by JC Holly
“Near London,” Snow said. “Little place nobody’s ever heard of. I moved over here a decade or so ago.”
“You held onto your accent this long? Impressive.”
Snow grinned and twirled his knife around his finger. “I like to stand out.”
“I noticed. Is the hair to stand out, too, or does it really grow white?”
There was a flicker of something on Snow’s features. Sadness? No, it couldn’t be. Bernie wasn’t sure the guy had ever been sad. He was probably born with a grin on his face.
“It’s all me,” Snow said. “No idea why.”
“Well it looks great, anyway. Suits you.”
His grin returned full force.
They ate in silence for a while, so their food wouldn’t get cold, but it wasn’t long before they were chatting again. This time about hobbies. Bernie was in no way shocked to find out Snow liked to be active. Running, biking, climbing, throwing himself out of airplanes. While Bernie loved the outdoors, he stopped at anything that took him over fifteen miles an hour or more than a couple of feet in the air. That still left a good few compatible activities, though, he was happy to note. Assuming there was a second date.
As the evening began to wind down, Bernie started to become a little anxious. Snow had dropped more than a couple of hints about what he’d like to do after the date, and Bernie wasn’t sure if he was ready. It wasn’t that he didn’t do anything on first dates. His attitude was that if it felt right, it usually was. It was more that he was suddenly aware of how recent his split from Steve was. It was only a few weeks. Should he be jumping into bed with someone else already, even if it did feel right?
The bill arrived shortly after, and Snow paid with his card, refusing Bernie’s offer to pay.
“My treat,” he said. “You can pay on the next one.”
Bernie smiled. “So there’ll be another?”
“I hope so.” Snow returned the smile. “I’d like to see you again.”
“I’d like that too.” Bernie twisted his napkin in his fingers. “Uh, about tonight…”
Snow shook his head. “Nothing happens tonight other than a goodnight kiss.”
Bernie looked up, surprised. “But didn’t you want—”
“I did. I’m good at reading faces, though.” He grinned. “It gives me something to look forward to.”
Relief coursed through Bernie, and he nodded his agreement. “It does.”
The drive back to Bernie’s place was quiet, but it was a pleasant quiet. Snow walked Bernie to his door and put a hand around his waist, pulling him closer. Their lips met and stayed met for what felt like an eternity to Bernie. Snow was soft, but confident. Bernie became acutely aware that his pants were suddenly feeling very tight. Snow noticed it, too, and pushed his hips against Bernie’s. He wasn’t the only one with tight pants.
Snow broke the kiss and smiled. “Until next time.”
Bernie watched him go, mentally kicking himself for saying no to a night of fun.
Chapter Six
The morning came too early, ending the dreams Bernie had been reveling in all night. Snow. Him and Snow. Him and Snow with no clothes and a large quantity of lubricant. It wasn’t any great surprise that he woke with a raging hard-on that took five minutes of cold showering to kill.
As he pulled his work clothes on, he restrained a sigh. The last thing he wanted to do was go and sit by a phone. On the bright side it was only a half day, as the office was shutting early for some sort of maintenance. He hadn’t paid much attention after the whole “you don’t need to be here after two o’clock” part.
Snow had a shift at the clinic in the morning, but Bernie didn’t know when it ended. If he were off early too, they could do something fun, assuming Snow was up for it. It would be a shame to let another beautiful day go to waste.
He picked up his cell phone and sent the man a quick text, asking when he finished, and if he’d like to go out on a bike ride, then headed into the lounge. Nadia had already left for her second exam, but had left a note saying she’d want all the details once she was back home later. Bernie grinned and wrote “promise” underneath her overly neat handwriting, then headed out the door.
* * * *
Snow tapped at his cell phone, replying to Bernie. Above his head, the ambulance’s siren blared, and under his free hand a patient struggled to get from under his grip. The man might as well have been trying to lift a car.
“Calm down,” Snow said, still looking at his phone. “If you keep wriggling, my partner here might put the syringe in the wrong place. Like an eye socket.”
