Second Nature

PAWPRINTS:

SECOND NATURE

Anne Cain

® www.loose-id.com

Warning This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id® e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Pawprints: Second Nature Anne Cain This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by Loose Id LLC 1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-2924 Carson City NV 89701-1215 www.loose-id.com

Copyright © April 2008 by Anne Cain All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

ISBN 978-1-59632-680-4 Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

Printed in the United States of America

Editor: Barbara Marshall Cover Artist: Anne Cain

Dedication Thanks to Jet, Jen, and Kimber for reading and offering their super advice. And to my most awesome victim, er, I mean, beta-reader: Debs, I owe you one for catching the spark between the two guys. You know the ones. y

Chapter One

At the back of the room a woman gasped, her voice strained. “Oh, no.” Alarmed, Gabe tensed. His head turned in the direction of her choked out cry, his concentration broken. He tugged too hard on the sheet of paper in hand, and it gave with a disheartening shrrrrrip. The freshman hovering at Gabe’s shoulder cursed. “Don’t break it, man.” “I’m not trying to.” Gabe licked his dry lips and turned back to the printer. God, please

don’t let me break it. The score on things he’d tried to fix tonight floundered at a miserable zero for three, starting with one of the VCRs in the media room. While trying to force out a cassette wedged inside, he’d used a bit too much pressure and ended up cracking open the entire front of the machine. That had pissed off three people trying to scribble out notes for a lastminute essay on Winston Churchill. Then he’d tried to change an empty toner cartridge in the copier. Poor machine never stood a chance against his well-intentioned but clumsy attention. Filthy looks from students forced to make a run to Kinko’s almost scorched him on the spot, and he preferred not to think what this crowd would do to him if he slaughtered the computer lab’s printer next.

2

Anne Cain

“Please work,” Gabe prayed under his breath. Crushing the wad of torn, ink-smeared paper in one hand, he pressed the flashing red button to reset the printer. Rollers spun in place, grinding more paper inside and refusing to spit any sheets out. An acrid, smoky smell tickled his nose. “Crap.” He wilted. Behind Gabe, a woman started to panic. Her wail rose above the staccato sound of fingers hammering at keyboards in the packed room. “No!” Gabe straightened from his crouched position in front of the printer, tossing the ball of paper aside. The same freshman who’d scolded him a second ago tried to block his view of the back of the room, but Gabe towered over the anxious student. “Is the jam clear?” the kid asked, bouncing in front of him. “Can we print now?” “Not yet, hold on a sec.” Gabe tried to move around him, but another cluster of students swarmed in from the left. One of them clutched the hem of his sweater. “You can’t go until that piece of shit starts printing again!” The woman stared up at him with hooded, sleep-deprived eyes as she swept a few messy strands of red hair out of her eyes. “If this term paper isn’t on the professor’s desk by eight tomorrow morning, I’m screwed.” At the back of the computer lab, the woman shrieked. Gabe winced at the grating, high-pitched sound. “I promise I’ll fix the printer. Let me just see if I can help that other student really quick.” Before the woman could protest, he tore away. In the process he snagged his sweater on her nails, but was just grateful to be otherwise intact. Judging from the look in her eyes, she’d been seconds away from strangling him with the printer cable until the machine started spitting out the pages from her term paper. In that case, they would’ve both been screwed, since Gabe didn’t know how in the hell to actually fix the printer. The IT guys who usually monitored the library’s computer lab had clocked out hours ago, leaving him in

Pawprints: Second Nature

3

charge. What did Gabe know about fixing equipment? He was just a student employee caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when his supervisor needed another warm body to staff the building during the graveyard shift. The wailing in the back of the room got louder. Gabe dashed between the rows of tables just as the student reached her breaking point. He skidded to a stop behind the brunette, and she flailed her arms at the dead computer screen. “It’s all gone,” she screeched. “My paper, it’s gone. All of my work --!” She sucked in her breath and screamed. Gabe clamped his palms over his ears, although that hardly did anything to block the sheer intensity of her shrill cry. Cringing, he crumpled to his knees and wished for the hundredth time that night that he’d been able to go home early. Right now, he could’ve been in the apartment, curled up in bed under the heated blankets, his body wrapped around Hayden’s. The woman’s yowl died in a gurgling sob. In the abrupt, oh-so-sweet quiet, Gabe shook his head to clear the ringing from his sensitive ears. From where he knelt, he caught sight of the surge protector under the table. One of the black cords was curled up at a wrong angle, copper prongs jutting up into the air. Gabe reached over and plugged the cord back into the open slot on the power strip. Overhead, the student gasped. “Oh, my God.” Figuring he’d probably made things worse, Gabe scuttled out and gripped the woman’s shoulders. “Please don’t scream again,” he begged. “You fixed it,” she shrieked, this time out of happiness. But the sound still hurt. “My paper didn’t get erased!” “It was just the monitor plug.” Gabe cringed, standing. “You don’t have to yell --” The student ignored him, her shrill voice rising. “Thank you, thank you!”

4

Anne Cain

Gabe backed away, straight into the pack of students who’d followed him from the printer. Four others who needed something in hard copy had joined them, and they all looked desperate. Dangerously desperate. “Fix the frickin’ printer,” the redhead hissed at him. “Umm, about that…?” Gabe swallowed. He’d have to break the news to them gently. “See, I can’t actually make any repairs…” “Fix it now,” she snarled. There come moments in life when a person only has one choice: fight or flight. Faced with one of those very moments, every muscle in Gabe’s body made the decision simple by tensing up. The consensus seemed to be get the hell out of there before they eat you alive. Gabe looked past the mob. To his right, a row of windows faced the outside central courtyard two stories below. If he made a break for it, he had just enough room for a running leap that would get him through the glass. He’d be halfway across campus before anyone in the room knew what happened. To hell with work study -- humans during midterms were too damn crazy to deal with. Ready to flee, Gabe edged closer to the wall. From the front of the room, a man calmly announced, “The printer’s ready for whoever needs it.” Instantly, the energy of the pack shifted. The students bolted away from Gabe to mob the printer cart instead. Letting out a relieved sigh, he slouched back against the wall. Across the crowded lab, his co-worker and friend, Alex, laughed. “Having fun, Gabe?” Alex called out. “Buckets and buckets of it.” Gabe offered him a weak laugh. As the only two people on staff during this late-hour shift at the peak of midterm madness, they’d had one helluva crazy night. “I thought one of the perks of being in our senior year was a lighter work load.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

5

Alex stuck out his tongue, flashing the silver post pinned through the pink length. “Wait until finals come around.” He rapped his knuckles on the table at the front. “Start wrapping it up, everybody. The library closes in ten minutes.”

***** It took another twenty minutes after the official closing time to clear the building. Gabe sniffed out two sophomores trying to hide under the hutches in one of the study rooms, reference books clutched to their chest. They wouldn’t leave until Gabe let them use the photocopier behind the circulation desk for the chapters they needed. He followed the couple outside, flicking off the last of the lights. Alex ducked out after them, and Gabe finally locked up. “God, I thought we’d never get out of there tonight.” Alex rasped both hands through his spiked black hair. He stared up at the murky sky where a nearly full moon peeked through a haze of clouds. He shivered in the cool breeze and bounced on the balls of his feet, antsy. Gabe grinned at him. “It wasn’t so bad. At least, it doesn’t feel that way now that we can go home.” “Mmm.” Alex shot Gabe a slick look. “Having someone in your bed to keep it warm helps with the positive attitude, right?” An ache of longing settled in the pit of Gabe’s stomach. He avoided meeting Alex’s gaze since his friend was in the middle of another breakup -- the third one this semester. Why Alex wasn’t more loved by his girlfriends, Gabe couldn’t understand. The chemistry major had plenty going for him with his striking features and friendly personality, and he projected the confidence of a sexually experienced male -- not that Alex had a chance to use that experience very often. Gabe couldn’t remember the last time he’d smelled the rich, strong scent of sex lingering on his friend’s clothes or skin. Poor guy.

6

Anne Cain

Gabe didn’t like the idea of rubbing his own happiness in, but he couldn’t be less than honest. “Absolutely,” he admitted. “So get going already.” Alex laughed. “You should see your face; you look like a lost puppy. It’s so pathetic.” Half the time he was away from Hayden, he did feel like a lost puppy, but explaining that to Alex would involve sharing more information than he could. “The look is part of my charm.” Gabe playfully shoved the man down the walkway. “I thought being six feet two and almost two hundred pounds of sexy gay male was your charm.” Alex smirked. “Now you’re just making fun.” Gabe never thought of himself as being particularly sexy, not with his goofy smile, long nose, and scruffy dark brown hair. Was he clumsy, especially in this human body? Yes. Easily distracted by other people’s emotions? Without a doubt. A bad dresser? One glance at his beat-up, stained jeans and snagged sweater confirmed as much. “I mean it.” Alex stuffed his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket. His dark eyes flickered over Gabe. “If I were into guys, I’d find you at least mildly attractive.” “Thanks.” Gabe chuckled. “I think.” Alex’s laughter dissolved in a sigh. “I guess I’m out of here, then.” “You all right?” Gabe touched his shoulder. “Yeah, just feeling kind of…” His voice trailed off, and he stared over his shoulder in the direction of the dorm building. His body stiffened, radiating an aura of frustration. Sympathetic, Gabe squeezed his shoulder. “It’s all good.” Alex turned back to him with a strained smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Bye.” Gabe waved as Alex started off across the courtyard. After a couple of steps, Alex stopped and glanced back. “Hey, are you and Hayden going to be at Les’s party tomorrow night?”

Pawprints: Second Nature

7

“After getting through midterm week, we’ll need a few drinks,” Gabe called. “If the party is still going after we close up the library, I’ll meet you there with Hayden.” “Awesome.” Alex gave him a thumbs-up. “Catch you later.” Gabe watched his friend trot up the curved pathway and disappear around the side of the library in the direction of the dorms. Tonight, the dark and empty buildings provided a strange contrast to the noontime bustle that Gabe was used to on campus. The lonely feeling reminded Gabe, a very social creature by nature, of how out of place he could be in this human world without a pack, without a family. Gabe shook off the sad thought by breaking into a jog. Everything that made him different from humans also made him want to be with them. He enjoyed making new friends and talking with people, even the frazzled students at midterms. But Gabe really craved only one person -- the man he belonged to body and soul. “Hayden.” Gabe smiled. He followed the walkway in the opposite direction of the dorms, his thoughts racing toward the apartment he shared with his best friend and love of his life.

8

Anne Cain

Chapter Two

The urge to break into a run formed a nagging itch under Gabe’s skin that worsened the more he tried to control his pace. Sodium lamps colored the brick walls a dingy shade of orange as he trotted forward, moving through the scattered shadows from the rows of trees that lined the path. He couldn’t stop thinking of Hayden, and after a few glances convinced him that no one was around, he let loose. Gabe tore through the campus, his backpack slapping against his rib cage as he raced up the walkway. He caught the whine of an approaching electric cart and broke from the path to avoid the security guard’s patrol. Running on the dry grass didn’t slow him down, the cool air filling his lungs and numbing his cheeks. He headed toward the brick wall that bordered the university grounds, and taking a running jump, scaled the six-foot height in one leap. He hit the sidewalk at a run and ate up the distance to the crosswalk. Even at two in the morning, cars and taxis snaked their way through Boston’s streets. He raced across the street a second before the light changed, and only one cab driver had reflexes quick enough to blast the horn before Gabe was gone. He turned the corner at the twenty-four hour coffee shop, and passed Rudy’s Sports Bar and a string of bookstores and curios. Another turn off the main avenue and he entered a modest residential block. On his

Pawprints: Second Nature

9

left, he counted four wrought iron doorways before hopping up the cement steps leading to the fifth. There, he used his building key at the entrance and crossed the tiled foyer to the stairs. Each section of the four-story complex had two apartments, and the one he shared with Hayden was on the third floor. Gabe didn’t even notice the trip up the stairs. He took several steps at a time and entered the studio apartment, dropping his bag by the door and turning the lock. “Home,” he sighed, only now catching his breath. A soft snore sounded in response. Gabe crossed the small, cluttered room by the slivers of moonlight coming through the partially open blinds. The place wasn’t much bigger than the dorms on campus, and they’d just managed to squeeze in a bed, desk, and some chairs. The payoff in having their own place was the privacy, a perk they enjoyed intimately. In every sense of the word. Underneath the window, Hayden lay stretched out on the bed. An arm stuck out from under the rumpled blankets, and a bare leg dangled over the edge of the mattress so the tips of his toes scuffed the top of the carpet. Gabe came up beside the bed, quietly undressing in the semidarkness. Hayden yawned and rolled over. The sheets fell away from his shoulder and exposed more of his beautifully tanned skin, smooth and flushed in the chilly air. Hayden slept nude, expecting company between the sheets to keep him warm. The longing Gabe had fostered in the pit of his stomach all night dipped straight down and shifted into a warm pulse at his groin. He hesitated at the button of his fly, the delicious sensation coursing through him, lifting his cock. “Hey,” Hayden murmured. He gave Gabe a sweet and drowsy smile, and blond hair fell across his eyes as he shifted on the mattress. “Did you just come in?” Gabe nodded. “I was trying not to wake you.”

10

Anne Cain

“Glad that plan failed.” Hayden swept a hand across his face to push back his bangs. “I’m already up, in more ways than one.” “Really?” Gabe’s cock twitched. “Come find out for yourself,” Hayden taunted. Gabe allowed his gaze to travel along the naked parts of Hayden he could see, and linger wistfully on those he couldn’t. The blanket draped over Hayden’s body, clinging close to the skin. Between his thighs, the cloth traced the curved jut of an erection. Desire to be pressed against that taut body, wrapped in its heat and sweet smell, surged through Gabe, and he let out a shaky breath. His shaft kicked against the restrictive fit of his jeans. “Here, let me.” Hayden propped himself up on his left elbow and leaned over. He gripped the waistband of Gabe’s pants and pulled him to the bed. Gabe doubled over, one knee on the edge of the mattress, a hand pressed against the wall over Hayden’s head. A sense of closeness, of completeness, washed over him. At his waist, Hayden’s skilled fingers worked open the button and tugged at the zipper. A shiver rocked Gabe when cool air touched the hot skin of his shaft as the organ bounced free. “Still forgetting to put on your underwear in the morning?” Hayden raised both eyebrows, his mouth curved playfully. “It just gets in the way.” Gabe winked. He was also tired of losing his briefs whenever he shifted. Socks too. It didn’t matter how careful he was with his clothes; he always ended up going home commando or sockless. Not that he could explain that to Hayden. “I like that idea.” Hayden rubbed the flat of his palm over the swelling tip, and Gabe trembled again as his cock rose. Hayden continued to stroke and gently knead the sensitive length. “In fact, whenever you’re in the apartment, clothes in general shouldn’t be allowed.” “Is that going to be a house rule?”

Pawprints: Second Nature

11

“Effective immediately.” Hayden’s strokes quickened, and the shifting sensation of loose flesh over the hard core locked Gabe’s voice somewhere in the back of his throat. He managed a low, throaty growl and pitched his hips toward Hayden’s hand. “Whatever you say.” He closed his eyes, loving that grinding, sliding feel that sent currents of pleasure arcing through his body. Lust for more contact gripped him, and he whined under his quickening breath while thrusting faster. “Easy, Gabe.” Hayden laughed, but the sound was hitched. “It’s not my palm I want you to fuck.” Releasing Gabe’s cock, he dropped onto his back. As the sheets slipped off his body, the curving length of his erection popped up from a thatch of silvery blond curls. Running on pure reflex, Gabe thrust a few more times into the empty air before controlling himself. He whimpered, knowing the “lost puppy” was coming through again and not really caring. “I’ve been thinking about you all night,” he breathed. “I want you so much it hurts.” It really did, the ache for Hayden’s companionship a knot in his stomach to rival the throbbing physical need that screamed for sex. Gabe ran his free hand along the top of Hayden’s bare thigh, moving with the flow of the soft, pale hairs under his palm. In the moonlight, the faded scars on Hayden’s side took on a pearlescent quality. Gabe touched the old wound and found the skin even warmer there. Hayden’s scent rose with the temperature of his body to wash over Gabe’s senses. Breathing deeply, Gabe dipped down to nuzzle the side of Hayden’s neck. He froze. Sniffed again. “You went swimming.” Gabe nosed the tangles of feathery hair above Hayden’s brow. The faint, tangy trace of chlorine stuck to the roots, persistent through the soapy residue of shampoo. A noncommittal sound escaped Hayden’s pursed lips. He kissed Gabe’s throat and nibbled on the spot above the Adam’s apple. The ploy to distract him didn’t work.

Anne Cain

12

“You’re not supposed to hit the pool for another three weeks.” Gabe pulled away from the arcing touch of Hayden’s mouth. He frowned. “That sniffing thing you do? It’s annoying.” Hayden made a face. “How do you do that?” “I breathe through my nose.” Gabe chuckled nervously. “What I mean is, how do you smell so good?” “Regular showers do the trick --” Gabe stopped when Hayden pressed a finger to his lips. “You know what I’m trying to say,” Hayden said. “That’s one of a bunch of quirks I can’t explain about you, and I’ve known you almost half my life.” “But you like quirky.” At least that was the excuse Gabe had always clung to whenever Hayden noticed something odd. Like when they spent last spring down on the coast, and Gabe slipped out very early one morning to enjoy the beach on all fours. Hayden wasn’t that heavy a sleeper, and he followed Gabe down a few minutes later. If the wind hadn’t shifted to carry his boyfriend’s scent a second before Hayden climbed over the rocks to hit the shoreline, Gabe would’ve been caught right in the middle of changing Natures. Explaining to Hayden why he was standing naked on a freezing beach before dawn had turned out to be tricky enough. Those kinds of close calls over the years forced Gabe to be extra careful about his secret. But he still wished he could tell Hayden everything, he really did. Hayden might even find it funny, considering the irony of it all.

Surprise, Hayden! Your best friend and live-in lover of four years is a dog. That’s right -- when he’s not trying to pass as an ordinary English major, he has fur and a tail, enjoys long runs, and pees with one leg up. He also knows you hate dogs since you were bitten as a child -- a very traumatic experience, he understands that. But he swears to God

Pawprints: Second Nature

13

the worst thing he’s ever done was chew up a pair of his mom’s high heels as a pup. Not too bad, right? Just imagining the words made Gabe groan. He bit down on his bottom lip and avoided meeting Hayden’s eyes. “I love quirky.” Hayden touched Gabe’s cheek. “More importantly, I love you.” “Wait a minute.” Gabe frowned. “You’re trying to change the subject.” “Don’t worry about me,” Hayden assured him. “I feel great.” He lifted off the pillow, touching his forehead to the hard edge of Gabe’s clavicle. “Hayd…” Gabe sat back on the edge of the bed to inspect the closed incision along Hayden’s right shoulder. A month after surgery, the area appeared all but healed, at least on the outside. The scar stood out pink and bright against the rest of Hayden’s sun-kissed skin, with only a little swelling that most people wouldn’t have noticed. But Gabe recognized the tenderness of the area. “It’s not a big deal.” Hayden made a point to use his right arm when he reached up to pull the blinds closed with a sharp snap. He winced, the pained expression flickering across his face obvious even in the muted glow from the refrigerator’s icemaker in the kitchenette behind them. But Hayden flounced back against the pillow without making a sound. “Aha.” Gabe leaned over him. “I saw that.” “What are you talking about?” Hayden crinkled his nose. “How many laps did you do?” “A couple.” Gabe’s frown turned into a scowl. “How many?” “Six.” Hayden licked his lips in the silence that followed. He rolled his eyes and stared up at the ceiling with the same crooked pout he’d used to show his frustration as far back as Gabe had known him. “Okay. Maybe twelve.”

14

Anne Cain

“Your cuff isn’t going to heal right.” Gabe traced a fingertip along the contour of Hayden’s tricep, stopping just below the swell of his shoulder muscle. After the procedure, he’d tried sneaking a few licks of the wound a couple of times while Hayden slept. It had helped the incision heal faster, but the real problem lay below the skin. “If you don’t stick to the program your surgeon and therapist talked about, you’ll miss the rest of the season,” Gabe said. “I’m going to anyway.” Hayden grunted. “They let me off the team this afternoon.” “What?” Hayden tested his shoulder, tried to lift his arm perpendicular to his torso. Swearing, he gave up and rolled his eyes again. “The coaching staff says it’s just a ‘temporary hiatus’ until the doctors give me an okay to get back into training. That’s their official position.” “Unofficially?” Gabe had a bad idea where the conversation was headed. “I’m not in shape to make time at the trials next month, so I’m finished.” The casual tone he used couldn’t hide his disappointment from Gabe. “Not the best way to end my senior year, but at least I’m graduating.” “Hayden, I’m sorry.” Gabe rested his head on the cleft of his best friend’s chest. He listened to the slow, strong heartbeat within, felt the frustration coursing in Hayden pass through him. Swimming meant so much to Hayden; he loved the sport and was damn good at it. Enough to win a full scholarship to Boston City U and put his name down as a possible candidate for the Olympic trials next year. One small tear of muscle tissue changed everything so quickly. “Why didn’t you call me? Alex would’ve covered for me at the library.” “Like I said, it’s no big deal.” Hayden curled his left arm and cradled the back of Gabe’s neck. “There’s life outside of a swimming pool.” Long fingers gently sifted through disheveled waves of hair, the pleasurable sensation traveling through every muscle in Gabe’s

Pawprints: Second Nature

15

body. He tilted his head, guiding the reach of those delicious fingers to the spot behind his ear that he loved to have touched. “Mmm,” Gabe mumbled. He burrowed against Hayden’s chest, grunting softly. A prickling sensation rose across his skin, an itch to be rubbed everywhere. He squirmed out of his pants and curled up against Hayden. His left leg twitched in rhythm with the scratching and slid up between Hayden’s thighs. The weight of his lover’s sac rested on his quad, and Gabe pushed up against the heavy mound, sending a deep rumble through Hayden’s chest. Gabe found the column of Hayden’s neck with his lips and kissed the pulse point. The tangy flavor of perspiration invited him to lick the area, so he swabbed the length from collarbone to jawline with one sweep of his tongue after the other, pausing on each upstroke for more wet kisses that trailed a path to Hayden’s mouth. For a pleasantly long moment, Gabe sucked on the swell of Hayden’s lower lip and drank in his sweet taste until he broke away to pant. The ache building up inside worked a groan out of Gabe. His cock nudged Hayden’s hip, begging to be touched again. He thrust a few times and realized with a blush of embarrassment that he was humping his boyfriend. “Sorry,” Gabe murmured. He couldn’t help feeling ridiculously horny around his lover when everything about Hayden -- his soft voice, his gentle touch, his beautiful face and body -- drove Gabe wild. But after the day’s bad news, he doubted Hayden shared his mood for making love. “Now probably isn’t a good time.” “It is, trust me,” Hayden replied softly. “My shoulder isn’t the end of the world, but being with you is the most important part of my life.” “For me too.” Gabe smiled. He kissed his lover above the heart and held him fast. There was only Hayden, filling his arms, claiming all his attention, all his devotion. Gabe traced the tip of his tongue along the span of Hayden’s pec and drank in more of the taste he adored. He stopped at the raised nipple and closed his lips around the brown, moon-shaped area to draw

16

Anne Cain

out a long suck on the nub. The flesh hardened into a peak at the urging of Gabe’s tongue and heated up, the flavor intensifying as sweat rose to coat the skin’s surface. Gabe released the nipple for a few gulps of air, desire sending a shiver of anticipation through his muscles that traveled straight to his cock. More wordless sounds rumbled in his chest while the engorged and very ready shaft between his legs quivered impatiently, demanding release. As in, right now, let’s go! “Hey, slow down.” Hayden planted a soothing kiss on Gabe’s forehead that stopped another humping session in mid-thrust. His voice dipped to a throaty whisper. “I want to feel that in me.” Hayden turned onto his left side, curling toward Gabe. He shifted his hips, pushing them forward so his erection nudged Gabe’s. The dark pink head grazed the sensitive underside of Gabe’s cock, and the touch sent a trickle of pleasure shivering up the entire length, inch by delicious inch. Gabe let out a lungful of air he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, only to suck his breath back in as the rush built up deep in his taut sac. It was the heat that did him in each time, that moment of contact when their naked, moist heads met, and sheer, feverish heat arced between their bodies like a high-voltage circuit suddenly being completed. Gabe pushed forward in the direction of the sensation’s start, grunting softly, desperate to keep that volatile sense of electric attraction surging between them. The crown of his swollen sex showed through the ring of retreating foreskin as his erection lengthened, but Hayden finished unsheathing the head with a sweep of his strong hand. “Oh,” Gabe whimpered. All along his rigid shaft, the skin prickled with the echo of Hayden’s determined stroke. He squirmed as blood rushed through the fat cords of veins along his cock, fueled by the pounding of his heart. It felt so damn good, but he could only manage to make primal sounds to express the pleasure. Hayden didn’t need words to understand. He wrapped his hand around the base of Gabe’s pulsing hard-on and jerked upward, knowing just what his lover needed as clearly if Gabe had said it aloud. The touch gripped all of Gabe’s senses, blinding him to everything

