Marked Northern Shifters 1

remember the last person who cared so much about his every word and gesture. It was a little dizzying in these days of self-isolation.
“As for dinner,” said Alec. “I’m just dropping by for a short while.”
“We eat early.” Liam brandished a bottle of spaghetti sauce. “And, when the housekeeper is out, we eat simply. You might as well stay. It will take some time for your jeans to dry.”
Alec met Liam’s golden gaze. The intensity there attracted Alec, despite his concerns. New moon, he reassured himself. New moon. He’d chosen the safest weekend of the month to venture out here. Another weekend and he would hole up at home because the moon was bright and full, shining down its terrible warning.
“Please, Alec?” pleaded Ira, evidently trying out the new name.
It was impossible for Alec to say no. “All right.” The twin smiles on Liam’s and Ira’s faces charmed him, though Liam remained a puzzle. So beautiful, so strange.
As Ira brought him a root beer, Alec fell into a chair by the kitchen table. “Thanks.” He raised it. “Cheers,” he told Ira, who mimicked him, then stood staring, as if not quite sure what to do with Alec, even if his presence brought Ira intense pleasure.
Alec gulped a mouthful of the sweet, carbonated drink. “So, Ira, I hear you play a mean game of Yahtzee.”
Ira’s eyes widened. “Who told you that?”
“Why, you did.” Alec smiled.
Looking at his brother, Ira asked, “Do you want to play too, Liam?”
“I’ll make dinner while you two roll the dice.”
So Ira kept score and Alec made a grand total of two Yahtzees, but lost the game, while Liam grated and cut stuff on the counter. Somehow, Liam in the kitchen surprised Alec, which was silly. But he couldn’t remember the last time someone had cooked for him. Bill had done very little outside of bed, and even then… Don’t go there . Alec didn’t want to think about Bill, wherever he was.
Right before supper, Liam offered Alec his freshly dried jeans.
“Thanks.” Alec rose to change and halted mid-rise when Liam didn’t back up. He stood too close, breathing in, then stepped back, a slightly apologetic smile on his face.
What was it about these brothers and breathing? Feeling uncomfortable, Alec took off for the washroom to change. His discomfort didn’t last because Ira became voluble during the meal, telling stories about Liam and camping. This apparently involved some cousins and friends, as well as a husky, and while Alec had trouble following the recounted events, the upshot was that Ira had a great time canoeing last August.
“Do you camp, Mr. Alec, I mean, Alec?”
“I never have.” His parents hadn’t taken him and after he left home, well, there’d been little opportunity. “But it sounds like fun. Someday I’d like to try.” In another lifetime, maybe.
“Can Alec come camping with us next summer?” Ira asked Liam.
Alec made a mental note not to encourage Ira in this way and expected Liam to fob off the request.
“Sure.” Liam appeared to mean it.
Ira beamed, which warmed Alec even if the actual idea of camping filled him with dread.
“I can’t.” Alec hoped his fear didn’t shine through. He couldn’t go outside the city. Couldn’t risk it.
When Ira’s face fell, Alec’s stomach sank. What was he doing here, pretending to have a normal life? He shouldn’t have come. He couldn’t make friends. Not anymore. Something more than flesh had been stolen from him last year.
Taking in Alec’s expression, Liam added, “Only if Alec wants to, of course.”
“Well, he does want to,” Ira pointed out. “He thinks it sounds like fun.”
“Ira,” Liam warned, and Ira turned to Alec for backup.
“Summer is rather a long ways off, Ira. I can’t commit now.” Alec looked up to see Liam watching him with concern. How embarrassing. His face heated up.
“It’s good to plan ahead,” Ira argued.
“Ira,” repeated Liam softly, no doubt aware of Alec’s discomfort, even if he’d never guess in a million years the cause. “We’re going to stop talking about camping now.”
Ira hung his head.
“Why don’t you get the cake,” Liam suggested.
That lifted Ira’s spirits. “Want some cake? I get to serve dessert.”
“Please,” said Alec, though he was full.
After supper, they played Scrabble. Alec knew he should leave. However, it proved difficult to actually remove himself from warmth and company and laughter. He wondered if his loneliness was obvious to them. But no,