“No…please stop,” Ciaran moaned.
Suddenly, Ciaran’s arms flailed out wildly as if to ward off an attacker. “Leave me alone! Let me go!” he cried.
Drew reached out and caught his hands. “Ciaran, you’re dreaming. Wake up!”
Ciaran struggled in his hold, but then his eyes opened. He stopped struggling. “Drew,” he whispered.
“Are you okay? You were having one hell of a nightmare.” Drew rubbed Ciaran’s arms comfortingly.
“I am fine. I did not mean to wake you.”
Ciaran might say he was fine, but Drew could feel him trembling. The urge to hold him until he stopped was nearly overpowering. “That’s okay. Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. I just wish to go back to sleep.”
“Okay, good night.” Drew released Ciaran’s arms so he could turn over. Drew didn’t want to let it go that easily, but if Ciaran didn’t want to talk…
It was a long time before he got to sleep again.
Chapter Four
When Drew awoke again, it was morning. Bright light streamed around the edges of the orange drapes, which looked even gaudier in the light of day. Ciaran was sleeping peacefully, curled on his side facing Drew with one hand under his pillow and the other tucked under his chin.
In sleep, he looked very young and very vulnerable. Drew marveled at the way Ciaran’s long black eyelashes swept down over his high cheekbones. His tousled black curls hung haphazardly over his brow and Drew reached out to gently brush a lock of hair away from Ciaran’s face.
It was soft.
Ciaran’s lush lips parted on a sigh, as if he awaited a kiss. The temptation to kiss those lips was strong. Drew actually found himself leaning toward those tempting lips and jerked back, almost falling off the bed.
Ciaran opened his eyes and looked sleepily at Drew.
“What is wrong?” he asked, looking confused.
“Nothing!” Drew snapped, practically jumping out of the bed. He was embarrassed by his lack of control, and that made him feel unreasonably angry. He knew he was being a dick when he saw a flash of hurt in Ciaran’s eyes, but he didn’t apologize. Instead he got up and pulled on a pair of jeans.
Ciaran looked alarmed when he sat on the edge of the bed to put on socks and his boots.
“You are leaving?” he asked worriedly, sitting up.
Drew felt his anger softening. It wasn’t Ciaran’s fault Drew wanted him. “Just for a few minutes,” he answered. “I’m hungry, and you need some clothes of your own.”
“But you will return?”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay here, and don’t open the door to anyone. We don’t have to worry about hiding your wings anymore, but the ears would be a bit hard to explain.” Drew grabbed his keys and wallet and left the room.It was a beautiful October morning, bright, crisp, and cool. Drew had always loved fall weather. It was cool without being cold, and there were so many wonderful scents in the air: dry leaves, wood smoke, a hint of the upcoming winter. He found himself smiling as he started his bike and rode toward the nearest town.
Chapter Five
Drew reached the small town of Greenberg a short time later. From what he could see, the town consisted of a gas station, a post office, a diner, a drugstore, a church, and a few houses.
His first stop was the drugstore, which turned out to have a little bit of everything. He went to the small clothing section and grabbed a couple of pairs of jeans that looked to be about Ciaran’s size. Next, he selected a package of black t-shirts and one of boxers. They didn’t have any shoes except for a bin full of clearance sandals, so he picked out a pair of those as well. The last items were a toothbrush, a comb, and deodorant.
The old man at the counter watched with interest as Drew approached with his armload of purchases. He rang everything up on the old-fashioned cash register and bagged it up. Drew almost expected the man to say something about the obviously-much-too-small-for-him clothes Drew was buying, but although he looked curious, he didn’t ask.
“That’ll be thirty-five dollars and ninety-two cents, young man,” the old man said.
* * * *
About five minutes later, drugstore bag in hand, Drew entered Billie’s Diner and sat down at the counter. A forty-somethingish woman with dyed red hair and a nametag that read “Billie” approached him.
“Take your order, hon?” Billie asked.
“I’d like to order two breakfasts to go.”
“Sure thing, doll. Whatcha need?”
