Lynx Northern Shifters 3

someone call him by his name. Yes, Trey had said his name yesterday, but that was when Jonah had been in shock.
“You can’t be dull. If you weren’t a shifter, your hermit woodsman lifestyle would interest me.”
“Oh.”
“There aren’t too many people who live as you do.”
“I didn’t exactly choose this.”
Trey’s eyelids lifted as he regarded Jonah seriously. “Who did?”
My mother . But that sounded immature, and Mom was long dead, so obviously he’d been making choices since then. “I mean, I didn’t choose to be a lynx.”
And then they’d had to hide from Aaron. Not that that had worked in the long run. But Jonah couldn’t speak the truth about Aaron when Trey was police and would probably frown upon such matters as stalking and cold-blooded murder. That had to remain Jonah’s secret.
“Of course not. You were born lynx,” said Trey, and before Jonah could decide that was patronizing, he added, “We all have to work with what we’re given.” He paused. “Did someone threaten you?”
Jonah pulled on his outdoor gear while Trey lounged there on the floor. This morning, he’d been careful not to stand up, as if Jonah would freak out if Trey rose to his full height. The idea Trey had to tiptoe around him was getting on Jonah’s nerves, or maybe just having Trey around was getting on his nerves.
Jonah needed some space. “I’m going outside for a while.”
“Okay.”
“You can use the cot if you want to sleep.”
“Thank you.” Trey sounded sincere. Then he leaned forward, placing a powerful arm across both his knees. The muscles on his forearm flexed under the thin material. It was mesmerizing. “Listen, Jonah.”
Jonah pulled his gaze away from Trey’s body and braced himself, though he didn’t know for what. It was so strange conversing with someone, never knowing what they might talk about next, all the while getting distracted by any kind of movement. Craig and his mother had always been pretty predictable with what they had to say and how they moved, but Jonah knew virtually nothing about this guy.
“If you’re finding it a little crowded here, I can come and go. I had intended to spend this vacation as wolf, so I don’t mind being one, at all. But, I’d appreciate it if I could visit with you a little longer.” The tone of Trey’s voice was earnest.
Jonah felt his face redden. Again. He felt like he spent ninety percent of the time with Trey with a red face. He found himself looking at the ground.
“I just want to go out. Doesn’t mean you have to go anywhere.” With that, he took off, and hoped Trey would still be there when he returned.
    Trey spent most of the day eating and sleeping, using that time to figure out his best course of action. What Trey really wanted to do was interrogate the young man. Okay, mostly he wanted the results, all the answers that would explain Jonah and his existence to him. But Trey would have to be a little less heavyhanded than FBI. No sitting across the table with a one-way mirror and people looking in.
    Even in that situation, it was often necessary to establish some kind of rapport, no matter how limited and temporary. Here and now, Trey needed to win the confidence of a skittish lynx with a charming propensity for blushing. Good thing Jonah was young and untried, or Trey’s interest might have turned sexual, and he didn’t have the strength to deal with that complication now.
    When the lynx returned in the late afternoon, Trey heard him in the cave first. He could almost imagine Jonah working up his nerve to enter his inner sanctum, which had been invaded by a wolf. Then and there, he decided that tomorrow he’d give Jonah a break from company, allow him a couple of days to himself before he returned.
Besides, if Jonah was as lonely as it seemed, Trey’s absence might be a way to make him look forward to having company instead of dreading it. A bit manipulative maybe, but not a terrible approach.
    That evening went quietly, with Jonah not particularly talkative and Trey not insisting on conversation. His talking made Jonah edgy. But as they were getting ready for bed, he said, “I’ll head out tomorrow.”
    Jonah’s head jerked up. He’d been sitting by the fire, absorbing the heat after a day out in the bitter cold. He didn’t say anything, just looked on full alert, shoulders stiff, face wary. Something a little tender loosened in Trey’s chest at the young man’s reaction, something Trey hadn’t felt for a long