TEXT:  
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Magpie 
   
  An Avian Shifters Story 
   
  By Kim Dare 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Resplendence Publishing, LLC 
   
  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com 
  
   
  Magpie 
  Copyright © 2012 Kim Dare 
  Edited by Christine Allen-Riley and Jason Huffman 
  Cover art by Les Byerley, www.les3photo8.com 
   
  Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC 
  2665 N Atlantic Avenue, #349 
  Daytona Beach, FL 32118 
   
  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-589-2 
   
  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this 
  copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including 
  infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable 
  by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. 
   
  Electronic Release: October 2012 
   
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product 
  of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, 
  places or occurrences, is purely coincidental. 
   
   
   
  
   
   
  To everyone who encouraged me to write another avian shifters book. 
  I really hope you like the way it turned out. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter One 
   
   
  “They’ve cornered the little bastard in the back room.” 
  Everet didn’t really need the bouncer’s help to work that out. The sound of fists 
  slamming into flesh traveled very well through the otherwise silent nightclub, and Everet had no 
  doubt who played the part of the punching bag tonight. 
  With the establishment already closed, there were no dancers or drinkers to get in 
  Everet’s way as he strode quickly toward the door the bouncer had pointed out. It was set at the 
  end of a long, curved bar. On the other side of the sleek metallic counter, a man stopped 
  restocking with bottles of cheap vodka and tracked Everet’s progress. If human senses were able 
  to pick up the sounds of the beating taking place on the other side of the door, the bartender 
  betrayed no sign of it. 
  The hairs of the back of Everet’s neck prickled as he felt the guy run an assessing eye 
  over him. He tensed, automatically working out if the man should be considered a threat. It was 
  the kind of club where bartenders probably doubled up as dumb muscle when required, and the 
  man was as big as a bloody albatross. 
  Everet’s brain whirled. His survival instincts screamed at him to get out of there, but his 
  footsteps never faltered. He reached the door and quickly pushed it open, knowing that any sign 
  of weakness or hesitation might sign two death warrants. 
  In a split second, Everet took in every detail of the scene before him. 
  Four humans. One avian. 
  Four attackers. One poor sod curled up on the floor taking a pounding from them all. 
  “That’s enough,” Everet’s words cut cleanly through the sound of a human’s boot 
  meeting the prone avian’s ribs. 
  Just as he expected, they were all shocked enough to temporarily stop what they were 
  doing. Four faces turned to toward him, the boy on the floor momentarily forgotten. They had 
  
  the look of men who did as they were told—who were used to delivering a beating in the 
  dispassionate manner of those who simply had a job to do. 
  Everet’s eyes narrowed. He looked past the guys who’d been throwing their fists around. 
  His suspicions proved correct. There was one more human in the room—a man who sat slightly 
  away from the action; far enough to make sure he wouldn’t get any nasty blood stains on his 
  expensive suit, but still close enough to ensure he’d see every blow land. 
  He appeared to be in his late forties or maybe his early fifties. He flicked ash off the end 
  of his cigarette as he studied Everet in return. It didn’t take a huge leap to place him as 
  Crenshaw, the owner of the club, the man who’d demanded someone come there and retrieve an 
  avian who’d disgraced his kind. 
  “I assume you’re from the nest?” Crenshaw bit out. 
  “Yes.” 
  Silence descended upon the room, demanding to be filled. Everet made no attempt to add 
  anything to his answer. He already knew what kind of human he was dealing with. He wasn’t 
  worth wasting words on. 
  “You’re not the same class of shifter as that thing was.” 
  Crenshaw didn’t glance toward the avian on the floor, neither did Everet. The hush was 
  good for something. Everet could just about make out the sound of the boy’s labored breathing. 
  He’d made it there in time. It wasn’t appropriate to apply the past tense to the shifter’s life, not 
  yet. 
  Crenshaw’s lips thinned when Everet failed to offer him any information. 
  The bodyguards, or bouncers, or whatever the hell they were, seemed to be well-tuned to 
  their employer’s moods. Each one shifted their stance and figuratively rolled up their sleeves, 
  ready to make Everet their target the moment the order hit the air. 
  Four in here, plus one guy on the door. Add in the one behind the bar. And there was no 
  way Everet could guess how many other men were in the building. They were probably all 
  humans. Still, at least six guys against one shifted. If nothing else, they’d be able to make Everet 
  hurt. 
  “Species?” Crenshaw snapped. 
  “Raven.” 
  
  A slight moan from the huddled figure in the middle of the room pulled everyone’s 
  attention toward it. Everet could only risk being distracted for the briefest moment, but that was 
  more than enough time for him to take in the pair of tiny silver shorts the boy wore. The rest of 
  him was bare—all the better to display his bruises. 
  A lot of his injuries had obviously been inflicted long before the present beating began. 
  Everet’s hand ached to form a fist at his side, but he pushed the instinct away. Six against one, 
  and the boy might get hurt even further. That was unacceptable. 
  “Tell me, raven, is your breed as stupid as his?” More ash landed on the floor at 
  Crenshaw’s feet. 
  “Ravens aren’t known for being fools,” Everet said, his voice completely emotionless. 
  That much was true. For one thing, he was easily smart enough to know when to act like the 
  same kind of dumb muscle Crenshaw employed. “My orders said you want to be rid of him as 
  soon as possible.” 
  “Yes.” Crenshaw took a deep pull on his cigarette, making the tip glow brightly in the 
  gloomy room. “I wonder, how do you bird-boys punish slutty little thieves?” 
  Everet didn’t even blink. “Decisions like that would be made by avians far higher up the 
  pecking order than—” 
  “Guess!” Crenshaw ordered. “I want to know what will happen to him.” He leaned 
  forward in his chair as he spoke. 
  Everet quickly scanned the other men in the room as he considered his options. They 
  stood around like men who were used to standing around waiting for orders rather than thoughts 
  to arrive. They didn’t look like the type to question the order to beat the hell out of anyone, but at 
  the same time, Everet doubted they’d actually do it for fun. 
  Crenshaw however…yes, Everet saw the gleam in his eye. He was exactly the kind of 
  man who wouldn’t see the fun in hurting anyone masochistic enough to enjoy it. He’d do 
  anything it took to make a man writhe in agony. Seeing genuine fear on his victim’s face would 
  be like an expert blowjob to him. 
  “He’ll be punished for bringing avians as a whole into disrepute,” Everet said. “It’s a 
  matter that every nest takes very seriously.” 
  “How?” 
  
  Everet swallowed down a bitter taste that filled the back of his mouth and folded his arms 
  across his chest. He’d be damned if he’d feed the bastard’s fantasies. “There is no set 
  punishment. Species is taken into account.” 
  “Oh?” 
  “All species have their talents and their weaknesses,” Everet said, speaking on something 
  close to automatic pilot as he weighed his chances of either of them getting out of there alive. 
  “Magpies have always loved anything that glitters and sparkles. Did what he stole from you fit 
  that description?” 
  Crenshaw paused for a moment, obviously debating if he should tell the truth or lie just to 
  make things worse for the boy. 
  Everet didn’t give him the chance to speak either way. He had no interest in an unreliable 
  witness. “The elders will decide what’s to be done with him,” he said again. 
  Crenshaw slumped back in his chair. Everet held his gaze for what felt like several 
  minutes. Finally, the other man turned away. He waved a hand toward the curled up figure in the 
  center of the room as he apparently realized he wouldn’t get anything interesting out of Everet. 
  Crenshaw already appeared bored. The gesture seemed dismissive. Everet still held his 
  breath, tensed and ready for anything. 
  Suddenly, Crenshaw jerked to his feet. “He’s all yours. Get rid of him however you see 
  fit.” 
  Two of the guys who’d been delivering the beating filed out of the room ahead of 
  Crenshaw, the other two followed in his wake. Bodyguards rather than bouncers then, not that it 
  mattered now. 
  Everet watched them all walk past. He listened to their footsteps fade away. Finally, he 
  sensed that he and his charge were alone in that part of that building. 
  The boy lay curled into a tight fetal position. He hadn’t moved in several minutes. Everet 
  approached, making sure his footsteps were loud enough to alert the younger man to his 
  presence. He dropped to one knee alongside him. 
  “They’ve all gone. It’s just you and me.” 
  No response. If it weren’t for the shallow, shaky breaths the boy might have succeeded in 
  playing dead. 
  “Uncurl yourself,” Everet ordered. “I need to check your injuries.” 
  
  While he waited for the boy to obey, Everet assessed what he could from his current 
  angle. There were scars on the magpie’s back, some looked like they had been made by a whip, 
  others were small and round—the same size and shape as the tip of Crenshaw’s cigarette. 
  Everet ground his teeth together, but he kept his thoughts on that to himself. Bruises 
  seemed to cover almost every inch of the other man’s body, but in truth it was hard to tell where 
  the bruises ended and the dirt began. The floor hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. There was 
  now a circle of less grubby tiles where the magpie had rolled around trying to evade his 
  attackers. 
  The boy remained curled into a ball showing no sign of having heard Everet. 
  Everet resisted the temptation to look over his shoulder toward the door, or point out that 
  the longer they stayed where they were the more likely it was someone would join them. He 
  wanted the boy cooperative, not more scared than ever. 
  “I won’t hurt you,” he tried. 
  Nothing. 
  Everet pushed a hand through his hair, disordering the thick black strands. It was 
  impossible to tell how much damage he might cause if he simply picked the boy up and carried 
  him out of there but giving him any more time would be too big a risk. 
  Everet placed his hand on one bare shoulder. 
  The figure twisted away from him, scrambling back on the floor. He kept his head down, 
  making it impossible for Everet to see his face, but Everet didn’t need to see his expression to 
  know how much pain he was in, how afraid he had to be. 
  “No touching without paying!” 
  Everet mentally raised one eyebrow at the huddled figure, but at least the boy was 
  conscious and able to talk. “What’s your name?” 
  “You said you were sent to fetch me.” 
  Everet looked toward the door for a moment, wondering how much cash he’d have to 
  hand over to make the boy come quietly out to his car. Probably far more than he had on him. 
  The guy was a magpie after all… 
  “Names aren’t my specialty.” 
  The boy lifted his head a fraction. His hair was dirty, the blond strands bloodstained. It 
  hung down in front of his eyes, obscuring Everet’s view of his face. 
  
  Finally, the magpie blinked. “Kane.” 
  “Everet. Raven.” He held his wrist out so Kane could see that he was indeed a raven 
  shifter, even if he happened to be in human form. 
  Kane glanced at the tattoo inside Everet’s wrist, but he didn’t seem to care what symbol 
  was tattooed there. 
  “You’re a magpie?” Everet prompted. 
  Kane didn’t take the hint. 
  Everet frowned. Kane couldn’t have lived among humans for so long he’d have forgotten 
  even that basic a piece of avian etiquette, could he? 
  Everet peered more deeply into the shadows below the hunched figure. He could just 
  make out the way Kane kept his right arm huddled tight in against his body. That explained that 
  then. 
  “Are you going to come with me quietly?” His orders were to take Kane back to the nest 
  and that’s where Kane would go. Quietly or not—that was his only choice. Everet didn’t even 
  consider pretending differently. 
  Kane lifted his left hand and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He knew the score. He might 
  not like it, but he seemed to be too sensible to fight it—or at least too exhausted. 
  Kane finally uncurled his body. He tried to stand. A startled cry left his lips before he was 
  even halfway to his full height. Everet’s reactions were only just quick enough. He caught Kane 
  less than half a second before he hit the floor. 
  Wrapping his arms around Kane’s torso, Everet brought them both to their feet. Kane 
  pushed against Everet’s chest, but even if he hadn’t been injured, a magpie would never have 
  been any match for a raven’s strength. He quickly stumbled and collapsed against him. 
  Everet frowned. Forget being a magpie, it was consisting of little more than skin and 
  bone that was Kane’s problem. Everet easily scooped the fragile form up into his arms. He 
  weighed next to nothing. 
  “What the hell do you think you’re—?” A pain-filled gasp made Kane stop short. 
  Everet stepped forward. Doing his best not to jostle the other man any more than 
  necessary, he made his way out of the back room. Checking in every direction, he found the bar 
  empty. The exit wasn’t far away. He took his chance. 
  
  Kane squirmed in his arms, but it was just the fussing of a child who didn’t understand 
  what was going on, or that the adults around him were helping him. 
  “Put me down.” 
  Everet ignored the petulant demand. 
  By the time they reached the other side of the bar, Kane’s head had dropped to rest upon 
  Everet’s shoulder. His breathing remained steady, but any sign of consciousness quickly seeped 
  away from him. The same bouncer that had let Everet in stood by the door. It was closed and 
  bolted. 
  Everet tilted up his chin. “I have permission to take him back to our nest.” 
  “Good riddance. He was a nasty little sod.” The guy didn’t seem to be in any rush to 
  unlock the door. “Always sucking up to the boss. Never hesitated to play the cock tease with one 
  of the boys then throw him under the bus when the boss caught them.” 
  Everet waited with outward patience until they were finally ushered out into the darkness 
  of a grubby back alley. 
  Whatever level of consciousness Kane maintained, it allowed him to shudder when the 
  chill air caressed his skin. He curled in closer to the only available source of warmth—Everet’s 
  body. 
  Marching down the alley, Everet had all his senses on high alert. Were they being 
  watched? It felt like it. He strained his hearing, but nothing other than the normal sounds of a 
  human city reached his ears. 
  His whole body ached with the desire to simply forgo all the human bull, take to his 
  wings and soar high above the mess and confusion of the human world. As a raven flew, it 
  wouldn’t have taken him any time at all to be back among his own kind, back to where no one 
  would have beaten the hell out of someone like Kane for being a thief. Even the most stupid 
  avian would know not to expect any better from a magpie. 
  A whimper made Everet look down at his charge. Kane stirred and pushed weakly against 
  Everet’s chest. 
  Damn. Everet looked along the alley. There were far too many shadows, far too many 
  places where a threat could lurk. 
  “Hush,” he hazarded, in a half whisper. 
  Kane only squirmed more. 
  