Drew realized he had no idea what Ciaran would like to eat. “Ummm…Give me one with the works-scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, all that. Extra meat. Do you have fruit?”
“Yep. We have a real nice fruit salad that’s great for breakfast. My place has just about everything.” Billie smiled with pride and he realized that she was the Billie from the diner’s name.
“Good. For the other I’d like fruit salad and pancakes.”
“All right sweetie. I’ll have that up for you in just a minute.”
True to her promise, Billie had Drew’s order boxed up and ready to go in a few minutes. It was awkward carrying the breakfast on his bike, but he managed it by shoving the boxes into the bag of clothing.
Back at the motel, he gathered his purchases and headed for room 13, stopping on the way at a vending machine to buy two bottles of water. He shoved them into the drugstore bag and went to unlock the room door.
Ciaran was sitting against the bed’s headboard with his head resting on his knees, legs drawn up, his arms encircling them. . When he heard the door close, he looked up and smiled at Drew. It was as if the sun had come out at last after a very long night.
Seeing that smile, Drew felt a sharp tug somewhere in the vicinity of his heart and found himself smiling back helplessly. He set the breakfast bag down on the little table in the corner, fished the bottles of water out of the other bag and put the drugstore bag on the dresser. They would go through everything else after breakfast.
Drew wondered if the clothes he’d bought would fit Ciaran but that line of thought only made him imagine Ciaran stripping in order to try on the new clothes. When he began contemplating how far down the wing markings on Ciaran’s back went, he knew it was time to give himself something else to think about.
Feeling the need to fill the silence, he said, “I didn’t know what you liked for breakfast, so I brought a lot of different things. What do you normally eat in the morning?”
“I most often break my fast with fruit or bread.” Ciaran got up and stretched, the sleek muscles in his chest and arms flexing as he moved.
Drew forced himself to concentrate on setting out the boxes, utensils, and napkins he found in the bag.
“Well, I brought some fruit and pancakes. I also have eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns…you can try whatever you want.”
Ciaran came over and sat down. Drew sat down as well, handed Ciaran a bottle of water and opened up the box before him to find exactly the kind of breakfast he loved—lots of meat with big piles of eggs and hash browns. If he’d been an ordinary man, it would be a heart attack on a plate, but his werewolf metabolism allowed him to eat pretty much anything he wanted as long as he stayed active.
Ciaran opened his box as well. He, eyed the contents with interest. “What are these?”
“Pancakes. That little plastic tub is syrup.”
“Pan cakes?” Ciaran paused for a moment, and then opened the syrup and looked at it.
“The syrup is to pour on your pancakes,” Drew told him, amused. He watched as Ciaran poured a bit of syrup onto his pancakes and took a bite. His expression of surprised delight made Drew laugh.
“These pan cakes are sweet!” Ciaran looked pleased.
“I take it you like them.”
“I like them very much.” Ciaran smiled, pouring the rest of the syrup onto his pancakes.
“Here…” Drew put bites of sausage, bacon, egg, and hash brown on the open lid of Ciaran’s box. “Try these and see w
hat you think.”
Ciaran obediently popped the bite of sausage in his mouth and chewed. His expression of distaste was almost comical. He turned to Drew. “What was that?”
“Sausage. Guess you don’t like it, huh?” Drew snickered as Ciaran looked suspiciously at the other bits of food in front of him. When he prodded at the bacon as if it might jump up and bite him, Drew burst out laughing. “That’s bacon. It doesn’t taste a thing like sausage. I promise.”
Ciaran tentatively tasted the bacon. “It is good,” he proclaimed. After eating the other bites, he announced that he did not like the eggs but the hash browns were good. “The pan cakes are the best.” Ciaran proceeded to eat them all.