Pawprints: Second Nature

17

but that steady, absolutely wonderful pull on his prick. He felt himself swell and blinked the sweat out of his eyes to stare down at his crotch. His cock distended further in the cup of Hayden’s palm, its color deepening, and the pressure rising at the base so hard Gabe thought he was going to burst. “Hayden…” Gabe moaned, pleading. “Damn, I should’ve called you.” Hayden rubbed the pad of his thumb over the wet slit. Gabe almost spilled out right there, and it took more self-control than he realized he had to resist letting go of the powerful build-up behind his groin. A sharp whine slipped past his lips at the same time a stream of precum squirted against Hayden’s thumb. “How long have you been holding this in?” Hayden’s eyes went wide, and he stopped pressing the very, very sensitive opening. Gabe took several gulps of air to steady his breathing while the burning need to come on the spot diffused enough for him to hold onto his restraint. Reasonably confident that he was no longer going to prematurely shoot off on Hayden’s thighs, Gabe leaned in for a quick and playful nip at the side of his lover’s neck. “Too long,” he panted, grinning. “And you know you drive me crazy every time we’re close.” “I had no idea,” Hayden joked, but his voice was thick. He reached around the circumference of Gabe’s prick to take his own in hand also. “Oh, God,” Gabe moaned. He loved the swell of pressure with his sex sandwiched between Hayden’s palm and cock. He thrust a few more times into that firm grip. The friction of penis on penis sent a ripple of delight through Gabe that exacerbated the burning rush behind his groin. The feeling was mutual. Gabe saw the shared pleasure on Hayden’s face as his lover writhed under the force of their joined masturbation. Perspiration trickling down his flushed brow and cheeks, Hayden quickened the pace of his strokes until the waves of sensation became more heated, more intense. Every part of Gabe’s body shook from the power of the

18

Anne Cain

oncoming orgasm. Fluid leaked from his engorged sex, and a growl welled up in the back of his throat. A wordless cry tore through Gabe as his control slipped. Cum jetted through Hayden’s fingers in a reckless spurt. The splatter coated both their abdomens, hot and sticky and wonderful. But the release was incomplete. Gabe shuddered from the force of his first orgasm, while another one thundered close at its heels. He hunched over Hayden, cock slipping free. “Wait,” Hayden chanted in short gasps. “Wait.” He rolled onto his back and fumbled wildly through the top drawer of the nightstand with one hand. Below his heaving abdomen, his own erection jutted up, thick and glistening with the wetness of Gabe’s first spurt. “I’m trying,” Gabe panted. Beads of sweat ran down the sides of his face and arms as he settled between Hayden’s legs. Hooking his arms behind the crook of Hayden’s knees, Gabe spread his lover open. He caught a flash of the pink anus stretching open below Hayden’s sac before their cocks bobbed against each other. The contact nearly knocked the breath out of Gabe, and he clenched his jaw, groaning. “Hurry.” He squeezed his eyes shut, his stiff, heavy cock swaying wildly as his body trembled. “It’s this damn plastic wrapper.” Hayden sounded as desperate as Gabe felt. He grappled with a new tube of lubricant, the safety seal refusing to give. “Gimme.” Gabe dipped down, caught the plastic around the cap with his teeth, and snapped his head to the side. The wrapper, cap included, flew over the edge of the bed. Hayden didn’t waste time. With the tube open, he squirted a dollop into his palm and got busy. Gabe almost spilled at the touch of slick fingers working lube over his cock. When Hayden tugged on the rigid shaft, the pull gripped Gabe deep in the gut. Coated in gel, he slipped from Hayden’s hand and nosed the head of his erection into the opening between the curves of Hayden’s ass.

Pawprints: Second Nature

19

Hayden arched off the bed with a sharp gasp. His hole tightened reflexively around the swollen glans, gripping Gabe. The pressure had them both moaning, but Hayden broke first after a few furious strokes on his own cock. Hayden yelped, and a wild spray shot out of him that left pearly streaks of semen all along his torso and up to his throat. Some of the hot spunk dotted Gabe’s chest, chin, and lips. The heady scent flooded his senses and drove him on. He thrust, hard, needing to fill that tight passage where he would be enveloped by the total heat of Hayden’s core and their shared love. The intimacy of the act knocked him sideways and upside down every time, leaving him gasping for air from the erotic bliss curling through him as Hayden sucked him forward with those rolling muscles deep inside his ass. Gabe’s cock surged inside the tight passage, inching through the heaving walls that clamped down and pulled at Gabe in a pounding beat. Before surrendering to that beautiful rhythm in its entirety, Gabe focused on the familiar place within the flexing channel that drove Hayden over the brink each time. He nailed the spot harder than he realized, and everything around him exploded. Letting go of a choked scream of pleasure, Hayden arched off the bed while his ass slammed down around Gabe’s cock, bursting the last dam against the flood. A spasm racked Gabe from head to toe as he erupted into the passage, buried deep inside Hayden. The rush of sticky fluid squirted around his cock, oozing past his twitching organ while he bucked his hips to keep up the feverish momentum of their sex. “Ah,” Hayden gasped, over and over again. The short breaths matched the rhythm of Gabe’s thrusts. The sound was beautiful, the feeling pure enjoyment. Exhaustion drained Gabe’s strength. He pushed once, twice more, then eased out. At the rim of the passage, Hayden squeezed around his head and held him. After a heartbeat, Hayden let go of Gabe’s cock with a wavering sigh, and Gabe slipped free with a wet, sucking noise that kept him hard a moment longer. He dropped Hayden’s knees, heart pounding, and listened to the ragged breathing filling the room.

20

Anne Cain

Gabe kissed Hayden everywhere. His mouth covered the man’s sweaty brow, traced the contour of his cheeks and chin. He lapped at the salty trail of cum at Hayden’s throat and followed it down over his pecs, pausing a second to suck on the same hardened peak of a nipple he’d teased earlier. When the nub throbbed under his tongue, Gabe kissed the wet skin and continued on, greedy for the delicious taste of Hayden’s cum. He swept lower, over Hayden’s abdomen, past the bed of damp pubic hairs. For the most part, Hayden’s cock was already clean. A residue of fluid caught in the slit lifted away under the attention of Gabe’s lips. He kissed the base of the shaft and smiled as it gave a small, but spirited twitch. A few more playful tugs and Gabe might’ve been able to make Hayden stiff all over again. He opted instead to give his lover a different pleasure, and coaxed Hayden to keep his legs spread by cupping his rear. Below the mounded ball sac, he moved for the stretched opening. Fluid glistened around the ring of pink, tender muscle and dripped down to the sheet. Here, Hayden’s scent blurred and mingled with Gabe’s spunk to create something uniquely theirs. Gabe loved it. He slid his tongue along the trickle of wetness, drinking in his own strong, earthy essence. He found a hint of lubricant in the mix, and noticed something about it for the first time. He bobbed his head up between Hayden’s knees. “The lube’s vanilla flavored.” He licked his lips. “Nice.” “God, it can’t taste good.” Hayden groaned. His left forearm covered his eyes, his other hand rubbing the inside of his sweat-glazed thigh. “Don’t lick down there.” “But you do taste good,” Gabe assured him. He laved the area with another drag of his tongue. But from the way Hayden tensed, he realized the area was sore.

Damn it. Gabe cursed himself. He hadn’t meant to thrust so hard, and usually paid attention to any subtle cue from Hayden’s body that he was losing control. Hayden never

Pawprints: Second Nature

21

complained out loud if something hurt, too caught up in the ride himself. This time, Gabe had slipped up. “I’m sorry, Hayd,” he murmured softly. He kissed the tender spot. “It’s o -- ohhh…” Hayden’s words dissolved in a moan as Gabe eased his tongue into Hayden’s hole. Inside the warm passage, Gabe swirled his tongue over the moist walls. The opening relaxed around his probing touch, encouraging more of the gentle strokes. Gabe bathed the spot clean and massaged his saliva into the tissue. Without meaning to, he brought Hayden to another climax, a dry one. The shudder passed through his lover’s body and ended as a slight sucking of his anus on Gabe’s tongue. Gabe pulled out. He licked the outside of the opening a few more times to make sure enough of his spit coated the rim to speed up the healing process. Some of the redness had already ebbed. Gabe crawled forward and flopped down beside Hayden, content. “Wow. I think that was better than the actual sex.” Hayden swallowed and flexed one knee, draping his leg over the back of Gabe’s thigh. He trembled all over, the reflexive movement showing Gabe that his lover had been rocked beyond physical exhaustion twice in their round of lovemaking. “It’s all wonderful to me,” Gabe whispered. His eyelids drooped, fatigue desperate to claim him too. “Gabe.” “Mmm?” “Gabriel Scott.” The rare use of his full name brought him back to full alertness. “Yeah?” He sat up, worried.

22

Anne Cain

Hayden tilted his head to face him. “I want you to marry me. When we’re finished with school.” He straightened again, stared up at the dark ceiling. “I can’t imagine ever spending the rest of my life with anyone else.” “Neither can I.” Gabe swallowed. “I think I’ve known that since the day we became best friends.” That’s what it meant to bond with another, to belong to someone completely, to be his mate in body and soul. To be part of a pack…a family. There was no one he trusted or loved more than Hayden, and the feeling was shared. “Is that a yes?” “It is,” Gabe whispered. Hayden leaned over, and they kissed. Just a light brushing of lips to seal the promise. Curling into Gabe’s larger frame, Hayden rested his head on Gabe’s shoulder. In a few minutes, he drifted out, snoring softly. It was going to be like this forever. Both men together, loving and supporting each other through anything life threw their way, good or bad. Sharing everything… The smile fixed on Gabe’s lips for the past ten minutes vanished.

Sharing everything. Gabe couldn’t go on keeping his secret anymore. One way or another, he was going to have to work up the guts to spill the beans and come clean. Something he probably should’ve done a long time ago. “Oh, shit,” Gabe sighed. This was going to suck.

Pawprints: Second Nature

23

Chapter Three

On the other side of the void, it smelled like someone was having a barbecue. The aroma of scorched meat cut through the blackness, made the world tangible again. A spatula scraped against a metal grill in a nearby kitchen, and a man coughed. Alex couldn’t open his eyes yet. The feeling had only just started to return to his limbs with the prickling sensation of a million needles poking at his skin. His tongue felt puffy around its piercing, his lips dry. He tried to swallow but didn’t have enough spit. He choked, and the motion wracked his entire body. The really good part about his “mornings after” slammed into him next. Pain exploded through every single one of his muscles. They didn’t just hurt -- they burned like a bitch. Someone could’ve lit a match down his throat and ignited his body from the inside out, and that was probably what it would’ve felt like. He tried to scream, but his throat was too raw. He choked again, and the violent heaving added another dimension to the pain. By the time he came around, he was going to have one hell of a crick in his neck to match the mother of all headaches pounding against his temple. He held his breath, gagged on another coughing fit, clenched his jaw… And then it was over. Sudden as that.

24

Anne Cain

A dull throb replaced the fiery pain, and some strength returned to his muscles. Alex raised a hand to his face and groaned. Why did shifting back into human form always have to hurt so damn much? He couldn’t remember when the change had happened or how long he’d been out. The beauty of it was that half of what had happened last night would stay locked away inside a part of his memory he wouldn’t be able to reach until after the cycle completely ended. If ever. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. After saying good night to Gabe, he’d cut around behind the library to get to the dorms, but run into someone… Bray. A vivid image of the man filled Alex’s mind with those piercing blue eyes set into a face where every feature could be described by the sharpness of its angle, and strands of chin-length dark blond hair fell across full lips. When the likeness sneered, Alex realized with a start that the real thing was staring down at him. “Wake up, baby.” Bray’s graveled voice never sounded like anything but a growl. He crouched down beside Alex, a metal bowl in hand. The perfume of cooked meat wafted over the rim. Alex’s stomach gave a fierce rumble. “It’s chow time.” Bray banged the spoon against the rim of the bowl three times, the sharp sound hammering into Alex like his ears were getting the beating. Bray dropped the metal bowl to the floor within Alex’s reach. “Where am I?” Alex croaked. “You know where.” “Jesus…” Alex made an effort to sit up and gave up before his head lifted an inch off the carpet. The rest of the sunlit room eased into focus: earth-tone walls, vaulted ceilings, recessed lights. They were in the living room of Bray’s townhouse. “Did I come to your place on my own?” “No, I carried you here.” Bray showed his teeth. The expression could’ve been a smile or a challenge. With him, it was hard to tell. “You flipped out on me. Shifted, right there on

Pawprints: Second Nature

25

the spot. The moon wasn’t even completely full.” Bray laughed dryly. “That’s so embarrassing. Like creaming your shorts before ever touching your cock.” Alex gave sitting up another go. This time, he made it. The blanket covering him slipped off and bunched around his naked abdomen. He smoothed a hand across his chest and under the sheet, confirming that the rest of him was also in the nude. And sticky. “You fucked me while I was out of it?” Alex accused, furious. “That’s your mess, not mine.” Bray’s cold gaze slithered over Alex’s body. “I wouldn’t take a taste unless I could have it all. Anyway, you know I don’t want you. You’re not my type.” Alex bristled at the peal of bark-like laughter that followed. He knew better than to be insulted by that last comment, but the anger boiled up inside him regardless. “What were you doing on campus, anyway?” he snapped. “You’re not doing any guest lectures this semester.” Frowning, Bray straightened. “I’m bored.” He stood, bare-chested, the path of his chiseled muscles guiding the eye down to the top of drawstring pants that barely managed to cover the dusting of hairs above his crotch. After flexing lean arms overhead, he slipped both hands under the waistband. He grunted under his breath, gaze locked out the window to Alex’s left. “It’s driving me crazy,” Bray complained. Bored or not, his cock responded with enough interest. The tip of the already hard shaft pushed against the loose cotton, tenting the garment around his hands as they pumped up and down. Alex stared. His hunger for food became less urgent than the hunger for flesh, even if it was Bray turning him on. He played with himself under the blanket while trying to keep the movements of his fingers subtle. “If you worked harder to keep a mate, maybe you wouldn’t be so bored.”

26

Anne Cain

“You think I don’t work hard enough?” Bray snarled. He pulled out his dick for emphasis, one hand squeezing the thick base while the other cupped his very large, very heavy balls. The stimulated penis arched up under the command of a long, drawn-out stroke Alex felt on his own cock. “I’ve brought how many to him so far? Five? Six?” “The last one was fresh out of high school.” Alex released his shaft. The direction of their conversation killed his lust. “And you’ve even tried Marking a kid, for God’s sake.” “How old do you think I was at the time?” “Old enough to know better.” Alex reached for the bowl. “You probably killed him.” “Oops.” Bray rolled his eyes, but never stopped tugging himself. “And you’ve never loved any of them, anyway.” “Does it even matter?” Bray’s breaths came faster now, more stressed. “That last guy from Amherst. Now he could fuck.” He released on the last word, the thick jet streaking Alex’s blanket. The sound of Bray’s heavy breathing dominated the silent room. He rubbed himself a few more times, but the pleasure of the moment had obviously passed. His expression soured. “Viggo hates anyone I try to bring in, because he can’t stand me. He doesn’t give a crap about how I feel or what I want.” All this coming from the Wair the demon had marked himself. “Cry me a fucking river,” Alex muttered. He spooned up some of the beef, too pissed off to really enjoy the taste. Bray had enough time and money to spend the bulk of his day running all over the city to handpick some of the most attractive young men Alex had ever seen. A night of good sex was all it took for Bray to make up his mind that his partner was “The One” and mark him. Talk about being stupid. Afterward, Viggo was always furious when he found out. By the time the demon finished with the poor sap, there weren’t enough bones left for Alex or any of the others to worry about covering up. Now he wished he hadn’t taunted Bray with that

Pawprints: Second Nature

27

stupid comment about working harder to keep a mate. He’d wanted to irritate the man, not encourage him to go hunting for more clueless, fuck-happy guys who were going to end up being devoured…literally. That same dull fear lurched in the pit of Alex’s stomach all over again. Until the day he figured out how to sever the link to Viggo, he wouldn’t dare try to take a human as a lover. Not even for a quick fling. Doing so would put the man at risk of the demon’s wrath, and Alex couldn’t bring himself to do that. He’d even come up with the most half-baked stories over the years to turn down the advances from would-be lovers. The kicker was that he tended to attract nice gay guys, but he’d managed to convince so many people -- Gabe, with his super senses, included -- of the lie that he was straight, Alex started to doubt he’d ever land a boyfriend even if he could. What a mess. Alex sighed. He thought of Gabe, so intimately close to Hayden. Dogs might be a totally different species than Wairs, but one thing in common was the need to keep secrets. “You’re still running with that mutt?” Bray asked, unnervingly close to reading Alex’s mind. The question dragged Alex out of his brooding thoughts. There might’ve been something about his expression that cued the other man off. More often than not, Bray had an annoying knack for figuring him out. “I still work with Gabe, yes.” Alex set aside the empty bowl. “And for the rest of the year too, until we graduate.” “Poor you.” Bray shuddered. “Doesn’t that bother you?” “What? Gabe?” Alex shrugged. “He’s a nice guy.” “He’s a dog.” “I know that, believe me. He can’t cover his scent.”

28

Anne Cain

He’s the way he is because that’s how he’s meant to be: a natural, beautiful state of existence in two forms. Gabe is always who he is because that’s what his kind is like. Unlike us. Alex eyed Bray steadily. “We’re the ones infected with this…syndrome.” “Whatever.” Bray snorted. He rolled down his pants and kicked them off. “I like it. And I want someone to share it with.” “‘Share.’ Right.” Now Alex snorted. “What’s the name of that guy he’s fucking?” Bray snapped his fingers. “The pretty swimmer with the sexy ass. I’ve seen him in the college paper sometimes.” “Hayden.” Alex narrowed his eyes. “Why?” “He already likes tail, that’s obvious. And even if he’s only been riding a dog’s cock, he’s got to have good endurance.” Bray’s lips curled in a grin. “I want to meet him.” “Forget it.” Alex carefully rolled to his feet and tested his legs before standing. “Viggo would never go for him, anyway.” Bray’s push caught him by surprise. The shove knocked Alex back off his feet and onto the couch, where he landed, thighs spread. Bray settled between them, one hand fondling the mound of Alex’s balls. “Viggo doesn’t come out to play for another night, not until the moon waxes full and blah blah blah. All that otherworldly shit. Until then, I want to play.” He stroked the tightening sac with just enough pressure to hit every pleasure spot in the delicate area. Alex writhed, loving the feeling, though he knew he was being dominated, bullied through sex by a pushier male. “What do you say?” Bray smiled seductively. Why did he have to look so damn attractive? Alex squeezed his eyes shut. “There’s going to be a party tonight.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

29

Chapter Four

A wash of gray clouds covered the skies and kept the sun from heating up the chilled autumn morning. Students and employees from the nearby business district had the corner coffee shop packed, everyone wrapped in coats or jackets. The gloomy atmosphere had most people in a mood. Those vibes, combined with his reservations about the rest of the day, left Gabe with a loopy feeling in his stomach. He stayed quiet, barely having said more than a handful of words since leaving the apartment. “We should move to Florida for a change of pace,” Hayden said. He turned away from the window to lean against the counter beside Gabe. The barista preparing their order snorted. “Don’t forget to take me with you,” he quipped. “I’m not looking forward to another winter of shoveling three tons of snow off my car.” “We wouldn’t leave until next year.” Hayden laughed. “Sorry.” “Damn.” Grinning, the barista set their drinks down. “You guys take care.” Hayden gave him their thanks and took his espresso while Gabe stepped to the side with his chai. Two other customers zoomed in on their place at the counter, and the two men wove between crowded tables to get to the doors.

30

Anne Cain

Hayden stopped at the bar for some of that brown natural sugar stuff Gabe also liked. While Hayden stirred his coffee, Gabe tore into a couple of the packets and quietly chewed on the crystals. “Whoa, slow down. You won’t be able to sit still for longer than five seconds between that and your sugar-saturated whatever-it’s-called you’re drinking.” Hayden chuckled. “Everything okay?” “Oh, yeah.” Gabe flashed him a quick smile before tossing the empty wrappers. “Just having a slow morning.” “Didn’t seem that slow to me,” Hayden whispered, smirking. Gabe flushed, and Hayden bit down on his lower lip. “You are turning so red right now, it’s adorable.” His lover’s good mood was just as infectious as his earlier lust. Hayden had woken up hard, and while Gabe’s sleep had been fitful at best, after a second or two of groggy fumbling, he was alert and eager to give his lover’s erection the attention it deserved. Now Gabe was going to spend the rest of the day fantasizing about the silky feel of Hayden’s cock on his tongue, emptying deep in his throat. Shaking his head, Gabe sighed. He couldn’t let sex distract him from the problem of how to come clean with Hayden. But whenever he stopped picturing his favorite places to lick, suck, or kiss on his boyfriend, butterflies the size of bats fluttered around in his stomach. The longer he postponed his confession, the worse that feeling was going to get. “Whatever you were just thinking, I’m not sure I liked it,” Hayden said. For the first time that morning, he looked uncertain. “If it’s about the Florida thing, I was only joking.” “I know,” Gabe reassured him. He sucked in a deep breath. “But there’s something kind of important I need to tell you.” He touched Hayden’s elbow and let his hand linger before the swell of customers edged them apart. “Sure, absolutely.” Hayden nodded. “As soon as we get out of here.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

31

“Great.” The bats knocked against the inside lining of Gabe’s gut. He hovered behind Hayden, silently rehearsing a dozen different ways to break the news. Each one sounded more unbelievably stupid than the last. When they reached the door, Hayden held it open for a woman with a stroller. As she turned to say thanks, a lanky guy in a beat-up Bruins jersey rammed past on the way out. He knocked into Hayden, spilling most of his espresso. “The hell’s your problem?” Hayden glared after the man as he barreled down the street. A girl inside the shop screamed, “That guy just stole my laptop!” Gabe and Hayden exchanged momentarily stunned glances. Then Hayden squared his jaw. “Son of a --” He tossed what was left of his drink into the trash and sprinted after the guy, his messenger bag swinging at his side. Gabe chucked his drink also and slipped both arms through the straps of his backpack to keep his hands free. In a few seconds, he caught up to Hayden, and they pounded up the sidewalk, dodging other pedestrians and some kids on bikes. “Hey, asshole!” Hayden yelled. At the end of the block, the crook glanced back. He had the woman’s black laptop tucked under one arm. Surprised to see two men in pursuit, he stumbled over the curb. The short delay helped close the gap between them, but knowing he was being chased down gave the guy a serious rush of adrenalin. He raced like his ass was on fire and dashed across the street, almost getting clipped by a car that had to slam on its brakes. Hayden ran past the sedan, and Gabe slid on the seat of his pants across the hood to keep his place next to him. The excitement of chasing some kind of quarry pumped through Gabe. He set a tight control over his pace, kept it reasonable for a human to match Hayden’s. But Hayden wasn’t ordinary, either. He winced when he pumped his right arm too much and hit the sore spot on his shoulder, but never slowed. An athlete at the top of his form, Hayden ate up the distance without breaking into a sweat, not even out of breath.

32

Anne Cain

The crook darted down a street away from the university campus and headed straight for a park, where he probably planned to shake them in the maze of tree-lined walkways and brush. If he ducked out of sight and made it through to one of the surrounding streets, he could jump on a bus and disappear. But thanks to Hayden’s training, both men knew almost every park surrounding the university from jogging together. “I don’t think so, prick,” Hayden snarled. He gathered speed, sneakers smacking on pavement as they burst into the park. The crook didn’t have a chance in a billion of getting away. In about ten seconds, Hayden would catch up, and then Gabe could inch just enough ahead to jump the guy. Something about the landscape blurring past them seemed odd. Hayden had his eyes focused only on the thief, but Gabe took a few quick glances around to gauge their surroundings. Dozens of people were scattered on the walkways and grassy hills, enjoying the crisp morning. A group of seniors clustered around one of the green lampposts. Wait…green. Gabe couldn’t recall seeing lamps that color in the parks they frequented. He slowed down enough to squint at one of the white signs fixed on all the posts: IF YOU CAN’T SCOOP THE POOP, GET A GERBIL. Oh, no. “Hayden, this is a” -- Gabe plowed into Hayden from behind as the other man skidded to a stop -- “dog park.” “Oh, God.” Hayden’s profile drained of color. A Jack Russell bounced into the middle of the sidewalk. The dog wagged a squiggly white tail and barked cheerfully. Hayden jumped. “Oh, God,” he repeated, panicking. “It’s okay, he’s tiny,” Gabe tried to reason with him as he tugged Hayden a few jilted steps forward. “Fourteen pounds at the most.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

33

The irony of it all was that, as much as Hayden was terrified of dogs, they all seemed to love him. Another curious dog, a dachshund, joined the Jack Russell. Meanwhile, the thief raced over the crest of the hill up ahead. “Hayd, we’re going to lose that guy if we don’t move.” But Gabe’s attempt to keep the situation under control went to shit. “Screw him; I’m worried about fucking Cujo!” Hayden pointed across the way where a mammoth Saint Bernard loped straight toward him. He bolted in a panic back the way they’d come, just slipping out of Gabe’s reach. “No, don’t run!” Gabe flailed his arms. It looked like every single dog in the park took off after Hayden. The terrier, the doxie, the Saint Bernard, and any other canine, leashed or not, careened down the walkway in a chorus of excited barks. Gabe tugged at his hair. Torn over rescuing Hayden or catching the thief, he made up his mind to finish the chase. The instinct proved too strong to resist. “Sorry, Hayd,” Gabe panted as he charged up the hill without holding back. A few yards away, the crook made his way toward a bus stop at the nearest edge of the park. Gabe raced for it. Two feet from the bench, he tackled the guy to the ground. The laptop crunched against the pavement, and Gabe winced. The last bit of joy remaining from the chase fizzled. But at least he had the man pinned to the ground and groaning. A squad car pulled up to the curb, and a young, dark-haired officer broke through the crowd of onlookers, already talking into his radio that he’d found the suspect from the coffee shop. “Nice job.” The cop raised an eyebrow at Gabe. “Somebody get this guy off me,” the crook gasped. “I can’t breathe.”