  “It won’t be long. I’ll soon have you back in the nest.” Everet frowned, aware that his 
  voice sounded loud and rough in the otherwise silent alley. 
  Kane fell still and passed out again. 
  Everet walked more quickly. For the first time in almost as long as he could remember, 
  he was acutely aware that he wasn’t in a position to deal with any threat a human could pose. 
  His custody of Kane made him vulnerable in a way he hadn’t been since he reached his 
  avian maturity, and Everet didn’t like that feeling at all. 
  Turning a corner and spotting the car he’d driven from the nest was a blessed relief. Luck 
  was on their side. It hadn’t been stolen. As far as Everet could tell as he approached it from the 
  rear, it hadn’t even had its tires slashed. Considering the neighborhood, that alone was little short 
  of a miracle. 
  Hurrying to the passenger side, Everet carefully propped Kane against the side of the car 
  and opened the door. The boy didn’t stir as Everet awkwardly maneuvered him into the 
  passenger seat and did up the seatbelt around him. It was probably just as well. Consciousness 
  could only have made the process more painful for him. 
  Everet jogged around to the other side of the car and got behind the wheel. The dashboard 
  lights came on, casting a strange light across Kane’s face and body. Or perhaps they just made 
  the color of his bruises more noticeable. 
  Shaking his head, Everet put the car into gear and pulled away. The sooner he got the boy 
  back to his own kind, the better it would be for him. Seeking out any kind of humanity among 
  the human population obviously hadn’t done him any good at all. 
  * * * * 
  Bastard. 
  The only thing Kane was aware of as he stubbornly fought his way back toward 
  consciousness, was the whole-body ache that came from being denied his fix. Crenshaw must be 
  holding out on him again. There wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t hurt. 
  His lips were dry. Opening his mouth far enough to lick them set off an explosion in 
  Kane’s jaw. Wincing made a shaft of rusting metal stab into his left eye. Other thoughts and 
  realizations gradually made their way into Kane’s mind. There’d obviously been a beating—a 
  bad one if he was able to feel any of it through whatever was left from his last high. 
  His face… 
  
  Crenshaw must have really had enough of him if he hadn’t told his guys to avoid messing 
  up his face. No point going back there then. He’d have to get what he needed elsewhere. 
  His face… 
  Kane mentally cursed. That would cost him over the coming days. No one would pay top 
  money to screw a guy whose face was a mass of bruises. Frowning painfully with the effort, 
  Kane managed to lift his hand toward his face. 
  “No.” 
  The voice didn’t sound especially angry with him. That was good. It probably wasn’t one 
  of the guys who’d delivered the beating. Hell, it might even be someone who could get him a fix. 
  Kane brought his hand a little closer to his face, ignoring both the ache in his shoulder 
  and the other man’s words. 
  “No.” 
  A hand came to rest on Kane’s forearm. It pushed Kane’s hand back down to rest at his 
  side. The voice sounded stubborn. At any other time, that might have made it a challenge. Right 
  then, Kane couldn’t summon up the energy to show some jumped up prat that there was only one 
  man in the room who’d get his own way in the long run. 
  First a fix, then some money, then Kane would show him. 
  Kane struggled until he finally managed to open his eyes. A bright light shining straight 
  down on him made sure he knew that it was a mistake. He tried to lift his hand and protect his 
  eyes. 
  “I said no.” 
  That same hand returned and trapped Kane’s arm at his side. 
  Kane turned his head toward the voice. A blurry outline gradually resolved itself into a 
  man. A young, attractive man with black hair slicked back from his face and serious brown eyes. 
  Kane rushed his gaze to focus in on the details a little more quickly. 
  It had been a long time since he got a pay-out from anyone within a decade of his own 
  age, even longer since he’d been screwed by anyone as hot as this guy. The man staring down at 
  him didn’t look like the kind who’d have to pay for it. That alone made him a customer worth 
  having. 
  
  Mr. Tall, Dark and Sexy also looked mildly pissed off with the world. Kane smiled as 
  much as what felt like a severely split lip would allow. In his experience, a poor worldview was 
  nothing a good blowjob wouldn’t fix. 
  The guy had said no to Kane three times now, but, that could easily change. 
  “What would I need to do to make you say yes?” Kane asked. The words came out 
  slightly slurred. 
  “Stay still, I need to finish checking out your injuries now you’re awake.” 
  Kane knew then that, despite appearances, the man sitting alongside him had to be 
  exceptionally short. How the hell could a hint that obvious have gone straight over his head 
  otherwise? 
  “I’ve heard that one before,” Kane said. “Let me guess, I just have to get naked and bend 
  over for the exam, right?” 
  “You just have to stay still,” the guy repeated. 
  Seriously? There was no way anyone, of any height, could miss flirting that blatant! Kane 
  grunted his disapproval and squirmed irritably on the— 
  He squinted at his surroundings. He lay on a sofa in a room he didn’t recognize. “Where 
  am I?” 
  “You’re in our nest. You passed out on the way to the car.” 
  Kane did a quick assessment of the room. It was richly furnished with lots of deep red 
  velvet and gold brocade. Very promising. “This is one of your rooms?” 
  “Part of a guest suite,” the guy said, running his hands over Kane’s body in a 
  dispassionate way that made it clear he really did want to check for injuries rather than simply 
  check him out. 
  Kane nodded slightly. The room still looked encouraging. Apparently this particular nest 
  had done very well for itself. “You said a nest. Which one?” 
  “We’re on northern edge of the city center, in Jameson Court. The leader of the nest is 
  Hamilton, an eagle.” 
  Kane filed it all away for future reference. “I haven’t heard anything about there being a 
  breeding colony around here,” he mentioned, meeting the other man’s gaze and holding it for 
  several seconds. 
  Everet didn’t even blink. “It’s a male-only nest. Is that a problem for you?” 
  
  Problem? If it was true, it was bloody well perfect! There was bound to be someone high 
  up the pecking order that would like a pretty little boy-toy to hang on his arm and suck on his 
  cock. 
  “What’s your position here?” Kane demanded. 
  Everet’s expression remained impassive. “I’m part of the nest’s security flock.” 
  “You’re a cop?” Kane didn’t even try to hide the horror in his voice. Everet could 
  obviously be crossed off his list of possible sugar-daddies. Cops weren’t just trouble; they were 
  usually broke, too. 
  “Something like that,” Everet said, absentmindedly. “I don’t think anything is broken.” 
  Sod bones. “I want to look in a mirror.” 
  Everet took a moment away from his inspection and met Kane’s gaze. “You’re not going 
  anywhere until I’ve checked your injuries. You’re in no condition to wander around—” 
  “Then bring one to me,” Kane snapped. Really, ravens weren’t half as clever as they 
  thought they were. The solution should have been obvious. 
  Everet looked down, as if in submission. Kane smiled, but his expression quickly soured 
  as he realized that Everet had only dropped his gaze to resume his examination. 
  “I said—” 
  “I heard you,” Everet cut in. 
  “Then why aren’t you doing what I said?” Kane demanded. 
  “Because you’re priorities are screwed up.” Everet didn’t even look away from his study 
  of Kane’s right wrist as he spoke. 
  “I can cause a lot of trouble for you.” 
  That convinced Everet to look up. He held Kane’s gaze very steadily for several seconds, 
  his expression serious, the emotions in his eyes unreadable. Finally, he looked away. 
  “You appear to have more scrapes and bruises than anything else. Maybe a few cracked 
  ribs as well.” 
  Kane pursed his lips, annoyance bubbling up inside him. 
  “Do you think you’ll be able to clean yourself up on your own, or will you need help?” 
  Everet asked. 
  “I’m fine.” 
  
  Kane levered himself up, swung his legs over the side of the sofa and stood up. At least, 
  that’s what he intended to do. His knees trembled, his ankles buckled. Suddenly, he found 
  himself scooped up in Everet’s arms. It was almost like being lifted by a high, except— 
  “Don’t even bother arguing with me,” the raven snapped. 
  He carried Kane across the room and through an open doorway. A big, elaborate bathtub 
  stood on the far side of a marble tiled room. One wall housed a toilet and bidet. Opposite stood a 
  huge vanity containing a pair of matching sinks. And, most importantly of all, above the sinks 
  hung a large, gilt-framed mirror. 
  Kane twisted around in Everet’s arms. “I want to look in the mirror!” 
  Everet played deaf and carried on, straight past the sinks, and set him down on a chair 
  next to the bath. 
  Kane instantly tried to stand up. 
  “No.” 
  “Who the hell do you think you are?” Kane demanded, glaring up at him. 
  “Take your shorts off.” 
  “Dream on,” Kane sneered. “You can’t afford me.” 
  Everet reached across the bath and turned on the gold taps. “Take off your shorts so I can 
  clean you up,” he specified. 
  Steam quickly filled the air. The water looked hot and tempting. It couldn’t hurt to be 
  clean and pretty when he was finally introduced to someone who could be worth making a play 
  for. 
  Kane had to struggle to get out of his shorts. Crenshaw had specifically chosen them to be 
  so tight Kane couldn’t conceal any stolen items on his person. As if that would stop him! 
  Sore joints and bruised muscles protested at his squirming, but Kane finally managed to 
  toss the shorts aside. Everet held out a hand and helped him into the bath. 
  The plug hadn’t been put in. All the hot water ran straight out. Before Kane had time to 
  call Everet an idiot, the raven diverted the hot water so it ran through a showerhead. Holding the 
  shower head in his hand rather than putting it up on the gilt stand alongside the bath, Everet 
  maintained complete control over the spray, moving it slowly over Kane’s body, washing away 
  the worst of the dust and dirt. 
  
  Kane hesitated. It seemed pointless to complain that all the dirty water hadn’t been 
  trapped in the tub with him. He tipped back his head as Everet let the water pour down over his 
  hair. 
  Being clean felt good, and it could only improve his chances with the richer avians at the 
  nest. And, for a few minutes, while there was no one worth impressing looking on, Kane was 
  free to simply enjoy a moment’s peace. That felt good, too. 
  There was no one he needed to flirt with, no one he needed to throw himself at. Kane just 
  sat. 
  Shampoo and soap were offered and accepted. Kane remained silent as he washed 
  himself all over several times in an effort to get rid of dried blood and accumulated dirt. He 
  glanced up at Everet through his lashes as the other guy patiently moved the shower hose over 
  him, rinsing off the suds each time. 
  In a way, it was a pity that Everet had no chance of raising the kind of money it took to 
  keep Kane happy. He might have found lying face down on the bed while some guy shoved his 
  cock up his arse mildly enjoyable, if the guy could have been someone like Everet. 
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Two 
   
   
  Everet turned off the water and handed Kane a towel. It was hard to tell if the droplets 
  that hung from the magpie’s lashes were tears or simply spray from the shower. The boy had 
  seemed to be in a world of his own for the last half an hour. That didn’t change as he began to 
  dry his body. 
  The shower might have made Kane cleaner, but it hadn’t given him back his balance. As 
  soon as he tried to stand, he swayed. Everet caught hold of him and ended up taking most of his 
  weight as he guided him back onto the chair alongside the bath. 
  Everet ran his eyes over Kane, checking to see if any new injuries had become visible. 
  “While you were out-cold, I sent one of the wrens to fetch some clothes for you.” 
  Kane’s eyes narrowed, wherever his mind had wandered off to before, he was suddenly 
  back in the here and now. “What kind of clothes?” 
  “Ones that will stop you from having to walk around the nest naked.” 
  Right on cue, a knock on the guest suite door heralded the arrival of those clothes. 
  “Stay where you are.” Everet strode out of the bathroom. Relief pounded off him as he 
  managed to temporarily escape being in such close proximity to the naked magpie. Pushing his 
  hand through his hair, Everet tried to force his mind back onto the job at hand. 
  Fetch the boy, clean him up and take him to the elders. His orders were simple. They did 
  not involve getting all hot and bothered while helping Kane take a bath. An erection would not 
  be required in order to fulfill his duties. Now, if he could just convince his cock to believe that. 
  He jerked open the suite’s door with far more force than he intended and glared down at 
  the wren standing on the threshold. The servant lifted up the clothes, as if they were some sort of 
  talisman that could ward off evil spirits—especially those which came in the form of a very 
  pissed off raven. 
  “Thanks.” Everet snatched the clothes from the wren and slammed the door in his face. 
  
  There was no time for polite little niceties. Everet’s faith in Kane’s ability to obey his 
  order and remain safely in his chair was severely limited. As he reached the bathroom doorway, 
  Everet half expected to find the other man sprawled across the bathroom floor, quite possibly 
  with a gash to his temple, after hitting his head when he collapsed. 
  Kane’s chair was empty. So was the floor. Everet frowned as he spotted the other man. 
  Kane stood in front of the bathroom sink, staring into a section of mirror he’d wiped clear of 
  steam. 
  “I look like I was hit by a steamroller.” 
  “I told you to stay where you were.” 
  Kane ran his fingers over his face. One side of it was a mass of bruises. It was a wonder 
  he could stand to touch it at all. Or, perhaps it would have been if certain other facts hadn’t 
  become apparent while Kane was in the bath. 
  Everet’s mood turned more somber than ever as he set the clothes down on the counter 
  alongside the sink. “What are you on?” 
  Kane continued to stare into the mirror. “Nothing. I don’t do drugs.” 
  Everet caught hold of Kane’s wrist and turned his arm so the inside of his elbow was 
  clearly visible to them both. With all the dust from Crenshaw’s floor washed away, the track 
  marks were obvious. 
  “They’re old. I used to have a problem, I don’t anymore.” Kane didn’t even blink as he 
  said it. In a way, it was quite impressive. 
  Everet was used to being lied to. It was practically part of his new job description at the 
  nest, but he’d come across relatively few men who lied as seamlessly or as shamelessly as Kane. 
  “I know what fresh track marks look like,” he bit out. 
  “Apparently you’re not nearly as well informed as you think you are.” Kane tried to 
  snatch his wrist out of Everet’s grip and failed. 
  “If you weren’t high, you’d be in so much pain right now you’d barely be able to stay 
  conscious, let alone move around the room.” 
  “I have a high pain tolerance. Spend a few years getting whipped just so some old fool 
  can get his rocks off and you’d barely notice a few bumps and bruises either.” 
  “Tell me what you’ve taken over the last few days,” Everet ordered once more, keeping 
  his voice entirely emotionless through sheer force of will. 
  