Drew suppressed a smile at the way Ciaran said “Pan cakes” as if the word were actually two words. They finished eating in silence, Drew devouring his meat and eggs while Ciaran ate the fruit salad. It felt strangely comfortable to be sitting here eating breakfast with Ciaran. He was accustomed to eating alone, but having a companion that didn’t try to fill the silence with empty chatter was nice. It didn’t hurt that Ciaran was great to look at. Even with bed-head and wearing ill-fitting pajama pants, Ciaran was sexy. Drew wished he had the right to reach over and thread his hand through those soft curls. They probably felt like silk. Can’t start thinking about that right now. Better find something else to do. Oh yeah, the clothes!
Drew gathered up the breakfast trash and threw it away, then went to the dresser and grabbed the drugstore bag. He pulled out the items inside and laid them out on the bed. “I bought you some clothes while I was out. Why don’t you go to the bathroom and try them on?”
Chapter Six
Ciaran emerged from the bathroom, wearing the jeans and a black t-shirt. Drew was surprised how well they fit. He’d also combed his unruly curls so they covered the tips of his ears. “Will I blend in?” Ciaran asked, anxiously.. “Do I look like a normal human?”
You’re too striking to blend in anywhere, Drew thought, but what he said was, “Sure. You look fine.” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “We really should talk.”
“Yes,” agreed Ciaran, looking hesitant. He came over to perch on the edge of the bed as well.
“First, tell me how you came to be here.”
Ciaran took a deep breath. “I am not exactly sure what happened. One moment I was in my room reading, the next I heard a strange whooshing sound and everything went black. When the sound stopped and light returned, I was encircled by humans dressed in dark robes. They fell upon me, beat me when I struggled, and tied my hands. I was very frightened, especially when I overheard them speaking about calling forth a demon to be their slave. They seemed quite pleased with their success, but after a short time of celebrating, they began to argue about who would get to command me first. I knew that I must escape before they decided, so I began to work on the ropes with a sharp rock I found on the ground. While I was attempting to escape, one of them slipped away from the others and came to me, ordered me to… I did not wish to do what he asked of me. My bonds gave way and I hit him as hard as I could. I ran into the forest and some time later, came upon you.”
Drew thought back to Ciaran’s nightmare last night, thinking he had just found out the cause. He wondered what sort of humans had tried to call forth demons, and what they had wanted Ciaran to do for them. Those questions would probably have answers he didn’t really want to learn. “Where is your home?”
“I live in Faerie, in a house belonging to my grandfather.”
“You live in Faerie? That place really exists?” Even as he asked, Drew knew he shouldn’t be surprised. After all, he was a werewolf, and Ciaran was—something. He’d probably be finding out exactly what, soon.
“Yes. My mother was of the Seelie Fae. Only the Seelie and other light races can dwell in Faerie. The dark races, such as the Unseelie and demons, must dwell elsewhere. I am only allowed because of my grandfather.”
“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to live with your family?”
“My mother is a member of a noble house of the Fae, but my father was a demon.” Ciaran said this as if he were confessing to a murder.
“So?” Drew really didn’t understand.
Ciaran sighed. “My mother was to marry a Fae nobleman, but before she could she was kidnapped by a raiding party of Unseelie. Apparently one of the Unseelie lords decided to create the perfect race.To do so, he felt he must add the blood of other races to the Unseelie blood. He kidnapped members of many races: dark elves, wood elves, various kinds of demons …and my mother.
His plan was to breed different combinations and then breed the resulting children with Unseelie nobility. My mother was forced to breed with a demon, but escaped before any children could be born and used in the experiment. She fled to her father’s house in Faerie, where I was born. I have lived there ever since.”
“What happened to your mother?”
“I don’t know. She lives, but I have never seen her.”
“What? Who took care of you?” Drew couldn’t conceive of a mother abandoning her child like that, but the situation must have been very difficult for her.
“I had a nurse when I was young. She was forbidden to talk to me or touch me unless it was necessary. My grandfather taught me to speak and to read. No one else was needed. As I grew older, I mostly cared for myself.” Ciaran stated these facts as if they were totally normal.
“Why on earth would the nurse be forbidden to talk to you or touch you?”
“I am half demon. Grandfather would have been within his rights to kill me at birth or have me sent away.” Ciaran shrugged. “I am fortunate he allowed me to remain in his house.”
