alli replied softly. While staring quite intently at his
bare feet. Well, damn. And here Michael was hoping to use the

situation for less than altruistic reasons. When Alli looked up,
though, Michael realized those half-formed plans were shot full of
holes. With a high-powered machine gun.

"I appreciate you looking out for me. And the sandwich. And
saving my life. All of it. I can manage now. Thank you."

Alli sort of stuttered off when he started to repeat himself, shuffled
his feet a few times, then muttered something about a hot shower
before ducking back out of sight. Michael huffed, raking his hand
through his thick dark hair in frustration.

It only took him a couple of minutes to clean up the kitchen. Back
in the living room, he folded up the blanket he'd used the night
before and laid it across the back of the couch, rearranged the
pillows. He stood there for a minute, hand on one hip, and
listened to the water turn on. The trickling sound led to images of
smooth, creamy skin and...

Michael shut his brain off viciously. No point in going there right
now. It would just leave him frustrated, annoyed, and horny.

Thinking of the look on Alli's face, Michael came to a decision.
What was that saying? Retreat is the better part of valor?
Something like that, anyway. In this particular case, it might be
more beneficial in the long run to make himself scarce right now.
Give Alli a chance to pull himself together. Make his move at a
later date.

Decision reached, Michael scooped up the few belongings he'd
hauled with him--travel case with razor and toothbrush, cell
phone, laptop bag--and retreated.

It wasn't until he'd closed the door behind him, stuck his hands in
his pockets, and started walking that a thought occurred to him.

He had no car. And not the slightest clue where he was going.

Well, hell. He dug his phone back out and dialed the one other
person he knew in town, cringing even as he did so. The thought
of the interrogation... Oh, well. No help for it.

"Hey, Chris? How 'bout giving a guy a ride?"

Chapter 3

Michael valiantly resisted the urge to pace, planting his feet on
the peeling tile in front of Chris's desk. He arched one eyebrow at
the deputy in a silent question. Chris just smiled back at him,
probably trying for angelic but falling far short.

Michael sighed. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"Until George calls."

"And George is?"

"The mechanic working on your truck."

"Couldn't you just--"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask," Michael pointed
out.

"Sure I do," Chris replied cheerfully. Michael was coming to the
conclusion that Chris was always cheerful. Obnoxiously so. "You
were going to ask me to drive you out to your new place. But I'm
on call. Gotta stay in town, don'tcha know."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yo, Mr. Minnesota. Wrong state."

"Close enough."

Michael opened his mouth, then closed it again. This
conversation really wasn't going anywhere. Like just about every
other conversation he'd engaged in with his friendly
neighborhood deputy.

"Can't you just run me out to the cabin?" Michael wheedled.

"And how will you get back to town?"

Well, drat. Chris had a point there.

Michael dropped down onto one of the chairs lining the wall of the
small room, wincing as the molded plastic smacked him in the
butt. Damn, but these were going to get painful. Fast. Really fast.

To distract himself, he looked around the room. There wasn't
much to see. Sitting square in the middle of the tiny town, the
Putman County Sheriff's Office proudly declared its age as
somewhere around 1810. At Michael's best guess, anyway; the
bricks had seen better days and the numbers out front were
nearly worn away.

The inside of the building showed its age with equal graceless
abandon. Ancient, cracked vinyl flooring gleamed dully under the
flickering florescent lights. Looking up at those same lights,
Michael noticed an abundance of water spots and a couple of
missing ceiling tiles. One large desk with an old dinosaur of a
computer sat cattycorner to the double glass front doors. A
matching--sort of--pair of battered metal desks lined the one
remaining wall not occupied by torturous plastic chairs. Another
door sat between them, a glass panel with stick-on lettering
declaring "Sheriff's Office." Someone had written in the

e

in

sheriff

with magic marker.

The only other item of interest in the room was a cluttered bulletin
board. Unfortunately, Michael was too far away for the numerous
posters and papers to be anything other than colorful blurs. He
wasn't bored enough yet to cross the small space to read them.

Michael leaned his head back against the cool cinderblock wall
and closed his eyes. His back protested. Between the hospital
chair, the couch last night, now this chair...yeah. He wondered if
Chris knew a good masseuse. Considering what he'd seen of the

town so far? He sincerely doubted it.

"Chris?"

He got a grunt in return, but forged ahead anyway. "Now might be
a good time to give me some directions."

"To where?"

"My new hunting cabin," Michael drawled. "Where else?"

"Ah. Yeah. I'll lead you out there once George calls."

So Chris could lead him out there but couldn't... Michael cut off
his train of thought. Best not to attempt to follow Chris's thought
process. It would most likely only lead to pain.

The silence was grating on Michael's nerves. He'd experienced
far too much of it lately and he wasn't used to it. For something to
fill it, he asked. "So, what kind of game do you have out here? I
mean, around my

hunting

cabin?"

Chris just pointed to something beside Michael's shoulder.
Michael turned around and cocked his head. He stood and
crossed over to the bulletin board, eyes immediately drawn to the
notice displayed extremely prominently in the center.

No Hunting Allowed Within County Limits. Ever.

Michael turned back to the deputy and shrugged. "It's okay. I don't
hunt, anyway."

"Then why'd you buy a hunting cabin?"

"Damned if I know." But now he knew why it was so cheap. He
imagined it was something of a challenge, selling a hunting cabin
in a county that didn't allow hunting. Ever.

"Suppose that makes sense," he mused aloud. "That is, if you've

got as many shifters around here as I can smell."

Chris's pen hit the floor with a loud clatter. Ooops, no, that was
the stapler. Chris shoved back from the desk, for once looking
serious. And fierce. Damn. Looks like Michael had hit a sore
spot.

"What are you talking about?"

"Does anyone really think that ever works?" he asked curiously.
"Pretending ignorance like that?"

"Lakkis!"

"Sorry." He shrugged. "But really, man, Putman is one of the
worst kept secrets in the world, at least among our kind."

As an attempt to soothe the savage beast, so to speak, it worked
fairly well. At least, Chris relaxed his shoulders a bit and
unclenched his fists.

"Lakkis," Chris mused. Then his mouth twisted in something like
a grimace. "Oh, hell, I knew I'd heard that name somewhere."

Michael bit back a groan. "Yes," he said around a sigh. "I'm one
of

those

shifters."

His family had almost as famous a reputation as this town. There
were a lot of them, all over the country, and not a one of his
extended family could resist making waves. Conformists they
were not. "Eccentric" was one of the kindest appellations he'd
heard over the years. "Crazy" was far more common.

"Well, at least it will be a nice addition. I don't think there are any
bear shifters in town currently."

"That's nice to know," Michael replied dryly. "Is the inquisition
over yet?"

"Of course not."

"Don't you ever mind your own business?"

"

Everything

is my business," Chris replied loftily. "I'm the law."

"You're a damn pain in the ass, is what you are."

"You do realize I have the power to arrest you?"

"If you arrested everyone who insulted you, there'd be no room
left in that dinky little jail of yours."

"True." Chris paused. "So--"

As if hearing Michael's mental plea for distraction, the ancient
phone on Chris's desk rang shrilly, interrupting the deputy mid-
sentence. And damned if it wasn't a rotary phone. Michael
couldn't remember seeing one of those since he was a kid. At his
grandparent's.

"Right, George. Thanks."

Michael barely resisted the urge to cheer. Finally, escape was in
sight.

Chris grabbed a battered hat, plopped it on his head, and
grinned. The expression sent a jolt of nervousness running up
Michael's spine.

"Let's go get your truck," Chris said.

* * * *

The road Chris led him down snaked around until Michael
couldn't really tell what direction he was going anymore. Then it

began to climb. This part of Wisconsin was hilly and forested.
Some of the main road Michael had been on earlier even cut
through rock, blasted away like he'd seen down in the
Appalachians.

Pavement gave way to gravel all too soon. Michael ground his
teeth together to keep them from chattering and spared a brief
pang of regret for his tired shocks. A few more times up this
road, and they weren't going to be tired anymore. They were
going to be dead.

Most of Michael, though, grew more excited the higher they
climbed. Bruce was practically ecstatic. They loved hills; it was
coded into their DNA. He couldn't wait to tramp to the top of the
mini-mountain and climb a tree. The higher the better.

The trees thickened, closing around the road. A few times,
branches scraped against the side of his truck. He just shrugged
it off. The paint job was already a mess, a few more scratches
weren't really going to make much difference. His new cabin was
obviously the only thing up here, though. Michael couldn't decide
if that was a good thing or not. Depends on what shape the cabin
was in, he supposed.

Honestly? He was going to be thrilled if it had running water. For
the price he'd paid for the thing, he really wasn't expecting much.

The next turn was so sharp, Michael practically had to stop the
truck. It felt like he was driving into the middle of a massive bush,
but the crunch of gravel under his tires assured him there was still
a road. He almost rear-ended Chris on the other side, managing
to pull to the side at the last minute. He found a spot in the
clearing underneath a pine tree and cut off the engine.

Well, the outside didn't look too bad. Looked damned good,

actually. Sure, the place was small, but he was only one person,
after all. The wood-sided building hunkered down at the far end of
the clearing, surrounded by bushes, trees, and the occasional
out-of-control ivy-type plant. Three steps led up the front to a wide
porch that stretched from end to end of the small house. He could
hardly wait to get himself a couple of chairs, plop into one of
them, and take a nap.

Michael climbed out of his truck, still studying the scenery. A door
slammed, Chris rounding the hood of his truck.

"What do you think?" the deputy asked.

"Not bad," Michael commented. "Not bad at all."

"You haven't seen the inside yet," Chris pointed out.

"Yeah. Way to kill the mood. There's probably raccoons living in
the oven or something."

"If you have an oven," came the cheerful reply.

He did. It was probably older than Michael, but it was still an oven.
Not that Michael really cooked much, anyway. The lights came on
when he flicked the switch. When he turned on the faucet, the
water had a brown tint, but letting the tap run would take care of
that. Probably.

The inside of the cabin was bare of furniture, a bit dusty. They left
visible footprints across the wood floors as they wandered. It
didn't take long, only three rooms. A decent-sized combination
living room/kitchen, a smallish bedroom, and a bathroom. The tub
needed a good scrub, maybe some new tile. Nothing he couldn't
handle.

Chris had slipped out the back door of the kitchen and was now
waving to him through a slightly grimy window. Michael joined him

at a small shed.

Oh, joy.

He nearly did a dorky little happy dance when he spotted

Chris's find. A rusty generator. A big-assed one.

It fired up on the third try, purring steadily.

"Hallelujah," Michael said.

Michael had a feeling the first storm and he would need it.

Michael listened to the hum with a satisfied smile. He finally
nodded. "I think this will do just fine."

"Winter might be a bitch," Chris pointed out.

Michael shrugged. "I've got a while to think about it."

"So you're moving here permanently? Not just using it for a
summer place?"

"We'll see. Don't know as I want to bunk all the way out here all
winter, but we'll see."

Bruce would certainly like it, that was for sure. The bear was
downright anti-social sometimes. It was one of the few areas
where Michael and his animal disagreed.

"Who's Bruce?" Chris asked.

Well, dang. Apparently, Michael had picked up Alli's little habit of
muttering aloud to himself.

Michael could feel his cheeks flushing red and he shuffled his feet
a bit. He always hated trying to explain this part. "My bear," he
admitted.

"You named him?" One blond eyebrow arched, laughter sparking
in the muddy brown eyes.

"He's just...me, but not, you know?"

"Not really."

Michael sighed. Non-shifters didn't understand. Heck, even
shifters didn't always get it. "I don't know. He just seems like his
own being most of the time. It's easier, to think of him as being
separate from me."

"But Bruce?"

"Why the hell does everyone always fixate on that?" Michael
complained.

That got him a laugh, a friendly slap to the shoulder.

"I've got to get back to town," Chris said. "You might want to
consider doing the same. Looks like you need to stock up on a
few things."

"I'll be fine tonight," Michael said. "I've got a sleeping bag and
some snacks in the truck."

"If you're sure. Think you can find your way back to town?"

Michael sniffed disdainfully.

"Right. See you around."

Chris disappeared from sight and a few minutes later an engine
roared to life, tires grinding and spinning as Chris turned around
in front of the cabin and pulled away. Michael liked the guy, he
truly did, but he was glad to see the deputy go. Before Michael
could declare the place acceptable, there were a few things he
needed to do. And they were things best done without any
audience.

Michael wandered around the edge of the cabin and to his truck,

stripping off his shirt as he went. He dumped it over the edge of
the truck bed and unfastened his pants, shimmying out of them
and his underwear at the same time. They joined the shirt and he
stretched a bit, relishing the gentle rush of the wind through the
trees, the soft sounds of nature. It had been way too long since
he'd done this. It was probably something only a shifter would
understand, but the wind brushing against his naked body, the
gentle warmth of the sun, it felt fantastic. Heck, he'd do away with
clothes most of the time if he thought he could get away with it.

Michael yawned loudly, feeling Bruce stretch inside him, waking
slowly. With a low grumble, followed by a more hearty roar,
Michael set him free. Muscles ached in a familiar but good way,
bones popping audibly as he morphed. He dropped to all fours
and shook, settling thick fur into place.

Then he lumbered off into the woods, eager to explore his new
environment. And maybe find that tree to climb.

Chapter 4

Alli turned the water as hot as he could stand and stood with his
arms braced against the shower walls. Steaming drops prickled
along his skin and he shivered. He was cold and achy and the
water kind of hurt.

It took several long minutes before the heat began to feel good
against his chilled skin. Of course, right about that time the hot
water gave out. Alli stepped out carefully, the world still inclined to
tilt at odd occasions. He wasted no time wrapping himself in a
really big, fluffy towel. It covered him from nearly shoulder to knee.
He didn't take it off in the bedroom, pulling a pair of sweats on
underneath it, a sweatshirt over it, and only letting go of his towel
when he was completely covered. Alli knew it was part of the
healing process, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd
been this darn cold.

Alli padded out to the living room, wiggling his shoulders. That
blasted itch between his shoulder blades was driving him nuts.
But, of course, it was just out of his reach. He paused briefly at
the entrance to the living room to rub against the corner of a wall.
Being a Fayte had more than a few disadvantages in this world.
The elders warned you about wild magic causing bad luck in the
human realm; they didn't warn you about the infernal itching from
hiding your wings.

As usual, scratching didn't help. He huffed, blowing his damp,
scraggly bangs out of his eyes, and thought about letting his
wings loose for a while. If he made sure the curtains were pulled
and the lights were off--

A red blinking light caught his attention before he could follow
through with his half-formed plan. Alli wandered across the room,

hit

play

on the answering machine.

"Hey there. It's Michael. You know, the guy wandering around your
house yesterday? Anyway, I was just calling to see if you're
feeling better. I guess you're still sleeping, which is good, I guess.
Um...okay, so I'll be in town for a while, guess I'll just catch you
later."

Alli chewed on his fingernail as he listened to the message,
feeling like a complete dork when he actually hit repeat, just to
savor the sound of that deep voice. It was kind of endearing, how
uncertain Michael sounded.

Of course, he could simply hate talking to machines. A lot of
people did.

"Stop it," Alli scolded himself. Chris had told Alli on several
occasions that he needed to work on the pessimistic outlook. Alli
was trying, he really was, but pessimism was kind of built into
him. Wasn't much he could do about it.

Alli finally made himself head for the kitchen when his stomach
started to yell at him. He didn't, however, erase the message.
Stupid, probably. But...well, there was just something about
Michael.

Of course, the guy probably thought Alli was a certified lunatic. A
sudden wave of depression hit when Alli admitted to himself that
Michael might not be wrong. Too many years here had started to
warp Alli, he knew that. He wondered if maybe it was time to...no.
He'd tried every year since he'd left. His last New Year's
resolution had been to accept his new life, his new home.

Alli dug through a cabinet for the cereal box, stubbing his toe on
the molding and ramming his shoulder with the cabinet door. He

figured it was kind of sad, that the minor incidents barely even
registered. His brain processed the slight pangs of pain as
normal; his body kept moving.

He filled a bowl with cereal, dumped some milk in, and sat at the
table to eat. Alone. As usual. His gaze fell on the calendar and he
stopped mid-chew.

Oh. Well, that explained why he was so mired in the "woe is me"
refrain. He'd figured it was because he was still feeling the
aftereffects of his accident.

April 13th. The day that, four years ago, went down in his
personal history as the worst day ever.

Alli shoved his cereal bowl away, not feeling like eating anymore.
He tried not to get caught up in the images and memories
attempting to play through his head. He didn't need that, not
today.

He couldn't stop it, though. The disappointment in his mother's
eyes. The fury on his father's face. The panic pouring off his lover.

Then the lying and the banishment and the loneliness. Few
crimes could get a Fayte banished from their people. They were
an insular society, slow to breed, and kept a tight hold on any
offspring. But tolerance was not one of their traits, and Alli had
committed the ultimate sin. He'd been caught naked with another
man.

Of course, the bastard had promptly denied any culpability.
Before Alli knew it, he'd been labeled a seducer and a corrupter
and forced to leave. All told, Alli wasn't really sorry it happened.
He wouldn't have been able to hide forever, wouldn't have

wanted

to hide forever.

But maybe it was time to talk to Chris again, see if he could get a
message through. Every six months or so, Alli tried to contact his
family. Not his parents; he could care less if he ever spoke to
them again. They could have stood up for him; it might not have
changed anything, but then again, it might have. No, it was his
brother he missed. Poor Maggi.

Magnetious Alexander Flame, the little fairy whose name was
bigger than he was. Maggi had only been thirteen when Alli had
left, confused and bewildered and not really understanding why
the big brother he nearly worshipped wasn't going to be around
anymore. Over the years, Alli had only managed to contact Maggi
three times. Each time, Maggi begged Alli to come back. That
they could leave the Fayte lands together, find somewhere else in
Faerie to live. But Maggi was still young and Alli wasn't about to
let Maggi ruin his life.

The memory of Maggi's miserable, pleading brown eyes was
only making the depressed worsen, so Alli cast around for
something better to focus on. Surprise, surprise, his thoughts
landed on Michael.

Alli propped his chin on his hand and sighed. Deep brown eyes
shone at him, framing a nose that was a little bit too big for
Michael's face. Michael's shaggy dark brown hair shimmered
with reddish glints in the light and tended to look like he'd just
gotten out of bed, all tousled and fluffy. Michael's face wasn't
chiseled, or overly masculine, or even all that handsome. But it
was a good face, solid and kind, with gentle laugh-lines around
his eyes and mouth, a hint of roundness to his cheeks. Michael
wasn't very tall, maybe five-ten or eleven, but he was a bit on the
stocky side. Nice and muscled, a bit of a barrel chest, wide and
strong with the kind of body that Alli just wanted to sink into,

cuddle against. Glory, but Michael would make an amazing
cuddle buddy. And he looked liked the type that would enjoy
cuddling. Alli had discovered it was hard at times, to find a guy
that liked to snuggle. Of course, he was honest enough to admit
that might have to do more with the type of guys he hung with than
anything else. One-night stands, by their very definition, didn't
stick around long enough to cuddle.

Alli realized he was poking at his soggy cereal with the spoon
and made himself stop. This really wasn't productive, sitting
around here, daydreaming about a guy who was most likely way
out of Alli's league. If Michael even wanted anything to do with the
grumpy, clumsy nerd who owned the local flower shop.

Of course, the alternative was sitting around here moping. Or,
worse yet, ruminating some more on the events of four years ago.

Despite the fact that Alli's legs were still shaky, his head still
ached, and his muscles protested any sudden movements, Alli
threw on some real clothes and headed outside. Okay, so "real
clothes" consisted of holey jeans and ratty sneakers, but it
worked. He locked the door behind him, glad that at least it
wasn't raining today.

It took Alli less than ten minutes to walk the few blocks to
downtown Putman and his tiny store. He went around to the side
and undid the big deadbolt, hand smacking the wall until he found
the switch. The staff room--which was really a pretty stupid name
as he was the only staff--looked just like he'd left it, cluttered and
cheerful, less of a room and more of an overflow storage area for
bags of fertilizer, soil, and pots.

Alli let the door swing shut behind him as he entered the main
store, inhaling deeply. The familiar smells of moist earth and

flowers comforted him, made some of his aches disappear,
some of his depression lessen. Sunlight streamed weakly
through the plate glass windows in front, daylight beginning to
wane. Alli snapped on the lights, not wanting to be interrupted
later, when it started to get hard to see.

Alli's shoulders were itching again. Blast it all. He really, really
wanted to toss his shirt into a corner and let his wings loose. But
you never knew when someone nosy (otherwise known as Chris
Owens) might show up. Putman may have its share of weirdness,
but Alli wasn't quite ready to flaunt himself for his little corner of
the world to see.

Alli bypassed the main counter to the screen door set back in the
wall. He opened it, smiling slightly at the sight of his own personal
sanctuary.

He'd had the greenhouse constructed on the back of the building
to exact specifications. It wasn't large, but the humid room
contained his babies, plants of every shape and kind.

With stubborn determination and a good deal of practice, Alli set
about losing himself in nature. The three batches of lilies were
outgrowing their pots. Alli loved his lilies. Most of the plants he
grew were meant for the magical community, lots of herbs and
flora useful as spell and amulet components. But some of the
pots were just for him, for his enjoyment.

Alli barely noticed when the light dimmed and the sunshine crept
away, fingers coated with dirt, music humming gently from his
stereo. It was only here in the greenhouse that things made
sense, that he forgot he was a stranger in a world not his own.
Where he forgot that his life was precarious, at best.

Alli only came back to himself when his stomach let out a loud

growl.

"Shh," he ordered, putting one hand on his stomach. "I'm busy."

Of course, now that he'd been disturbed, other things besides
hunger began to make themselves known. Like the slight ache in
his head and the way his joints were screaming. Stupid, Alli, he
scolded himself. Really, really stupid.

What had he been thinking, anyway, sitting on the floor? He put
his hands flat on the cold concrete and pushed himself to his feet,
groaning the entire way. There were a few panicked seconds
when he wasn't sure he would make it, either. And wouldn't that
just be the fitting end to a hellish week?

Hello, Chris, can you

come rescue me? I seem to be glued to the floor. Or even
better, I've been sitting and I can't get up.

Oh, yeah. Chris would just love that. As if people didn't have
enough stories about Alli, already.

Thankfully, he managed to gain his feet with only a few stumbles.
He stretched, bones popping back into place. He grimaced and
made a couple of faces at the nasty sounds.

They almost covered up other, equally nasty sounds. Alli's head
whipped around, eyes narrowing as he concentrated. Had that
been...

Another crash reverberated through the room, this one far, far
louder than the first. Alli took an involuntary step backward.

Then he scowled. He was just jumpy from the headache, that was
all. Time to stop being such an idiot.

Alli strode through the store, back into the staff room. The sounds
had come from the side door. Alli grasped the handle and made
himself pull it open without hesitating.

Nothing. The small alley was empty, quiet in the dark night, the
flickering streetlight bright enough that he could see the hulking
shadows of the Dumpster at the end of the alley several hundred
feet away.

Alli sighed, letting the sound leech some of the tension from his
shoulders. He wasn't sure what he had expected to find, but the
relief at finding nothing at all was immense.

"Probably just a stray cat," he muttered. But he still locked the
door behind him, even though it only took him a minute to go
back inside and snatch his keys. And he couldn't stop himself
from looking around constantly as he walked home. He didn't
relax until he was inside his front hallway, deadbolt fastened with
a satisfying click.

Alli knew he was most likely jumping at shadows, still riding high
on some of the tension from Friday. He kept reiterating that as he
made himself a sandwich. His shoulders were itching again,
though, and this time with that crawling sensation of being
watched.

It took him a very long time to fall asleep that night. When he
finally drifted off, his sleep was restless, interrupted frequently by
dark, rough dreams.

He far preferred the sexy dreams of him and Michael that had
been haunting him lately, even if those did leave him hot,
bothered, and often wet and sticky. At least those were happy
dreams. Sort of. They would be much, much happier if he thought
he had even the slightest chance of attracting the attention of the
new stud in town.

Chapter 5

Michael paused on the sidewalk, tipping his head up to study the
storefront.

"Flora. Not the most inventive name ever," he told a passing bird.
Admittedly, the fancy script made the name look more creative.

Two big picture windows flanked the door. Now Michael tilted his
head, studying the jungle inside. The windows were less of a
display and more of a wilderness gone amuck. He chuckled and
pushed the door open to the small shop to the gentle
accompaniment of tinkling bells.

The smells of dirt and plant life struck his nose. Michael sneezed.
Bruce growled happily. Michael had to forcibly stuff his bear back
down. It was a literal fight to keep from shifting. Bruce wanted to
wallow.

A wide concrete lane shot a straight path from the front door to
the back of the store, surrounded on all sides by tables
overflowing with small potted plants. Narrow aisles wandered
around the tables and through pots too big to be lifted. Flora
looked less like a flower shop and more like an indoor nursery.

Good glory, it could take Michael days to find Alli in here. He
lifted his nose, sniffed, and followed the trail.

The man in question had papers spread across the counter in the
back. He held the tip of the pencil to his tongue, mouth moving
almost imperceptibly as he counted. Today his long hair was
neatly pulled back, but chin-length strands had pulled free around
his thin face, choppy bangs falling into his eyes. Michael smiled.
The man was just too cute for words.

Alli looked up, and Michael would swear those gray eyes

darkened with pleasure on seeing him. Then Alli scowled.

Huh.

Must have been wishful thinking.

"You look better," Michael said.

"Michael." Alli toyed nervously with the pencil. "What are you
doing here?"

"Thought I might pick up a mum," Michael teased gently.

"I have some really amazing--"

"Allegro." Michael softened his interruption with a little smile. "I
mostly wanted to see how you were doing. You were in pretty bad
shape the other night."

"I wasn't at my best," Alli admitted.

"I don't think anyone would have been." Michael leaned on the
counter, wanting nothing more at that moment than to settle in for
a nice long conversation. "Did Chris or what's-his-name ever
catch the guy?"

"Mark. And no."

"Too bad," Michael said with true feeling. "If that idiot had hit
you..."

It was Alli's turn to interrupt. "I'm sure it wasn't really his fault."

Michael blinked. "He almost hit a pedestrian and was going a
good thirty miles over the speed limit. How was that not his fault?"

Allegro shrugged and started chewing on his pencil again.

They stared at each other--or rather, Michael stared at Alli and
Alli stared at the counter top--as the silence grew longer.

"Well," Alli finally declared.

Michael waited.

"Well what?" he asked after the silence started to drag again.

"Well..." Alli clearly had to think about it for a second. Then his
brow lifted and his face lightened. "Well, you can see I'm fine," he
declared almost triumphantly. "So if there's nothing else, I have
work to do."

"Actually," Michael said. "There is something else. I wanted to
ask you to join me for lunch. And suggest a decent place to eat. I
haven't scoped out the restaurants yet."

Alli gaped. "You...oh! Like a friendly neighbor thing. I'm not really
the friendly type. Maybe you should go next door. Susan is kind of
our unofficial welcoming committee."

"Not like a friendly neighbor thing. Like a date."

Alli choked.

Huh. Didn't that just make a guy feel all smooth and suave?

Michael rounded the counter to pound helpfully at the smaller
guy's back until Alli was able to suck air into his lungs again.

"Swallowed the eraser," Alli finally gasped.

Michael snorted. "Should I drive you to the hospital again?"

"No. It's not the first time."

"Sheesh, man."

"I should warn you right now," Alli said seriously. "I'm a walking
disaster. Just ask anyone."

"I did. And you are."

Oh, yeah. He knew all about Allegro Romani. Michael had come

to town to do a little shopping at the local Wal-Mart yesterday.
Chris had cornered him in sporting goods next to the fishing
equipment. Not that Michael ever used equipment to fish, but you
never knew. He still couldn't figure out how Chris had managed to
find him, either, but he was coming to accept that Chris was just
as different as this town. During his little shopping expedition,
he'd spotted no less than three werewolves, a man with the
distinctive lack of scent that usually meant vampire, and even
managed to surprise two sylphs making out in a corner.

He was really liking this town.

Chris wasn't the only one to have a little talk with Michael, either.
The checkout person at the gas station had somberly informed
him Alli was banned from driving within city limits. Two complete
strangers had come up to him to share stories of disasters Alli
had been either intimately involved in or directly responsible for. It
seemed word had spread rapidly about him spending time at
Alli's house. After hearing that news, everyone and their dog
wanted to warn Michael about Alli.

He would have been a lot more pissed off, except he got the idea
that they were less concerned about protecting him than they
were about protecting Alli. Alli might be their resident klutz and,
according to one person, capable of producing more disaster
than a nuclear bomb and in less time, too, but no one wanted to
see him get hurt. Particularly by the new guy in town.

Michael hadn't the slightest intention of hurting Alli, though. Dating
the guy, yes. Hurting him? Hell, no. He just hoped he could
manage the same consideration from Alli. Not that the shy florist
would do it on purpose. Alli just seemed to have an absolute gift
for inflicting havoc on anyone in his immediate vicinity.

"I suppose lunch wouldn't hurt," Alli mused, drawing invisible
circles on the dark wood counter with one finger.

Michael resisted the urge to cheer. His first advance in the "get to
know Alli" campaign was looking like a success.

"But it will have to be quick," Alli continued. "People get cranky if I
close for longer than an hour during the day."

"Huh. Guess the town really likes their flowers."

Alli shrugged. "No, they just like to know where I am. Guess it
makes me easier to avoid."

Oh, now that wouldn't do at all, that hint of hurt in Alli's voice.

Michael really wanted to fold Alli into a big hug, but figured the
guy would run. Then Michael would have to chase him, and
Michael really didn't want to do that. He settled for distraction.

"So, where are you taking me to eat?" he asked cheerfully.

"Um, I guess...Emmaline's? We'll have to drive, but it has good
food. Kind of the town gathering place, too."

Now that, Michael wasn't too sure about. He would prefer to get
to know Alli without an overly-interested audience. He opened his
mouth to say that, then shut it again with a slight snap. Maybe the
audience would help Alli feel safer. Michael didn't think he was all
that scary, honestly, but Alli was jumpy enough. If he'd be more
comfortable in familiar surroundings, Michael wasn't going to
argue. Much. Yet.

"Sounds good," Michael agreed. "But I'll drive."

Alli winced. "You'll have to, since I don't have a car anymore," he
muttered. Michael thought the slight red blush on those pale
cheeks was adorable.

"I know." According to the local gossips, it had been a
spectacular accident. Downed streetlights, exploding fire hydrant,
the whole works. Amazingly, no injuries. Just a really big mess.
Michael was kind of sorry he'd missed it.

"Come on, then, I'm hungry." Michael tugged Alli out from around
the counter.