  Kane rolled his eyes. “Nothing! Are you deaf or something?” 
  “If I have to, I can order a blood test and—” 
  “I don’t belong to you.” Kane turned to face Everet head on. Tilting his head back, he 
  glared up at him, real anger burning in his gaze. “If you want to order me around, you can drop 
  your money on the end of the bed, just like everyone else. I don’t do freebies—not even for 
  cops.” 
  “I’m acting on orders from the elders. While you’re in this nest—” 
  “You want to screw me, don’t you?” 
  Everet said nothing. There was no point denying it when his erection strained against the 
  inside of his jeans. 
  “Don’t bother lying,” Kane sneered. “I can always tell when a man wants to pin me 
  against the wall and screw me, quick and rough. You’re gagging for it.” 
  Everet continued to stare down at the magpie for several seconds while Kane grinned in 
  triumph. 
  “Finished?” Everet asked, when Kane failed to add another taunt to his list. 
  “Only because I’ve obviously won!” Kane’s laughter was brittle and harsh—an ugly 
  sound to come from such a pretty boy. 
  “Tell me what you’ve taken.” 
  Kane snatched his hand out of Everet’s grip. This time, Everet let him. He pushed against 
  Everet’s chest. There was little strength in him, and even less weight behind him. Everet 
  remained exactly where he was. Kane didn’t. 
  It was only Everet’s quick reactions that stopped Kane crashing to the ground as he 
  stumbled backward. 
  “Let me go!” 
  Everet gritted his teeth as he held back a sigh. The elders were expecting them. He had no 
  time to question Kane further. 
  “Get dressed.” Everet released Kane, allowing him room to follow the order. 
  Kane glanced at the clothes. “No way. I’m not wearing this rubbish!” He picked 
  disdainfully at the neat little pile, causing the shoes balanced neatly on top of it, to tumble to the 
  floor. 
  
  “You’re going to see the elders in a few minutes,” Everet said. “You can do that dressed 
  or naked, your choice.” 
  Kane parted his lips. He was about to say naked, Everet knew it. Then, Kane caught sight 
  of his reflection in one of the steam-covered mirrors. Even through the distortion, his injuries 
  were obvious. 
  It wasn’t just his face that looked like it had been through several rounds with a 
  heavyweight-boxing champion. Kane looked down as he ran his hand over some of the more 
  interestingly colored marks on his torso. He glanced at the clothes again, weighing his options. 
  Finally, he turned to Everet. 
  “I want something else to wear.” 
  “Depending on what the elders decide should be done with you, other clothes might be 
  provided. For now, your choices are those or nothing.” 
  Everet glanced across at the little pile of garments as he waited for Kane to make his 
  decision. He’d be dammed if he could work out what the magpie wanted to make so much fuss 
  about. They were clothes: Jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt and trainers. 
  They weren’t all black, which would have made them perfect in Everet’s eyes, but they 
  looked like they were about the right size for Kane—or as close as could be expected until the 
  boy ate something that didn’t include a chemical high. 
  Kane gave a theatrical sigh and picked up the jeans. He turned to Everet. “What? You 
  want to watch everything I do in here? Did the elders order you not to give me room to take a 
  piss on my own, or do you just get off on that sort of thing?” 
  Everet ran an assessing eye over the boy. He looked a little steadier on his feet than he 
  had been. The request was reasonable. “I’ll be just outside the door if you need me.” 
  Having closed the bathroom door carefully behind him, Everet leaned against the wall 
  alongside it, shut his eyes and let his head bang back against the paintwork. No man who was 
  that beaten up should have been able to exude so much raw sex appeal. No man who was that 
  much of a brat should have made Everet want to do anything other than throttle him. 
  Everet adjusted himself within his now uncomfortably tight jeans. He needed to get out 
  more, or at least stay in with another man, rather than on his own. 
  Minutes ticked past, no plea for assistance came through the door. Everet waited. Another 
  few minutes. The boy was just taking the piss now. 
  
  Everet glanced at the clock on the opposite wall and rapped pointedly on the door. 
  “Kane?” 
  Nothing. 
  Everet was just about to reach for the handle when the door swung inward. 
  If Everet had been inclined to think about it, it might have occurred to him that the supply 
  of toiletries in the guest suite’s bathroom might extend past mere soap and shampoo. 
  Kane had obviously thought about it. He’d transformed his hair into a fashionably messed 
  up style that made it look as if a lover had run his fingers through the golden-blond strands all 
  night. 
  The fact that the bruises on his face appeared to have undergone an entire week’s worth 
  of healing hinted that he’d found whatever makeup had been placed in there for guests to use, 
  too. 
  Everet might have assumed there was a shaving kit in there. But, it would never have 
  occurred to him that a man would take the razor out of said kit and use it to slice through his 
  jeans in several places. One knee was cut open, so was a pocket and a point so high up on the 
  inside of one thigh that, if Kane had dressed to the right, a lucky man might glimpse far more 
  than mere leg. 
  What had been a perfectly normal long sleeve T-shirt had also been sliced and restyled 
  while Everet had cooled his heels outside the bathroom door. Somehow, Kane had used his 
  design skills to cover up the worst of his injuries and expose only healthy looking patches of 
  skin. 
  Everet finished his assessment of Kane’s wardrobe and returned his attention to his face. 
  It had obviously never occurred to Kane that the nest he’d borrowed those clothes from might 
  expect to get them back in one piece. Mentioning the possibility now seemed pointless. 
  Everet turned toward the door leading out of the suite. “The elders are waiting for us.” 
  “What?” 
  Everet stopped and glanced back toward Kane. “The nest’s elders, they’re—” 
  “That’s all you’re going to say—” Kane stopped as suddenly as he started. He pursed his 
  lips. “Whatever.” He strode past Everet, his steps now strong and confident. 
  Easily keeping up with him, Everet made no attempt to take the lead until Kane stopped 
  at a crossroads, realizing he had no idea which corridor led to the elders’ meeting room. 
  
  Everet led the rest of the way. He’d put Kane in the guest suite closest to the elders’ 
  meeting room and they were already in the more formal part of the nest, usually only used by the 
  higher-ranking shifters. It didn’t take long to traverse the expensively carpeted hallways, lined 
  with portraits of past elders of the nest that lay between the rooms. 
  As they walked, Everet kept a careful eye on his charge. If Kane was overawed by his 
  surroundings, he didn’t show it. In fact, he gave a good impression of someone who had been 
  born to roam around buildings like this. There wasn’t a hint of nerves to be seen in him. Poor 
  sod, he was probably too high to realize how large an effect the forthcoming meeting could have 
  on his life. 
  Stopping outside a high door surrounded by ornate carving, Everet rapped on one of the 
  flatter bits of woodwork. His expression remained blank, but his mind worked overtime. The 
  appropriate thing to do would be to simply deliver Kane to the elders and let them get on with it. 
  So why didn’t it feel like the right thing to do? 
  “Enter.” Hamilton’s voice carried a thick undercurrent of displeasure that boded very ill 
  for Kane. Everet opened the door and stepped back for Kane to walk in first. 
  Following him inside, Everet pulled the door closed and moved to stand to one side of it, 
  waiting to see if anything else would be required of him before he went back to his regular 
  duties. 
  Kane approached the long table where the elders convened their meetings. Only six men 
  sat on the other side of the table that day, although there was room for more than a dozen of them 
  to sit there comfortably. 
  “You’re the magpie the humans asked us to retrieve?” Hamilton snapped. 
  Kane stopped directly in front of him, about a yard away from the table. 
  As leader of the nest Hamilton occupied the central seat, but Everet sent up thanks that 
  the eagle wouldn’t be making any decision regarding Kane’s fate without the input of the only 
  man in the nest capable of really influencing him. 
  Ori, the nest’s swan, smiled shyly at Everet as their eyes met. Everet bowed his head 
  slightly in due deference. For some stupid reason, he found himself incredibly relieved that there 
  was someone at the meeting who might be inclined to be merciful toward Kane—not that the 
  little brat had shown any sign of deserving it. 
  On Ori’s right, just as Everet expected, sat a hawk, sat Ori’s… 
  
  Everet’s thoughts faltered. Over a year after they’d come to some sort of arrangement, he 
  was damned if he could work out how any of them were supposed to refer to Ori and Raynard’s 
  relationship. 
  “I asked you a question,” Hamilton said, his words more clipped than ever. 
  “I heard you,” Kane said. “And yes, I am. Who the hell are you?” 
  Everet glared at the back of Kane’s neck. If he thought that kind of attitude would get him 
  anywhere with Hamilton, he really hadn’t read the man well. 
  Damn it, even Ori wouldn’t be able to help him if they didn’t have the full facts. 
  Everet stepped forward. “I believe he is still under the influence of drugs taken while he 
  was still among the humans, sir.” 
  Kane glared over his shoulder at Everet. “No, I’m not!” 
  Everet held his ground. It all came down to who the elders would choose to believe—a 
  raven or a magpie. 
   
  Kane turned away from Everet and glared at the guys sitting along the other side of the 
  table. 
  “I see,” the oldest man, occupying the biggest chair, said. He sounded even more prissy 
  now than he had at the start. 
  Kane saw too. He saw very well indeed, and he didn’t like it one little bit. He ran his eyes 
  over the men on the other side of the table. There was only one man who looked like an 
  attractive prospect for a potential sugar-daddy. One out of six. If that was the best the nest could 
  offer then Kane was screwed—worse still, it might mean he’d have to put up with being screwed 
  by someone like the stuck-up bastard in the biggest chair. 
  “Perhaps if you both sit down and join us, we can work something out?” 
  Kane glanced at the youngest of the so-called elders. In spite of the white hair, he looked 
  like he was only in his early twenties. The guy dropped his gaze when their eyes met, but there 
  was no hint of flirtation in the gesture. 
  “He said sit.” That was the one promising prospective sugar-daddy, speaking from the 
  right of the guy with the white hair. “And you too, Everet.” 
  A hand came to rest on Kane’s shoulder. The bloody raven. Kane shrugged irritably. The 
  hand remained firmly in position. 
  
  Rolling his eyes and doing his damnedest to make it look like he was humoring them 
  rather than giving in because he knew he was beaten, Kane slumped into one of the rather less 
  impressive chairs lined up on his side of the table. He pulled one foot up in front of him on the 
  cushioned seat and wrapped his hands around his bent leg. 
  The chair wasn’t built to accommodate bad posture. The small of Kane’s back protested 
  almost immediately, but he stuck with it. Just like the pain he thought he’d felt from his bruises a 
  little while ago, any discomfort soon slipped quickly away. 
  Only the buzzing in his ears reminded him that he’d need to get another shot of 
  something good into his veins soon, if he wanted to remain impassive to anything the world and 
  its heavy leather boots could kick out of him. 
  Kane was vaguely aware of the raven sitting alongside him, but he made a point of not 
  looking in his direction. 
  “You’re marked, of course?” That was the grumpy old git again. 
  “Of course,” Kane sneered, in what was a bloody good impersonation of the other man’s 
  tone, if he did say so himself. 
  “It is customary for avians to address those of a higher rank as sir.” 
  “Shall I tell you what you can do with your customs, sir?” 
  “Display your wrist.” Ice dripped off the words. 
  Kane was already sure the young guy with the white hair had to be straight, because he 
  still hadn’t given off the slightest interest in either screwing or being screwed by him. He 
  watched impassively as Mr. White-Hair placed his right forearm on the table, his palm up, his 
  wrist exposed. 
  A tattoo covered the skin directly over his vein. The swirls and curves proclaimed a 
  species. Kane bestowed a quick glance on it, but it wasn’t one he recognized. 
  Mr. White-Hair’s actions seemed to be a call for everyone else to do the same. The other 
  men around the table soon followed the youngest guy’s lead. 
  That was wrong. Kane felt it in every cell in his body. The guy wasn’t someone that other 
  men naturally followed. Every other man in the room gave off a greater instinct toward 
  dominance than little Mr. White-Hair. 
  
  Kane glanced at the other men’s wrists. He recognized the head of the nest as an eagle. 
  The man with sugar-daddy potential was a hawk. He didn’t study the rest of the men’s marks for 
  long enough to know if he’d recognize them or not. 
  “My name is Ori,” Mr. White-Hair said. “I’m a swan. Mr. Hamilton,” he indicated the 
  grumpy sod in the big chair. “Is an eagle. Mr. Reynard is a hawk.” 
  Kane was more than happy to turn his attention toward the hawk. Yes, there were very 
  real possibilities there. Raynard’s eyebrows drew closer together. He looked like the kind of man 
  who’d get off on spanking his lover for being a naughty little boy. There was a shed-load of 
  money to be made from that sort of stuff. 
  “This is the point where you give your name and confirm your species.” Raynard 
  sounded just as pissed off as he looked, but it suited him far better than Hamilton. 
  Kane held Raynard’s gaze as he slowly unfurled his arm. He pushed his cuff back far 
  enough to show his tattoo. “And my name is Kane.” 
  “It’s nice to meet you.” 
  Kane didn’t look away from Raynard. Ori wasn’t the kind of man who’d pay to screw 
  him, there was no reason to glance in his direction. 
  “There can be no doubt about your species?” That was Hamilton, and it was a strange 
  enough question to make Kane turn away from Raynard for a moment. 
  “What?” 
  “There are no doubts regarding your species? You were born into an established nest, 
  you’ve successfully completed your first shift?” 
  “Looks like someone’s a bit past his prime.” Kane smirked. “Job getting too much for 
  you, sir? Not quite able to keep up with what’s going on?” 
  Hamilton straightened in his chair. “In that case, there seems very little for us to do here.” 
  He turned to Everet. “I trust there is an empty cage available?” 
  Kane glanced at Everet too, just in time to see him tense. 
  “There’s is,” Everet said. 
  “What are you talking about?” Kane demanded. “What cages?” 
  A moment of silence drew out, as everyone seemed to wait for another man to offer an 
  answer. 
  Kane reached out and grabbed hold of Everet’s arm. 
  
