Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
L iam’s palm tingled with the buzz of energy he’d gotten from shaking Kade’s hand, but he refused to rub it against his pants to alleviate the odd sensation. He hadn’t used shifter energy since his apprenticeship, but it was as appealing as it always had been, maybe even more so.
While the mage council jealously guarded most contract work, they made exceptions for mages who taught, allowing apprentices to experience shifter energy in a controlled setting. The council never let them work with shifters as strong as Kade though. Few would be able to resist the lure.
Definitely second-in-command with that energy. Victor’s pack had to be powerful for Kade to be so close to alpha level.
As the car sped past barren fields and scattered homesteads, Kade shifted his weight in his seat, and Liam tried to ignore the fidgety restlessness emanating from him.
Liam had no issue with silence—the same could apparently not be said for Kade.
He was gorgeous, though that wasn’t a surprise; most shifters were. Liam would guess Kade to be half a dozen years older than him. His sun-kissed brown hair hung loose and was just long enough to tie back, the kind that might tempt a person to run their fingers through it—the complete opposite of Liam’s. He was well-built, and his t-shirt and jeans did nothing to hide all the muscle beneath.
Multiple people in the arrivals lobby had been checking him out shamelessly, and Liam had been one of them. He shared Elijah’s aversion to being tied to a shifter pack—or what had been Elijah’s aversion—but he had eyes and had to admit Kade was easy on them.
Elijah’s heads-up about Kade had been both vague and ominous.
Elijah
I'm sending Victor's second, Kade, to pick you up, and hopefully not in the way he usually picks up guys. I don't have a picture of him on my phone, but he's the shifter version of Aran. You'll know him when you see him. I apologize for him in advance!
Liam had reread the message a hundred times, trying to puzzle out what was waiting for him when he landed. As much as he would have loved to have Elijah meet him at the airport, Elijah had more important tasks to take care of. Liam could wait a little longer for their reunion.
Kade drew in a breath like he was about to speak, then snapped his mouth shut and shook his head almost imperceptibly, frowning at the road.
Despite himself, Liam was curious. What horrible pickup line had he just missed out on?
No. He didn’t want to know.
Even without a picture, the moment Liam’s eyes had landed on Kade, he had indeed known who he was. There was something about shifters—their appearance, their bearing, the aura surrounding them. It was obvious once a person knew what to look for.
And on the off chance there’d been two shifters there… Well, Liam still wouldn’t have needed a physical description. Kade looked nothing like Aran—he was muscular where Aran was lean, their coloring different, their ethnicities not the same—but Kade’s fuckboy energy rivaled Aran’s like few others’. It was as unmistakable as the smooth, predatory grace of his movements. His eyes had gleamed as they’d skittered down Liam’s body, and the smirk on his lips had given him away. Liam had understood Elijah’s apology without even talking to Kade. He’d seen hundreds of guys like him in the clubs Aran had dragged them to, each one offering a good time that night and little else of substance.
Now that they were sitting in the quiet car though, Liam wondered if his initial impression had been wrong. Sure, Kade had the look down, but he seemed to be trying so hard not to say anything inappropriate. It was kind of cute. And there had been something wistful in his expression as he’d watched that private jet take off.
Liam’s money was on Kade’s attempt at good behavior being Elijah’s doing. It wasn’t difficult to imagine Elijah putting the fear of god into him, making it more than clear that hitting on his friends was off-limits. There’d probably been a threat or two involved, most likely aimed at various parts of Kade’s anatomy. Promises of pain in a supremely inventive fashion.
No wonder the poor guy was struggling. He didn’t seem like he had many conversations that weren’t flirtatious. But if that were the case, Kade wasn’t remotely as bad as Aran. When it came to dick jokes and pickup lines, Aran never would have been so readily deterred.
Liam caught himself rubbing his palm against his thigh and forced himself to stop. Man, did Kade have potent energy, and a lot of it.
In more ways than one, if the drumming of his fingers on the steering wheel counted. Kade noticed Liam glancing at the movement, and he squeezed the wheel tight before relaxing his grip. The memory of Kade’s hand on his flashed through Liam’s mind.
He’d been surprised by the offer to shake hands—less so by the lewd manner in which Kade had done it. Perhaps working with Elijah had desensitized him to being around magic. But then they’d gotten into the car, and that theory had quickly been disproven.
It was a shame. Liam had liked the scent inside before Kade had cracked the windows. It’d smelled warm. He wasn’t sure how warm smelled, but it had to be something close to the scent that had permeated the air—a heat blanketing him, sinking into his bones.
Shifter scents fascinated him. Each shifter he’d met during his apprenticeship had possessed a distinct scent with notes he could never put his finger on. This one a hint woodsy, another sweet, though they didn’t wear perfumes or colognes. It made him wonder what they smelled like to each other. He had a decent sense of smell, but nothing compared to enhanced shifter senses.
Although none of them had smelled bad, they also hadn’t had the same effect on him as Kade’s scent. It had wrapped around him for a few brief seconds, bringing with it a sudden ease, his muscles loose as tension seeped out of him. He needed to bottle that scent. It was the type he’d buy and wear. A subtle fragrance that would linger on his clothes and fill his lungs with every breath.