The patient stilled and Snow hit send on his text back to Bernie. Yes, he’d love to go for a ride, and he was off at one o’clock. Done, he turned his attention back to his work. His partner, also a shifter, named Chrissy, had managed to sedate the patient, and was checking his pockets for any drugs.
“Goddamn supes,” she muttered, using the slang term for all supernatural people. “They think because a human can pop a couple of pills and have a good time, they’ll work the same on them.”
Snow shrugged. “If idiots didn’t exist, we’d have a lot less to do.”
Chrissy smirked and flicked her blonde fringe away from her eyes. She pulled a small empty baggie from the now-sleeping man’s pocket. One sniff at the small white pills told them both what it was, and Snow grabbed the necessary drugs from a small cabinet. Chrissy banged on the wall of the ambulance and the driver slid open a window between the back and the cab and peered in.
“Yeah?”
“You can slow down,” Chrissy said. “He’ll be fine. Until he gets the bill, anyway.”
The driver snorted and nodded, and the sirens cut out.
Snow wiped the sweat from the patient’s brow, then injected a small syringe into the port on the drip. It was a mix of chemicals and magical agents that would counteract the drugs he’d taken, leaving him dizzy and nauseous, but alive.
The man had just been unlucky. He was a necromancer, and new to it, and hadn’t realized how much the magic he messed around with had altered his own body’s chemistry. The drug in question was designed to relax a normal person, but on him it had quite the opposite effect. He’d not do it again.
If he’d been a shifter, he’d have been fine. In terms of the way their bodies worked, shifters were simply advanced humans. Stronger, faster, immune to disease. Snow could have downed the remaining contents of the man’s stash and felt nothing more than a light buzz for a few minutes until his body burned it away. It was one of the main reasons that some shifters considered themselves the pinnacle of sentient life. Snow wasn’t so vain.
“So, who’s texting you that can make you smile like that?” Chrissy asked.
Snow raised an eyebrow. “I always smile.”
“Not like that, you don’t. That was something else.” She grinned. “That was luuurve.”
“Hardly. I’ve only been out with him once. Twice, as of tonight.”
“Two dates? That’s further than most people get with you.”
He couldn’t disagree with that. Ever since he’d met Bernie the man had been on his mind. That wasn’t normal. Snow had a well-earned reputation for loving ’em and leaving ’em. Sometimes he didn’t even last the length of a date. Such thoughts hadn’t even entered his mind last night, though. Even when Bernie had said he didn’t want to go too far on the first date, Snow had only smiled and told him it was fine. That really wasn’t like him.
Chrissy leaned over and poked him in the arm. “At this rate you’ll have to tell him you’re not human. Bet you haven’t had to have that discussion in a while.”
“Been years. I’m not sure how to even do it. If it comes to that,” he added.
“Just be honest. Give him all the facts, let him ask whatever he wants to ask and answer truthfully. It’s all we can do.”
Snow nodded. “I suppose so.”
Chrissy smirked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you unsure of yourself before. You’re
Snow! The unflappable badass that everyone likes and nobody crosses.”
He poked his tongue out. “All very true. Love fucks things up, though.”
“So it is love?”
“Not yet. It’s too early for that. Way too early.”
Wasn’t it?
The ambulance came to a halt and the doors opened to reveal a nurse waiting near the entrance. Snow shouted a hi as he and Chrissy pulled the stretcher from the back of the truck.
“Nothing serious, I take it,” the nurse said as she walked over.
“Nah. He’ll be fine when he comes around. Just keep a bucket near the bed.”
“Snow has a date tonight,” Chrissy said over her shoulder as she wheeled the stretcher toward an orderly. “A second date.”
The nurse feigned a look of shock. “Second? You wouldn’t even take me out on one!”
Snow leaned in kissed her on the cheek, careful not to catch himself on the short red horns that protruded from her forehead. “Sorry, Zeth. You don’t have a penis.”