  Everet’s voice was perfectly unemotional as he gave his answer. “There are traditional 
  bird-cages, built into one of the basements and extending up a column in the center of the nest. 
  Avians who can’t be trusted to conduct themselves in a manner that is a credit to the nest, are 
  housed in them until they’re behavior improves.” 
  “You’re winding me up. They went out around the time we stopped building nests out of 
  twigs!” 
  No one laughed. No one said a word. 
  “Who the hell uses that sort of shit these days?” Kane demanded, growing more anxious 
  by the moment. 
  “We do,” Hamilton snapped. “We reinstituted them earlier this year. They’re perfectly 
  humane.” 
  Kane launched himself to his feet. He’d had enough of humanity and its kicking, 
  punching, humaneness. He was fed up with them flittering around the issue. “You’re talking 
  about putting me in prison!” 
  “What did you expect when you were brought here?” Hamilton said. 
  Kane gawped at him. Rough sex from a man who was rich enough to pay for the 
  privilege. Some deep survival instinct kicked in and stopped him saying that aloud. He ran a 
  quick, assessing glance over the men around him. 
  Kane was very much the center of attention. At any other time that would have been fun, 
  but being locked away in a cage… 
  That couldn’t happen. 
  The time for messing around and kicking the chairs from beneath stuffy old gits was 
  over. Kane’s mind raced as he quickly weighed his options. He’d been right in his first instinct. 
  There was only one man worth approaching. He caught Raynard’s eye and held it. 
  “Surely there’s something you can do.” Kane let his voice soften as he spoke, until 
  blatant invitation dripped from each syllable. 
  “Perhaps we should hear Kane’s side of the story before any firm decisions are made?” 
  The words should have come from Raynard, but they came from Ori. 
  Kane continued to stare at Raynard for several seconds, until he realized that the hawk 
  actually had no intention of uttering a damn word to help him. He glanced toward Ori and saw 
  the way that Ori looked toward Raynard for approval. 
  
  “It’s well within your remit to ask him any questions you wish to have answered,” 
  Raynard said. 
  Kane’s gaze flicked quickly from hawk to swan, and back. They were screwing each 
  other. Bloody brilliant. The one man worth renting himself to by the hour, and Kane would have 
  to get rid of the resident boy-toy before he could make any sort of use of him. 
  “Kane?” That was Ori again. 
  Kane jerked his attention to the swan. 
  “Please, sit down. Tell us what happened. You’ve been accused of stealing from a club, a 
  human club,” he specified. “And of bringing avians into disrepute among the outside population. 
  This is your chance to explain yourself.” 
  Rapidly calculating a new strategy, Kane lowered himself slowly into his seat. Ori would 
  believe anything he was told. Kane knew the type. He was obviously out to “do good”. He’d go 
  for any sob story a guy threw at him. Anyone with half a brain could wrap him around a finger, a 
  toe, or any other part of his body that he desired. 
  But, Ori was only one man on the committee sitting before him. Damn, Kane knew he’d 
  probably need some sort of majority vote to get out of there. 
  Hamilton would see him swing if he had half a chance. Raynard wasn’t fool enough to 
  believe any line of bull. The rest would probably follow the birds of prey unless he made a really 
  good show of it. 
  Kane nodded slowly. “Crenshaw. Yes, I’ll admit it. I stole from him.” 
  “Then there is nothing else to be said,” Hamilton snapped. 
  “You were asked to tell us what happened,” Raynard said to Kane, before the last of 
  Hamilton’s words had faded from the air. “Finish your story.” 
  Story. 
  Kane looked up. Raynard knew he’d lie, but he wanted to hear it anyway. Maybe he was 
  ready to play with a new toy after all. 
  “I—” Kane let his voice crack. He’d become good at feigning emotion over the years. 
  Now, he dragged his A-game to the fore. “I was just so hungry, sir. Crenshaw was furious with 
  me because one of his friends told him I’d been disrespectful to him. And Crenshaw said I 
  wouldn’t be allowed to have anything to eat until I, until I did what his friend wanted and—” He 
  
  bowed his head, but not so low that he couldn’t look at the company through his lashes and adapt 
  his performance to suit them. 
  Ori was on the edge of his seat, quick in his sympathy. Swans were obviously suckers. 
  Kane pushed his sleeves back and displayed his arms, stopping just short of displaying 
  the track marks. The bruises there were impressive, even by Kane’s standards, and he’d seen 
  plenty of them over the years. “I wasn’t even sure if you’d be able to make out my species 
  mark.” 
  Hamilton didn’t look impressed. Bastard. 
  Kane dropped his voice to a whisper. “I thought they were going to kill me, sir. I think 
  they nearly did. If Everet hadn’t arrived when he did…” 
  “You’re safe now.” Ori reached across the table and took hold of Kane’s hand. 
  Kane glanced toward Raynard. It was impossible to tell if he bought it or not. More than 
  half his attention still seemed to be on the bloody swan. 
  Kane snatched back his hand, without considering how it would suit his performance. Ori 
  blinked in surprise. Kane quickly wrapped his arms around his torso, as if that had been his 
  intent the whole time. 
  “If that’s all you have to say,” Hamilton began. 
  “Does he really have to go to the cages, sir?” Ori cut in. “I thought we agreed that they’d 
  only be used for a few days at a time, or as a last resort?” 
  Hamilton seemed to hesitate. For all he sat in the biggest chair, Kane realized in that 
  moment that Hamilton’s leadership of the nest wasn’t as complete as he might like to pretend it 
  was. 
  “If he’s left to roam freely in the nest at this time, he’ll cause trouble, sire,” the eagle said. 
  “However, he’ll be allowed out as soon as he can be trusted; either to behave well in the nest, or 
  not to bring avians to disrepute among the humans. We’ve lived discreetly among the non-
  shifters for far too long to risk upsetting the balance just because one magpie can’t control his 
  base instincts.” 
  Ori looked to Raynard. The hawk didn’t say a word, but something seemed to pass 
  silently between them. “How long do you think it will be before he could be trusted, sir?” Ori 
  asked Hamilton. 
  
  Hamilton altered his position in his chair, almost like a schoolboy who’d been caught 
  lying to his teacher. “It is not an inhumane punishment, sire. He’ll have plenty of room to shift 
  and stretch his wings whenever he wishes. He’ll be well fed and warm. He’ll even be given 
  suitable employment if he wishes it.” 
  Ori dropped his gaze, but Kane had no doubt that the question still stood, the eagle was 
  still obliged to answer. 
  “It’s a well-established fact that magpies cannot be rehabilitated,” Hamilton finally 
  admitted. “They’re not capable of any sort of self-control, sire. That’s probably what led to him 
  being cast out of his original nest into the humans.” 
  “He’d have to be kept in the cages forever?” Ori blurted out, his eyes round with shock. 
  Hamilton said nothing, he didn’t need to. The answer was obvious. 
  Kane tensed, his fingers clawing at the shirt on either side of his torso. There was no such 
  thing as a cage that could keep him forever. Eventually, he’d be able to screw a guard into letting 
  him out, or perhaps one of the elders would hear about the pretty little prisoner and come to visit 
  him. Either way, it was a chore he could do without. He needed his fix now. 
  “There’s no alternative?” Ori asked, with an insane amount of compassion for someone 
  he hadn’t set eyes on two minutes ago. He couldn’t actually give a damn about Kane, but he put 
  on a good show of it. 
  “He cannot be trusted if he is free,” Hamilton said again. “He’d have to be guarded 
  twenty-four hours a day.” 
  Ori nibbled at his bottom lip in concern. “Maybe, we could find someone who would take 
  him on as a…a submissive of sorts?” he offered, tentatively. 
  Submissive? Kane raised a mental eyebrow. He knew how that game went. He could look 
  pretty in leather twenty-four hours a day if he needed to. Twisting a kinky old man around his 
  little finger couldn’t be that much harder than manipulating a vanilla sugar-daddy. 
  “I’ll do it.” 
  All eyes turned toward Everet, including Kane’s. The raven had been still and silent for 
  so long, Kane had almost forgotten he was there, apparently so had everyone else in the room. 
  “You’ll take charge of him?” Hamilton asked. “Take complete responsibility for him.” 
  “Yes.” 
  
  Kane studied Everet very carefully. The raven showed no emotion. There was no 
  sympathy to be seen. On the other hand, he didn’t look angry because he knew that everything 
  Kane said was a lie, either. Everet didn’t seem to care one way or another. 
  Sex. That had to be at the root of it. Well, that made everything simple. Everet offered to 
  take charge of him so he could screw him. 
  Kane mentally played out his future in his mind’s eye. Everet was far lower down the 
  pecking order than he’d have liked, but he was hot. He’d do until Kane got the chance to upgrade 
  to a wealthier model. 
  “If you take him under your wing, you’ll be responsible for anything he does,” Hamilton 
  said, not even trying to hide the fact that he wanted to talk Everet out of it. “The only way we 
  could ever agree to this kind of proposal would be if you took complete ownership of him. You’d 
  be eligible to receive any punishments he earned, guilty of every crime he committed. In the eyes 
  of the nest, you’d be one person.” 
  “I understand.” 
  “You believe Kane can be rehabilitated?” Ori asked, eagerly, leaning forward in his seat. 
  “Yes,” Everet said. 
  Poor, delusional sod. Kane only just kept back a burst of laughter. 
  “What do you think, sir?” Ori asked Raynard. 
  “If Everet thinks he can reform him, I see no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to try. 
  However, I’d give the venture no better than fifty-fifty odds of success.” He studied Everet for a 
  moment. “I’d suggest each man be allowed to swap the arrangement for Kane’s sentence in the 
  cage if and when the need arose.” 
  Ori smiled, as if he’d been given permission for a huge treat. Without warning, he turned 
  to Kane. 
  “Do you understand what this would mean, Kane? You’d belong to him in every way,” 
  Ori said. He looked down for a moment. “Everet is a good man, but being under any man’s 
  protection can’t always be easy. He could set any rules he wished you to follow. If you did 
  something wrong, he’d be allowed to punish you in whatever way he saw fit.” 
  Yeah, right. Kane was sure they all thought that was the way things would be between 
  them. “I understand,” he said. He understood far more than any of them ever would! 
  Silence filled the room for several seconds. 
  
  “So, what do you think, Kane?” Ori eventually asked. “Will you accept Everet as your 
  master and agree to do your best to be a good submissive for him?” 
  Kane smiled, all his faith in his ability to find a nice safe perch to land upon very nicely 
  confirmed. “Of course, sir.” 
  If he’d given a damn about being honest with any of the men in the room, he might have 
  crossed his fingers for that last bit. As it was, he didn’t even bother. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Three 
   
   
  Everet closed the door leading into his set of rooms at the nest carefully behind him. It 
  was important that he pay attention to every single thing he did. Monitoring his future actions 
  was now essential in a way it had never seemed to be before. If he didn’t keep a careful watch on 
  himself, he might let another insane act slip through all the barriers of common sense he 
  possessed. 
  Everet still didn’t know what the hell he’d been thinking, agreeing to take the damn 
  magpie under his wing. He was reasonably sure that it would always remain a mystery—possibly 
  because he’d lost his mind. 
  Holding back a curse, Everet turned away from the door. He was just in time to see Kane 
  stride into the middle of the small sitting area that took up most of his accommodation at the 
  nest. 
  Kane ran his gaze over the space with obvious distaste. “The guest quarters were much 
  nicer.” 
  “I’m not a guest,” Everet said. “I work here. Once you’ve healed, you’ll be working here, 
  too.” 
  Kane made no comment on that. Selective deafness seemed to be one of his current 
  specialties. Everet added it to the end of the ever-increasing list of behaviors he’d have to try to 
  modify if Kane could ever be allowed any kind of freedom. 
  Everet stepped away from the door as he watched the other man examine his 
  surroundings. 
  Sofa, armchair, shelves, coffee table. He didn’t miss a thing. 
  Whatever Kane had taken, it obviously did a sterling job of keeping him oblivious to his 
  pain. Every movement he made was fluid and easy. It was almost possible to believe the bruises 
  were just colors painted onto his skin. 
  
  The boy would have a hell of a shock once his high wore off. 
  “Are you hungry?” 
  Kane shook his head, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. 
  Everet, however, was hungry enough to eat whatever anyone would put in front of him. 
  Stepping over to the fireplace, he picked up the phone from its holder on the wall and called 
  down to the kitchens. 
  Kane glanced into the bathroom before drifting into the apartment’s only bedroom. 
  Everet listened out for a crash, just in case Kane’s high ended with a bang, but no sound 
  emerged from the bedroom. No comment regarding the fact Everet’s apartment only contained 
  one bed made its way out to him either. 
  It was a big enough double that it would easily hold two men who had no intention of 
  touching during the night. If Kane hadn’t exuded sex through every pore in his body, that might 
  have actually been a possibility… 
  Everet hung up the phone as soon as he’d placed his order, and made his way into the 
  bedroom. He half expected to find Kane crashed out, asleep on the bed. 
  He was partially right. Kane was certainly on the bed, but he wasn’t curled up and 
  sleeping off his high. 
  Kane lay in the center of the bed, propped up by several pillows, invitation shining in his 
  eyes. 
  “Well?” Kane asked. 
  Everet couldn’t help but run his eyes down Kane’s body. God, he was gorgeous. But, he 
  bloody well knew it, too. 
  “Well what?” Everet said. 
  Kane laughed. “Well, now that you’ve got me, what are you going to do with me?” 
  Everet remained just inside the bedroom door. A good three yards of dark blue carpet 
  stretched out between him and the other man, and that was the way it would stay. 
  “Now, I’m going to break you of all your bad habits and make you a credit to the nest,” 
  Everet said, very simply. 
  This time Kane’s laugh contained less flirtation and far more real mirth. “Of course you 
  are. And I’ll bet stage one in that plan involves you sticking your cock up my arse, right?” 
  
  When Kane smiled it was so easy to focus on his expression and forget the rest. Everet 
  folded his arms across his chest and held his ground through sheer force of will. The bruises—
  those were the important things to remember. The bruises, and the track marks, and the fact that 
  Kane had probably spent so much of his life either whoring himself out or stealing from those 
  who screwed him, he couldn’t remember how to do anything else. 
  “No,” Everet said. There would be no sex. “The first stage is to get you clean and sober. 
  It shouldn’t take long for all the drugs to leave your system, but it probably won’t be pleasant for 
  you.” 
  Kane’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to remain deep in thought for a few seconds. Then, the 
  smile came back. He trailed one hand down his body, teasing the tears he’d slashed into his 
  clothes and caressing the skin visible through them. 
  “The second stage will involve finding a role in the nest that suits your abilities,” Everet 
  went on, doing his damnedest to pretend the little show didn’t have any effect on him. 
  Kane’s hand reached his crotch. He caressed the line of his shaft through the denim. He 
  had indeed dressed to the right. The tip of his cock became visible through the rip in his jeans as 
  he hardened. 
  Everet had seen Kane naked in the bath. It should have been easy to ignore the glimpse of 
  his cock, but it wasn’t. 
  “My abilities,” Kane grinned as he looked down at his hand. “Yeah, I’ve got lots of those. 
  You wouldn’t believe the tricks I learned over the years. There’s this thing I can do with my 
  tongue that—” 
  Everet took several quick steps back and slammed the bedroom door, sealing Kane in the 
  bedroom and himself outside it. There weren’t enough curse words in the world to release his 
  frustration in that moment. 
  “Get some sleep,” he yelled through the door. “We’re making an early start in the 
  morning.” 
  Kane’s laughter was muffled by the door, but there was no doubt the cheeky little bastard 
  thought he’d won round one of their little war of wills. 
  Everet reached down and pressed the heel of his hand against his straining fly. The 
  magpie had certainly done a wonderful job of getting him all hot and bothered. On the other 
  hand, Everet hadn’t given in to temptation. 
  