But it was gone now, stolen by the wind.
He suppressed a shiver. The weather was pleasant—warmer than he would have expected for mid-October—but it held the inevitable looming end of fall in each gust and breeze, and he was glad he’d worn a sweater.
“So…” Kade was clearly grasping for anything to break the silence. “You… like books?”
“I do,” Liam said, then unable to stop himself, added, “ Big, thick ones.”
Kade jerked his head over to look at him.
Liam waved a hand in front of him. “Go for it. Do your worst. I won’t tell Elijah.”
There was no point in Kade being a jumble of nerves because he thought Elijah might castrate him if he used a double entendre or two. Liam had known Aran for far too long not to be able to handle that.
But Kade froze, his mouth hanging partially open. “You, uh, must prefer the hard ones over soft when you’re craving a nice, lengthy… read?”
Liam refrained from snorting. Maybe Elijah hadn’t scared him off; maybe he was terrible at this. “You’re struggling to come up with something book-related, aren’t you?”
Aran would be ashamed. How could Elijah think they were on the same level?
“Just ‘books’ is too hard. You’ve got to give me something more to go on here.”
Liam could have quipped that Kade seemed the type to like hard things, or how he needed to rise to the occasion, or, ‘Instead of something to go on, wouldn’t you rather I give you something to come on?’ But it wasn’t a good idea to encourage that sort of behavior, so he tamped down the urge.
When Liam didn’t answer, Kade tried again. “So, books. What did you bring?”
“Anything I could find about spirits. Trapping, destroying, banishing them. All the relevant books I haven’t looked through yet. They might not contain the information we’re searching for, but I wanted us to have as many of the books we haven’t archived as possible.”
Elijah had most everything covered as far as supplies went. That was the benefit of having the inventory of a magic shop at one’s disposal. But when it came to books, nothing beat the library, and as hard as Liam had been working, only a tiny percentage of its collection had been archived. The handful of tech magic specialists aside, most mages were resistant to digitizing their knowledge base. Which meant Liam’s four suitcases and backpack were almost entirely books, though the ones in his backpack were for his own research, not Elijah’s. His clothes and personal items were afterthoughts, stuffed in the pockets of space remaining around the volumes and tomes. He swore he heard the curses of the luggage handlers who’d had the misfortune of lifting his bags.
“You archive books?” There was a note of genuine curiosity in Kade’s voice.
“I work for the main mage library in the US. We’re currently digitizing our collection, trying to get the books scanned and into a system so they can be accessed by any mage who needs them.”
Under his breath, Kade muttered, “I can’t use that either.” He said it low enough that he must have thought Liam wouldn’t hear it.
“I work at a library, and you can’t even come up with a ‘checking things out’ line?” Liam asked, holding back a laugh.
Kade let out an amused huff. “In my defense, there’s not much of a library in Lost Creek. It’s a half-full bookshelf of farmer’s almanacs, and that’s it. But I suppose there should have been a joke somewhere in there about whether you’ll shush me if I get loud.”
“I’m not a librarian. I’m an archivist.”
Kade faltered, a furrow forming between his brows.
“I don’t just archive books. I handle priceless objects, including family jewels.” Some unwise part of Liam’s brain wanted to help Kade out, to throw him this lifeline. It was spurred on by the incredibly depressing mental image that had popped into his head of Aran suddenly incapable of making dick jokes. Not that he’d tell Aran that.
Kade’s posture eased. “As an archivist, you must insist on wearing a glove?”
“Common misconception. Gloves are often unnecessary. As long as certain precautions are taken, it’s preferable without. Bare skin means you can get a better feel of the object at hand.”
Kade shot him a sly glance. “You’ll have to give me a demonstration later.”
Liam shook his head, but he was grinning. None of his friends were allowed to know he’d said something worthy of Aran. He wouldn’t be making a habit of it. Better steer this conversation to safer topics.
“What kind of books do you read?” Liam asked.
“Do I look like a reader to you?”
That was a deflection if Liam had ever heard one. “There’s an aphorism that might apply here. Something about books and covers?”
“I know that one. If you want a good time, you should get under the covers.”
“Under? I would have assumed you’d prefer none at all.” And it was official. His friendship with Aran had ruined him. That was the only reason he could be almost flirting with some shifter he’d met less than an hour ago.
“I could be persuaded.” Kade’s smirk was as warm as his scent had been. It was doing things to Liam he hadn’t been prepared for.
The night before, Aran had sent a message in the group chat.
Aran
Just so you know, Elijah, after this is over, I might stick around for a few days to take advantage of the local amenities. Emphasis on the second syllable.
Liam had rolled his eyes, but Aran might have had the right idea. He’d been so busy getting the archiving project off the ground that he’d scarcely thought about anything else.
Not many people did it for Liam. He’d never felt the urge to pick someone up in a club. He didn’t mind when Elijah or Aran did it—the latter far more often than the former—but it wasn’t for him. The occasional need did crop up though, and Kade, for all his lame pickup lines, wasn’t the worst option. Guys like him were never interested in relationships. He might be up for a night of fun.
