Marked Northern Shifters 1

to throw Alec down and fuck then and there without asking permission. Liam didn’t do that.
“Do you think Mr. Alec will be at the library?”
    Liam looked down. For Ira’s sake, he had to keep his head on straight. When he looked at the hope in Ira’s face, Liam couldn’t even wish Alec wouldn’t be at work though Liam dreaded introducing himself. Hi, remember me? I’m the freak who ran out of your apartment last July.
    For Christ’s sake, he could survive embarrassment. Liam had survived worse. “I hope so.”
“Really?”
“Really. I want to get it over with.”
“Over with?” Ira frowned, too serious.
“Sure. Meeting Mr. Superlibrarian is a little intimidating.”
Ira snorted, puzzled by his brother’s weird humor, but that was fine. He skipped along the last block until they reached the library’s glass door. Grabbing the wooden handle, Liam pulled, then Ira dragged him inside and up the stairs.
Alec wasn’t at the front desk, and Ira slumped in disappointment.
“I’ll ask.” Dutifully Liam walked over to an employee, waited until she was done with her client, and asked, “Is Mr. Alec working at the library today?”
“Mr. Alec?” She stared at him, evidently baffled by his request. Or dazzled. It was hard to tell by the way she blinked at him, blue eyes not quite focused. Tilting his head, Liam indicated Ira, who stood beside him.
Once her gaze lit on Ira, the woman collected herself. “Why, yes. Mr. Alec is shelving books.” She gestured towards the popular fiction section.
“Excellent. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Any time. My name is Sharon.” She gave Liam a brilliant smile and he nodded, trying not to shift with discomfort at her evident interest.
He turned on his heel and thoughts of the woman fled as he marched to his doom while marshalling the energy to face Alec. Ira was already running. It didn’t take long to spot Alec crouched down, half-hidden and, indeed, shelving books.
“Mr. Alec!” cried Ira.
At the young voice, Alec lifted his gaze, saw the boy and grinned. Placing blunt hands on his knees, Alec pushed out of his squat. “Hey, Ira. You came to say hello.”
Ira stood beside Alec, momentarily speechless, though he nodded three times. Hit by an attack of bashfulness, Ira looked down.
Liam’s chest constricted. How long would his brother be shadowed by their mother’s legacy of neglect?
“I’m happy to see you,” Alec said lightly. “I worried you would stop reading when your school library trips ended.”
“No,” declared Ira at the absurdity, then realized he was being teased. After Alec winked, Ira’s face lit up. “I brought my brother.”
Liam stilled and tried to control the heat climbing up his neck while Alec said, “Yeah?” and slowly looked over. But there was no shock of recognition as their eyes met. Somehow he’d expected Liam and while there was a wariness in his stance, Alec’s quick smile seemed genuine. “Pleased to meet you, Liam. You have a wonderful brother here.”
At the praise, Ira glowed. “You knew my brother’s name.”
Alec’s dark gaze held Liam’s for a moment, then returned to the boy. “I remember. You told me.”
Eyes shining, Ira looked at Liam who, to his horror, suddenly understood his brother’s agenda. Not that Ira wasn’t genuinely attached to Alec. But he also desperately worried about his big brother’s happiness, despite all Liam did to mitigate this worry.
He smiled, determined to radiate good cheer and, ha, project the impression that he was completely at ease when chatting with this cute librarian. “It’s nice to meet you, Alec. Thanks for reading to my brother. He’s certainly enjoyed his visits with you.” Liam sounded stiff, but whatever. His brother didn’t notice, and no smirk or knowing look in Alec’s expression suggested he thought Liam an idiot.
“I wondered if it was you,” Alec said easily. He looked down at Ira. Liam appreciated Alec including his brother. Some people were so struck by Liam’s appearance, they ignored the boy. “I met your brother very briefly last summer.”
Ira vibrated with excitement. “Really?”
Placing a hand on Ira’s shoulder, Liam drew his brother to his side. The boy got overexcited at times and physical contact helped.
Alec watched this interaction, and shrugged. “Sure. We just said hello.”
This when Liam had known Alec was Ira’s favorite librarian, but Alec had not known Liam was Ira’s brother. Not that awareness of their connection