  Everet frowned. At best, that could still only be counted as a draw. 
  A knock fell upon a door. For a second, Everet thought Kane wanted permission to leave 
  the bedroom, but no, it came from the door to his apartment. A distraction! That was exactly 
  what Everet needed. 
  He jerked open the door more than willing to invite in whoever was there. 
  Ambrose stood in the corridor, his huge albatross form practically filling the entire 
  doorway. “Your food was delivered to my place by mistake.” He proffered a plate. The sandwich 
  was huge, just as Everet had ordered, but in Ambrose’s hand it looked dainty. 
  “Thanks.” Everet took the plate and stepped back to let his friend in. 
  “You’ve had a busy day,” Ambrose said. “The rumor mill is working overtime.” 
  Everet grunted. Well, wasn’t that great? “What is it saying?” 
  “A hundred different things about you and a magpie,” Ambrose said, folding himself 
  carefully onto one end of the sofa. Like every other piece of furniture, it seemed to be the wrong 
  scale for him. No matter how small he tried to make himself, he was just too big for the rest of 
  the world. 
  Everet slumped onto the other side of the sofa, rested his elbow on the back of it, and let 
  his temple fall against his fist. “His name’s Kane, he’s in the bedroom.” 
  Ambrose glanced across at the bedroom door. “Seriously?” 
  Everet nodded. 
  “That’s…nice?” Ambrose hazarded. 
  “It’s bloody insane, that’s what it is,” Everet said with a half-sigh, picking at his 
  sandwich as his appetite deserted him. “I told the elders I can rehabilitate him, make him a credit 
  to the nest.” 
  “Perhaps the magpie side of him isn’t as strong as—” 
  “I brought him here from a human club,” Everet recounted, without the slightest hint of 
  emotion. “He serviced the owner, and probably half the other men there. They wanted to get rid 
  of him because he stole from them.” 
  “Oh.” 
  Everet smiled wryly. Nothing anyone could say would make the situation any better than 
  it was. The light at the end of the tunnel wasn’t an oncoming train, it was a serial killer shining a 
  torch as he searched for victims. “I’m screwed.” 
  
  “Maybe…” Ambrose frowned. “No,” he finally admitted a minute later. “You’re right. 
  You are screwed.” 
  But Kane hadn’t been—not by Everet. That was important. Everet kept the words to 
  himself, but that didn’t mean they were any the less vital to his sanity. 
  “What are you going to do?” Ambrose asked. 
  “I’m going to do my damnedest to follow through and sort him out. It’s not as if I can—” 
  The bedroom door swung open. Everet and Ambrose both turned to stare as Kane stepped 
  into the living room, completely naked. He strolled past them and disappeared into the bathroom. 
  The door clicked closed behind him. 
  Everet felt Ambrose’s attention swing back to him, but his own gaze never wavered from 
  the bathroom door. A minute passed and Kane emerged, just as naked as before. 
  All his movements leisurely and graceful, he walked past the sofa once more, and draped 
  himself across the armchair opposite them. His legs fell open, putting his crotch on display. He 
  was still half-hard. “What are we talking about?” he asked, his voice a veritable purr of pure 
  seduction. 
  Everet’s eyes narrowed. “Ambrose, meet Kane. He’s going to be under my protection for 
  the foreseeable future. Kane, this is Ambrose. He works with me on the nest’s security team.” 
  “Pleased to meet you,” Ambrose said, politely. 
  Kane’s eyes sparkled. In one erotic little movement he was off his chair and kneeling at 
  Ambrose’s feet. 
  He turned his hand up to show the mark on the inside of his wrist, which was all good 
  and proper, Everet supposed. It just wasn’t so essential that he rested the back of his fingers 
  against Ambrose’s fly when he did it. 
  “I’m a magpie.” 
  Ambrose shifted in his seat, as if there was any way he could retreat from Kane without 
  dismantling the back of the sofa en route. 
  “Albatross.” He turned his hand over to display his mark, too. “It’s nice to meet you.” 
  “You said that already.” Kane caught hold of Ambrose’s hand before he had a chance to 
  move it away, and held it between both of his hands, bringing both his sets of knuckles to rest on 
  Ambrose’s crotch. “Everet wants to find a position for me in the nest, one that suits my talents,” 
  Kane went on. “What do you think my talents are, Ambrose?” 
  
  Somehow, he managed to make the question sound like an invitation to do a million 
  different depraved things with his body. His tone completely overwhelmed his words. His body 
  language was all seduction. 
  “Um…” 
  “Kane,” Everet cut in. “Back to the chair.” 
  Kane turned his head toward Everet, but he made no attempt to rise from his current 
  position. 
  “I only asked him a question,” he said. The faked innocence was the last straw. Everet 
  stood up, stepped behind Kane, caught hold of his arms and pulled him bodily to his feet before 
  dumping him unceremoniously in the chair. 
  “That hurt!” 
  “You’re still too high to feel anything,” Everet snapped, well aware that he’d made damn 
  sure his actions hadn’t hurt the boy in the least. “Quit playing the sympathy card, it won’t do you 
  any good with me.” 
  Kane glared at Everet before turning back to Ambrose. His expression instantly changed. 
  The smile spread across his face like the sun rising on a cold winter’s day. Suddenly he was all 
  warmth and charm. 
  “Before we were so rudely interrupted, you were going to tell me what talents you 
  thought I had,” he said. 
  Ambrose was so far out of his depth he needed a stepladder, and probably a couple of 
  levels of scaffolding, to help him back to ground level. 
  “Throwing yourself at my friends won’t get you anywhere either,” Everet warned, sitting 
  on the sofa once more. 
  “Yes, it will,” Kane said. “For one, it may well get me transferred to the protection of a 
  far superior avian.” 
  “To a far more easily manipulated man, you mean,” Everet translated. 
  Ambrose made no objection to the description. He knew it was the truth, just as well as 
  Everet did. 
  Kane sighed and moved lethargically in his chair, until he settled upon a different, 
  although equally suggestive, pose. His cock was completely hard now, curving up toward his 
  
  stomach. He stroked it a few times, before letting his hand drop away, as if to better display his 
  merits. 
  “I think I’d better leave,” Ambrose said, shuffling to the edge of his seat. 
  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Everet didn’t take his eyes off Kane as he listened to his friend 
  hurry out of the apartment, closing the door softly in his wake. 
   
  “What is it with the big ones?” Kane asked the world in general, as he found himself once 
  more alone with his new provider. “It’s as if they all went around the muscle queue twice and 
  forgot to visit the brain one at all.” He spread his legs a little wider as he relaxed more 
  comfortably into his seat. He’d found that soft, fuzzy place where nothing hurt and, god, it felt 
  good. 
  “Leave him be.” 
  Kane turned his head and smirked at Everet. 
  The raven moved forward in his seat, but his posture and expression were both very 
  different to those the albatross had displayed when he made his escape. “Let me be perfectly 
  clear about this,” Everet said. “You are under my protection. I’m responsible for you, and you 
  will obey the rules I set you.” 
  Kane raised an eyebrow. His temple throbbed for a moment, before the sensation faded 
  into the pretty pink mist that occupied all the other corners of his mind. 
  “The first rule is no sex—with anyone.” 
  “You mean, anyone apart from you, right,” Kane said, knowingly. 
  “I mean anyone, me included.” He actually sounded serious. 
  Kane bit back a grin. “Whatever you say.” It wouldn’t be long before Everet broke the 
  rule himself, Kane would see to that. And, once Everet had fallen off his self-appointed pedestal 
  of virtue, Kane would never let the sanctimonious bastard forget it. “Anything else?” 
  “That will do for tonight. Go and get some sleep.” Everet nodded toward the bedroom. 
  “And when do you intend to join me?” Kane asked, pulling himself to his feet and 
  stretching in a way he knew showed off all his best assets. 
  “I’ll sleep out here.” 
  
  “Don’t you trust yourself to share a bed with me?” Kane teased. He dropped his gaze 
  pointedly to where Everet’s erection strained against his trousers. “It seems my talents haven’t 
  deserted me after all. I’ve always been a brilliant cock-tease.” 
  Everet just glowered at him. 
  On his way into the bedroom, Kane made sure Everet got a good look at every inch of his 
  body. At the door, he looked over his shoulder. “Oh, Everet?” 
  The raven looked toward him, and the wonderful view of his arse that Kane took care to 
  present. “What?” 
  “You know the best cure for a cock-tease, don’t you?” 
  “Go to bed.” Everet ground the words out from between clenched teeth. Kane laughed as 
  he slipped into the bedroom. This was going to be fun. 
  * * * * 
  “Wake up.” 
  Someone grabbed hold of Kane’s shoulder and shook him. Kane had no idea who it was, 
  but he knew that the guy deserved to die a very slow and excruciating death. Every part of 
  Kane’s body ached. His fingernails, his toes, even his eyelashes seemed to pound with pain 
  unlike anything he’d ever felt. He lay on his stomach, but his back hurt just as much as the front 
  of his body. The cigarette burns were bright stars of anguish, hot as any supernova. 
  “Kane?” 
  “Hurts,” Kane managed to croak out. Opening his eyes was out of the question, so was 
  shaking off the hand on his shoulder—no matter how many waves of rolling misery it sent 
  through him. 
  “Your high’s worn off?” 
  Kane didn’t try to answer. He wasn’t sure his vocal cords would survive another attempt 
  to speak. All the pretty colored clouds that had filled his mind for the last two years were gone. 
  All that remained was blackness, and pain, so much pain. 
  “Have you ever gone cold turkey before?” That was Everet’s voice. Kane recognized it 
  now. He also recognized the complete lack of sympathy in his tone. 
  Very slowly, Kane pushed against the mattress in an attempt to lever himself up off his 
  stomach, so he could get out of bed. Every muscle and joint screamed at him. He couldn’t make 
  it an inch off the mattress. 
  
  Kane’s stomach turned over. If he’d eaten anything, he’d have thrown up. He swallowed 
  his queasiness down as best he could. Something was more important than that—even more 
  important than any stab of pain. 
  Quicksilver. 
  A little bit of quicksilver and Kane would be fine. All he had to do was get up and find 
  someone with a stash. There was bound to be someone in the nest who bought and sold the stuff. 
  There had to be a dealer who’d take payment in kind. 
  Kane tried to get up again, only to slump back onto the mattress, incapable of lifting his 
  own weight. 
  “Kane, can you hear me?” 
  The words seemed to come from a long, long way off, but Everet’s hand still rested on 
  Kane’s shoulder. That meant the raven was close enough to provide him with what he needed. 
  “Quicksilver,” Kane whispered, his voice as raw as if he’d screamed in torment all night. 
  If he couldn’t get to his drugs, he’d just have to get someone to bring them to him. 
  Everet cursed. “Quicksilver, that’s what you were on?” 
  “Need.” 
  Everet slammed his hand against Kane’s forehead, hard enough to make his mind spin. 
  “Bloody hell, you’re burning up.” 
  Through super-avian effort, Kane managed to lift a hand and blindly grab hold of 
  Everet’s wrist just when the raven would have taken it away. “I’ll do whatever you want.” 
  Everet pried Kane’s fingers from his skin and retrieved his wrist. The next moment, all 
  the blankets that covered Kane were gone. 
  Yes. That was good. Still face down on the sheet, Kane dutifully shuffled his legs a little 
  farther apart. “Quicksilver,” he repeated. That was what he’d trade his arse for. It was important 
  they were very clear about that. 
  Everet’s hands pulled at Kane’s limbs, forcing him to turn over. Flames screeched 
  through Kane’s veins. His usual inclination to say the man with the drugs could have him any 
  way he wanted, was completely absent in that moment. The fire that filled his muscles was too 
  much to bear. He tried to scream, but his throat killed the sound. 
  
  Suddenly, Kane felt Everet’s arms push their way beneath him and lift him off the bed. 
  Kane couldn’t grapple for a hold on Everet. He couldn’t even demand to be told where the raven 
  took him. He managed to open his eyes, but the whole world was a blur. 
  The sound of hurried footsteps competed with the buzzing in Kane’s ears. The world 
  bobbed and weaved around Kane. A sound that Everet couldn’t place filled the void left by the 
  footsteps when they came to a halt. Kane was vaguely aware of being lowered down, then, 
  blessedly, wonderfully, he felt the flames fade a little. 
  There had been no scratch against the inside of his arm, no searching for a vein healthy 
  enough to take the needle. There was just relief and it poured over his skin like… 
  Kane blinked as his vision slowly came back to him. 
  Bright white light surrounded him on all sides. For a second, he thought he’d died and, 
  against all the odds, he’d been given the chance to float off toward some wonderful paradise. 
  Then, lines appeared in the whiteness, dividing the blur into neat little squares. The bathroom in 
  Everet’s apartment at the nest. 
  In infinitesimally small increments, Kane lifted his hand. He stared blackly at it as he 
  turned it over. Droplets clung to it. 
  Kane felt Everet’s fingers sliding through his hair, stroking it back from his face. The 
  other man’s palm was cool and blissful against Kane’s skin. It was also wet. Kane lifted his head 
  from whatever it had been resting on. He was in the bath. The shower was on above him. 
  Everet was in there too, kneeling behind Kane’s back, supporting him and keeping him 
  upright. 
  Shower sex? 
  Thoughts plodded sluggishly through his brain. 
  No, that didn’t make sense. 
  “You’re dressed,” Kane mumbled. 
  “I didn’t have time to strip off.” 
  “Oh…” Kane let his head drop back against the other man’s shoulder. The explanation 
  seemed reasonable enough to him. He closed his eyes. He’d thought that the last shower he’d had 
  at the nest was good, but this one was bloody amazing. 
  Nothing but the sound of dripping water filled the air for several minutes. 
  
