Lynx Northern Shifters 3

himself not to overdo it and unnerve the lynx. Let Jonah get used to his wolf for a day or two, then break the news to him that he wasn’t the only shifter in his own house.

Chapter Two
    It particularly intrigued Jonah that the wolf was not young. Not old either. Rather, middle-aged. He informed his visitor of that fact and was rewarded by another of those wolfie grins. Eliza had given them out too, though not so easily.
    But, back to his main puzzle. Younger wildlife were more likely to seek out companionship, less likely to be wary of humans. And this one wasn’t injured and appeared to be in perfect health despite the cold winter. Maybe it was simply the snowstorm that had inspired this wolf to arrive on Jonah’s doorstep, but wolves knew how to find shelter and didn’t generally follow him home.
    “You’re an enigma,” Jonah told him. “I think I’ll name you that.”
The wolf’s ears pricked up.
“I’ll have to tell you about the history of the Enigma machine if you hang around long enough. Bet
you can’t wait for that. It was important in World War II.”
    Those striking blue eyes—Jonah recalled that wolves had brownish eyes not blue—blinked at him as if he were an intriguing puzzle himself. At least Jonah hoped that’s what that expression meant, and not that the wolf saw him as his next delicious meal.
    Nah. For one thing, the wolf was fagged out, his head lying on his paws after polishing off that slab of meat. As Jonah sat to eat his own meal, he realized the wolf might be thirsty. He poured some water in a bowl and set it between them.
    Jonah wasn’t stupid. He knew wild animals could be unpredictable. This one had already surprised him by tracking him home, and then having the gall and wherewithal to open his door. So Jonah kept his senses on alert and the knife within reach.
    He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about sleeping, to be honest, but that was a few hours away, and a few hours observation would allow him to make a decision. God knows it was a relief to have something new and different to think about.
    In the meantime he would talk to the creature who regarded him with such an intelligent gaze. As Jonah put water on the fire to boil, he said, “Hey, do you have some husky in you? That might explain why you’re so friendly and why you have blue eyes.”
Enigma lifted his head and his look of disdain had Jonah laughing out loud.
     
“What? Have you got something against huskies? They’re nice dogs. Closely related to wolves, though yes, they are dogs.”
    In response, Enigma shook himself and returned to drinking. As Jonah’s smile faded, he caught himself. He sure was reading a lot of emotion and understanding into that canine face. Gawd, he was obviously a little desperate. The anxiety that gripped him in the winter was never completely at bay and its claws tightened, briefly, just to let him know he was not free of it, despite the temporary reprieve that had come with this visitor. Yes, the wolf’s gaze was intent, but after all, he’d fed it lovely meat. It was probably hoping for an encore, not understanding Jonah’s every uttered word. And there were so many of them. Now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop talking. He’d had no one to speak to for too long. His conversation turned inane.
    “Did you know I have lynx-green eyes?” Jonah placed a finger at the outer corner of one eye, and Enigma’s gaze tracked the motion. “So did my mother, not that she was a lynx herself, she only carried the genes and the eye color. Lynx green means muddy green. It’s really ordinary hazel, but lynx green sounds more impressive, right? Besides there’s a good reason I have these eyes.” He rose to wash the dishes. The words continued though Jonah wished he could stop the flow, because he didn’t actually want to speak of Craig, but he needed to. His throat thickened.
    “My brother, on the other hand, had brown eyes, like his father.” Jonah paused, the old pain still there. He hadn’t talked about it to anyone but the baby rabbit he’d rescued. “My brother’s dead, he froze to death. My fault.”
    There, his voice sounded calm. He wanted to be calm about it. He’d spent too much time in anguish over the past three years. He pulled in a long breath. “I’ve been a bit lonely since then, and guilty, so I wanted to confess. You seem like the confessor-type. Anyway I’m glad you’ve come, though I’m a little concerned about our sleeping arrangements