Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

again."
    He kissed me, and the floodgate opened. I remember it all, our falling in love as boys, our impassioned fumbling as youths, the anger of the elite when Alastair refused to join with Rodin, the warrior chosen for him, claiming instead a Halfling bard.
    I recall our wedding feast, sipping a cup from Rodin's own hand, weeks spent chained, and waking to find myself in a human village, devoid of any memory of who I was.
    "Rodin," I cry, struggling to sit up.
    "Shhh… He cannot hurt either of us now."
    "What did you do?"
    My gentle lover disappeared, replaced by the cool, calculating visage of the king of elven kind, in all his magnificent fury. "I could not outright kill a member of nobility, regardless of the offence. The elders agreed to let the punishment fit the crime. Rodin has been banished to human lands, to live out the remainder of his days unknowing of who he is."
    I allowed my lover to hold me, hiding my cringes, deep in my heart fearing that my enemy would one day return.
    As though reading my thoughts, Alastair held me tighter, offering reassurance with his body and his words. "And if he does return, we'll be ready. None will ever take you from me again."
    He sealed his vow with a kiss, and I believed him.
    THE END
    Author bio: Captivated young by story-telling, Eden Winters' earliest memories include spinning tales for the family's pets. Her dreams of writing professionally took a sojourn into non-fiction, with a twelve-year stint in technical documentation.
    She began reading GLBT novels as a way to better understand the issues faced by a dear friend and fell in love with the M/M romance genre. During a discussion of a favorite book, a fellow aficionado said, "We could do this, you know." Good-bye gears, motors, and other authors' characters; hello plots and sex scenes.
    Somewhat of a nomad, Eden has visited seven countries so far. She currently calls the southern US home, and many of her stories take place in the rural South. Having successfully raised two children, she now balances the day job with hiking, rafting, spoiling her grandchildren, and stalking the wily falafel or elusive tofu pad thai at her favorite restaurants. Her musical tastes run from Ambient to Zydeco, and she's a firm believer that life is better with fur kids and Harley Davidsons.
    Contact info:
    Eden's blog
    Facebook
    Goodreads
    Twitter
    ****

IN MY SIGHTS
    by A.R. Moler

    I'm a SWAT Team Leader; people think I'm fierce. I get my things done, effectively and efficiently. But this time, there's so much at stake. Because that's my lover in there, a hostage on this bank robbery. A lover that nobody else knew about even if we've been together for five years. Because, my lover is a man, and I'm not exactly out. If only I told him how much I loved him this morning...
    ~ Ami

    genre: contemporary
    tags: law enforcement; SWAT; hostage; hurt/comfort; in the closet
    word count: 4,077
    Back to Table of Contents

     
    IN MY SIGHTS
    by A.R. Moler
    "When will I see you again?" asked Ben Sullivan.
    Under the spray of the shower, Tyler Czuba ran his hand down over his lover's soap slicked chest. "I'm not sure."
    "Give me an estimate. Later this week? Next week?"
    "End of the week, I think," Tyler answered. Last night, in Ben's apartment, had been one of the rare times they actually stayed together all the way until morning.
    "If we lived in the same place, we'd see more of each other even when your schedule sucks."
    "Too risky." A thread of worry tightened Tyler's chest. They'd been seeing each for almost five years now, intermittently, secretly, guiltily…There shouldn't be a reason for the guilt. Neither one of them was married or even dating anyone else. It was all about the job. If someone knew the SWAT team leader was fucking a guy? Tyler didn't really want to consider the fall out.
    "It's hard being your dirty little secret. I feel like we're living in the 1950's."
    "Sorry," Tyler murmured. He snuggled up to the wet heat of Ben's back and nipped at Ben's neck as he held him tight. "Maybe someday." This was an old argument. In the beginning Ben didn't seemed to mind the sneaking around, the pretense of being nothing more than friends. Lately though… Tyler harbored an uneasy feeling that at some point Ben was going to ask him to make a choice, him or the job. He didn't want to choose. He loved his job and he cared deeply about Ben too.
    "Any chance you're going to make it to the bike club shindig on Saturday?" asked