34

Anne Cain

The girl who’d been robbed hopped out of the police car and bounded up to Gabe. “Thanks so much,” she exclaimed. “You were great.” Obviously, she still hadn’t noticed the pieces of her notebook scattered around the guy on the ground. “You’re welcome,” Gabe mumbled weakly. He backed away, dusting his hands off on his jeans and looking for an escape route. An even bigger crowd had formed by then, so when the girl turned to talk with the police, Gabe managed to slip away. While he cut through the park, he heard her wail, “Oh, my God -- my laptop!” Burying his face in his hands, he hurried down the walkway. He came up to the spot where he’d lost Hayden and picked up the trail. He didn’t have to try too hard to find him. Reaching the crest of the hill, Gabe found his lover up a tree, his face sheet white. The Saint Bernard was still there, one big paw on the trunk as she grinned up at Hayden. Her owner tugged on the leash, but she refused to budge. “She’s really very friendly,” the elderly woman called up to Hayden. “You can come down, honey.” “That’s okay.” Hayden’s voice cracked. “I’m enjoying the view.” Gabe knelt beside the burly dog and scratched the scruff of her neck. Above him, Hayden smothered a nervous yelp. The Saint Bernard left a slobbery trail of kisses on Gabe’s cheek and gave up on Hayden. She finally allowed her owner to lead her off down the walk. Gabe straightened. “You wouldn’t believe how many people don’t pick up their dog poop.” Hayden looked everywhere but refused to make eye contact. He shook his head and gestured. “Turds, all over the place.” “Want to get going to class?” Gabe asked. “Sure, why not.” Hayden swung his legs over the branch and dropped down. He cleared his throat, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “So, how did the chase thing work out for you?”

Pawprints: Second Nature

35

“Not so good,” Gabe admitted. “I broke the woman’s computer.” “But you caught the guy?” “The cops were kind of already there.” Hayden shrugged, his face screwing up with pain as he stressed his shoulder. “Shit happens,” he mumbled. “And how.”

36

Anne Cain

Chapter Five

“Do you know what my problem is? It’s called cynophobia -- this fear of dogs.” Hayden explained. Standing together outside the library in the late afternoon, Gabe shuffled in place. When they’d met for lunch between classes, Hayden still seemed on edge over what had happened that morning. They had avoided mentioning anything having to do with parks, laptops, running, trees…dogs. Gabe’s plan to tell Hayden his secret found itself dead and buried. But now, a few hours later, his boyfriend actually brought up the subject, and Gabe listened anxiously. “I need therapy to get over this,” Hayden went on. Gabe switched his backpack from one shoulder to the other. If Hayden knew everything, he’d need a different kind of therapy altogether. “Feeling uncomfortable around dogs isn’t a big deal.” Gabe shrugged weakly. “That’s true. But there’s a fine line between feeling uncomfortable and being scared shitless, and I think I’m starting to trip over it.” Hayden’s face screwed up with self-disgust. “I’ve got to learn to deal with this.” “You’re serious.” Hope flickered within Gabe.

Pawprints: Second Nature

37

“I am.” Hayden nodded. “This fear is stupid.” “No, it’s not,” Gabe interjected. “What happened when you were a kid was serious.” “Other kids get bitten, and it’s not this huge trauma. Besides…” Hayden sucked in a deep breath. “I know you like dogs. So if this works, we could even get a…a puppy.” He turned a pale shade of green, but Gabe felt ecstatic. “Really?” “Eventually…maybe.” Hayden coughed into his hand. “Anyway, I signed up for one of those free therapy sessions the psychology program offers right here on campus. My first appointment is in an hour. Want to come?” “Sure!”

***** “Hi, I’m Stacey.” The woman leaned over the desk to shake hands with Hayden, then Gabe. She reminded Gabe of a thinner, younger version of his aunt. She had the same sweet smile and freckles along the bridge of her nose. “Hayden, I’m glad you brought someone along for moral support. That’s so important.” Stacey turned to rifle through one of the file cabinets behind her chair and produced a thick manila folder. She sat down and slipped a stack of eight-by-ten-inch sheets of photo paper from inside and set them facedown on the table. “So, are you working on your doctorate?” Hayden asked, his tone edgy. Some of his enthusiasm for the session had been replaced with anxiety. Out in the waiting room, Gabe had had to keep him from running off twice. “Actually, I’m still an undergrad.” Stacey grinned and crossed her fingers. “But my application is in for the graduate college.”

38

Anne Cain

Hayden turned to leave, but Gabe snagged the back of his shirt and pulled him around. Stacey gestured for them to take the two chairs across from her. “You might not think so, but I’m really good at what I do. Last semester, another student came in with a paralyzing fear of bees. Do you know what she’s doing now?” Hayden shook his head. “She just moved down to Alabama to work on a bee farm. Isn’t that great?” “Wow.” He rubbed his palms over the front of his jeans. “I’m not going to, uh, you know…” He laughed nervously. “After today, I’m not going to do something crazy like that and move into an animal shelter. Right?” Stacey broke into peals of laughter. “God, no. Though that might be good idea if we need to get into some more aggressive therapy.” “Crap,” Hayden mumbled under his breath. “I think I made a mistake.” Gabe sensed him about to bolt from the chair and caught his wrist. “At least give one session a shot,” Gabe pleaded. Hayden slumped back into his chair, but couldn’t sit still. He fidgeted in the seat, tapped his shoes on the linoleum, cracked his knuckles. “Is it me, or is it hot in here?” he asked, stripping off his windbreaker. “Feels all right to me.” Gabe frowned. The heating in the old corner office was barely existent, making the room almost the same temperature as outdoors. “You can open the window, if you like.” Stacey pointed with the tip of her ballpoint pen. “It’s okay.” Hayden shook his head. But a moment later, he popped out of his chair and cranked open the creaky window. He returned to his seat, clearing his throat. “Better?” He nodded.

Pawprints: Second Nature

39

“Hayden, I understand something happened to you when you were twelve.” Stacey adjusted her glasses. “Can we talk about that a little bit?” “Okay.” Silence filled the room. Gabe glanced over and found Hayden staring off at a spot somewhere over the woman’s head. He nudged Hayden on the arm. “Go on.” “What?” Hayden gave him a blank look. “Oh, right. Yeah. When I was twelve.” “You were…” Stacey tried to lead him into the sentence. “…first attracted to another guy.” Hayden nodded. More silence. Stacey blinked at him, but he shrugged. “I was.” “Really?” Now Gabe fidgeted in his seat, frowning again. “Who?” “I don’t know; some guy.” Hayden’s hands twitched on his knees. “Another kid from school or whatever. I can’t remember. That happened before I moved away from Boston with my mom. Way before I met you down at the coast.” “Guys,” Stacey tried to interrupt. Gabe scowled. “Did you kiss him?” “What does that have to do with anything?” “I just want to know.” “Probably not.” Hayden scratched the back of his head. “It was just a touching thing.” “A what?” “Guys!” Stacey tapped her pen on the desk. “It’s really great that you’ve been comfortable with your sexuality for years, Hayden. But we’re supposed to be talking about your issue with dogs.” “Oh, right.” Hayden paled. “And Gabe,” Stacey added. “It’s just stupid to be jealous of a schoolyard crush.” “I’m not --” Her look shut him up. “Sorry.”

40

Anne Cain

“So tell me what happened when you were bitten.” She turned back to Hayden. “You were living here in the city at the time?” “Right. Yeah.” He let out a puff of air. His hands started to shake, and Gabe reached over to give his sweaty palm a squeeze. “One night, I left the house after arguing with my mom over something,” Hayden explained. “I was trying to get to a friend’s house and cut through a construction site. They must’ve had rottweilers or shepherds guarding the lot, and I didn’t know it. “The last thing I remember is seeing that big dark thing charging at me, digging into my side and dragging me to the ground.” A tremor passed through Hayden, the discussion clearly worsening his anxiety. He stared down at his sneakers while the color drained from his face. “The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital.” “And you’ve hated dogs since then?” “Not really ‘hate.’ I just get a little, um…uncomfortable around them.” He shifted in his seat, brow furrowed. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, but he shivered as if cold. “Would you like a moist towelette?” Stacey offered. “No, I’m fine.” He let go of Gabe’s hand to sweep the damp ringlets of hair away from his eyes. Not only did he not appear to be fine, he had a sick expression like he might hurl. “Hayden, you’re not looking so hot,” Gabe said, worried. “Really, I’m good.” “Hmm.” Stacey scribbled something on her notepad and then flipped through the stack of papers from the folder. “I’m going to show you some pictures, Hayden. You let me know how each one makes you feel -- comfortable, uncomfortable, neutral, and so on.” “Gotcha,” Hayden said quietly. “Gabe, I’d like you to hold his hand.” “Anything to help.” Gabe reached between the two chairs and squeezed Hayden’s sweaty palm.

Pawprints: Second Nature

41

“Actually, that’s just because I think it looks sweet.” Stacey smiled encouragingly. “Ready?” When Hayden gave her the okay, she flipped one of the photos around. He eyed the picture of Snoopy and shrugged weakly. “Neutral, I guess.” Next was a garden scene with some adorable miniature pugs in a basket. Hayden swallowed loud enough for Gabe to hear the gulp. “Vaguely uncomfortable.” His voice wavered as his pulse started to climb. “And this?” Stacey flipped to a picture of a police dog scaling a ladder in an obstacle course. “Shit -- they can climb ladders?” Hayden squeaked. “That’s not a very comforting image at all.” He blinked a few times, breathing rapidly, his skin going an even sicklier shade. “Maybe we should stop,” Gabe suggested. Something was definitely physically wrong with Hayden beyond feeling nervous. When Hayden stood up, he swayed and had to grip the edge of the desk for support. “I need some air,” he gasped. He scrambled out of the office and through the waiting room with Gabe right behind him. “Oh, God.” Hayden burst outside and clutched the iron railing on the steps leading up to the building. For a second, he looked on the verge of throwing up, but whatever he was feeling seemed to pass. He slumped over the rail, shaking. “What happened in there?” Gabe asked. He ran a hand along Hayden’s back. “I don’t know.” Hayden straightened. The tension in his body eased, and some of the color returned to his face. “I just felt so weird.” “Sick?” “No, just…weird. Kind of claustrophobic and hard to breathe.” Hayden rubbed his forehead against the sleeve of his shirt. “Like I was trapped in my own skin or something

42

Anne Cain

bizarre along that line. Since what happened at the park, I’ve been feeling it off and on, but now, inside, it got out of control. Like I said, weird.” “Forget therapy, maybe we should see the nurse practitioner while he’s still here for the day,” Gabe said. “C’mon.” Hayden refused. “Whatever it is, it’s gone now.” He shook his head with a puzzled frown. “Maybe I’m just overtired and stressed. The thing with my shoulder and swimming yesterday, my stupidity this morning, now this.” He gestured back toward the building. “Yeah, maybe.” Gabe wasn’t so convinced. “I think I’m going home.” Hayden cracked his knuckles. “Sleep it off.” “Good idea,” Gabe said. “I’ll let Alex know to cover for me at the library. We close early tonight, anyway, since it’s Friday.” “No, it’s fine. I’m fine. Seriously, Gabe.” “But…” “I mean it. Don’t worry about anything.” When Gabe hesitated to answer, Hayden grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. He kissed Gabe on the cheek, his lips warm and moist. No trace of the chill he’d had in his fingers earlier. What else could Gabe do but agree? He nodded weakly before heading back inside to fetch their bags from Stacey’s office.

Pawprints: Second Nature

43

Chapter Six

Alex leaned back against the stall door. He banged his head a couple of times on the heavy plastic before growling at himself. “Stop thinking about him, dammit. Stop it.” Of course, the more he tried not to… Bray’s handsome face edged in from the corner of Alex’s mind. An image of the rest of the man followed too, all the way down to his long, curved, and dark red cock. The sight of the other Wair’s sex made Alex groan with longing to touch it. Not good…just thinking about any kind of touching made him hard. When Alex imagined Bray’s strong hands cupping his balls again and the rich, masculine scent of Bray’s body leaning so close, the heated wave of desire had him sweating. Why fight it? Bray was the one who’d taunted him back at the townhouse, only to leave him unsatisfied. Not to mention more desperate for a good bang than usual. With the full moon rising in a few hours and his body all screwed up anticipating the coming change, any notion of self-control could be filed away as pointless. Alex glanced at his wristwatch. He didn’t have to check in at the circulation desk for another ten minutes. Plenty of time to get this business over with.

Anne Cain

44

“Let’s go,” Alex muttered, kicking up the toilet seat with the tip of his boot. He yanked at his fly. Slipping through the seam in his briefs, his erection nudged its way into his waiting hand. He rubbed the shaft, and a sweet shudder of pleasure wracked his body. “Yeah,” Alex grunted, tugging his thick piece. The organ turned a bright shade of pink, the smooth, slick tip a deeper maroon color. His hips bucked in the same rhythm as his strokes, moving on their own as he pulled himself closer to climax. In a part of his conscious not dominated by the vision of Bray’s sexy ass, Alex recognized that jerking off alone in the library’s employee washroom had to be a new low in his sex life. “But what the hell,” he groaned. He threw his head back and rolled with whatever he could get. A few more tugs away from orgasm, the bathroom door creaked open. Alex swallowed a moan. Why hadn’t he wedged the entrance shut with the doorstop or garbage pail or something? Damn it! “Oh, sorry,” a man said. Even worse, it was Gabe. The dog probably smelled the precum and sweat through the closed stall and knew exactly what was going on. Alex swore again, out loud. He lost enough of his stiffness to keep from spurting all over everything and grudgingly let go of his cock. While he struggled to catch his breath, Gabe stepped back outside to give him some privacy. Alone again, Alex almost considered finishing himself off to at least make the embarrassment worth it. “Just get out of here,” Alex grumbled at himself. He stuffed his dick back into his pants and abandoned the stall. Washing his hands at the sink, he splashed his face with some cold water and glared at his flushed reflection in the mirror. “I really need a boyfriend,” he sighed. The door swung open again, and Gabe appeared in the frame. Drying off with a paper towel, Alex asked dully, “What’s up?” Aside from my prick, a few seconds ago.

Pawprints: Second Nature

45

“I needed to talk to you about…something.” Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “In the bathroom?” “It has to be in private.” Gabe closed the door behind him. “We’re close friends, right?” “Sure.” Alex couldn’t stop his gaze from sliding down the front of Gabe’s long-sleeved crewneck shirt and sleek dark jeans. He’d never noticed what a nice package Gabe had before, the way the mound settled perfectly at the vee of his crotch, with a raised bump to the right of the zipper where the tip of his cock pointed. Okay, that was a lie. He’d noticed everything about Gabe a hundred times before, only now he was horny enough to admit to himself that he ogled. And he liked what he saw. A lot. Damn. “Never mind, you’re going through a tough time already,” Gabe sighed. “Huh?” Alex reluctantly gave up a fantasy of seeing Gabe naked. “With your girlfriend,” Gabe said. His gaze flickered over to the open stall, his cheeks coloring. “Who?” Alex quickly caught his blunder and corrected himself. “Oh, yeah. Her.” What name had he picked for his fictional woman this time? Oh, screw it. “I’m trying not to think about that.” “Why did you two break up?” Gabe asked quietly. “Uhhh…” Alex plucked at the first idea that floated through his mind. “The issue was honesty. She said something about not being open with each other. You know.” He balled up his paper towel and sunk it into the trash across the small room, next to Gabe. “Actually, I’m not sure that you do know. You have a great thing going with Hayden.” “Maybe not.” Gabe’s expression saddened. “I haven’t been very honest with him.” “Oh, well, I didn’t mean you have to share everything with your lover,” Alex backpedaled. He assumed Gabe meant telling Hayden about his Second Nature, especially

46

Anne Cain

since the dog was more of a Boy Scout than any actual human Boy Scout Alex had ever met. There couldn’t be anything else he’d hide from Hayden. “You guys are fine.” “Can I show you something?” Gabe asked softly. “Between us?” “Of course.” Gabe, being more careful than Alex, moved the heavy trash bin to block the door and faced into the room. He stepped out of his sneakers, and then slipped off his socks so he stood barefoot on the gray tile. Alex realized where this was headed. “Hey, wait a minute.” He raised his hands. But Gabe tugged the shirt over his head, revealing the sculpted physique underneath. Larger than Bray, but just as streamlined and lean, Gabe’s tanned skin slid over toned muscles ridged with the potential for power and strength. He unfastened the top button of those tight, low-hung jeans and pulled them down over the bed of dark curls at his groin. Alex backed into the edge of the sink as his cock kicked violently within his pants. He’d had no idea Gabe didn’t bother with underwear, and the revelation only made him hotter under the collar with pure, animalistic lust. Feeling his erection swell, Alex panicked. “Just because I’m straight, I am not cool with you getting naked in front of me.” No, he was fucking hot for it. In less than two seconds, he was going to either whip out his cock and start masturbating, or he was going spill into his pants. Either scenario sucked. He silently yelled at himself. Don’t think about sucking! Gabe bent over to pull off his jeans. Naked, he crouched on the floor. His form melted into another, the transition fluid and almost too fast for Alex to understand what he was seeing. A coat of brindle fur wrapped Gabe’s body, pointed ears stood tall and alert, and a long tail curled up to touch his back. He shook himself off, black nails ticking softly on the tiles. Then he sat back on his haunches, green eyes focused on Alex. “My God,” Alex breathed. Amazement eclipsed any awkwardness from before. Staring, he took a few steps forward and reached out to touch Gabe.

Pawprints: Second Nature

47

Revealing his Second Nature, Gabe looked something like a cross between an Akita and German shepherd. Large and stocky like a lot of the big breeds, the top of his head reached Alex’s waist, his broad shoulders packed with muscles his short, glossy coat traced. His squared jaw tapered into a blunt, black muzzle, his pointed ears pricked forward. Alex slid his fingers through the soft fur at the scruff of Gabe’s neck and felt the strong cords of more muscle trailing down to those powerful shoulders. Everything about Gabe suggested strength and confidence. He was built to hunt and protect. And love. Gabe cocked his head to one side and gave Alex the canine equivalent of a grin. He lifted a paw to rest against Alex’s thigh and flicked his tongue along the inside of Alex’s forearm. The warm kiss should’ve felt more pleasant than it did, but the token of honest affection brought into relief all the lies in Alex’s own life. Having already known Gabe’s secret for a while didn’t really prepare him for the full weight of it now that he saw Gabe’s other Nature. After all, Alex was one of the things Gabe was supposed to protect loved ones from. Alex stepped back, and Gabe shook himself off. He shifted between forms, fur melting away and muscles sliding to uncover the human body within. The change happened quickly, and Gabe stood, dusting off his hands. The two men stared at each other in stunned silence for several heartbeats. Gabe smiled softly, his expression open and friendly and searching for something in Alex’s. He dropped his hands against his sides. “So?” Alex let out a low whistle. “Wow.” His voice came out raw, prompting him to clear his throat and try again. “That’s amazing, Gabe.” “Too weird?” Gabe worried. “Does this freak you out?” “No.” Alex wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m just surprised. Really surprised. It doesn’t even look like it hurts when the shift happens.”

48

Anne Cain

“No, it feels kind of good.” Gabe chuckled, sheepish. “Like stretching after a long while.” Alex felt a twinge of envy as he recalled every extraordinarily painful change he’d ever gone through. It also seemed that Gabe didn’t blank out during the shift, or have gaps in his memory afterward. Apparently, Wairs had the short end of the stick when it came to beings who timeshared their bodies with two Natures. “Are both your parents…?” Alex already knew Gabe’s kind was born this way, not changed. His curiosity got the best of him as he contemplated Gabe’s heritage. The man could be mixed or pure; maybe it didn’t even matter at all. “Only my father was.” Gabe ran both hands through his hair. “Mom was human.” “Cool.” Alex licked his dry lips a few times. A dozen other questions clung to the tip of his tongue, desperate to be asked. He’d wanted to know about Gabe since first recognizing the man as another, albeit different, shifter. The best he could do was pump Bray for what sketchy information the other Wair knew about dogs -- shit, “pump” went on his list of words to avoid using, since it immediately conjured an image of what Alex wished Bray had done to his cock this morning. Alex swallowed a groan forming at the back of his throat. He wondered if Gabe had as much trouble keeping his libido in check. Probably didn’t have to, not with Hayden being such a great sex partner. Gabe didn’t show off, but the scent lingered. They did it at least once a day, most likely more. Damn, Bray was right -- for a human, even an athlete, Hayden had excellent stamina. Alex coughed into his hand. He curbed the rest of his curiosity to avoid drawing any suspicion to his own duality. “I’m guessing Hayden doesn’t know anything about this.” “That’s the problem.” Gabe picked his shirt up off the floor and knotted the piece of clothing around his hands, his jaw squared. “You know Hayden hates dogs.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

49

“Hate is a really strong word.” Alex raised a brow. “I think he’s just nervous around them. Besides, this is a different situation altogether.” “Before today, I might’ve agreed with you. But this morning we accidentally ended up in a dog park, and it really didn’t go well for him. Which is weird, because I’ve seen him around dogs before, and he usually just gets uncomfortable or nervous. Nothing so…worked up.” Alex raised a brow. “How ‘worked up’ are we talking about?” “A complete panic attack.” Gabe’s expression became pained. “A little while ago, we went to one of the counselors on campus to talk about the issue, and he pretty much freaked out all over again.” Alex winced. “Badly?” “Bad enough.” Gabe wadded his shirt into a tight ball within his fists. “He almost got sick and went home to sleep it off.” The answer seemed simple enough to Alex. “Maybe keeping this particular truth from Hayden isn’t such a bad idea, then.” “Last night, we started talking about us being together. As in ‘always and forever, as long we both shall live…’” Gabe’s voice trailed off. “Oh. Wow.” Another sting of jealousy nicked Alex in the heart. Gabe already had a mate for life; his biggest worry now was that his lover might not accept who he was. No matter how intensely Hayden was scared of dogs, Alex didn’t believe for one second that would be enough to break them apart. Gabe added quietly, “I don’t think I could keep such a big part of myself a secret from him. But if Hayden finds out, I’m not sure he’d be able to stand looking at me.” “But you’re beautiful.” The words came out before Alex could stop them. He dropped his gaze from his friend’s naked body to the floor. “As a dog, that’s what I meant.” He stuck out his tongue, wondering if he could sound any stupider or less convincing. “What I’m

50

Anne Cain

trying to say is that it shouldn’t matter to Hayden what you are, and it won’t. When you tell him, it’ll be fine.” Or at least fine-ish. “Anyway, that’s what I think.” Alex rested against the edge of the sink, his head tilted back so he could stare at the sickly fluorescent lights instead of Gabe’s perfect cock. Why didn’t the guy put on his clothes already? The muted rustle of cloth over skin took the edge off Alex’s torture. He waited until he heard the metallic scrape of the jeans’ zipper, then risked glancing over. The sight of Gabe dressed brought a sense of relief and a little disappointment. Damn, he’d looked hot. Gabe stood with his sneakers in hand and one of his socks in the other. He eyed Alex curiously as if debating to ask or say something else. “Go for it,” Alex invited. “You have an erection.” He did. A really big one. “Oh, shit.” Alex felt the heat creep up his neck and spread over his cheeks. The knob pressed against his fly left practically nothing to the imagination, at least not in regard to size. Gabe continued to watch him evenly. “Impressed?” Alex sure was. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a hardon without getting laid. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn’t mutual. Gabe’s cock remained loose and neatly tucked away in his pants for Hayden to enjoy later. “You’re gay,” Gabe stated. Blunt and to the point. “Trust me, I know.” He didn’t know was what to do his hands. Trying to cover his front with them would be silly; stuffing them into his pockets could come off as mildly perverted. Alex opted instead for folding his arms across his chest and stared across the room at Gabe. “How long have you been lying to yourself?” Gabe met his gaze with a gentle look. “Since never, really.” Alex laughed without feeling any real humor. “It’s everyone else I’ve been lying to.” “Can I ask why?”

