Feral Northern Shifters 2

than running through a blizzard, I’ll grant you that.”
Bram shot him a look of disdain. “This is no blizzard. It’s barely more than flurries. Kind of beautiful
    when it’s coming down this thick, don’t you think?”
“Sure.” At Bram’s consternation—just because he couldn’t contain his own enthusiasm, Bram
thought Ethan would be equally enthused—Ethan laughed. “What? I saw a lot of snow in my twenties. But,
okay, it is different to see it through human eyes. It’s fun to brave the elements as human.” “Well, I need to get out of the house, now and then.” Bram worked from home, contract work
programming stuff, which was about as far as Ethan understood.
“Sure, and I wanted to come with you.” Ethan tipped his head towards the path. “Let’s go farther.” The next couple of hours passed by quickly, and enjoyably, Ethan had to admit. Getting home was
easier, a long gradual glide downwards. By the time they reached their house, they were ravenous, and
Bram pulled out the chili he had made earlier in the day.
They’d bought this house the year before, a real fixer-upper, but that was Ethan’s job, plus some parttime work in Liam’s woodworking business. Ethan might not be the greatest reader in the world, but he
was good with his hands.
Ethan was washing up the dishes—that was usually how they split the meal chores—when Bram
called him over to the computer. Squashing his defensive reflex, given that the computer made him feel
stupid, Ethan walked over and tried not to look grudging.
“Sit down,” Bram said quietly and something in his voice had Ethan obeying. Bram sank a hand into
Ethan’s hair and kissed him hard, then tender, and while Ethan appreciated any and all of Bram’s caresses,
this gave him pause. It was like Bram was preparing him for something.
“What?”
Bram picked up his hand and squeezed. “I asked Trey to look into this. To see if he could find a
picture of your mother. It’s taken him a while, obviously.” He gestured towards the screen. Ethan turned to see, although it took him a moment to register what was on the screen, and what Bram
had said. He was dimly aware of Bram holding his hand. He’d thought he’d forgotten what his mother had
looked like, and maybe he had, but the force with which he recognized her took his breath away. A shiver traveled up through him, making him shake as memory surged to the fore. There she was. It
was summertime and she was smiling into the camera, in T-shirt and shorts. A little boy, Ethan, clutched
her leg while she laid a protective hand on his shoulder.
Her short hair was dark brown, as were her eyes, but he recognized that smile as his—and hers from
so long ago.
The screen went blurry and Ethan dragged in a shuddery breath, then let Bram pull him into a hug. He
wanted to look at that picture again, just needed a minute to regroup.
The words spilled out. “I never got to say goodbye to her. They just took her away.” Trey had let him
know that the records showed his mother had gone into a diabetic coma before she died. She had hidden
her sickness from the child he’d been.
“I know.” Bram rocked him a little.
“I always wanted to see her one more time.”
“Well, the picture isn’t enough to say goodbye, I know that.”
“But it’s something. Thank you.” Ethan scrubbed his eyes and made himself look again. She’d loved
him, this woman. That love, he’d never doubted, and it had probably sheltered him more than he realized.
Just like Bram sheltered him now.
“She was very beautiful,” Bram said softly.
Ethan tilted his head, as if that would give him another view of her. Then he smiled. “I always thought
so.”

Look for these titles by Joely Skye
Now Available:
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Zombie
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Poison
In this world, trust is hard to find…and the one thing they need to survive.

Poison
© 2008 Joely Skye
    Tobias Smator lives down his late father’s execution by avoiding the spotlight—and responsibility. He doesn’t mind what people think of him as long as they leave him alone. Still, in this unremarkable halflife he’s fashioned for himself on deceptively low-tech Rimania, he’s not safe from political intrigue. Someone wants him dead.
    Alliance operative Geln Marac’s orders for his first assignment were simple: Stay uninvolved. Those orders go out the window, however, when he delivers an antidote to save Tobias from death by poisoning. His reward? Possible betrayal that