  Kane groaned as instincts reared up. He couldn’t just lay there. He had to think, had to 
  make his brain work. That was how a man stayed one step ahead of everyone else, how he stayed 
  safe. 
  Everet hadn’t had time to get undressed. 
  Okay, Kane could work around that. 
  “You’ll have to take the time to at least undo your zipper,” he said. The words came out 
  slurred, but it wasn’t because he’d had too much to drink. Kane was sure of that. Lifting one 
  hand, he scratched clumsily at the inside of his other elbow. No, he hadn’t had his shot of 
  quicksilver either. 
  Everet caught hold of his hand and made him stop trying to find an injection site. “You’re 
  going to be fine.” 
  It had never occurred to Kane that he’d be anything else until Everet tried to reassure 
  him. “What…going…on?” he managed to ask. 
  “You’re coming down off your high.” 
  “Hurts.” 
  “I know it does. But it will get easier soon.” Everet stroked Kane’s hair again. It felt nice. 
  Kane smiled. Everet sounded nice too. That was new. 
  Kane liked it. 
  “Are you hot or cold?” Everet asked. 
  Kane mentally checked in with various parts of his body. “Wet.” 
  “A hot kind of wet or a cold kind of wet?” Everet pushed. 
  Kane frowned. Men who just wanted him to bend over were so much easier to deal with 
  than men who wanted him to think. “Hot.” He finally settled on. 
  “That’s fine,” Everet said. “You need to tell me if you start to feel cold. Can you do 
  that?” 
  “’Kay,” Kane mumbled, sleepy now that some of the pain seemed to have faded away. 
  He tried to turn over. His knee hit something hard. Everet’s arms tightened around him. 
  Kane frowned. He remembered they were in the bath, but he wasn’t sure why they were 
  in there. He blinked open his eyes and peered at the bright white tiles. 
  “Shower sex?” Had they fallen down? 
  “Hush. Just relax. I’ll let you know if I want anything from you.” 
  
  Kane nodded. The darkness that crept up on him wasn’t nearly as soothing as the rainbow 
  of clouds that he was used to seeing while on quicksilver, but that didn’t matter. There was no 
  way he could stop the blackness rising around him and covering his head. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Four 
   
   
  Everet had never been so relieved to hear someone knock on his door in his life. “Come 
  in!” 
  “Everet? Are you okay? You said you’d be at the meeting…” 
  Ambrose—thank God! “We’re in the bathroom,” Everet yelled. 
  “Damn, sorry, Ev, I didn’t realize you and Kane were, um… I’ll meet you down—” 
  “No! Get in here.” If Everet had been able to leap out of the tub, run out of the room and 
  grab the other man, he would have. But, hell, if he could have done all that, he wouldn’t have 
  needed his friend’s help. 
  Ambrose cautiously peeked around the door, confusion filling his expression. When he 
  saw Everet in the tub fully dressed and supporting the unconscious magpie, he finally overcame 
  his reservations. “What happened?” 
  “Do you know what effect it has on someone if he comes off quicksilver cold turkey?” 
  Ambrose shook his head. “I’ll try and find someone who does.” He took a step back. 
  “No. Help me out of here first.” It took all of Everet’s strength of will to keep his teeth 
  from chattering as he gave the order. 
  Ambrose approached the side of the bath, only to hesitate. 
  “Just support him for a minute,” Everet commanded. 
  Ambrose was so wary, it would have been easy to think this was the first time he’d ever 
  touched a naked man, but he finally did what he was told. With all the gentleness of a guy who 
  knew he was too big and too strong to risk being careless, Ambrose slid his arm behind Kane’s 
  back, letting Everet clamber to his feet in the cramped confines of the tub. 
  Everet’s knees sent symmetrical spikes of pain shooting up his legs. He made a mental 
  note never to ask any submissive to kneel in a bathtub for more than two minutes. The bottom of 
  
  the tub was bloody hard. All future showertime blowjobs he received would feature high quality 
  kneepads. 
  Gingerly stretching out his limbs, Everet clumsily hauled himself onto the floor beside 
  the bath. His clothes were sodden. Shivers racked his body. 
  “Does he still feel hot to you?” Everet demanded, grabbing a towel from the rail and 
  rubbing it against his hair and face. 
  Ambrose placed the back of his fingers against Kane’s forehead. “He’s got one hell of a 
  fever. How long have you had him under the cold water?” 
  Everet pulled off his T-shirt and dropped the sodden fabric in the sink. “How late am I for 
  the meeting?” 
  “Bloody hell,” Ambrose muttered. His forehead furrowed with unease as he peered down 
  at Kane. “The meeting’s already finished.” 
  Everet scrambled out of his jeans as quickly as his freezing legs would allow. Everything 
  he took off followed his shirt into the sink. Rubbing roughly at his skin with a towel gradually 
  coaxed a little bit of warm blood to reach his extremities. 
  “Can you keep an eye on him while I grab some dry clothes?” 
  Ambrose nodded, just as Everet knew he would, but the idea of letting Kane out of his 
  sight still sent a barb of horror through Everet’s mind. 
  Kane was his responsibility. The idea of anything happening to him made it impossible 
  for Everet to take a deep breath, let alone walk back into the bedroom and do anything as 
  practical as get dressed. 
  Kane was his. The magpie should be at his side, tracking his every step. And, if Kane 
  wasn’t well enough to follow him, then Everet shouldn’t leave him behind. 
  “I won’t let anything happen to him,” Ambrose promised. 
  The realization that he’d failed to keep his stupidity to himself finally kicked Everet into 
  action. Rushing in his bedroom, he snatched clothes out of his wardrobe and wriggled into them, 
  his skin still damp, his movements ham-fisted. 
  His fingers were numb. His whole body shook. Damn it, he didn’t have time for any of 
  this bull. The moment his clothes were on, he raced back to the bathroom. 
  “I checked his pulse,” Ambrose informed him. “It’s strong and steady. If it wasn’t for his 
  temperature, anyone would think he’s just asleep.” 
  
  Everet sat down heavily on the closed toilet lid, his mind racing so fast he couldn’t catch 
  hold of any sensible thought. 
  “You said he was on quicksilver?” Ambrose asked, his tone wary, as if he was unsure 
  how Everet would react. 
  Everet simply stared at Kane. “That was what he asked for when I found him this 
  morning. He wouldn’t even admit he was on anything until,” he waved a hand at the sight before 
  them. “Until this happened.” 
  Kane’s skin proved that magpies healed quickly, at least from simple, physical wounds. 
  The bruises were already a little less vivid. As he lay naked in the bath, it was easy to believe 
  that he might lift his head, open his eyes and, in all probability, come out with some smart arse 
  remark. 
  But, the only thing keeping him upright was Ambrose’s arm behind his back. 
  “Can you think of anyone who might know what to do for him?” Everet asked. 
  Ambrose shook his head. “I’ll go ask around and see who I can find.” 
  Everet knelt down alongside the bath and took Ambrose’s place, sliding his arm behind 
  Kane. When he straightened up, Ambrose was more than a little damp from the cold spray. He 
  made no complaint. Everet couldn’t bring himself to take his attention away from Kane for long 
  enough to mention it either. 
  The door closed softly in Ambrose’s wake. 
  “Everything’s going to be fine.” Everet wasn’t sure who he wanted to reassure. It had all 
  seemed so bloody simple when he woke up that morning. He’d keep Kane under his protection 
  for a few weeks. A little bit of discipline, some firm rules from someone who wouldn’t screw 
  him. 
  If it worked, he’d release him back into the world and probably never set eyes on him 
  again. If it didn’t, Kane would go down to the cages and Everet would at least know he’d done 
  his best for the other man. 
  He stared down at the magpie. It wasn’t clear if he was sleeping, passed out or 
  somewhere in between. 
  “Everything will be fine,” Everet repeated, just in case Kane could hear him. “All you 
  need to do is push through this, and we’ll have you back on your feet in no time. We’ll have you 
  back on your wings as well. I bet it’s been a hell of a long time since you flew, hasn’t it?” 
  
  Kane failed to answer, but it was impossible for Everet to let silence settle over them. 
  That would have tantamount to facing the idea that Kane was too ill to speak. 
  Who the hell would have thought he’d be praying for a sarcastic word from the boy after 
  only one day? 
  “You’ll enjoy spreading your wings again,” Everet babbled. “And you’ll enjoy living in 
  the nest once you settle in. I’ll make sure everything goes fine for you. You just need to get 
  through this. Okay? You can do it.” 
  From the doorway came the sound of someone politely clearing their throat. 
  Everet’s head snapped around. He glared over his shoulder. A small, delicate looking 
  man with dark skin and black hair cropped close to his head stepped forward. “Your friend said 
  you need a doctor-bird?” His accent hinted that he was the genuine thing, from a nest that 
  actually originated in the West Indies, rather than someone who’d just been trained by a doctor-
  bird. 
  For a few seconds, Everet was too relieved to say anything. It didn’t matter. The guy 
  didn’t wait for an answer to his question. He strode purposefully to the side of the bath and 
  pressed his fingers against Kane’s throat, checking his pulse. 
  Everet automatically looked at the other man’s wrist. Yes. It was a hummingbird mark—
  specifically one that marked him out as a doctor-bird. Everet knew he should have breathed 
  easier with that knowledge. Kane was in safe hands. So, why the hell was he feeling jealous, just 
  because the doctor’s fingers rested against Kane’s skin. 
  “When did his fever strike?” 
  Everet lifted his gaze to Kane’s face in an effort to stop glaring at the doctor’s hand. “In 
  the night. I’m not sure what time. I found him about six o’clock this morning.” 
  The doctor took a thermometer from his medical bag and placed it in Kane’s mouth. 
  “You did right, bringing down his temperature this way.” 
  Everet glanced up at the doctor. “He’s been taking quicksilver, I’m not sure how long 
  for.” 
  The doctor frowned as he inspected the insides of Kane’s elbows. “At least a couple of 
  years I should think.” 
  Everet gritted his teeth and kept his curses to himself. 
  
  “How long have you known him?” The doctor took the thermometer from Kane’s mouth, 
  inspected it and returned it to his bag without sharing the reading. 
  “Since yesterday,” Everet admitted. “But I’m responsible for him now. He’s my 
  submissive.” 
  The doctor nodded, as if that explained everything. For a few seconds, he stared down at 
  Kane, as if considering his options. 
  Everet’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know how to treat someone coming off quicksilver or 
  not?” 
  “Yes.” The doctor tapped one delicate fingertip against his chin. “It’s no rare thing. More 
  and more cases are popping up all the time—especially in the magpies. Once humans realized 
  how easy they are to control when they’re hooked…” There was no need for him to finish the 
  sentence. 
  Everet tightened his hold on Kane, as if that would do the poor little sod any good now. 
  “Not that they’ve ever been that difficult for a man with money to manipulate…” the 
  doctor murmured, apparently to himself. 
  Everet’s spine stiffened. A medical opinion was one thing. When it came to anything 
  else, Kane was his and no one had the right to say anything against him. 
  The doctor seemed to notice the sudden change of atmosphere. He cleared his throat and 
  took a notebook from his bag. “There are three stages in withdrawal from quicksilver,” he said, 
  suddenly all professional once more. 
  Everet scooped up some of the cold water in his hand and used it to cool Kane’s brow as 
  he listened. 
  “His fever should break within the day, he should come back to himself a little at that 
  point. In the meantime, keep him as cool as you can.” 
  Everet nodded. He could do that. 
  “After that, put him to bed. He should sleep for quite some time. It’s probably for the best 
  considering his other injuries—” 
  “I wasn’t the one who beat him,” Everet cut in. 
  While Everet’s attention had been on Kane, the doctor had produced a pair of reading 
  glasses from somewhere. He stared at Everet over the top of them for several seconds but made 
  no comment on that. 
  
  The doctor cleared his throat again. “In the second stage. He’ll complain of being in a 
  great deal of pain.” Pausing, the doctor made a note on the pad. 
  Still on his knees beside the bath, Everet glared up at him until he resumed. 
  “You’ll have to watch him carefully. His cravings will be intense. He’ll do whatever he 
  can to get his next fix. As far as he’s concerned, the only thing that will help will be quicksilver. 
  You’ll have to be strong, no matter how distressing you find it.” 
  “In the third stage, things should get easier. His body will adapt to being denied 
  quicksilver relatively quickly. He won’t need it, but he’ll want it. Strict supervision will be 
  required. Addicts get very adept at finding their fix.” 
  “I understand,” Everet said, coolly, and not just because the arm behind Kane was once 
  more frigidly cold. 
  The doctor made a few more notes, put his things in his bag, promised to come back and 
  check on Kane later that day, and left. 
  Everet bowed his head against the edge of the bath as he found himself once more alone 
  with Kane. 
  “When they said you’d be trouble, this wasn’t what I expected.” He muttered as he lifted 
  his head and brushed Kane’s dripping-wet hair back from his face. The water had washed away 
  whatever makeup he’d used to cover his bruises. 
  His skin was pale between the remaining patches of fading purples and blues. 
  “I was right,” Everet informed Kane, just in case the magpie hadn’t been paying attention 
  to the doctor’s words. “You’re going to be fine.” 
  Once more, a cough let Everet know that someone was in his bathroom doorway. 
  “Did Dr. Jenson help?” Ambrose asked as he joined them in the small room. 
  Everet relayed the scant information the doctor had been able to provide, skipping over 
  the bits that implied magpies’ flaws couldn’t be tamed. 
  He shook his head as he fell silent. Wait it out wasn’t the miracle cure he’d hoped for. 
  “Dr. Jenson seemed like a nice guy,” Ambrose said, as he fidgeted with the tube of 
  toothpaste propped up alongside the washbasin. 
  Everet glanced over his shoulder. In spite of everything he should have been worrying 
  about, or maybe because he desperately needed something, anything, to distract him from it all, 
  he found himself smiling. “Really?” 
  