Pawprints: Second Nature

51

“You can.” Alex almost let the truth slip himself, but too many concerns worked to hold him back. Bray would be pissed, as well as the other Wairs scattered throughout the city. He didn’t even want to consider what Viggo would do if the demon found out. “Though I’d prefer that you didn’t,” Alex added. “It’s ridiculously complicated.” Not to mention dangerous. “But you’re not happy this way,” Gabe observed. “Don’t I know it,” Alex sighed, his resignation bitter. “You have the love of your life, Gabe, and that’s wonderful. But I’ll never be with the man I want.” It looked as if his friend wanted to protest. Alex cut him off. “Drop it, Gabe,” he said flatly. “Please?” Nodding slowly, Gabe gestured at the door. “I guess I’ll go sign in for us at the desk.” “Yeah, the boss is probably wondering where we are,” Alex agreed. He bit down on his lower lip, glanced at the bulge at the front of his jeans. “But I need a couple minutes.” “Sure.” Gabe glanced around. “Um, do you see my other sock anywhere?” Alex checked under the sink and by the trashcan. No sign of the garment’s missing mate anywhere. “Sorry.” “Dammit, this always happens,” Gabe muttered. He slid the garbage can from the door, but paused on the way out. “Thanks for everything, Alex.” “No problem.” He managed a small smile. Alone again, Alex turned back to the sink and ran the cold water. “This doesn’t seem to be anyone’s day,” he mumbled, wetting his face again. The fresh splashes against his flushed face helped ease the heat under his collar, if not in his pants. Really, only a cold shower would do the trick for that. Alex sighed. Tucked in his back pocket, his cell phone went off. Alex already had a good guess at the caller’s identity. Just when he’d finally stopped thinking about the prick. Taking his time to

52

Anne Cain

shut off the water and dry his hands, Alex hoped the phone would go silent. When the caller persisted, he flipped the phone open and answered flatly, “Yeah.” “You realize taking longer than four rings to pick up is rude, Alex.” “You realize I don’t give a shit, Bray.” “Hmm.” Alex hated the man’s condescending tone. “What’s going on? You sound stressed.” Bray had him pegged. Irritated at being such an easy read, Alex almost hung up. “Been a rough day.” “That’ll change at the party. We’ll all have a chance to unwind, make some new friends…” Bray’s tone suggested the man had a grin from ear to ear. “Yeah, about that. He won’t be there tonight.” Alex rested his elbows on the edge of the sink, his face dripping into the white basin. “I just talked to Gabe, and Hayden’s not feeling so great. He’s sleeping in at home.” Silence. The line crackled. Alex frowned. “Bray?” “Give me his address.” “Are you kidding me?” Alex snapped. Bray was such a spoiled brat, as a human and a Wair. Hardly anyone ever told him “no,” including Alex. It irritated him that Bray could ask him for almost anything, and all it took was a little sexual pressure to make Alex cave. Damn Bray for being so good in bed. Hell. “I’m not telling you where he lives.” “Then make him come to the party.” Alex squeezed his eyes shut, his patience shot. “Look, forget this idea of screwing Hayden, and find someone else to fool around with.” Another silent pause. “Tell you what. Have Hayden show up at the party for a few minutes, that’s all. Just long enough for me to get a taste of what he’s like, if he’s worth it. Then I will find someone else to fool around with later. You.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

53

Alex’s neglected erection throbbed wickedly. His heart pounded. “You’re such a liar.” “I keep my promises.” Bray’s deep voice curled in Alex’s ear through the phone, raw, passionate. “Tonight, I’ll come to your dorm room, slip into your small, tight bed, and fuck you exactly the way you love. You know I can make it so sweet for you, baby. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Alex moved his hand over the front of his pants, touching the tender, hard length through the denim. The need for sex built up into a terrible, quaking ache that drove him to the point of screaming. He knew Bray was using it against him, again. Manipulating him with something he craved desperately. Alex didn’t care. Not as long as Bray didn’t leave him dry this time. “Fine,” he choked out. “I’ll have him there early. By nine.” “Excellent,” Bray purred.

54

Anne Cain

Chapter Seven

Hayden tossed on the bed. He tried lying on his side, his stomach, stretched out with his head dangling over the edge of the mattress. He flopped onto Gabe’s half of the bed and sank into the dip his lover’s heavier frame had left in the springs. Face buried in the sheets, he inhaled Gabe’s smell and willed himself to relax. In two seconds, tops, the itch to move already had him nuts. “Argh.” Hayden rolled onto his back, frustrated. He kicked the sweaty sheets and pillows down to the floor and lay there, panting. No use. Any position he tried to rest in sucked. When he’d first come back to the apartment, he’d crashed. Seriously. Exhaustion had slammed into him the moment he’d turned the lock into place, and he’d only managed to make it to the bed before collapsing. His head touched the pillow, and bam -- out like he’d gone weeks without sleeping. After waking up groggy from his hours-long nap, he’d had enough strength to strip off his shoes and jeans, but still felt too tired to move out of bed. He wrapped himself in a couple of blankets and settled to sleep away the remainder of the night. Except that he couldn’t. The muscles in his arms and legs had started to feel sore, with the same kind of burning ache that followed an intense workout. His shoulder throbbed, but

Pawprints: Second Nature

55

didn’t really hurt. Hayden swallowed some of the Motrin on the nightstand, anyway, though it had had no effect on the odd throbbing. Then that weird claustrophobic mood had settled over him. While bouncing around on the bed, he’d experienced slightly creepy thoughts about crawling out of his own skin. “Actually, really creepy thoughts,” Hayden admitted out loud. He shivered and listened to the harsh sound of his own breathing in the darkness. “What’s wrong with me?” Maybe he should’ve taken Gabe’s offer to go see the nurse practitioner. Or he could go see a doctor. The apartment was within walking distance of the med school and the attached hospital, and God knew he wanted to move. But after the surgery, he’d had it up to his ears with doctors. Plus, what were the MDs in the emergency room going to do about night sweats, general restlessness, and a mild sense of claustrophobia? “Refer me to a shrink in the morning, that’s what.” Hayden sat up. So much for that strange exhaustion. Now he itched all over, eager to get on his feet and walk. He could go see Gabe, possibly hang out at the library until closing time. God, that sounded boring. Even with Gabe there. The intercom by the door buzzed. Hayden jumped out of bed, stumbling over the pillows he’d knocked over, and trotted over to the white box next to the light switch. He hit the blinking red button. “Hayden Everett.” “Hey, this is Alex.” Gabe’s co-worker, the attractive-but-unfortunately-straight guy with the spiky black hair. They were all friends, but Alex had been kind of quiet lately and had skipped out on meeting Gabe and Hayden for drinks at the bar a couple of times in the past few weeks. In fact, it was still early -- he should’ve been working with Gabe right now. “Come on up.” Hayden buzzed him in and unlocked the door. While he waited for Alex, he flicked on the lights and retrieved his pants from the foot of the bed. According to the radio clock on the nightstand, it was only a quarter to nine.

56

Anne Cain

Alex knocked and pushed in the door. “Gabe said you were staying in tonight. How’re you doing?” “Like I’m going crazy.” Hayden zipped up his jeans. “So, aren’t you closing the library with him?” Alex stared. “Hayden, you’re…” “What?” Hayden checked himself. His dick wasn’t hanging out or anything embarrassing like that. “You feel okay? I mean, really? Because…” Alex shook his head. “Forget it, it’s probably me.” Hayden raised both eyebrows at his friend. Alex did look a little stressed, his jaw clenched and skin flushed. “Maybe there’s a bug going around.” “Something like that.” Alex leaned against the jamb, tapping his fists together. “Anyway, yeah. I booked early from the library since the place was a ghost town and promised to come check up on you.” “Thanks, but you wasted a trip.” Hayden swept back his damp hair. “I’m fine, just need to walk and clear my thoughts.” “Then how about coming to Les’s party with me?” Alex said. “You know, get some fresh air, have a few drinks, take your mind off things?” That actually sounded good. “Let’s do it.” “Great.” Alex broke into a huge grin and clapped his hands together. “And you don’t have to stay a long time. Just to unwind a little and, uh, meet new people?” “Whatever.” Hayden grabbed his jacket from one of the chairs. “But if I stay indoors any longer, I’ll go postal.” He locked up and followed Alex out of the apartment building. Outside, the crisp air filling his lungs, Hayden felt instantly better. Not calmer, no -- he went up the sidewalk at a fast clip that had Alex jogging to keep up -- but better. The soreness in his muscles ebbed, and that closed-in, trapped mood faded.

Pawprints: Second Nature

57

They walked much of the way back to the campus in silence, but Alex kept sneaking glances at Hayden from the corner of his eye. “You sure you don’t feel…weird?” Hayden stopped dead in front of the coffee shop. “Weird, how?” “Forget it.” Alex dodged a couple exiting the café and pressed on. Shaking his head, Hayden followed. By the time they set foot on school grounds, he was convinced Alex had his own problems to deal with and decided not to press the issue. Gabe mentioned the guy couldn’t keep a girlfriend longer than a couple of dates, and that was one area Hayden knew exactly zilch about. He eyed Alex and could only guess what the problem could be. The guy was attractive, friendly, a little bit of a bad boy with the piercings in his tongue and ear. Alex paused a few feet from the entrance to the dorms. The sound of a heavy bass thumping through a more than decent stereo system washed over them as a line of kids either went into the frat building or came out on runs for pizza. “What?” Hayden fidgeted, impatient. “I don’t think this is such a great idea.” Alex glanced around, nervous. “Let’s go back to your place.” “But we just got here.” Hayden couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Hell, he didn’t understand half of anything that had happened to him today, let alone Alex. But he definitely refused to spend the rest of the night pacing back and forth in the apartment with that caged feeling. “Look,” he said. “I’m going inside for a drink and then hooking up with Gabe later. If you don’t feel good about the party, that’s fine.” “Hayden…” Alex ran a hand through his hair and cursed. “What’s the big deal?” Hayden shook his head, confused. “I’ll see you around.” He joined a group of guys heading in and left Alex to waffle outside.

58

Anne Cain

The downstairs of the building sported a huge, open common area with couches, a pool table, fireplace, and big screen TV. As far as Hayden knew, Les had permission from the university to hold the midterm party and was using it to his advantage to help with his reelection as student council president next semester. Half the university showed up to the bash, packing the floor tight with people dancing, laughing, and having a good time all around. The size of the crowd threw Hayden off, though he shouldn’t have been surprised at the turnout. That strange, uncomfortable feeling nagged at his gut as he crossed the room. A few guys from the swim team saw him and shouted greetings across the noise. Hayden barely managed to acknowledge them before letting the tide from the crowd push him toward the back of the room. There he found a table with drinks -- the non-campus-administrationapproved kind. A guy slipped a can of cold beer into his hand. “Looks like you need this.” Hayden agreed. He popped the lid and downed half in two gulps. “If anyone underage gets caught with this stuff, that’ll be the end of Les’s big parties.” “Let’s see your ID, then.” The man laughed, his voice deep and throaty. Hayden eyed him. Strong chin and unkempt dark blond hair framed an angular but handsome face. Dressed in a loose-fitting maroon shirt with the top three buttons left open, sleeves rolled halfway up lean forearms, the guy had the cocky, self-assured -- and annoying -- air of the students up at the law or medical college. “You first,” Hayden replied. Laughing again, the man took a swallow from his own drink. “I didn’t bring it with me.” “Right.” “Don’t believe it?” The man set his can on the table and opened his arms. His lips curved in a sensual expression. “Frisk me.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

59

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Hayden downed the rest of his beer. Instead of loosening him up, the alcohol seemed to sharpen his growing discomfort with the party. Shaking his head to clear it, he noticed the man staring him up and down. “Are you checking me out?” “Absolutely.” The man’s smile widened. “I’m Bray, by the way.” Instead of offering his hand by way of greeting, Bray moved in closer and pressed his mouth to Hayden’s. A hot, soft mouth surged against the swell of Hayden’s lower lip, helping itself to a very demanding kiss. Hayden jerked away. “What the hell are you doing?” “You, eventually. Hopefully.” Bray crowded Hayden’s personal space. “You’re extremely sexy, in case you haven’t noticed.” “That come-on might work in the clubs, but I’m already with someone,” Hayden said. “Not right at this moment.” Bray brushed his fingers over Hayden’s shoulder. “Oh, unless you meant me. Then, yeah.” Hayden had to laugh. “You’re persistent, I’ll say that much.” “You have no idea. Yet.” Bray licked his lips. His coy expression abruptly darkened. “Hmm. You taste…weird.” God, that word was really starting to grate. Hayden scowled. “Then you should’ve kept your mouth off mine.” “Let me double check this.” Bray frowned. He dipped in again, grabbing Hayden’s shoulders. This time when he kissed, he thrust his tongue through Hayden’s lips and probed every corner of his mouth. The sexiness of the sensation left Hayden too stunned to react at first. Bray drew back and pointed a finger at him. “You. You’ve been Marked.” “I…what?” Hayden blinked a few times. A lightheaded feeling washed over him, right before the itching started under his skin again.

60

Anne Cain

“It’s on your tongue, in your spit. You’re oozing with it.” Bray’s face screwed up in confusion. “And it tastes like me.” “What the fuck are you talking about?” Hayden’s cheeks burned. “Better yet, what’ve you been drinking so I can avoid it?” “Oh, my God,” Bray exhaled. He held both sides of Hayden’s face in his warm hands. “I didn’t remember you until now. Hell, I’d completely forgotten what you looked like. I think your hair used to be longer.” He rubbed a few strands of Hayden’s hair between his thumb and forefinger. Tipsy flirting aside, the conversation had officially crossed over into disturbing territory. “I’ve never seen you before in my life,” Hayden stated. “Sure you have. God, you used to get a boner for me whenever we passed in the halls.” Bray laughed. “What an unbelievably small world this is.” Hayden stared into those piercing blue eyes, and the fog lifted from his memory. “Brandon Carter? From St. Albany Junior High?” “That’s right.” Bray dropped his hands to cradle the back of Hayden’s neck. “I haven’t thought about you in years. Didn’t even remember your name.” “This is…” Hayden swallowed. “Weird.” “Trust me when I tell you things are going to get a lot stranger before the night’s up.” Bray stepped back. “With the moon almost full and your insides as out of whack as they are, you’re ready to crack.” “What does that mean?” Hayden tensed. Every muscle in his body urged him to run out of there and keep moving. “Can’t spoil the surprise,” Bray growled, grinning. “Anyway, I’m late for a different kind of party.” He straightened the collar of Hayden’s jacket, lips curled. “I’ll check on you in the morning.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

61

Hayden watched the man turn and leave, his belly turning cartwheels. That itching feeling worsened; his head spun from too much beer on an empty stomach and a heavy dose of bizarre coincidence on top of that. He pushed away from the table and lurched for the back exit, bumping into a couple making out on the landing. “Sorry,” he mumbled. But the man and women sucked face uninterrupted. They probably hadn’t even noticed him. The heat of their lust smacked him across the cheek, and Hayden hurried away. He needed a cold shower or something. Anything. He broke into a jog, sucking up the crisp air as he cut across campus toward the athletic complex. Once he hit the water, everything would be set right. Swimming was second nature to him, an escape from all the bizarre things making this day the oddest one in his twentythree years. He was going to be fine. Hayden noticed his shoulder didn’t even hurt anymore -- he could do a hundred laps across that pool and not feel it. And maybe that damn itching would stop too.

62

Anne Cain

Chapter Eight

At a quarter to ten, Gabe was already itching to leave the library. After Alex left early, Gabe had locked up the empty computer lab and rounded the second floor. Only one person besides him remained in the building, a guy using the unbroken VCR in the media room. Gabe asked him nicely, twice, to please finish up since the library closed soon. The guy refused to take a hint. Back at the circulation desk, Gabe leaned over in his seat and gave the student a dirty look from across the way. Obviously, the guy was one of the very, very few people on campus Les hadn’t invited to the big shindig and had no other plans for a Friday night besides watching a National Geographic special on polar bears. “Go home,” Gabe mouthed. The phone rang, and still leaning over, he reached across to pick up the receiver. “BCU Library.” He glared at the guy who continued to act oblivious. “This is Gabriel.” “Gabe, it’s Alex.” “Hey, what switch cuts off the power to the media room?” Gabe cradled the phone between shoulder and ear, and rolled the chair back to inspect the electrical panel on the wall behind the desk.

Pawprints: Second Nature

63

“If there’s someone in the room, just tell them to go home.” Gabe made a face. Admittedly, he hated bossing people around if he could avoid it. It just wasn’t in his nature. As a pup, he’d had the same problem. Even the girls could pin him to the ground and make him eat half the dirt in the sandbox if they decided to get dominant. “I was hoping for a more passive-aggressive option, something less confrontational.” “Get confrontational,” Alex’s voice crackled over the line. “I just saw Hayden at Les’s party, and he didn’t look so good. Something’s going on.” “What?” Gabe straightened. He recalled Hayden at the end of the therapy session, shaking, pale, close to heaving. “Don’t waste time.” The line went dead. Gabe returned to the desk and plunked the phone back into its receiver. The urgency in Alex’s tone overshadowed any doubt that it was Hayden he’d seen, possibly in trouble. Gabe left his backpack under the desk and picked up the keys to the building as he crossed over to the media room. “I need to close up,” he said, blunt and to the point. No issues now, not with his concern for Hayden. “But the library doesn’t close for another ten --” “Move it.” Gabe snapped off the TV. He stared at the kid. “Now.” The vibes he gave off killed any other protest in the student’s throat. The guy packed his stuff and bolted from the room, Gabe flicking off the lights behind him. In a few seconds, he left the library and locked up. What was going on? Angry with himself for not having checked on Hayden earlier, Gabe wished he’d called, even at the risk of waking him. A bad feeling sank into the pit of his stomach, and he hurried up to the dorms at a sprint.

Anne Cain

64

A bunch of guys ran around outside, playing touch football while loud dance music pumped inside the building. Gabe burst into the party and scanned the throng of moving bodies. No sign of Hayden or Alex. As he moved through the crowd, Gabe met up with some friends he knew from class, and Gabe asked if they’d seen either of the two guys. They pointed him over to the back of the large common room, where he picked up Hayden’s trail at a table with beer and wine spritzers. An unusual, earthy tone mingled with his lover’s scent. Gabe sniffed at the empty beer can he was sure Hayden had drunk from, and frowned. He couldn’t place that strange smell, but it nagged at him. Following the trail outside, he tossed the can into the garbage and passed a passionate couple only one layer of clothing away from having sex on the landing. Gabe ignored their scent, focused on Hayden’s instead. He sniffed along the walkway and found himself heading up toward the athletic complex. At the side of the building, one of the doors had been forced open. The huge, flat-roofed building sported a court for basketball and volleyball on one side and a full-size heated pool on the other. A wall with scoreboards and pennants separated the two, while an indoor track circled the massive room on the second floor balcony. When open for the student body’s use, the rows of lights overhead illuminated the complex brighter than daytime. Now, only silvery moonlight brightened the area, pooling on the bleachers and polished floors from slanted windows along the top of the second floor. Splashing sounds echoed in the open space beyond the center wall. Gabe crossed the length of the ball court and slipped through the open double doors leading to the pool. A solitary figure cut through the clear, deep blue water, a lean, silvery form gliding through a liquid sky. A handful of pale lights fixed into the side of the pool

Pawprints: Second Nature

65

bathed the surface in a shimmering glow, broken by the choppy waves as the swimmer reached the end of the lane, made a graceful, arcing turn underwater, and pushed off to come back up. Concern giving way to confusion, Gabe crouched by the edge. He poked through the pile of clothes tossed in a heap there and lifted a pair of black briefs. That weird scent tickled his nose. “I was just thinking about you.” In front of Gabe, Hayden bobbed in the water. He grinned, his face pale but shining. Underneath the surface, his bare legs kicked around, keeping him in place. “Hayd, um…” Gabe scratched the back of his neck. “Why did you break into the building to swim naked in a pool at ten o’clock at night?” “Because the water’s great.” Hayden slicked wet strands of his hair away from clear, glassy eyes. “How long have you been here?” “I don’t know. After sixty, I lost track of how many laps I’ve been doing.” Hayden treaded the water, not even breathing hard. “Sixty laps? But your --” Gabe stared. With no sign of swelling or tenderness, Hayden’s right shoulder looked fine. Better than fine. The pink line that traced the path of the surgeon’s knife had all but faded, leaving practically no trace of the scar. “We

should

go

home,”

Gabe

suggested,

uneasy.

Hayden’s

odd

behavior

notwithstanding, something physical was going on that triggered a warning voice in the back of Gabe’s mind. And that strange scent coming from Hayden continued to grow stronger, tickling his nose. “Come in.” Hayden splashed him. “Hey, you’ll wet your socks.” Gabe moved the clothes away from the damp edge. “Screw ’em.”

66

Anne Cain

“You say that now, but you’ll want them later.” Gabe rubbed absently at the welt forming at his ankle where the edge of his sneaker scraped against bare skin. “Forget the clothes, Gabe.” Hayden moved closer, rested one forearm on the tiled ledge. He licked his lips, a light shade of pink spreading across his wet cheeks. “I want you, naked, in the pool with me. Right now.” Damn, he looked sexy. Willing himself to beat down the spike of lust that always cut through him whenever he was around Hayden, Gabe shook his head. Maybe there was a simpler explanation for the strange act. “Are you drunk?” Gabe sniffed the underwear for any trace of alcohol besides that one beer. “No.” Hayden snickered. He sprang up from the water. Latching on to the front of Gabe’s jacket, he yanked back, hard. The power in the tug threw Gabe off balance, and he tumbled headfirst into the pool. Choking on a nasty combination of air and chlorinated water, Gabe broke the surface. He kicked around in the pool, clumsy. “What are you doing?” He coughed. “You.” Hayden pushed him against the edge. He closed cool, wet lips over Gabe’s, devouring them in a hungry kiss. The intensity of the kiss stunned Gabe, knocked his senses flat so that Hayden became the only thing filling his mind, surrounding his body. He lifted his hands to hold the back of his lover’s head, fingers slipping through damp, blond ringlets as their lips melted together. Working Gabe’s mouth open, Hayden thrust in with his tongue. Searing flicks of the hot length swept along the inside, meeting Gabe’s tongue and lingering there. A shiver seized Hayden, and he moaned, the sound vibrating in his lips. He drew back and tugged on Gabe’s lower lip, the kiss urgent. He sucked gently, but demandingly enough to hitch a cry in the back of Gabe’s throat.

Pawprints: Second Nature

67

Out of breath at last, Hayden pushed out of the kiss. He smiled and slid his tongue across the moist swell of Gabe’s lip. “Why do you taste so good?” “Um…” Gabe swallowed, noticing that the earthy, musky flavor on Hayden filled his mouth. The taste wasn’t bad, but unusual. It clearly belonged to Hayden, and at the same time, didn’t. Gabe couldn’t explain the strangeness in words but tried. “Why do you taste so…weird?” “I don’t know.” Hayden shrugged. “But it doesn’t surprise me. That’s how I’ve felt all day. Swimming isn’t really helping. That guy at the party was right -- tonight just keeps getting more bizarre.” “What guy?” Gabe snorted some water from his nose. “You really wouldn’t want to know.” “I think I do.” Gabe frowned. “No, you don’t,” Hayden insisted. “But here’s what matters: after he disappeared, and I came here to unwind, the only thing I’ve been thinking about is making love to you.” He leaned his head back into the water, exposing the graceful column of his throat, Adam’s apple dipping gently in its center. Common sense aside -- far, far aside -- Gabe couldn’t resist the invitation. Not that he ever stood a chance. He dipped in, mouthed the nub at the center of Hayden’s neck. His tongue slid over the cool, wet skin, and he kissed the delicate vein pounding in time with Hayden’s quickening pulse. That weird scent almost ruined the mood. It cooled some of Gabe’s lust as it rolled off his lover’s skin, even if his cock had already stiffened half at attention. “Okay, we really should go --” Gabe started, his words shriveling up on his tongue as Hayden slipped an arm around his waist. “No.” Hayden clung to the edge of the pool with one hand, the other wrapped securely around Gabe’s middle to help keep him afloat. His erection bobbed in the water between

68

Anne Cain

them, the rigid shaft swaying gently in the waves created by Gabe’s flailing legs. The blunt, hard tip nudged into Gabe’s abdomen every time he let himself sink too deep. “Relax, I won’t let you drown,” Hayden murmured, kissing him on the chin. He slid his tongue along Gabe’s jaw, up into his ear. His hips rocked beneath the surface, bringing that hard cock into contact with Gabe’s again and again. There was something undeniably sexy about floating in a pool, fully dressed, with a beautifully naked Hayden humping his wet crotch. Gabe’s cock lifted against heavy, waterlogged jeans, his balls taut with anticipation. “Uh-oh.” Gabe lost both sneakers to the pull of the water. Glancing down, Hayden grinned. “That’s a good thing. Makes the rest coming off a lot easier.” “Wait --” Gabe lost the thread of his protest as Hayden unfastened the top button of his jeans. Grinning coyly, Hayden yanked apart the zipper as he tugged down the wet garment. He sucked in a deep breath before dipping under the water and working the clothing down the rest of the way past Gabe’s hips. Water enveloped his cock, tugging it free and in any number of different directions as the choppy waves flowed over and around the firm length. The sensation stirred a rumble in the back of Gabe’s throat, his erection swelling. Bubbles rolled over the tip of his cockhead, sending a ripple of pleasure up through his shaft to wrap around his core like a heated coil. Trembling, Gabe floundered in the water and pumped his legs to stay afloat. Hayden gripped Gabe’s hip with one hand, too close now for Gabe to be able to kick out. His other hand closed gently around the base of Gabe’s cock. “Hayd…” Gabe moaned, his breathing shallow. He slid a hand through the water to find the back of Hayden’s head, cradling his lover. The pressure on his cock increased, just enough to make him gasp at the pulsing rush shooting through his groin.

