by Liv Rider
He felt a surge of desire shoot through him immediately, and Cameron grabbed his tie to pull him closer. Parker liked that idea very much, putting his other arm around Cameron’s waist as Cameron deepened the kiss.
Oh yes. This was like nothing he’d ever felt before. The sheer joy of flying didn’t even come close. He wanted more, wanted to feel Cameron’s skin underneath his fingers, wanted to hear more of those muffled moans as they kissed. Heat spread down his body. His cock was already hardening, just from finally sharing a kiss.
Cameron was still holding onto his tie, but his other hand was running down Parker’s chest, down to where his shirt was tucked into his pants, and Cameron started tugging on the fabric.
Another excellent idea from his mate. Parker pulled back to kiss Cameron’s cheek and jaw, smiling as Cameron tilted his head back and let out a happy sigh. Cameron shivered when Parker found a sensitive spot further down his neck. “I really should, mm, do my makeup.”
“You could be a fresh zombie.” Parker nuzzled his neck, kissing and tasting him. “One with no wounds.”
Cameron moaned when Parker started sucking on a patch of skin. “But with—with a hickey if you keep doing that!” He pressed even closer.
He gave the spot one reluctant last kiss, then pulled back to smile at Cameron. “A fresh zombie who had a really fun last night of their life?”
Cameron grinned up at him, still holding his tie. “Hm, not sure if that works to scare our visitors, though.”
“Shame.” He kissed Cameron again. He didn’t want to stop, but Cameron was right. He had to go and get ready to scare people in the Maze, and Parker had to go home and deal with Keeper business.
“We can meet up later, if you want?”
“Of course.” Need thrummed inside of him.
“I don’t know what time I’ll be home, though, we need to tidy up over here and I’ll need to remove most of the makeup, and then I need to go home and take a shower to remove the last of it.” Cameron was frowning, but Parker’s brain was firmly stuck on Cameron taking a shower. “You’d be surprised where the fake blood gets.”
He could imagine, and managed to stop himself from offering to help Cameron in the shower. “Any time you want to meet up is fine with me.”
“Are you sure? It can get pretty late, and I’m used to late nights because of my job, but—”
“Seriously,” Parker insisted, “any time. I don’t care if it’s midnight or one o’clock or later than that. I want to see you again.” He needed to see Cameron again.
“Yeah, I got that impression.” Cameron rocked his hips forward, and Parker groaned quietly.
“So, tonight?”
“Tonight,” Cameron agreed, grinning suggestively. “Or very very early tomorrow morning.”
It took all his willpower to open up his laptop and do some work rather than think about how good it had been to kiss Cameron and have his body pressed against his own. He could still taste Cameron on his lips. His scent lingered in his mind.
He ran one hand down his face. No. Focus. He’d had comments from Isaac already about how distracted he’d been during their meeting that afternoon about the council’s finances
He opened his inbox and searched for Isaac’s emails first. Technically, Isaac was supposed to update everyone about the state of their finances every quarter, but Parker preferred to keep closer tabs. Three months was a long time, and he always had a one-on-one meeting with Isaac first to go through everything before Isaac presented the budget to the rest of the council.
It was exactly the kind of task where Parker knew Thomas and Mitchell would tell him to present it to the council immediately. Let them spot inconsistencies and sort out details. But Parker knew his council would miss something, and he’d have to check it anyway. He was responsible for the well-being of all shifters in his district, so he was responsible for the budget.
Isaac had also sent him a few proposals for their Thanksgiving dinner, which they hosted each year for shifters in their district who either didn’t have family to celebrate with, or who didn’t want to celebrate with family. Parker nodded as he read the email. It wouldn’t be that different from last year. It’d mostly be a potluck dinner while they supplied enough turkey and drinks for everyone. Parker had been the one to start that tradition after his first year of being Keeper of the Peace. He’d seen how many shifters came to Lewiston because their human families didn’t accept them, or because their shifter family didn’t accept their lifestyle or life choices. He’d seen how older shifters whose wife or husband had passed away and whose kids had moved away didn’t have anyone to celebrate with either.
He’d wanted to do something for those shifters who otherwise wouldn’t have anyone to celebrate with, and after a few years of hosting the Thanksgiving dinner, they’d added a festive dinner during the winter holidays as well. Parker had advised Thomas and Mitchell to do the same once they’d become Keepers of the Peace, and they’d both seen the point of it.
He wondered what kind of plans Cameron already had for the holidays. Did he have family in the area? All he’d mentioned was an ex-boyfriend. Maybe he could join Parker at the district’s dinner….
He looked at the time and smiled. Right now, Cameron would be in the Maze of Terror, scaring everyone who set foot in that fake graveyard. Would he be thinking of Parker every now and then? About their kiss? About meeting up tonight?
The desire he’d been trying to ignore unfurled inside of him again. Leaving the farmhouse tonight had been much harder than he expected. During his drive home, his dragon had been insisting they go back right now.
We should be with our mate!
Not now! We have work to do and so does he.
His dragon grumbled and a wave of crankiness swept through him. “Ugh.” He got up to grab himself another cup of coffee. He needed to focus.