"Oh, I need...my coat is...I should..."

Michael ignored the stuttering protests, although he did allow Alli
to pull away long enough to grab a windbreaker from the office
chair behind the counter. Wouldn't do for his new boyfriend to get
a cold. With Alli's luck, it would probably turn into pneumonia.

Emmaline's was not, contrary to Michael's imaginings, a local
diner. No beehive hairdos, battered Formica tables, or velvet
Elvis paintings for this place. Cozy lighting, a large open floor
plan around a central fire pit, lots of dark wood booths and tables.
A coffee bar spit out the most delicious smells from one corner,
swinging doors nearby flopping regularly to discharge even more
delicious smelling food. Michael's stomach growled happily and
he couldn't take his eyes off the plate of vegetable pasta going
past.

Oh. Smelled like tomatoes and cream and...oh, yum.

Michael let his hand slip down to rest in the small of Alli's back as
they followed the hostess to a corner booth. The low buzz of
conversation kept dying a bit as they passed, ramping up again
behind them.

The place may not look like a small-town diner, but it certainly
acted like it. Michael could practically feel the stares boring into
his back. It didn't really bother him. It took a whole heck of a lot to
phase Michael. In fact, he couldn't wait to introduce the town to
his family. Now

that

? Was going to be fun.

It suddenly occurred to Michael that he was thinking of Putman in
the long term. Strangely enough, the thought didn't bother him all
that much. Initially, he'd planned on the cabin as a retreat, a place
to get away from the family, get some work done in private, go
furry whenever the urge struck. He liked it here, though. And
Michael had this feeling in his gut that meeting Alli was going to
change a lot of things. Michael usually listened to his gut. It was,
most often, Bruce trying to tell him something. And Bruce was
rarely wrong.

Michael slid into the booth across from Alli, watching the
fascinating expressions flicker across that freckled face. Looking
up and realizing he was under scrutiny, Alli blushed again.
Michael loved the way the blush covered the freckles, made the
smooth complexion almost match the bright hair.

Heck, everything about the man was bright. Alli wasn't a big man,
a bit shorter than Michael, lean and slender. His hair shone in the
light, a dark red with little glinting blond highlights. Eyes an
unusual shade of gray overshadowed a delicate face, pert nose,
refined features. Michael could just spend hours staring at--

Oh, damn. That smelled marvelous.

Michael's nose twitched as he stared in wonder at the attractive
arrangement of homemade chips and dip set in the middle of the
table. He was probably drooling a bit, too.

Alli smiled, the look pretty enough to briefly tug Michael's
attention away from the food. "Sascha is a really good chef," he
said.

"I don't think I've met Sascha yet." Michael loaded a chip with the
lovely, creamy dip confection, groaning aloud as the flavors burst

on his tongue. "But I really want to. She deserves a hug."

"He," Alli corrected. "Sascha is a he."

"Still deserves a hug."

Conversation lagged a bit as they looked over the menu, but
Michael was increasingly conscious of the man across the table
from him. Hard not to be; Alli kept kicking Michael in the shin.
Michael was going to be black and blue by the end of lunch. He
considered it a small price to pay.

After they ordered, Michael clasped his hands on top of the
gleaming table and leaned forward. "So, tell me all about
yourself."

"I...that...I'm not very interesting."

"I think you're fascinating."

Alli's brow wrinkled, eyes darkening in confusion. "I'm short and
shy. I have the worst luck in history. I own a small store in a tiny
town. Not much to tell. And I'm certainly not fascinating."

Michael shook his head. "I think you underestimate yourself."

It didn't take Michael long to figure out that Alli did better with
direct questions.

"How long have you lived in Putman?"

"About three years. It seemed like a good place. People around
here don't care too much if you're a bit odd."

"Noticed that. You're not fully human, then?"

Alli's eyes widened and he reared back a bit. "What makes you
ask that?"

Okay, bad subject. Michael forged on, anyway.

"It seems like most of the local residents are shifters or Fae or
something else entirely. Made sense that you might be, too."

"Are you?"

Alli was growing agitated, so Michael let him change the subject.
For now.

"Yep," he declared. "Bear shifter." He normally wasn't so eager to
announce his secrets to everyone, but Putman...it was safe here.
He could tell. And it was nice not having to hide his true nature all
the time. Being around others who understood what it was like,
being different in a mostly human world.

"Oh. That's neat," Alli replied, another one of those shy smiles
chasing away the last of the anxiety. "So you go big and black
and furry during the full moon?"

"That's werecreatures," Michael corrected. "I can go black and
furry anytime I want. But I'm not all that big."

"I thought black bears usually were? I know you're not a grizzly or
polar bear, your coloring isn't right."

"I'm a spectacled bear, actually," Michael said. "Small, compact,
mild-mannered."

Alli sat straighter, eyes glinting with intellectual curiosity.
"Spectacled bear? I've only ever heard of black bears and grizzly
bears and polar bears."

"They're the most common species. There aren't many like me
around, at least not in the US. I think there might be more down in
South America."

"So, just you and your family?"

Michael shook his head. "Just me. My relatives are all black
bears."

Alli's brow wrinkled. "I didn't think that was possible."

"I'm adopted." Michael made the revelation with easy
acceptance. It wasn't something he thought about often. The
Lakkises were his family, through and through. But when you
were a different species from everyone else, the topic tended to
come up. Frequently.

"Oh, that's--"

"Enough about me," Michael interrupted. "Tell me about your
store. How long have you owned Flora?"

They chatted quietly until the food came, the talk dying down a bit
while they sated their hunger. Michael hadn't been able to resist
ordering that pasta thing. It tasted as good as it had smelled.
Alli's own burger and fries looked tasty, but didn't really appeal
much to Michael. Bruce was a picky sucker.

"You've got to taste this," Michael declared. He held out a forkful
of noodles to Alli. Alli looked uncertain but, to Michael's delight,
leaned over. His mouth closed over the bite and Michael stared,
wanting to taste those lips so badly.

Alli pulled away, licking sauce from his lips. "That is yummy. I
don't think I've had..."

His voice trailed off, Alli's attention caught by something over
Michael's shoulder. Michael turned, growled low.

A few tables away, a large, beefy man and a pretty woman were
sharing an obviously tense meal. The man was staring at them,
lip curled. His stare wasn't the stares of earlier, curious and nosy.
No, this was more of a glare, damn the self-righteous, prejudiced

idiot.

Michael glared back before turning around. He slid to the right,
putting himself between Alli and the stranger's vicious gaze.

"Jerk," he snarled.

Alli shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but Michael could tell it still
bothered him. "His attitude isn't unusual."

"Doesn't make it right. I certainly don't get glared at like that when
I go out with a woman."

Alli dropped his burger, the bun sliding off and hitting the floor
with a soft plop. If his eyes went any wider, Michael might start
worrying about permanent damage. "You aren't gay?" he
practically squeaked.

Michael rolled his eyes. "I asked you out, didn't I?"

"But you just said--"

"That I've dated women."

"You aren't gay!"

"I don't normally go for guys," Michael clarified. He felt like they
were talking in circles, neither one really getting to the point.

"Which means you're straight."

He sighed, snagged one of Alli's fries and bit it in half before
using the remainder to point at Alli. "Don't go putting words in my
mouth. I never said I was straight."

"You said--"

"I said I didn't normally go for guys. Doesn't mean I never do. I'm
bi, always have been. It's just a hell of a lot easier dating women
than men. You go up to a woman and ask her out, you've got like

a fifty percent chance of a positive answer. You go up to a guy
and ask him out, you've got closer to a seventy percent chance of
getting slugged in the face."

"Where did you come up with those numbers?"

Michael paused mid-chew and stared, incredulous, at the utter
seriousness on Alli's face. "You're very literal sometimes, aren't
you?"

Alli shrugged. "I like facts."

"All right, so I plucked the numbers out of the air. But the
meaning's still the same. I've dated more women than men
because it's easier. Now, I want to date you."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you want to date me?"

Again with the seriousness, but this time it made Michael ache a
bit. The guy was cute and earnest and honestly seemed confused
that anyone would want to spend any time with him. Michael
intended to change that.

"I like you," he said.

"You shouldn't," Alli told him seriously. "I'm trouble."

Michael shrugged again. "I happen to like trouble. Particularly
when I'm not the one causing it. Much easier to enjoy that way.
Stop arguing with me and eat."

Alli stared morosely at the top of his bun, laying facedown on the
tile next to the booth. Before he could start on his now open-faced
sandwich, their waitress appeared. She slid a plate onto the

table with a wry smile.

"Sascha thought you might need this," she commented, her voice
ringing with amusement. Michael grinned.

The only thing on the plate was the top half of a hamburger bun.

Chapter 6

Alli absently sucked on his throbbing thumb as he studied the
display he'd just finished. He titled his head one way, then the
other. Something wasn't quite right...

He took a step backward and tripped over a half-full box of lawn
decorations. He staggered a few steps and managed to stay
upright.

The display of fake roses he'd spent the last forty-five minutes
assembling went tumbling to the ground. The trellis toppled, the
carefully woven stems scattering, taking out the potted plants
surrounding the bottom of the white wood frame.

Alli glared evilly at the dirt and petals spilled all over his formerly
clean floor.

"At least I know what wasn't right about the display," Alli muttered
to the shard of pottery that had slid across the floor to land on his
foot. The cheerful blue flower painted on the piece gleamed in the
light. Alli told himself firmly that the mutilated image was

not

mocking him. "Too damned unstable."

Alli sighed and contemplated whether he really wanted to pick up
and start over tonight. He could come in early, shove the flowers
under a table. The mess would still be there in the morning. It had
been a long, busy day and...

With an exasperated sigh, Alli leaned over and snatched the
debris off his tennis shoe. While the mess wouldn't go anywhere,
he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight thinking about it.

Alli finished piling the remains of his display back in a box. He
was too tired to work on it anymore tonight. It was nearly ten
o'clock and he was far too brain-dead to be creative. Alli shoved

the box out of the aisle and headed for the back of the store,
flicking off the lights on his way through the swinging door.

The staff room running along the side of his store had long since
been turned into an office. And extra storage, but that was a
given. Heck, even his garage at home was full of junk. Not that he
needed the space for a car anymore. Since the last disaster, Alli
had concluded that it was safest for everyone if he gave up
driving entirely. Fortunately, his store, the pharmacy, and the
grocery store were all within walking distance. And Chris and
Doc were always good for a ride if he needed to go anywhere
else.

Michael probably wouldn't mind taking him places, either.

Alli groaned. "Blasted stubborn bear." He had more trouble
getting rid of thoughts of Michael than he did getting rid of
Michael himself. And Michael was incredibly persistent. In the last
several days, Alli had seen or spoken to Michael at least once a
day. Sometimes more than once. Michael insisted they were
dating. Alli insisted he was just being friendly.

They both knew Alli was lying.

Speaking of Michael...a blinking light caught his attention. The
room was dim, illuminated by a single lamp on his desk in the far
corner. Next to the lamp, the screen of his cell phone kept
pulsing, a regular blip demanding he stop ignoring it. Along with
the flashing light, the blasted thing beeped every five seconds or
so. How the heck had he missed that? The phone was really,
really loud.

Alli skirted the battered card table smack in the middle of the
concrete floor, bumping his hip on two of the four folding chairs
as he passed. He snatched his phone to see two missed calls.

Both from Michael.

Alli bit his lip, studying the display. He should... He shook his
head. Grabbing his coat, Alli stuffed the phone in one of the
pockets, relieved when his fingers brushed against his keys. He'd
wait until he was home, then check the messages. Call Michael
back when he had a good excuse.

Just got home, don't want to

go out again...

Yeah, that would work.

Alli told himself he had no reason to feel guilty. Just because the
man really liked him and Alli liked Michael back...experience had
been a hard teacher. Alli wasn't meant to have someone. End of
story. Michael would eventually get tired of being pushed away,
Alli's prickly attitude, the potential for life-threatening injuries. And
if it hurt deep down inside, to think of a life without Michael? Alli
would get over it. Eventually.

A shout rang through the air just as Alli turned the key, locking the
deadbolt to the employee entrance. He closed his eyes, resisting
the urge to bang his forehead against the door. He'd just end up
with a concussion.

Michael came jogging across the street, shoving up his glasses,
which kept slipping down his nose as he ran. Alli realized his
mouth was inching up in a smile and he quickly schooled his
features. No sense letting the man know he was getting to Alli.
Michael was persistent enough as it was. Best not to give him
any encouragement whatsoever.

"You didn't call me back," Michael accused good-naturedly. "I
thought maybe we could catch a movie tonight or something."

"I haven't listened to my messages," Alli said. "Aren't you leaving
town soon? I mean, shouldn't you get back to work yourself?"

Michael grinned. "I do web design. I've arranged to work off-site
for a couple of weeks, get my creative juices flowing again.
Actually, I think my company was glad to get me out of the office
for a while. My boss seems to think I disrupt the serious work
atmosphere." Michael shrugged, the expression saying "go
figure."

It made perfect sense to Alli. Kind, considerate, and an all-around
nice guy, Michael was still annoyingly...well, bouncy. If Michael
couldn't have fun doing something, then why bother? He had the
brightest, most optimistic outlook on life Alli had ever seen. Made
Alli wonder what, exactly, Michael saw in a cranky, pessimistic,
klutzy fairy. Not that Michael knew about the fairy part yet. Alli was
kind of putting that little revelation off for the moment. Why, he
couldn't say. Especially as it might be just the thing to use to drive
Michael away. But despite Alli's actions, it would kind of
devastate him if Michael ran out now.

Alli realized with sudden dismay exactly how much the damned
bear was coming to mean to him. And wasn't that just his luck?

Alli sighed again, turning fully to look at Michael. He got a wide
grin in return.

"So. Movie?"

"I...I don't know. I was getting ready to head home..."

"I'll walk with you," Michael said cheerfully.

Alli suddenly realized he was nodding in agreement, and how the
heck did that happen? But the damage was already done,
Michael linking their arms together, their strides perfectly
matched as they crossed the street. When they reached the
sidewalk on the other side, Michael let go of his arm, only to take
his hand instead.

"Are you sure we should be so obvious?" Alli asked nervously,
glancing significantly at their clasped hands. And he didn't tighten
his grip. Did. Not.

Michael shrugged. "Who gives a damn? Let people look. If I'm
not going to hide being a shifter around here, I'm certainly not
going to hide my sexual preference."

"But the shifter part you

can't

hide," Alli pointed out. "Not around

here. The wolves, at least, would sniff you out in a second."

"You're being literal again."

"Oh. Sorry."

Michael laughed, a warm, rich sound that started flips in Alli's
stomach, flips which quickly settled lower, tightening his pants
and making him flush.

"Don't be sorry," Michael said. "I think it's kind of cute."

"Cute?" Alli wrinkled his nose. "I don't want to be considered
cute."

"What do you want to be considered, then?"

"How about sexy?"

The instant the words popped out, Alli flushed darker, wanting to
slap his hand over his mouth. Stupid thing, got him in nearly as
much trouble as his two left feet.

"Oh, you are most definitely that." The lust in Michael's stare,
illuminated far too well by the bright streetlights, left Alli with a
suddenly dry mouth.

"You shouldn't look at me like that," he replied, voice quiet and
hoarse.

"Like what?"

"Like you want to, I don't know, lick me from head to toe."

"Mmm. That sounds marvelous."

Alli's feet stooped moving and he let out an embarrassingly high-
pitched squeak.

"Okay," Michael said with another of those low laughs. "Obviously
not ready for that. I guess I'll have to settle for a kiss."

"Michael! We're out in pub--"

Michael's lips caught the rest of Alli's sentence, warm and gentle.
He didn't even press for entrance, just moved his firm lips
teasingly, tongue tracing the seal of Alli's mouth. For all its almost
chaste sweetness, Alli was still out of breath by the time Michael
pulled back.

Michael's face was a study in utter masculine satisfaction. He
licked his lips, humming softly. "I was right. You taste so sweet,
like honey and mint."

"I...you kiss really well." Alli muttered the last bit to his feet,
praying his face wasn't as red as it felt. He didn't blush well, never
had. His dratted pale skin and freckled complexion turned all
splotchy when he got embarrassed. Which seemed to happen a
lot these days, nearly every single incident of which could be laid
at Michael's big feet.

Alli locked eyes with Michael's dark, intense stare and couldn't
look away. "I should get home," he whispered.

"I don't suppose you'll be inviting me in when we get there?"
Despite Michael's cocky tone, his eyes expressed hopefulness
and, to Alli's dismay, a hint of uncertainty. The emotion didn't sit

well with Alli, not when it was coming from Michael.

"Maybe for a drink," he replied. And to his complete shock, Alli
didn't even want to call the words back once they were out. Brief
though it had been, that kiss had changed things. Maybe it was
time to let the past hurts go, time to try to live the life he'd wanted
so desperately when he'd been forced from home.

"I'd like that." Michael's smile churned up that warm, lustful feeling
again.

"Then we should--" Alli's foot crunched down on something hard
when he took a step. He yelped, leaping backward, wincing as
agony stabbed through the arch of his foot from whatever
blasted...

Oh.

Shards of plastic stared up at him. Alli blinked down at the
remnants of a cell phone. His hand automatically dipped into his
pocket to check, even though he knew the phone wasn't his. His
phone was a weird shade of green, all the store had in stock
when he'd gone. This one was...black. And large. Like Michael's.

Chewing harshly on his lip, Alli's eyes rose. "Sorry?"

Michael crouched, picking up the scraps of his phone. "Damn.
You really did a number on it, Alli. I don't think it's salvageable."

"I--"

"Stop apologizing. It was an accident. Don't know how the hell it
even ended up on the sidewalk." Michael muttered the last bit
almost to himself.

Now was probably as good a time as any to start explaining, but
the words simply wouldn't come. How did you tell your new

boyfriend--that kiss had, at least, cemented Michael's position in
his life--that you would always be a magnet for the worst bad luck
imaginable? In the scheme of things, crushed cell phones were
mild. Loose Faytes had been known to blow up buildings and
start wars. All unintentionally, of course, because the Fayte were,
in general, a mild-mannered species. They just didn't function well
outside of Faerie. Not at all.

"It looks like the chip is still intact, so the phone company should
be able to save your contacts," Alli offered.

"Broken a few cell phones in your time, have you?"

Alli shrugged. "A few."

Try eleven. But who was counting? Well, besides him, obviously.
And probably his cell phone carrier. He suspected they had a
special insurance rate just for him. The Allegro Romani Cell
Phone Disaster Insurance Policy. Cost you an arm and a leg and
they kept a spare phone on reserve for you at all times. An ugly,
crappy one, because it would be destroyed in a matter of weeks,
anyway.

Michael shoved the plastic pieces into the left pocket of his
leather jacket. "Oh, well. Look on the bright side. At least Evan
won't be able to call and harass me for a while."

Alli's smiled, genuinely amused as he thought about some of the
stories Michael had shared about his siblings. The family was
obviously very close and you couldn't be around Michael for long
without hearing a story involving one of them.

"Evan will still find a way to harass you," he said.

This time it was Alli who snatched Michael's hand as he got them
walking again. At this rate, it was going to take two hours to walk

the six blocks to his house.

"You're right," Michael agreed. "I'd better see about getting a new
phone first thing tomorrow. Otherwise, Evan will probably show
up on my front door by tomorrow night." He shuddered
theatrically. "That would really put a damper on my seduction
attempts."

"Oh, you're planning on trying to seduce me?" Alli asked.

"Absolutely."

"Okay," Alli replied.

And suddenly it was. Very okay.

Chapter 7

Michael stopped so quickly he nearly did an Alli-style trip. His
dark eyes widened behind the lenses of his glasses.

"Did you just say okay?" he asked, incredulous.

"I did."

"Okay to what? Okay to me trying to seduce you, or okay to me
succeeding?"

Alli shrugged, not really sure himself which he meant. In fact, he
had kind of wanted to call the agreement back once it popped
out, but he bit his tongue to resist the urge. Chris's latest lecture
was still fresh in his mind, Michael was staring at him with earnest
hopefulness, and maybe it was far past time Alli stopped
punishing himself for something he couldn't change.

Besides, with Michael looking at him, the heat and attraction
between them? Well, they were just talking about sex, right? No
big deal. People had casual sex all the time. That Alli actually
liked Michael was a bonus, not necessarily a requirement.

A little voice in the very back of Alli's head said he was fooling
himself. He ignored it with the ease of long practice. He hadn't
listened to his subconscious before and he wasn't going to start
now. That it was usually right was, of course, entirely beside the
point.

"Damn." A wide smile spread across Michael's face and Alli
couldn't help but smile back. They started walking yet again and
Alli was surprised to see that they had, in fact, stopped next to his
mailbox. Dang. If he paid this little attention to his surroundings, it
was no wonder he was always tripping over things.

Michael trailed him across the lawn, up the front steps, and to the

front door. Alli dug out his keys, stuck the right one in the lock
(after dropping the whole ring twice and poking himself in the
hand), then paused. He cleared his throat.

"Would you like to come in?" he asked without turning around.
Stupid, but it was easier if he didn't look. "I know you were talking
about seeing a movie. I don't feel like going out, but I've got a
pretty nice television and--"

"Yes," Michael interrupted.

Alli hid his grimace as he shoved open the door. Did he have to
ramble like an idiot? He was pathetic, he really was. First he
couldn't string two sentences together around Michael and now
he couldn't shut up. It really amazed Alli that Michael hadn't run for
the hills yet.

Inside, Alli groped for the light switch. Michael found it first and
Alli blinked a couple of times in the sudden bright glare. He
tossed his keys onto the side table on the right side of the
entryway, where they promptly slid across the smooth wooden
surface and hit the floor with a loud jangle.

Alli gnawed on his lower lip, eyes darting around the room,
attacked by a sudden case of nerves. He'd never done this
before, asked a guy into his house. Not when said guy was
extremely interested in getting Alli into bed. And not when Alli
wasn't entirely sure he would--or should--give in. Was there some
protocol to follow? Things he needed to do or avoid doing so
Michael didn't get the wrong message?

"Allegro."

Alli's gaze shot to Michael's and got stuck there. "Sorry. Did you
ask me something?"

Michael gave him a gentle smile and Alli had a sinking feeling
that the other man knew exactly what sort of thoughts were flying
through Alli's head.

"You're getting stress wrinkles," Michael teased. He reached
over, pushing aside uneven strands of hair and rubbing Alli's
forehead with his thumb. The motion sent little chills up Alli's
spine, pleasure mingling with excitement, all underlain by an odd
sense of contentment.

Suddenly, what had seemed so difficult mere seconds ago
wasn't quite so intimidating anymore. Michael wouldn't let it be.
Alli smiled, his first genuine smile since he had bumped into
Michael outside his store nearly a half an hour ago.

"I'm going to go change clothes." He still wore his usual work
uniform, neatly pressed khakis and a dark polo shirt. Alli would
be able to relax more if he was in something a little less...starchy.

"Take your time. I'll go grab us something to drink, maybe make
some popcorn. Find out what's on TV."

Alli blushed at the subtle reminder of their first meeting, when
Michael had taken such good care of him. It still amazed him that
Michael would go to so much trouble for a near stranger.

"I love it when you blush," Michael murmured. This time his
fingers traced over Alli's cheekbones and down to his jaw. Alli
could feel the burn intensify.

Michael laughed softly. "Go get changed or I might start
something you're not ready for." He gave Alli a small push down
the hallway.

Alli took the warning to heart and fled. He dashed into his
bedroom, closing the door firmly and leaning back against it. His

breath was coming rapidly, heart pounding heavily. His pants,
which had been perfect this morning, suddenly felt about two
sizes too small. His cock ached in the confines, gut tight. All from
a couple of little touches.

If--no, when--they finally had sex, Alli would probably explode from
the sensations. Michael would have to peel fairy guts off the
ceiling. And wouldn't that just make Michael regret his relentless
pursuit of Alli then?

Alli shook his head at his own ridiculous thoughts and shoved off
the door. He had a gorgeous man in his living room. One who
wanted

him.

Alli may be shy and clueless about some things, but

he wasn't an idiot. Not even close. If Michael wanted him, Alli
wasn't going to argue.

Well, not much.

* * * *

Michael watched Alli disappear down the hallway, moving as fast
as his slender legs would go without breaking into an actual run.
Michael knew he was smiling like an idiot, but he couldn't help it.
Alli was just so blasted adorable. Sweet and shy, a little bit
awkward, and innocent as hell.

Michael couldn't wait to corrupt the man, and he had a very good
idea of where he wanted to start. A sudden picture flashed into
his mind: Alli sprawled on the big bed down the hall, surrounded
by rumpled sheets, pale skin glowing with sweat, a satisfied
gleam in those beautiful gray eyes of his.

Oh, damn.

Michael had to adjust himself in his jeans before he

could walk normally. The image wouldn't leave his head, though.
Michael was okay with that. He'd just prefer to make it a memory
instead of a figment of his imagination.

In the kitchen, he opened cabinets until he found a box of
microwave popcorn. He almost reached for the coffee before
switching it for a couple of bags of hot chocolate he found next to
the popcorn. Really, nearly eleven at night was far too late for
coffee. At least, that's what his mother always told him.

Michael poured milk into a couple of mugs, reaching up to push
his glasses back into place. Damn things would never stay on his
nose, no matter how many times he tightened them. He should
probably go back to contacts again, but, well, he'd never been
overly fond of sticking things in his eyes. It just didn't seem
natural.

Plus, it was part of his strategy. He'd wanted to be a little less
intimidating. Alli was skittish enough already. Michael knew damn
well the glasses made him look harmless, a little bit geeky, even.
And honestly, he was a geek. He played with computers for a
living. Didn't mean, however, that he lived up to the

entire

geek

stereotype. He could blame it on Bruce, but Michael knew it was
mostly him. There was something of a wild child living under the
mild exterior. His last girlfriend had once compared him to Jekyll
and Hyde. Of course, she'd been staring at his nude, just-shifted
body in the middle of his bedroom at the time.

It was right before she'd run screaming from the room. Hell, he
hadn't even known she was in the apartment. And he hadn't

meant

to shift; he was usually extremely careful about letting

Bruce out while in the city. But there had been this itch...

Maryanne said it had been Bruce's way of getting rid of the bitch.

But then, she had never liked Alyssa in the first place. Deep down
he thought she might have been correct. While the sex had been
fabulous, Alyssa had never felt right outside of the bedroom. She
hadn't felt...comfortable. Michael always knew she wasn't "the
one" but hey, a guy had needs.

Alli, on the other hand, felt amazingly right no matter the situation.
Heck, if Michael had been a cat shifter, he would be purring any
time the man came near. As it was, Michael could feel Bruce
rippling just under the surface, nearly as much as he used to
around Alyssa, but for an entirely different reason. Bruce had
wanted to growl at Alyssa. He wanted to lick Alli from head to toe.

Michael thought that was an excellent idea but wanted to be the
first to do it. Besides, Bruce might be small for a bear, but he was
still, well, a bear. Alli might not be too thrilled with an ursine
tongue bath at this particular point in their relationship.

"Patience, Bruce," Michael admonished. "You'll get your chance."

"Who are you talking to?"

"Shit." Michael whirled to find Alli staring at him with big eyes,
once again chewing on his lower lip.

Hell. He hadn't been planning on bringing up Bruce just yet. He'd
wanted to get Alli attached first.

Then

Michael would let the man

found out how strange he was.

"No one," Michael said quickly. "I was just talking to myself."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I wasn't lying," Michael replied indignantly. Well, he wasn't. Bruce

was

him. Sort of. In a weird, twisted way. Oh, hell, he barely

understood how it worked. He really didn't know how to try to
explain it to someone else.

Michael sighed. "If you must know, I was talking to my bear."

"Oh," Alli replied calmly. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"Because it's strange?"

Alli laughed. "I've spent most of my life around shifters of one
species or another," he replied. "Believe me, you're not alone.
Most of them talk to their animals."

"Huh." True, most of his family spoke to their animals. But, well,
his family was considered weird, even by other shifters.

"I made popcorn," Michael announced to fill the silence, holding
up the bag.

"Cool." Alli was chewing on his lip again. The microwave dinged
and Alli hurried to pull the cups out, careful to walk by Michael
without brushing any body parts together.

Damn it. Alli was thinking again. Michael knew he shouldn't have
let the other man out of his sight.

Michael followed Alli into the living room, clutching the bag of
popcorn. Alli went ahead, carrying the steaming mugs. Michael
licked his lips, eyes fastened to the ass swaying in front of him.
Damn again.

Alli had changed into a pair of baggy sweatpants and a tight T-
shirt. The pants concealed more of the man's backside than
Michael would have liked but the shirt...

mmmm.

It was tight

enough to showcase the slender muscles, the sleek curve of Alli's
back. Michael's fingers literally itched with the need to reach out
and touch.

"Not yet," he muttered to himself.

"You say something?" Alli called over his shoulder.

"Oh, no, nothing," Michael hastened to assure him.

Stupid, Michael,

he scolded himself.

Shut up before you blow

this.

Alli shoved a mug at him, and Michael took it automatically. Alli
sipped on his own drink while crouching down, searching through
the movies. He ran one long finger over the spines of the DVD
cases and Michael shivered. He wanted that long, slender finger
on his skin more than he wanted his next breath.

Michael started a mental mantra, chanting "patience" over and
over. He rushed this and Alli would flee and then Michael would
have to start all over again.

"How's this one sound?" Alli said, holding up a DVD. "I haven't
seen it yet, but it looks good."

Michael shrugged. "Fine with me."

Hell, he didn't plan on actually watching the movie, anyway.

It took some fast maneuvering, but Michael managed to get Alli
settled on the couch next to him, and not in the chair across the
room that the slender man had originally targeted. Michael bit
back a sigh, though, when Alli quite pointedly settled on the
opposite end of the couch.

Good grief. When was the last time he'd worked so hard to
seduce someone? Michael thought never. But, well, he had a
feeling that Alli was worth it.

He waited until the movie began to play, giving Alli a few minutes
to become distracted, before Michael slid closer. Alli didn't seem
to notice, so Michael kept moving until they were sitting side-by-

side. Alli curled his legs up onto the cushions and Michael
grinned, feeling ridiculously triumphant when Alli's feet brushed
against Michael's thighs.

Okay, time for the next move in his campaign. It may have been a
bit trite, but Michael always had been a sucker for the old
classics. He stretched widely, arms overhead. When he settled
back down, one arm just happened to land on the back of the
couch behind Alli. As the movie played, Michael paid it little
attention, far more preoccupied with casually sliding his arm
down until he could wrap his hand around Alli's opposite
shoulder.