Maybe Liam should take a page out of Aran’s book and stay an extra day or two after this was over. Then he’d return to archiving the library.
Something to consider.
After they’d defeated the spirits.
The horrible lines seemed to have relaxed Kade further. “Alright. Tell me about this research you’ve been doing. What have you found out?”
“Truthfully? Not much.” Liam launched into a summary of what little they knew and the massive amount they didn’t. All the research they’d done and how it had come up empty.
To his credit, Kade didn’t zone out the way most people did when Liam talked about his research. He asked questions and seemed interested, though from time to time, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. He’d take in a slow, measured breath before his attention was on Liam again, and Liam had to wonder if it was the stress of the situation, of knowing dozens of spirits were on his pack’s territory.
The half hour flew by surprisingly fast and with shockingly few dick jokes.
Kade pulled off the highway and into a small town, though after the minuscule villages they’d passed, it was practically a city. The Welcome to Lost Creek sign proclaimed it home to nine thousand people, which boggled Liam’s mind. He’d always lived in cities. He couldn’t fathom daily life in such a rural location.
Vaguely familiar sights drifted by as Kade drove through the town until, finally, he was parking next to Elijah’s car in front of a building with a brick storefront. The shops along the street were mostly shuttered—even the magic shop was glamoured to appear closed. The row of old-timey buildings made it look like the town was stuck in the Wild West, like there’d be a quick draw at high noon on the dusty main street between a steely-eyed sheriff and some notorious outlaw.
Before Liam could unbuckle his seat belt, the shop door opened, and Elijah stepped outside. Crisis or not, he looked more relaxed than Liam had ever seen him. Since they were preteens, Elijah had always been so buttoned up, so careful. Buttoned up both literally and figuratively. And while he was still in a tailored dress shirt, he had the top buttons undone and his cuffs rolled back, something he rarely did.
It was a good look on him. Happiness suited him. He deserved it… and needed some serious teasing about the reason for that happiness.
Liam’s smile was so wide it hurt his cheeks. He threw himself out of the car and rushed toward Elijah. They collided, pulling each other into a tight hug. As nice as trading messages was, after years of friendship and then working together closely during their apprenticeship, being away from Elijah for over a year had been too long. When this was over, they needed to visit each other more, not let themselves get so tied up in their jobs that they couldn’t spare a weekend.
“Thanks for coming,” Elijah said as they pulled apart.
“Anytime. Though, I have to ask…” Liam’s grin turned wicked. “Have you told Mom yet?”
The tension that ran through Elijah’s body gave away his answer. “About that. I’ve been so busy. I haven’t had a chance.”
“Excellent. I was planning a quick call to let her know I arrived. It’ll be the perfect time for you to tell her your news.”
Elijah’s pale skin blanched even paler. “Ah, I think that can wait. Like I said, we’ve got so much going on.”
Liam slung an arm around his shoulders. “No, I don’t think it can.”
Elijah looked for anything that would save him. His eyes locked on Kade, standing next to his car, his expression bemused.
“First, we should get you unpacked.” Elijah stepped away from Liam. “Did he bring the entire library?”
“He damn well tried.”
Liam and Elijah grabbed a bag each while Kade took two, and they hauled them upstairs to Elijah’s apartment, though Kade seemed to want to take all four up himself.
Once they were inside, Kade inhaled and started chuckling. “It seems you and Victor had fun moving you out yesterday.”
Elijah’s cheeks went red. “Fucking shifters,” he muttered.
Kade snorted. “Exactly.”
Liam’s eyebrows rose. He glanced around the narrow efficiency, past the bookshelves to the neatly made single bed pushed against the far wall.
“No, the bed remains un-broken in,” Elijah said. “Lady wouldn’t allow that to happen in her apartment.”
That didn’t assuage Liam’s concerns. If it hadn’t been the bed… “Do I even want to know?” He eyed the kitchen table tucked in the corner near the door. Surely not. It didn’t appear solid enough to support any amount of weight or vigorous activity.
Elijah winced. “The bathroom.”
“How?” The bathroom in Elijah’s apartment was the tiniest known to humankind. Liam’s knees knocked against the door when he sat on the toilet.
“Wait a minute.” Elijah spun on Kade and pointed at him. “I thought you couldn’t smell right now.”
An emotion Liam couldn’t identify flashed on Kade’s face, but it was swiftly replaced by a shit-eating grin. “Educated guess.”
Elijah glared at him.
Kade couldn’t smell? Liam frowned. But then why had he cracked the windows in the car?
“Who’s Lady?” Kade asked, not-so-subtly changing the subject.
As if on cue, she strolled through the open door to the apartment and gave Liam a flat look. Her white-and-gray fur was even fluffier and more majestic than when he’d last seen her. Liam belatedly remembered he’d meant to bring treats to bribe her into not killing him in his sleep.
Elijah leaned toward Kade. “Meet Lady. The real owner of this shop. She hasn’t forgiven Liam for trying to erect a ward on the building door so she couldn’t get in while we were carrying my boxes up.”
Kade’s confused gaze bounced between Lady and Liam. “You put up a ward… to keep out a cat?”