  Ambrose squinted at the perfectly acceptable toothbrush that lived alongside the 
  toothpaste as if it had personally offended him. “It can’t be fun, having to rush away from your 
  breakfast every time anyone in the nest you’re visiting is taken ill.” 
  “Good point,” Everet murmured, bathing Kane’s face with another handful of water. 
  Despite his best efforts, his fingers shook slightly. The water was so cold it was a wonder that a 
  layer of ice hadn’t formed over Kane by now. 
  “He didn’t even hesitate to come and help.” 
  Everet made a vaguely approving noise in the back of his throat. Part of him had always 
  wondered what kind of man would eventually be the one to catch Ambrose’s attention. Now, he 
  apparently knew. 
  Everet’s annoyance with the doctor eased a little. It was hardly the guy’s fault he didn’t 
  know anything other than petty rumors about magpies—most people fell into that category. If the 
  doctor made Ambrose happy, he’d forgive his uneducated comments about Kane. On the other 
  hand, if he didn’t treat Ambrose the way the gentle giant deserved… 
  “His breakfast probably went cold when he was up here,” Ambrose added. 
  Everet glanced up at him. “Maybe you should go down and make sure he gets a fresh 
  plate. He’d probably appreciate some company. You haven’t eaten yet, right?” 
  Ambrose shook his head vehemently. “No way!” Everet might as well have asked him to 
  throw himself at the doctor’s feet and beg to be screwed right there in the middle of the dining 
  room. 
  “Are you sure?” Everet asked, just a touch of teasing in his voice. 
  Ambrose’s cheeks flushed as he met Everet’s gaze for a moment. “I’ll stay and help you 
  here. I mean, I can wait around in case I can help, or…” He took a deep breath. “I’ll get us both 
  some coffee.” He nodded as if he really believed that everything would be better once there was 
  coffee. “You could probably use something hot.” 
  Everet turned his attention back to Kane as the albatross scurried from the room. “If you 
  heard any of that, you’re not going to use it against him. I’ll throttle you if you do.” 
  Kane made no response. 
  Everet tried his best not to be disappointed. At that moment, he’d have relished hearing 
  even the brattiest comment from him. 
  * * * * 
  
  “Wa hap-ed?” Kane frowned. He had a vague memory of slurring his words before. That 
  just made the fact that his tongue still didn’t appear to be under his control even more annoying. 
  A man couldn’t stay that drunk forever, could he? 
  “You’re coming off quicksilver.” 
  Kane squinted up at a figure looming over him; it was probably the same guy who’d just 
  spoken. A hand came to rest on his forehead. The same man or someone else? 
  No, it was the same guy. A name floated into Kane’s mind. 
  “’Ret?” 
  “Close enough,” the guy allowed. 
  Yes. That was definitely Everet’s voice. For some stupid reason, Kane felt a bit better 
  knowing that it was Everet who stood alongside him. 
  “Where?” Kane managed to say. 
  “You’re in my room at the nest.” 
  “Nest…” Yes. Kane remembered now. Everet had taken him to the nest. And Everet had 
  told Kane that he had to tell him when he stopped feeling like he was being boiled alive from the 
  inside out. 
  “Cold,” Kane managed to whisper. 
  “Your fever broke.” 
  Kane bullied his eyes into focus just in time to see Everet spread another blanket over 
  him. From the weight pressing down on every part of his body below his neck, there were 
  already more than a few layered up on top of him. 
  Kane cleared his throat. “You look…like hell,” he croaked out. 
  Everet made no comment. Kane peered up at him. The only color in the raven’s face 
  came from the dark circles beneath his eyes. 
  One brain cell finally fired up and sparked its neighbors into action. Kane’s first clear 
  thought since waking appeared inside his head. If Everet looked bad, how did he look? 
  Kane tried to sit up. Everet must have a mirror in the room somewhere. 
  “Whoa. No, you don’t.” Everet put his hand on Kane’s shoulder and pushed him back. 
  It didn’t take much pressure to make Kane collapse against the soft pillows. He tried to 
  glare at the other man, but he wasn’t sure if his facial muscles cooperated. 
  
  “You’re allowed up if you need to take a leak. Apart from that, you’re staying right where 
  you are,” Everet informed him, as if someone had died and made him king of the whole damn 
  world while Kane was asleep. 
  Kane squirmed as much as the weight of the blankets allowed. Every bit of him ached. 
  “You said…” Damn, even talking hurt. “You said, you’d get me something for the pain,” 
  Kane whispered. 
  “No, I didn’t.” 
  Kane huffed. It had been worth a shot. “Say it now,” he ordered. “I need something. I’m 
  in so much pain. Please?” 
  “You’re going through withdrawal,” Everet stated that fact as if it was one he’d said a 
  great many times before. 
  Kane scrolled through his memories. Nothing. “Wh-what day is it?” 
  “You were in and out for three days.” 
  “What?” Kane tried to sit up again. Once more, Everet’s hand came to rest on his 
  shoulder. He didn’t even need to push this time. Kane fell back, his body filled with a writhing 
  mass of poisonous snakes that forced more and more agony into his body every time he tried to 
  so much as take a deep breath. 
  Everet sat down the edge of the bed. “Do you remember a doctor visiting you?” 
  “What doctor?” 
  Everet started talking and didn’t seem to be able to stop. He babbled on about all the 
  reasons why Kane needed to rest and take things easy, all the bull about why he shouldn’t take 
  any more drugs. 
  He said the pain was all in Kane’s mind. Kane didn’t bother to disagree. 
  Within a few minutes, it was obvious that Everet wouldn’t be the source of what he 
  needed. Kane had to find someone else who’d get him what he wanted. 
  “The doctor,” Kane whispered, already feeling too exhausted to attempt anything louder. 
  “I want to see him.” 
  Everet frowned. “You shouldn’t be in that much real pain anymore…” 
  “Doctor,” Kane repeated. Doctors had drugs. That was pretty much the whole point of 
  doctors’ existence—to give people drugs that made them feel better, and Kane knew exactly 
  what would make him feel really fantastic. 
  
  Everet stepped away from the side of the bed for just long enough to ring down to the 
  servants’ hall and ask someone to find the doctor. Kane would have breathed a sigh of relief, but 
  even that was beyond him. His whole body pulsated with need. The inner part of his elbows 
  itched with the desire for a nice, sharp moment of pain that would lead to such perfect bliss. 
  “Are you up to eating anything?” 
  “No.” If he put anything in his stomach, he’d have just thrown it up. The only thing Kane 
  needed went straight into his veins. 
  Everet fell silent. 
  Kane tried to turn his back on him. He failed. 
  “Do you need help to get comfortable?” Everet asked. 
  Kane ignored him and settled on turning his head away from him. 
  His forehead tingled. Kane frowned, wondering why some random little part of his body 
  should expect a gentle touch from the other man at that particular moment. 
  It seemed to take an age for the doctor to arrive but finally, a stranger walked into the 
  room as if he had every right to be there. He had a doctor’s bag with him—a bag that was easily 
  big enough to carry more drugs than an avian body could handle in one sitting. 
  Kane managed a small smile, but it died as Everet greeted the doctor and completely 
  failed to leave the room. 
  “Private,” Kane whispered. 
  “No.” 
  Kane tried to frown. Everet showed no facial reaction whatsoever. “You belong to me, 
  Kane. I’m responsible for you. Whatever is said between you and the doctor, I need to hear it 
  too.” 
  There would be no moving him. He had that look in his eyes. With a grunt of displeasure, 
  Kane turned his head toward the doctor. “I need something for the pain.” 
  “Anything I give you will only prolong your pain in the long run,” the doctor began. 
  Kane shook his head. “Before, when I felt like this, a doctor gave me an injection. It 
  helped a lot.” 
  “Let me guess. An injection of a sparkly, silver substance, right?” the doctor asked. 
  “Yes!” 
  “No.” That was Everet. 
  
  Pointedly ignoring him, Kane kept his eyes on the doctor. 
  “It would hurt you more in the long run,” he repeated. 
  “No, it wouldn’t. It helps,” Kane snapped, anger bubbling up inside him, demanding to be 
  released, even when he felt as if he could barely lift his head from his pillow. 
  “It’s not going to happen, Kane.” Everet sounded so bloody certain about that. 
  Kane dragged himself up into a sitting position through sheer force of will. Everet’s hand 
  came to rest on his shoulder, but pure fury and desperation fueled Kane now. “If you won’t help 
  me, I’ll find someone who will!” 
  Catching Everet off guard, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and lurched to his 
  feet. Pushing past the doctor, Kane staggered toward the door, his blankets trailing behind him. 
  He managed to get halfway across the room before Everet caught hold of both his arms, 
  pulling him back toward the bed. 
  “No!” 
  The next moment, Everet’s arms encircled Kane, trapping his arms against his body. 
  Kane screamed. He had no idea what he yelled out. Words were complicated things. 
  There was no room for them in his head. There was just need. He needed his fix. The sound he 
  made was wild, feral, unlike anything Kane ever remembered hearing, let alone making himself. 
  Kicking out at Everet’s legs, Kane felt himself deliver several good blows to the other 
  man’s knees and shins. His arms were trapped and useless, but that didn’t stop him. He flung 
  back his head, aiming for Everet’s nose. 
  No curses filled the air. Everet didn’t let go. His arms remained around Kane as if he 
  intended to keep hold of him no matter what he did. 
  Kane struggled on, now completely demented with need. Thoughts, even those that were 
  all about getting free, or why he needed to do that, began to fade away, lost in the confusion. No 
  other thoughts arose to take their place. Kane couldn’t think about anything anymore, all he 
  could do was panic. 
   
  Everet twisted and stretched his neck as Kane jerked his head again and, unless Everet 
  was very much mistaken, tried to break his nose for at least the third time. Pain shot through his 
  knee as Kane kicked him. 
  
  Just a moment later, the magpie’s elbow jerked back, catching Everet just below his ribs. 
  Everet grunted, but he didn’t let go. The boy’s frantic movements were impossible for anyone to 
  control. Despite Everet’s best efforts, they swayed too close to the bedroom wall. 
  Kane’s legs went up. Planting his feet on the paintwork, he kicked out, pushing them both 
  backward. Everet stumbled toward the other side of the room, toppling as his balance suddenly 
  deserted him. All the air rushed out of his lungs as they landed heavily on the bed, his arms still 
  encircling Kane. 
  Whatever powered Kane gave him more strength than any man his size should have 
  possessed. There was no weight to him, and little enough muscle. Hell, he hadn’t even managed 
  to eat anything for over three days, but he had the strength of a damn albatross. 
  Using his extra weight to his advantage now, Everet pinned Kane down on the bed. The 
  doctor couldn’t have done anything, and he’d already left at Everet’s command, closing the door 
  behind him. 
  No doubt Ambrose had left Everet’s rooms too, trailing after the doctor like a duckling 
  trailed after its mother. 
  There was no one except Everet there to help Kane. 
  The responsibility fell to him. Kane was his. 
  Time passed by. There seemed to be no end to the other man’s struggles, no limit to his 
  energy. 
  “Bastard! Let me go!” Kane’s speech was muffled against the bedsheets, but that didn’t 
  take any of the venom out of it. Still, at least they were words. He was capable of forming 
  syllables. Perhaps the worst of it had passed. 
  “I hate you. Let me go.” Kane squirmed and bucked. Lifting his head, he yelled at the top 
  of his voice. “Help!” 
  Everet used every part of his body to hold the other man down, but Kane seemed to have 
  more limbs than any avian in the history of their kind, and he wasn’t above fighting dirty. Everet 
  only just pulled his hand away from Kane’s mouth in time to avoid a bite. 
  “Calm down!” 
  Kane didn’t seem to hear him. 
  
  Everet’s heart raced even faster as Kane kicked and writhed beneath him. His brain 
  understood that the way he and Kane rolled around on the bed had nothing to do with sex. His 
  body didn’t give a damn what his brain thought about the situation. 
  Every time Kane struggled to get free, he pressed his arse back against Everet’s crotch. 
  Friction was still friction no matter how it was obtained. When it was produced by a naked man 
  who Everet’s body had longed to get better acquainted with ever since it spotted him, thinking of 
  it as asexual was impossible. 
  Suddenly, Kane stilled. 
  For several minutes neither of them moved except to gasped for breath. 
  “I’ll let you screw me,” Kane finally whispered. “I’ll do whatever you want.” 
  Everet closed his eyes. 
  Kane arched his back, this time there was nothing accidental about the way he pressed his 
  buttocks against Everet’s erection. 
  “You can whip me. Or you can do me in front of your friends. They can watch while I 
  beg you to screw me. I’ll let them take turns with me afterward if you want.” 
  “Kane,” Everet whispered, shaking his head. 
  “And you have no idea what a magpie can earn in one hour with another man,” Kane 
  rushed out. “I can bring in far more in a day than you’d have to spend on quicksilver for me in a 
  week, and—” 
  “No.” 
  Kane whimpered, squirming underneath Everet like a man in more pain than he could 
  physically contain. “Please? Begging! Is that what does it for you. You want me to get on my 
  knees and plead. I will. I’ll—” 
  “No!” It was all Everet could do to keep the word anything less than a yell. “There is 
  nothing you can do, or say, that will convince me to put you back on that stuff.” 
  From their respective positions, it was just possible for Everet to see Kane’s profile. He 
  watched as Kane closed his eyes. 
  A tear beaded in the corner of his left eye and ran across the bridge of his nose. 
  “Kane?” 
  
  Half of Everet was furious at yet another possible attempt at manipulation. The other half 
  of him tensed at the sight of Kane’s tears, simply wanting to do whatever it took to make him 
  feel better. 
  Kane turned his face into the blankets as if trying to hide the moisture gathering on his 
  lashes. A really good attempt at manipulation, or was he ashamed at genuine tears? 
  Everet couldn’t tell. It didn’t matter. Either way, he couldn’t give in. He closed his eyes 
  too, but permitted no frustrated tears to gather on his lashes, not even when he felt Kane finally 
  fall into an exhausted sleep beneath him. 
  Wincing each time he put too much weight on his sore knee, Everet slowly rearranged 
  Kane in his bed, tucking him in beneath his blankets. There was no telling how long he’d remain 
  asleep this time. 
  Everet slumped back into the chair by the side of the bed. He felt like he hadn’t slept in 
  years. In truth, it hadn’t been more than a few days. That didn’t make his eyeballs itch any less. 
  He closed his eyes for a moment. The moment stretched out into a minute, then an hour, 
  Everet’s eyes remained closed. 
  * * * * 
  A sudden bang jerked Everet out of his slumber. He got up so quickly, he almost threw 
  himself out of his chair. He looked around, frantically trying to get his bearings. The chair. Yes, 
  he was well acquainted with that chair. It wasn’t the first time he’d dozed in it since he’d met 
  Kane. 
  Everet rubbed at his eyes and blinked toward the bed. Kane was…not there. 
  Kane wasn’t there! 
  Everet stepped forward as he came fully awake and quickly took in several details about 
  the room. The most important one was that Kane wasn’t in it; all the others could wait. 
  Everet rushed out of the bedroom. One of those less important details from the bedroom 
  repeated itself in his living room. Every item Everet owned had been emptied out of the drawers 
  and cupboards. They littered every inch of the floor. 
  Carelessly trampling his possessions, Everet headed for the door leading into the 
  bathroom, just in case Kane might be there. 
  
