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sat on his heels in the center of the bed, wearing a pair of
black pajama bottoms and an old white T-shirt. His head
darted up when Rafe walked in, and he smiled.
Rafe grinned and set the envelope on a nearby dresser,
careful not to knock over his athletics trophies. As a teenager,
he would never have had a guy in his bedroom. Did you have
fun today?
Your family& They re so&
I know, he said, pulling his shirt off over his head.
They love you so much.
They do, at that.
Seth fell forward, bracing his hands on the mattress. Do
you think they like me?
They adore you.
Really?
Rafe stripped off his pants. He had on a pair of boxer
shorts tonight, a rarity for him. Really.
Seth s gaze slid over his body. Rafe?
Yeah?
He lifted his head. Good Seth?
His brow furrowed before he sighed and leaned back
against the dresser. Yes.
If Seth had a tail, it would ve been wagging.
Bad Seth. Good Seth. Strong Rafe. Tender Rafe. Simple
words that were associated with a name. Like you would say
to a dog. Or, he supposed, a wolf in human form. Was this part
of his culture?
He crossed his arms over his chest. This may not be the
best time, but I want to have a talk with you.
Seth settled back onto his haunches, head tilted to the side.
About what?
About you. About werewolves.
He blanched, but nodded his agreement.
Now that he d forced the issue, where was the best place to
start? He remembered how surprised his brothers and sisters
were when they d found out Seth s age. How long do
werewolves live?
The average werewolf has the same life expectancy as a
healthy human being.
Good thing he d quit smoking then.
Why did you ask me that?
Rafe stared down at the floor. Because you look so
young. I thought maybe& I don t know. You would live
forever.
Vampires are the only Nightkin with a chance at
immortality.
An involuntary shudder went through him when he
remembered the one and only vampire he d ever seen. And
that one had licked him.
Rafe.
He looked up, the breath skittering in his chest when he
saw the troubled expression on Seth s face. What?
Seth hesitated. I ve already exceeded the life expectancy
of a Ravager.
Something cold and sick cracked him open. Are you
telling me you re going to die soon?
I
What is it? Heart problem? Kidney failure? He struggled
to keep the panic out of his voice. Is it something we can
fix?
Confusion flitted over his features. Ravagers are usually
killed at birth. If not, then most are put down by age twenty.
The tightness in his chest eased. You re thirty-two.
The odds of a Ravager reaching my age are one in ten
thousand. He glanced away. That s just my estimate. It s
hard to be accurate because the Chronicles are closed to me.
Chronicles?
There s a place only the Council knows where it s
located that contains the sum of Nightkin history. There s
even a file for me. RW3228.
Reduced to a file number. This Council didn t consider
him human, or werewolf. Just something to be exterminated.
Deciding they d talked enough about this stuff tonight,
Rafe climbed into bed.
You re not naked, Seth said softly.
Neither are you.
Disappointment radiated from him. But you re always
naked when you come to bed.
He chuckled. There are four kids in this house who don t
know the meaning of the word knock. My brothers and
sisters aren t much better.
Seth exhaled a heavy breath.
Smiling, Rafe lifted the covers to let him crawl underneath.
Seth s tongue darted out as he tentatively licked his chest.
His muscles tensed. Why do you do that?
Pained, Seth gripped his shoulders and pulled himself on
top of him. You let your dog do it.
You re not a dog.
His eyes crinkled at the corners. You liked it
before& before you knew what I was.
Rafe paused. He d never thought of it that way. I guess I
did.
Then why don t you like it now?
He reached up and threaded his fingers through Seth s
hair. I don t have a good answer to that.
Shivering, Seth pressed his head deeper into Rafe s palm.
You don t do this anymore. I miss it.
His hand stilled a second, before he continued stroking his
damp brown hair. It feels good?
Yes, he whispered, lowering his head. The tip of his
nose skimmed his cheek, the curve of his neck, his shoulder.
Why are you always smelling me?
Seth lifted his head. I can t explain it.
Try.
He frowned, but it was with concentration. Your scent.
It s so& His frown deepened, and a low growl escaped him.
I can never find the words.
Rafe cocked an eyebrow, but he kept himself from moving
away. Try, he said again, gently this time.
Seth stared down at him, his body tense as he made a
second attempt. The night we met, in your pool hall, I had
your scent before I d even seen you. When you introduced
yourself, it was your scent that drew me to you, and it was the
reason I went home with you.
Great. Their entire relationship was based on his scent. No
wonder it had almost shattered so many times. So, basically,
you would have hopped into bed with anyone who smelled
like me.
The black of his pupils bled into his irises. No one smells
like you.
Rafe s body started. What the
Rafe smells like fire and earth and water and sky.
Erratic, agitated, Seth dug sharpening fingers into his skin.
Rafe is brave and noble and good and kind.
He d never heard that kind of ferocity before, from
anyone. Maybe scents were different for Seth, maybe they told
a werewolf more than they would a human. Okay, he said
softly, stroking his hair again. Okay.
Almost instantly, he grew calmer. I-I scared you, he said
wretchedly.
He couldn t deny it. Looked like they were going to spend
quite a bit of time talking about werewolves, after all. You re
so many people, Seth. Submissive one minute, wild the next. I
never know what to expect.
When he tried to cringe away, Rafe locked his arms around
him.
My Nightkin nature.
Explain it to me.
Seth stretched out over him, laid his head on his chest. So
hard.
I know.
Seconds ticked by, but Rafe let him take his time as he
stroked his hair.
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