Liam winced, but Elijah answered for him. “No, he tried to. She got past it and has held a grudge ever since.”
Lady circled Kade, sizing him up. He crouched, and Liam braced himself as Kade gambled his life by extending a hand to her and cooing, “Aren’t you a pretty girl?”
She looked so thoroughly taken aback and insulted, Liam had to stifle a snicker.
After giving Kade a final sniff, Lady sneezed, then jumped from the floor to the counter to the top of the refrigerator so she could peer down at them imperiously.
Still crouched, Kade glanced up at Elijah. “Should I be offended?”
“The fact that you have your fingers after that move means she doesn’t hate you. You and Victor are the only wolf shifters she finds marginally tolerable,” Elijah explained.
Kade’s surprise was written on his face, not that Liam blamed him. He’d never heard of a cat who liked canine shifters.
Kade stood, his eyes darting to Liam, then back to Elijah. “Well, see you later tonight.”
“I’m staying here for the night. We’re having a research party in the hopes we find some clue or lead before we start trapping the spirits tomorrow.”
Kade paused, his head cocked, then he shrugged. “Okay. In that case, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
“We'll be there a little before noon.”
As Kade walked out the door, Liam did his very best not to check out his ass, but Elijah’s smirk told him he’d been neither successful nor subtle.
“Don’t even think about it,” Elijah said. “He doesn’t do relationships.”
“I wasn’t, and I don’t do relationships either.”
“No, he does one-night stands. You do, as Aran says, ‘academically stimulating arrangements.’”
“That’s not… I mean, I can’t go around picking up random guys in a club. What if they can’t hold a decent conversation?” He didn’t enjoy hooking up with people he didn’t know, and the people he did know, he had no interest in hooking up with.
There was a very limited group of people he was attracted to and willing to sleep with, and despite the god-awful pickup lines, Kade seemed like he might squeeze right into it.
“It’s cute you think there needs to be conversation.” Elijah looked him over. “But seriously, I’m sorry about him. Was it nonstop innuendos?”
“Actually, he wasn’t that bad. I was prepared for another Aran, but he couldn’t even come up with ‘Do I need a card to check you out?’ when I told him where I work.”
Elijah grimaced. “He should have been able to do that, but he hasn’t recovered fully yet. He got the brunt of the previous spirit. It possessed him and started to rot him from the inside. He’s lucky to be alive.”
When Elijah had told them what had happened during the fight, he’d mentioned someone in the pack had been possessed, but Liam hadn’t realized it had been Kade. His tightening grip and steadying breaths took on a whole new meaning, and Liam wanted to wince. He should have been more tactful about the information he’d discussed.
“Is that why he can’t smell?”
“Yeah, Victor says he needs time before he’s back to his old self. Sense of smell, perverted jokes, and all. I’m worried that’ll happen while Aran’s here.”
No good could come from two Arans in the same room. “That’s a recipe for dick jokes and disaster. And speaking of disasters…” Liam pulled out his phone.
“Fine.” Elijah groaned. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Wait. Have you told your parents?”
Elijah pulled a face. “Yeah, no. Not excited to hear them say they told me so.”
“Screw that. They weren’t right. Just from looking at you, I can tell as much. You aren’t in some loveless transactional bond for power. You never would have done that.”
“They won’t see the difference. They’ll think I’m another pathetic mage who let himself get tied to a pack in exchange for alpha energy, and I don’t want them thinking about Victor like that’s the only reason a mage would want him. I’ll tell them eventually, but you know what? I’m happy. They can go fuck themselves if they can’t accept that.”
Liam tossed an arm around Elijah’s shoulders again. “Good. So have you told the council?”
Elijah laughed. “That can also wait until this shit is done. One crisis at a time. We don’t need to deal with two sets of life-sucking evil beings at once.”
“Please tell me I can watch when you do tell them?”
“You bringing popcorn?”
“Hell yes. And Aran will want to place bets on how many of them have a heart attack at the news that one of their precious shops is in the hands of a mage who has a true bond to an alpha shifter. My money is on two out of five. Now let’s call Mom.”
Elijah’s body stiffened, but Liam steered him toward the bed, Elijah dragging his feet the entire way. They sat on the edge of the mattress, and Elijah felt like he wasn’t breathing as Liam opened his video chat app and the call started to ring.
Liam’s mother answered at a speed that indicated she’d been expecting the call, and she didn’t wait for him to say hello. “Oh, good. You arrived safely.”
He tilted his phone so Elijah was in the frame as well.
“Elijah, honey, how many times do I have to tell you that you need to call more often, or am I going to have to come out there myself?”
“You’re welcome anytime, Mrs. Batiste.”
“You move away for a year, and we’re back to Mrs. Batiste? I really do need to get out there.”
Elijah grinned. “That’s not much of a threat, Mom.”
Liam’s mother beamed.
That was easy for Elijah to say. Now that he was bonded, she couldn’t try to set him up with the ‘nice young man’ she’d met at the gas station anymore. Liam wouldn’t be so lucky if she visited him.
Whether he looked it or not, Elijah was family. He was the closest sibling Liam had. As much as Liam loved his younger bio sisters and brother, the large age gap between them meant the relationship dynamics differed greatly from what he had with Elijah.