To Michael's surprise, Alli moved closer and let Michael tuck
them together. Michael received a shy smile before Alli's eyes
went back to the screen. Michael furrowed his brows at the
screen, not really certain what had Alli so enraptured. The movie
made very little sense to him.

Of course, that might have something to do with daydreaming
through the first twenty minutes. Kind of made it hard to follow the
plot. Although, truthfully? The movie didn't really seem to have
much of a plot. It was one of those independent, deep, artsy films.
Michael much preferred a movie with lots of explosions, some
snappy dialogue, and maybe a buff action hero or two.

A soft scent tickled his nose and Michael squirmed, aching and
uncomfortable. Alli smelled so good, and he looked so good, and
damn but Michael didn't know how much longer he could restrain
himself. Maybe just one kiss...

Michael ducked his head and captured Alli's lips, letting Alli's
quiet gasp swallow his louder moan.

"The movie--"

"Later," Michael murmured. He turned on the couch, trapping Alli
between his arms as he deepened the kiss. Alli whimpered.
Michael nearly echoed the sound when Alli finally melted, body
pressing close, arms reaching up to wrap around Michael's neck.

Alli tasted even better than Michael had imagined. Sweet and
hot, with the faintest trace of minty spice. Someone had brushed.
Hallelujah, maybe Michael was going to get lucky after all.

Michael hummed his pleasure, tangling their tongues together.
Their mouths met and parted, moist sounds filling the air and
drowning out the hypnotic music coming from the television.
Michael cupped the back of Alli's head, tilting just so, and Alli
whimpered. God, but that was a beautiful sound. Michael slid his
fingers into that silky hair, moving down, taking out the tie as he
went. Thick strands of deep, gleaming red hair spilled around
them and this time it was Michael's turn to make a needy sound.
There was just something so mouth-wateringly sexy about Alli's
hair. He'd dreamed about it, wrapping himself up tight in the
bright strands, wrapping it around his cock while he jerked off.

Michael freely admitted to having a dirty mind.

As if loosening Alli's hair was some kind of signal, the kiss went
from seductive and warm to heated and passionate. Michael's
yelp of surprise was swallowed by Alli's mouth as Alli ravaged his
lips with teeth and tongue. Lust burned a path straight from where
their mouths connected down to Michael's dick. He groaned.

"We should take this to the bedroom, babe," he said, yanking
away to breathe.

Alli looked up and Michael had to take another wild kiss. The
man's eyes were wide in his narrow face, pupils nearly
swallowing up the gray, black and shining with need.

"Bed, Alli," Michael insisted. "Need stuff."

Alli groaned his disappointment when Michael pulled away.
"Shifter," he panted. "Don't need condoms."

"But we do need lube."

"Shit." Alli rested his forehead against Michael's, breathing
harshly. "Give me a second. Don't think I can move yet."

Michael grunted and wrapped his arms around Alli's waist. "Up
we go," he declared. He swung his legs over the edge of the
couch and stood.

A startled cry fled Alli's lips as he was hoisted into the air. He
instinctively wrapped his legs around Michael. They both gasped
from the intimate contact.

"Hurry," Alli ordered.

Michael moved quickly down the hall, both of them feeling the
burn, the need, the want. Each step Michael took bounced Alli's
light body. Alli made needy noises as his cock pressed into
Michael's stomach, rubbing with every shift and turn. For Michael,
the feel of Alli practically riding him was almost enough to set him
off. He grabbed fistfuls of Alli's ass to try and hold him still.

Alli started licking and sucking at Michael's neck.

"Hang on, babe," Michael gasped.

"Don't want to."

Michael practically ran the last few steps and tossed Alli onto the
bed. Alli hit the mattress and spread wide, looking almost like
Michael's vision. Now they just needed to lose the clothes.

Michael yanked his shirt over his head and started working on the

fastening of his jeans. "Strip," he ordered Alli, who was just laying
there watching with wide eyes.

Alli nodded but didn't move.

"Killing me, babe," Michael grunted. His underwear went flying
and he launched himself at the bed, naked but for his socks. He
didn't want to take the time to get them off.

The instant Michael landed, he went to work on Alli's clothes.
Thank God for elastic waistbands. The feeling of skin against
skin was so good Michael moaned. He attacked one dusky
nipple, catching it between his front teeth and sucking. Alli buried
his fingers in Michael's hair and arched up, crying out. His cock
rubbed against Michael's thigh, thick and throbbing, smearing a
wet stream in its wake.

Score. Michael did love a man with sensitive nipples. It was like a
playground. An alarm buzzed somewhere in the distance, but
Michael was too busy playing to pay attention.

"God, you taste good," he murmured. He licked at the salty sweat
building on Alli's chest, loving the smooth, hairless skin, so
different from his own furry chest.

Alli hummed an agreement. "I want to taste, too," he complained.
He wrapped his fingers in Michael's hair, tugging, trying to pull
Michael up. Michael wasn't having anything to do with it, his
tongue busy with its meandering path down Alli's torso.

The buzzing sounded again. Alli stiffened. Michael smiled, having
found his prize. He ran his fingertips along the shaft of Alli's cock.
Alli began tugging again.

It suddenly struck Michael that the tension in Alli wasn't the good
kind and that the tugging had become more urgent.

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"What time is it?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Michael!"

"Probably around midnight. Now shut up so I can--"

"Midnight?" Alli wailed.

Michael groaned and dropped his head down, resting his
forehead on Alli's stomach. He didn't know what was going on,
but that tone? Said maybe Michael was going to be dashing to
the bathroom for a quick jerk-off session.

"Let me guess," he muttered. "At midnight the carriage turns into
a pumpkin and you disappear."

"What the hell?"

This time when Alli tugged, Michael let him succeed. Michael
lifted his head, looked right at Alli, and did something he'd never
done before. He pouted.

"You're not really gonna let me suffer, are you?"

Alli laughed. Honest to God, laughed.

Michael's temper started to stir and his pleading look turned into
a glare. "Look, if you don't want me here, just--"

"Does this seem like I don't want you?" Alli wiggled his hips,
thrusting up into Michael, drawing attention quite pointedly to his
rigid dick. "Neither of us has to suffer. Now get your ass up here."

"Hallelujah!"

Michael braced his hands on Alli's thighs and caught that nipple
again. "Lube?"

"Drawer."

"Hmmm."

Michael reached with one hand, other still petting and stroking.
He fumbled.

"Give over. I'll find it."

Michael barely kept hold of his slippery lover as Alli leaned,
digging through the drawer.

"Damn it!"

Oh, good Lord.

This was getting ridiculous.

Alli pulled loose and turned over. Well, that was okay, then. At
least while Alli searched, Michael got to play with that fantastic
ass. Michael ran both hands over the firm globes of flesh,
squeezing and testing.

Oh, hell, yes.

"Got it!" Alli waved a small tube in the air, nearly sliding off the
bed. Michael's firm grip on his hips was the only thing that saved
Alli from what, with their luck, would be another concussion.

"Get b--"

Pictures rattled on the walls from the force as someone pounded
on the door with obnoxious urgency.

Michael wanted to cry. "Really? Now?"

Alli turned back over and suddenly, Michael couldn't feel so bad.
Those dark gray eyes looked almost devastated.

At the same time, Michael noticed something else. The cock half-

wedged under Alli's twisted body wasn't quite so hard anymore.

"You're not really going to answer that, are you?" he asked.

Alli started chewing on his lip again. Yeah, that's what Michael
thought.

He sighed. "Go on," Michael ordered. "I'll be there in a minute."

Alli looked at Michael with a question in his eyes. Michael looked
down. His brain might not be in the mood for sex anymore, but his
body was. Michael's cock stood, proud and waving, balls drawn
up tight, begging for attention and relief.

More bone-jarring pounding, accompanied by the obnoxious
sound of someone holding down the doorbell button.

"Go," Michael ordered.

"I am so, so sorry," Alli whispered.

"Not your fault, babe. Now go."

Alli disappeared out the door.

"Clothes, Alli!" Michael bellowed after him.

Alli squeaked, reappearing long enough to grab his discarded
sweats.

Michael's sigh sounded resigned but honestly? There was a bit of
amusement as well. Michael wrapped his fist around his cock,
head dropping back onto the mattress.

"Alli," he murmured. "You better be worth it."

Then he began to stroke. Swift, fast, brutal, the sole purpose to
get off and get off fast. It didn't take long, only a couple of
minutes, before he was arching, gasping soundlessly as his
release sent tingles down his spine, spunk spraying over his

hand as he came.

The orgasm came as a physical relief, but it was vaguely
dissatisfying. Would have been a whole hell of a lot better if it was
Alli's hand or, better yet, Alli's mouth. Michael forcibly shoved the
images aside. They were just depressing him. Besides, who
knew? Maybe he could get rid of their visitor fast and get Alli
back in the bedroom. Michael could go another round tonight.
Hell, the way he was feeling? He could probably go another two
rounds.

Somehow, he didn't think that was in the plans for tonight, but hey,
he was an incurable optimist.

Once Michael caught his breath and his heart rate regulated, he
yanked some Kleenex off the bedside table and wiped up.
Voices were drifting up the hallway; Alli had left the bedroom
door open in his haste to flee the scene.

Michael grabbed his jeans but didn't bother to try and find his
shirt. Time to find out what mess Alli had gotten himself into this
time.

Chapter 8

Alli wanted to cry. Really, truly, sit down and bawl cry. He had
never hated Fridays more than he did at this particular moment.
When that alarm had gone off and he'd realized what it meant,
that the hours had crept past and the day had flipped from
Thursday to that last, dreaded day...

Michael was never going to understand. Especially when Alli had
left him like that. Hell, the least Alli could have done was stick
around, make up for the utter mess that their first time had
become. But no, he had to flee and leave the poor man jerking off
in a strange bedroom, all by himself.

In the living room, the television screen still flickered, displaying
the menu of the movie they'd been watching. It had all started so
well, too. The thought of Michael's lips and hands, the warm press
of his body, holding Alli securely against the soft couch...maybe
he should... Alli half-turned with the vague notion of going back
down the hall, but the door rattled again, this time accompanied
by Chris's irritated shout.

Alli gave up. It was Friday. He couldn't win. So he flipped the
locks with shaking hands and tried to shove the more dangerous
emotions swamping him down. He could take them out later and
be depressed all he wanted.

"Hang on," he yelled when the door shuddered visibly.

Yeah. Nothing broke the mood, at least for Alli, like an ill-timed
interruption. Especially on a Friday. He'd known the instant the
knock resonated that it meant trouble. That, more than anything,
had deflated his arousal. Just imagining the various disastrous
possibilities gave him the chills.

When Alli opened the door to reveal Chris's grim visage, Alli
figured his gloom and doom outlook wasn't far off. Again.

"What happened?" Alli asked with something approaching
resignation.

"I need you to come down to Flora," Chris replied. "Someone
broke in and made quite a mess."

"Come on in," Alli invited with a sigh. "I'll go get dressed."

Alli turned and nearly ran into Michael. The shifter stood there,
bare-chested, a scowl on his handsome face.

"This had damn well better be important, Chris," Michael
snapped. He planted his curled fists on his hips. Alli couldn't help
noticing how the pose made the muscles of Michael's arms
bulge, drew attention to the muscled chest covered in a thick pelt
of dark hair.

Oh. Oh, that wasn't fair. The man shouldn't look so good; it played
merry hell with Alli's resolve and focus.

"Focus, Alli!" Chris snapped, echoing Alli's thoughts so well that,
for a minute, he wondered if he'd been talking aloud again. "Get
dressed and let's go. Mark is waiting on us. I couldn't find the
damn sheriff, as usual, so I need to get back there and supervise
before Barry shows up and steps in something important."

Small-town life. Alli wondered sometimes why he hadn't just
stayed in New York and gotten lost in the crowd.

"Yeah," Alli muttered. "Going."

Michael, with one last dark glare at Chris, trailed behind Alli,
down the hallway and back to the bedroom. The lights were
blazing, covers tossed halfway to the floor. Alli quickly averted his

gaze, not wanting to look at the bed. The scene of his latest
disaster.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" Michael demanded. He
yanked aside the bedspread, stuck his head under the mattress.

"What are you doing?" Alli asked.

"Looking for the rest of my clothes."

"You don't have to come."

"I'd argue with that, but since I don't know where you're going yet,
that's a bit hard."

"Oh. Sorry. The store. Chris says there was a break-in."

"Then you bet your sweet little ass I'm coming," Michael
announced. He finally found his shirt, halfway behind the dresser.
Then the hunt for his shoes began; he'd never taken off his socks,
so at least those were easy to find.

"You don't have to come," Alli protested. Why, he wasn't sure,
because for some strange reason he kind of wanted Michael
there.

"Alli, you really don't want to push me right now. I'm coming. Deal
with it."

Alli clamped his mouth shut and decided that, in this particular
case, it was probably better if he just gave in gracefully. Michael
was cranky, not a usual state of affairs for the shifter. And Alli was
still feeling guilty. He wanted his annoyingly cheerful and positive
bear back.

Chris was pacing the front hall when they returned. "It's about
time," he declared.

Chris had driven his patrol vehicle, a massive modified SUV. Alli
didn't protest when Michael opened the back door for him, just
climbed in and stared glumly at the screen divider. It took less
than three minutes to drive the short distance to Flora. Michael
must have looked back at least a dozen times. With each peek,
the harsh lines on his face faded a bit until he began to look more
like the man Alli was getting to know so well.

The area around Flora blazed with light, nearly as bright as day.
Alli blinked.

"Why are there spotlights set up in the parking lot?" he asked
blankly.

"Barry," Chris replied dryly.

"He's certainly enthusiastic," Michael remarked.

"Damn kid's a menace." Despite the harsh words, Chris's tone
held a touch of affection. In Alli's experience, most people around
town regarded their youngest deputy with amused tolerance. The
kid meant well. He just tended to get excited and go a bit
overboard.

From the outside the store looked like it always did, apart from
the stadium lighting making Alli's eyes water. Inside was a
different story. Alli stopped in the doorway and stared in dismay
at the destruction. Michael cupped Alli's shoulders and
squeezed. Some of the tightness forming in Alli's chest eased,
Michael's solid presence at his back comforting. For once, Alli
wasn't facing one of his disasters alone. It was an amazing
feeling, one Alli could quite quickly grow addicted to.

"Let's look around," Michael urged gently. "See if anything is
missing."

Alli stepped into the room, swept his gaze around blankly. "I really
don't know," he said in a subdued voice. "It will take hours to sort
through everything."

The room looked like nothing so much as a natural disaster zone.
Every single table had been toppled, dirt and pots, decorative
items and torn plants, all scattered from one wall to the next. Alli
had a small sitting area set up in one corner and the fluffy chairs
had been slashed apart, the red fabric shredded and stuffing
hanging in large clumps like piles of soft snow.

Mark came out of the back room, stepping over a river of colorful
flowers spilling across one of Alli's carefully chosen rugs. The
deputy was making notations on a notebook, tongue poking out
between his lips as he concentrated.

"What have you found so far?" Chris asked.

Mark looked up, startled. "Oh. Didn't know you were back. Well,
whoever it was, they worked fast. The alarm went off at exactly
midnight. That's when the alarm company alerted you. I got here
at approximately twelve-ten."

"They might have set the alarm off on the way out and not the way
in," Chris pointed out.

"Possible. But I doubt it. Have you seen the state of this back
door?"

"Not yet, no."

"Right. Sorry." Mark flushed a bit at Chris's chiding tone.

"How did you get to Alli's place so quickly?" Michael asked.

"I always do a drive-by a couple times on Friday mornings," Chris
said. "I got the call from dispatch and was only a few blocks

away."

"Why do you--"

"Later," Alli interrupted. "I'll tell you later."

Michael looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn't. Alli was
grateful for that. He knew he'd have to confess everything to
Michael, sooner rather than later, but he didn't want to do it right
at this minute, and especially not with an audience.

Chris took his duties very seriously and worked diligently to
ensure he kept his citizens safe. Some citizens just required
more work than others. Alli wouldn't complain, as Chris's vigilant
eye had saved his hide on more than one occasion.

Alli, Chris, and Michael waded through the mess. Alli nearly
whimpered at the destruction. He paused to pick up a poor,
battered stuffed dog, wanting to cry when water streamed off it.
The intruder had shoved over the water cooler and it had formed
a lake, right in the middle of the display section containing
balloons and stuffed animals. Alli loved putting together pretty
plant gift baskets for gifts and get-well presents.

"No!" He took off at a dead run, dodging shattered pots and
ripped leaves. He stopped in the doorway to the greenhouse,
grabbing the doorframe to halt his momentum. His low sob
echoed across the room.

Michael was behind Alli in an instant, but Alli couldn't take any
comfort. All he could do was stare in utter horror at his beloved
sanctuary.

Gone. All gone. Ripped and shredded and overturned and...

"Shh," Michael whispered. "Plants are resilient. It won't be as bad
as it looks, promise."

"You can't know that," Alli said.

"Sure I can." Michael rubbed Alli's arm, gave him an encouraging
smile. "Let's go look at the rest of it, baby," he said softly. "We'll
worry about clean-up later."

"They didn't seem to be searching for anything, just wanted to
create random destruction," Mark continued. "And I hate to say
anything without proof, but those chairs? Yeah, I don't think that
was done with a knife."

Chris made a beeline for the nearest chair and bent over,
fingering a jagged rip. "I think you're right," he agreed. "Looks
like claws to me."

"Claws?" Alli squeaked.

"Well, that helps narrow it down," Michael declared.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Chris ran a finger down one of the tears
again. "But it gives us a starting place. Mark, you can call some
of the shifters tomorrow. I'll check in with Lucas, see if he thinks it
might be one of the werewolves."

"Doubtful," Mark replied with a shake of his head. "They don't
come to town very often."

Chris shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to check. Anyway, they're the two
breeds with the most prominent claws."

"If we start suspecting everyone with claws," Mark pointed out,
"the list is going to get long."

"I know."

With that somewhat disheartening response, Chris followed Mark
into the storage room. Barry was there, snapping pictures

frantically, the flash creating a strobe-light affect on the
cinderblock walls. He turned at the wrong moment and the
camera went off right in Chris's face.

"Damn it, Barry," Chris bellowed, blinking rapidly. Alli wanted to
laugh but was afraid there would be something of an hysterical
edge to it, so he held back.

"Sorry, boss," Barry yelped, nearly dropping the camera as he
jumped.

"Honest to God, boy." Chris didn't finish the thought, shaking his
head instead.

"Holy shit."

Michael's exclamation drew Alli's attention to the far wall. The
back door had been nearly ripped off its hinges, hanging to one
side in a hunk of twisted metal. It had taken something strong,
with a lot of rage, to pull that move off. But that wasn't what
Michael was staring at. No, his horrified gaze was fixed on the
wall.

The red letters still dripped fresh paint--at least, Alli hoped to God
it was paint--smearing trails down the wall and puddling on the
floor.

Go home, fag.

"I hope you're going to do something about this, Chris," Michael
said grimly.

"You're damn right I am," Chris growled back. "No one comes
into this town and threatens one of my people. No one."

Alli stared in utter shock at the words written with such venom on
his wall. Who...why...

how

? Until Michael came, no one knew his

preferences. No one.

Well, maybe Chris. But Alli really, really doubted that Chris was
responsible for this. Alli had never seen the deputy so furious. His
eyes were hard, jaw clenched, hands fisting and releasing.

"All right," Chris suddenly barked. "Barry, you get enough
pictures?"

"Yes, sir."

Alli half-expected Barry to salute.

"Good. Get them developed, stat. And Barry?"

Barry froze in mid-step.

"Don't take them to the drugstore this time, huh?"

Mark snorted. He suddenly found a speck in the corner
fascinating when Chris turned his steely glare on him.

"This one gets done by the books, boys," Chris ordered. "When
this guy is caught, I don't want anything screwing it up."

"You've got it, boss."

Chris suddenly sighed. He rubbed his hand over his face, looking
weary as he studied the destruction around him. "I guess I'll have
to call the sheriff. He needs to know someone's making trouble."

"Wait. Sheriff?" Michael shook his head in confusion. "I thought
you were the sheriff."

"No, unfortunately. The good sheriff, however, prefers to spend
his time doing God only knows what. I haven't seen the man in
going on near two weeks. He calls in every few days, so I know
he isn't dead. He'd just rather let me do all the work."

"You do a good job, too," Mark declared. The staunch support of

his coworker penetrated the hard shell Chris had donned and the
man quirked a tiny grin.

"Thanks," he replied dryly. "Just wish it were a bit easier. And
paid better."

Alli patted Chris's shoulder and wandered past. The drawers of
his desk were hanging open and he reached over to check them.

"Don't touch, Alli!"

Alli jerked backward at the snapped order.

"Sorry, sorry."

Chris shook his head. "It's okay. Let us record everything first,
huh? Then you can check and see if there's anything missing."

They spent the next two hours wading through the mess. Mark's
pencil flew across his yellow legal pad as he took notes
frantically. Chris kept muttering curses as he poked through
destroyed items and smashed furniture.

The entire time, Michael hovered behind Alli. The bear shifter
never got farther than a few feet away.

Alli was grateful. Extremely. For the first time in years, Alli wasn't
facing disaster and heartache by himself. There was someone to
lend him strength, someone to catch his elbow and steady him
when he tripped, someone to hug him when the despair
threatened to overwhelm him.

It hurt, looking around Flora. For so long, the store had been all
Alli had. It wasn't the financial loss that made such an impact; Alli
didn't need the money. The store was more to give him
something to do than a source of income. But it was his home,
more so than the house a few blocks away. These plants and

flowers were his friends, his comfort. Seeing the pure hate, the
way his sanctuary had been invaded, it hurt deeply.

Alli bit his lip, staring blindly at a clumped-up mess on the floor,
unable to process the implications. He didn't know what to think,
where to start...

"Come on, baby," Michael murmured. "I think you've had enough.
Let's get you home. We can finish this later."

Chris heard the words and looked over. He nodded his
agreement.

"I'll drive you." Chris kept his voice low, seemingly aware that Alli
was about to break. "Mark, keep at it, huh? Call me if you find
anything else."

"Sure thing." Mark gave Alli an encouraging smile as the two men
escorted him from the store.

This time, Michael didn't put Alli in the back of the car. Chris
didn't say anything when they both climbed in the front seat,
Michael pulling Alli close until he was practically on Michael's lap.

Outside, the sun hadn't even come up. Alli caught a glimpse of
the clock on the dashboard. Great Heavens, he had an entire
Friday to get through yet. Alli wasn't sure he was going to be able
to make it. He just wanted to go to bed, curl up, and pull the
covers over his head.

He didn't get his wish. Pulling to a stop in front of Alli's house,
Chris cut the engine and followed them into the house. When he
motioned Alli and Michael to sit, planting his own butt in a chair
facing them, Alli groaned aloud.

Let the interrogation begin.

"So, who around town hates you this much?"

Alli bit his lip, cheeks heating with a mixture of embarrassment
and shame. "Do you want the whole list?" he asked sadly.

"Hush, baby," Michael soothed. "I think you have more friends
than you realize."

Chris sighed. "Sorry, Alli. He's right, you know. Just look at Mark
and Barry. Sascha. Lucas."

"I can't tell you how many people waylaid me when I started to
show interest in you," Michael revealed. "They all wanted to look
out for you."

"Maybe, but I also have a lot of people who want to string me up
by my toes," Alli pointed out.

"Why don't you start at the top," Michael encouraged. He
wrapped his arm around Alli's shoulders. Alli couldn't help
snuggling closer, soaking up the comfort being offered.

"Well, there's Miss Patti."

"True."

Even Chris couldn't deny that one. Miss Patti thought he was the
devil's spawn, ever since that incident with Pookums. Alli had
been walking by, Pookums's leash had broken and, well, the car
didn't kill the obnoxious, fluffy creature but it came darn close. All
the witnesses swore it was an accident, a freak occurrence. Alli
knew better; it had, after all, been a Friday. Miss Patti gave him
the evil eye any time they crossed paths. Alli didn't protest
because while most people thought she was just being a cranky
old woman and overreacting, he knew better.

"Lester." Alli continued with his list.

"Wasn't your fault the man got struck by lightning."

"Sort of was," Alli argued. "I was the one holding the pole."

"I'm not even going to ask."

"Probably best," Chris concurred. "But it was an impressive light
display, I'll say that."

A Friday. Again.

"Constance."

Chris winced. "Yeah, she probably wouldn't mind if you
vanished."

"No kidding."

And he still felt guilty about that one. It had taken weeks for the
poor woman's eyebrows to grow back. He still didn't know what
made the pan burst into fire like that; the stove hadn't even been
on. After that incident, Sascha had banned Alli from his kitchen. It
was probably a wise move. Far too much that could cause
destruction in a kitchen.

"Molly, Mason, Mr. Pritchard, Carter, Carter's dog--"

"Enough," Michael interrupted, giving Alli a little squeeze.

"Michael's right." Chris reached over and patted Alli's knee in
sympathy. "While there might be a few people around who don't
like you, most of them are harmless. They settle for glares, evil
eyes, and warding signs."

Oh, yeah. He'd forgotten about the local coven. He hadn't meant
to screw up their ritual. Honestly.

That incident had almost sent him running back home,
banishment be damned. No matter how accidental, setting loose

a demon was never a good thing. Well, not a chaos demon,
anyway. Luckily, there had been a Hunter not far away who could
take care of the thing. Alli had never found out what the coven
was actually

trying

to summon. He just knew it wasn't what they'd

gotten.

Witches could hold a grudge really, really well.

"I feel I should point to the warning again, anyway," Michael said.
"While it sounds like you've got a few enemies, most of them
have specific reasons for disliking you."

"Right. And most of those reasons have absolutely nothing to do
with your lack of interest in women."

"What about that guy at Emmaline's?" Michael asked.

"Who?" Alli scrunched his nose, trying to remember that day.

"You know, the guy. The one with the big scowl who kept staring
at us together."

It took Alli a moment, but he finally dredged up an image of a big,
ugly guy who looked like he had indigestion. "Him? Dang. How
did you even remember that? That was, like, forever ago."

Michael shrugged, flushing. "I didn't like how he looked at you.
Bruce felt he was a threat."

"Who's Bruce?"

"Umm--"

"Good enough for me," Chris interrupted. "I'll see if anyone else
noticed him. It's a start, anyway."

"What, just like that?" Alli asked.

"Not like I have much else to go on."

Chris slapped Michael on the shoulder, ruffled Alli's hair. Alli
glared, so not in the mood for the deputy's antics at the moment.

"I've got work to do," Chris said. "In the meantime, I'm expecting
you to look after our little florist."

Chris said the last with a stern glare at Michael. Michael nodded
back soberly.

"You can count on it. No one's getting anywhere near Alli." A low
growl rumbled through Michael, deep and menacing, powerful
enough to send ripples up Alli's spine. Good ripples. Damn, but
that sound shouldn't be so hot.

Chris left soon after. A silence fell over the room, heavy and thick.
Alli hated how awkward it felt but didn't know how to fix it.

"Who's Bruce?" he finally asked.

"My bear side."

"You named your animal half?"

"Yeah."

"Bruce?"

Alli tried to hold back the giggles, but it just came out sounding
like he was choking on something. Or maybe swallowed a really
sticky piece of food that was restricting his breathing. Either way,
it was a very weird sound.

Alli quickly lost the battle and the strange sound morphed into
laughter. The deep belly, tear-inducing kind. And if it had a touch
of hysteria to it? Well, Alli figured he could be forgiven.

"It's not that funny," Michael muttered.

"You named your shifter half," Alli said again.

Michael shrugged. "It's me, but not really. Besides, it's not that
weird. Most of my family does it."

"Hate to break it to you, but your family sounds to me like a very
strange bunch."

Michael didn't argue that one.

"I suppose it does make a bit of sense," Alli mused, pursing his
lips. "But Bruce?"

He started laughing again. Michael crossed his arms over his
chest and glared. "What's wrong with Bruce?"

"Nothing," Alli assured him. "Absolutely nothing."

Since Alli was still laughing, he didn't think Michael bought it.

"Batman's real name was Bruce," Michael argued. "It's a good
name."

"Never said it wasn't."

"Then stop laughing."

"I can't."

Michael's lips twitched.

Seconds later he was howling right along with Alli. It wasn't long
before they both collapsed together on the couch. Their legs
entwined, Alli pressing up against Michael.

"Mmm, I like this," Michael said quietly.

"Like what?"

"Cuddling. Piles."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Must be a shifter thing. My brothers and I used to sleep in
one giant heap growing up. Mom gave up in grade school trying
to keep us in separate rooms. Dad was pretty philosophical
about it, although he did mention that it tended to be more of a
wolf thing."

Alli hummed absently at the story, not quite sure what the sound
meant. Michael ran his fingers though Alli's loose hair, gently
working out the snarls. The mood eased, turned more serious.
Alli soaked up the comfort eagerly.

"How are you holding up?" Michael finally asked gently.

Alli shook his head, eyes on the floor by his feet. "I don't know,"
he admitted. "I think it's still kind of surreal."

"I suppose it is. Come on, why don't we try to get some sleep?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't," Alli protested. "I have to open the store at--"

"Baby, there's no way you'll be able to open Flora today," Michael
admonished Alli. "That mess is going to take days to clean up.
Not to mention reordering stock, putting displays back together,
repotting..."

Michael cut himself off, obviously reading the distress on Alli's
face. Michael sighed and stood, grabbing Alli's hands and pulling
him to his feet.

"Come on, bed."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep." Alli protested some more but
still let Michael lead him down the hall.

"You should at least try."

Weariness suddenly swamped Alli, not physical but mental. A
vision of the store flashed into his head. He knew a lot of people

didn't like him, he'd long ago accepted that. Not like it was
anything new. But that someone could hate him that much...

"Shh, Alli," Michael crooned. "Stop thinking. Just come and lie
down with me."

"With you?" Alli asked hopefully. "You'll stay?"

"Until this bastard is caught, I'm your new shadow," Michael said
with a small grin. Alli latched onto that small sign of his Michael
with a tight grip. He didn't like this new, serious, hard version of
his almost-lover. Alli wanted his playful, teasing Michael back.

"I guess I could." Alli gave in, careful to hide how much the idea
appealed to him. As much as Alli cared for Michael, he wasn't
quite ready to give the man that much power over him.

"Good. Hungry?"

Alli shook his head. He noticed for the first time that Michael had
stripped down to the waist. Alli obediently held out his arms while
Michael pulled Alli's shirt over his head. He had thought about
fighting Michael, but it seemed to ease the bear, taking care of
Alli.

Minutes later, Alli found himself swathed in covers, tucked up
tightly next to Michael. Alli wasn't sleepy, mind racing too much,
but he had to admit, it felt marvelous, letting his bear comfort him.

