Marked Northern Shifters 1

move quickly.” “Oh, I promise you, they won’t get my brother back. I’ll be dead first.” “That’s not quite as reassuring as you might think.”
“We’ll be careful. But you too, Veronica.”
She nodded. “My uncle will visit if they get close.”
An arrogant bastard, but at least Trey Walters was one of the good guys. “Don’t look so pained. Ira likes Trey.”
“There is that,” Liam allowed. After his stint with Gabriel’s quad, Ira certainly did
not automatically like wolves. Or people in general, Alec notwithstanding. Alec —how was he going to see him again? Liam sighed and Veronica looked at him
questioningly.
“I’m not thinking about the quad now.”
“Alec.” She shot him a small grin and Liam supposed she liked that he was
infatuated.
Truth was, Liam wanted to talk about Alec, just not about sex. “You know, I wonder
what drew Ira to Alec. He’s nice, really nice, and non-threatening. But other nice people
at school have reached out to Ira.”
“Alec must have a certain charm.”
Liam snorted.
    Most nights, Liam tucked Ira in. It was a ritual he enjoyed, cuddling with his brother and arranging the blankets to cover Ira’s shoulders, whispering good night. Tonight Ira refused to settle.
    “We saw Veronica two weekends in a row and we saw Alec two weekends in a row,” Ira observed.
“Yes, we did. We’re social butterflies these days, eh?” Liam attempted to make a joke out of his guilt. If he were better socialized, he could do better by Ira. But between the ages of twelve and eighteen Liam had only been wolf and, growing up, he’d missed too much about human society. So he made money as he did, by himself in woodworking, letting the good quality of his products, not his social skills, sell themselves.
Well, striving to be a good brother counted for something. He bent over Ira to give a hug and the boy’s arms came around his neck, squeezing tight.
“I like you best in the world,” Ira declared.
“I like you best.”
Ira looked pleased. Pleased enough to say, “I like Mr. Alec a lot, too.”
Trying not to reveal anything, especially his regret, Liam nodded. He wasn’t sure how to explain Alec to Ira. He couldn’t.
“When can we see him again?”
“Well,” said Liam lightly, “I thought Casey could take you to the library next weekend.”
Ira blinked, going still. “Why not you?”
Liam swallowed. “Alec likes you, Ira, he likes you a lot.”
“He likes you, too. I can tell!”
Inwardly, Liam winced. “Maybe not quite so much.”
“But—”
“Ira, it’s best you see Alec without me. Trust me.”
Ira’s eyes were large and serious.
“I’m sorry if this disappoints you.”
“But you need to see Alec, not Casey.”
Liam frowned.
“ You can look after Alec.”
“Look after?” Liam repeated carefully.
Ira stared up, imploring, eyes shiny with emotion. Fear.
Liam was missing something here. He’d expected Ira to be disappointed, yes, but not distressed.
“I remember Mr. Alec now,” Ira whispered.
Liam shivered. A feeling of dread took hold and rippled through him. He sat on the bed beside Ira and pulled his brother into his arms. Ira clung.
“What do you remember?” Liam spoke into the dark, curling hair of the boy whose mother gave her sons over to murderers to learn their trade.
“I thought I had smelled Mr. Alec before.”
“Last year, at the library,” Liam suggested.
“Before.” Ira barely spoke and Liam had to concentrate. Ira rarely talked about the quad and when he did, it came out like this, in soft phrases and whispers—a tense body struggling to say difficult words.
Liam waited, then kissed the boy’s head. Ira looked up. “They caught Mr. Alec one night, Liam, and marked him. They made me go over and lick him while he was sleeping. So I wouldn’t forget. Then one day, in the library, I remembered Mr. Alec’s smell. But he smells better now. Something was wrong with him before.”
Drugged. The quad doped up their marks. Liam briefly closed his eyes. He didn’t ask Ira, “Are you sure?” Because everything, though it hadn’t been much, Ira had ever told him about the quad had been true and accurate. “When did you remember this, Ira?”
He lowered his lashes, as if he’d done wrong. “A while ago.”
“Days ago?”
Ira shook his head. “More. Last full moon, I was sure.” Of course. Ira remembered his time as wolf when he was wolf.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ira was supposed to tell Liam when new memories surfaced.