Marked Northern Shifters 1

Bring your brother along and say hello.” Alec rather hoped Ira’s Liam was not Jazz Festival Liam. He wanted Ira’s guardian to be relaxed, comfortable, happy. The golden boy had not struck Alec as possessing any of those qualities.
Ira’s face brightened with hope. “You’ll be here after school?”
“Some days. Or on weekends. It depends. My work schedule changes, you see.”
Regarding Alec gravely, Ira nodded. The class was gathering to leave. They’d already presented a big thank-you card, with its many scrawled names, to Alec. He chucked Ira on the shoulder. “Keep in touch, okay?”
Ira grabbed Alec’s waist in a hug, fisting Alec’s shirt and breathing against him. Alec didn’t know what to make of the gesture as Ira seemed to be both nuzzling and smelling him again.
“It’s okay, Ira,” Alec said awkwardly. Before he had to detach himself, Ira voluntarily let go and walked away.
When the library emptied out, Alec opened the card and read through the messages. Sandy’s I heart you Mr. Alec stood out in neon pink. Ira’s nondescript scrawl was more difficult to find— Thank you Mr. Alec. Your Best Friend Ira .
Alec’s throat went thick with emotion. He hoped life got easier for the boy. He hoped Liam was a good guardian.
Sharon walked up and looked over his shoulder at the childish, colorful card. “They are so cute at that age, aren’t they?”
Alec sighed.
That night at dinner Ira announced, “Mr. Alec wants me to keep in touch.”
    Suppressing a groan, Liam found himself extraordinarily interested in the food on his plate—roast beef, green beans and mashed potatoes. Casey made great meals. He and Ira were lucky to have her as their housekeeper. While not a mother, she was definitely a mother figure. Which had been the plan when—
    “Liam?” prompted Ira, forcing Liam to address the matter at hand.
He raised his gaze from the table. “Yes?”
Ira just looked at him with his big eyes.
“Oh, right.” Mr. Alec. “Good!” Bad. Liam didn’t want to see Mr. Librarian ever
    again after that embarrassing abortive hookup last summer.
At Liam’s forced cheerfulness, Ira frowned. “Good what?”
“Keep in touch.” He pointed a fork at Ira. “Why don’t you write Mr. Alec a letter?” “He meant, keep in touch by visiting. He said, come say hello.”
“Ah. I see.” Liam chewed on his mouthful of beef, biding time. “Well, I’ll ask Casey
    to take you to the library next week. How about that?”
“Can’t you take me?”
No.
“You took me to the library in the summer when I said hello to Mr. Alec.” Mr. Alec,
for better or worse, hadn’t seen Liam. Only Liam had seen Mr. Alec. Liam had wanted to make sure the legendary librarian was nice enough to deserve Ira’s undying devotion.
    Fortunately, Mr. Alec had been everything that was kind and friendly. He’d also seemed genuinely fond of Ira when few normal people got past the boy’s slightly odd behavior.
    “Don’t you like the library anymore?” asked Ira, puzzled by Liam’s reaction. “Of course I like the library.”
“You look unhappy.” Ira’s forehead puckered in worry, something Liam could not
    withstand.
“I am not unhappy,” declared Liam. “I like the library. If you want, we can go
tomorrow morning.” After all, he didn’t actually have to meet Alec. He could always lurk
behind bookshelves or something.
Ira bounced in his seat. “I hope Mr. Alec is there. He wants to see you.” Liam went still. “I doubt very much that Mr. Alec…” ever wants to see me again. “He wants to meet my brother,” Ira insisted. “He said so.” “Ah. Very good.” Shit.
    He could sacrifice pride for his brother. He could. Liam hoped to avoid Alec but, as they walked towards the library, Ira vibrated with excitement. If Mrs. Sellers hadn’t talked of it early on, Liam might have been alarmed by Ira’s attachment.
    “Ira just finds Alec very easy to be around. No pressure. Calm. Accepting. And I suppose a kind of constant, since Alec read to Ira’s class last year when Ms. Meadows took the grade twos to Reading Hour.”
    Liam couldn’t blame Ira for being wowed by Alec, though what insanity had prompted Liam to introduce himself to Ira’s hero at the Jazz Festival last summer, he didn’t know.
    Okay, he knew perfectly well. A wolf’s desire. It strangled his common sense and left his control in tatters. Hence his sudden and bizarre departure from Alec’s apartment. Alec had kissed him, and Liam had wanted