Michael stroked Alli's forehead with one hand, brushing the hair
aside, back and forth in a gentle, soothing rhythm. Alli let his head
fall deeper against Michael's shoulder. Michael's other arm
tightened around Alli, pulling him as close as two people could
get without penetration.

Alli would have said it was impossible, but his eyes slowly grew
heavy and he eventually drifted off into a restless sleep, held

close and safe.

Chapter 9

Michael was making coffee. Again. He figured it was a bit like his
mother's impulse to cook something when she was anxious. An
automatic action to try and set the world right. At least, his world.

Michael just couldn't get those damn words out of his head. Every
time he blinked they were there, waiting on the inside of his
eyelids to flash their bloody hatred at him. The viciousness of the
destruction at Alli's store had him on edge. Had Bruce on edge.
And that was hard to do. Bruce was an herbivore, patient,
easygoing. It took a whole hell of a lot to make him growly.

He was growly now. So was Michael. He wanted answers, but
none were forthcoming. So he made coffee. Maybe it didn't make
a whole lot of sense, but it worked. Sort of. At least, Michael
figured, until the caffeine hit his system. Then he'd get all jittery
and worked up again.

So long as Alli was tucked up, safe and within reach, Michael
could handle feeling a bit out of control.

Shuffling feet sounded in the hall and Michael's mouth tipped into
a smile. A second later Alli came into view, disheveled and
sleepy. Then Michael frowned, not liking the dark circles bruising
the pale skin under Alli's darker-than-usual eyes. Michael
crossed the kitchen, dropping a kiss on Alli's forehead and
handing him a mug of coffee at the same time.

"You get much sleep?" he asked. Alli had been pretty restless
during the night, but since Michael had never slept with the man
before, he didn't know if that was normal or not.

"Hmm?" Alli blinked, looking adorably confused, and Michael had
to steal another quick kiss, this one on the lips.

"Yum," he declared. "Coffee and Alli. The perfect combination."

Another dazed blink. Michael swallowed a laugh.

"Come sit down," Michael urged. "Wake up a bit and I'll take you
out for breakfast...well, lunch now, I guess."

The green numbers on the microwave declared it was nearly one
in the afternoon. Considering they hadn't made it to bed until
nearly sunrise, Michael figured they'd done pretty well.

They sat in companionable silence, sipping coffee while Alli
slowly rejoined the land of the living. It took nearly fifteen minutes
for Alli to wake up, and the fuzziness to clear from his eyes.

Alli shoved his mug away and studied Michael from under his
lashes, tilting his head in contemplation. "You're still here."

Michael frowned. "Where else would I be?"

Alli shrugged, looking away. "I guess I kind of thought you'd take
off. I mean, last night didn't exactly go according to plan, and
that's kind of normal for me. I'm a lot of work and--"

"Alli?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

Oh, look at that indignation. Cutest thing ever.

Michael chuckled. In one smooth move, he scooped Alli up and
settled the skinnier man on his lap. Then he did what he'd been
wanting to do since Alli had appeared in the kitchen.

Michael tried to keep the kiss gentle, his hands lightly stroking,
but it didn't last for long. The instant Alli opened up, Michael

groaned. He thrust his tongue more forcefully, dueling playfully
with Alli, hands gripping Alli's hips more tightly. Michael slipped
his hands up under Alli's shirt, thumbs stroking up and down on
the smooth skin. Alli made a small sound of pleasure that went
straight to Michael's dick. Alli pressed close and wrapped his
slim hands around Michael's neck, angling his head and licking
along the corners of Michael's mouth.

"Stop teasing," Michael said, trying to recapture Alli's lips as they
traced a path across his cheek.

"Who's teasing?" Alli ground his hips, catching Michael's
surprised yelp with his moist, kiss-swollen lips. Michael was
breathing hard, the edge rushing toward him with astonishing
suddenness. Damn, Alli was something. Such a hot little bundle
of--

Alli wrapped his legs around Michael's back, pushing his ass
down on Michael's groin, and Michael lost all train of thought.
Words and rationale became a thing of the past as Alli continued
to kiss him, each thrust of his tongue echoed by a thrust of his
hips.

"Alli, wait, gonna--"

"Go ahead." Alli pulled away, nipped at Michael's ear and
nuzzled his neck. "Let go."

"Holy--"

Everything went tight, Michael's cock throbbing, balls pulling tight.
It was, bar none, the quickest orgasm he'd ever had. Michael
didn't even have time to shout, just gave a long, drawn-out groan.
Alli kept riding him, squirming and grinding, as Michael came in
his pants like a damn teenager.

The world went fuzzy at the edges for a second, Michael lost in
the sensations, muscles shaking with his release. The blast of
pleasure finally faded, leaving him tingling and relaxed. Alli
pressed a gentle kiss to the base of Michael's neck and laid his
head on Michael's shoulder.

Michael squeezed the man tightly. "Damn, baby."

He was still holding Alli's hips, and Michael began to stroke
again, the motion almost automatic. He would have stayed like
that all day, but reality had to go and rear its ugly head. Spunk
dripped down Michael's legs, the damp spots in his pants
rubbing against his skin and making him itch.

"I should go get cleaned up," he murmured, but made no effort to
move.

Oh, shit.

"Damn, I'm an idiot," Michael suddenly burst out. "A selfish jerk.
You need, babe?"

Alli didn't look at him, just shook his head from its position tucked
up against Michael. "I'm okay," he practically whispered.

"But you didn't--"

"No, I didn't. But that's okay. Maybe next time."

"Alli--"

"You said something about breakfast."

Alli pulled away and Michael was forced to let go. Alli stood and
Michael immediately wanted to pull the man back into his lap. It's
where Alli belonged, Michael decided. He'd be happy just
carrying his shy little lover around for the rest of their lives.

He had a mental flash, a bent, white-haired man trying to juggle a
cane and an elderly Alli, and nearly snorted in amusement.

Alli raised one eyebrow and Michael tried to pull it together. Alli
would, eventually, get used to the way sex turned Michael's mind
to mush, sent him off on weird tangents. Of course, it wasn't only
sex, but it was the worst culprit.

"Alli, I wish you would let me..." Michael lowered his hand,
brushing the back of his knuckles against Alli. The cock trapped
in Alli's sweats formed a nice bulge, hard and hot under his touch.

Alli shook his head, smiled. "I want to wait."

"Why?" Michael asked with utter confusion.

"Haven't you ever heard of delayed gratification?" came the
teasing response.

"Seems like a very silly concept to me," Michael stated.

"I just...I want to take my time, you know?"

"Then what the hell was this about?" Michael snapped. "Look, if
you don't want me--"

"Are you kidding?" Alli gaped. "You've got the proof in your
hands."

"Physical. Doesn't mean--"

"You're a bit of an idiot, you know that?" Alli retorted, standing
and planting his hands on his hips.

"You didn't let me finish," Michael pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. You were going to say something stupid. I want
you, really truly." Alli wrapped his hands in Michael's shirt and
yanked, pulling their faces together.

"Really truly, huh?" Michael's irritation slid away at the earnest
expression on Alli's face.

"Really truly. After last night, and it's Friday, and...I just wanted to
make you feel good," Alli finished with a shrug.

"Oh, you certainly accomplished that." Michael smiled and
tugged on Alli's hair. "But I don't understand what the day of the
week has to do with anything."

"Oh."

Alli was chewing on his lip again. This time Michael gave into the
urge, tugged the abused and puffy flesh free.

"I just...Friday's aren't good days."

Alli shrugged again after that cryptic comment. It didn't escape
Michael's attention that his lover was having trouble with his
sentences again. If Michael were a wolf shifter, he'd be howling in
frustration.

"Swear to God, it's two steps forward and one step back," he
muttered.

"What?"

"Sorry. Nothing."

Alli met Michael's gaze head on, serious and solemn. "It's not,
you know. One step back. I promise."

Alli moved, pressing a soft, brief kiss to Michael's lips. There was
nothing sexual about it, but the gesture thrilled Michael clear
down to the tips of his bare toes. It was the kind of kiss bestowed
on a lover, a boyfriend, a partner.

Michael slid his hand along Alli's arm, rubbing his thumb along

the silky skin, and dipped his head for a kiss of his own.

"All right, babe," he said. "The curiosity is probably going to kill
me, but I'm willing to wait until you're ready to tell me everything."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Alli? You're a horrible liar. And despite your earlier accusation,
I'm far from stupid. You're hiding something. I really wish you
would trust me."

"I do trust you," Alli hastened to assure him.

"So what is it, then?"

"I don't think you'll stick around," Alli admitted. "No one ever has."

Michael sighed and tucked Alli against him for a nice, long hug.
"I'm not like everyone else. I'm not going anywhere."

It was clear to Michael now that the issue wasn't, in fact, him.
Michael was rapidly discovering that Alli didn't have a very high
opinion of himself.

"I'm a lot of trouble," Alli murmured. "And if you stick around, you
should probably get used to interruptions like last night. It
happens a lot."

"Just so long as it's not always because someone's trying to hurt
you, I can learn to live with that."

"We'll see."

Michael growled, the sound nearly sub-vocal, and made a
decision. "It's too early for this conversation," he declared.

"It's one in the afternoon," Alli pointed out.

"And I've only been up for a half-hour. Makes it early. Come on.
We'll pick up some food, head over to Flora, and start working on

cleaning up your store. This conversation can wait for some other
time."

The pure relief Alli displayed told Michael he'd made the right
decision. Michael could only imagine how hard the early morning
hours had been on Alli. Time to distract his man for a while.

Food. Hard work. Maybe he'd call Chris, get some people over to
help out.

Yeah. He could wait until later to pry out Alli's secrets.

* * * *

"Babe, I don't think you can save it."

Alli looked sadly at the limp plant and had to agree. It hung over
his palm, shedding dirt from tattered roots, the stem bent nearly
in half. He placed it gently in the trash pile.

Yet another loss. He looked helplessly around the greenhouse,
choking back a wail of mingled fury and sorrow. This small room
was his haven, his sanctuary, his comfort in the cold world around
him. In here, he could pretend he was home. Pretend that just
beyond those doors lay acres of virgin forest, the gentle sloping
hills that would eventually rise to craggy peaks, the rush of water
tumbling over rapids. Damn, but he was homesick. Since
Michael had burst into Alli's life, the constant gnawing ache had
lessened considerably. But this wanton destruction brought it
back full-force.

"Why couldn't they have attacked

me

?" Alli snapped, tossing yet

another unsalvageable piece of greenery away with furious force.

"Don't say that," Michael snapped back. "Plants can be replaced.
You can't."

Alli huffed, knowing Michael was right. "I don't really want to be
appeased right now," he pointed out.

"Tough." A low rumbling vibrated in Michael's throat as he pinned
Alli with his dark stare. "I'm not going to let you sit there sinking
deeper into self-pity. We're going to keep busy, you're going to
order whatever you need, and we're going to put everything back
the way it was. Better, even."

"I wish it were that easy."

Michael rose from his nearby crouch to loom over Alli. Two solid
hands landed on Alli's shoulders, rubbing and massaging. The
touch felt marvelous, easing some of the anguish. Michael bent
down, pressed a soft kiss to the top of Alli's head.

"It'll get better," he promised.

Alli closed his eyes, blocking out the mess around him, focusing
everything on the touch of his big, cuddly bear. How did Michael
do it? Just...make everything better?

A soft knock interrupted their moment. Alli snapped his attention
around, resenting the intrusion.

"Maven!"

His mouth was probably hanging open, but he couldn't be
blamed. Maven was the high priestess of the local coven. The
same coven that was involved in the whole summoning mess.
Sure, they still shopped at Flora, but it was because they had to.
His was the only shop in the area that carried the herbs and spell
ingredients needed. Or at least, his were the best. But the
witches and warlocks always came in pairs and wore a lot of

amulets.

Maven gave him a wry smile, the expression twisting her full lips.
She was a pretty woman, a bit heavy but shaped nicely, with thick
dark hair and well-arranged features. If Alli leaned that way, he
might even find her attractive.

That, and if she didn't hate his guts. Although, the look he was
getting right now was anything but hate.

"Bright Blessings, Allegro," she said softly. "I heard what
happened. Are you all right?"

"I'm not hurt," Alli said, skirting the question.

"Not physically, no."

Damn the woman. She was too perceptive by half.

Alli shrugged. "I'll get there."

"Well, I've made some calls. Victor and Derek will be here in an
hour with garbage bags and boxes. Selma is making a few calls
and trying to locate some cuttings to restart your stock."

"That's...wow, Maven, I don't..."

Alli chewed on his lip. That was the last thing he had expected.

Maven sighed. "We've had problems, but you're a good man,
Allegro. Putman is small, unique. Our kind has to stick together.
Something like this hurts us all."

As if Maven actually knew what Alli's kind was. And he certainly
wasn't going to enlighten her.

Michael strode forward, extending his hand. "Michael Lakkis," he
introduced himself. "We really appreciate it."

Perfectly plucked eyebrows raised and Michael was given an

assessing look. "A relative of Allegro's?" she asked curiously.

"Boyfriend," Michael cheerfully pronounced.

Alli groaned and covered his eyes, but not before he saw Maven
smile. And really, a smile that wide looked like it should hurt.

"Welcome to the community," she declared. "Maven Thenopolis.
It's about time Allegro found someone."

Michael slung his arm over Alli's shoulder. Alli considered it
progress that he didn't move away.

"I found this on the sidewalk," Maven continued, holding up the
tiny bell that usually hung over the front door as if it was the
world's greatest treasure. Alli took it, turning the small metal
object over in his hands.

"Thank you," he said softly, staring at the bell.

Maven smiled, knowing that the thanks was for far more than just
retrieving Alli's bell. "Where do you keep your broom?" she
asked.

"You don't have to--"

"Allegro? Shut up while you're ahead."

Alli nodded. Yeah, probably good advice.

"There's cleaning supplies in the pantry. Or at least, there were."
God only knew if they were still there and not scattered from one
side of the room to the other, like everything else. "Left corner of
the staff room."

Maven patted his shoulder. "I'll find it."

Alli stared at the now empty doorway, still fingering that blasted
bell.

"See, babe?" Michael leaned close to speak right in Alli's ear.
The musky, rich smell unique to Michael drifted to Alli's nose and
he found himself shifting closer. "You have more friends than you
know."

"Yeah," Alli said with something approaching wonderment. "I
guess I do."

* * * *

Alli was busy supervising, so Michael took the chance to sneak
back to the office and borrow his man's cell phone; the store
phone had been smashed to bits, both the one on the front
counter and the one on Alli's desk. Michael, obviously, hadn't had
time to replace his own phone. And by now his brother was
probably getting ready to call up the cavalry, aka their mother.

"Hey, brother of mine."

"Michael! Where the heck have you been? I've been trying to call
you and it just keeps going straight to voice mail. Even Maryanne
was getting concerned."

"Sorry about that. My phone met its demise yesterday."

"And you haven't gotten a new one? I didn't think you could last
that long without your phone."

"Neither did I. But I've been a bit preoccupied."

"Oh?"

How could his brother make one single syllable sound so
ominous?

"Yeah, it's okay. Remember that guy who got hit by a car? Well,
his store was trashed and I've been helping him put things back
together. The local law contacted us early this morning and we've
been going strong ever since."

"Us?"

Whoops. "Um, yes?"

Michael really knew better. His brother had more in common with
a bulldog shifter--did those even exist?--than a bear sometimes.

"This sounds serious. So, do tell. Is he cute?"

"Evan!"

"Well, is he?"

"Yes," Michael admitted. "But he's not--"

"Sweet! It's about time you started dating again. Tell me all about
him. What does he do for a living? Is he a paranormal?"

"I'm not going to gossip with you," Michael said firmly. He didn't
really think the tone would work. It didn't.

"Why the heck not? Besides, if we're going to add another family
member, I really need to get to know him, don't you think?"

"For the love of God, Evan! I said he was cute, not that we were
getting married. Good grief."

At the same time, Michael knew a smile was creeping across his
face. It was just nice, knowing that his family accepted him the
way he was.

Contrary to popular opinion (mostly their own), the Lakkis family
wasn't perfect. The first time Michael brought a boyfriend home
had been...well, explosive. His mom had cried and his dad had

looked all stern and his brothers had yelled. A lot.

Evan, though, had recovered pretty quickly; he'd admitted later
that he'd kind of suspected and just been caught up in the
moment. He and Maryanne were dating at the time and she had
been present for the debacle. It was Michael's private opinion
that she was solely responsible for Evan's quick turnaround. After
she'd slugged Evan in the arm, she'd hugged Michael tightly and
Evan had done that big-brother-looming thing that he was so
good at, this time turning the focus from Michael to their other
brother, Tristan.

When Michael and his boyfriend had left the house a few tense
moments later, the couple had followed them. All four of them had
ended up at a bar, downing shots until they were all completely
smashed and had to be poured into a cab.

The boyfriend had actually lasted long enough for Michael's family
to come around. They loved Michael and, although it hadn't been
without its rough spots, they'd eventually accepted the fact that
Michael had a thing for other guys.

All, that is, except for Tristan. His oldest brother still wasn't
speaking to him unless absolutely necessary. Michael pretended
not to notice the cold shoulder, but it hurt. He'd always looked up
to Tristan more than anyone else. To lose his approval...it had
almost been enough to send him back into the closet. Almost.

"Yeah, that's an excellent idea. We'll start packing."

Oh, hell. What had he missed while he'd been lost in the past?

"Hang on there, big boy," Michael protested.

"You weren't listening, were you?"

"No."

"Too bad. I was being witty."

"I'm sure."

"Don't worry, I'll handle everything."

"Everything?"

"Sure. The rest of the gang will want to meet him, too."

"I like this guy," Michael protested. "So stay away."

"Why?"

Michael wasn't buying the hurt tone, not for one second.
"Because he's shy. You'll scare him off."

"We're not scary!"

"No, just overwhelming and obnoxious."

"Why do I love you again?"

"Because I'm your brother. You have to."

"Yeah, that must be it."

"I'm done with this conversation," Michael stated. "It's becoming
senseless."

"But aren't all our conversations?"

"True. But I have better things to do than sit here and banter with
you."

"We're still coming to visit," Evan stated.

"Just wait a while, would you? Alli spooks easily."

"Hah! I have a name!"

Michael slapped his hand over his eyes and groaned. "I'm

cursed," he muttered. "And I'm hanging up now."

He followed through, stabbing the

off

button almost viciously. Still

holding the phone, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
He loved his brother, he really did. Didn't stop him from wanting
to flee sometimes, though. Michael had no doubt whatsoever that
Evan would be showing up sometime all too soon, probably with
the wife and kids in tow. At the very least.

Huh. Maybe he could talk Alli into taking a vacation with him. A
nice, long one. Preferably somewhere without cell phone service.

Michael quickly punched in the numbers for Maryanne's cell. If
anyone could head Evan off, it would be her. And in the
meantime, no way on earth was Michael saying anything to Alli.
The man was skittish enough. He'd probably flee at the thought of
meeting Michael's family.

Although with his family? Michael really wouldn't blame Alli one
bit.

Chapter 10

Alli dropped facedown on the couch with a loud groan. Michael
chuckled, shoving the door closed with his foot.

"I'm hungry," he declared.

Alli buried his head in one of the throw pillows. "You can't
possibly be hungry again," he muttered. "You ate an entire pizza
by yourself."

"It was only a medium," Michael pointed out.

Alli stirred himself enough to wave one hand in the air. "Get your
own food. I'm not moving. Ever again."

Michael grinned. Alli was just too cute. They'd worked hard all
day, and it showed. Michael was feeling a bit sore himself.
Amazing how much dead plants could weigh. And then there
were the clay pots and the small trees and...

Yeah. He could sympathize with Alli's drama. Didn't mean he
wasn't going to have fun with it, though.

Michael plucked a leaf out of Alli's tangled hair and twirled it.
"Someone needs a shower," he teased.

"Showering requires moving."

"What if I joined you? Tempted then?"

Alli's head turned, one eye popped open, and he looked
interested. For all of three seconds. Then he shook his head.
"We'd slip, fall, and end this marvelous day in the hospital,
because that's all it needs to be absolutely perfect."

"Stop being such a grouch. Come on, I'll wash your back," he
wheedled.

"I'll take a shower tomorrow," Alli declared. "When the danger
has passed."

"You make absolutely no sense sometimes."

"We all have talents."

Michael reached down, wrapped his hands around Alli's skinny
waist, and hauled the man up. Alli yelped, limbs flailing.

"What the hell? Stop that, you jerk! I was sleeping!"

"No, you were complaining. Come on, the least you can do is
keep me company while

I

shower."

"I'm not sitting on the toilet while you get all wet and soapy and..."
Alli trailed off, licking his lips. And oh, happy day. His pupils were
dilating, breath just the slightest bit choppy.

Score.

"Sure you don't want to join me?" Michael whispered in Alli's ear.

"We'll die."

"From a shower?"

"It's Friday."

"And that still means nothing to me."

"I don't...Oh, fuck." Alli lunged, smashing their lips together with
enough force that Michael actually heard their teeth collide. He
didn't complain, though. He was far too busy kissing Alli back.

"That's my goal," Michael murmured into Alli's open mouth.

"Huh?"

"Fuck."

"Oh. Sounds good. No. Wait."

"No more waiting."

Michael was indeed done waiting. If it were up to Alli, they'd
dance around for another couple of weeks before Michael would
even get a blow job. So he was taking matters into his own
hands. Literally.

With that thought foremost in his mind, Michael dropped his right
hand and palmed the front of Alli's jeans. Alli moaned, head
dropping back when Michael squeezed.

"Do that again," Alli demanded.

"That and more," Michael promised.

God, but Alli was hot. His lithe body was squirming against
Michael, legs spreading to give his cock more room. The scent of
arousal filled the air, Alli's prick a delicious, hot bulge under
Michael's touch. Alli lifted one leg, wrapping it around the back of
Michael's knee to give Michael a better angle. Michael took
advantage, rubbing and pressing until Alli was moaning almost
continuously.

Then he moved his hand.

Alli whimpered. Honest to God whimpered at the loss of the
touch.

"No, so close," he begged.

"Don't worry," Michael told him, nipping at the skin behind Alli's
ear. "I'm not even close to being done with you yet. And if anyone
rings the doorbell, they're out of luck. You're not going anywhere
until I'm done with you." And that could take a few days.

"Yes, please."

* * * *

Michael stepped back and Alli almost broke down. He had never
gotten so revved up, so fast. Not even in his horny teenage years-
-and fairies could be sex-crazed during that period. But Alli let
Michael go without a protest. It was no less than he deserved,
after all he'd put Michael through.

And then Michael did something astonishing. He grabbed Alli's
hand and started walking backward down the hall. Alli was
treated to one of those adorable boyish grins.

"You didn't think that was it, did you?"

"Maybe."

Michael sighed, but the sound was more fond than exasperated.
"We have a lot of work to do with you," he said.

"Okay." And it was. Because if Michael wanted to work on fixing
some of Alli's pessimistic attitude problems, well, that meant he
had to stick around, didn't it? Alli really, really wanted Michael to
stick around for a long time. Permanently would work.

"No more thinking," Michael ordered. "You get in trouble when
you start thinking. And as attractive as I find your intelligence, it's
not the part of you I'm interested in right now."

They stopped inside the doorway and Alli swallowed. It had been
a long time and...

"Kiss me again?" he asked.

Michael did just that. Alli sank into the feel of Michael and let his

brain shut off. It was easier to shove the world aside when
Michael was kissing him, touching him. The kiss was passionate
but leisurely, both tasting and licking. Alli slid his hands up
underneath Michael's shirt, leaning into his lover's bulkier frame
and stroking along the smooth, warm skin.

Now that they had started this, Alli lost all sense of urgency. He
would have been completely content to stand there the rest of the
night, just touching and tasting.

Well, maybe not. Michael did something wonderful with his
tongue and Alli groaned. His erection was pressing hard against
the zipper of his jeans with painful force.

Maybe it was time to lose the clothes.

Alli pulled back. This time it was Michael's turn to protest. Alli
smiled, donning his best wicked, seductive expression. It wasn't
something he'd used in a while. But considering the way Michael
swallowed hard, cheeks flushing? Oh, yeah. It stilled worked.

Alli stripped off his dirt stained, long-sleeved shirt in one motion,
letting it land on the floor. He toed off his shoes, kicked them
aside, started on the fastenings of his pants.

Michael just stood there, watching, practically salivating as his
eyes ran over Alli's chest with a heat Alli could almost feel.

"Going to join me?" Alli's voice came out husky, deeper than
normal. Damn, but he sounded downright sexy.

Michael seemed to agree. His eyes went dark and--wait, were
they glowing?

"Michael?"

The bear shook his head from side to side, took a couple of

deep breaths. "Sorry." There was a low grumble when he spoke,
the sound almost like gravel under tires. "Bruce wants out.
Badly."

"Sorry, buddy." Alli tilted his head. "Bruce isn't invited to this
party. He'll have to wait until later."

Then Alli shimmied his hips. His one-size-too-big jeans slipped
off and puddled around his feet.

Michael growled and pounced. They hit the mattress and a light,
happy sound filled the room.

What do you know? He was laughing. Alli couldn't remember the
last time he laughed, the last time he felt genuinely, utterly happy.

"Damn, but that's a gorgeous sound." Michael dived in, devouring
Alli's mouth again. Alli moaned and reached up, twining his
fingers in the thick, soft pelt of hair.

"Clothes. Off." Alli gasped the order between kisses.

"Don't want to let go," Michael growled back.

"Sex works better without clothes."

"Smart ass."

"You know it."

Still, Alli couldn't help clutching when Michael moved. He finally
made himself let go with the reminder of a naked Michael.

Seconds later, he got his wish. Michael stood next to the bed,
nude and perfect. Alli hadn't really gotten a good look before, but
he was darn well looking now. Michael might not be a tall man,
but he certainly packed a lot on his frame. He was all bulging
muscles, ridged skin. And furry. Oh, God. Alli had always had a

thing for furry men, so different from his own people, and Michael
delivered in spades. His well-defined chest was coated in a nice
pelt, from collarbone to groin, thinning at the waist, then bushy
again. And that bush. It framed a thick cock, dark with blood and
leaking heavily.

Alli's mouth almost watered. He reached out.

"Bring that here," he ordered.

Michael laughed, crawling up onto the bed and bracing himself
on his knees. Alli didn't waste any time, diving down and
capturing his prize with eager hands. He traced the thick vein
along one side, moaning aloud at the feel of silky skin. His other
hand wandered, tracing along the line of muscle in Michael's taut
thigh.

Alli slid his hands up and down, cupping the head as he passed,
gathering some pre-cum to slick his way. Michael's head
dropped back, hands coming up to grip Alli's head.

"Careful," Michael warned. "Won't last long if you keep that up."

Oooh, partial sentences.

Alli was clearly doing something right.

"You can get it up again." Alli kept moving, not willing to let go just
yet.

"Babe..."

Michael's hands moved, shooting down to capture Alli's
wandering fingers. "No," Michael stated. "I want to get inside
you."

Alli groaned, the words hitting him hard. His muscles tensed up
and he almost shot then and there. Damn, but it had definitely
been too long, if jacking someone off and a promise of

something--someone--in his ass was nearly enough to set off his
orgasm.

"Hurry," he ordered Michael.

Michael shoved Alli backward on the bed and Alli went,
miraculously enough landing with his head on the pillows. Michael
leaned over him, then froze.

"Wait. Condoms. Lube."

Alli whimpered. "Oh, shit. No condoms."

"Lube? Oh, wait." Michael rummaged through the drawer, coming
up empty. "Shit, what did I do with it?"

"Under the bed?"

Michael hung his head over the side of the bed and started to
root around on the floor. The pose should have been amusing,
but it put that tight ass on display.

"This feels vaguely familiar," Alli murmured, reaching out to touch.

"Hallelujah!" Michael popped back up with the lube. It was
dropped on the bed, Michael's heat dropping on top of Alli again.

Then Michael slid down Alli's body, taking his time. The slide of
skin on skin... Alli hummed in utter pleasure. The feel of Michael,
surrounding him, covering him from head to foot, was better than
anything Alli could remember. Alli squirmed when Michael
paused halfway down his chest, licking at his nipples, teeth
coming out to tease.

"Keep going," Alli ordered. "Need you. In me. Now."

"You're the boss." Michael gave one last nip at the now hyper-
sensitive buds of flesh. He settled himself between Alli's legs.

Without prompting, Alli lifted his legs, spread them wide.

"Damn, would you look at that?"

"Can't bend that way."

Michael snorted. "My literal lover."

"Nice. Alliteration."

"If you can think that well, then I'm not doing my job." Michael's
hands slid down the crack of Alli's ass, massaged the globes,
before he slipped one finger between and probed Alli's hole. Alli
arched up.

"Oh, you're doing great. Fantastic. Don't stop!"

The finger moved away, came back slick. And wasn't that a neat
trick? Alli breathed out as Michael's finger slid inside his ass to
the first knuckle, then the second. Alli loved that feeling.

"More," Alli ordered.

"Greedy little slut, aren't you?" Michael chuckled.

Alli smacked the top of his head. "Too slow!"

"Getting there, babe. Patience."

Michael pulled out, came back with two fingers, stretching Alli oh-
so-slowly. Far too slowly.

"You're so tight," Michael remarked, adding more lube.

"I'm good, swear. I like the burn," Alli confessed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

A third finger speared in, faster than the first, pumping more

forcefully. It burned, stung, but felt so good. Alli wrapped his legs
around Michael's back, arching into the touch, forcing Michael's
fingers deeper.

"Now, Michael, now. Please. I need."

"You sure?"

"Michael!"

Michael pulled his fingers out and Alli sobbed. He felt so empty,
aching. Michael moved lower, shifted Alli's legs up onto his
shoulders. Alli groaned at the stretch in his lower back, his body
not used to flexing anymore. But it felt great, fantastic, the good
kind of burn.

Like when Michael slowly pushed the head of his cock into Alli's
ass.

"Tell me if it hurts," Michael ordered.

"Good. Keep going. Please."

Michael grunted, slid a bit deeper. It hurt some; it had been a
really long time since Marandon. A lifetime.

Alli shoved thoughts of his former lover aside, staring up into
Michael's dark, passion-filled eyes. Let himself focus on that, just
seeing his current lover. His bear.

Those deep, dark eyes widened. Whatever Michael saw in Alli's
gaze, it sent him over the edge. With a low, sexy growl, he thrust
home.

Alli yelled, the burn intense as Michael filled him up.

"God, so good." He clutched Michael's shoulders, fingers digging
in, probably leaving marks.