Pawprints: Second Nature

69

More bubbles tickled the head of Gabe’s shaft before Hayden’s mouth closed around the tip, encasing the head in a searing heat compared to the tepid warmth of the pool. He sucked once, and the pull reached Gabe in a spot deep within his gut, the delicious sensation jerking him from the inside out. A spurt shot out of him, too hard and fast to stop. He cried out, Hayden’s tongue lapping at the leak, drinking the fluid, demanding more. Gabe wanted more traction, his hips sloshing ineffectively in the pool when he longed to bury himself deep in Hayden’s throat. Or better still, his even warmer, tighter ass. A growl vibrated in Gabe’s chest, and Hayden seemed to take the hint. Releasing his hold on Gabe’s cock and hip, he yanked the soaked pants further down to Gabe’s knees while his mouth sucked greedily on the head of his prick. More of those deep, rumbling, and embarrassingly primal sounds of enjoyment spilled past Gabe’s lips. He clung to the edge of the pool, sinking further into the pull of Hayden’s mouth and unable to kick out to tread the water. When the suction abruptly stopped, he whined. “Don’t,” he begged. The willowy strands of his lover’s hair grazed the underside of Gabe’s cock, the ticklish and pleasing touch a distraction while Hayden finished tearing off the clothing. The jeans sank down to the bottom, weighed down and beyond any immediate reach. Gabe stared at his naked legs floating free in the water, the erotic feel of his bare skin easing through the liquid sending a tremor up his spine. His shaft stuck up and out from his front, dark and unsheathed. Ready to go. Hayden resurfaced, out of breath and shaking. “God, I really want you,” he panted, his clear eyes full of the same raw hunger tearing at Gabe’s insides. “God, me too.” Amazing how instinct always overtook reason, especially when it came to sex. Gabe completely forgot about everything else leading up to this moment, and only

70

Anne Cain

vaguely did his nose try to remind him that Hayden’s smell continued to change. Any part of his brain that wasn’t immediately necessary to function while fucking shut down. They rammed into each other, mouth closing over mouth. While they kissed, Gabe started to pull their bodies out of the pool. Hayden beat him to it, his body far less clumsy in the water and surprisingly strong. He wrapped an arm around Gabe’s waist and hoisted him up like his two hundred pound frame weighed nothing. They hit the deck bathed in a square of moonlight, Gabe on his back, knees bent and dangling in the water. “Damn, Hayden,” Gabe sputtered. Shock eclipsed lust at the moment. “Shh,” Hayden panted, voice scratchy. “Less talk, more sex.” He crouched over Gabe, his cock stabbing the air, long, pink and throbbing. Water dripped from the swollen tip, tracing the bead of thicker fluid peaking at the tiny opening. With a loud grunt, Hayden tore at Gabe’s shirt -- literally. He ripped the soaking cloth apart easier than damp tissue paper and tossed the tatters aside. Running both hands over Gabe’s chest, he pinched the peaks of his nipples. “Hey!” Gabe tried to sit, more surprised than anything. “Down, boy,” Hayden rumbled. He shoved Gabe back down to the deck, clamped his lips over Gabe’s. Heat radiated from Hayden’s skin, and he trembled all over, feverish. Gabe gripped him by the shoulders and pushed him away to arm’s length. “Hayden, something’s not right.” “Because you’re not banging me yet,” Hayden growled, smoothing his hands over Gabe’s tense ab muscles. “Come on, get it up.” “It is, believe me.” Gabe squirmed, his cock more than eager to be nestled in Hayden’s rear to let another load loose. “But something is wrong.” “Nothing’s --” Hayden’s face blanched about ten shades paler than white.

Pawprints: Second Nature

71

For a scary second, he looked dangerously close to throwing up. He made a choked, pained sound and toppled off to the side. Trembling, he crumpled into a tight ball on the deck. “Hayden!” Gabe rolled on to his feet. He touched his lover’s shoulder and felt the skin burning up under his fingertips. “That’s it. I’m taking you to a doctor.” He tucked his arms under the man’s body to scoop him up, but froze without lifting. Why did Hayden feel so…fuzzy? “What the hell?” Gabe started to turn him over. Hayden bolted up, crying out in pain, his forehead connecting with Gabe’s chin. The blow sent Gabe crashing backward onto the deck, dazed. Hayden lumbered over him on shaky legs, stumbled, and fell. He knocked the wind out of Gabe, who’d been taken by surprise twice, pinning him to the floor. “Oh, God!” Hayden screamed. His voice cracked apart in mid-word, deepening into a reverberating, inhuman baritone that vibrated Gabe’s eardrum. He pulled himself onto hands and knees, eyes squeezed shut, face twisted with pain. The sound of bones cracking in his arms and legs drowned his cries as his body contorted into a new shape. Glossy white fur spread down a shorter neck, along broader shoulders, withers, and an arched back. Hips sloped down, the shins shortening and ankles snapping back to form hocks below the knees. Long, dark nails dug into the cement at hands and paws. A human jaw lengthened into a muzzle, curved canines pushing out to replace flat teeth and molars. Gabe stared up at this hybrid form looming over him, caught somewhere between the shape of a man and a wolf. He’d never seen someone with a Second Nature like this before. As an emotional state, “shock” couldn’t begin to describe it. He gawked, his mouth flopping open and closed as he tried to form words. “H-Hayden?” Gabe squeaked.

72

Anne Cain

The man-wolf roared, the sound booming through the large room and echoing across the pool. He sprang away from Gabe, tearing across the deck toward the emergency exit on two legs. Slamming against the metal door, it buckled under the force of his blow and bent off its hinges with a wrenching sound. He filled the doorway, tail swishing in the moonlight, before bolting out into the open.

Pawprints: Second Nature

73

Chapter Nine

“What the hell just happened?” Gabe asked himself, heart thudding.

Hayden just changed forms right in front of you, that’s what. Wake up, Gabe; your boyfriend has a furry body and tail too. “Not possible,” Gabe whispered. Hayden was completely, totally human. Gabe had known him for years -- lived with him, slept with him, loved him. There was no way Hayden could’ve kept a secret like this when Gabe’s sharper nose would’ve picked up the canine traces. Hayden had always smelled like a human, the same way Gabe had always smelled like a dog. Gabe could pretend to be human on the outside, but his scent never changed no matter what form he was in. But it was like Hayden had just developed a second Nature… Which was even more impossible. Second Natures didn’t pop out in people overnight like acne, and people didn’t pick them up like the flu. People were either born with a second Nature or not. Those shifter stories about werewolves in movies and books were just that -stories. Fiction.

74

Anne Cain

“So why am I covered in what looks like wolf hair?” Gabe held up some of the white strands to the moonlight. He scrambled to his feet and raced to the broken doorway, catching himself in the bent jamb. Stunned, he stared after the burly, white animal figure tearing wildly up the field in the direction of the dorms. So much for denial. He had absolutely no clue about the whats, hows, and whys -- only that Hayden had just undergone a painful shift of Natures right before Gabe’s eyes. And now wolf-Hayden was making a beeline for the dorms. “Oh, no,” Gabe breathed. With the bare grasp of the facts in mind, he knew he had to catch his lover before Hayden crashed the party and an already messy situation went to shit. Jumping out into the night, Gabe slipped into his other Nature. At the speed Hayden tore up the relatively short distance between buildings, Gabe wouldn’t be fast enough to catch up with him any other way. Galloping on four paws, Gabe raced after Hayden. He ripped up the grass, the cool wind curling at the scruff of his neck while the muscles in his shoulders and haunches pumped furiously to close the gap in distance. Hayden loped over the path just ahead, low to the ground and moving supernaturally fast.

Damn it! At this rate Gabe would never be able overtake Hayden. Hoping a distraction would buy him a much-needed edge, Gabe barked. His whole body vibrated from the power of that loud, bellowing cry. The sound did the trick all right. Hayden stopped dead, spinning around to face Gabe, tail tucked between his legs. He caught sight of his pursuer and turned to run, succumbing to a more basic impulse to flee rather than fight. But the short pause was all Gabe needed. Pushing himself, Gabe sprinted across the distance between them and took a risky leap. He tackled Hayden from behind, and they tumbled off the walkway, rolling in the dry grass. Hayden roared, but the shout had lost some of the impressive weight it had indoors, within a

Pawprints: Second Nature

75

closed area. They smashed into the thick trunk of an elm tree, with Hayden squished up against the rough bark. Now that he had Hayden wedged in place, Gabe realized he didn’t know what to do with him. In this new body, much larger and stronger than his human form, Hayden seemed pretty out of it. He thrashed around, clawing at the tree and trying to pull away from Gabe as if frightened.

You’re a dog, stupid -- of course he’s going to be scared. On the bright side, that realization meant that Hayden was still “Hayden” inside this new, extremely strong, extremely furry body. Once he calmed down enough, he could be reasoned with. But that meant shifting into a form that allowed him to speak, and if Gabe switched Natures now, he’d lose his footing and give Hayden a chance to flee. Gabe groaned, the sound translating into a warbled growl in his canine throat. Hayden didn’t give him a chance to think of another alternative. Unable to push Gabe off, he dug into the tree trunk with his nails and climbed up, slipping out from above.

Shit! Gabe stumbled against the trunk as Hayden leapt overhead. He hit the ground running, fear tinting his strange, new scent. Clearly in a panic, he continued racing to the dorms where Les’s party pounded at full blast. Gabe ran after him, already knowing he was too late. The couple fucking on the back landing had a glimpse of a large, terrified, furry white beast charging straight at them. They both shrieked, the kind of high-pitched, grating scream that stung Gabe’s ears even at a distance. At close range, Hayden tripped over his own paws at the sharp sound and barreled headfirst into the room. A wave of screams started inside.

Oh, screw it. Gabe skidded to a stop at the foot of the landing, ears flat against his head as he waited for some of the cries to die down. The man and woman desperately trying to get back into their clothes careened down the stairs, and he trotted to the side to let them past.

76

Anne Cain

They didn’t react to him, but he figured after Hayden’s startling appearance, his size must not have seemed all that. More people spilled out from the back exit, screaming about “a really fucking big dog!” They crowded the landing, refusing to leave. “Go back and get the beer.” A guy shoved another student toward the door. “Fuck you, I’m not going back in there with that thing.” When the student turned around, he leaned over the railing and noticed Gabe. “Shit, there’s more than one! Call animal control!” The situation kept getting better and better. The commotion had to have already caught the attention of campus security, leaving him with little or no time. Gabe rolled his eyes and trotted up the steps. Everyone scurried out of his way as he ducked into the common room. People were running around everywhere, the party music still going strong while kids panicked. Gabe’s appearance caused more chaos, but no one seemed hurt -- thank God. He picked his way through a floor covered in spilled drinks and food, peeked under tables where some coeds huddled together not sure what was going on. There was no sign of the large and frightened hybrid in the area, and for a moment, Gabe worried he’d rushed out through the front. “Nobody panic!” Les stood up on the couch, using his best student-body-leader voice to gain control of the situation. He held up a cell phone. “The cops are coming with animal control.” He saw Gabe, squealed, and ducked behind the couch. Uh-oh. Gabe seriously had to hurry. He swept across the room, trying to pick up any trace of Hayden. The damn music robbed some of the advantage of his sensitive hearing so he couldn’t catch any strange sounds coming from the rooms upstairs or the halls. The crowd of people at the party made it

Pawprints: Second Nature

77

hard for Gabe to sort out all the different scents, but as he nosed his way through the center of the room, that earthy smell tickled his nose. Gabe rushed along the trail and followed it through to the building’s lobby. The scent continued on past the staircase and elevator, into a study area for students. He pushed open the partially closed door and nosed his way inside the semidarkness. Heavy breathing at the back of the room went silent. Gabe blinked a few times, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim lighting. Crouched in a corner beside a curtained window, shaking, Hayden stared back at him. His eyes glowed, two round, unblinking blue orbs. Gabe took a small step forward, and Hayden tensed in preparation to bolt at any second. Outside, the faint wail of police sirens grew louder. Not good. Gabe whined softly and wagged his tail, hopeful that Hayden would understand he didn’t mean any harm. He tried another cautious step and pressed his luck too far. Hayden pushed off from the wall, tearing down the curtain from the window. The orange glow of the sodium lamps outside flooded the dark room as he tried to dash around Gabe. Gabe pivoted on his back paws, shoving all his weight against Hayden to bring him down. They both crashed to the floor, cracking some of the hardwood planks under the carpet. He pinned Hayden on his back, straining to keep his thrashing body still. Flashing blue and red lights streaked the wall across the window as the police pulled up to the street several yards away from the building. He had to get Hayden out of here. Desperate to try anything to calm Hayden down, Gabe willed his body to flow from one shape into another. The pleasant stretching sensation traveled up through his arms and down his back, and he shook himself off. He hoped this worked, otherwise Hayden had the better physical advantage, and Gabe really didn’t want to get knocked through a wall. Or worse.

78

Anne Cain

“It’s me.” He gripped the pale fur around Hayden’s neck. “It’s Gabe.” Hayden stopped struggling. He blinked a few times, confusion registering in his eyes a moment before recognition. Whining softly, he lifted his head and flicked a long, wet tongue across Gabe’s chin. “Thank God.” Gabe let out a puff of air, relieved. Hayden lapped at his face, bathing his cheek in warm, wet kisses. Gabe caught himself leaning into the velvety strokes, loving the pleasant feeling. How many times had he fantasized about licking Hayden’s cheeks with these kinds of kisses? The irony of the moment didn’t slip by him. Car doors slammed, followed by footsteps on the walkway outside. Gabe pulled away, but not before kissing Hayden on the tip of his damp, black nose. “Listen, I have to get you out of here.” And go where? Gabe sat back on his heels, letting himself feel the first thread of panic. He could only guess what the police would do if they found Hayden like this, but where could Gabe take him that other people wouldn’t see? Up into the dorms? They were all locked; he’d have to break into one. And then what? Wait for Hayden to change again? How long would that take? Apparently, not very. Hayden cried out, snapping Gabe’s attention back to him. A spasm wracked his body, and the cracking sound of bones snapping and realigning themselves cut off his howl. The pain reached a crushing climax that arched him up against Gabe, who was too confused and scared for Hayden to do anything but hold him. Fur yielded to soft, naked -- human -- skin beneath Gabe’s hands. Hayden slumped back to the floor, breathing heavily, a daub of blood below one nostril. Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his forehead, and he stared blankly up at the ceiling.

Pawprints: Second Nature

79

“Hayden?” Gabe leaned over him, cupping both sides of his face. “Are you okay?” What a question. Groaning, his voice raw, Hayden lifted a hand to wipe away the crimson droplet at his nose. “I have such a damn headache,” he whispered, coughing. Not surprised, Gabe said, “It’s been a rough night.” “No kidding.” Hayden glanced around the room, confusion flickering across his expression. “Where are we?” His gaze settled over Gabe’s naked body, then his own. “And why are we in the buff?” “You don’t remember?” Gabe’s pulse pounded. “Seriously?” “Actually, I have a memory of running and -- oh, my God.” His eyes widened. “No.” Gabe nodded slowly. “Believe me, I’m just as surprised.” “I…?” Hayden’s heart hammered against his rib cage, the beating loud enough for Gabe to hear and feel in his own chest. “Yes.” He bit his lower lip. “And you…?” Hayden gawked. “With the tail? And the barking?” “Yeah, that was me.” Gabe winced. “Oh, God.” Hayden swallowed. “I think I’m going to lose it.” “It’s okay.” Gabe tried to reassure them both, kissing Hayden’s forehead. “No, I mean, I think I’m going to pass out.” Hayden’s words slurred. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he went limp, save for the steady rise and fall of his chest. Gabe patted him a few times on the cheek. “Hayd? Come on, wake up.” Behind him, the door to the study burst open. Someone flicked on the lights, and Gabe glanced over his shoulder to see two officers in the frame. One of them, an older guy, who, judging from the five-foot snare in one hand, appeared to be with animal control, turned a deep shade of red and backed off. His younger,

80

Anne Cain

dark-haired companion raised a brow at Gabe in a very familiar expression. This was the same cop from the laptop incident, and he seemed to recognize Gabe too. “You see a big dog around here?” “Actually, no, sir.” Gabe licked his lips, suddenly very self-conscious of his nude body straddled over Hayden’s. “We’ve been in here since before the party started, trying to, uh --” The officer held up his hand. “Never mind.” He backed off, closing the door behind him. Gabe let out another puff of air with relief. Figuring the police had enough on their hands with the rest of the students outside and the “mystery dogs” still on the loose, he crawled off Hayden and snatched the torn curtains. Wrapping one piece around his waist and draping the other over Hayden, he scooped up his unconscious lover and snuck out into the hall. A crowd of students, campus security, and police officers filled the common room and blocked the main entrance. Gabe carried Hayden behind the staircase and elevator, heading for the laundry and exercise rooms at the back of the building. He set Hayden on the empty table across from the dryers, and fished a pair of pants and a shirt from someone’s abandoned basket. He dressed quickly and leaned over his boyfriend. Still no sign that Hayden was going to wake up any time soon. “Sorry about lugging you around like this,” Gabe kissed him on the forehead. Slinging him over one shoulder, Gabe escaped through the window at the back of the room and started for home. Tonight, rough? Absolutely. Tomorrow morning? Probably going to be even better. With everything Gabe and Hayden suddenly had to learn about each other, they were in for a very long talk.

Pawprints: Second Nature

81

Chapter Ten

“Now that’s a party.” Bray rested his elbows on the window ledge, staring down at the mob of confused and frightened students clustered around the entrance to the dorms. A couple of deans had turned up to sort out the mess along with the police and animal control, and they discovered the stash of beer. Voices carried on the wind rose up to them on the fifth floor. School officials blamed the booze for the students’ reports of large, wild dogs running loose on campus. Alex leaned against the frame, opposite Bray. He folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe Hayden was Marked. I’ve known him all this time and never would’ve guessed.” “I think he surprised everyone tonight. Especially the mutt.” Bray straightened, raising both arms to grip the top edge of the open window. He eyed Alex. “Good thing you called Gabriel, or the kid’s ass would’ve been in serious trouble.” Stirring under the weight of the man’s cool stare, Alex cleared his throat. “What else was I supposed to do?” He glared when Bray remained silent. “Don’t tell me you’re pissed. You were the one who left Hayden alone, knowing he was about to change.”

82

Anne Cain

“Did you want me to stay with him all night?” Bray’s lips curved. “Guide him through his first time?” “No.” Heat flared across both of Alex’s cheeks. Why did he always let himself be put in these kinds of positions with the other Wair? Was he that weak? “Then stop whining.” Bray only whispered, but the richness of his voice unfurled itself in Alex’s ear and rolled through him, effortless. It was too easy to imagine other equally sensual but wordless sounds spilling from Bray’s lips. Too natural to want to hear them. Alex turned away. It wasn’t weakness that drew him into playing Bray’s games. No, Alex could blame the strength of his own lust for doing him in every time. He took a seat on the edge of his bed, elbows on knees, hands rubbing the back of his neck. “Let’s just get this over with,” he sighed. “Gee, that attitude is a real turn-on.” Bray snorted with dry laughter. “Maybe I should go and keep Hayden company instead.” The blush scorching Alex’s face worsened. “I knew you’d leave,” he blurted. Truthfully, he was surprised Bray had come at all. Surprised, but happier than he should’ve allowed himself feel. It wasn’t like he actually loved Bray. “It’s really starting to sound like you want me to go.” Bray’s expression clouded. “I never said that.” Alex glanced up sharply, meeting the other man’s even gaze. Those vivid, beautiful eyes sliced right through Alex with the weight of their stare. His pulse quickened, sending a rush of blood into all the wrong but erotically right places. Silence folded in on itself between them, pregnant with tension. Irritated, Bray turned away with a snarl. He slammed the window shut and yanked the blinds across the glass. Silhouetted in slats of bluish light, he faced the room, arms folded across his chest. The effect worked to emphasize the angular beauty of his frame, the edges of his chiseled shoulders. “So what do you want from me, Alex?”

Pawprints: Second Nature

83

Alex stared, feeling the swell of lust extend the length of his partial hard-on. He didn’t trust himself to give any kind of reply to Bray, fearful that he’d say the wrong thing and the other man actually would leave. He focused on unlacing his boots and kicking them aside, stalling for more time. “I asked you for a favor tonight, and you came through,” Bray called out softly, his posture relaxing. “I owe you.” Gliding fingers down the front of his shirt, he popped the buttons on the dark, burgundy-colored garment. “But I’m not going to force you to collect. Sorry.” “I don’t --” Alex started, quickly catching that his first choice of words was going to be a lie. And both men would’ve known it. He straightened, his gaze tracing the deep contours of every defined muscle on Bray’s chest and abdomen. He swallowed. “I know exactly what I want.” Shrugging out of the shirt, Bray approached. He paused close enough so that his rich, masculine scent poured from his torso and flooded the narrow gap between them. Alex brushed his fingertips along the taut abdomen and down past the navel, enjoying the feel of the silk-like bare skin and imagining it against his own. His touch lingered over the few stray curls above the low-slung waistband, and he teased the path of soft hair under his fingertips before dropping his hand to rest on the cool metal of Bray’s belt buckle. Riding the moment into pure abandonment, Alex leaned forward and kissed the warm spot dead center in Bray’s chest. “You’re not going to be angry with me afterward, are you?” Bray rumbled. A large hand cupped the back of Alex’s head, fingers gently rubbing his scalp. Raising an eyebrow at Bray, Alex fought not to laugh. “Only if you aren’t as good as you promised.” “Huh.” Bray laughed, a low, resonating sound that Alex felt deep in his balls. “I didn’t know you were funny.”

84

Anne Cain

“Now you do.” Alex felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He shook off Bray’s hand and lifted the edge of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. Bray moved faster than Alex expected. The larger man shoved him backward onto the bed with his hands still knotted in the T-shirt. Bray bore down on him, both hands clamped over Alex’s wrists to keep his arms stretched overhead. He pressed against Alex, heavy and hard. Every inch of him. Bray’s erection dug into Alex’s abdomen like a thick, round-tipped rod. When he kissed, it was with a fierce passion that seared Alex straight through his core, stealing the breath out of his lungs. He moaned into Bray’s mouth. The man’s taste filled Alex, strong and bold. The flavor matched the Wair. Their tongues clashed as Alex tried to drink in more of the essence, and Bray lapped at and teased Alex’s piercing like the post there was his personal toy. Damn…Alex liked it. Bray’s lips made a wet, suctioning sound as he pulled away. “Get naked,” he ordered. While Bray straightened to slip off his slacks, Alex frantically peeled away every bit of his own clothing. His cock bounced free and pointed up at Bray, fluid already trickling from its glistening tip. Alex wondered if he could have looked anymore desperate for a fuck. Meanwhile, Bray’s beautiful shaft arched up at a spectacular curve, displaying the pink underside and pulsing vein. His sac gathered plump and taut underneath, and the muscles of his abdomen rippled with each strong push of air from his diaphragm. His thighs bulged, lean but strong, ready to act as the brace for the power Bray used in his thrusts. Bray wasn’t just ready for sex -- he was the act itself in a human form, built to give pleasure. And Alex didn’t mind taking it. He glanced over his own hard, lithe body, rubbed a hand along his cock, and encouraged it to lengthen some more. He could hold his own when it came to giving too. “Hm,” Bray grunted. “You look good.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

85

“So do you.” Alex reached under the bed and felt around for the tube of gel he used for masturbating. “But are you only going to look or what?” Bray pushed him back on the bed. “Slow down. Wait until you’re ready.” “Been there, done that.” Alex’s eyebrow twitched with impatience. Lying back, he squirted some of the lube into his palm and stroked his cock. “I’m a little sick of waiting.” “Right.” Bray laughed. He stole a dollop of the slick gel off the head of Alex’s cock. “All the same, humor me. Open wide.” Alex spread his thighs and wished for something bigger than a twin-sized mattress. He was on his back, stretched out width-wise across the small bed, his legs wide apart, his knees dangling over the edge of the mattress. “Lift ’em.” Bray raised one of Alex’s knees. Annoyed, but obedient, Alex glared at Bray from between his elevated thighs. “Getting on with it sometime tonight would be great.” A wet, thick finger jabbed into him. “Ah!” Alex arched up. The shock sent a spasm through his entire passage, the walls buckling down around that probing, nudging digit. It felt like Bray was working a baseball bat in there. “You’re so tight,” Bray grunted. “How long have you been going without sex?” “Too long.” Alex scowled and shifted on the mattress. Bray’s finger nudging into his passage actually bothered him, but he refused to admit the last time he’d screwed around was with Bray, four months ago, during another full moon phase. Boy, he’d needed a long shower after that romp to make sure the smell of Wair sex didn’t stick to his skin and give Gabe’s sensitive nose a heads-up the next day at work. Bray prodded Alex’s ass with a hard, persistent finger, bringing his thoughts back to the immediate present. The discomfort ebbed away, revealing a faint, pleasant throbbing in his hole. Alex grunted.