Something tapped him on the leg and he glanced down to see Zeth’s tail curl around his thigh. She waggled her eyebrows.
“I can adapt,” she said.
Snow laughed and batted her tail away. “Close but no cigar.”
Zeth pouted, then told him not to be a stranger before following the stretcher. Snow moved back to the ambulance, but stopped as his phone rang. He pulled it out to find it was Creek, his alpha.
“Snow?” the cultured voice on the line asked.
“Who else?” Snow sat on the back of the truck. “What can I do for you, boss?”
“There was another attack earlier.”
Snow’s stomach sank. “Who?”
“You hadn’t spoken to her yet. Couldn’t have. She only came to town a couple of days ago.”
“Some welcome.”
“Yeah. I’ve had a couple of the pack members scope out the area of the attack, but I’d like you to check on it too. I’m not expecting to find anything, but take a look, okay? No great rush.”
Snow nodded. “I can go now. I just need to cancel—”
“No rush, Snow.” Creek chuckled. “I can hear the reluctance in your voice, which means it’s a date.”
“Some things are more important than dates.”
“Very true, but in this case I doubt you’ll find anything anyway. Besides, there are police about. It’d be better to go back after hours.”
“Okay.” Snow relaxed a little. He still got to see Bernie, even if he’d be a little distracted. “Did the shifter have anything to say? Is she at the clinic?”
“She saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary until it was too late. More than one attacker, and afterwards she realized they’d masked their scents with perfume.”
The phone creaked under Snow’s grip, and he forced himself to relax a little. “I’ll see what I can find and get back to you.”
“Have a good time on your date.”
Chapter Seven
Bernie manhandled his bike into the back of his car, only slightly concerned about the view his neighbors were getting, thanks to his skintight bike shorts. They’d be great in the heat, and ideally Snow would enjoy the view, but they weren’t ideal when he bent over trying to put stuff in the trunk. He was also aware of how pale his legs were. Still, next to Snow he’d look positively tanned.
Nadia sat nearby, on the doorstep of the house. She tossed him his helmet, then sipped at the coffee she’d bought on the way back from her exam. Apparently she thought she’d done great.
“You’ll be careful?” she asked. “And you know I mean that in two ways.”
Bernie put a hand over his heart. “Promise.”
“Good. Because if you come back here pregnant, I’m kicking you out.”
He shook his head. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Bring him back if he’s not busy. I’d like to meet him.”
“I’ll try, but he mentioned having to do something.”
She shrugged. “Next time, then. But if you take too long I’ll start to think he’s imaginary.”
Bernie grinned and climbed into the car. “Go out and have some fun!”
She waved him off, and a few minutes later he was on his way to the place he’d suggested. He hadn’t ridden up there in a couple of years, but he remembered it had quite the view once you got out of the trees. It was also quiet, since most people didn’t know about it, so he’d hopefully be able to talk. And maybe find somewhere to smooch some more.
The sun was just as hot as it had been the past two days, and according to the weather station, it was going to stay that way for a while. He wound the window down and let the fresh air blow over him. It didn’t do much to cool the rest of him, though. Especially his libido.
The dreams he’d had last night had merely turned into daydreams once he’d got to work, leaving him distracted and horny. It was lucky he’d finished work early or he’d have gone mad.
He pulled into the tiny secluded parking lot ten minutes later, to find Snow already waiting for him. The man was wearing a pair of black long shorts and matching T-shirt and backpack, making his skin and hair look even starker. Bernie was sure it was intentional. Like the guy had said, he liked to stand out. He already had his bike out, and was putting the front wheel back on as Bernie parked next to him.
“Hey.” Bernie stepped out into the heat. “Love the shorts.”
Snow grinned as he saw Bernie’s own clothing. “Love yours more. Or, rather, the contents.”
Bernie felt himself blush, and covered it by heading to his truck and pulling out his bike. “Been a while since I’ve gone for a ride.”