“Why did he then, if your being part demon is so awful?”
“He does not believe in violence.”
“So he just hid you away in his house?”
“I am very fortunate that he did so,” Ciaran repeated. “He is very powerful in the Fae court. The scandal of having a half-demon grandson would have destroyed that.”
Drew frowned. “Did you ever get to leave the house, or have anyone visit?”
“I stayed in the house or on the grounds. Who would visit?”
“Friends. Other family members, perhaps.”
“I have no other family, or friends.” Ciaran stated this is the same calm, flat tone he’d used to tell the rest of his story. As if what he was saying was no big deal. He looked down at the floor.
No friends? No family? Drew was horrified. Most of his own family had often been cruel to him, but at least he’d had his mother. She had hugged him often, and told him she loved him. She’d comforted him after his father and his brothers told him he was worthless. His great-aunt had also been kind. What must it have been like for Ciaran, who had no one at all that cared for him? He longed to pull Ciaran into his arms and offer him the comfort and care his family should have given him.
“If you’ll let me, Ciaran, I’ll be your friend,” Drew vowed.
Ciaran looked up, his violet eyes shocked, hopeful, even awed. His mouth opened and closed several times before he spoke. “You…would be my friend?” Drew’s heart ached to hear the disbelief in Ciaran’s voice.
“I would,” he replied firmly. “If you want me to.”
Ciaran’s tremulous smile said it all.
Chapter Seven
After practically forcing Ciaran to “talk,” Drew wondered why he hadn’t revealed his own two big secrets—that he was a werewolf, as well as being gay. Both of those were pretty big, but the gay thing might prove to be the larger of the two issues.
It was doubtful that a half-demon, half-fairy guy would get too upset about hanging out with a werewolf, but with a gay… He didn’t know what Ciaran would think about his being gay, but if the reaction was anything like his father and brothers’, he didn’t want to see it. When he’d told his father, Clinton Moore had been enraged.
“No son of mine will be a fucking faggot!” he’d snarled. He’d Changed and attacked. Drew had been forced
to Change as well, to defend himself from his own father. In the end, it had become obvious that his father wanted to kill him. Drew had gotten Clinton down and held him by his throat, but he had not killed him. Instead, he’d released his father, glared at him, and left the room.
The day after the fight, he’d packed up and left. His mother, Elaine, had cried and asked him to stay, but Drew knew that he couldn’t. Two of his older brothers still lived in town and there was no way he would be able to stay without being forced to fight them as well. Luckily, his great-aunt Elizabeth had left him this cabin with some land. Since he ran his own business out of his home, he could work anywhere. He’d sold or given away many of his things, boxed up the rest and sent it ahead to the cabin.
Drew had felt unexpectedly good when he’d ridden out of his hometown a few days ago. The move felt like a new start, like a beginning rather than an ending. Like perhaps he would finally be free to be himself, and live his life as he chose to. And in a way it had been a new beginning since he’d met Ciaran.
* * * *
Drew was pulled out of his memories when Ciaran came over to him holding the toothbrush Drew had bought him earlier. “What is this?”
Drew smiled. “It’s a toothbrush. You put toothpaste on it and use it to clean your teeth.”
“Where is this toothpaste?”
“In the bathroom. I’ll show you,” Drew replied, heading to the bathroom. He got out his own toothbrush, put a strip of toothpaste on it and watched as Ciaran did the same. When he began to brush, Ciaran watched with interest and then mimicked his movements almost exactly. It was hard not to laugh watching how seriously Ciaran was taking his tooth brushing.
When they finished, Ciaran said, “We do not have toothbrushes in Faerie.”
“I think that’s pretty obvious,” Drew agreed. He decided to tease a bit. “Do you all just go around with dirty teeth?”
“Of course not! There are herbs…” Ciaran began indignantly. He paused. “You are teasing me.”
“Yeah. Come on, let’s get our stuff together. Gotta get going.”
Bat-Boy and The Wolfman Page 2