Running Wild

felt. He loved his horse, being horse, but the way he sometimes clamped down on his other half, kept the human restrained and tucked away—it had taken a toll.
He knew shifters could go feral, did go feral, but it was clearly something he’d never wanted despite pretending otherwise.
His thoughts flitted to Zach. Ri had thought that when Grandfather died he would turn all horse all the time and go searching for his brother—he would have all the time in the world, even if he never found Zach.
Instead he was trying to build something here. It was a bit like giving up on his twin.
The pang that never quite eased grew sharper. Zach could have found his way back home, and he hadn’t. Ri understood what it meant—that Zach was likely dead—but he couldn’t quite put away the last of his hope.
His purpose came back to him then. Zach had been attacked by wolves, who were not to be trusted. Especially when they hovered near the edges of his territory. What the hell had Pete been doing lurking out there?
Ri stepped out of the barn and strode towards the house. He didn’t relax until he slipped inside and sensed the presence of no one but Seamus who slept soundly on the bed. Ri dropped into a crouch and whispered his lover’s name.
    Seamus opened his eyes, aware of a presence in the room and his name having been spoken.
“Ri?”
“It’s me.”
Seamus propped himself up on one elbow and scooted backwards. “What are you doing on the floor? Come here.”
“You don’t like me looking down on you when you sleep. Creepy, remember?”
“It’s a little different now. You’re not a stranger, we’re sharing the place. I’ll allow you a few minutes of it very occasionally.” Seamus began to feel impatient at Ri’s reticence. He patted the bed in front of him.
“Starving,” Ri admitted.
“Oh, right! I’ve got food.”
As Ri pushed up to standing, Seamus crawled out of bed and wrapped him in a hug. Ri held him tight for a moment then pushed away. Seamus needed to remember Ri’s metabolism and how that could play havoc with his health. He’d been putting on a bit of weight while they’d been together this past week, going from skinny to slim, and it was gone again.
“Try this,” said Seamus, and he heated up leftover quinoa and cheese, determined to get some protein into the man.
Ri looked at the bowl of food rather dubiously. For a vegetarian, Ri was less than adventurous, though Seamus wondered how he wasn’t sick to death of sandwiches.
“I thought you were starving. It’s all plant and dairy in this dish, I promise. I made it myself.”
After the first spoonful, Ri nodded then shoveled it down. Took a second helping and attacked it too.
“Vegetarian cookbook recipe,” Seamus added while Ri continued to chew.
“Thank you.”
It was a warm night but not warm enough to stay comfortable naked, so Seamus wrapped a blanket around Ri and kissed his cheek. The way Ri smiled down was adorable except…he noted that Ri pulled in a big breath, as if something was wrong.
Seamus sat again. “What’s going on?”
Ri’s eyes widened.
“See, you’re not the only one with x-ray emotion vision here.”
Ri rolled his eyes. “That is the last thing I have.”
“Still, what’s up?”
Again, that breath in, then, “Pete was out there.”
Seamus frowned. “You saw him.”
“Nope. Scented him. Followed his trail.” Ri folded his hands together and turned his dark gaze on Seamus. “What’s he doing hanging around here, Seamus?”
It was odd. He searched for a reason. “He has this idea he should worry about my safety.”
“Yeah.” Ri clearly wasn’t impressed. He leaned closer. “I know I’m not the one to go to for social understanding. But, to me, I’ve got to tell you, Pete’s behavior feels wrong. Like he’s obsessed with you.”
Seamus could feel his face heat up. “He’s mostly left me alone for two years. That’s not obsession.”
“And now? He drops by here, he comes by your apartment with other shifters, he phones you up, and he’s running around as wolf near your property.”
Seamus looked outside and said weakly, “It’s a full moon.”
“Is there something I should know?” Ri asked.
“No!” The truth was, Seamus didn’t want Pete’s behavior to be wrong or creepy. Pete had been a real boyfriend; that relationship had meant something to Seamus. It was over and it would stay over, but he’d liked Pete a lot. Maybe loved him at one point. Nevertheless, he was deeply uneasy about