But these touching, sentimental moments were not why he’d made this call.
He gave in to his mischievous impulses. Elijah shook his head slightly, but that wasn’t going to deter Liam.
“Actually, Mom, you should visit. Elijah’s got someone he needs to introduce you to.”
His mom, bless her, being who she was, scented blood in the water. “ Someone ?”
Elijah chuckled nervously. “Sooooo…” He dragged the word out like he could put this off if he made the O long enough.
“Wait! I’ll get Dad.” Then she was off, moving through the house.
Elijah slapped a hand to his face, and Liam didn’t bother trying to stop his laughter. This alone was worth the cost of his last-minute airfare.
“Darling,” his mother said, “Elijah’s got news. About a someone .” And then there were two faces waiting expectantly.
Elijah pulled himself together. “So,” he said again, then ripped off the band-aid. “I’m bonded to a local pack alpha.”
Emotions flickered over his mother’s face. Excitement at Elijah being in a relationship, then confusion, and yep, there it was. The concern and worry Liam had inherited from her.
His father was as laconic as ever, simply raising an eyebrow in question.
Next to him, Elijah cringed, waiting for their judgment.
Liam elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t leave out the important bits.”
Elijah stared at him, eyes wide, and Liam took pity on him, telling his parents, “The bond is true, not transactional.”
His mother’s jaw dropped for a solid three seconds before she asked, “A true bond?”
Elijah nodded, the movement shy.
To Liam’s horror, the next sound out of his mother’s mouth was a borderline squeal, followed by a rush of words.
“That’s wonderful, Elijah! I didn’t realize you were seeing someone. You need to tell us these things. Tell us about him. How did you meet him? What’s he like? What’s his pack like? This is amazing. I always knew you were meant for great things, but that kind of bond just doesn’t happen. Who’d have thought? A true bond with an alpha shifter.”
Before Elijah could respond to the barrage of questions, there was another sound, this one most definitely a squeal, and the older of Liam’s two younger sisters came crashing into view, squeezing between their parents.
“Elijah is true-bonded to an alpha shifter? Oh my god. For real?” Bridget stared into the phone with a rabid glint in her eyes. “That’s so romantic ! Did you know right away? Like, when you first saw him? Is he hot? I bet he’s hot. Shifters are super hot. Is he big and muscly? Oh . But he’s an alpha? Doesn’t that mean he’s old? Aren’t all alphas old? Is he, like, thirty? Eww.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Ah… he’s two years older than me.” Elijah glanced at Liam, overwhelmed by the onslaught.
Bridget frowned, mentally calculating that. “So he’s kinda old.” At fourteen, she was nearly a decade younger than Liam and Elijah.
“Tell us how you met him, dear,” Liam’s mom said, but Bridget didn’t let Elijah get a word in.
“ Oh my god . Did he scent you? Like the day after you moved to town, were you running errands, and he caught a whiff of your scent and hunted you down because he knew he’d found his fated mate? And then when he found you, did he pull you into his arms or push you against a wall and—”
Liam’s mom hastily covered Bridget’s mouth with a hand, cutting off wherever that sentence was going. “You’ve been reading my books again, haven’t you?” she hissed, and Liam’s sister blushed, her light brown skin flaming to a dark red.
Liam and Elijah exchanged side-eyed looks.
“You were saying, Elijah,” Liam’s mother prompted, hand still firmly over Bridget’s mouth.
Elijah answered her questions, haltingly at first, then more smoothly as his nerves eased and he realized she was genuinely excited for him—though they were getting a highly edited version of events. He didn’t mention evil spirits or metaphorical shifter dicks once.
He’d honestly expected Liam’s parents to care about anything other than whether or not he was happy. Liam knew where that came from. Elijah wouldn’t get such an outpouring of joy when he told his own parents.
Liam’s father even had a slight smile on his face and nodded his approval when Elijah admitted he loved it there, with the pack, and he was figuring out how to make things work with his shop since his bond with Victor meant he was no longer a neutral party.
“Well, that decides it,” Liam’s mother said. “We’re making a trip out there. You tell us the dates, and we’ll make it happen. I’d invite you both here for the holidays, but I have a feeling your wolf won’t want to leave his pack. We could come for a visit next year though.”
Elijah’s grin was pure delight. “I’d love that.”
“And while Liam’s there, if there are any other nice young shifters—”
“ Mom ,” Liam groaned. He should have seen this coming. His mother couldn’t learn of Elijah being happily bonded without her thoughts straying to Liam’s relationship status. Or lack thereof.
“Don’t ‘Mom’ me. You both have been so against the idea of any sort of relationship because of your careers. I’m merely saying you need to give people a fair chance.”
“I’m not getting bonded to a shifter, Mother.”
“Elijah said that too, and yet, look at him. Don’t limit your options. What matters is that they’re good people. And make sure he enjoys a good book. You’ll never be happy with a man who doesn’t understand the value of a good book.”
Liam groaned again.
Outside the apartment, a car door slammed, and Liam leaned over to glance out the window. “Gotta go, Mom. Aran’s here.”