86

Anne Cain

“You’re not kidding. Feels like you haven’t been fucked in years.” Bray snickered. “It’s not like I go looking for one-night stands seven days a week like other people I know.” “Yeah, but I see you enjoy taking advantage of someone with all that experience.” Bray hit a pleasure spot, and the world temporarily vanished in a hazy, red glow. Alex arched off the bed again, eyes squeezed shut. “Oh,” he gasped. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face. “Oh, hell.” “Feels good?” Alex trembled. A spasm seized the muscles in his passage, protesting against Bray’s strokes. “Hang on…” Bray worked a second finger into the hole, rimming the taut circle and willing it to stretch. “Relax.” “I am.” Alex clenched his teeth so hard he tasted bone. His ass followed the example and clamped even more forcefully around Bray’s probing touch. “Relax, damn it,” Bray snapped. “I am!” Alex shouted. “Forget this.” Bray pulled out, roughly flipping Alex onto his stomach. Getting pissed off, Alex snarled into the mattress. “Get off me.” Bray had a grip like a vise. “You’ll never take anything bigger than a Q-Tip up your ass until you relax,” he hissed in Alex’s ear. He shoved Alex headfirst over the bed so his face hovered an in inch from the floor, his waist doubled over the edge of the bed, knees spread and bent. Alex’s butt stuck up in the air, cheeks apart, hole gaping in the cool air. Just then, he felt wide open enough to fit a basketball in his ass. “That’s better.” Bray’s thumbs rolled along the receding edges of the hole, reminding Alex just how small he still was in reality.

Pawprints: Second Nature

87

“Wait.” Alex swallowed. Blood rushed to his face, thanks to gravity and the rapid hammering of his heart. “Bray, stop. This isn’t helping me relax.” Warm air flowed over the opening. He gasped, feeling himself open further, his anus a small mouth yawning to receive more of the pleasurable sensation. Alex moaned into the carpet, his prick twitching uselessly underneath him. A blunt, round object fixed itself at the opening. For a panicked second, Alex thought Bray really did intend to shove something crazy like a basketball into him. He squirmed, tried to push off the floor. Why did he always end up thinking about sports at times like this? “Easy,” Bray breathed, his tone soothing as he pulled away from the hole. “You’ve had my cock inside of you before, haven’t you? You know what it’s like.” Of course, he’d had Bray’s cock nudged up his ass before -- what guy in Boston, Wair or human, hadn’t? Alex snorted at the private joke and got a hard slap on his butt for reward. “If you’re laughing that means you’re ready.” Bray’s lips vibrated softly on the rim of Alex’s opening. The grazing touch on that sensitive ring of flesh sent a jolt through his ass like an electric current. Sweat trickled up the small of Alex’s back and along his spine. He shivered, the ticklish feeling a prelude to the wave of anticipation that pounded through him in its wake. When that thick bulb slid inside him, pushing and stretching him from the inside, Alex cried out. The moan dissolved into a throaty release of pleasure. Bray’s cock inched further in, stroking the sensitive passage walls. Alex barely noticed when Bray pulled him back up to lie face down on the bed. The mattress creaked under Bray’s steady thrusts, and Alex gripped the sheets, his breathing falling into rhythm with the pushing. Bray pressed down on top of him.

88

Anne Cain

“Let go,” Bray panted. His words flooded Alex, pouring into him on the man’s hot, heavy breath. Those demanding lips turned to physical coercion, taking in Alex’s earlobe and tugging the silver piercing. “Give it to me.” Bray pushed, hard. His cock edged deeper up the passage, finding the one place that set fire to every single one of Alex’s senses. Alex screamed into the mattress, his body wracked with wave after wave of sensation as his orgasm crashed through him. His passage overflowed, and he felt the rush of fluid erupting deep inside him, the oozing trickle as it leaked out from where Bray’s cock penetrated. Kisses swathed Alex’s shoulders and the back of his neck. The sound of his own pulse rushed through his ears, but he thought he heard Bray murmuring breathlessly, “Easy, easy.” Eventually, maybe minutes, maybe hours later, Bray slipped out. The emptiness inside of Alex left him stunned for a few breaths; then a steady, delicious throb started in his ass. He pulled himself out from under Bray, arranging himself so they could both fit on the small bed. Bray curled up next to him. “When was the last time you were fucked liked that?” His laughter vibrated between them. He kissed Alex on the throat, sucking on the skin hard enough that it would leave a small mark. “You should know,” Alex mumbled. Unless Bray honestly couldn’t remember. The memory of their last casual encounter was subject to possible blackouts thanks to the lunar cycle, but Alex recalled it well enough. Obviously, Bray didn’t. “When Jack was in town this summer?” he asked between mouthfuls of Alex’s ear. “No. Jack never touches me,” Alex whispered. The happy, post-coital mist brightening his thoughts started to evaporate. “Oh, well.” Bray kissed him again. “I’ll keep a place for you in my bed every once in a while. Even if you aren’t mine.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

89

“Thanks,” Alex muttered, his tone more bitter than he’d intended. “Mind if I ask you something?” “Doesn’t matter if I do,” Alex sighed. “Tell me, does it suck to be ignored by the guy who Marked you?” Bray propped himself up on one elbow. “I think I’d be a little pissed off in your case, especially if I knew what I was missing. Jack’s a good fuck.” “Oh, please.” Alex rolled to the side, giving Bray his back. “You’d never be in my situation. If Viggo ever thought of ignoring you, you’d find some way to jump him because you can’t stand the lack of attention.” Bray grunted. “Probably.” He wrapped himself around Alex, slipping his thigh between Alex’s legs. The embrace was pleasant, comforting. Alex forgot to be angry and enjoyed the feel of the other man’s heat enveloping him. That happy mist spread over his mind again. The peace lasted until Bray opened his mouth one more time. “Do you think Viggo will have a problem with Hayden?” “Why would you care?” Alex mumbled drowsily. The truth smacked him wide-awake. “You’re the one who Marked him?” “Yes.” Alex bolted up. “Christ, you’re kidding me!” “No.” Bray yawned. “When? How?” Alex sputtered. “What the fuck were you thinking? And what about Gabriel? Oh, my God.” He ran both hands through his hair. The demon would be trouble enough to deal with; Alex didn’t want to consider a pissed-off dog hunting them down as well. “Relax, I did it a long, long time ago. He’s that kid you brought up the other day -- the one you accused me of killing.” Bray added dryly, “Wrongfully, by the way.” “But he will be killed when Viggo finds out.” Alex felt queasy.

90

Anne Cain

“You really think Viggo won’t like him? Hayden’s cute enough.” “Bray, you can’t seriously be this thick.” Alex gaped at him. “Why do you really think that demon kills every guy you Mark?” “Because he enjoys messing with me.” “No,” Alex snapped. “You’re one of his damn favorites! Whenever you bring a lover in, he gets jealous. Don’t you get it? He can’t stand the idea of you being with anyone else.” Bray sat up with a scowl. “He knows I fuck you. We’ve done it in front of him a couple of times, right?” “Viggo doesn’t give a shit about me,” Alex huffed. “I’m Jack’s mistake -- the moron with a crush who accidentally got himself Marked and whose existence now keeps Jack from changing anyone else. Viggo is happy I’m around to do that. That’s why I’m still alive. And as long as I don’t Mark anyone else, I won’t get anyone hurt.” “Well, in that case, everything’s fine.” Bray lay back down and crooked an arm over his eyes. “The hell it is,” Alex cursed. A calm smile appeared on Bray’s lips, prompting Alex to let out another flustered puff of air. “Okay, how?” “Because Hayden’s my mistake,” Bray replied. “He’s attractive, but to be honest, we didn’t click tonight. He’s not going to be my mate or anything.” Alex laughed dryly. “You came on to him, and he turned you down.” “Always Mr. Negative, huh?” Bray snorted. “I must’ve only been thirteen or fourteen when I Marked him, and I didn’t even mean to. It just happened. After eleven years, that kind of puppy love doesn’t stand the test of time. What can I say?” “You’ve changed his life forever and placed it in mortal danger.” Alex rolled his eyes. “‘Sorry’ might be a good place to start.” “I already told him I’d check up on him tomorrow morning.” Bray yawned loudly. “Why don’t you give it a rest and try to get some sleep. Or…” He reached down and cupped

Pawprints: Second Nature

91

his balls, the semi-hard cock curving up at his groin. “Here’s something else you can do with your mouth to keep busy.” Alex flopped down on the mattress beside him. Fine. Sleep was good. Also, a lot of what Bray said made sense. Now that Hayden was part of the “club” and had undergone his first change, no one else Bray might decide to Mark ever would. Viggo could appreciate Hayden as an unwanted Wair preventing Bray from hooking up with a lifelong lover. As if reading his mind, Bray murmured into Alex’s ear, “You worry too much, baby. Just enjoy the moment.” He was right. Letting go of a long sigh, Alex relaxed against the pillows. Bray’s warm, even breath spread along the side of his neck, heat pulsing from his naked, handsome body. It felt good to be in bed with someone, the satisfaction of powerful, unhindered sex throbbing pleasantly in the stretched opening at his rear. As long as the offer had been placed on the table… Alex sat up again, his palm finding the base of Bray’s cock. He rubbed the slick length, immediately rewarded by the organ’s willingness to rise. A throaty cry rumbled in the back of Bray’s throat. “Ride it.” Alex mounted the man, centered the head of the swollen cock at his ready opening, and pushed down.

92

Anne Cain

Chapter Eleven

A crisp breeze rustled through Gabe’s hair from the open window over the bed. He stared up at the ceiling, head reclined against pillows damp with Hayden’s sweat, and listened to the even breathing of his lover. Judging from the pattern of sunlight stretching across the ceiling, it was late in the afternoon, possibly close to four. Last night, he’d bumped into the nightstand while getting Hayden’s unconscious form into bed and knocked over the radio alarm clock. Hollow, staticfilled music still crackled over the mono speaker, but the digital face refused to show the time. Lying naked on top of Gabe, Hayden snored softly. He’d been out for hours, stirring only every once in a while to drape an arm or a leg over his lover. A couple of hours before dawn, a fever had come over him, and the temperature had run high enough to scare Gabe. But it had broken quickly, and Hayden had slept on, oblivious. Gabe was the one who hadn’t managed a wink of sleep. He’d stayed at Hayden’s side the entire time, watching over him, too confused and on edge to rest. Early in the morning before daylight, Gabe slipped out and went back to the pool to pick up their abandoned

Pawprints: Second Nature

93

clothes, including his water-soaked jeans and wallet. He thought the walk would do him good, clear his mind, but he crawled back into bed just as disconcerted as before. A werewolf. The idea needed a lot of getting used to. Of course, that street ran both ways. Once Hayden woke up, he’d have to adjust to the fact that Gabe had his own four-legged, waggy-tailed Nature. Hayden sighed and twitched. Eyelids fluttered open, lashes brushing Gabe’s skin, and he smacked his lips. Groggy, he mumbled into Gabe’s chest. “Hi.” “Hey.” Gabe ran a hand through Hayden’s messy hair. “How are you feeling?” “Like shit.” “Let me get you some water.” Gabe crawled out from underneath the tangle of limbs and padded barefoot across the messy apartment to the kitchenette. He returned to the bed with a cool glass and found Hayden sitting up, a dazed look clouding his face. “I had a really odd dream.” Hayden rubbed his eyes. “Yeah?” Gabe offered him the cup, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress. Damn…it seemed Hayden was going to have more trouble recalling the events of last night. Gabe sincerely did not look forward to helping to connect the dots again, considering how well the guy had taken the news before. “Yeah,” Hayden repeated with a short nod. He guzzled the water in a few gulps and wiped at his wet mouth with the back of his hand. Shaking his head, he handed the empty glass back to Gabe. “It was a real trip.” Hayden shivered. “And it felt so real.” “Um…” Gabe cleared his throat while he nervously rolled the cup between his palms. “What if I told you it wasn’t a dream?”

Anne Cain

94

“Huh?” Hayden made a face, confused. “First, how much do you remember?” Gabe pressed his lips into a thin line. This wouldn’t be easy. Outside, someone’s car alarm went off. The high-pitched wails just below their apartment irritated Gabe’s hearing, but Hayden also winced. He reached over and yanked the window shut, cursing. While the alarm continued its muffled whining behind the glass, Hayden rubbed his ears. An expression of wide-eyed shock and realization washed over his face. He touched his fully healed shoulder, stared down along his bare torso and legs. “Oh.” Hayden swallowed loudly. “That’s right. It was real.” He fixed his round, clear gaze on Gabe. “So, any clues why this happened to us?” “Honestly, I don’t have a one,” Gabe admitted. “About you, anyway.” “Last night wasn’t the first time you --?” Hayden gulped. “You know.” “No, I’ve always been this way.” Gabe sucked in a deep breath and smiled weakly. “I’m a dog.” Silence. Hayden coughed into a fist. “A dog.” “Technically, I guess I’m a ‘both.’” Gabe started rambling. “My kind is born with two Natures, or at least a lot are. I remember hearing about a couple who couldn’t shift between bodies, and they looked like dogs their entire life. But I’ve been able to shift since I was really little, and it was the same with my father and his brothers. So, it depends on the pup, really. The hardest part is trying to stay in one form for too long without taking a break, because then my muscles start to ache, and it’s difficult to concentrate on anything.” The sentence hung in midair. Hayden stared at him, brow furrowed, lips drawn into frown. The expression could translate into a number of emotions. None of them were what Gabe had hoped to see in Hayden after sharing this secret. But they were pretty much what he’d always expected.

Pawprints: Second Nature

95

Hurt, Gabe looked away. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you a lot sooner.” Before going away to the same college and moving in together. Definitely before falling in love. “Damn right,” Hayden said. “Swear to God, I tried telling you before.” Gabe’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach. “Plenty of times. Back in high school, in fact, the first day we kissed. It’s just…I couldn’t. I didn’t want to lose your friendship.” “Lose my --?” Hayden’s voice cracked. “You think I would’ve stopped caring about you if I’d known the truth. That’s why you kept such an important part of your life a secret from me.” “Dogs aren’t exactly on your list of favorite things.” Gabe clutched at the empty cup, staring at his own worried -- human -- face reflected on the clear surface. He almost cracked the glass between his palms. But Hayden rested a hand over Gabe’s and eased the cup free. He set the glass on the nightstand, his fingers threading through Gabe’s. “I love you,” Hayden said. “That will never change. How could you think that it would’ve?” Now the emotions registering on Hayden’s face made sense. He squeezed Gabe’s hand. “I’m hurt you never felt comfortable enough to share the secret with me.” “I was scared and didn’t want to take a chance.” Gabe stroked his thumb against the warm skin on Hayden’s wrist. “It’s hard enough for humans to deal with getting dumped.” He blushed, the heat spreading across his cheeks. “Dogs have this loyalty thing that happens after bonding. It’s a harder instinct to crack than chasing my own tail.” Hayden laughed. Gabe offered him a sheepish smile, and the chuckles died. “You’re serious.” Hayden’s eyes widened. “You chase after your own tail?” “It was a really tough habit to break as a kid,” Gabe mumbled. “Anyway. This isn’t making you uncomfortable?”

96

Anne Cain

“All things considered, it would be pretty damn hypocritical of me if it did,” Hayden said and kissed Gabe’s knuckles. “I’m not saying all this is easy to accept, but it explains a lot of your quirks.” He smiled. “Like the sniffing thing.” “It’s been kind of weird living with me, hasn’t it?” Gabe’s lips curved. “Only in a good way,” Hayden assured him. “I’m just happy to have you in my life, no matter what. You’re my best friend.” Joy washed over Gabe. He leaned over and kissed Hayden on the cheek. “I love you so much.” Hayden pulled him into an embrace. “I love you too.” His heart pounded against his chest, strong enough for Gabe to feel the steady beating on contact. “But I’m also scared. I don’t know what’s happening to me.” “We’ll figure this out together.” Gabe pulled away. “Don’t worry.” “So how do you do it?” Hayden bit his bottom lip. “Shift forms, I mean.” “It’s hard to explain.” Gabe frowned. “I just slide into my second Nature, like stretching, or moving from a state of rest to a state of motion.” He nodded at Hayden’s confused expression. “Like I said, it’s not easy to put into words.” “Does that pain go away after a while?” Hayden asked, shuddering. “When I…when the change happened, it felt like my body was on fire.” “I’m not really sure,” Gabe replied quietly. “I only know about dogs with second Natures. You’re the first person like this I’ve ever met that isn’t one.” “But I had the tail and paws. I’m sure of it.” Hayden’s face paled. “To me, you looked a lot like a wolf. You also ran on two legs and had hands similar to a human’s.” Gabe worried the hem of a rumpled blanket spilling over the edge of the bed. “I know what this sounds like, but I think you’re a werewolf.” “Okay, this has officially gone beyond crazy.” Hayden cradled his forehead in his hands. “I don’t --”

Pawprints: Second Nature

97

The buzzer went off at the door, announcing a visitor downstairs at the entrance to the complex. Gabe glanced over, debating whether or not to answer. “That’s the second one today. Someone came by earlier, while you were still under.” Hayden scowled. “The last time I answered a surprise visit, it didn’t turn out so well.” “What do you mean?” “Yesterday, Alex showed up to take me to the party,” Hayden explained. “He thought the fresh air would help, but you know what happened.” Alex. He’d left the library early, claiming to not be feeling so well himself, but his scent had been bathed in lust. After the embarrassing run-in in the restroom, Gabe assumed Alex wanted some private time in his dorm to finish masturbating. He never imagined that the guy had come here to lure Hayden out of the apartment. Gabe stood and crossed the apartment. A feeling in his gut warned him that none of this was coincidence, and that all of it meant trouble. He answered the buzzer, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. “Who’s there?” “Finally, the sleeping beauties are awake.” Gabe didn’t recognize the gravelly voice, and he narrowed his eyes at the intercom. Another man spoke up through the speaker. “This is important, Gabe. It’s about last night.” “Alex,” Gabe finally answered, recognizing the man’s lighter, breathier tone. “Yeah, it’s me.” Then the stranger growled into the receiver. “Come on, pup. We’re running out of time before the moon comes out again and Hayden gives you another run for your Milk-Bones.” Gabe exchanged a wide-eyed look across the room with Hayden. Alex and this other man knew everything. “Let them in.” Hayden swallowed.

98

Anne Cain

Chapter Twelve

Gabe waited in the doorway, leaning against the jamb. Alex appeared at the top of the landing with his companion, a tall man with streaked blond hair falling across his angular face. They both stopped when they caught sight of Gabe watching from the entrance to the apartment. “Is Hayden all right?” Alex shuffled in place, one hand tapping the banister. “Yeah.” Gabe sniffed the air, searching for anything unusual about the men. Aside from noticing how their scents intermingled, he caught a whiff of that strange earthy smell. Stepping away from the door, he gestured for them to come in. The stranger came up first with a grocery bag in hand. As he crossed the threshold, he tossed the sack at Gabe. “Catch.” “Hey --!” Gabe fumbled with the heavy bundle. “That’s Bray,” Alex sighed in the man’s wake. He closed the door behind him and offered Gabe an apologetic look. “He’s always like this.” “Is he a friend of yours?” “It’s complicated.” Alex let out another puff of air. Gabe noted the musky aroma of sex lingering on his skin along with the combination of Bray’s scent, but said nothing.

Pawprints: Second Nature

99

Apparently, there was a lot about Alex he didn’t know, the least of which was the recent discovery that his friend was gay. Meanwhile, Bray invited himself into the rest of the room. He walked straight up to Hayden, who perched on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a blanket. “How’re you doing, kid?” Bray touched Hayden’s forehead. “No fever. Good. Been awake long?” “Maybe half an hour.” Hayden eyed him. “You weren’t kidding when you said last night was going to get weird.” “Nope.” The corner of Bray’s lips curled up. So this was the guy Hayden mentioned while they were at the pool. Gabe set the bag down on the narrow span of counter between the two-burner stove and the small fridge and listened, wary. Alex glanced at Gabe and cleared his throat. He started to speak, but appeared to think better of it. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black jeans, he scuffed across the carpet to join Hayden on the edge of the bed. “How long did the shift last?” he asked, sitting down. Unsure, Hayden shook his head. He looked over to Gabe, who answered, “Ten minutes, more or less.” “Sounds about right.” Bray scratched at his chin. “The first time never lasts long.” Alex agreed. “Especially when it happens out of phase with the moon.” “But that’s when it hurts most.” Bray’s laughter rose as a growl in his throat. “Bet it was a bitch. Am I right?” “Understatement of the year.” Hayden winced. “I have a headache and feel like crap.” “The mutt hasn’t given you anything to eat yet?” Bray raised an eyebrow. “You have to be starving.” “Ravenous.” Hayden’s arm moved under the blanket to touch his stomach. “Oh, man…” All the way across the room, Gabe heard the gurgling rumble.

100

Anne Cain

“I’ll make you something.” Gabe straightened, pushing away from the counter. “Never mind, I’ll take care of it.” Bray stalked over to the kitchen. He dumped out the contents of the grocery bag next to the stove -- packs of ground beef from the market, potatoes, a shaker of rock salt, two small glass bottles. Gabe picked up the bottles. “Olive oil and cooking sherry?” “For flavor.” Bray snatched them back. They eyed each other, both on guard. Bray tried to match Gabe’s stare, but crinkled his nose after a few seconds and turned back to the food. “Trust me, it’ll be fine,” he muttered. Nothing about him projected a sense of danger, just that he was uncomfortable at being stared down. “Do you have a skillet around here?” “Sure.” Gabe fished one out of the wedge of cabinet space under the stove. Bray already had the gas burner lit and set the pan on top. “Now go make sure your boyfriend doesn’t start eating the upholstery while Alex explains things.” Not sure how to feel about being kicked out of his own kitchen, Gabe reluctantly backed out. He wanted to catch every detail of Alex’s story and dragged a chair from the desk close to the bed. Straddling the seat, arms and chin resting on the back, he waited while Bray started banging around on the stove. “He’s actually a pretty good cook.” Alex nodded toward the kitchen and smiled. “Bray fixes stuff up for when we change too.” Hayden’s stomach let out a mean, reverberating growl as a response. “God, I just hope he’s a fast cook.” Laughing, Alex squeezed Hayden’s shoulder. “He is, don’t worry.” His smile faded as he turned to Gabe. “I’m really sorry about not telling you everything, but you understand why it’s hard to be upfront when it comes to the truth about things like this. By now, it’s pretty obvious to you guys that Bray and I are different too.” “Even from me,” Gabe added.

Pawprints: Second Nature

101

“Really different from you.” Alex nodded. “You were never human to begin with. Bray, me, Hayden -- we’ve been changed to be this way.” “I didn’t even know something like that was possible.” Gabe frowned. “Neither did I until it happened to me.” Alex laughed dryly. “That sure as shit altered my perspective on the world.” “But who the hell changed me?” Hayden demanded. “And into what?” Alex pointed across the room, toward the kitchen where Bray was tossing some of the meat into the hot skillet. “He did.” “No, I’m serious,” Hayden stated flatly, skeptical. “Bray really did it,” Alex replied. “He says you two met in junior high and had a crush on each other.” “That’s the guy you were talking about yesterday at the therapy session?” Gabe’s stare darted from Hayden to Bray’s back. “Ta-daa.” Bray turned to hold open his arms, a spatula in one hand. “Life’s full of quirky plot twists.” “Yeah, sure.” Alex rolled his eyes. He inclined his head at Hayden. “Anyway, he flipped one night and bit you. You remember that part, I’m sure.” Hayden’s jaw dropped. “That was you?” he choked out, gawking at Bray. “You were that dog-thing?” “Yeah. Sorry.” Bray shrugged and went back to stirring the pan. “Oh, my God, Gabe’s right.” Hayden clutched the side of his head, dismayed. “I am a werewolf.” “No, not really,” Alex said. He stopped, brows knit. “Then what?” “We’re demons.”