The next couple of emails were interesting enough to distract him from missing Cameron. One of his other council members, Glen, had gathered complaints from different shifters about how difficult it was to find a good place to shift. Parker was already aware of the problem thanks to the issues with people shifting at the community center, but Glen’s emails made it clear it was a bigger problem than Parker had thought.
Glen himself was a bat shifter, and could easily shift and fly around the city without attracting attention. A lot of other smaller shifters didn’t have any issues with it either.
The complaints mainly came from bigger shifters, and from shifters with animals that weren’t native to the area and would stand out. Parker understood their frustration. It wasn’t like he could just shift in broad daylight and fly.
He scrolled through the complaints Glen had collected for a while, wondering what he should do. Did Thomas and Mitchell have the same problem?
Glen didn’t mention anything about contact with the other two councils, but he did mention a possible solution.
We need a large building for it. Either outside of Lewiston or in one of the old, abandoned warehouses near the harbor. Something big enough even for you to shift in.
Parker grimaced at the thought of shifting inside, even if it was a large building. His dragon wanted the open air. What was the point of shifting if you couldn’t fly?
When will we get to stretch our wings? His dragon was filled with yearning.
It had been far too long since he’d flown. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Glen had a point that a building they owned themselves would be safest. It would let them keep out nosy humans, and while he didn’t enjoy the thought of shifting inside, it could be a good enough place for a lot of shifters. The aquatic shifters would prefer the harbor option, but somewhere outside the city would be safest and they wouldn’t have to stay inside all the time.
Where would they start? By looking at what was for sale in and around Lewiston and eliminate the least suitable options?
Then he realized which option was the most suitable.
The Wilson farm.
There was the farmhouse itself, the two barns, and the fields around it. The rows of trees would shield shifters who ventured outside. It was far away enough from the city for them to go unnoticed, but not so far it would take shifters forever to drive out to.
He jumped off his couch in excitement. Yes, they could buy the Wilson farm! He could work something out with Cameron so he could still organize Halloween Fest there every year, and his shifters would have a place to shift safely. It was perfect.
He immediately grabbed his phone to call Mitchell. Thomas had made it clear to them that Saturday evening was reserved for Joel, so unless it was a life or death situation, he wasn’t available.
“Parker, how’s it going?” Mitchell’s voice was warm.
“Great. Hey, do you have any complaints from shifters who can’t find a good place to shift?” He walked over to one of his windows, looking out at the city. As a dragon, he liked being high up and being able to see as much of his district as possible.
Mitchell was silent for a long moment. “That’s what you’re calling about? Shifter complaints?”
“Yes. It’s important. Do you have complaints like that or not?”
“Hang on, I did get a couple of questions about that from shifters new to Lewiston…let me check.”
Parker waited impatiently for Mitchell to get back to him. If they were going to have a shot at buying the Wilson farm from underneath Everett, they’d have to move fast.
“I’ve had a dozen or so over the last month. I mostly tell them to wait until it’s dark before going out to shift and that works for most shifters. I do seem to be getting more questions about it, now that you mention it. Why?”
“I want to buy something.”
“Buy what?”
“A building. One that’s big enough and outside the city. It won’t be perfect for everyone, but then, nothing is.”
“You sound like you already have something in mind.”
“Well, you know that farm we went to last night? For Halloween Fest? The owners want to sell, and they’ve already got a verbal agreement with someone, but—”
Mitchell laughed. “Yes, I remember that farm. The one your mate happened to be at. I’m sure you wanting to buy it has nothing to do with him.”
“It doesn’t!”
“Hm-mm.”
“Okay, maybe a little. This new guy won’t say why he bought the farmhouse in the first place, and he’s a businessman. He also won’t let them organize Halloween Fest there next year, which we definitely would. I figured, if we buy the farmhouse, it’ll be win-win.”
“It is a nice place, I’ll give you that.” Mitchell sounded thoughtful. “Plus, those two barns…yeah, it’d be a good option. But Parker, we’d have to talk it over with Thomas and our councils. The two of us can’t just decide this.”
“What’s there to argue against?” he scoffed. Of course his council would agree with him.
“Maybe someone knows of a better location. Besides, it sounds like that farm won’t be available to us all year….”
“It’s still better than nothing.”
“True. It might work as a temporary solution. But we have to put it to our councils, and Thomas has to agree too.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll contact my council immediately. They’re the ones who asked me to look into it in the first place.” It was kind of late to call Glen, but he knew the bat shifter would understand. “I’ll call for a meeting tomorrow afternoon to talk it over. You and Thomas will be invited.” He’d have to tell Glen to email his fellow Keepers. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d invited them to a council meeting, or vice versa.
“That doesn’t give us any time to discuss it with our councils.” Mitchell’s voice was unusually stern. Parker was hoping he’d be a lot more easy-going about this.
“We won’t have to decide anything at tomorrow’s meeting, but it’s important we’re all on the same page. You guys’ll have all the info to talk to your council afterwards.” And if worst came to worst and Mitchell and Thomas didn’t agree with his plan, Parker could still have his council buy the farmhouse anyway. The money shouldn’t be a problem, and maybe once Thomas and Mitchell saw how well it worked, they’d want to be a part of it.