Good. Michael was

his

bear. No one else's. No one else would

get to feel this, that thick cock pounding into their ass, smell the
arousal thick in the air. Only Alli.

Michael set up a hard, almost bruising, rhythm. His hips pulled
back, cock almost slipping free, before he slammed back in. Alli
spread, rising to meet each stroke. He couldn't think, couldn't
breathe, just feel. Feel those strong arms caging him in, the fat
prick working his inner muscles. They pressed close, sweat
dripping off Michael's chest. Alli's cock rubbed against Michael's
firm abs, the ridged muscles and the wiry hair sending shock
waves though his engorged flesh.

"Harder," he gasped. "So close. Close. Michael!"

"Fuck, baby. You feel so good. Hot and tight. Taking me."

Michael changed his angle of penetration and nailed Alli's
prostate head on. Alli nearly rose off the bed, clutching at
Michael's back, and screamed as his release swamped him,
boiling out. Warm spunk spread across his skin as he came. The
feelings went on and on until Alli collapsed back, trembling and
shaking.

"So fucking pretty," Michael breathed.

Alli had nothing left. He lay there, trying to remember how
breathing worked, while Michael continued to thrust. His body
tingled, the friction nearly painful to his sensitized skin. Alli
summoned enough energy to reach over, slide the pad of his
thumb across Michael's side, down to the swell of Michael's ass.

The taunt flesh tightened under Alli's flesh as Michael growled.
This growl was different than any Alli had heard from the man
before, primal and possessive. Michael went rigid above Alli.

A wordless shout worked its way out from a clenched jaw,
echoed off the walls. Heat flooded Alli's ass, filling him up and
then some as Michael swelled within him.

With another long, drawn-out groan, Michael collapsed. They
landed in a sweaty, cum-soaked pile. Alli had to slide Michael to
the side a bit so the heavier man didn't crush him into pudding,
but Alli kept his arms wrapped around his lover.

They just lay there for long minutes, the smell of cum heavy in the
air, the only sounds that of harsh breathing.

Michael finally rolled aside. Alli briefly mourned his loss as
Michael's cock pulled free. He consoled himself with the thought
that they could do that again. And again.

Just as soon as he finished being dead.

"Damn," Michael said, staring with blank eyes at the ceiling. His
chest rose and fell rapidly and the man blinked a few times. "I
think you killed me."

"Same here."

Alli groaned again as feeling started to reenter his lower body.
His legs were sticky, cum sliding from his ass and down his
thighs. And that image should

not

be so arousing. Alli raised his

head a bit to look down with disbelief, where his cock was trying
to twitch back to life.

He resolved to ignore it. Alli would need a couple hours of sleep
before he was up for another round. Michael had drained him dry.

Alli turned onto his side, tossing one leg over Michael, curling into
his side. Michael snaked an arm out and pulled Alli in even
closer.

"Should get cleaned up," he commented.

"Later," Alli told him. "Sleeping now. Shower later."

"Oh, hell, yeah. Sounds like a plan."

Alli chuckled. The words were enthusiastic. The tone was not. In
fact, Michael sounded mostly asleep already.

Alli pressed his face into Michael's shoulder, letting the scent and
feel of Michael seep into his pores.

Brain still fuzzy, it took Alli several long moments while he listened
to Michael breathe to realize what that feeling was. He was at
peace, every square inch of him. It was something he hadn't
experienced since leaving home. Alli knew, too, that the feeling
could be laid right at the feet of the bear shifter starting to snore
next to him.

Not only that? But Alli had had sex. On a Friday. And nothing bad
had happened.

Oh, yeah. He was definitely keeping his bear.

Chapter 11

Michael rolled over, arm searching blindly for his lover. He
scowled, eyes still closed, when all he found was an empty bed.
Blast that man. Couldn't he stay put? Michael loved little more
than a lazy morning, waking up slowly, making out a little. Maybe
a sixty-nine. Yeah. Nothing better than morning sex to make an
awful hour better.

Of course, morning sex required two. And he was, apparently,
one short.

Michael cracked one eye open, scanning the room for his
missing lover. The bedroom was empty, but a strip of light crept
across the floor from the door next to the closet. Now that Michael
was listening, the patter of water echoed through the room.

His other eye popped open and Michael sat up. Okay, he could
work with this. He loved shower sex just as much as lazy-morning
sex.

Michael padded barefoot across the carpet, not bothering to
grab any clothes. A wall of steam smacked him in the face when
he opened the bathroom door, the smell of shampoo and soap
nearly overwhelming. All right, so Alli had been in there a while.
Didn't mean anything. The man could just like long showers.
Didn't mean he was overthinking their relationship again.

God, Michael certainly hoped not.

"Alli?" Michael called softly. "You in here?"

He couldn't see a blasted thing through the thick--oh, there.

Michael's shout bounced off the tiles. His bare feet slipped on the
damp floor as he backpedaled.

Alli's reaction was just as violent. He screeched, whirling. Then
his feet flew out from under him and Alli screeched again.
Michael lunged forward but he wasn't fast enough. Alli went down
in a swirl of color.

"Holy shit!" Michael dropped to his knees beside the tub, heart
pounding. "You okay, babe?"

Alli groaned. "Ouch."

"Yeah. That was quite a fall. Let me check your head."

"It's fine. You just scared me."

"Sorry about that." Michael's heart slowed and his breathing
eased. He'd been afraid he'd killed Alli. A fall like that...

Now that he knew Alli was fine, though, Michael's attention turned
back to what had made him yell in the first place.

"Something you forgot to tell me?" he asked pointedly.

"Huh?" Alli looked up in confusion. Michael waved his hand at
Alli's slender body.

"Oh, holy fucking hell." Alli's eyes held uncertainty, chagrin, and a
few other emotions that Michael couldn't even put a name to.

"Yeah."

Alli looked up at him, biting on his lip. "I can explain?"

"I certainly hope so."

Now that he was over his startlement, Michael couldn't help but
stare in fascination at his lover. He'd never seen anything like it.
Alli had

wings.

They weren't large, the tips fitting easily in the

length of the tub on either side of his slim shoulders. They were,
however, stunning. Delicate and diaphanous, shimmering every

time Alli moved. The colors rippled from hues of blue and red to
green and purple, almost like a rainbow, but deeper and richer.

Michael reached out, wanting badly to touch. He paused just
before his fingers connected, not quite sure if it was allowed.

"May I?"

Alli nodded, still watching Michael with dark, wary eyes, as if
expecting an explosion. He flinched when Michael's hand came
closer, but Michael ignored the reaction, entranced by the feel of
Alli's wings. They were silky and soft, like the leaves of an
elephant ear plant. He brushed his fingertips along a vein of deep
violet and Alli shuddered.

"Sorry," Michael said, pulling his hand away.

"No, it's fine. Just...no one really touches them. It feels nice."

Michael immediately started stroking again. Alli's wings felt so
amazing. He would probably have sat there all day, petting, but
Michael's curiosity quickly got the better of him.

He laughed, suddenly realizing the shower was still running. They
were both soaked to the skin and the water was turning cold. He
reached over and turned off the faucet.

"Let's get you out of there before you get frostbite," Michael
teased. "Then you can explain where the wings came from."

"I wanted to tell you," Alli said, snatching a towel off a nearby
rack. "But I didn't know how."

"I'm not angry," Michael assured him. Maybe a little hurt, that Alli
hadn't confided in him. But then again, did he even have the right
to feel hurt? It wasn't like they'd known each other that long, only
about a week. This? Michael had the feeling it wasn't the kind of

secret you told every boyfriend on the first date. Or even the
second. Maybe after the engagement.

Michael had met a lot of unusual creatures over the years. The
paranormal world tended to be a pretty close-knit one. But he had
never seen anything like Alli. Hell, he had never even

heard

of

anything like Alli.

Alli briskly rubbed the water off his lean body and Michael found
himself briefly distracted. His morning erection was still making
its presence known and having a naked, glistening Alli that close
wasn't doing anything to help.

"Okay," he murmured. "Maybe explanations can wait."

"Huh?"

Oh, look at that confusion. Wasn't that cute?

Alli stood there,

blinking water out of his eyes, color swirling all around him.
Michael's curiosity was shoved aside in favor of exploring Alli in
all his glory. Every damp, naked inch.

Michael's hands landed on Alli's hips at the same time as his lips
made contact. He hummed happily, sliding his tongue around, the
taste of mint strong in the recesses of his lover's mouth.
Someone had brushed. Michael should maybe feel bad about his
own morning breath. Ah, well. Second-hand toothpaste would
help.

Michael dipped his tongue in deep, savoring, his own mouth
swallowing the small sounds Alli was making. Two thin arms
wrapped around his neck, Alli pressing in close.

Michael jumped a bit as a soft, barely-there touch brushed past
his ear. He pulled back, blinking. Alli's wings surrounded him,
folded close on either side.

"Damn, Alli."

Alli's face drained of color briefly before flushing in self-
consciousness.

"Sorry," Alli apologized. "Give me a minute and I'll get rid of
them."

"Don't you dare," Michael ordered, reaching out once more to
stroke one fluttering edge.

Wait. Get rid of--where the heck did they go?

Okay, maybe explanations

couldn't

wait. Michael was just too

damn curious.

"Here." Michael grabbed a towel off a nearby rack and thrust it at
Alli. "Cover up. Otherwise I'll keep getting distracted."

"I don't mind." Alli looked hopeful, clutching the towel to his chest.

Michael chuckled. "I don't either, not normally, anyway. But my
curiosity is killing me and if I don't get some answers, my brain's
going to wander at inconvenient moments."

Alli sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Fine. But I was enjoying
myself."

"So was I, Alli. So was I."

Alli gave himself a cursory swipe with the towel before wrapping
it around his waist. Unfortunately, that still left his chest bare. But
at least the lower bits were covered. If Michael worked at it, he
could probably stay focused.

Michael followed Alli back to the bedroom. Alli dropped down on
the bed with another sigh. Michael joined him.

"Michael," Alli nearly whined.

"What?"

"Now I'm the one getting distracted."

Michael shook his head before the light dawned. He gave his
own naked self a wry glance. Yep, still feeling good. His cock
waved, still hard and throbbing.

"Talk fast," Michael suggested.

"I'm a fairy. Came over from the Fae lands a few years ago. Only
one of my kind on Earth, the rest are all back home. Think that
covers it. Can we fuck now?"

"Alli!"

Michael's laugh was cut off under an onslaught of horny... fairy,
apparently. Which, honestly, Michael had sort of figured out on his
own. What he really wanted was...

Alli was kissing him again and Michael's brain short-circuited.
And when Alli's hot hand landed in his lap, it was all over. Michael
groaned and toppled Alli backward, landing carefully on top of
him. He took a moment to admire his lover, red hair spread out in
a fan around that pale skin, the fiery strands blending with the
streaks of color in his wings.

"Damn, but you're gorgeous," Michael whispered.

Alli flushed again, looking away for several long seconds. "I like
you, too," he finally replied.

Michael laughed again. "Not what I meant, but I'll take it. Oh hell,
yes, I'll take it."

Michael's head dropped forward and his lips roved lazily over
Alli's. He dropped his weight, pressing their lower bodies
together. Alli's cock rubbed against his own, smearing across his

stomach. It felt marvelous and the thought crossed Michael's
mind, that he really wouldn't mind starting every day this way.

No, he wouldn't mind at all.

"That's quite the smile," Alli ventured when they parted for breath.
"Want to share?"

Michael just shook his head. No sense spooking Alli.

Their movements were slow, sensual. Alli snaked one hand
between their bodies and wrapped it around Michael's erection.
Michael pulled back, licking his lips as he watched long fingers
slide along his skin.

"Feels good," he said.

Alli hummed agreement, shifting until he could trail his fingers
along both their erections.

Michael let his own hand wander down. He dropped his forehead
to Alli's, staring deeply into the gray eyes, once more dark with
arousal.

"Keep going, baby," Michael urged. His hand joined Alli's as he
pressed their cocks together, pre-cum acting better than lube as
they jacked off with joint motions. Michael's breath came faster,
balls tightening. As he watched, Alli's pupils widened.

Michael's orgasm washed over him like a gentle wave hitting the
sand. No urgency, no rock-my-world shocks, just a slow, steady
release of pleasure, deep and moving. He felt the effects clear
down to his toes, the intimacy of the moment nearly
overwhelming.

Heat coated his fingers, his and Alli's spunk mingling as they
came together, gazes still locked. Alli's lips parted, breathing

ragged.

Michael would swear that he could feel their souls twining, spirits
mingling just like the sticky seed trying to weld their bodies
together.

And then it was over and they were two men again, slippery and
breathless.

Michael propped his hands on either side of Alli's head, reluctant
to move, to break the spell that seemed to have wrapped around
them.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Michael's arms started to
ache and the cum coating his skin began to itch as it dried.

With a reluctant sigh, Michael sat back on his heels. Wet skin
peeled away with an audible sound, Michael's body as reluctant
to give up their connection as his mind.

His heart. How on earth had he fallen for this man so fast?

But looking at Alli's dazed expression, Michael knew. Alli was
special. Wings or no wings, human or not, it didn't matter. What
they had was very, very right and Michael would do anything
within his power to make sure it stayed that way.

The fine little lines around Alli's eyes tightened and Michael could
see the first traces of panic begin to creep in. Distraction time.

"Looks like you need another shower," he declared.

Alli looked down. "Where'd my towel go?" he asked, brow
wrinkling in bewilderment.

For some reason, that struck Michael as absolutely hilarious.

* * * *

Michael just had to stop and look for a minute. Alli stood at the
stove, humming softly as he swirled a spatula around a skillet.
The slightly nauseating smell of cooking eggs filled the kitchen.

And those wings. They spread behind Alli, fluttering a bit. They
were translucent enough that Michael could see Alli's body
through them, skin painted with a prism of color.

Michael stepped behind Alli and dropped a kiss behind his ear.
His hand landed on Alli's hip and he leaned in. The thin wings
were pressed between them, the edges low enough that Michael
was able to drop his chin on Alli's shoulder and watch his slender
hands work.

"Hungry?" Alli asked.

"Yep."

"For food," Alli clarified.

"That, too."

"Horn dog."

"Wrong species."

Alli laughed, the sound light and happy. "Eggs will be ready in a
minute," he said, playfully poking Michael in the ribs with the end
of his spatula.

"Meanie."

The microwave dinged and Michael stepped away to retrieve the
rest of their breakfast.

"I think you should play hooky today," Michael declared.

"What do you mean?"

"Leave the store closed. We can go up to my cabin, play around
some. I think the break would do you good."

"I don't know." Alli's front teeth sank into his lip. "There's so much
work to do. I should really--"

"You worked hard enough yesterday," Michael declared.

To Michael's surprise, Alli actually seemed to be considering it.
Amazing. Michael thought he would have to work much harder.

"Would I get to meet Bruce?"

"Oh. Well, sure."

"Okay, then."

Michael laughed. "Huh. If I'd known all it took to get you back to
my place was an offer to see my bear, I would have said
something sooner."

Alli made a face at him. "Is that anything like checking out your
etchings?"

"I'll have you know that I have never offered to show anyone my
bear," Michael declared with mock indignation.

"Okay, you have to stop saying it like that." Alli snickered. "It just
sounds wrong."

"Prude."

"Not always."

"No, not always." Michael's voice went husky. Alli licked his lips,
eyes darkening.

Michael shook his head to clear it. "Stop that," he ordered. "No

arousing me. My body isn't ready to go again."

"Pity."

"Alli!"

Alli laughed. "Sorry. I'll be good, promise." Alli held his kitchen
utensil up in a salute.

"Not too good."

"A temporary state of affairs."

Michael and Alli both scarfed down their food, leaving the dishes
for later.

Back in the bedroom, Michael tugged his shirt over his head, and
when he emerged on the other side, Alli was sans wings.

"Where the hell do they go?" he demanded.

"Where do what go?"

"Your wings, what else?"

"Oh."

Alli turned his back to Michael. For the first time, Michael noticed
what looked almost like a scar running in a thick, straight line
between Alli's shoulder blades. As he watched, the line started to
glow. Alli's back disappeared in a swell of sparkles, which faded
away. The wings were back.

"That's really cool," Michael declared. "And a little bit disturbing."

"Tell me about it."

Michael stepped over and peered closely. Alli's wings were
joined together at the base, merging into his flesh in one spot,
right where the scar was. He ran his finger along the side of the

joint. Alli shivered, ripples moving along his skin.

"Sorry," Michael murmured.

"No, it feels good. I'm just sensitive there."

"Does it hurt?" he asked softly. "When they come out?"

Alli shook his head. "But they itch worse than anything when I
have them put away."

"Where do they go? Inside, I mean?"

Alli snorted. "Darned if I know. I don't claim to understand the
mechanics; it just is. Until I moved to Putman, it was never an
issue. I left them out all the time."

"I wish you could do that here," Michael said, still stroking with his
finger. He liked Alli's reaction, the muscles moving and flexing
under his touch, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair as Alli's wings
flapped slowly. "I love them."

"I don't think it would go over well," Alli replied dryly.

"Can you fly?"

Michael could practically hear Alli rolling his eyes, but he
answered seriously enough. "No. They are, in fact, quite useless."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. They're so pretty."

"Gee, just what every guy wants to hear. Pretty."

Michael laughed, made himself move away. "Stop pouting, pretty.
Bruce wants to go for a walk."

"Call me pretty again and you're going to find out why it's a bad
idea to piss off a fairy."

"Bring it on, fairy boy. Bring it on."

Michael got Alli bundled up into the car without any further delays.
He shifted into gear and pulled out on the road, letting a few
minutes of silence pass before he started the interrogation.

But start it he did.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked somberly. "Did you think I
would care? I mean, come on. I turn into a

bear,

for heaven's

sake."

"No, actually." Alli stared pensively out the window, watching the
fields pass. They were green and lush, flat acres of agriculture
spreading their carpet over the landscape. Pretty enough, but
nothing unusual enough to cause the kind of absorption Alli was
displaying.

"Then what was it?"

Alli sighed. "It's not the wings, not really. I knew you wouldn't care
that I'm a fairy. But it's what comes along with that. I'm not just a
fairy, I'm a Fayte."

"I don't know what that means."

"We're a rare breed, only a few hundred of us. And I'm nearly one
hundred percent sure that I'm the only one on Earth."

"Where are the rest?"

"Faerie. See, magic doesn't work very well on Earth. And the
Fayte are very, very magical."

"Spit it out, Alli."

Alli took a deep breath and let it out with a very rapidly spoken
sentence, words melding into each other so badly it took Michael
a minute to translate.

"I'm-the-unluckiest-person-in-existence."

"Now you're being ridiculous," Michael declared. "You can't
possibly know that."

"I can, actually. See, on Faerie, our magic is bled off, sucked
back into the land. We can't do that here. It just builds and builds
until it explodes out. But since magic doesn't do well on Earth, it
gets all twisted. Back home we create things, foster growth.
Here? We tend to cause destruction and mayhem."

"Hence all the accidents," Michael stated, finally understanding.
He absently made the turn onto his road, mulling over Alli's
words. "So why did you leave home, then? If it's so hard for you
here?"

"I didn't have much choice," Alli admitted. "Beyond being
magical, Fayte are kind of...not prudish, exactly. They're kind of
sex fiends, to tell the truth. Multiple partners aren't uncommon and
we don't tend to do marriage very often. My people like to play
around. But our species, my clan in particular, are rather old-
fashioned."

The light dawned. "You mean they're virulently homophobic."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Damn, baby. I'm sorry."

"Me, too."

Michael hated the sadness in Alli's tone, the hint of defeat.

"They caught me with my boyfriend. He, of course, started
spouting off nonsense about seduction and how I'd taken
advantage. He was younger than me, a lot. He was also from a
more important family than me. So they kicked me out."

"All right, admittedly I know absolutely nothing about where you're
from. But surely there were places you could have gone in Faerie.
Other kinds of...species, for lack of a better word?"

Alli shrugged. "True. But I managed to piss off a few people
before I left."

"No, you?" Michael teased, trying to inject a hint of lightness into
the solemn air of the truck.

"Yeah, imagine that." Alli's lips twisted. It was a pale parody of his
usual smile, but Michael took it as a step in the right direction.
"Anyway, I wasn't safe there. I ended up not having any other
choice."

"What about your family, babe?" Michael asked softly, thinking of
his own tight-knit clan. If anyone started something, his mom
would start kicking butt and taking names.

Alli shrugged. "There wasn't much they could do. And I kind of
think they believed Marandon's lies."

"The ex?"

"Yeah."

"Well, surely--"

"My brother still lived at home. I didn't want to cause problems for
Maggi. It was best if I just moved on."

Maggi." Michael snorted. "You Fayte are damned weird, you
know that?"

"Hey," Alli protested the teasing words. "I'm the only Fayte you
know."

"That's my point."

Alli snorted, smiling. It was good to see, that smile. Not too long
ago, Alli would have taken grave offense at Michael's statement.

"Well, I won't argue too much. Fayte are weird, especially when it
comes to names. Why do you think I changed mine?"

"You changed your name?" Michael asked with interest. "What
was it before?"

"Something long and unpronounceable that I prefer to forget," Alli
replied firmly.

Michael sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, mind flashing
through subjects, discarding questions and pondering answers.
"Thought here," he said in a much more serious tone. "Could
someone from your home be responsible for the damage to the
store?"

Alli shook his head. "No Fayte would ever dream of coming here.
I've been fairly fortunate, actually. I spent a few months living with
a warlock when I first came over. He taught me some minor
suppression methods. Also, Putman has more magic than usual
in the air, and that kind of...fools my body a bit. And I pour a lot of
energy into the plants. While Earth itself is hostile, some plant
species work as magical receptacles. Between the different
methods, I don't do too badly for a Fayte. At least, most of the
injuries seem to confine themselves to my immediate area."

"Someone might have--"

"Before me, do you know when a Fayte last came to Earth?"

"No."

"1871. The Great Chicago Fire."

Michael's jaw dropped. "Wait, what about Mrs. Murphy's cow?"

"Pure myth. A Fayte went to Chicago and had a magical
meltdown."

"Darn. I liked the cow story."

"So did the king of Faerie," Alli replied dryly. "He's the one that
started the rumor."

"You do realize that you're seriously messing with my concept of
reality here," Michael pointed out.

"Sorry."

"Oh, stop apologizing." Michael reached over and snagged Alli's
hand, giving it a quick squeeze. "It's cool. Besides, I don't mind
so long as I get to keep you."

"Keep me?" Alli's eyes widened and Michael could have bitten
his tongue.

It was with utter relief that he pulled off into the clearing around his
house so he could declare, "We're here."

As he had hoped, Alli's attention was diverted. "Oh, it's nice."

"Don't sound so surprised," Michael said wryly, shutting off the
engine with a flick of his wrist. He hopped out of the truck, circling
around and helping Alli out. Not that Alli needed help, but it gave
Michael an excuse to put his hands on his lover, and that was
always a good thing. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Alli dug his feet in. "Uh-uh. Show me the bear."

Michael snorted on a laugh. "You did not just say that."

"What? What was wrong with what I said?"

"Never mind." Michael took a couple steps back, looking around.
"You really want to do this? Right here and now?"

"Right here and now. I've waited long enough."

Michael took a deep breath. "All right," he capitulated. "If you
insist."

It didn't take long for Michael to strip his clothes off, longer to
gather his courage. He knew it was ridiculous, considering the
fact that Alli wasn't exactly human, either, but all Michael could
hear was Alyssa's high-pitched scream. Damn, but that woman
had been shrill.

Realizing he was stalling, Michael took another deep breath and
loosened some of the tight control he had on his bear side. Bruce
practically whooped with relief and the change swept over
Michael with vicious swiftness, faster than he could ever
remember.

Bruce stretched, mouth opening on a wide, moaning yawn. He
shook out his fur, settling everything into place. His head swung
side to side, studying the terrain.

Oh, there was a nice tree

for...what was that great smell?

Head swiveling again, he looked up into wide, amazed eyes.

Oh,

oh, look at that.

His. That was his.

Bruce wandered forward, pleased when the slender man stood
his ground, displaying not even a hint of nervousness. Bruce
stepped in closer, rubbing his head against the man's thighs.

"Look at you," Alli whispered. "You're gorgeous."

Bruce pressed closer, a gentle hand stroking along his head.
Clever fingers scratched the fur at his ruff and Bruce rumbled his
pleasure.

Something nagged at him, this strange feeling that he should go

back to sleep, but it had been so long since he had gotten to
roam with someone. Far too long.

Bruce circled the man, pushed at the back of his legs with his
head.

Come, Mine. Explore. Wander.

"Want to take a walk?"

Oh, smart man.

Bruce huffed his pleasure and lumbered off

toward the tree line. The man stepped up behind him, easily
keeping pace; Bruce wasn't exactly the biggest of bears, nor was
he precisely speedy. The forest wrapped them close, natural and
still, easing Bruce all through.

He wandered deeper, heading for his favorite tree. The man's
hand landed on his shoulder, keeping close, and Bruce huffed
again.

This, right here, was what made life worth living.

Chapter 12

The phone was ringing in his ear.

Alli groaned and rolled over, yanking the pillow over his head.
"Make it stop," he said, words muffled by the mattress.

"Can't," came the low reply. "Phone's too far away."

The shrill blast sounded three more times before stopping. Alli
sighed with relief.

Then it rang again.

"Michael."

With a loud litany of moans, grumbles, and assorted complaints,
Michael dragged his ass off the bed. Alli pulled the pillow aside
just enough to watch Michael's naked progress across the room.
He staggered like a drunk man and kept stubbing his toe on
nothing.

"Think I'm rubbing off on you," Alli murmured

Danu, but he was tired. And it was entirely the fault of the man
with the tight, luscious ass. Alli had lost count of how many times
they had made love, but it had lasted all afternoon and well into
the night. The honeymoon phase, he thought it was called. Most
relationships apparently had them. It had been marvelous, even if
Alli's ass was stinging this morning. He could console himself
with the thought that Michael's must be, too. Now that he thought
about it, the man was walking a touch bowlegged.

Alli might prefer to bottom, but when Michael had rolled over and
offered, well, how could anyone turn

that

down?

"For the love of God, do you know what time it is?" Michael
growled into the phone.

Alli rolled over and prepared to go back to sleep. The ringing he
couldn't ignore. Conversation? Piece of cake.

"Oh, it is? Huh. Well, what do you want?"

Okay, maybe he couldn't.

Alli gave up sleep as a lost cause and tossed the pillow aside,
staring at the ceiling. He blinked a few times, but the timber roof
remained hazy above his head. He needed a shower.
Desperately. And some mouthwash, cause he had serious
morning breath.

Moving, however, still required too much effort, so Alli just lay
there and listened to Michael's voice, rumbling with that just-
been-woken growl. The one-sided conversation didn't make a
whole lot of sense, but that was okay. Alli was listening to the
voice more than the words.

"No, don't do... Oh, hell, don't drag the parents into it! Evan, you
can't...hang up on me and... Damn, he hung up."

"Problems?" Alli asked more out of habit than anything, not really
paying a whole lot of attention to the answer.

Then the words sank in and he shot upright, suddenly fully alert.

"Say what?"

"My family is coming for a visit."

"How nice for you."

"This afternoon."

"Marvelous."

"They want to meet you."

"Oh, hell no!"

"Alli--"

"No, no, no." Alli hopped out of bed and planted his feet, hands
landing on his hips as he fixed his best stern glare on the
abashed man across the room. "I do not meet parents. I do not
meet family. I am your lover, not your boyfriend, and--"

"Would you stop fooling yourself?" Michael demanded. "We're
way past lover, or even boyfriend, and moving into uncharted
territory. It's perfectly natural that my family wants to meet you."

"Your family is insane."

"True. But they're nice."

Alli blinked, not quite sure how to process that. Nice insane
people. Huh.

"Maybe I don't want to meet them." Okay, surely that didn't sound
as childish out loud as he thought it did. Unfortunately, judging by
Michael's amused expression, it did. Darn it. Pouting three year
old was so not sexy. And hardly conducive to convincing Michael
of anything.

"Best get dressed," Michael advised. "I gave them directions to
your house."

"My house?" Alli screeched. "Why?"

"Because my brother has the directional sense of a gnat,"
Michael pointed out with exasperating reason. "They'd get
hopelessly lost trying to find this cabin, and then I'd have to go
pick them up in Canada."

"I hate you," Alli muttered.

"No, you don't."

"You needn't sound so amused when you say that."

Michael, already dressed and looking far too alert, dropped a
quick kiss on Alli's forehead. "I do love you."

And then the jerk wandered from the room, leaving Alli to gape
after him.

* * * *

"Michael!"

"Would you stop shrieking, Alli? You're giving me a headache
and the kids aren't even here yet."

Alli barely resisted the urge to scream in frustration. Ever since
Michael had oh-so-casually dropped those three little words, he'd
been stubbornly cheerful. A study in casualness. An annoying
pain in the ass. Who just said "I love you" like that? Well, Michael,
obviously.

"It hasn't even been two weeks!"

"What hasn't?"

"Don't play dumb with me."

"Who's playing?"

That charming grin wasn't going to work this time, no it wasn't.

"Oh, good, they're here."

Alli glared at Michael retreating back, muttering threats under his
breath. "Just you wait, mister!" he shouted at the retreating back

of his lover. "You can't hide forever."

Michael muttered something that sounded suspiciously like,
"Watch me."

Then he opened the door.

"Uncle Michael!"

Michael let out a muffled

oofh

just before he disappeared into a

pile of dark fur.

"Bryce! Emily! Stop that!"

Alli clutched the edge of the door with a finger-aching grip and
peered around the corner. "Michael?"

A tall woman with the brightest blonde hair he'd ever seen jogged
up the sidewalk. She was panting a bit, cheeks flushed, as if
she'd spent the last block or so running. Or chasing.

"So sorry about that," she exclaimed. Without hesitation, she
reached down and yanked at one furry ball. It pulled away,
squirming frantically, revealing an extremely chubby black bear
cub. "They're really excited to see him."

"I kind of got that part," Alli murmured, watching his lover wrestle
with another, slightly bigger, fluffy form.

"Bryce, let your uncle up," the woman--Maryanne, had to be--
ordered. Her forceful voice would have had Alli jumping to obey,
but the two tussling figures didn't even seem to notice.

Maryanne rolled her eyes and passed her fluffy armful over to a
tall man who had just stepped up behind her.

"All right, young man, you were warned."

Maryanne waded in again. Alli was suitably impressed with the

way she held onto the wriggling cub. In this form, her child
probably weighed almost as much as she did, but she managed
him with relative ease. Practice, he figured. Considering
everything he'd heard about Michael's family? The woman most
likely had a lot of practice. And patience.