102

Anne Cain

“Jesus.” Hayden pulled the blanket up over his head. “This keeps getting better.” “But only during the lunar phase when the moon is full,” Alex went on. “And it never lasts more than a few hours. The rest of the time, we’re completely human.” He looked at Gabe. “That’s why you couldn’t tell there was anything different about me from scent alone. A change in smell would only happen a few hours before the shift, so I made sure I wasn’t around you on those days.” The last part of what Alex said clicked with Gabe. “So you knew what I was before I told you.” “Yeah,” Alex admitted. “Since you’re always you, the only real difference between the two forms is, literally, the shape.” “They’re called Natures,” Gabe said distractedly. “The different forms.” “Right.” Alex nodded. “We can’t call ours that. There’s nothing natural about what we shift into.” “How about your senses? They’re sharper, even in your human body.” “I wouldn’t say they’re super-powered or anything.” Alex frowned. “We just become more aware of them after the change. More focused on things like sound, smell, touch. I guess.” He shrugged, his expression clouded. “I’ve been this way for five years, and I still barely understand everything.” “Great.” Hayden pushed the blanket off his shoulders. “If you’re lost, that’s not exactly encouraging.” “Hey, I’m not really cool with being this, either.” Alex smiled wryly. “But there’s no way to undo it, so here I am.” “What was weird about my scent to you, that you could tell?” Gabe blurted out. Alex and Hayden both gave him surprised looks. Gabe shrugged. “Just curious.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

103

Alex was thoughtful for a second. He scratched the back of his head with a chuckle, dimples forming on his cheeks. “Hate to say it, but whenever it rains, you smell a little like wet dog.” “Really? Oh, geez…” An embarrassed blush seeped over Gabe’s cheeks. “Anyway, Hayden. There are a couple of things to watch out for,” Alex warned, getting back on track. “Two days before and two days after the full moon, you have to be really careful. Premature changes happen.” He gestured to Hayden. “Like last night, with you. I lost my cool the day before, myself.” “What triggers it?” Hayden shifted in his seat, cracking his knuckles, nervous. “Really strong emotions, usually,” Alex explained. “Anger. Fear.” “Lust,” Bray growled as he approached with two bowls, his smile broadening. A wave of red crept up the collar of Alex’s Ringer T-shirt. “That’s probably the harder one to control.” “You mean, the hornier I get, the more in trouble I am?” Hayden’s eyebrows shot up. “Not as long as your lover keeps you busy the week of that lunar phase.” Bray winked. He plopped a dish full of steaming, delicious smelling beef and potatoes onto Hayden’s lap and offered the other to Gabe. “You’ve got to be pretty hungry too, after all that running around.” “Oh…thanks.” Gabe took the bowl, blinking in surprise. The food smelled good, really good. Mouth watering, he dug in. Hayden pushed some of the meat around with his fork. “What’s the other thing to watch out for?” Alex waited for Bray to take a seat at the edge of the desk across from the bed. They shared a quick glance, worry flickering in Alex’s eyes, before he finally answered. “Viggo. The demon who started all this.”

Anne Cain

104

“He can be a nasty prick,” Bray muttered, fingering a thumbnail-sized rip on the thigh of his jeans. “I’m not sure how many centuries ago, Viggo belonged to a group of sorcerers or some kind of supernatural being. I don’t really know,” Alex explained. “He was a trickster, changing shape to cause trouble for people and luring a number of men to his bed. Apparently, that didn’t go down too well with the Others. He was locked in this realm, Earth, as a kind of punishment.” Bray interrupted with a rumbling laugh. “Enjoyed too much human cock for his own good.” “Viggo has Marked his lovers for years, and they change like he does, whenever the moon reaches the right phase,” Alex continued. “He can’t exactly walk the surface of our world; that’s part of the magic that has him bound here. But when there’s a full moon, he has a small window of time to come out.” “You know, to stretch his legs, chase a little ass,” Bray sneered. “Yes,” Alex agreed quietly. “He’s a very sexual being. And also petty and selfish and dangerous. Wairs -- that’s what we’re called -- are only allowed to have lovers of our own if Viggo approves of them. If not, he…” Alex didn’t have to finish the sentence for Gabe to get the drift. “Want to hear what the best part is?” Bray licked his lips. “Not really.” The tension in Hayden’s muttered response made the usually very nonviolent man sound close to the point of punching something. Alex picked up the vibe along with Gabe and inched further down the mattress out of arm’s reach. “We have to take you to meet Viggo, Hayden.” Bray raised a brow. “To make sure he doesn’t try to kill you later on.” “Absolutely not.” Gabe stood up. He glared at Bray. “He’s not going anywhere near that demon.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

105

“Hayden doesn’t have a choice, Gabe,” Alex said. “Neither of us expected him to have been Marked, and I’m kicking myself because I think it was being close to Bray that triggered the change after all these years. Wairs can Mark as many people as they want, but unlike when Viggo does it, only one person can actually change at a time. Bray’s been Marking boyfriends left and right, and every time they changed, that kept Hayden…you know. Human.” Bray snickered. “Are you trying to call me ‘easy’?” Alex ignored Bray. “Does what I’m saying make sense, Hayden? It’s weird, I understand.” “So, because I haven’t been around Bray until now, that’s why I’m suddenly changing?” Hayden shot Bray a less-than-grateful, narrow-eyed look. “Also, Viggo hasn’t been anywhere near Boston for almost four years,” Alex added. “But he’s coming tonight, and that’s got all the Wairs in the area on edge. That, combined with bumping into Bray, did it.” “Welcome to the family,” Bray grunted. Hayden cursed and buried his face in his palms. “Is that why you invited me to the party, to meet Bray?” In the spell of silence that followed, Alex hung his head. Hayden took that answer to mean “yes” and swore again, eyes flashing with anger and fear. “Don’t be upset with Alex,” Bray called out softly. “I forced him to do it.” “Why?” Hayden snapped. “I thought you were cute, and I wanted to talk to you. If I’d known you were the same kid I’d bitten eleven years ago…” Bray glanced up at the ceiling while internally debating with himself. He shrugged. “I probably would’ve still forced Alex to hook us up. Oh, well. But if it’s any consolation, I’m not really turned on by you. Viggo won’t feel threatened, and you’ll be okay.”

106

Anne Cain

Gabe plunked down beside Hayden. “If there’s no other choice, then fine. But I’m going too.” “You can’t.” Alex adamantly shook his head. “Viggo would go nuts.” “He’ll have to deal.” Hayden snorted. “No, he’ll be pissed to the nth degree because dogs and Wairs --” Alex caught himself and clenched his jaw. “Dogs and Wairs what?” Gabe stared at him, blankly. “Dogs and Wairs don’t mix.” Alex rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re supposed to be enemies. The same people who stuck Viggo here left dogs behind to watch out for and protect humans. If he sees you, Gabe, or realizes that you and Hayden are together, things won’t go so well.” “He’ll try to kill Gabe,” Hayden whispered. “Yes,” Alex confirmed. “Well, I don’t care.” Gabe straightened. “Hayden’s not going alone.” “Bray and I will be there,” Alex said. “We’ll make sure everything turns out okay.” “You two were the ones who started all this.” Gabe bristled. “I can’t --” “Gabe.” Hayden touched his cheek. “You’re staying.” “But --” Hayden kissed him on the mouth, gently rolling his lips over Gabe’s. When he pulled away, the look in his eyes was intense, almost severe. “I’m not going to risk you getting hurt. End of story.” He returned to his bowl of food, finally spooning up some of the beef. Nothing Gabe could say would change Hayden’s mind. Not that he could ever bring himself to argue with his best friend, even if it meant everything. It wasn’t in his nature. Gabe stared at the leftover pieces of spuds in his bowl. “Want my potatoes?” he asked quietly, offering them to Hayden.

Pawprints: Second Nature

“Sure.”

107

108

Anne Cain

Chapter Thirteen

Through branches fringed with golden brown and orange leaves, the gray, cloud-filled sky darkened. The last of the sunlight disappeared, and lampposts bordering the cobbled walkway flickered to life, spilling their washed-out glow over the ground in orange circles. As he paced under the trees, his sneakers crunching on the leaf-strewn grass off the path, Hayden shivered. In the cooling air, his skin started to itch, worse now that the sun had gone. He cracked his knuckles, then scratched at his chest through the sweaty T-shirt. A surge of anxiety and anticipation pulsed through him, fueling his nervous trotting back and forth over the crispy leaves. The combo did a number on him from the inside out, leaving him confused and restless. He could feel the change coming, now that he knew what it was, and something else besides. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms prickled. When Hayden reached the stone curb sectioning off the walkway, he stopped. His diaphragm puffed in and out with a few nervous gulps of air, until he forced his breathing to steady. A group of three guys crossed in front of him. Tourists, judging from the camera and map of the Common in hand, who were making their way up the path toward some concert being held at the Parkman Bandstand. Hayden watched until the men rounded the corner,

Pawprints: Second Nature

109

three normal guys, totally clueless to the supernatural world stirring up all around them. He turned on his heel and clipped back up the knoll. From his spot sitting cross-legged and leaning against the trunk of a wide maple, Alex called out. “Try to relax,” he suggested. “Sure, right.” Hayden pressed his palm to his chest, felt the pounding of his heart through the damp cotton. Edgy about confronting this demon-wolf-thing from the start, the chances of calming down were about zero to minus-one. Alex didn’t look so good, either. He shifted position and drew his knees up under his chin, skin pale, face drawn. A few beads of sweat dotted the bridge of his nose. “Just don’t get worked up too early,” Bray warned. He leaned back against the tree trunk, standing beside Alex’s compact form, hands in the pockets of his slacks. For all his bravado, he swung his head from side to side and rolled his shoulders. Some of the restlessness swelling inside of Hayden registered in Bray’s distracted expression, the way his gaze darted around. Bray stretched his arms overhead, then pushed away from the tree to shrug out of his jacket. He worked open the front of his shirt, tossing that piece of clothing to the ground too. “You’re telling me not to get ‘worked up,’ but you’re the one doing a striptease in the middle of the park?” Hayden raised a brow. Bray curled his lips and unfastened the button at his fly. “Hey, there are people around --” Hayden started. “In a few minutes, it won’t matter.” Bray’s eyes flashed. He pulled down the zipper, revealing a glimpse of black underwear. “Stop messing around.” Alex swatted at the back of Bray’s legs. “Hayden’s right. If a cop sees you undressing or something…” “What’s the ‘or something’?” Bray smiled down at Alex, licking already moist lips.

110

Anne Cain

“I don’t know.” Some of the color returned to Alex’s cheeks in patches of washed-out pink. “Can I make a guess?” Bray crouched down beside him. He flicked his tongue over the beads of sweat collecting on the bridge of Alex’s nose. “Knock it off,” Alex mumbled, even as he tilted up to meet Bray’s lips with his own. A pleasant throbbing started deep in Hayden’s groin. He tore his stare away from the two men to glance at the erection developing under the front of his jeans and let out a frustrated growl. The itching flared up all over his skin, the heat rising under his collar. In about two seconds, he was going to start ripping off clothes. “Seriously, stop it,” Hayden barked. Alex gave up nibbling on Bray’s lips and coughed. “Sorry.” “Hell.” Bray scowled fiercely in Hayden’s direction. “I’m still stripping down. This is Dolce underwear -- I’m not letting it get ruined.” “It’s not like we don’t have spare stuff.” Alex nudged the full backpack at his feet with the toe of his boot. Bray squinted at him. “Just a suggestion,” Alex sighed. He rested his head against the tree and closed his eyes. A shudder coursed through him, and the same tremor sidled up along Hayden’s spine a second later. “He’s closer,” Bray murmured, the roguish smirk gone from his face. He straightened and glanced over his shoulder at Hayden. “Do you feel it?” Hayden nodded. He turned to watch the path, his heart hammering somewhere up in his throat. A void blanketed the view of the park. The surrounding darkness created a round, fifty-foot clearing in the area where Hayden, Alex, and Bray stood. Filmy shadows draped over the world, obscuring the trees, the city lights, and the handful of people on the far end of the walkway. The sounds of life anywhere else in the Common were muffled, blurred.

Pawprints: Second Nature

111

Everything became submerged in this inky nothingness, the weight of it crushing down on Hayden as if he stared out at the world from the bottom of a dark pool. He backed away from that shadowy wall, moving to stand between Bray and Alex, who were now standing. The feeling settled over him that they were only tenuously anchored to Earth, this murky bubble a world unto itself. A dark-haired, thirty-something-year-old guy wrapped in a beat-up trench coat stepped through the wall a few yards away from them. Two more men joined him, younger, close to Hayden’s age. Twins, both guys had their brown hair cropped short in matching haircuts to complete the whole identical package. The newcomers all looked as anxious as Hayden felt. Tension flooded the distance between both groups of men. Wary, Hayden felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. His gut let him know what these guys were without having to ask. “Neither of you said anything about more Wairs showing up.” He frowned at Alex. “Is this like being part of a pack or whatever?” “Not really.” Alex furrowed his brow. He stared across at the other men, his hands opening and closing into fists. “We come when we’re called. Otherwise, we’re not very social with each other.” “Dogs are supposed to be cliquey like that, though,” Bray offered in a sarcastic tone. “I’m surprised to see three of them,” Alex said. “I didn’t know there were any others in the area tonight.” He nodded in their direction. “Hi.” The twins blew off Alex’s greeting. They traded a glance before glaring at Bray and then Hayden with looks best described as less than friendly. “Who’s that?” “Not your business,” Bray replied gruffly. The man with the dark hair shook his head. He lit a cigarette and snubbed out the match between his thumb and forefinger. “Another mess to clean up later, that’s who.”

112

Anne Cain

“Fuck,” the twins cursed in unison. One of them, a silver chain hanging from his neck, snarled and stabbed his finger at Hayden. “We should just kill the little prick now and get it over with.” “Heh.” Bray bared his teeth. He stared, unblinking, at the three other Wairs across the way. “Two minutes with the rest of the kids in the playground, and you’re already popular, Hayden.” “My lucky week.” Hayden ground his teeth. “And those two guys prove they can be assholes in stereo. Nice.” “They do a lot in stereo.” Bray’s eyes narrowed. “Especially mouth off.” Alex touched Hayden’s shoulder. “None of those guys will do anything to you,” he whispered. “Neil and Seth are just angry with Bray. Andrew, the older guy, too.” Hayden didn’t bother guessing why. Any more comments or questions died on his lips as the ground buckled underneath him. A loud rumble that shook him to the core echoed in the clearing. Hayden steadied himself against the tree, catching Alex, who fell off balance. The dusty scent of damp earth filled his nostrils, the humidity swelling around him and licking at his face and exposed skin. The touch chilled him, but it also relieved the maddening itch that worsened the nearer the moon came to rising. And it was so close. Hayden closed his eyes and could almost see the first white sliver cresting the horizon. With the ground still rolling, Hayden lifted the edge of his shirt to allow more of the damp air to cool his burning skin. He would’ve undressed completely, but Alex caught his wrist. “Don’t,” Alex warned. Hayden obeyed and released the hem. But next to him, Bray was already kicking off his underwear and pants to stand nude. Across the way, the other Wairs also worked at tearing off their clothes. Hayden swallowed a nervous laugh at the image. He had the quirky feeling

Pawprints: Second Nature

113

that he’d stepped into a bad game of strip poker, where the players already knew they’d lose no matter what hand they were dealt. But, damn -- every single naked cock and ball sac looked good. Especially the twins’. Their identically long and silky penises lifted in unison, adding an erotic visual to the whole “stereo” concept.

What the hell am I thinking? Hayden stuck a hand under his shirt, giving himself a short, stinging pinch on a nipple to keep the parts of his brain not entirely sex-focused in line. He caught himself starting to rub the taut peak and quickly pulled his hand back out. In the middle of the clearing, a tear formed in the earth. From the jagged seam, loose dirt spilled up into the air and formed a mound with an opening, like the entrance to a cave. Tendrils of shadows coiled out from the mouth, unfurling from the liquid blackness within. The rumbling in the ground stopped. An inhumanly deep, throaty voice curled out from the opening. “Is this all of you?” The velvety sound alone was enough to make Hayden hard. Harder, anyway. His erection strained at his fly while the blood rushed to his groin. Alex gripped his wrist tighter, stopping Hayden from ripping open the zipper to get to his pulsing cock. The twins moved in from the edge of the circle, and the same shade of red painting their shafts spread across their cheeks. They stopped at the edge of the shadows to lean against each other. Their pose showed off the definition of their sculpted physiques, legs and thighs open to display every inch of their sexes. “We came all the way here from New York for you,” said the twin with the necklace, Neil. His brother nodded very enthusiastically. “We’ve missed you.” “We want you,” Neil fawned.

No kidding, Hayden thought dryly. Their dicks arched up, defying gravity in ways Hayden didn’t think were possible unless a guy was upside down. They could’ve held up

114

Anne Cain

signs with “Fuck me, please!” scrawled across the front in neon orange letters, and their desire wouldn’t have been more obvious. The third Wair pushed his way past the Wonder Twins. His muscles didn’t have the same polished finish as gym rats like Neil and Seth, but he held his own. Rounded shoulders, tight ass, good abs. He splayed his legs shoulder-width apart and reached down to cup his balls in one hand, his cock in the other. “Take me,” the guy begged. Guess more obvious signs than a big neon orange one existed after all. Hayden gawked at the three men and realized the Wairs were just…groupies. Extremely horny groupies. Within the shadows, the demon laughed. The rumbling bass rippled through the thick air, igniting another spark of animalistic desire deep inside of Hayden. His body reacted outside of his control, but his heart instinctively went to the one person he loved. In the middle of this surreal and overtly sexual situation, Hayden found himself wishing he could climb on top of Gabe for a long, hard ride. Right now. “So this is what happens during these ‘monthly meetings’?” Hayden whispered hoarsely. “You guys get together for an orgy?” Beside him, Alex made a strangled noise somewhere between a cough and a whimper. “Basically.” He swallowed, Adam’s apple rising and falling in the column of his throat. “But when Viggo is here, he chooses a lover for himself. And everyone wants to be that guy.” Including Bray. The man slowly jerked off a couple of steps ahead of them, a sneer on his lips. His cock lifted straight out in his palm, pointed in the demon’s direction. Following the pull of his dick, Bray moved a couple of feet closer to the demon, whose face was still masked in shadow. Alex noticed Bray also, and something in his cautious expression wavered. He looked away quickly, but not before Hayden caught the trace of disappointment.

Pawprints: Second Nature

115

The air crackled with the demon’s power. The shadows continued their swirling dance, but the thrum of energy in the clearing changed. Viggo’s attention shifted from the other three Wairs. Hayden caught a glimmer of pale skin behind the veil of shade, an unearthly beautiful face, glowing crimson eyes. The weight of Viggo’s presence crushed down on him, and Hayden fought to catch his breath. “Who is this?” the demon hissed. “Huh?” Bray glanced over his shoulder at Hayden with a blank expression. “Oh, him. Nobody, really.” Hayden couldn’t tell if his distracted manner was only an act, or if Bray actually had forgotten. “Why does he have your Mark?” Bray gave a clipped response. “Accident. Sorry.” “Then you don’t want him.” “No. He doesn’t mean anything to me.” Bray took another step forward, making the only thing he wanted very clear. Viggo regarded Hayden coolly from within the shroud of darkness. Another glimmer of white sparked in the void as the demon smiled. “But he is too lovely to waste.” Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. “Looks aren’t everything,” Bray quickly interjected. But some of the confidence in his voice cracked. “What are his faults?” Bray swallowed. “For one thing, he doesn’t put out.” The demon laughed frostily. He wasn’t buying it. “Bring him to me,” Viggo commanded. Beside Hayden, Alex paled, and his jaw almost hit the ground. “But --” “Alex,” Bray snapped, cutting him off sharply.

116

Anne Cain

Dropping his hand from Hayden’s wrist, Alex nodded. “Go,” he whispered. Hayden squared his jaw and followed Bray toward the demon. The shadows pooling around the ground lapped at their feet and legs, their touch cold, but solid, an extension of Viggo’s reach. Hayden froze, a gasp caught in his throat. One of the tendrils rippled over his thighs and fondled his cock, seeping through the layers of clothing to lick at the naked flesh. A couple of feet ahead, Bray also stopped. He stared at Hayden’s predicament and swore under his breath. “I do like this one,” Viggo breathed. “I think I’ll keep him.” “What?” Hayden’s eyes went wide. The three other Wairs stared at him with open loathing in their expressions. “Viggo, he’s nothing.” Bray laughed, an edge to his tone. “He doesn’t even have your Mark. Don’t waste your time on him when you have four of your own right here.” He gestured at himself, the twins, and the other guy, Andrew. “I have already made my choice.” The shadows tugged Hayden a step forward. “Wait!” Alex ran up, but Bray caught him. “You’ll get yourself killed.” He gripped Alex by the shoulders. “Stay out of it.” “Hayden doesn’t want this,” Alex choked out. “I know,” Bray whispered hoarsely. He met Hayden’s shocked stare and quickly looked away. “Don’t fight it, kid. Besides, you’ll probably really enjoy it afterward.” “The hell --?” Hayden panted. Viggo had a cluster of randy boy toys eager to spend the rest of the night getting laid by the equally oversexed demon, but Hayden had no desire to join the club. No matter how good the screw could be, he wasn’t that desperate. Well, honestly, part of him did wonder what the demon’s cock looked like… “Oh, God,” Hayden groaned. He shook his head, refusing to think any other horny thoughts. Not until later, with Gabe. Then he could go wild. For now, he switched his glare from Bray to the darkness-wrapped demon grinning at him from the lair of shadow.

Pawprints: Second Nature

117

With the plan already shot to shit, Hayden didn’t have anything else to lose. He planted his feet deep in the loose soil and strained against the pull of Viggo’s power. He jabbed a finger at the demon. “I have a better idea. Go fuck yourself, because I’m not doing anything with you.” Moonlight filtered through the gloomy barrier, bathing the circle in a wintry blue. He had a couple of other choice blow-offs ready to dish out, but a burning, mind-numbing pain shot through his body. His knees buckled, and he hit the ground, arms wrapped around his midsection. The burning reached a fever pitch, and the sound of blood rushing through his ears drowned out the cracking of his bones as they bent out of shape. He was changing, tearing out of his clothes. Around him, the other Wairs cried out as they shifted also. For the first time, Viggo himself moved from his shadowy cocoon. Hayden watched through the veil of pain as the demon’s human form grew and contorted into something else under the light of the moon. More of those eerie, smoke-like tendrils churned around his body as coarse fur spread out to cover skin. Black markings with strange symbols etched themselves into the silvery gray and blue fur. Viggo stomped forward on two legs, claws bared at his side. He drew his muzzle back into a sneer, exposing rows of curved, white fangs. His red eyes glowed, pupil-less. Towering over him, the demon reached down and grabbed Hayden by the scruff of his neck. Lifting him off the ground, Viggo pushed away the pale fur on Hayden’s side. A burning hot fingernail seared a path along the faded scar from what Hayden had always thought was a dog bite. “You are Marked. Your life is now mine to enjoy or destroy.” The heat of Viggo’s breath curled in Hayden’s newly shaped ear. “I will bring you pleasure or pain. These choices are mine alone to make.” He hissed with laughter.

118

Anne Cain

Chapter Fourteen

Restless, Gabe padded back and forth across the apartment. He paced the tiny studio so many times he lost count and started to feel dizzy. But whenever he tried to sit down, a few minutes later he was back up and zigzagging around the apartment, too anxious to be still for long. “I should’ve gone with them.” He’d spent the better part of the last couple of hours having the same argument with himself. But after everything Alex had explained, the decision made sense. Just being in the area near that demon, Gabe would’ve put Hayden in danger instead of helping. Even so, the wait was killing him. Gabe knocked his head against the wall by the bed, frustrated. Maybe getting out of this skin for a while would help him relax. He stripped off his clothes and dropped to his hands. Shaking himself all over, he willed his shape to flow from one form to the other. The stretch felt good, and some of the tension eased from his back now that his weight spread over four paws instead of two feet. In this Nature, the shape of his ears and nose allowed him to pick up all the subtle sounds and smells his human features would’ve missed, no matter how sharp his senses. Downstairs, their middle-aged neighbors were getting ready to take their beagle-mix out for

Pawprints: Second Nature

119

a walk, the little guy already scratching at the door. On the same floor, the lady who lived in the apartment across the stairs was cooking spaghetti. The food smelled pleasant, but Gabe didn’t have enough of an appetite to consider making something to eat. He jumped up onto the bed and scuttled under the blanket. He nosed the mattress, finding the spot where Hayden’s scent had infused the fibers. That new, earthy undertone lingered there too, but Gabe didn’t mind. He loved Hayden no matter what, and it was wonderful to know that the feeling was returned. Paws up toward the ceiling, he rolled all over the spot, back rubbing into the sheet, the bedsprings creaking. For once, he didn’t have to worry about leaving any dog hairs behind and worried only about covering himself in Hayden’s scent. Flopping onto his belly, he raised his head. Outside the window, the full moon hung low against the overcast skyline, bluish-white light filtering through the clouds. Gabe whined softly. What was going on right now with those guys? Had they changed? Had they met the demon already? Was Hayden all right? A very bad feeling settled in the pit of Gabe’s stomach. He sat back on his haunches and held his breath, listening for a sound he couldn’t physically hear but perceived nonetheless. Something was wrong. Canine intuition, a sixth sense -- whatever it was, the instinct washed over him, warning him to get his ass out the door and find Hayden, Alex, and Bray as quickly as possible.