“That sounds fair. So, how are things going with Cameron?”
“Um.” The sudden change of subject had him reeling for a moment. “Good. Great. I’m going over to his place later tonight, once he finishes at Halloween Fest.”
Mitchell whistled. “You’re moving fast.”
“Cameron invited me over.” He was letting his mate set the pace. While Parker knew what he wanted to happen tonight, he would be happy to go as fast or as slow as Cameron wanted.
“Have you told him anything about being a shifter yet?”
“No, I haven’t gotten around to that yet. I also don’t want him freaking out on me.” He also had no idea where to start explaining shifters to someone who had no idea they existed. “I think it’s best if I wait a little longer. Let him get to know me, and then I can explain about shifters.”
Mitchell hummed in agreement. “That’s a good point. But you do need to be honest with him, Parker.”
“Didn’t you tell me to take it slow yesterday?”
“Yes, but that clearly isn’t happening.”
He shook his head at Mitchell’s derisive tone. “You don’t know what it’s like. I need to be with him.” He didn’t have the words to explain how important Cameron was to him. How good it felt to be around him. “This afternoon, instead of working, I watched a horror movie that he recommended to me.”
“Wow,” Mitchell said, after a pause. “Okay, that’s—that’s incredible.” There was another pause. “Did you enjoy the movie?”
“Yes!” He hadn’t expected that at all. “It was pretty good.” Not that he’d seen a lot of movies to compare it too, but still.
“Sounds like you and Cameron can join Thomas and Joel soon for double dates to the cinema, then.”
Parker frowned at those words. Mitchell’s tone was cheerful enough, but there’d been an ever-so-slight wistful air to it. “You’ll meet your fated mate, Mitchell. He’s out there.”
“If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen.”
“When you least expect it.”
Mitchell laughed at that. “Look, you focus on your fated mate, not mine, all right? Remember, be honest, don’t rush things, and we’ll talk about that farm plan later. I’ll email my council about it and call Thomas tomorrow morning to tell him what you said.”
“Okay, he can call me if he’s got any questions.”
After saying goodbye, he hung up and immediately dialed Glen’s number. He briefly explained that he’d read the email about the complaints and his idea for a solution, leaving out the fact that he’d met his fated mate. It was far too soon to tell his council about that.
“Our own farm could work…but we’d have to look at it to see if it’s suitable,” the older man replied.
“Well, you can go there tomorrow night. It’s the final night of Halloween Fest.”
“We wouldn’t look out of place,” Glen agreed. “Sure, we can discuss it at the meeting.”
“One more thing, though.” He told Glen about Nick Everett and how he’d never explained why he was interested in buying the farm. “Can you ask one of our contacts with the Lewiston council to see if they can find out anything about that farmhouse? He definitely wasn’t the farming type.”
“That would take a few days, but I can always ask. But even if we know his reason, we’d still need to convince him to back out of the agreement.”
We can be very convincing….
No! He immediately stomped down on his dragon’s more violent ideas. That isn’t how humans handle these matters.
Then we will play by the humans’ rules.
“We’ll think of something,” Parker told Glen. “I’ll email you more information about the Halloween Fest so you can visit it tomorrow with the council me
mbers after our meeting and see that it really is the perfect place for us.”
7
Cameron
Once it was eleven o’clock, Cameron was the first to want to leave, but he had to stay until the last visitor exited the Maze.
As he hunched down behind a gravestone, his mind kept straying to Parker. After that amazing kiss, he’d been very tempted to drag Parker into the Maze so they could do a lot more than kiss. The desk they had in the Evil Dead room was sturdy enough. Inviting Parker to his place had been a spur of the moment decision his brain had barely been involved in.
He could still feel Parker’s lips against his neck. Parker’s hands on his body. The feeling of Parker’s solid, broad chest against his own hands.
He grimaced as he felt himself getting hard again. He couldn’t scare visitors with a hard-on, but thinking of Everett’s smug face took care of that.
Once he left the Maze, he discussed the highs and lows with the three guys who’d been scaring off visitors with the fake chainsaws. The topic of Everett came up again as they walked over to the farmhouse to get cleaned up.
“Shame he went through it with the Wilsons.” Cameron had hoped Nick would walk through the Maze of Terror by himself so they could’ve gone all-out.
He and the other volunteer in the graveyard had waited a little longer than usual, watching as Everett took the lead. The other man had paused in the doorway, then taken a few small steps inside. He’d been looking around suspiciously as Dorothy and Ted joined him. When Everett’s attention had been distracted by the older couple, the other zombie had jumped out from a dark corner. The Wilsons had laughed, and Everett had jerked back, glaring at the zombie for hissing at him.
Everett strode over to the exit, and Cameron, who’d been waiting behind one of the fake tombstones, had grabbed for his ankle. Everett had stumbled and nearly fallen over, swearing when he spotted Cameron.
People never looked down, and they rarely expected a second scare in the same room.