God, Michael's family was almost enough to make him want to
run for the hills--if he thought he could get away. Somehow, he
rather suspected they would just track him down. They seemed
determined like that.

The tall man had the cub tucked under one arm. He used his free
hand to wave at Alli. "Hi," he said cheerfully. "Welcome to the
family."

Alli shut the door in their faces. He wasn't proud of it. What he
was, was panicking.

"Huh." Alli heard the half-grunt come from Michael's brother
through the thin metal front door. Alli groaned aloud, wondering if
he could just go and hide under the covers for the next couple of
hours. Would they forget all about him?

Probably not.

Almost against his will, Alli's hand inched across the door,
wrapping around the handle. "Don't do it, don't do it," he
whispered fiercely to himself. The last thing he needed was to get
involved with another family, particularly one not his own.

His wrist twisted and the door swung open.

"Come in," he invited. Without turning around.

Two furry balls tumbled past his feet and waddled into the living
room. He watched them go.

"Can they shift?" he asked.

"Of course," Maryanne told him. "But wrestling is far more fun in
bear form."

"Oh."

Alli stepped aside, still clutching the door handle in a tight grip,
and let the two men tramp inside. Michael gently pried Alli's hand
loose and shut the door before slinging an arm over his shoulders
and giving a small squeeze. Strangely, it made Alli feel a lot more
confident, tucked up against the warm body of his...boyfriend?
Lover? Michael.

He was still irritated, though, so he jabbed Michael in the ribs.
Gently, though, because he didn't really want Michael to let go.

"What was that for?" Michael asked.

Alli tried for a smile, but it probably looked more like a baring of
teeth. "Would you like an alphabetical or a chronological list?"

"Stop being so dramatic," Michael scolded.

"I'm being invaded," Alli stated. "I have the right to be dramatic.
And on top of that, I haven't even had my coffee yet."

Michael gave Alli a little squeeze. "Why don't you go make some,
let me get the troops calmed down?"

"I...yeah, that sounds...okay."

Alli pulled away and took off for the kitchen. Hastily. Very hastily.

* * * *

"Where's he going?" Evan asked.

"You scared him off," Michael replied dryly.

"I don't know, Michael, if he's that skittish--"

Michael smacked his brother lightly alongside his head. The kids,
who had shifted back and were watching with wide, fascinated
eyes, burst into giggles.

Maryanne just rolled her eyes. "You two are the worst role
models," she drawled. "How am I supposed to make the kids
understand hitting is bad when you're always smacking each
other around?"

Evan looked properly repentant. Michael just laughed; she wasn't

his

wife, after all. Then Maryanne fixed that stern mother glare on

him and his laughter dried up. Dang, but that look was deadly.

Evan scowled. "You're always getting me in trouble."

Michael shrugged. "It's easy to do."

"Mom and Dad are coming tonight."

Michael launched himself at his brother and they went down,
rolling on the floor and tussling. It was harmless, more of a mock
wrestling match than anything. Michael didn't make any excuses.
It was childish, but shifters were physical creatures sometimes.
They did better with action than words.

"Boys!" Maryanne screeched.

Alli poked his head out of the kitchen, eyes going wide and
shocked, before he ducked back into hiding.

"Evan, you're scaring the boyfriend," Maryanne snapped. "You're
supposed to behave until he's in too deep to run away."

Michael sat up, still on top of Evan's legs, and stared. "Not
helping."

He turned his glare on his supine brother. "Did you have to bring
Mom and Dad into it?"

Evan grinned. "Yep."

"I hate you."

"Back at ya."

"Children, the both of them," Maryanne told her two little ones.
The toddlers started to giggle again.

Michael picked himself off the floor, dusted off. He crossed the
room and picked up Bryce. Solemn brown eyes stared at him.
Michael smiled and tucked the little head close.

"Why don't you go help Uncle Alli?" he whispered into Bryce's
ear. "I bet if you ask nicely, he can find a cookie for you."

The eyes went wide and Bryce squirmed. When Michael put him
down, he raced for the kitchen as fast as his chubby little legs
could go, well-padded butt jiggling.

"Oh, you're good," Evan said admiringly.

Michael smirked. Bryce was a charmer. It took a much stronger
man than Alli to resist the little cutie.

Sure enough, the sound of unintelligible child jabber floated
through the air seconds later, followed by Alli's deeper tones.

"Come on, Emily," Evan said, grabbing his little girl's hand. "I
want a cookie, too."

Curse shifter hearing.

Maryanne smiled gently. "Let them go," she advised. "Evan

behaves better when you're not around."

This was true.

"You were supposed to head him off," Michael hissed at
Maryanne.

"Sorry," she said with a shrug. "I'm good, but I can't work
miracles."

"Sheesh, Maryanne."

"Sorry," she repeated. "But you've never talked about anyone the
way you do Alli. And Evan is protective, you know that."

"Well, couldn't you have at least left the parental units out of it?"

"Probably. But look at the bright side. At least this way, you get it
all over with at once. Then you'll know if Alli can handle being
sucked into the crazy world."

"Oh, he can handle it," Michael growled. "But the question is, will
he?"

"This man means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"I love him," Michael stated simply.

Surprisingly strong arms wrapped around him, Maryanne
squeezing tightly. "It's about time you found someone. Have you
told him?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, there's a story behind that look."

Michael tried to wipe the sheepish element out of his expression
but apparently didn't succeed. Maryanne laughed.

"Don't tell me, let me guess. You blurted it out at an inappropriate

moment?"

"How did you know?" Michael burst out.

"Because I know you."

"He didn't run."

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

"Of course, he couldn't. I had the only vehicle," Michael mused.

Laughter erupted from the kitchen and, to Michael's satisfaction,
Alli's was mixed in with his brother's. Maryanne patted his arm.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," she said.

"I hope you're right."

Maryanne started walking to the kitchen, looking back over her
shoulder with an amused smile twisting her pretty mouth. "Hasn't
Evan told you? I'm always right, dear."

God, but he loved that woman. Michael went to join the party, still
chuckling.

Chapter 13

Thank God it was Monday.

Probably not a feeling most people shared, but yesterday had
been endless. Alli was just grateful that Michael's parents hadn't
come, after all. Of course, Michael and Alli had been ordered to
dinner next weekend. The fact that it was a three-hour drive was,
naturally, irrelevant. Alli was still trying to work out how to get out
of going.

If Alli was being perfectly honest, Evan and his family were
growing on him. The kids were sure cute, anyway. Faeries had
always been fond of the little ones; they had a fairly low birth rate,
so a child was always a special thing.

Alli looked around, chewing on his lower lip. The place looked a
bit sparse, a good seventy percent of his stock destroyed, but he
wasn't letting the bastard who'd violated his place know he'd
gotten to Alli. Alli had taken out the trash, opened the register,
unlocked the front door. Flora was open for business.

He was forgetting something. He just knew it. There was that
itchy, nagging feeling under his skin trying desperately to remind
him of something, a perfect match for the itch between his
shoulders. After spending more time than usual with his wings
out--namely any time Michael managed to get him alone in a
private spot--his body was rebelling.

Now, if Alli could only come up with--

The door opened and Alli remembered.

"Oh! Hi, Lucas."

"Hey, Alli." Lucas smiled, revealing a matching pair of dimples.
Sandy-blond hair nearly hid a pair of bright green eyes as the

werewolf waved in greeting. Alli couldn't help but smile back.
There was something almost...endearing about Lucas. He looked
about sixteen, acted like a ten year old on a sugar high, and had
the attention span of a gnat. But he was cute and sweet and
earnest and Alli liked him. Even if he did look like a surfer-boy
transplant from California.

"Is it time already?" Alli asked.

"Yep."

Wow. Someone must be keeping him busy. It seemed like he'd
just seen Lucas.

"I don't have it collected yet," Alli told Lucas. "Give me a few
minutes."

"'Kay."

Alli headed for the greenhouse, not paying any attention to
whether or not Lucas followed.

"I can't believe I forgot," Alli scolded himself. He shoved aside a
bucket with his foot, leaning over it to grab his dirt encrusted
trowel. It was stuck fast, wedged between the bucket of sand and
the wall. He pulled, grunting with satisfaction as his prize slid free.
He nearly did a happy dance when he managed the entire feat

without

dumping the bucket on his foot. Alli guessed there really

was a first time for everything.

In the years since Alli had opened Flora, Lucas had become a
familiar face. Lucas was a werewolf, one of the local pack. The
pack had a place a few miles outside of town. Lucas called it a
compound. Alli had never seen it. In fact, he'd never seen any of
the rest of the pack, either. Lucas was the only one who ever
ventured into town, the rest of his people preferring to keep to

themselves.

Lucas, on the other hand, ventured into town at least once a
month.

"It's okay."

Alli jumped a good foot, not realizing that Lucas had followed.

"Sorry," Lucas said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Alli found himself automatically putting his hand over his pounding
heart. He took a deep breath to calm the surge of adrenaline. "It's
okay," he replied. "I just didn't hear you."

Alli headed to the far corner of his collection. The monkshood
was one of the first plants the local coven had supplied him with,
and it was already growing rapidly, even after just a few days.
That was one of the few advantages of being Fayte. Plants did
very well under his attention.

"I heard about the trouble you had," Lucas said in his soft voice.

Alli tossed a quick glance at the wolf. Lucas had his hands
tucked behind his back and was rocking back and forth on his
heels. Alli sent him a reassuring smile before carefully brushing
the dirt away from the delicate plant's root system. The poor wolf
was shy. For him to initiate conversation was rare.

"It was pretty bad," Alli admitted. "But as you can see, I'm nearly
back to normal."

The greenhouse was a bit bare in spots but was coming along
nicely. The front room, unfortunately, hadn't recovered as quickly.
Alli had plants on order, but it took a while to get some of the
more exotic species. Alli never sold cut flowers. It hurt something
inside him to chop up the beautiful stems. But he did surprisingly

well with the live stuff. Brides, particularly in this area, were found
of pretty pots, large bushy flowers, and live bouquets.

"Better than normal."

Alli's attention snapped back to Lucas and his eyes widened.
Lucas was looking at him with heat, an expression of longing on
his face that Alli had never seen before.

"Yes...well..." Alli really didn't what to say to that. He dropped his
trowel with a clatter and thrust the little cutting at Lucas.

"Here you go," Alli said with false cheer. "All set for another
week."

Lucas made no move to take the offering. He titled his head in a
very canine move, eyes dark and intent. Alli started to get a little
jittery at the intensity in Lucas's stare. An itchy feeling began
crawling up his spine, and for once it had absolutely nothing to do
with his hidden wings.

Alli never saw Lucas move. One minute they were standing a few
feet apart, staring, and the next hot lips crushed down on his, a
lean body pressing close. Alli yelped into the kiss, the plant falling
from suddenly nerveless fingers. He froze for a few long seconds
in utter shock.

Then reality reasserted itself and Alli planted his hands on Lucas,
shoving hard.

"Get off me!" he shouted, the sound still muffled since Lucas
refused to budge. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Alli struggled to get loose. He managed to pry Lucas off enough
to breath.

"Damn it, what has gotten into you?"

Lucas shook his head as if to clear it. "What?"

Then his eyes widened in dismay. "Alli, I'm--"

Lucas never finished the sentence. A roar ricocheted around the
room and Lucas suddenly staggered under one hundred eighty-
five pounds of angry bear.

"Michael!"

Michael ignored Alli's shout. A big fist shot out and caught Lucas
on the chin, sending him reeling. Alli lunged forward and grabbed
Michael's arm, poised for another blow.

"Michael, stop it," Alli ordered.

When Michael turned to Alli, Alli nearly took an involuntary step
back. Dark eyes glittered with fury, the animal close to the
surface. Very close.

"Michael, you need to calm down," Alli said quietly, urgently. "It's
okay. Lucas is going to leave now. I'm fine."

"Alli--"

Alli shook his head at Lucas. "Later," he said. "You need to leave
now."

"I'm sorry," Lucas said.

"I know. Go. Now."

"It's just, I really like you, and--"

"Lucas!"

Michael growled, tried to lunge for Lucas again. Lucas gave a
loud squeak and ran.

Alli watched his swiftly retreating back with complete relief. He

wouldn't have been able to hold Michael back for much longer.
The muscles under his hands were still shifting and bunching,
Michael's lips twisted in a feral snarl.

"Calm down," Alli said again, stroking, trying to soothe the beast.

"He touched you."

"He's gone now, I promise."

Sheesh. Since when were spectacled bears so possessive? Alli
had done some research, after meeting Bruce for the first time.
Spectacled bears were normally calm, placid, shy.

Alli guessed some of the black bear characteristics must have
rubbed off on Michael over the years

"Alli? Everything okay in here? Lucas just ran out the front door
like someone lit his tail on fire... Oh."

Alli closed his eyes and groaned. Great. That was the last thing
he needed right now, Chris poking his big nose into this mess.

"We're fine, Chris, go away before you get mauled by a bear."

Oh, damn. He shouldn't have said that.

"Shit."

Chris slammed the screen door separating the greenhouse from
the main store. What he thought that would do, Alli didn't know.
Alli kept his focus on Michael, still stroking and petting. Some of
the battle-ready tension was bleeding away, but it was taking far
too long for Alli's peace of mind. If they were at home, it wouldn't
matter, but Michael would hate himself later if he shifted in the
middle of town.

"What happened, Alli?" Chris asked in a low voice. Alli shook his

head emphatically.

"Later," he said firmly. "Talking about it will only work him up
again."

"Hey, Michael." Chris's tone was low and soothing and Alli
greeted it with relief. He imagined it wasn't the first time Chris
had talked down a worked-up shifter, and Alli would take any help
he could get.

"Say, I hear you had family in town over the weekend. That's
great. I hoped they enjoyed their visit. It's always nice to see new
faces in Putman."

The inane, normal conversation was having the desired effect.
The wildness left Michael's eyes. Alli could actually see Bruce
retreating and Michael's human side re-emerging.

"There you are, love," he murmured. "That's it. See? No threat.
We're in a safe place, no one's going to hurt either of us."

"Alli, did--"

"Not now, Chris," Alli hissed. Chris glared at him, jaw set
stubbornly, and Alli knew it was probably killing the man not to be
able to begin the interrogation.

Michael's hand came up and stroked Alli's cheek, traced his jaw.
"You're okay?"

"I'm fine," Alli reassured him. It probably wasn't the time to
reiterate that he hadn't actually been in any danger. Lucas had
kissed him, not tried to whack him over the head with a shovel.

Somehow, he thought Michael wasn't yet in the mood for logic.

Michael sighed, the sound deep and almost animalistic, coming
up from his toes. "Sorry," he murmured.

Ah, there it was. The sheepish edge creeping into Michael's
expression. Now that the rage was dissipating, the normally
easy-going man was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed. As
well he should, in Alli's opinion.

"Why don't you go to the office and get a drink?" Alli urged. "I'm
going to explain everything to Chris here."

"Then can we go home?" Michael pled. "I need to hold you."

"I can't close up just yet," Alli said. "But I can put up the 'Back in
15 minutes' sign, come join you for a snuggle. How does that
sound?"

Alli wasn't normally one for a snuggle in the middle of the day, but
that hint of vulnerability in Michael's eyes was about to kill him.

"Okay. Stay with Chris? I don't want--"

"He'll be fine," Chris assured Michael. "We're just going to talk for
a minute. I'll escort him back to the office myself."

Michael nodded, still a bit bewildered, and left.

Chris immediately rounded on Alli with a ferocious scowl. "Want
to tell me what the hell that was all about?"

"Michael overreacted."

"Oh, that tells me so much, thanks."

"You don't need to be so sarcastic," Alli snapped. "I just had a
very stressful few minutes. Forgive me for not being overly
articulate just yet."

"Alli!"

Alli rubbed the bridge of his nose. God, he just wanted to go
home and take a nap. "Lucas came in for his weekly supply," Alli

said. "He was acting a little odder than usual. I turned around and
he ambushed me."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No, he kissed me."

If Alli were feeling better, he'd find great amusement in the
stupefied look on Chris's face.

"Huh?"

"He kissed me. I pushed him away. Michael showed up and went
all growly and possessive. Lucas left. That's it, end of story."

"Oh. Well, that's not nearly as bad as what I was thinking."

"I can imagine," Alli replied dryly.

"I'll have a little talk with Lucas," Chris promised.

"Do us all a favor for once and keep your nosy ass out of it," Alli
ordered. "Lucas was embarrassed, Michael is starting to feel
guilty, no one meant any harm."

"I knew Lucas has a crush on you, but I never imagined he would
do anything about it," Chris admitted.

"I didn't know he had a crush on me." Alli was taken aback,
although he supposed that did explain a few things. Like why,
with his need for daily doses of aconite, Lucas didn't bother to
just grow the stuff himself.

Chris rolled his eyes. "I swear, Alli, you can be the most oblivious
person in the world."

Alli didn't deny it. "Don't be too hard on him," he told Chris. "It's
close to the full moon. You know how weres can be."

"Then he shouldn't have come to town if he couldn't control

himself."

Alli didn't deny that, either. He settled for reaching up and patting
the much larger man on the shoulder. "I'm going to go check on
Michael. I think we should just drop it, forget the whole blasted
thing."

"Don't I wish," Chris muttered.

"I mean it!"

"Fine, fine." Chris threw up his hands in surrender. "But...I've
been thinking. Would Lucas maybe have had something to do
with the break-in? He might have been getting desperate to gain
your attention."

"He certainly has it now. But no. He likes me. Besides, stolen
kisses aside, Lucas is harmless." Maybe if he kept repeating
himself, he'd get some of these annoying alpha males to listen.

"No such thing as harmless."

On those cheery words, Chris left, muttering about stubborn
fairies and bears in need of anger management. Alli sighed,
rubbed at his nose again, and told himself this day wasn't actually
endless.

It just felt like it.

Alli gave himself a stern pep talk, kicking his fallen trowel aside in
a sudden fit of pique. Time to go talk to Michael.

Damn it, Alli hated being all soothing and shit. He didn't do it well.
He wondered as he walked what, exactly, had happened to his
nice, boring life. Where he could spend all day playing with plants
and being grumpy to anyone who interrupted him.

He had the sinking feeling that those days were long gone. And

he was never going to get them back.

Michael was pacing in the back room, muttering to himself, the
dazed look replaced with irritation. He whirled on Alli the instant
Alli entered.

"Why is it every time I turn around, you're in some kind of
trouble?" Michael demanded.

Shit. Alli's stomach knotted, threatened to cramp. But when he
spoke, his voice came out calm.

"I'm a Fayte, Michael. I told you that. And anyone close to me is
going to get caught in the whirlwind. If you can't handle that--"

"Don't you go putting words in my mouth!" Michael crossed the
room in a few quick strides and planted a hard, claiming kiss on
Alli. "I really wish you would stop trying to chase me off."

Alli shrugged, looked away. "I'm sorry," he said with sincerity. "It's
habit. If I run people off, then they can't..."

"Can't leave you?"

Alli gnawed on his lip and nodded, looking up from under his
lashes. "Yeah, I guess so. People don't usually stick around for
long once the bad stuff starts happening."

"Babe, if an interrupted romp in bed didn't send me running, this
certainly isn't. It's not like you asked Lucas to kiss you."

"Of course not!"

"Then don't worry about it."

Alli narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Michael. The words were
right, but the tone wasn't.

"You don't get to worry about it, either," Alli stated.

"Who said I was worrying?"

"And you don't get to track Lucas down and go all growly on him,
either. We're going to chalk it up to a mistake on his part and
move on."

"But--"

"No! Or I swear to God, Michael, I'll call Chris back and have him
arrest you."

"You wouldn't."

Alli stared.

"You would," Michael said in disbelief.

Then he chuckled. "All right, Alli, you win. I won't make an issue of
it. But if I catch him touching you again, all bets are off."

Alli rolled his eyes and made sure Michael saw it before he
stepped close and hugged his still growly bear. "You've definitely
picked up on some of Evan's personality."

"How so?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Not particularly, no."

"That's what I thought."

Michael's strong arms hugged Alli back, tucking him close. They
probably would have stood there for a while longer, but the front
bell rang imperiously. Alli sighed.

"Time to get back to work," he said, pulling back reluctantly.

"I guess so." Michael leaned in and gave Alli another kiss, this
one full of tongue and heat. Alli groaned, cock hardening in an

instant. He wrapped his hands around Michael's arms, took the
kiss deeper.

Michael broke the kiss with another chuckle. "Customer, babe."

Alli glared. "Then what the hell are you getting me all worked up
for? Tease."

"Nope," Michael said. "That was a taste. Something to keep you
thinking of me."

"As if I've thought of anything else lately," Alli muttered. He
slapped a hand over his mouth when he realized he'd spoken
aloud.

Michael's expression positively oozed satisfaction. Alli glared at
him some more.

Someone called Alli's name.

"Go on," Michael told him. Alli wanted to smack the smug
expression off his face. Or better yet, kiss it off.

No, bad Alli,

don't go there.

"You're lucky there's someone out there, mister," Alli stated.

"No, I'm just lucky, period."

If Michael ever found out what that charming smile did to Alli's
knees, Alli would be in serious trouble. As it was, he had serious
problems following a straight path to the door.

"Go find something to do," Alli called over his shoulder. "And stop
bothering me."

"Sorry, babe," came the reply. "I'm not going anywhere. You have
a shadow for the rest of the day."

"Shadows should be seen and not heard," Alli retorted. "If you're

smart, you'll stay back here."

Michael's laughter followed him into the front. As soon as Alli was
safely out of sight, he let his smile break free. Bantering with
Michael was quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes.

Alli discreetly adjusted himself in his pants, hoped the bulge
wasn't too obvious, and turned his happy, lustful grin into a more
professional greeting.

Only six hours until he could go home.

The two ladies from the deli next door looked at him expectantly,
sporting identical inquisitive expressions, and Alli ground his
teeth.

It was going to be the longest six hours of his life.

Chapter 14

Alli rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head, burying his
nose in the mattress and yanking on the edges of the pillowcase
to cover up his ears. He willed his body to give up the fight and
go to sleep.

It shouldn't be so hard. Really. And the fact that there was no
warm body next to him had absolutely nothing to do with his
insomnia. Absolutely. Nothing.

Even if it did? Well, Alli was the one who had sent Michael home,
after all. He had to go and get a blasted notion stuck in his head,
decide to prove to himself that he didn't need Michael around.
Could, in fact, function quite well by himself.

Which led to his current state. Tossing and turning, every little
noise startling him. Every five minutes or so extracting himself
from the covers wrapped around his body like a cocoon.

"Sleep," he told the ceiling. "It's what people do at night."

Bang! Bang!

"Oh, for the love of God," he muttered, sitting up and throwing the
pillow away in frustration.

Three hours. Three hours as he'd listened to the storm move in.
The rain had started, it's rhythmic pattern soothing. Alli had come
so very, very close to falling asleep.

Then the wind had increased. It played around the corners of the
house, smacked tree limbs together. And quickly discovered
Alli's poor, battered, broken screen door. For the next forty-three
minutes (and Alli knew, because he'd been staring at the clock),
the wind whipped the metal frame back and forth. Didn't matter
that the screen door was all the way down the hall, on the other

side of his locked back door in the kitchen. Each bang
reverberated through the still house with the force of an explosion.

Bang! Bang! BangBangBang!

With another muttered curse, Alli tossed the covers aside. Maybe
if he dug out some rope or something, tied the blasted door in
place. Heck, at this point? He might very well just try and rip it off
its hinges. Anything to get some sleep.

Maybe it would help. Maybe it wouldn't. But the poor, broken door
made an extremely easy target for his current frustrations.

Alli padded down the hallway, flashes of lightning guiding his
path. They were so bright, so steady, he didn't bother with the
light switch.

As was his habit, he'd left the light on above the stove. Alli dug
through his junk drawer in the illumination provided by the dim
light. Rope, string, even a twisty-tie would do.

"Ah ha!" he declared, triumphantly brandishing the small bundle
of twine he found buried in the back of the dusty drawer. "Take
that, wind!"

Alli unlocked the back door with one hand, tugged it open
forcefully. Bright streaks of light stabbed the sky outside.

Alli screamed. The twine went flying and Alli's abrupt retreat sent
him sprawling to the floor. He stared, numb, at the hulking
shadow of a man on his back stoop.

The flash of lightning dimmed, brightened. Between one strike
and the next, the shadow was gone. A loud crack of thunder
broke through his stupor and Alli lunged for the door, slamming
and locking it while still on his knees. He scrambled from the
room, kicking the ball of twine and sending it flying, where it

smashed a glass on the counter.

Alli had the phone in his hand before his mind caught up with his
actions.

"Alli? Babe, do you have any idea what time it is?"

Michael's sleepy voice calmed some of the frantic panic making
Alli's heart thump, but it still took a couple of deep breaths before
Alli could get any words out.

"Someone...outside. There was someone outside my house."

"You live in a neighborhood," Michael pointed out.

"No. Outside my back door."

"Shit." Rustling came over the line. "What happened?"

"I opened the back door to tie off the screen. It kept banging and
banging and it was driving me crazy and--"

"Alli!"

"Sorry. I didn't see much, just a shadow. But there was a guy,
standing on my back step, right outside the door."

"Okay, I'm on my way, babe. Where are you? Everything locked
up tight?"

"Living room, and yes."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"'Kay. Thanks," Alli whispered. Just the thought that Michael was
coming... It hadn't been Alli's intention, to ask for his lover to
come running. He'd just needed to hear Michael's voice. But the
thought of his bear's strong arms, holding tight, making the world
seem like a better, safer place... Alli suddenly wanted that more
than he wanted his next breath. "Hurry," he urged.

"I will," Michael promised. "In the meantime, I want you to call
Chris. Then lock yourself into the bathroom until one of us can get
there. Promise?"

"Promise."

Alli was kind of glad that Michael hung up, because he doubted
he would have been able to break the connection. Alli's fingers
were still shaking as he punched the number for Chris's cell
phone.

It wasn't until a grouchy Chris demanded, "Someone damned
well better be dying," that it occurred to Alli that it was two-thirty in
the morning. Michael had meant call the police, not necessarily
call Chris himself.

"Oh, damn, sorry, Chris. I should have called the station, sorry,
sorry. I'll just--"

Alli cut himself off by ending the call. He'd just started to punch out
9-1-1 when his phone rang in his hand. Alli squealed and
dropped it. It took three more rings before he found the device
underneath the chair.

"Yes? Hello?"

"Alli, I swear to God, you're going to give me a heart attack one of
these days," Chris barked. "Now, start talking."

"Sorry. It's stupid," Alli apologized again. He just couldn't seem to
help himself. "I just...there was...someone was... I'm probably
overreacting, I'm sure no one was trying to actually break in."

"Never mind," Chris interrupted. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Have
you called Michael yet?"

"Yes?"

"You don't sound too sure about that." Alli heard whispering in the
background and he felt even worse. But heck, how was he
supposed to know Chris would have someone over? He didn't
even know the deputy had a girlfriend.

"Ten minutes," Chris reiterated. "You in the bathroom with the
door locked?"

"No."

"Well, why the hell not?"

"Sorry, sorry."

"Stop apologizing. Just get in there and wait for me."

Chris hung up and Alli scurried down the hall, phone clutched so
tightly his knuckles started to ache. Alli had the feeling he was
overreacting, but he couldn't help it. Heck, he didn't even know if
he'd actually seen someone outside or if it had been a trick of the
storm. But with that blasted feeling of being watched, the break-in
at the store, Alli felt immeasurably better knowing Chris and
Michael were on their way.

Alli flicked on the bathroom light, locked the door and sank onto
the floor, pressing his back against the vanity cabinet and holding
the phone to his chest. The chill of the vinyl floor seeped through
his thin pajama pants, the boom of thunder making him jump
every time. The wind still whipped around the house, howling
loudly and making the walls creak and groan.

The screen door was ominously silent. Alli made himself take
deep breaths and consoled himself that at least in here, away
from any windows, he wouldn't have to see that cursed lightning.

"Alli! Open up right now!"

Alli jumped at the bellowed command.

"Thank God," he whispered, scrambling for the lock on the
bathroom door. Chris was here, he was safe. Alli made it to the
front door in record time, spurred on by the barrage of noise
coming from outside, and flung open the door. Chris shoved past
him, hand on his gun, eyes hard and cold.

"You all right?" Chris asked, scanning Alli visually from head to
toe.

Alli nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Look, I'm not even sure it wasn't my
imagination, huh?"

Chris ignored that and strode purposefully to the back of the
house. "You sure he didn't get in?" Chris waved at the broken
glass as he spoke.

"Oh. That. No, that was me."

"Alli!" Michael's shout echoed through the halls.

"Good Lord, I don't even want to know how fast that man drove,"
Chris muttered. Alli took off without a backward glance, suddenly
consumed with an overwhelming need to see Michael. Michael
stood in the living room and Alli flung himself into his lover's arms
with a muffled sob. Michael's arms closed tightly, squeezing until
Alli could barely breathe. It was perfect.

"You okay, baby?" Michael asked, cradling Alli to his chest and
burying his face in Alli's hair. "You're not hurt?"

"No, I'm okay."

"Then how come you're shaking so bad?"

Alli realized Michael was right; shudders rippled through him,
probably an aftereffect of the adrenaline rush. "I'm not hurt," Alli

clarified. "It just freaked me out a bit, you know?"

"Yeah, I know.

* * * *

Michael wandered the house, checking locks and peering in
closets. Alli trailed behind him, fingers wrapped in the belt loops
of Michael's jeans, obviously still wracked with nerves. Michael
thought he should maybe sit down and cuddle his fairy; it would
make them both feel better. But he couldn't make himself stop
moving.

Michael ended his wandering in the kitchen. Every light blazed in
the room, from hallway to door. Chris had turned on the outside
floodlights as well, lighting up the back stoop. The deputy was
wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a paint-spattered T-shirt. The
sight made Michael feel better for some reason. Clearly, Chris
had grabbed the first thing he could find and rushed over. It
helped ease some of the tightness in Michael's chest, to know
that Alli had people watching out for him.

Michael was still freaked, though. And Bruce? He was growly as
all get out. Michael could feel the bear pacing inside him, wanting
to burst free. What Bruce thought he would do then, Michael didn't
know. It wasn't as if spectacled bears were aggressive. They
were vegetarians, for crying out loud. But their Alli had been
threatened, and it was making Bruce cranky.

It was making Michael cranky, too.

Chris stepped into the kitchen, pulling the door closed behind
him. The grim expression on his square features wasn't

encouraging.

"Well, it wasn't your imagination," he declared. "Unfortunately.
There are some big-ass footprints out there. Paw prints, too."

"So we're definitely looking for a shifter?"

Chris hesitated.