“Yeah? Let me take a look at your bike first, then.” Snow came over and helped him pull it from the car. “If it’s been a while, the brakes and gears might need a tweak.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. They probably do, yeah.”
In a quick motion, Snow flipped the bike upside down, resting it on its seat and handlebars, and began to check everything, occasionally tightening various bolts with a pocket tool.
“You’ve got all the kit,” Bernie said, impressed. “I don’t need to worry about something failing, then.”
Snow winked. “Always prepared. I’m known for it.”
Bernie had a feeling the man was referring to more than just bike tools. He focused on what Snow was doing. The last thing he needed in skintight shorts was a giant erection.
After a couple more tweaks, Snow proclaimed the bike good to go and flipped it back over. Bernie jumped on and rode a few laps around the small parking lot. The bike worked better than it had when he’d bought it new.
“You’re full of surprises,” he said with a grin.
Snow just waggled his eyebrows and hopped onto his own bike. “Lead the way, cutie.”
The trail started off enclosed, then opened onto a field. On the right lay the forest they’d soon be back inside, but on the left was grassland gone wild, coming up to the height of their handlebars. Thankfully the trail itself was still beaten down, so they didn’t have to beat a path.
The sun was hot, but not as bad as Bernie had expected. He had a couple of water bottles ready, though, and Snow had a water reservoir in his backpack of tricks. A long rubber straw curled under his arm and was clipped to his shirt, within reach of his mouth. If the cycling worked out well, Bernie would have to look into getting one himself.
Once they reached the end of the field, Bernie’s legs had warmed up, and he found the cycling easier. Just in time, too, as once they’d passed through the open gate the terrain started to climb. It was slow at first, but within a few minutes Bernie was breathing hard. On the bright side, the trail was now in the cover of the forest again, so the canopy kept the light and heat lower.
“I had no idea I was so unfit,” he said between breaths.
Snow chuckled. “You’re just out of practice.”
If the man was finding it hard, it wasn’t showing. He remained in a relaxe
d pose and the only time he took a deep breath seemed to be in an “I love the smell of nature” sort of way. Bernie wondered how often he came out on his bike.
“You cycle much, then?” Bernie asked, trying to distract himself from the pedaling.
“I try to get out when I can.” Snow waved a hand at the surroundings. “I mean look at this place. Why would anyone not want to be out in this?”
Bernie couldn’t argue with that. The trail was beautiful. Thick, old trees lined their route, with an impenetrable bank of trees behind them. Bernie knew there was a hell of a view coming, too. Assuming his legs let him get to it.
As the hill steepened, Bernie found he couldn’t talk and stay upright at the same time, so he focused on the latter. Again, Snow wasn’t even breaking a sweat. He hadn’t taken a single sip from his water, either. The man is a machine. Bernie forced his eyes dead ahead as his mind wandered off, asking how much of Snow’s stamina extended to the bedroom.
A rustle ahead and to their right had Bernie jerk his head to see what was making the noise. The motion overbalanced him, and he came to a halt, putting a foot down to steady himself. A moment later he wished he’d kept going.
A few feet ahead, a brown bear padded out onto the trail. It froze as it realized it wasn’t alone. Bernie couldn’t even muster the ability to curse as the animal turned to face them. A low growl started as it caught Bernie’s eyes. We’re dead. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t so much as whimper, as the bear started toward him. Snow had less difficulty, and waved a hand at the animal.
“Ahem.”
The bear turned to regard Snow, and a moment later its growl stopped and the animal stopped moving. Snow cocked his head to one side and sniffed the air, then widened his eyes and snarled loud enough to make Bernie jump.
“Leave,” Snow said, his voice and body language dripping with aggression.
To Bernie’s surprise, the bear not only did as it was told, but it did it quickly. The huge animal practically sprinted for the trees on the left and, from the sound of its path, it didn’t slow down once it was out of sight, either. Snow watched it leave, then shrugged, turning back to Bernie, his previous aggression replaced with his usual easy manner.