***** Hayden struggled against the demon’s grip. The pain from the change had subsided, and he’d managed to hold onto his wits, unlike the last time he’d spontaneously shifted. Angry, he thrashed around. Viggo’s laughter vibrated against his eardrum, the hold on his neck tightening. “Why do you struggle? It’s pointless.”

Anne Cain

120

Several feet away, Bray grunted, his voice distorting with the change. “Just enjoy the ride, Hayden.” A wordless growl rumbled in Hayden’s chest. No way. He kicked out, and the blow connected with the demon’s midsection, hard. Not only did the strength of the hit surprise Hayden, but it stunned Viggo enough to make the demon lose his grip. Fur slipped through the demon’s fingers, and Hayden landed on all fours. Baring fangs, Viggo reached for him. Hayden snapped, the edge of his sharp teeth grazing the demon’s forearm. A sharp, bitter taste like ozone gagged Hayden. “Fool.” Viggo’s lupine face contorted into a furious snarl. He moved too fast to dodge and knocked Hayden head over heels to the side. Dazed, Hayden shook himself off. Shadows whipped around along the ground, binding his wrists and back paws. Their icy touch burned, and he gave a choked cry. “You aren’t worth the trouble after all,” Viggo snarled. He flexed a clawed hand, and the shadows dragged Hayden back toward him. Moonlight shone over rows of sharp teeth and glimmered on a string of saliva as Viggo opened his jaw wide enough to devour a man whole. With a sickening feeling, Hayden realized that was exactly what the demon had in mind. A large, black Wair barreled into Viggo. The demon staggered backward, taken by surprise a second time that night. The attacker dove again, and Viggo took a swipe that cut him above the brow. Undeterred, the Wair tried for another strike, but fear took the confidence out of his step. Viggo snatched him in midair. “What is this?” the demon hissed. He lifted the Wair at the neck, held him against the moon so the light glinted off two silver piercings in one pointed ear.

Alex. “You would dare…?” Viggo’s crimson eyes narrowed. He snorted. “Whatever. Another piece of waste to be rid of.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

121

Hayden gnawed at the tendrils pinning him to the ground. Desperate to get free and help, he sawed his fangs over the unyielding shadows and nicked the back of his hand in the process. The trickle of blood did the trick, smoldering away the coil at his wrist. For a horrified moment, he thought he would be too late. Viggo had Alex poised at the brink of that gaping maw, ready to swallow him down. Another Wair lunged into the mix, a flash of light brown and blond fur. It had to be Bray. He moved faster than Alex had, more sure on his feet and comfortable in the wolf-like body. Slashing out, he raked his claws straight across Viggo’s chest and cut through the shadowy veil. Glossy black fluid trickled from the wound, and the stench of ozone flooded the air. Viggo roared in fury and pain, and he tossed Alex at the new aggressor. The two Wairs landed in a heap, but quickly got to their feet. Escaping the last of his bonds, Hayden backed away from Viggo to join them. Bray and Alex crouched low to the ground, panting heavily and pressing close to each other. Bray took his eyes off the demon once to flick his tongue over the bleeding cut above Alex’s eye. “This I never expected from you,” Viggo thundered, pointing at Bray. The ground trembled with his words. Now he was really pissed. Hayden tensed and his friends bristled, ready for another fight, but also shaking. Afraid. Viggo saw their apprehension and sneered. He turned his glowing stare to the other trio of Wairs, who’d been too stunned to act until now. “Destroy them,” the demon whispered. They didn’t need much convincing. As soon as their master breathed the word, the trio went into attack mode. Teeth bared, claws out, and ears back, they surrounded Hayden, Bray, and Alex, cutting off any escape route. Behind the twins and their buddy, a stocky, tan blur charged through the barrier enclosing the circle. Paws pounded on the grassy earth, a deep, throaty growl rising above

122

Anne Cain

the sound. The older Wair, Andrew, spun around and readied to face this new opponent, but was taken off guard. A large dog squared off in front of them, shoulders hunched, the thick coat of fur all along his withers standing on end. Curling his lips, he bared the long, sharp teeth set in his strong jaw. The older Wair, Andrew, had the balls to snarl and actually take a step forward. Gabe barked once. The force of that deep, resounding cry as it echoed in the clearing shook Hayden down to the bone. Andrew’s tail wedged itself between his legs to wrap around his nuts. The twins panicked and lost focus. For all their boldness a moment ago, the Wairs didn’t know how to act as a group, a pack. They turned away from Hayden, Bray, and Alex, alarmed by Gabe’s arrival and the power in his challenge. Hayden moved in sync with Alex to lunge at the twins, knocking them both to the ground with strong blows. Gabe leaped at Andrew, jaws snapping at the air. Compared to Gabe’s courage, the Wairs’ loyalty to Viggo and each other was pitifully weak. Scared, Andrew stumbled backward and tripped over the twins. Bounding over the pile of shaken Wairs, Gabe paused to nose Alex. His friend stroked him affectionately down the back, and then Gabe went straight to Hayden’s side. Never happier to see his lover -- in this form or any other -- Hayden wrapped his arms around Gabe. Eyes closed and breath coming in short pants, he pressed against the side of Gabe’s neck and traced a path up the soft fur. Their muzzles touched and they kissed, a meeting of pink tongues flicking together. “You brought a dog. Here.” Viggo’s cold, unearthly voice jarred them apart. But the demon’s fury bore down on Bray, the Wair having positioned himself between his friends and Viggo. “Here.” Hatred crackled in the air like a virulent electric charge.

Pawprints: Second Nature

123

Shadows whipped through the air and wound around Bray’s throat. Choking, he clawed at the tight hold. Alex started forward in a panic, but Gabe straightened, shifting form. “Let him go,” Gabe demanded. The same power he’d put into his bark also resonated in his words. For once, Viggo looked afraid. He cowered, shrinking back into the shadows. Darkness fell over him, and his shape changed back into something closer to human. His pale skin turned ashen. “This one is mine.” He feebly clung to his hold on Bray. “Not anymore.” Gabe shook his head. “I could kill you instead.” “You know my kind don’t run around alone.” Gabe’s bluff had the desired effect. Hayden saw the demon weigh his options, uncertainty clouding Viggo’s obscured, but handsome face. “I said, let him go!” Gabe shouted, more assertive than he’d ever been in his life. Hayden shivered, proud but glad to not be on the receiving end of his lover’s anger. Viggo’s resolve crumbled, and the shadow released Bray at last. As the tendril uncoiled itself from around Bray’s neck, the tip slashed across his forehead. Alex darted forward, shielding Bray and growling. Gabe balled his hands into fists. “Hey!” “The Mark can’t be removed, but anyone who sees him will know he’s not mine any longer.” Viggo glared at Gabe. “Let them pass.” Hayden and Gabe both turned. The three other Wairs crouched together, edgy but clearly not up for another fight. Gabe took a step to the side, and they skirted quickly past him and Hayden and around Bray and Alex to join Viggo. As they moved out from under the moonlight, the change raked through them. The three men hunched over, shaking and in pain. Viggo ran his hands over their backs to console them.

124

Anne Cain

“Get out of here,” Gabe growled. Shooting him one last filthy look, the demon called all the shadows back into himself. The ground rumbled and opened up to swallow him, along with his three toys. They could go fuck each other until their dicks fell off for all Hayden cared. Glad to see them go, he moved up next to Gabe and dropped to all fours so his head brushed under his lover’s hand. The fissure closed in over itself, and a bed of undisturbed grass blanketed the area. The moisture evaporated from the air, though the scent of freshly dug-up earth lingered. Fading down into the earth, the barrier enclosing them from the rest of the park gradually dissipated. Trees came back into view, along with the glow of streetlamps and sounds of life from the city beyond. Hayden heard people laughing, talking, folk music playing in the auditorium a distance away. Gabe dropped down to kneel beside Hayden, hugging him fiercely and burying his face in the fur behind Hayden’s ear. “Are you okay?” Aside from a couple of bruises, Hayden had never felt better. He tried to talk but couldn’t form words in this shape, so he nodded clumsily. Hayden pushed into Gabe, rubbing the side of his face against the man’s chest. I love you. “I love you too,” Gabe murmured. He kissed the bridge of Hayden’s sloped nose and sat back on his heels. “Everyone else all right?” A couple of feet away, Alex nosed a dazed but otherwise fine Bray. The curved gash on the older Wair’s brow didn’t seem to be bleeding, though the mark was red and sore. Bray rolled onto hands and paws and leaned against Alex. “We have to get you guys out of sight before someone sees you,” Gabe said. He stood and looked around, realizing he wasn’t any less conspicuous being totally in the buff. “Uh, me too.” A relatively small park, the Common didn’t have a lot of nooks or crannies for three werewolf-type creatures and Gabe to hide. For now, the walkway beyond the maple was

Pawprints: Second Nature

125

empty, but Hayden’s own clothes were tatters on the ground and Alex’s also. But he remembered the backpack with extra pieces and straightened to retrieve the bag from the base of the maple. Two steps forward and Hayden doubled over, a searing pain igniting from within his gut.

Now what? Hayden dug his claws into the ground, his muscles catching fire underneath his fur. The world went dark, and he blinked a few times before realizing clouds had blocked the moonlight. “Hayden!” Gabe crouched down next to him. The last things Hayden saw before his vision disappeared behind a fog were his boyfriend’s big green eyes widening, a smile bringing out the dimples on his cheeks.

126

Anne Cain

Chapter Fifteen

Gabe woke lying face down under a thick comforter. He tucked a pillow under his chin and looked up, feeling at peace and sighing happily. Fat raindrops splattered on the roof and against the tall glass windows, blurring the already murky gray view of the afternoon over Boston. The central heating in Bray’s townhouse kicked on with a soft mechanical purr, and warm air spilled down from the vents at the edge of the vaulted ceiling. The beige walls and light furniture added to the coziness, the soft sheets enveloping Gabe in a snug, happy feeling. And Hayden breathing evenly beside him only added to his contentment. Gabe turned his head on the pillow. Hayden’s warm breath caressed his shoulder, and tousled bangs fell across closed eyes and pink cheeks. The sweet, pleasant aroma of his skin overwhelmed Gabe and made the desire to kiss Hayden irresistible. Shifting position so his lips could reach, the bedsprings creaked. On the other side of the king-sized bed, Bray made a groggy protest. “Stop squirming.” He jabbed an elbow into Gabe’s lower back. “Cut it out.” Alex yawned, returning the favor by nudging Bray with his knee. He’d slept in a tangle of limbs with Gabe and the other Wairs all morning, but now he rolled

Pawprints: Second Nature

127

away, closer to the edge of the bed. Lifting his head, he squinted at the clock on the DVD player by the entertainment setup across from the footboard. “It’s only two. Go back to sleep.” “Tell that to Lassie,” Bray muttered and swept a hand over his face. “He keeps wriggling around.” “I’m not,” Gabe argued, the corner of his mouth turning up. Waking up together with the two men reminded him of other mornings, years ago when he was little, curling up with other pups or his parents. He hadn’t felt that same sense of closeness, of being part of a family, in a very long time. “Yes, you are.” Bray yawned. “If you want to kiss him, just do it already.” Hayden stretched, and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled. “Hi.” Gabe returned the grin. “He’s right,” Hayden murmured. “What are you waiting for?” Gabe dove for those curved, beautiful lips and helped himself. He slid one hand through the tangles of hair at the back of Hayden’s neck, holding him close as they melted together. Save for the soft, moist noises of each kiss, both men remained silent. Hayden trailed his lips down past Gabe’s chin, swathing the naked skin of Gabe’s chest with more tenderness and love. Breathless, he pulled away and touched his forehead to Gabe’s. “Now that’s something nice to wake up to.” Alex chuckled softly. He sighed and flopped back to the bed. “What’s wrong with my wake-up calls?” Bray huffed. He rolled onto his hands and knees to hover over Alex’s naked body. Taking the tip of Alex’s cock into his mouth, Bray sucked once. “Oh,” Alex gasped. “Those are okay.” He squeezed his eyes shut and reached for a pillow to squish over his face as he moaned.

Anne Cain

128

Bray straightened and straddled Alex’s upper thighs. “Now you’re fussy,” he said dryly, tugging the pillow out of his lover’s hands. “Like we’ve had so many ‘mornings after.’” Alex snatched the pillow back, balling it behind his head. An awkward silence sank between them. Gabe noticed the shift in their emotions, uncertainty flickering across both men’s expressions before they got a hold of themselves. “Lovers” might not be the best choice of word to describe them after all. Unfortunately. Gabe had no trouble picking up on the sexual energy shared between Alex and Bray, but a good amount of ambiguity dulled the spark. The mixed scents of other men -- definitely not Alex -- who’d slept in this bed added to the air of doubt. Hayden rested his chin on Gabe’s shoulder. They shared a brief, curious frown. Either Hayden sensed it also, or the stiffness gripping Alex and Bray’s body language was enough of a sign. “So what was that about?” Alex cleared his throat. “You know…” He tapped his forehead in the same spot where Bray had a scar on his own. The older man fingered the raised curve that started just above his left eyebrow and disappeared into his hairline. As the three Wairs had changed back into their human forms last night, any wounds and bruises healed instantly and without leaving a mark behind. Except for that one on Bray. “Itches a little bit,” Bray admitted. “But I’ll survive.” “Yeah, but…why?” Alex raised a brow. Gabe understood the actual question: Why had Bray put everything on the line to

stand up to the demon? At the time, Gabe thought he’d felt a determination to protect someone, a loved one, well up inside of the Wair. Bray’s scrunched-up nose and overall annoyed expression worked hard to disabuse Gabe of that theory. “How the hell should I know?” Bray shrugged. “I don’t remember even half of what happened last night.” He scratched at the scar. “Aside from getting kicked out of the club.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

129

Alex’s face clouded, but Hayden interrupted their exchange. “I don’t remember much, either,” he said. “But I know I’m really glad about that last part.” “What are you talking about?” A hint of sadness clouded the depths of Bray’s cobalt eyes. “Now we’re all alone.” Until now, Gabe hadn’t noticed much of a bond between the Wairs. But the hint of loneliness in Bray’s voice suggested a longing to be together in a group, or even a pack. “None of us are alone,” Gabe replied softly. He recognized the sense of completeness inside of himself that came from being with Hayden, but also from the pleasure that came with these two men’s companionship. Especially with people he cared for and could trust. Didn’t Bray feel it too? Bray cocked a brow at him. “Oh, yeah?” Gabe smiled. “We’re kind of stuck together.” “Pfft. Sure.” “Gabe’s right,” Alex said. “We all know each other’s secrets; we don’t have to hide anything. And we’re close friends, right?” Bray snorted, but something dangerously close to hope flickered in his eyes. He crawled toward the edge of the king-sized bed where Alex stopped him by reaching out for his wrist. “You could sleep in a little longer,” Alex suggested. “Someone has to get busy in the kitchen.” Bray slipped free. He padded through the open French doors leading to the bathroom and returned wrapped in a silk robe. On the way to the bedroom door, he paused at the dresser table with the entertainment center. “Hey, what’s this?” He held up four folded yellow sheets of paper from on top of the DVD player.

Anne Cain

130

“Um, nothing important right now.” Gabe coughed. Since that particular memory had also been blocked after their nap, Gabe figured he could explain the tickets they’d all gotten for indecent exposure later. He was just grateful the cop who’d stumbled onto them scrambling to get dressed in the middle of the park hadn’t arrested anyone. Alex bolted up. A blush of embarrassment spread across his cheeks and down the back of his neck. Obviously, he didn’t have any trouble recalling the mortifying run-in with the officer. “I’ll give you a hand downstairs,” Alex volunteered quickly. He rolled out of bed and snatched a pair of sweats from the dresser before nudging Bray out the doorway. “Why do I have a bad feeling that’s something I’m not looking forward to remembering?” Hayden laughed. Gabe nodded. “It’s best if you don’t.” Especially when it just so happened the cop patrolling the Common had been the same officer who’d caught Gabe naked on top of Hayden at the disastrous dorm party. “About what you were saying…” Hayden trailed off, thoughtful. “Yeah?” “Feels great to have everything out in the open.” Hayden rubbed Gabe’s waist and slid up toward the chest with his fingers splayed. The gentle stroke reached Gabe directly to his heart. “Same here,” Gabe agreed in a low voice. He rested his hand over Hayden’s, and their fingers automatically curled to interlock, accustomed to the countless times they’d held each other in these moments of tenderness. The two men fit so well together, in every way possible. All the secrets were gone, and their love only felt stronger, more complete. Pulling him into a tight embrace, Gabe nuzzled the side of Hayden’s neck. His heart pounded, overflowing with so much affection for this man that the force of the emotions actually ached. The right words never came to Gabe’s lips, so he adored Hayden with his

Pawprints: Second Nature

131

body, letting the caress of his hands and mouth, the hardness of his member, express the love instead. He scrunched in tighter to prod the blunt helmet of his cock on Hayden’s abdomen, communicating only by touch. This is yours, right now. Always. Hayden understood, like he did each and every time. He slipped his hand out from under Gabe’s and drifted down toward the length pulsing against his midsection. Taking the rigid pole in his palm, he fondled the entire length of cock, and Gabe shivered with delight. He made a choked, grunting sound in the back of his throat that encouraged Hayden to squeeze the root of his erection. “Gabe,” he panted. Hayden hovered so close, his mouth a fraction of an inch from Gabe’s, his breath a warm stream that slipped between them. Their mouths met briefly in a quick, but fiery touch of lips on lips, one to affirm the promise of their love. Hayden rolled over and settled Gabe into the mattress under him. Straddling his waist, Hayden dipped in for another kiss while both hands cradled the sides of Gabe’s face. His taste flooded Gabe’s senses as their tongues danced together, each man exploring the intimate reaches of the other’s mouth. But when Hayden pushed back with his hips and rubbed the curve of his posterior against Gabe’s cock, he made his point clear without having to use words, either. “Mmm,” Gabe pulled out of the kiss, breathing heavily. “Hold on, we don’t have any…” “Shh.” Hayden pressed two fingers to Gabe’s lips. He shifted down on the mattress to take Gabe’s cock in hand and mouth, a pleasurable experience in and of itself. Gabe moaned while Hayden worked the length until every inch glistened with a mixture of saliva and the precum that drizzled from the very stimulated head. Drenched and hard, Gabe would spurt all over Hayden’s face if those lips milked him any more, but the lavish attention came to an abrupt stop. Hayden moved up to straddle Gabe’s waist again. The fingers he’d used to grip the base of Gabe’s erection dripped with fluid, and Hayden reached behind to work them into his ass.

132

Anne Cain

His cock bounced as he jerked up, his mouth opening in a silent “oh” of pleasure and arousal. The sight sent another jolt through Gabe’s groin, almost bringing him to climax from the intensity of Hayden’s expression. “I’m coming,” Gabe warned between gasps. Hayden didn’t hesitate. He shifted position, taking his fingers out of his passage and guiding Gabe’s cock into place instead. The stretched opening swallowed the head of Gabe’s penis in one short thrust, and both men reeled from the burst of friction and pleasure where they were joined. Gabe couldn’t help it -- he shot off with a cry. But the warm jet left Hayden’s passage so slick and willing. Still hard, another orgasm right on the heels of the first like an aftershock, Gabe thumped up into his lover’s ass. They crashed together, and when the heat of their bodies rubbing together in all those intimate places brought Gabe to his peak again, Hayden climaxed at the same time. His spray smeared across Gabe’s heaving chest, followed by another shorter spurt that Gabe coaxed out with a few tugs on Hayden’s hot, hard cock. The two men crumpled together in a heap of sticky, sweaty flesh. Gabe clung to Hayden’s shoulders while the last tremors from their shared passion coursed through them; Hayden breathed rapidly against the side of his neck. Everything was wonderful -- the smells, the sounds, the sensations experienced. When they had sex, they didn’t just fuck, they made love. They accepted and treasured each other, a fact Hayden solidified by finding that sweet spot behind Gabe’s ear and scratching until Gabe’s foot thumped the mattress. “Now you also finally know where that quirk comes from.” Gabe blushed from a combination of bashfulness and joy. Hayden laughed and kissed Gabe on the forehead. “I love you.” He settled in the crook of Gabe’s arm, one hand mopping at the mess on Gabe’s belly with a corner of the bed sheet. “They’re okay guys too. Bray and Alex.”

Pawprints: Second Nature

133

Gabe grunted softly. “It’s nice to be in a pack.” He quirked a smile at Hayden. “Is that weird?” “No. It’s like being part of a very different but very close family all of a sudden.” Hayden chuckled. “Maybe it is a little odd, but it feels right.” He kissed the side of Gabe’s neck and brushed his lips along the pulse. Gabe couldn’t have put it into words any better. When he’d confronted that demon and made the threat about not being alone, he’d pictured having Hayden and Alex at his side, and even Bray. Viggo could’ve tried his worst, but Gabe wouldn’t have run away. No matter what it took, he would’ve stood his ground to defend Hayden and his two friends. After the fight last night, when they’d changed back into human form, Bray had given Gabe the directions to his townhouse. They climbed into a cab, exhausted, barely clinging to consciousness, and on the short ride to the nearby house a sense of peace washed over them all. Too tired to argue about arrangements, they’d all collapsed together in Bray’s ginormous bedroom, and their closeness had felt right. Gabe loved waking up with Hayden safe in his arms especially, and he enjoyed the friendly company of the other two men tangled around him too. Hayden filled the emptiness inside of him that needed a lifelong love, while their friendship with Alex and Bray completed a different part of him altogether. Smiling up at the tall ceilings, Gabe knew he’d do anything to protect all three of these men. Stretching, Hayden sat up. “So, what do you think?” He rolled his shoulders, testing his completely healed rotator cuff. “Should I try to get back into swimming this year, or would that be cheating?” “It’s not cheating.” Gabe grinned. “Unless you jump into the pool during a full moon. Then I’d say you have an unfair advantage over the other guys.” “No, I won’t be doing that.” Hayden chuckled. He scratched the back of his head and flashed Gabe a lopsided smile. “Now I know why you’ve never been into playing sports.”

134

Anne Cain

“That would be cheating.” Gabe stroked a finger along the side of Hayden’s thigh. “Besides, I have more fun cheering you on.” “Personally, I can’t wait to get back into the water,” Hayden said. “You’ve got to do what you love.” “Speaking of which…” Hayden kissed Gabe above the heart. “You know, I’m even more set on the idea of being with you forever.” “You couldn’t get rid of me now if you tried.” Gabe settled both hands at Hayden’s hips. “Tomorrow, you and me. We start looking for a justice of the peace.” They kissed, their mouths rolling together in sweet unison. Gabe suckled gently on Hayden’s lower lip, refusing to let go until his lungs screamed for air. Head flopping back onto the pillow, he grinned. Hayden’s face screwed up in a thoughtful expression. He reached up and plucked a small, tan strand from his mouth. “Dog hair,” he said, smacking his lips together. “Sorry.” Gabe chuckled. “While you were sleeping, I relaxed for a while.” “I love you, Gabe, but we need to talk about shifting Natures between the sheets.” Hayden raised both eyebrows, though it was clear he was struggling not smile. “Umm…” Gabe decided against mentioning the roll he’d taken in their bed back home at the apartment. “Never mind.” “What?” Hayden’s eyes widened. “Nothing.” “Tell me.” Hayden laughed. “My God, you shed, don’t you?” “Come on, Hayd.” Gabe rolled his eyes. He couldn’t resist adding with a playful smile, “Only in the summertime.” “Oh, man.” Hayden collapsed on top of him, giggling.

Pawprints: Second Nature

135

“Hey, it’s part of the fun of being a new dog owner.” Gabe wrapped his arms around him. “At least I’m housebroken already.” “I think the dog is going to own me.” Hayden nuzzled the side of Gabe’s neck. “And I’m more than happy with that.”

Anne Cain As a cover artist, illustrator and writer, Anne works for several publishing companies. Whenever she's not chained to the PC or doodling away in a sketch book, Anne spends too much time reading, watching anime or playing on the Wii. Check out Anne's DeviantArt Portfolio at http://annecain.deviantart.com/