"Paw prints, Chris!" Michael growled.

"All right, yes," Chris capitulated. "I'm not one hundred percent
sure, but the likelihood is high."

"What were they doing out there?" Alli asked. He was still
clinging to Michael's pants, eyes wide and dark.

Chris hesitated again. "Don't freak out," he finally said.

Great. "You know that phrase just has the opposite effect?"
Michael pointed out.

"You want to know or not?"

"Chris!" This time it was Alli whose patience was being tested.

Chris sighed and rubbed at his jaw, covered in blond stubble.
"Looks like he was trying to get in. The lock's all scratched to hell.
Since Alli opened the door, I don't know if he succeeded or not,
but it sure wasn't for lack of trying."

Michael's muscles locked with tension and his growl rumbled up
from his toes. Alli latched onto Michael's arm, petting his biceps
in what Michael took as an attempt to calm him down. It wasn't
working.

"Alli, go pack a bag."

"Huh?"

"You're not staying here," Michael insisted. "Pack some stuff. You
can come stay with me."

Michael wanted Alli within reach. Besides that, it was where the
fairy belonged. In Michael's home, Michael's bed. And with this
bastard on the loose, it meant less argument from Alli.

"But--"

"Alli. This isn't up for discussion."

Alli's hand slid away and he scowled. Michael sighed and rubbed
the bridge of his nose. Damn stubborn Fae. He'd argue with a
rock.

"Please, Alli." Michael didn't even bother to try and disguise the
plea. "There's no way I'm leaving you here."

"We don't have any evidence that he wants to hurt me," Alli said.

"We don't have any evidence that he doesn't, either," Chris
added his two cents worth, and Michael wanted to hug him.

"This is ridiculous." Alli didn't look nearly as scared anymore.
Pity. He was easier to convince when scared. "I haven't done
anything bad enough to make someone want to hurt me. And how
about the words at the store? They just said 'Go home,' not die."

Michael shuddered. "Don't even go there."

"Sorry. My point is--"

"Alli, please. For me. Maybe he doesn't want to hurt you, but I
can't take that chance."

"I won't let him chase me away from my own home!"

"Fine," Michael spat. "Then I'll stay here. Hell, I'll camp on the front
porch if I have to. But I'm not leaving you here alone!"

"Alli, I agree with Michael," Chris said. "I don't think it's wise to
stay here, at least not until we can get some kind of security
system set up. I'll even settle for a dog."

Alli's nose scrunched up. "Dogs and fairies don't mix very well."

"Then an alarm system. Motion detection lights. Security
cameras."

"Don't you think that's overkill?"

"I'm not letting you get hurt on my watch." Chris crossed his arms
across his barrel chest. Michael wasn't interested in the big
deputy, but he couldn't help noticing how the pose made the
man's arms bulge. Chris was definitely not someone Michael
would want to mess with.

Chris and Alli stopped arguing, but were now engaged in a visual
stand-off. Michael reached over, wrapped one arm around Alli's
waist.

"Come back to the cabin," he urged softly. "It's hard to find, easy
to protect. Whoever this is would find it really hard to get to you on
Bruce's territory."

Alli's brow furrowed. "I would like to see Bruce again," he mused.
"He's sweet."

"Sweet," Michael said. "Gee, thanks."

Alli shrugged. "He

does

make me feel safer."

"Good, then let's go."

"You could always stay here and--"

"Babe, I told you, Bruce doesn't do well in confined places."

"Please," Chris said. "I don't really want a bear wandering around

town, no matter how human he might be."

"You know, that's probably one of the strangest sentences I've
ever heard."

"Shut up."

Alli laughed and Michael grinned back, not even caring that his
lover was laughing at him. He was just glad to see some of the
fear from earlier disappear.

"All right," Alli gave in. "But just for a day or two. I don't want to put
you out or anything."

"I wouldn't care if you moved in."

Michael wasn't an idiot, though. He muttered the words. He
thought Chris might have caught it, but Alli didn't, which was kind
of the point. No sense spooking his lover just yet. Michael figured
that part would come soon enough.

Michael dropped a quick kiss on Alli's forehead, manfully
ignoring Chris's smirk and Alli's scowl. "Go pack, baby. I wouldn't
mind getting

some

sleep tonight."

"You didn't have to come," Alli pointed out in a grumpy mutter.

Michael ignored the words, not feeling such a silly thought
deserved response.

Alli stalked out of the kitchen, grumbling to himself the whole way.
Michael didn't care. Alli was going, and that was all that mattered.
He could work on loving the grumpy out of his man later.

"I'll have my guys keep an eye on this area," Chris said in a low
voice.

"Something you haven't told me?" Michael asked.

"No, but I've got a hinky feeling in my gut."

"What is that, like appendicitis?"

"No, idiot. It means whoever this is, I don't think they're doing this
for shit and giggles."

"You have the strangest sayings."

"Focus, Michael!"

"I am," Michael assured the deputy. "But Bruce is riding me hard
right now. I get upset, and that bear's gonna be wandering down
Main Street, whether we like it or not."

Chris groaned and scrubbed at his face again. "Why the hell did I
think taking this job was a good idea?"

"Focus, Chris."

"Shut up."

"Sheesh, I leave the two of you alone for five minutes..." Alli halted
in the doorway, dropping a large duffle bag at his feet with a loud
thump. "Well, are we going or not?"

Michael and Chris exchanged grins.

"You're the boss," Michael said.

"And don't you forget it."

* * * *

Michael took a deep breath, held it, let it out loudly. Alli lay curled
up in Michael's bed, buried under a mound of quilts, just a few
strands of red hair peeking out. He slept deeply, the sound sleep

of one who'd reached the limits of their endurance, stress and
anxiety combining to knock the little fairy out better than any
sleeping pills.

Michael, on the other hand, couldn't stop pacing. His skin felt tight
and shivers kept running through his nerves. Bruce was close to
the surface, very close. And while it took a whole hell of a lot to
rile the bear, Bruce was angry now. Furious. Someone was trying
to harm what was theirs. Michael had never been possessive
before, didn't even know he had the gene until he'd come across
Lucas mauling his fairy. Now, just the thought of someone putting
one scratch on Alli's pale skin was enough to make his control
slip.

Before Michael could think about it anymore, he snatched up his
shiny new cell phone. He didn't have all the numbers
programmed in yet, but this particular number he knew by heart.

The phone rang. And rang.

"Come on," Michael urged under his breath. "Don't you dare pull
this crap now."

"Yo."

"Tristan, I'm glad you answered."

"Michael?" The voice was grumpy, words snapped out harshly.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yeah, I do. Look, I wouldn't call normally, but I need help."

A long pause greeted his words. Michael ground his teeth
together. Goddamn it, Tristan was going to make him beg.

"Tris, please."

Tristan sighed, the sound heavy and annoyed. "All right, what sort

of mess did you get your skinny ass into this time?"

Michael wanted to hang up, so badly. His finger actually moved,
hovering over the button, but he forced it away. For Alli. This was
for Alli. Michael couldn't risk not being able to protect Alli by
himself. He needed backup, and that meant the oldest Lakkis
brother.

"It's not me," Michael admitted. God, how to explain this?
Because Michael knew, just knew, that that the instant he said the
word "boyfriend," Tristan would hang up. Of all his family, Tristan
was the only one who had trouble accepting his younger sibling's
sexuality. Oh, Tristan was polite enough at family events, didn't
start anything. He just did his best to ignore Michael and had for
the last couple of years.

But damn it, this went deeper than any petty feelings. Family was
involved.

"Give me any crap and I'll sic Mom on you," Michael snarled. "Got
it?"

"Huh?"

"I'm in Wisconsin, Putman County. My lover has a stalker. It's
getting physical and I need an extra set of eyes. I'm not pulling
Evan into this. I don't know how dangerous it might get. But I'm
not risking Alli."

"Michael--"

"I don't give a damn how you feel about me, okay? But Alli is my
Chosen, my family. Yes, he's a guy, but I wouldn't care if he was a
blue duck. So get your ass down here and help me out."

Another pause. "Give me the address."

There was a hint of something in Tristan's voice, something that
Michael hadn't heard before, but he didn't bother trying to puzzle it
out. Tristan was coming and that was really all that mattered.

Michael rattled off the address of Flora. "That's where we usually
are during the day," he said. "My cabin's a bit hard to find and I'm
not letting Alli go back to his house just yet. Bastard tried to break
in a couple of hours ago and I'm not taking the chance."

"Of course not. I'll be there sometime tomorrow."

Michael's throat tightened and his eyes stung a bit. It was part
relief and part gratitude. He'd lucked out when it came to family,
that's for sure. Tristan may be an ass, but he was a dependable
ass. Tristan could be as grumpy and ill-tempered as he wanted,
so long as he did it in Putman.

"Thanks, Tristan."

"Just watch yourself until I can get there and don't do anything
stupid. We'll talk tomorrow."

Tristan hung up. Michael stared at the phone's blank screen,
thoughts chaotic. But one thing kept standing out. Tristan was
coming. Alli would be safe.

"Michael?" A sleepy voice called from the other room.

"Coming, baby," Michael called back.

He dropped the phone on the nightstand in the bedroom and
lifted a corner of the quilt, crawling into the welcome warmth. He
snaked an arm around Alli's waist, tucking the slender form in
close.

"Ummm, your feet are cold."

"Sorry. Those wood floors are chilly."

"Summer soon, then you'll be glad."

"Go back to sleep," Michael said, amusement clear in his voice.
Alli was obviously exhausted.

"Yeah, sounds good. Staying?"

"We're both staying right here," Michael assured him.

"'Kay. Like it when you stay."

"Me too, babe." Michael whispered the heartfelt words into the
top of Alli's head, hair silky and soft beneath his cheek. "Me, too."

Chapter 15

"Thank you, Missy." Alli handed over the pretty ceramic pot of

Angelica atropurpurea

, a red ribbon tied around the top of the

pale cream container creating an appealing splash of color. "I'm
sure your mom will be thrilled."

"It's perfect, Alli," she assured him. "Mother's been making
amulets lately." Missy paused and gave him a speculative look. "I
should see if she would be able to make you a protection
amulet."

"That's very kind of you," Alli said. Apparently, news of his
problems were spreading. Missy didn't even live in this town.

Alli's pasted on smile didn't last through the next loud bang. This
time, even Missy cast a curious glance to the far side of the store.

"Shouldn't you check that out?" she questioned.

"Probably."

Alli didn't want to, though. No telling what Michael was doing back
there. With all that noise? He was probably ripping down a wall.

"Well, I'll see you soon."

Missy departed with a cheerful wave, gift clutched in her hands.
Alli waited just long enough for the door to swing closed before
he rounded the corner. He was at the side door before the bell
even stopped chiming.

"This is probably a stupid question," Alli announced, surveying
the room, and his soon-to-be-ex boyfriend, with narrow eyes. "But
what are you doing?"

"Moving in," Michael replied.

The door to the alley was propped open with a large cardboard
box. Evan, framed in the opening, waved cheerfully.

"What are you doing here?" Alli asked bluntly.

"Helping." Evan's tone said it should be obvious.

Alli really wasn't in the mood. "Don't you people ever

work

?"

"As infrequently as possible," Evan assured him. "It was a slow
day at the office; no one needed suing. Michael wanted some
help, so here I am."

The whole family was utterly insane. Who else drove nearly two
hours to help their brother move furniture and boxes on a whim?

Alli took in the chaos before him, for the first time registering the
mess. Disassembled pieces of furniture littered the sheet-
covered floor. Two of the walls were now painted pale blue. The
third wall was covered in streaks of the same blue, an open paint
can sitting in a puddle of sticky paint.

"You do realize this is a storeroom?" Alli pointed out.

"Not anymore." Michael's grin was cheeky, words cheerful. "Now
it's my new office."

Alli pursed his lips and held on tightly to the edges of his fraying
temper. "It's my store," he pointed out sharply. "Don't you think
you should have asked me first?"

"Nope."

"No?" Alli spat out between ground teeth.

"You might have said no."

"Michael's of the 'better to ask for forgiveness than permission'
school of thought." Evan added his two cents with the same

damn cheerful grin his brother sported.

"Yep." Michael scrawled something illegible on a box in black
marker and shoved it aside to join the other three already forming
the basis of a cardboard pyramid.

"Michael, can I talk to you a minute?" Alli asked.

"Go ahead."

"In private."

Evan smirked. "Uh oh. Somebody's going to get yelled at."

"Keep it up," Alli advised, "and I'll have that talk right here."

"I'm gonna get a snack." Evan vanished with impressive speed.

"Traitor," Michael muttered.

Alli crossed his arm and tapped his foot. "Start talking."

Michael sighed, leaned against the edge of the flimsy table. Alli
waited for it to break under Michael's weight, but the table held
firm. And that just was not fair. If Alli tried that move, he'd end up
in a pile of plastic, metal, and fake wood.

"I don't like you working here by yourself with this guy running
around," Michael started. "He hit your shop once and--"

"Try again," Alli interrupted.

"What? It's the truth."

Sure it was. But not the whole truth.

"If that's all you were worried about, you'd just park yourself
behind the front counter with your laptop," Alli pointed out. "It
wouldn't require completely remodeling an entire room."

"Well..."

Alli realized he still tapped his foot in impatience and made
himself stop.

"I need a place to work. My cabin's only got one room and the
living room is small and this gives me--"

Alli's potent glare worked for once, stopping Michael mid-
sentence.

"Not buying that one, either, huh?"

"Sure I am," Alli replied. "You've never lied to me and I doubt
you're starting now. You're just circling the real reason."

"Maybe I just want to be close to you, ever think of that?"

Alli's heart wanted to soften at the earnest expression in those
melted chocolate eyes, but he made his face remain impassive.
Give this man an inch and that was it. He took off running with
whatever idea was in his head and it was nearly impossible to
catch him.

"I guess I figured if I work my way into your life enough, you'll let
me stick around."

Alli's mouth dropped open. Is that really how Michael felt? A pang
of guilt hit Alli. He must have done a better job of keeping Michael
at arm's length than he'd thought. It hadn't worked, obviously, but it
was clear that Alli's actions had hurt the other man.

"What makes you think I'm getting rid of you?" Alli pressed.

"You just--"

The front bell jangled loudly and Alli wanted to yell. Michael's
relief, on the other hand, was plain to see.

"I'll go see who it is," he announced. He darted past Alli and out

the door before Alli could stop him.

Alli rolled his eyes as the door slammed shut behind Michael.
The cardboard box pyramid slid apart, narrowly missing Alli's
foot. Office supplies spilled across the floor.

"Great," Alli muttered. "Just great. I'm am not cleaning that up.
And he'd better finish painting if he wants back into my bed.
Blasted bear."

Alli slammed his palms into the swinging door. It didn't budge and
he nearly smashed his nose on the metal. Why did it always
come all at once? He paused, took a couple of deep breaths.
They did absolutely nothing to calm him down. With another
muttered curse, Alli smacked his shoulder into the door. This time
it swung open easily. And quickly. It bounced back and Alli again
narrowly missed a facial disaster. He was used to the door's
antics, though, and his palms took the brunt of the blow.

"Alli, I want you to meet someone," Michael called.

Alli hated meeting new people. Hated it. He gave brief
consideration to retreating to his greenhouse, but Michael would
just track him down and drag him back out, so he steeled himself
and made his way to the front of the store.

A big guy stood next to Michael. Really big. He had to be a good
six and a half feet tall, with shoulders as wide as a door frame.
Dark piercing eyes, shaved head, tattoos marching up both
arms; this was one scary dude.

Alli's feet halted and refused to move as he eyed the behemoth
warily. "Hi?" he said uncertainly.

"Alli, this is my big brother, Tristan."

Well, at least Alli probably wasn't about to die. Michael's brother

wouldn't try to kill him, right? Even if he did look like a scary-ass
thug.

Then again, Michael had said he was adopted, so...

Michael's arm wrapped around his shoulders and tugged him
forward. "Tristan, this is Allegro Romani."

One meaty paw--no pun intended--extended. Alli took it, watching
in unwitting fascination as his entire hand disappeared in
Tristan's.

"Nice to meet you." Excellent. He managed the sentence without
squeaking. Go him.

"Hear you're having a little problem," Tristan rumbled. Alli had
never heard a voice so deep. It sounded like gravel rattling
around in a cement mixer.

Yeah. He had no problem figuring out that this guy was a black
bear shifter. Alli had absolutely no desire to see Tristan in his
other form either. Michael was cute. This guy would be terrifying.
And huge. Really.

"Problems?"

"Michael called me, said you had a break-in and an intruder."

Alli's nervousness died a quick, painful death. He pulled away
from Michael and glared. "You called your brother?"

Michael's brow furrowed. "Well, yeah."

"Without telling me?"

"Are we still on this?"

Alli swung, turning his glare from Michael to the now reappeared
Evan. Evan wasn't looking at him, busy smacking Tristan on the

shoulder in greeting. When he finally did look at Alli, Evan took an
involuntary step back.

"Dude, who killed your cat?"

"I see you're as mature as ever," Tristan growled. "We're having
a conversation here. Go find someone else to play with."

"The hell with it."

Three matching sets of dark eyes swung to him.

Alli announced. "I'm done with this conversation. Play away."

He'd suddenly had enough. Enough of the whole situation, and
way more than enough of the Lakkis family. He turned on his heel
and headed for his sanctuary. Let the bears work it out; it was
clear they didn't want his opinion, anyway.

Alli latched the screen door to the greenhouse behind him,
muttering curses. He kicked at a pot, but all that did was make
his toe throb. He grabbed the remote to the stereo in the corner
and turned it on, turning the volume up high.

Maybe a little music and a couple hours playing in the dirt would
calm him down enough to face people again without causing
mayhem.

* * * *

The three brothers stood shoulder to shoulder and watched Alli
stomp away.

"Feisty, isn't he?" Tristan commented.

"Actually, he's usually kind of shy around new people."

"Pull the other one," Evan said dryly. "You sure about this? He's
more high maintenance than some women I know. Not Maryanne,
of course, because she'd kill me if she heard me, but some
women."

"I like him."

Heads swiveled to stare in astonishment at Tristan.

"This from the brother who has barely spoken to me since I came
out?" Michael demanded.

Tristan's face actually reddened. Michael didn't think he'd ever
seen Tristan look embarrassed. Tristan muttered something
under his breath.

"What was that?" Evan encouraged with a smirk. "Speak up,
man, we can't hear you."

Tristan growled. "I'm sorry, all right? I was being a stupid jerk.
Now can we go back to the reason I'm here?"

Evan opened his mouth again and Michael kicked him in the
shin. Now was

not

the time for Evan to poke. Michael didn't really

want to clean blood off the floors. The last time Evan had insisted
on provoking Tristan, Michael had been the one to snap his
brother's nose back into place. Not an experience he wanted to
repeat. Ever.

"Why don't you go calm down your boyfriend?" Evan offered. It
was almost a shock, hearing something sensible coming out of
his mouth. Michael sometimes forgot that his brother was a
brilliant lawyer. It was hard to remember when the man was
constantly playing the clown.

"Good idea," Tristan said. Another shock. Evan and Tristan rarely

agreed on anything. "Then I suggest a more private setting for our
little discussion."

"Fine," Michael said. "But neither of you are leaving until we finish
painting my new office."

With that admittedly off-topic rejoinder, Michael trailed after Alli.
He had to pause outside the door to gather up his courage and
work up the energy for some more verbal jousting. God, but Alli
wore him out sometimes.

The door was latched, but a little pressure and it popped open.
Alli didn't even look up, crouched on the floor and busily digging a
new home for a bright red flowering plant.

Michael froze in the doorway, utterly aghast. "Are you listening to

opera

?" he asked incredulously.

"It's not opera," Alli said snippily without turning around. "It's
Therion."

"Sounds like opera to me."

"No, listen, there are guitars and--"

"Sarcasm, Alli."

"Plebeian."

Michael paused for a long, tense moment. "Still mad at me, huh?"
he finally ventured.

Alli's hands paused in mid-motion and he sighed. "Not mad,
exactly. Just irritated."

"I'm sorry?"

"Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"

"Not really, no."

"Didn't think so. Michael, if this is going to work between us, you
can't keep just doing things without talking to me first. Don't you
think you should have consulted me before you moved into my
store and spread my problems to all and sundry?"

"It was family!" Michael didn't bother to address the moving issue
because, well, Alli might have a point there.

"Your family, not mine."

"They could be your family."

Alli sighed again and rubbed his hand down his face. His eyes,
when he looked up, were sad. "You're not getting it, Michael."

"Yeah, I am."

"No, you're not," Alli countered. "I want a partner, an equal
partner. I know I seem like I need someone to look out for me, but
I don't need someone to take care of me. There's a difference."

Michael had to think on that one for a minute. They seemed like
two sides of the same coin to him.

"It's the difference between holding my hand as I cross the street
and carrying me across," Alli said. "One is helping, supporting.
The other is doing for me. I may be a walking accident a lot of
times, but I'm not a child."

This time, Michael understood. He crossed over to Alli and
plopped down on the hard concrete so he could look in his
boyfriend's eyes, sprawling his legs out and leaning against the
leg of a table.

"It's not that I don't see you as a partner," Michael said quietly. "I
do. I want that, more than anything. It's just that every little thing is
a fight with you. I guess I'm just tired of it. So instead of arguing, I

went ahead and acted."

"I'm sorry, too, then," Alli replied. "But you're not always the most
reasonable person."

"I'm always reasonable," Michael retorted. "I'm just stubborn."

"That's for damn sure."

"Alli!"

"Sorry, I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

"Yeah."

Alli poked at the dirt in the pot in front of him, digging his
fingernail into the soil. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll try not to argue
so much and you talk things over with me first, okay?"

"Do you promise to listen--actually listen--to me?"

"If you're not being ridiculous."

"I'm scared," Michael admitted. Alli's head shot up, eyes wide. "I
just found you and I feel like someone's trying to take you away.
It's maybe making me a little paranoid. If I'm coming across as
overbearing, it's because I want you safe. I need you to be safe."

Alli seemed to mull that over. "So this is temporary?"

"I can't promise that. But I do know I'll relax once this whole mess
is over."

"But I'm never safe," Alli said. "Fridays especially can be hell."

"So I stick close and catch you when you fall. I can't do anything to
protect you from that. I

can

protect you from this guy."

"It could be a girl."

"Alli!"

"Sorry. I guess it's more of a habit than I thought."

Michael grinned. "Well, don't break the habit entirely."

"That I can definitely promise."

Alli smiled back and Michael finally relaxed.

Someone on the stereo hit a high note and Michael jumped.

"We do need to discuss your taste in music," he drawled.

Alli stuck his tongue out. Michael moved fast, caught the tempting
morsel with his lips. Alli hummed and leaned in. The kiss was
long, full of apology and sensuality.

A cleared throat pulled them apart.

"Why is it someone's always interrupting us?"

"I told you, it's--"

"Rhetorical question, Alli."

Damn, but Michael loved that flush. He stood, reaching out a
hand to pull Alli up. "Come on, babe. Let's take a coffee break.
I'm sure Tristan has a million questions to ask you. And some of
them might even be about your stalker."

"Oh, goody, more family," Alli said, giving the large man in the
doorway a suspicious look.

Michael laughed. "Get used to it. Since I'm not going anywhere,
neither are they."

Michael could have done a victory dance when his statement
wasn't greeted with an automatic argument. Instead, Alli just
slipped his hand into Michael's as they went to join the other
Lakkis brothers.

Chapter 16

Tristan hummed softly to himself, fingers tracing through the dirt.

"Two people," he suddenly announced. "You had two intruders."

"You're kidding me."

"Wish I was. And one is definitely a were creature or a shifter of
some kind."

"Wonderful," Michael muttered.

Alli leaned over to whisper in Michael's ear. "How does he know
that?"

"My brother's one of the best trackers in the shifting community,"
Michael whispered back.

"I also have amazing hearing," Tristan interjected. "I don't bite,
you know."

"Tell that to my shin," Evan declared.

"You really need to let that go," Tristan advised. "I was eight, for
God's sake."

"So this is where the party is." Chris came around the corner and
Alli groaned.

"How is it you always show up at just the right moment?" Michael
asked curiously.

Chris shrugged. "It's a gift."

Literally.

Alli kept that thought to himself. It wasn't his business if

Chris chose to keep some parts of himself secret. Besides, it
might make some people a bit uncomfortable to know that their
chief deputy had a bit of a psychic in him.

"What's this about two intruders?" Chris crouched down next to
Tristan and studied the ground. It looked like regular, ordinary dirt
to Alli, but what did he know? There must be

something

there.

Tristan didn't seem like the type to waste time.

"What I said," Tristan said shortly. "One hung around a while,
looks like he just watched. The second man was the one who
tried to break in." He stood, sharp eyes examining the yard,
probing the shadowy edges. Alli's yard wasn't very big, not even
a half acre. Two sides were bordered by his neighbor's privacy
fences. The third was an out-of-control hedge. Alli had given up
trimming it back after the first week. The thing grew like a mutant
monster.

Michael growled, that deep threatening grumble he did when
upset. It wasn't the hot, sexy, want-you growl. No, this one tended
to make the hairs on the back of Alli's neck stand up.

What surprised Alli was when Tristan and Evan both echoed the
sound. Chris patted Tristan on the arm.

"Down, big guy," he said.

Alli admired Chris's guts--or maybe it was idiocy, sometimes it
was hard to tell between the two. That glare would have sent Alli
running for his life.

"Do I know you?" Tristan asked with a slight baring of teeth.

"Not yet," Chris replied cheerfully, pointing at the patch on his
shirt. "Chris Owens, Deputy Sheriff. And you?"

"Tristan Lakkis."

"Good God, another one. I may have to consider putting a new
ordinance in place."

"What would that be?" Michael drawled. "Limit: No more than
three people named Lakkis in town at any given time?"

"Let's make it two," Chris corrected. "I think three might be
pushing it." He turned to Evan. "Guess that means you'll have to
leave."

Tristan grunted. Alli realized the man was actually amused.

"I like him," Tristan said to no one in particular, jerking his thumb
in Chris's direction.

"Could we please get back to the matter at hand?" Alli asked
impatiently. His eyes swung to Chris, then away. He couldn't quite
stop staring at his hedge. There was something about it...

Alli started to wander away. Michael reached out to snag him but
wasn't fast enough.

"See something, babe?" he called.

"I'm not sure."

"Did you come over just to bug us, or was there something you
wanted?" Alli heard Evan ask Chris.

"Actually, I wanted to let Michael and Alli know I located their
mystery lunch date guy."

"Huh?"

"Some homophobic asshole who kept scowling at us one day.
Chris thought he might have something to do with it."

"Nope, he's clean. Sally at the restaurant remembered him, said
he glared at

everybody.

I guess he's human, unemployed, and

living with his sister, who's a member of the coven. Guess he's
just grouchy in general."

"Well, at least that eliminates one suspect," Evan said.

"How about Lucas?"

"Lucas?" Tristan's deep rumble traveled well, reaching Alli, who
was now almost to the far side of the yard. Michael hadn't
followed, but Alli could feel him watching.

"No alibi," Chris admitted reluctantly.

"Then it was him."

Safe from sight, Alli rolled his eyes at Michael's stubborn
certainty. Lucas was just overenthusiastic. And horny. And maybe
a little bit lacking in judgment. But Alli really couldn't see him
trashing Flora. There was no motive, no logic to the action.

"What about a motive?" Chris pointed out. Alli wondered if he
should be worried that they seemed to be thinking alike.

"He likes Alli," Michael replied. Clearly, he had given this some
thought. "If Alli was having problems, maybe he was going to
offer his help, comfort him. But then I showed up and Alli didn't
need Lucas."

"What makes you think I would have accepted anything from
Lucas?" Alli called.

The startled looks he received made Alli think Evan and Chris
had actually forgotten he was there.

Wonderful. Let's just forget

all about the guy who's being stalked.

"He's cute," Michael said, as if that explained all the secrets in
the universe.

"Maybe, but he's hardly my type," Alli replied dryly. He turned
back to his examination, picking up a stick and poking at a hole
in the prickly evergreen bush in front of him.

"What are you looking for?" A voice spoke inches from Alli's ear
and he jumped.

"How the hell can you move so quietly?" he demanded testily. "A
guy as big as you should, I don't know, thump or something. At
the very least, the ground should shake. That way, people will
know you're coming."

"And they can hide?" Tristan asked with amusement.

"Something like that."

"You never answered my question," Tristan said, making the
subject change seem impressively smooth.

"Oh. Something about this hedge looks different. I just don't know
what."

"You're the plant expert."

"Not really an expert, precisely. It's mostly a hobby and...sorry,
Michael tells me I've yet to master the identification of a rhetorical
statement."

And there Alli's damn cheeks went again, flushing with color.
Blast his mother for passing on her pasty skin tone...

"Wait!" The answer hit Alli square between the eyes. Why the
heck didn't he think of it before? He took a step backward in
excitement.

"Eeek!" Alli let out a loud shriek as his balance went. His arms
windmilled and he staggered. Contrary to the usual laws of
gravity, he pitched forward and started to fall head-first into the
hedge. Someone grabbed the back of his pants and hauled him
back.

"I think you need to get rid of this thing," Tristan advised. "It

seems to have a taste for skinny fairies."

Alli gaped. "Wait, how did you--"

"Michael didn't tell me anything, so you can put away that temper
of yours. I work as a private investigator for the paranormal
community. Believe me when I say there are very few types I
haven't come across. Fairies give off a pretty distinct aura, even
you, although yours is a little...muddled."

Alli opened his mouth, ready to launch into a lecture about the
differences between fairy tribes, then decided now probably
wasn't the best time. See? No matter what Michael said, he

was

learning.

"Gonna tell me what had you so worked up you nearly got eaten
by a bush?"

Alli opened his mouth, closed it again. "No, I don't think so," he
finally said.

Tristan growled. For some odd reason, the sound wasn't as
intimidating as it would have been even a half hour ago.

Alli patted the big man's arm. "Later," he assured Tristan. "But if
I'm right, my problems should be solved."

"Then why the hell did you call me here?" Tristan demanded.

"I didn't," Alli pointed out. "That one was all on Michael."

Tristan conceded with a slightly arrogant nod.

"Alli!"

Alli turned and headed back in the direction of Michael's shout.

"Finished inspecting the verge?" Chris asked with amusement.

"Are you still here?" Alli shook his head and made a shooing
motion. "Go away. We don't need you right now."

"Be nice, Alli," Michael admonished. "As Chris so politely
reminded me not long ago, he does have the power to put you in
jail."

"But he won't," Alli explained patiently. "Because then he would
risk the total collapse of the jail."