She perked up. “While you’re at it, get that boy a nice man too. He needs to settle down and put down some roots.”
Liam refused to make a joke about how many nice men Aran had already had. “Aran is not in the market to get bonded either, Mom.”
She shook her head. “Deep down, that boy wants someone to love and cherish him.”
Aran wanted a number of things deep down, but Liam didn’t think that was one of them. “We’ll see what we can do.”
They exchanged farewells, then ended the call.
“I take it you didn’t tell her about the spirits before you left,” Elijah said.
“Hell no. There’s no way we’d be able to check in every ten minutes to reassure her we’re alive. That’s why you didn’t tell her either.” He nudged Elijah with his elbow. “And why she’s never going to hear the true story of how you got bonded.”
A sheepish look crossed Elijah’s face. “Busted.”
There were things his mom didn’t need to know, at least not until well after they happened.
They stood and headed for the door, opening it to find Aran climbing the stairs, a duffel bag over one shoulder and a box of potted plants in his arms. His smile was easy, his black hair falling loose and soft around his face.
“Why do you have a box of plants?” Elijah asked, skipping the greeting and holding the door open for him.
Aran set the box on the table. “I’ve been trying a thing. And considering I’ve already put months of effort into these guys, I wasn’t leaving them to wither and die while we handled this.”
Liam squinted at the plants in the shadows of Elijah’s kitchen. Was there a faint bioluminescence to them? Yeah, that was not a normal green.
“What’s going on with those plants?”
“It’s a secret.” Aran walked to the refrigerator to pluck Lady off of it. She looked disgruntled at being disturbed, but immediately snuggled into his arms, purring and making the tiniest biscuits in the air as Aran grinned at her. “There’s my girl, my Queen of Cats, my Lady of Dread and Slaughter. I missed you.”
Aran was on the short list of people who could snuggle Lady without dying in the process.
“We missed you too, jackass,” Elijah said. “Now what the hell is up with your plants?”
Aran’s expression was beyond pleased with himself. “I have this theory. My teacher thinks I’m nuts, but I’m trying it anyway. We’re constantly searching for ways to draw out the magical properties of plants, but we do it after the fact. We expect the plant itself to do the heavy lifting. So I thought, why not help it along?”
“How?” Liam asked.
“That’s proprietary.”
“We’re going to be living together for a week or longer. Are you deluded enough to think I won’t discover whatever special technique you’re using on your plants?”
“Fine. Ruin my fun.” Aran pulled a tumbler out of the box and spun the lid open one-handed. A green glimmer emanated from inside, and the presence of his magic flowed over Liam, cool and refreshing.
“Is that water infused with your magic?”
“Yep. Basically, I’m using magic as a fertilizer to enhance the natural properties of the plants. I’ve been experimenting with these for three months, and last week, they picked up that glow. I can’t wait to try spells with them.”
It was an interesting theory, but potentially too time-consuming. The amount of magic that would require had to be insane. Though, if Aran made it work, there’d be a market for it. He’d have to ensure his magic wouldn’t interfere with anything another mage might use the plants for, but it had potential.
Cradling Lady in his left arm, Aran set down the tumbler, then took the couple steps necessary to close the distance between them. He clasped Elijah’s shoulder, making his knees nearly buckle before Elijah swatted him away.
“Don’t fucking do that.” Elijah cupped a hand protectively over his bite mark, and his cheeks splotched red.
Aran laughed. “I’d heard those things were sensitive and wanted to see if it was true.”
“You could have asked.” Elijah’s glare promised retribution.
“Where would the fun be in that?” Aran glanced around the apartment, then at Liam. “So. Tonight. Little spoon, big spoon, or lucky middle spoon?”
As narrow as Elijah’s bed was, those were the only options if they were fitting three people on it, but Liam had planned ahead. “I packed a sleeping bag.”
“That’s too bad. Fingers crossed Miles won’t be as prepared.” He eyed Liam’s suitcases. “I’m shocked there was room for a sleeping bag in there.”
“I vacuum-packed it.”
Neither Elijah nor Aran seemed surprised by the confession.
Aran took out his phone, snapped a picture of them and Lady, then pulled up the group chat. Liam’s phone buzzed with notifications for the picture and a message.
Aran
Get here quick, or we're starting the orgy without you.
Miles, who was absolutely driving and should not have been looking at his phone, responded with disturbing quickness.
Miles
Oh no. I think I just got a flat tire. It'll be hours, possibly days, before I get there.
By which point, you'll be dead. Because Elijah's shifter will have killed you. But enjoy!
Liam
Are you driving? While on your phone?
Miles
Don't worry about it. This stretch of I-90 is so straight, I haven't had to use my hands for the last twenty minutes.
Liam stared at the screen in dismay.
Miles
Liam's freaking out, isn't he?
Aran
Yep. Full Li-mom mode activation achieved.
Miles
Relax, Liam. I'm using speech-to-text.
Liam
Put your phone away and focus on the road.
Miles
I'm a little over an hour out. Please clean up any bodily fluids before I arrive.
He sent a heart emoji, and the chat went silent.
“He used to be so sweet.” Elijah shot Aran a look. “I blame you for this.”
