Bound, Part 2
Snarls of frustrated voices outside the library preceded a perfunctory knock and the sharp, noisy banging of the door crashing open. Three furs burst in, their words incoherent as they cast angry glances around the darkened library. From my relaxing...
Artisanry
We stayed in the kitchen long enough to tend to the mugs and accoutrements that Lightwing had brought outside, then padded our way back through the dining hall, past the living room, and out the front doors. Back in the sunshine, I quickly reoriented...
Model Behavior
Emerson wondered if it really was cold in here, or if it just seemed like it because he was clad only in underwear. Specifically, boxer shorts. More than that, boxer shorts that weren't even his. Seated on a bare wooden bench, the only furniture in...
If Only You'd Wanted Me Back
They sat around the small campfire, each silent, each with his thoughts. _Five Characters in Search of an Exit,_the old bear remembered, except that there were six here tonight. He'd met that actor, the one who played the major, who had met the clown,...
Friends of the Dragon
The statue wasn't huge, in a literal sense - even with the plinth, it wasn't quite seven meters tall - but it sort of glowered down at you. The sainted warrior atop his feral horse was dour-faced and totally intent on his business. The dragon that...
Reparation
After the badger left, Lyal put an arm around Lyris' shoulders and squeezed her close, and she put an arm around his waist. He could feel her trembling slightly in the embrace, and it worried him. The stress of being on the run was bad enough, but she...
Collar 6 -- No Secrets
Time is a fickle thing, as Kafka's parable "A Common Confusion" tells us. When waiting, time lengthens; when unnoticed, it flashes by. In my case, both sensations were occurring -- pun intended -- at the same time. Thad Whitlock made certain things...
Presents
A light snow fell outside, enough to dust the lawns, to frost the windows, to bless the rooftops with a gentle nightcap for the perfect winter's nap. Barton sat contentedly by the fireside, a cup of hot chai and a few ginger snap cookies (both of...
Expiration Date, Part 3
I hope you'll forgive me waxing poetic for a moment; in light of the occasion, it feels necessary. Are there, I wonder, enough words in the cumulative languages of the universe, to describe love in its entirety? I'd have to think not, for just about...
Reawaking
Eoin McCraken had not pedaled his bike harder or faster in all his life. He was plenty winded, and the biting air of the cold, clear New Year's Day morning attacked his lungs with ice spears. He was beyond caring; he only knew that he had to get back...
Collar 11 -- Memento Mei
I woke slowly to morning light trying to peek around the drawn curtains in a bedroom warm with the scent of recent lovemaking and the feel of a beautiful young wolf in my arms. Like me, he was shifting gently, not yet awake, not entirely sure he wanted...
The First Door
"Dr. Spenser? Benedict?" "Here, Zachary." "Why is it dark?" "I just asked you to keep your eyes closed for a little while. Do you feel ready to open them?" "I'm not sure. I have a feeling I know where we are." "We're in two places, Zachary. One is...