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Authors: Jan Irving
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memory…” he whispered, staring at Sabin.
Chace shoved some biscotti into Trin’s hand. “Eat.”
Trin looked amused at Chace’s pushiness…and kind of aroused. “Only in Italy do you get cookies for breakfast. I could like this place.”
“Yeah. The cornettos are awesome too.” Chace couldn’t finish his. He left it for Trin, who looked like he could use the calories after his healing deal. “So you mentioned your, uh, pack?”
Trin sighed and then reached for his espresso, as if he had to caffeine up before this conversation. “I was the shaman of a shifter’s pack, a healer. I trained for years under an elder of our village.”
Chace settled into half-lotus. “What exactly are shifters? I mean, I’ve seen werewolf movies…”
“Werewolves are wolf shifters gone wrong, either physically or mentally out of control,” Trin explained. “Most shifters just transform into a big wolf, usually around the time of the full moon. Some of us can assume a half-transitional state.” He shrugged and colour touched his bronzed cheeks.
Yeah, Chace knew that form. “But you’re so big when you’re like that. You must go through a lot of 501s.”
“I haven’t done it for a while.”
“What brought it on?”
Trin raised an eyebrow.
“Oh. Me.”
“You let me put my mark on you.”
Chace remembered the moment he’d tilted his head, allowing Trin to bite him. “I’ve always been yours. There was always a connection.”
“Yeah.” Trin cleared his throat. “I could feel you.”
“Is that why we can sometimes share images?”
“Think so. I don’t think it’s common to most shifters. It might be because of my training.” Trin shrugged.
“So…” Sabin drawled. His eyes were still closed so that Chace had thought he was still out of it. “The shifter took you as his mate. Aren’t you afraid? You’re just a human and he can…hurt you.”
“You’re awake,” Chace said, reaching out to touch Sabin’s slight shoulder.
Sabin slapped Chace’s hand away.
Trin grabbed Sabin’s hand. “Don’t do that. Don’t ever hit him.”
“Fine.” Sabin struggled to his elbows. He grabbed his belly.
“Maybe that will teach you a lesson,” Trin said, not looking particularly sympathetic. “But I doubt it.”
“Gotta get out of here…” Sabin managed.
“Then why did you come in the first place?” Trin asked.
“Safe place for a while. Now I’m leaving.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
“Trin!” Chace reached for Sabin but Trin held him back.
Sabin’s face twisted, sweat popping out on his forehead. He was so pale his freckles and the terrible bruise over his eye stood out like heavy makeup. He managed to sit up, made it to the edge of the bed—
Fell.
“Enough.” Trin, his face softening, let go of Chace and knelt beside Sabin. Trin swung Sabin into his arms, putting him back on the bed while Chace poured fresh juice, handed it to Sabin. “I have some Tylenol,” Trin said. “Hang on.” Chace grabbed his bag, dug through it and found the bottle.
“Give me three,” Sabin said.
“It says you should only take two.” Chace shook out two pills.
“I take three.”
“This happen to you a lot?” Trin asked.
Sabin avoided Trin’s gaze. “Often enough. My mate likes things rough.”
“Your mate? ” Chace’s hand went to the new mark on his neck.
“My mark’s on the back of my neck.” Sabin touched the heavy scarring Trin had pointed out. “Oh, you got a load of it already. Good to know what’s in store for you, human.”
“Who is your mate?” Trin demanded. Gold lit his cool grey eyes like sparks in a fire. “I’d like to meet him.”
“What does it matter? He found me. He always…” Sabin shook his head. “But I picked up the trail on the kids so it was worth it. I’ve almost got enough to buy one of them.”
“Buy?” Chace was astounded.
“Buy them, set them free,” Sabin said. “Only sometimes they don’t know how to handle that.” He
Chace shoved some biscotti into Trin’s hand. “Eat.”
Trin looked amused at Chace’s pushiness…and kind of aroused. “Only in Italy do you get cookies for breakfast. I could like this place.”
“Yeah. The cornettos are awesome too.” Chace couldn’t finish his. He left it for Trin, who looked like he could use the calories after his healing deal. “So you mentioned your, uh, pack?”
Trin sighed and then reached for his espresso, as if he had to caffeine up before this conversation. “I was the shaman of a shifter’s pack, a healer. I trained for years under an elder of our village.”
Chace settled into half-lotus. “What exactly are shifters? I mean, I’ve seen werewolf movies…”
“Werewolves are wolf shifters gone wrong, either physically or mentally out of control,” Trin explained. “Most shifters just transform into a big wolf, usually around the time of the full moon. Some of us can assume a half-transitional state.” He shrugged and colour touched his bronzed cheeks.
Yeah, Chace knew that form. “But you’re so big when you’re like that. You must go through a lot of 501s.”
“I haven’t done it for a while.”
“What brought it on?”
Trin raised an eyebrow.
“Oh. Me.”
“You let me put my mark on you.”
Chace remembered the moment he’d tilted his head, allowing Trin to bite him. “I’ve always been yours. There was always a connection.”
“Yeah.” Trin cleared his throat. “I could feel you.”
“Is that why we can sometimes share images?”
“Think so. I don’t think it’s common to most shifters. It might be because of my training.” Trin shrugged.
“So…” Sabin drawled. His eyes were still closed so that Chace had thought he was still out of it. “The shifter took you as his mate. Aren’t you afraid? You’re just a human and he can…hurt you.”
“You’re awake,” Chace said, reaching out to touch Sabin’s slight shoulder.
Sabin slapped Chace’s hand away.
Trin grabbed Sabin’s hand. “Don’t do that. Don’t ever hit him.”
“Fine.” Sabin struggled to his elbows. He grabbed his belly.
“Maybe that will teach you a lesson,” Trin said, not looking particularly sympathetic. “But I doubt it.”
“Gotta get out of here…” Sabin managed.
“Then why did you come in the first place?” Trin asked.
“Safe place for a while. Now I’m leaving.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
“Trin!” Chace reached for Sabin but Trin held him back.
Sabin’s face twisted, sweat popping out on his forehead. He was so pale his freckles and the terrible bruise over his eye stood out like heavy makeup. He managed to sit up, made it to the edge of the bed—
Fell.
“Enough.” Trin, his face softening, let go of Chace and knelt beside Sabin. Trin swung Sabin into his arms, putting him back on the bed while Chace poured fresh juice, handed it to Sabin. “I have some Tylenol,” Trin said. “Hang on.” Chace grabbed his bag, dug through it and found the bottle.
“Give me three,” Sabin said.
“It says you should only take two.” Chace shook out two pills.
“I take three.”
“This happen to you a lot?” Trin asked.
Sabin avoided Trin’s gaze. “Often enough. My mate likes things rough.”
“Your mate? ” Chace’s hand went to the new mark on his neck.
“My mark’s on the back of my neck.” Sabin touched the heavy scarring Trin had pointed out. “Oh, you got a load of it already. Good to know what’s in store for you, human.”
“Who is your mate?” Trin demanded. Gold lit his cool grey eyes like sparks in a fire. “I’d like to meet him.”
“What does it matter? He found me. He always…” Sabin shook his head. “But I picked up the trail on the kids so it was worth it. I’ve almost got enough to buy one of them.”
“Buy?” Chace was astounded.
“Buy them, set them free,” Sabin said. “Only sometimes they don’t know how to handle that.” He
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