Aran winked at him. “I am more than willing to take the credit for any debauchery I inspire.”
Elijah couldn’t suppress his grin, and Liam wasn’t successful either.
“Alright,” Aran said. “Let’s get this party started.”
Liam grabbed a suitcase, and they got to work.
They paused their research when Miles arrived, his bright smile bringing life to the drab apartment.
“I’m so relieved you’re clothed,” Miles said.
“You and me both,” Liam agreed.
“Hey now,” Aran said. “Anyone should be so lucky as to see me naked.”
Elijah scoffed. “If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen your dick, I’d have paid off the shop loan already.”
“That makes you extra lucky.” Aran leered at him.
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.”
Elijah’s apartment was cozy with the four of them in there, and it made Liam realize it shouldn’t take mysterious spirits wreaking havoc for them to meet up. When this was over, they needed to fix that. None of this once-a-year or less bullshit.
In the early evening, Elijah ran out to get dinner, though there wasn’t much to choose from.
They sat on the floor of the cramped living area, containers of food strewn around them, after Liam had carefully piled the books to the side, safe from damage.
As they ate, he let their conversation flow over him. He’d missed this. Even with Aran’s unnecessarily horny commentary, he’d missed it. He wouldn’t be telling Aran, but he truly had.
Nights like this had been a regular occurrence when they were apprentices—talking about everything they’d been studying, everything they wanted to do with that knowledge, and the latest guys Aran had picked up.
The group chat was great, but it wasn’t the same.
Besides, it was more fun to tease Elijah in person. The chat never captured how easily his pale skin tinted red when he was flustered, and Aran seemed determined to embarrass the absolute hell out of him.
“Alright, strip,” Aran said as they finished their dinner.
“What?” Elijah asked.
Miles glanced at Liam. “I thought he was kidding about the orgy.”
“That’s not why I want him to strip, and you can’t tell me you aren’t curious.”
“I’ve seen him naked multiple times,” Liam said. “I don’t need to see it again.”
“No, not that. We’re checking out how stretched he is.”
“I’m definitely good without seeing that, thanks.” Miles’s expression was aghast.
“Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter. I keep telling you not everything is about sex. Take your shirt off, Elijah, and channel your magic.”
It hit Liam what Aran was doing, and he couldn’t claim to be entirely disinterested.
Elijah rolled his eyes, but stood and unbuttoned his shirt, looking ready to throw something when Aran wolf-whistled at him.
“I do enjoy how you always wear dress shirts. It draws out the show.”
Elijah flipped Aran off, but then he was standing shirtless, the bite mark at the juncture of his neck fresh and tender-looking.
“Well, get on with it.” Aran made an impatient gesture, earning him a huff from Elijah.
The air in the room became electric, and Liam sensed Elijah gathering his magic, pulling deeply on it.
Slowly, working their way up from his wrists, Elijah’s tattoos unfurled, glittering a soft purple as they snaked over his arms.
Liam had seen Elijah’s tattoos on many occasions; he knew their pattern and how much skin they covered. Elijah had always been strong, and his tattoos had shown that. They’d twisted around his arms, ending near his shoulders, beginning to creep onto his chest. But this time, they didn’t stop there.
While the tattoos on his arms hadn’t changed, new ones now swirled out from the bite mark, crawling over his shoulders and across his chest, a few tendrils climbing up his neck.
Aran made a twirling motion with his finger, and Elijah obliged with a glare, turning to show the spiraling lines decorating his shoulder blades as well. A gasp caught in Liam’s throat.
How much of a mage’s body was covered by their tattoos was generally not discussed, though most apprentices had a phase that might be labeled the ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours’ stage. The ones on their arms stabilized by the time they were adults, but for the most powerful mages, they kept growing well beyond that.
Someone more crass might equate it to comparing dick sizes; Liam couldn’t agree. It didn’t account for how the tattoos changed and grew over a mage’s life. Though, he supposed certain people would point out that made the comparison even more appropriate.
Aran whistled again softly, and for once, he wasn’t being lewd.
Liam stared in awe. If the increase in Elijah’s tattoos corresponded with a similar increase in his magic, Aran had been right. Being bonded to a shifter had stretched Elijah’s channels wider than they’d ever been before.
There were diagrams in books that compared the tattoos a mage had with the strength of their magic. Elijah was now up there with the strongest, and he was just getting used to the new level of power available to him. He’d only get stronger.
Liam couldn’t think of anything to say, but he didn’t have to. Elijah’s phone vibrated where it was sitting on the floor, and Elijah snatched it up, his tattoos fading from view as he answered.
He’d barely gotten the phone to his ear when a gruff voice on the other end spoke. “Are you okay? Why did you have to use your magic?”
Elijah’s face softened, his tone soothing as he replied. “I’m fine. I had to show my friends something. That’s it.”
“Are you sure? Do you need me to come there?”
Liam had never seen Elijah look as content as he did in that moment. He normally held himself so taut, so reserved. It had only been with them that he’d let his guard down, and even then, it was often like he was trying to project an image, forcing himself into a mold he hoped would make his parents accept his chosen path. But now he was standing there, radiating happiness, and Liam was thrilled for him. He spared a glance at Aran and Miles and found them both grinning, though from the unholy glint in Aran’s eyes, Elijah was in for a world of teasing—something Liam would absolutely be helping with.
