[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Zeph was sitting behind a desk, but jumped up and came around as Dan entered.“Sheridan, it’s been a long time.”Dan inclined his head as a mark of respect before he and Zeph grabbed each other in a bear hug.“You keep calling me Sheridan and I’ll start calling you Zephaniah.It’s just Dan.And do you ever sleep, man?”“Just Dan, then.And rarely.” Zeph drew back and sat on the edge of his desk, scrutinising his friend.Dan tried to take it casually, but scrutiny by an alpha, even one who was his best friend, made his skin crawl.He knew what Zeph was thinking.Dan was at least two inches taller than the alpha.He had broad shoulders, blue eyes, sun-coloured hair that hung down past his shoulders and a face that was handsome in its sculpted severity.Years ago, when he and Zeph had been in school together, Dan had covered all of his natural bodily gifts in hip, expensive clothing.His hair had been trimmed, his nails clean, his face shaved.Now he was wearing second-hand clothes that had seen better decades and his jaw was covered with stubble.Quite a comedown.Zeph seemed to agree.“So, when are you going to stop fucking about and find a mate so you can join my pack?” he asked bluntly.“Between dodging the fundamentalists and keeping myself from offending the resident packs, my time’s been a little busy,” Dan replied defensively.“Bullshit.You have a different boy in every city waiting to jump at your beck and call.” Zeph knew him a little too well.“Pick one to fall in love with and get your libido under control.”“It’s not that easy.” Being gay was never easy.Being gay and a werewolf meant that other shifters could smell attraction coming from you, and since the vast majority of shifters were biologically biased when it came to their preferences, being gay could get you into a lot of fights.Finding a mate changed that dynamic.It made you more trustworthy to the rest of the pack, made the fundamentalists a little more comfortable, made life easier.Dan had been looking for a long time.“It’s not like choices abound for me, man.Gay shifters hook up early or become loners if they want to live.As for the normals…they’re just so dull.Most of the time,” he amended, remembering that Zeph’s own mate and wife was a normal.Zeph shook his head.“I worry for you, Dan.You’re too thin, too wild.Times are hard and it’s going to get more and more difficult for you to make your way alone.Human laws are changing.Things aren’t as permissive as they were during our parents’ era.The packs are growing tighter, more controlling.”“I’ll manage,” Dan replied casually, hoping that Zeph couldn’t read him well enough to see how deep his loneliness really went.“I have for a long time now.I just came by to let you know that I’m going to be in the city for the next few weeks, maybe as long as a month.Darcy usually has some work to throw my way, and he always lets me sleep in the shop.”“You were trained to be an electrical engineer and now you work on cars for a living.”“It was a hobby before, now it’s a livelihood.” It was a pretty decent one, too.Every big city needed mechanics, and if nothing else, he could change oil and rotate tires.“You can see Darcy tomorrow.I’m going to feed you up tonight.You look like a starved chicken.”“Thanks, Mom.” Dan rolled his eyes.“Are you going to speak to Carlos as well?”Carlos Santiago was the alpha of Denver’s other pack.Dan snorted.“You know how much I hate that fucking snake.”Zeph shrugged.“Then I suggest you stay on my half of town.Don’t give him any reason to hunt you down.”Dan suddenly thought of his interaction earlier that evening.“Where does that bar on Colfax fall in the turf wars?”“Do you mean the Midnight Rose?”“Yeah, that’s it.”“Neutral territory.The bar is owned by a vampire who’s fallen on hard times.He doesn’t allow for divisiveness in his business affairs.He books my daughter’s band to play there once a week.”“Good.There’s a really hot bartender working there.”Zeph just shook his head.“You have to grow up sooner or later, Sheridan.I hope for your sake it’s sooner.” He pushed off from against the desk.“Now, we’re going to the kitchen.Early breakfast for you, late dinner for me.You can tell me some of your adventures over the past few years while we eat.”“Sounds good.” They started walking down the hall together, comfortably silent until Dan brought up the one part of their conversation that had surprised him.“You let Rebecca play in a band? In a bar, with beer and groupies and grabby drunks? Isn’t she just sixteen?”“Eighteen now, and far more frightening than anyone else in my life,” her father replied dryly.“Maybe it’s better you wait to settle down, Dan.Having someone else in my pack as high-spirited and irresponsible as Rebecca is might drive me insane.”Get your copy nowAbout the AuthorCari Z is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine.She is back in America, finally, and loves it, despite having to relearn how to use a clutch.Writing consumes the free time that isn’t spent on a mat or playing with her husband, or both (wonderful when interests coincide like that), and she hopes you enjoy what she writes as much as she enjoys writing it.Email: carizabeth@hotmail.comCari loves to hear from readers.You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.Also by Cari ZSurviving the ChangeTotal-E-Bound Publishingwww.total-e-bound
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]