"Huh?" Evan asked with a classic expression of confusion
painted on his face. It was weird, how much Evan and Michael
looked alike, considering they weren't actually related by blood.

Michael suddenly snorted. He tried to wipe the expression of
mirth away before Alli saw, but wasn't quite fast enough.

"What?" Alli asked.

"Babe, have you taken a look at yourself recently?"

Alli looked down and groaned. His pants were plastered in mud
from knee to ankle.

"But there aren't any puddles in the yard," Evan pointed out.

"And it hasn't rained in nearly a week," Chris added. "That's our
Alli."

"Oh, go away," Alli snapped. "I'm going to--"

"Go change?"

Alli sighed and nodded to Michael. "Yeah."

"Want some help?" Michael leered, Evan snorted, and Tristan
muttered something about burning eyes.

"I can manage on my own," Alli replied primly. "Why don't you
take your brothers out for a drink? I'm sure you have some

catching up to do."

"Uh-uh, babe. I'm not leaving you alone until we catch Lucas in the
act."

"I really don't think it's--"

Michael wasn't listening, so Alli didn't bother finishing the
sentence. He rolled his eyes and stomped up the back steps.
They were concrete, ancient, and starting to crumble. He tripped
on the top one and only managed to save himself a tumble by
grabbing the door handle.

"Good grief," Alli muttered. "It's not even Friday."

The back door stuck, as usual, but a swift kick and it popped
open. He tossed a wave over his shoulder.

"See you later."

Alli cut off the loud chorus of protests by the simple expedient of
slamming the door shut. The lock clicked and he sighed.

"Well, that was easie--"

His cell phone blared. Alli ignored it, but when the house phone
went off, he snatched the receiver.

"Michael, go out, have some fun," he said without preamble. "I'll
be safe. Chris can stick around the area. You won't be gone for
long."

"But--"

"You can give your brothers directions to your place. I want my
own bed tonight because honestly? While I love your house, your
mattress sucks."

"Alli, I'm not leaving you alone all night," Michael said in a harsh

voice.

"Well, of course you're not." Silly man. "You'll be here."

"I don't think--wait, what?"

"Go have a drink," Alli advised. "You're stressed out."

"Gee, I wonder why."

"There's no need to be nasty," Alli said indignantly.

"Sorry." Michael sighed. "I'm just worried about you."

"No need," Alli assured his overprotective lover. "It's only six-thirty
and so far, everything has happened after dark. You'll be back
well before then. I'll be safe." He reiterated the last part
emphatically.

A long pause reached Alli, Michael obviously trying to think up
some new arguments.

"I need some time by myself, Michael," Alli said quietly. "It's been
a long week. I need a long hot shower and a while to
decompress."

"You're sure you'll be okay?" Michael asked with reluctance.

"Absolutely."

"All right."

Alli nearly cheered when Michael gave in, but he thought that
might make the man reconsider.

"But I'll only be gone an hour," Michael added.

"Sure, that's fine. See you then."

Alli hung up before Michael could say anything else. He stood in
the middle of the living room, waiting with bated breath, until he

heard a vehicle pull away. The instant the engine faded away, Alli
stuck his head out the front door, looking around cautiously.

All clear.

Alli pulled the door shut, locked it, and darted down the sidewalk.

He'd told Michael he would be safe. He'd never said anything
about where.

Chapter 17

Flora looked eerie after hours, locked up tight and windows
darkened. The plants in the front windows created strange, dark
smudges on the glass. Alli slipped the key in the front door and
pushed it open carefully. The bell jingled lightly.

Alli took a deep breath, smelling plants, moist earth...and magic.
Very familiar magic.

Oh, he was going to kill the jerk. Alli scowled, anger swiftly wiping
out any hint of unease he might have felt.

He planted his hands on his hips, braced his legs, tossed back
his head, and shouted into the dark.

"Magnetious Alexander Flame, get your scrawny ass out here
right now!"

Alli's voice rang through the store, echoing off the bare holes
where merchandise and foliage used to be. The sound faded
away, replaced by a deep, unnatural silence.

"Stupid, idiotic..." Alli stamped deeper into the store. When he
reached the counter, he flipped the switch under one edge. The
lights slowly flickered to life, the bright bulbs illuminating corners
and chasing away shadows.

"I'm not going to ask again," Alli warned. He took another deep
breath, this one in preparation. It was risky using his magic on
this side, very, very risky. But here in his sanctuary, surrounded by
the children of Nature, Alli's power was strongest, easiest to call.
It could still backfire, but the chance was lower. So long as he
didn't try anything complicated, that is.

Alli flexed his fingers, concentrating with every ounce of his being.
He didn't want an actual spell, that would just warp and twist, but if

he called up raw power and shoved...

Alli was so focused on his inner self he didn't hear the rustle. The
body slammed into his side and he yelped, flying sideways.

He hit the tiled floor and slid, fetching up against the base of a
folding table. Plants and pots rained down.

Alli yelled, arms coming up to protect his head as shards of
pottery slammed into him.

"Mother of--"

That wasn't him.

Alli kicked out, grunting in satisfaction when his toes connected
with something soft.

"Goddamn fairy bastard!"

"Look who's talking," Alli retorted.

Alli shook his head, dirt cascading out of his hair. He blinked a
few times to clear his eyes.

Piercing blue eyes glared fiercely out of an almost impossibly
narrow face. A sneer graced full lips that would have otherwise
been attractive.

Well, this was unexpected.

"Marandon?" Alli gaped. "What are you doing here?"

Alli's former lover almost snarled, rage twisting his stark features.
"What do you think?"

"I honestly can't even imagine."

"You ruined everything!" Marandon bellowed.

"Me?" Alli braced both hands on Marandon's slender chest and

shoved. The other fairy toppled over backward and Alli
scrambled to his feet. "I'm the one who had to flee to Earth! Do
you have any idea what it's like, living here? How blasted

hard

it

is?"

"Seems like you did all right," Marandon retorted. "You always
did have the most damnable luck. I knew you would land on your
feet."

The curses flew to Alli's lips, spilling out so fast the individual
words were pretty much indistinguishable.

"You wrecked my store," he accused. "You killed my plants!"

"Oh, get over it," Marandon snarled.

"Why?" The word came out too damn close to a wail but Alli was
past caring. He was angry and hurt and this was a huge mistake.
He should have waited for Michael.

It was a stupid time to realize that he didn't want to be
independent anymore. That maybe sometimes, it was okay to
lean on someone else, particularly someone named Michael.

"I thought if you were scared you'd come running back home,"
Marandon said.

"Well, that's a stupid thought."

"You really haven't changed. You're still a grumpy jerk."

"Then why the hell did we ever get together? You clearly can't
stand me."

"There weren't any other options," Marandon muttered.

"I thought you would have been glad to see the last of me," Alli
pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was! Then everything went wrong. The king found out you were
banished and he completely lost it! The man's gone insane."

Alli sputtered at the pure arrogance of Marandon. No one insulted
the king. Not if they wanted to live longer than a few more weeks.

Marandon continued, utterly oblivious, warming up to his rant. "He
started digging and found out about the Fayte's tolerance for
differences."

"Which are none," Alli stated.

"That's not true," Marandon protested. "But the king decided he
wouldn't tolerate our traditions. He's all about equality and living in
harmony. Blasted Elf."

"Imagine that, what a horrible goal for his kingdom," Alli drawled
in his heaviest sarcastic tone.

"He fined our nobles, raised the taxes, increased patrols. He's
making life impossible!"

"I still don't see what this has to do with me," Alli said.

"My parents are furious." Marandon was pacing now, hands
clasped behind his back, dark wings fluttering madly. "They
refuse to keep paying for my lifestyle."

"Now we get to it."

"

Your

parents are having regrets. They actually demanded

reparations from my family!"

"Good for them."

"You caused it! If you came back, came home, everything could
go back the way it was!"

Alli blinked. That made absolutely no sense at all. Absolutely.

None.

He guessed the nutty didn't have much use for logic. And
Marandon was clearly nutty. Alli wondered how he'd never seen it
before.

"Go home," Alli ordered. "I'm not going back. I have a life here.
I'm happy. You're the cause of the problem, not me, and it's not
my job to fix your mess."

"I need you!"

"No, you want me. And you can't have me."

"You're damned right, you can't."

Oh, good Lord, not now. Alli squeezed his eyes closed before
swiveling around. He pried one eyelid, just a bit, hoping he'd
imagined...nope. Michael stood framed in the doorway, fierce
and growly and looking more pissed-off than Alli had ever seen
him.

"Marandon? I would run," Alli advised. "Now."

Marandon had never been the brightest Fayte Alli had known. He
stayed.

"Who is he?" Marandon asked belligerently.

"My boyfriend."

Damn. That furious shriek hurt. Alli couldn't hold back a wince; he
really wanted to cover his ears. However, with Michael growling
away, it probably wasn't a good idea.

"Michael, I have this all under control."

Okay, that wasn't a good idea, either. Apparently, Michael wasn't
in the mood to be soothed.

"I'll get to you later," Michael snarled. "In the meantime, who is he
and can I eat him?"

"Marandon, and no, you can't."

"He's irritating."

"Yes, he is."

"And loud."

"That, too."

"Unless I miss my guess," Tristan said from behind Michael, "he's
also the one who was sneaking around Alli's backyard."

Michael lunged for Marandon. Marandon yelled and backed into
another table, which collapsed with a humongous crash. Alli
latched onto Michael's arm and tried to stop his forward
momentum. It was a bit like trying to hold a car in place with a
rope.

"Not helping," Alli shouted at Tristan. "Now do something
constructive."

"I'm enjoying this too much," Tristan replied. "Best farce I've seen
in years."

"I am going to hurt you, just see if I don't."

"Enough!"

Alli had never been so glad to hear Chris's familiar bellow.

The man in question stomped into the room, looking hard and
cold. Not good.

"You," he barked, pointing at Tristan. "Keep your mouth shut.
Michael, move another inch and I will slap you in handcuffs. And

you

won't

like it. Little strange man, don't do anything stupid.

You

I

will just shoot."

Then that angry focus turned to Alli.

"And

you.

Start explaining. Quickly."

"He's an old lover," Alli said hurriedly. "Never anything serious,
but we were caught together. The Elders were enraged and
disgusted, traditional old bastards that they are. Marandon's
family is influential, though, so I took the blame. They kicked me
out, I came here--"

"Today, Alli!"

"Right. Sorry. Apparently, things have gotten a bit messy back in
Faerie."

Alli managed to sum up Marandon's weird theories in a few
succinct sentences. Tristan listened with utter absorption. Evan,
who had arrived halfway through the story, just looked confused.
Chris's expression didn't change very much, but at least Alli didn't
feel like the deputy was going to shoot anyone in the next few
minutes.

Alli couldn't bring himself to look at Michael, see how he was
handling the situation. Honestly? Alli was terrified. He'd screwed
up this time. Maybe for the last time. Michael had put up with a lot
since they'd met. What if this latest incident was the last straw?
Then what?

God help him. If that happened, Alli just might give in to Marandon
and go back to Faerie.

Alli wrapped up his story and took a deep breath.

"So," Chris drawled. The edge in that one word sent a small chill

up Alli's spine. Chris's good-natured front had fooled more than
one person into overlooking the dangerous man buried
underneath.

"So?" Evan urged when Chris stopped talking.

"So, you're the one who's been causing problems in my territory."

Marandon folded his arms and donned that supercilious smirk
he'd no doubt learned at the age of two. It was very well
practiced. "Maybe. However, I don't believe this is any of your
business. I am here to speak with Alli, not you."

"Actually," Alli interjected. "I believe you were here to cause more
destruction and mayhem. Talking was never really your strong
point, particularly if it wasn't about you."

"I'm handling this," Chris snapped. "And it does concern me. I
wonder how your precious Elders would feel if I let them know
you'd been entering other realms and committing crimes."

"I didn't...I wasn't...you can't contact them!" Marandon finished
triumphantly. "You're human. The Elders wouldn't believe you."

"Oh, no? I may be human, but I'm also the primary law
enforcement officer in a town almost entirely inhabited by
paranormals and Fae. I have a lot of contacts, a lot of friends, and
a solid reputation. In fact, why don't I bypass the Elders entirely?
I'm sure your king would be--"

"You wouldn't!" Marandon screeched.

"He would," Tristan said. "And if he doesn't, I just might."

"I suggest you leave immediately and don't return. In exchange, I
won't tell the king. The Elders, however, will be informed. They will
also be told that I expect them to watch your actions and ensure

this doesn't happen again."

"Wait!" Alli took a step forward, jerking to a stop when Michael
grabbed his arm, keeping Alli from getting too close to
Marandon. "How did you fake the signature?"

"Huh?" The word emerged in stereo from multiple voices.

"By the hedge," Alli clarified. "You have to be using portals to
cross over, but the only magical signature I picked up was from
my brother."

"You have a brother?" Evan asked. "Neat. Do we get to meet
him?"

Evan yelped in pain when Tristan smacked him alongside the
head.

Alli manfully ignored the exchange. "Well, Marandon?"

"You picked up your brother's signature because I had him open
the portals," Marandon said smugly. "Your brother misses you
and thought if he helped me, you would come home."

"And that way no one could trace the incidents to you," Tristan
added.

"Precisely. Wait, no." Marandon tried to backtrack as he realized
he'd just admitted everything to more than just Alli, but it was too
late.

"All right," Alli said. "Questions answered.

Now

you can go."

"But Flame won't open the portal for another twenty minutes,"
Marandon protested. "I can't--"

"Open your own damn portal," Chris snarled. "Just get the hell out
of my jurisdiction."

Alli studied Marandon with narrowed eyes. "There's another
reason you needed my brother," he suddenly said. "You're not
powerful enough to jump through realms."

The belligerent expression on the face Alli had once thought
handsome confirmed his suspicions.

"Fine," Chris bellowed. He stalked forward, pushing Michael
aside. Marandon backed up in alarm but Chris latched onto the
smaller man's arm. "You can come with me, then. I'll stick you in a
cell until I can find a witch capable of opening up a doorway."

"Careful," Alli called as Chris stalked away, dragging a protesting
fairy behind. "In another hour or so his magic is going to start
going haywire!"

Chris waved over his shoulder in a brief acknowledgement. The
door clanged closed, leaving Alli alone with the Lakkis brothers.

It was actually over. It took a moment for the thought to sink in.
After the last week, the whole scene seemed a bit anticlimactic.
Marandon was an annoyance, but Alli had trouble thinking of the
man as a real, honest threat to his safety.

"I think I'm going to... You know, Maryanne is probably
wondering...I should go call her." Evan kept a wary eye on the
youngest Lakkis as he fled the shop.

Tristan smirked. "You're on your own," he told Alli.

Then he, too, was gone, leaving Alli alone with Michael. Alli could
literally feel the anger vibrating in the still air. He turned, raised his
eyes slowly from the floor.

Michael's eyes were dark and hard with emotion. The fury was
there, yes, but so was hurt. A lot of hurt.

Alli swallowed hard, mind racing for something, anything, to take
that mixture of emotions from Michael's eyes. The anger he could
cope with. It was the disappointment and pain in Michael's gaze
that kept Alli struggling for words.

How the hell did he fix this?

Chapter 18

"You don't."

Alli had obviously once again spoken his thoughts aloud without
meaning to, judging by the surprise on his face.

Well, too bad. Michael wasn't feeling very sympathetic at the
moment. Although he was such a mess inside, it was impossible
to tell exactly what he was feeling.

Standing there, watching Alli, Michael's anger drained away with
shocking suddenness. Michael just felt...tired.

"I don't even know what to say to you," Michael admitted softly.

"You can yell, if you want." Damn if the man didn't sound hopeful.

Michael shook his head. "I'm not even mad anymore. Just...why,
Alli? Why do you keep fighting me? What possibly possessed
you to come here, alone, and face that jerk?"

"Marandon is harmless, really."

"But you didn't know that!" Michael's anger was stirring again at
the thought. Or no, was that fear? Anything could have happened
to Alli. Anything.

"I did. Sort of. Look--"

"You told me you wouldn't leave the house!"

"No," Alli corrected. "What I said is I would stay safe."

"You didn't do that, either!"

"I didn't mean to put myself in danger," Alli protested. "When we
were poking around the backyard, I caught the residues of magic
used to keep a portal open. I recognized the signature as
Maggi's."

"Who?"

"My brother, remember? I thought, since he had been in the yard,
that it must be him behind the vandalism and attempted break-in.
I wanted to talk to him, figure out why he was doing it."

"And it never occurred to you that he might be dangerous?"
Michael snarled.

"Maggi would never hurt me."

"And you can be damn naive."

The silence stretched out uncomfortably. Alli wouldn't look at him.
Probably smart of him. Michael wasn't fully in control.

"What now?" Alli ventured.

"I don't know," Michael admitted. "I just don't know. I think...I think
maybe I'm going to go home for a while. Think things over."

Alli bit his lip. "The cabin isn't really prepared for long-term use."

Alli seemed to be leading up to something, but Michael cut him
off. "Not the cabin. Home-home. As in, back to the city."

"Oh."

Michael had to fight instinct. Viciously. Alli looked so dejected
and miserable. Michael wanted to go and wrap him up in a hug
and... No, Michael couldn't keep doing this. He couldn't keep
trying to make the man's world rosy and perfect.

Alli didn't want him to.

"So you're giving up on me." Alli's hurt vanished behind a scowl.
"After you promised me you wouldn't. You promised!"

"Yeah, well, guess I'm just a dumb-ass bear," Michael said

bitterly. "I thought you were just being prickly. It never occurred to
me that you really weren't interested in anything permanent with
me. I thought you wanted me in your life but didn't know how to let
me inside. I guess I was just fooling myself."

"No!"

Before Michael could blink, he found himself with an armful of
fairy. Alli's head shook violently back and forth, hands clinging
hard enough to leave bruises.

"Alli, don't do this," Michael said harshly. Alli felt so right in his
arms, like always. But Michael couldn't do this anymore. He tried
to peel Alli's arms from around his neck.

Alli wouldn't let go.

"I'm the one who's a dumb-ass," Alli said. "I could never quite get
rid of the worry that I would be too much trouble, that you would
take off. Now you want to do just that. Well, I won't let you. Run,
and I swear, Michael, I will hunt you down. I don't care what it
takes. I'll camp out on your porch--"

"I live in an apartment."

"--call you six times a day--"

"I'll change my phone number."

"--enlist your brothers to help me--"

"It would be a good excuse to avoid them.

"--and become Maryanne's best friend!" Alli finished triumphantly.

Michael couldn't think of a sarcastic comeback for that one. It
would probably work. Maryanne and Alli had clicked over the
weekend. He could picture them teaming up and...yeah, that one

would probably work.

"Alli." Michael finally succeeded in tugging Alli off him. He held
Alli's hands in his, out to the side, so Alli couldn't distract him with
touching. "You really can't--"

"I love you, you big stupid bear!" Alli bellowed.

Michael gaped. "You...say what?"

"I love you." Alli glared, looking very much like Bryce in that
moment. Stubborn and annoyed. Michael wouldn't have been the
least bit surprised if there was pouting and foot-stamping.

"You want to go and bring that up now?"

"It seems like as good a time as any," Alli retorted.

"Don't say it if you don't mean it," Michael growled. "Don't say it
just to keep me here."

"I have never lied to you." Alli stated the words somberly, to
Michael's slight surprise not taking offense. "Not once. I might
have hedged an issue, pushed you away. I may have lied to
myself. But I never lied to you. Not once. And I'm not starting now.
I wouldn't hurt you like that."

No. No, Alli wouldn't. Michael's fairy might have a crusty, grumpy
shell, but a caring, sensitive person lay beneath. It might take
some work to find that person, but he was there.

Alli changed their grip so he could squeeze Michael's hands. His
expression was sympathetic, a hint of sorrow in the dark gray
eyes.

"I really am sorry," Alli said. "For everything. I think, deep down, I
was still viewing this world as a temporary stop. I couldn't let
anyone close because I didn't want the pain when I left. But I

realized something tonight while talking to Marandon. This is
home. I could go back now, but I don't want to."

"What made you change your mind?" Michael asked quietly. His
heart ached, waiting for the answer. He wanted to know--and yet,
he didn't.

"You," Alli said. "You changed everything. Before, every day was
a struggle. The magic made things so hard. But then...then I met
you. And you made the work of living on earth worthwhile. Having
you, suddenly Fridays didn't seem like such a cataclysmic event."

"Alli..." Michael trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say. Alli
was giving him all the right words, telling Michael what he had
longed to hear. Yet, he was afraid to trust in it.

It suddenly occurred to Michael that he was doing exactly what
Alli had been. He was pushing Alli away before Alli could hurt him
again.

"You're sure about this?" Michael demanded. "No more pushing
me away? No more running off to handle problems by yourself?"

"I'm sure," Alli assured him. "You're stuck with me. Just don't go
complaining in a couple of months when you've handled more
problems than you thought possible."

"It will be worth it," Michael murmured. "Love you, babe."

"I love you, too."

Michael finally let his wall crumble, pulling Alli in close and
crushing their mouths together. He took the kiss forcefully, tasting
his lover.

"Need you," Alli gasped. "Please, Michael."

"You've got me."

Alli tried to climb Michael, arms supporting his weight, legs
wrapping around Michael's thighs. Michael grunted and
staggered.

Alli slipped and they fell off-balance. Michael dropped, landing on
his ass on the floor, Alli still in his lap.

Michael started to chuckle. He pressed his forehead to Alli's,
waiting for the laughter to pass. "Guess I should get used to it,
huh?"

"Yep," Alli said. "Sex is probably always going to be dangerous."

"I can live with that," Michael said, tilting his head and brushing
their lips together.

"I still need you," Alli whispered.

Michael grunted again, adjusted Alli, and stood with the skinny
man in his arms. A few steps had them across the room. He set
Alli on the front counter, pressing his body between Alli's legs.

The kiss went on and on, hot and intimate. Michael's cock
throbbed in his pants, his balls tight, stomach aching. He could
probably get off from their lips alone.

He had other plans, though.

Michael's hands slipped to Alli's waist, undid the fastenings of his
jeans.

"Lift up, babe," Michael ordered. He yanked Alli's pants down
over his hips, freeing Alli's hard shaft from the prison of his briefs.

Michael hummed in happiness, fingers tracing the vein along the
side of Alli's cock.

The counter was tall. It became a simple matter of bending at the

waist a bit, and Michael enveloped Alli's hot flesh in his mouth.

"Michael!" Alli's shout was accompanied by a sharp tug at
Michael's hair.

Michael responded by sucking lightly on the engorged head,
swirling with his tongue. He slid forward, taking as much of Alli's
cock as he could. His hands played with the swollen balls, tracing
random shapes and patterns on the skin.

Michael bobbed his head, tugged lightly with his hand. Alli's shout
filled the room. Michael looked up and drank in the sight of his
lover.

Alli's head dropped back, eyes closed, body arched in the throes
of passion. Stunning. The man was absolutely stunning.

Michael pulled back. "Come for me, babe. Let me taste you."

Alli's whole body convulsed under Michael's touch. The first drops
of hot seed splashed onto his tongue. Michael kept suckling,
drinking down the salty offering of Alli's cum.

With a loud groan, a whispered curse, Alli slumped. His hands
still clutched Michael's hair as his whole body went limp.

"Damn, love," he said in a hoarse voice. "You're good at that."

Michael groaned and shot upright. The kiss was harsh and
needy. Michael couldn't stop himself from humping against Alli's
leg. The sight of his lover's passion had distracted him
momentarily, but now Michael's own need was making itself
known.

"I've got you," Alli reassured.

A hot hand, fingers lightly callused, slipped inside his clothing. Alli
stroked Michael's prick with a light touch, up and down, thumb

pressing lightly against the slit.

It took only seconds for his beloved's touch to send Michael over
the edge. With a low, guttural sound, he spilled into Alli's hands.

They rested there for a minute, breathing hard, leaning against
each other. Michael bit back a protest when Alli's hand left his
skin.

Then his eyes nearly crossed when Alli's fingers went to his
mouth and the fairy began to lick the cum from his skin. Alli's eyes
went heavy-lidded. Michael's cock tried to stir again.

"Babe, why don't we take this somewhere more private?"
Michael forced himself to pull back. He wanted Alli again, always.
But this round, he wanted to take his time.

"All right," Alli said. "My bed, lots of lube. Sounds good to me."

"Me, too."

Michael helped Alli off the counter, stealing another kiss. "Oh,
and Alli? I want the wings, too."

Alli's smile was brilliant and warmed Michael clear down to his
toes. He hustled Alli from the store, waiting impatiently as Alli
turned off the lights, locked up. The events of earlier were long
forgotten with Alli's hand in his. Michael dragged his lover to the
truck and practically tossed him in.

They had a lot of making up to do. And Michael intended to enjoy
every sex-filled moment.

Epilogue

Michael was hot and sweaty and so happy he could have purred.
He wiggled, sinking deeper into the couch cushions. Alli made a
nice weight on top of him.

Wild, passionate sex was really the only way to say hello.

Michael wound his fingers in Alli's hair, too sated to move. He'd
pounced on Alli the instant the man had come through the door.
They'd never even made it to the bedroom, but that was okay. Alli
had a pretty comfy couch.

"Lucas came into the shop today," Alli admitted quietly.

Well, that just shattered the afterglow.

Michael shot upright, glaring at his boyfriend. Alli looked
suspiciously guilty.

"He isn't due for another week," Michael snarled.

"Well, thanks to you, he forgot his aconitum and had to come
back for it. And believe me, I think it was as awkward for him as it
was for me."

"His what?"

"Wolfsbane, monkshood, whatever you want to call it."

"Oh, his plant."

"Don't look so grumpy," Alli chided. "Tristan was with him."

"What was Tristan doing with Lucas?"

"Making the poor guy apologize. Apparently, Lucas had a crush
on me. We kept thinking Lucas was around because it was true.
He watched me sometimes. Tristan made him promise to stop."

"What about the claw marks at the store? How did he explain
those?"

"That was Marandon. He was big on misdirection. Tristan
explained everything to me this morning."

"Then why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because you have this unreasonable dislike for Lucas," Alli
argued. "It's ridiculous and unfounded."

"The man kissed you!"

"It was only a kiss."

"Only a...I should have ripped off his arms instead of just hitting
him. Next time, you call me. I mean it."

"He's harmless," Alli snapped. "He just gets a little amorous
during the full moon."

"Damned fucking werewolf," Michael muttered.

Alli started laughing.

"Now what's so funny?" Michael couldn't stop the scowl. They'd
been having such a nice evening, too. Michael reached out and
snagged Alli before he went sliding off the couch.

"Werewolf," Alli snorted.

Okay, Alli had officially cracked.

"I just never thought about it before," Alli finally said when he
could breathe again. "But if he's a werewolf that makes you
a...a...werebear!"

Alli cracked up again. Michael rolled his eyes.

"I'm a shifter," he snapped. "Weres are a different species

entirely."

"Man and beast. What's the difference?" Alli had gotten his
laughter under control, but it had been replaced by bouncing. The
whole couch jiggled as Alli stared at Michael, that fanatical light in
his eyes, the one Michael had come to associate with the man's
voracious curiosity.

"Shifters change from human to animal. Weres have that half-
man, half-animal form. And as far as I know, there are
no...werebears." Damn. He cringed just saying the word.
Especially as it sent Alli off into another fit of laughter.

Michael pinned Alli to his side, grumbling under his breath about
faeries with rotten senses of humor.

"Sorry," Alli said. Since he was still laughing, Michael didn't really
buy the apology.

Michael tugged on Alli's braid, wrapping the hair around his fist
and bringing Alli in for a kiss. It was, after all, the most effective
way to stop the annoying laugh.

It worked. Alli moaned, tongue sliding out to tangle with Michael's.
The kiss stayed light, sensual.

Michael's stomach growled. His cheeks flushed.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"We should get something to eat," Alli said.

"Emmaline's?"

"Why not?"

"Tristan can't join us."

"He can't?"

"Nope," Michael said. "I want to ask you something and it's best
done without an audience."

"What do you want to ask?" Alli propped his arms on Michael's
chest and his chin on his hands, staring with burning curiosity.

"Dinner."

"Now."

Michael smiled. "Fine. I want you to move in with me."

"But then I can't walk to work," Alli pointed out.

"So I'll drive you. I've turned your storeroom into an office
already."

"I don't know, Michael..."

Michael wrapped his hands around Alli's back and went for the
kill. "You wouldn't have to hide your wings."

"You really have a thing for my wings, don't you?"

Michael nodded. "They're you. I don't want you to have to hide any
part of yourself."

His hand kept wandering, halting between Alli's shoulder blades.
Michael scratched and Alli hummed in pleasure, moving back
into the touch.

"I don't know. I think your cabin might be outside the shield."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why do you think there are so many paranormals here? When
the coven first moved in, they hired someone to put a protective
spell around their sacred circle. Something went wrong and it
surrounded the whole town. I think it's why I've been able to live
here for so long without self-destructing. The magic around the

town is enough to take the edge off. If the cabin is outside the
boundary..."

"Then we'll deal with it. I want you close, Alli," Michael urged. "I
want us to be somewhere Bruce can roam and you can wander
around being yourself."

"I could do that here." Alli didn't sound so certain, though.

"Maybe, if you kept the windows closed up. Putman might be
accepting, but I don't think they're quite ready for a winged man.
And you know how Bruce feels about enclosed spaces."

Michael kept his hands moving idly, stroking and petting.

"I'll think about it," Alli finally promised.

It wasn't the answer Michael wanted, but it would do. He brushed
a quick kiss across Alli's lips and moved Alli off him.

"I'll take it. For now. Come on, babe. Let's get some food. Then
we can come back and go to bed."

"What, no movie?" Alli teased.

"Sure. The couch works just as well as the bed," Michael teased
back. "And nothing says we actually have to watch the movie."

Alli laughed, light and happy. Michael clasped their hands.

Life wasn't perfect. Never would be. But it was good. Very good.
And to Michael's mind, good worked better than perfect.

Bruce rumbled happily, in full agreement.

Michael looked at Alli, the sharp features and bright hair so
familiar now.

Yeah, he was a very lucky bear.

K. M. Mahoney

K. M. has been creating stories since before she could write.
After devouring every book she could get her hands on (and a
few that she had to sneak past her parents), K. M. turned to
writing her own. K. M. loves nothing more than wandering new
places and, on occasion, entirely new worlds with her characters.
Her characters range from cowboys to Victorian nobleman,
accountants to shapeshifters, and everything in between. While
K. M. has only recently begun publishing, she hopes to bring
many more stories out of the darkness of her computer's hard
drive to share with others.

To learn more about K. M. Mahoney, please visit her website:
www.authorkmmahoney.com

zzzz