Elijah reassured Victor that there were no problems and he didn’t need to storm into town to save him.
It was a quick call, but Liam swore Elijah had completely forgotten they were there in those few seconds. His theory was confirmed when Elijah hung up, smiling at his phone, then jumped when he looked up and saw them watching him. His gaze darted between the three of them, and he cleared his throat.
Aran was about to go in for the kill, but Miles was the first to speak.
“Aw, you go all soft when you talk to him.”
Aran snorted. “That’s no good. His shifter won’t be happy if that happens. But I’m pretty sure him going soft isn’t an issue when his shifter is around.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Miles scowled.
“Ignore Aran,” Liam said. “He’s just jealous, thinking about how many more tattoos he could get if he were bonded.”
“Full chest plate.” Aran’s voice was filled with hushed reverence, his eyes distant.
Aran’s tattoos were impressive to anyone, mage or not. He’d found a tattoo artist in the supernatural community and had channeled his magic so the artist could create an ink design around his magical tattoos. What resulted was a negative space of twisting vines that curled up his arms, surrounded by leaves and flowers in black and gray. When he channeled his magic, the negative space filled with a shimmering green. The average person unaware of the supernatural would think the design was interesting, but for anyone aware, those tattoos showed precisely how powerful Aran was, whether he was using his magic or not.
It showcased the gap that defined everything that was Aran. Deadly serious when it mattered, though that side of him was hidden behind his fuckboy ways. His flippant behavior was a mask for someone who cared intensely.
Most mages were reluctant to show their tattoos; Aran’s were visible for the whole world to see. An ostentatious reminder of his not-insubstantial power. The ink went up to his shoulders, since those tattoos were set. He’d have to wait years for them to grow much beyond that. If there was one thing that might tempt Aran to get bonded to a shifter—besides the dick—it was the prospect of getting more tattoos.
But then Aran shook himself. “Nope. Not worth it. I’ll get there by myself, thank you very much. I’ll leave the channel-stretching to Elijah and his shifter.”
Elijah rolled his eyes again and put on his shirt. They cleaned up before returning to their research under the watchful eye of Lady from where she’d perched on Liam’s backpack.
As they researched, Elijah became progressively more restless, his leg bouncing where he sat, the movement a distraction out of the corner of Liam’s eye. Elijah’s agitation grew as the night wore on. He was unable to sit still, frequently looking toward the north. It was extremely unlike him.
Finally, Miles said, “We’ve got this, Elijah. If you’re needed back home.”
Elijah froze like he’d been caught red-handed, and the pieces clicked together for Liam as Aran asked, “Are you already so addicted to that shifter dick you can’t go twelve hours without it?”
“No.” Elijah glared, then pointed to his head. “He’s restless. This little ball of anxiety in my mind.”
“Do you need to go to him?” Miles’s brown eyes were big and soft.
“We talked about it. He told me he’d be okay for the night. Besides, this way, I can drive you out to the territory tomorrow.”
Miles didn’t seem convinced, and neither was Liam. He couldn’t decide whether it was horrifying or adorable that they were so connected, so in sync with each other.
For the rest of their research session, Elijah tried not to fidget but didn’t quite manage it.
They got through a suitcase worth of books. Not that it mattered. There wasn’t anything of use. Liam enjoyed learning for learning’s sake, but even he’d reached his limit on various aspects of spirits. He now knew more than he’d ever wished to know about possessions and exorcisms and hauntings. None of that helped them. Nothing was similar to what they were facing.
Shortly after midnight, they sorted out sleeping arrangements.
“I’ve got a sleeping bag.” Miles looked at Aran. “It only sleeps one.”
“Same,” Liam said.
“Y’all aren’t fun,” Aran complained. “But I brought one too.”
“You guys are welcome at the pack house. There are spare bedrooms. You could each have your own.”
Liam declined Elijah’s offer, and Miles and Aran did the same.
Mistrust of shifters was deeply ingrained in the majority of mages, as it had been for centuries, ever since the abductions —that dark era of their shared history when shifters had taken mages and forcibly bonded them to control their magic. For so long, mages had been raised to be careful around shifters, to be suspicious of their motives. Relationships between their kinds had begun to thaw over the last few decades, but hundreds of years of bad blood weren’t easy to get over.
Liam trusted Elijah’s pack; he’d be safe with them. They wouldn’t try to bond him against his will. But staying the night on pack land still felt dangerous in ways he couldn’t logically justify.
Elijah shrugged. “I figured that’d be your response.”
“Let’s get some sleep so we can start capturing these things in the morning,” Liam said.
“Whatever the fuck they are,” Aran added.
They crashed for the night, but before he fell asleep, Liam stared up at the ceiling and grinned, the banter and teasing of the evening replaying in his mind.
Moonlight shone through the window, casting a silvery illumination over the room and the sleeping forms of his friends. They were together again, as they should be.
Contentment draped itself over him, and he closed his eyes.
After this was over, he’d make damn sure they saw each other more often.