  He was almost to the other side of the room when he spotted Kane. The magpie hunched 
  down, hidden from view behind a chair, as he rooted through the back of a low cabinet. Several 
  items cracked beneath Everet’s feet as he rushed toward him. 
  Kane already had Everet’s wallet in his hand. He seemed so absorbed in hunting for more 
  money, he didn’t hear Everet noisy approach. 
  He spun away as Everet put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes opened very wide. He stared 
  up at Everet as if he had never seen him before. Shuffling back on his heels and palms, he only 
  stopped when his elbow hit the cabinet. Money tumbled from his fingers and scattered across on 
  the floor. 
  Everet held his hands up. “I’m not going to hurt you.” 
  Kane scrabbled at the fallen money, paying no attention to anything else. 
  Everet tried to put a hand on his shoulder again. “Kane. Kane, look at me.” 
  The magpie had already gathered up most of what amounted to Everet’s life savings. He 
  still didn’t seem to have heard a damn word. 
  Everet reached out to capture the other man’s hands. 
  “No! Mine! It’s mine, you can’t have it.” Kane scrabbled at the remaining notes, keeping 
  a fearful eye on Everet over his shoulder as he hunched over the money, but never once looking 
  him in the face. 
  “Kane,” Everet said again, as calmly and patiently as he knew how. “You need to look at 
  me.” 
  Kane shook his head, pressing himself against the cabinet in an attempt to get away now 
  he’d collected all the money. His hair fell over his eyes, hiding his expression, making it harder 
  than ever for Everet to read the situation. 
  Everet’s heart raced faster and faster, but somehow he kept his voice level. “It’s going to 
  be okay, Kane, but it’s important that you look at me.” 
  Finally, he obeyed. Their eyes met. Kane’s gaze was completely unfocused. It quickly 
  darted quickly away. 
  “Hurts.” 
  “Yes, sweetheart. I know it hurts.” 
  Kane hesitated before slowly shuffling away from the cabinet. 
  
  Everet held his breath and remained perfectly still, simply letting Kane come to him. His 
  movements were jerky and damn near the least graceful thing Everet had ever seen, but he’d also 
  never witnessed anything more beautiful. 
  Kane put his hand on the back of Everet’s hand and stroked slowly up his arm. “Anything 
  you want?” he whispered, repeating the offering he’d made hundreds of times now. 
  Everet turned his hand over and offered it to Kane. Empires rose and fell in the time it 
  took Kane to put his hand in Everet’s grasp, but eventually he was able to stand up and help 
  Kane to his feet. 
  He led the other man back into the bedroom, ignoring the fact that Kane still held a 
  handful of his money in his fist. 
  “Anything you want,” Kane repeated again. He paused by the side of the bed. “What—
  what do you want me to do?” 
  Everet turned to face him. 
  Kane’s hair was a mess after all the time he’d spent in bed. His skin was pale. Most of his 
  bruises had healed, but he was so weak he swayed with fatigue. 
  “I want you to get back into bed and try to get some sleep.” 
  “Then you’ll give me the quicksilver?” Kane asked, a frown marring his forehead. 
  “No.” 
  Kane looked down. 
  Everet tensed, ready to block any attempt by Kane to run for the door. 
  The magpie cradled the stolen cash against his chest. When he let go of Everet’s hand, he 
  stumbled, barely able to remain on his feet. 
  He was so out of it, it was impossible to know what he understood about the situation, but 
  to Everet’s relief, Kane remained outwardly calm and allowed Everet to nudge him back into the 
  bed. 
  He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. 
  Pushing his hand through his hair, Everet took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. It 
  was only then he had time to look over the havoc Kane had rained down over the room while 
  he’d slept. 
  
  The floor was covered in clothes that the magpie had tossed aside as he searched the back 
  of each drawer for cash. Either Kane had been aware enough of his actions to be incredibly quiet, 
  or Everet had been more exhausted than he’d thought. 
  Very slowly, Everet’s panic subsided. His knee reminded him that he really shouldn’t 
  have rushed around like that, but he ignored the ache in the joint as he began to clean up. 
  His whole body was heavy with exhaustion, but there was a part of Everet that didn’t give 
  a damn. The man under his care had needed him and he’d looked after him. That felt good. No, 
  in fact, it felt fantastic—better than anything Everet ever remembered experiencing in his whole 
  life. 
  Within half an hour, the floor was clear. Then, there was only one job Everet needed to 
  do before he could go back to sleep. Picking up the chair from beside the bed, Everet carried it to 
  the bedroom door and placed it directly in front of Kane’s only exit route from the room. 
  Job done, he dropped heavily onto the chair and stretched his legs out toward the foot of 
  the bed. Sleep claimed him the moment his eyelids dropped. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Five 
   
   
  “You look like hell.” 
  Everet tore his eyes away from Kane’s sleeping form. For now at least, he had stationed 
  himself next to the bed, leaving the bedroom doorway open and unobstructed. Raynard and Ori 
  stood on the threshold. 
  “That’s exactly what he said,” Everet said. He gave his best attempt at a smile and 
  nodded toward the slumbering magpie. Then, he remembered who he addressed. 
  Pulling himself to his feet, Everet dipped his head politely toward both the hawk and the 
  swan. “Sire, sir, good morning. Is there some way I can serve you?” 
  “Yes, you can stop fussing over the boy like a mother hen for a few seconds. I want to 
  speak to you alone. Ori’s quite willing to sit with Kane and make sure he’s not abducted by 
  aliens while you’re away.” 
  Everet glanced at Ori, before turning his attention back to Raynard. He tried to keep his 
  expression blank, but the hawk seemed to sense his concerns. “Is he violent?” Raynard 
  demanded. 
  Everet stared down at Kane—he looked so innocent when he was asleep. It was hard to 
  believe how strong or how sneaky he could be while awake. “He’s going through withdrawal,” 
  Everet explained. “He can be very…excitable when he wakes up.” 
  Raynard nodded. “We’ll talk in the adjoining room. Ori will call the moment Kane shows 
  any sign of awaking.” He caught Ori’s eye as he said it, making damn sure his submissive heard 
  the order and knew the matter wasn’t up for debate. 
  “Yes, sir.” Ori agreed. He turned to Everet. “He’ll be fine, sir. I won’t take my eyes off 
  him.” 
  
  Everet hesitated, but it wasn’t as if he could refuse to give the swan whatever he wanted. 
  He gazed down at Kane for a moment. His breaths were slow and even. He was fine, and Everet 
  would only be in the next room. 
  “Of course, sire,” he managed to say. Through sheer force of will, Everet made himself 
  step away from the bed and precede Raynard from the room. 
  The hawk closed the door firmly behind himself, putting a solid barrier between them. 
  “Just this once, I’m willing to agree with your charge,” Raynard said. “Anyone would 
  think you hadn’t slept for a month.” He crossed the room and sat down on the sole armchair, 
  leaving Everet to sink down onto one end of the sofa. 
  Sometimes appearances weren’t at all deceiving. Everet felt like he hadn’t slept for years. 
  The sofa was wonderfully comfortable after the wooden chair he’d perched on day and night. 
  “You’re taking your duty toward Kane very seriously, aren’t you?” 
  Everet saw no answer to that. He managed to keep his eyes open, but talking when he 
  didn’t have anything to say wasn’t his strongest point at the best of times, and even if he 
  wouldn’t willingly admit it out loud, he was far from at his best. 
  “He won’t even remember half of what you’ve done for him, and he’ll be bloody 
  ungrateful for whatever he can recall.” 
  That wasn’t the point. Even more annoying was the fact that Everet was certain Raynard 
  bloody well knew it, too. 
  “If a better prospect came along, he’d be off in a flash,” the hawk said. 
  “He’s mine.” Everet snapped his gaze up to meet Raynard’s eyes. It didn’t matter if he 
  knew the other goaded him on purpose. The instinct to protect what was his and see off anyone 
  who even spoke of another man taking it away, was far too strong to deny. 
  “Your what?” Raynard asked. “Your servant? Your lover? Your submissive? In what way 
  exactly is he yours?” 
  Everet frowned. Leaning forward, he abandoned the comfortable cushions in favor of 
  resting his elbows on his knees. He tapped his knuckles together. His thoughts had never made it 
  as far as those kinds of specifics. 
  Kane was his, and it was Everet’s job to make sure nothing happened to him. Firstly, that 
  meant making sure he didn’t die during withdrawal, less than twenty-four hours after coming 
  under his guardianship. 
  
  Now that Kane’s life wasn’t in danger, it had become his task to get the other man 
  through his withdrawal. When he had cleared that hurdle, then… 
  “While you’ve watched over him, some of the elders have been keeping an eye on you. 
  Concerns have been raised,” Raynard announced. 
  “Raised by Ori?” Everet asked. An invisible fist punched straight through his ribs and 
  caught hold of his heart. 
  Raynard tipped his head in acknowledgement. “Yes.” 
  Everet glanced toward the bedroom door. If the swan decreed that he wasn’t a fit 
  guardian for Kane then— 
  “Ravens have always had a strong bonding instinct,” Raynard said. It almost sounded as 
  if he were talking to himself. There was no demand that Everet turn his attention toward him, but 
  Raynard’s words still cut through every thought in Everet’s head. 
  “And a strong protective instinct,” Raynard went on. “You didn’t end up working 
  security by chance, Everet. And, when Ori and I decided that there was a need for some avians to 
  be protected from others within the nest, you were the natural choice. Ravens protect their nests, 
  they protect those who live around them, and they protect what is theirs.” 
  Everet went back to staring as his knuckles. At some point, they’d turned white. “If 
  there's a point you’re going to make, sir?” he asked. 
  “Don’t mistake a natural instinct toward wanting a submissive for a specific desire for 
  this particular submissive.” 
  Very slowly, Everet looked up. “Meaning?” 
  Raynard didn’t even blink. There was no way in hell he’d back down. “Meaning, that the 
  first man you take under your protection doesn’t have to be the man you spend the rest of your 
  life with.” His tone hinted that he wanted to be kind. 
  “Because no magpie is worth the effort?” Everet snapped, in no mood to hear that sort of 
  advice. The man he’d looked after for the last two weeks was worth it. Kane’s species didn’t stop 
  him from being lost and helpless, it didn’t stop him needing someone. 
  “Duckling or swan, you can’t choose who you bond with,” Raynard reminded him, 
  perfectly calmly. 
  Everet dropped his gaze. “I didn’t mean any disrespect, sir.” 
  
  “I won’t bother trying to give you any orders in the matter. You’d only ignore them. But, 
  I will say this—if you insist on sitting up with him at all hours and looking after him entirely by 
  yourself, you should use some of his time asleep to decide what it is you’ll expect of him when 
  he returns to full health. Get it clear in your own mind that you can’t expect him to have any sort 
  of bond with you when he recovers—he won’t even have been conscious most of the time.” 
  Everet nodded. 
  Raynard pulled himself to his feet. 
  For once, Everet found himself completely incapable of preventing a string of completely 
  unnecessary words leaving his mouth. Still in his seat, he tilted back his head. “I don’t think I’m 
  in love with him or anything like that, sir. I’m not a fool.” 
  “No, you’re not,” Raynard said, with a half-smile. “You’re a raven—even when it would 
  probably be far easier for you to deal with the situation if you weren’t. It’s not only magpies that 
  have their weaknesses.” 
  Everet said nothing. It was hard to talk when a ball of air had lodged in his throat and he 
  couldn’t even breathe. 
  “For example, I’ve been told that a hawk’s greatest weakness is a tendency not to give a 
  damn about anyone except those who they love, those who they own. Or those to whom they feel 
  they owe a debt.” 
  Their eyes met. Everet didn’t nod in agreement. Neither Raynard nor Ori owed him 
  anything. Even if they had, they’d repaid it a hundred times over by having faith in his ability to 
  run the in-nest security flock. 
  Raynard turned away without saying anything else. He strode across to the bedroom door 
  and opened it without bothering to knock. 
  “Come along, fledgling, visiting time is over.” 
  Raynard walked out of Everet’s apartment. With a quick smile to Everet in passing, the 
  highest ranking avian in their nest scurried after him, more than happy to obey. 
  Moving his chair so it once more stood inside the closed bedroom door, Everet went back 
  to silently watching Kane sleep. 
  * * * * 
  “Do you feel dizzy?” 
  Kane scowled at Everet. “I’m not a bloody invalid!” 
  
  The raven didn’t take the least bit of notice of him. He still hovered next to Kane, his arm 
  held slightly away from his body, as if to catch Kane when he fell. 
  Doing his damnedest to prove he didn’t need anyone’s help, Kane managed a slow step 
  forward, then another. Everet never moved his eyes off him. Kane might only have been thinking 
  clearly for two days, and he might have slept through most of those forty-eight hours, but he felt 
  as if Everet hadn’t looked away from him in months. 
  It was like being a bug under a microscope, or perhaps like a prisoner on death row—
  where there was always a guard on watch, just to make sure the poor sod didn’t deprive the hang 
  man of his moment in the spotlight by taking matters into his own hands. 
  “I’m fine,” Kane said through gritted teeth. Admitting he still felt like hell wouldn’t do 
  him any good, it would just get him sent back to bed, only ever permitted to get up for brief visits 
  to the bathroom. 
  Faking feeling fine—that was his best chance of getting away from his jailer and getting 
  something nice and shiny that he could push into his veins. 
  Making his way out of the bedroom, Kane forced himself to keep putting one foot 
  forward, until he had crossed the small living room and was within sight of the door leading out 
  of the apartment. 
  He had to be out of there getting high and, perhaps just as importantly, he desperately 
  needed to be completely surrounded by guys who were, well…who weren’t Everet. Being in the 
  other man’s company twenty-four hours a day messed with Kane’s mind. 
  As if it might help straighten out his thoughts, Kane lifted his hand and rubbed at his 
  temple. Everet was hot. Fair enough. He had nice muscles. He might even have a very pleasant 
  face if he’d be just a little bit more willing to smile. But that didn’t mean Everet was the be all 
  and end all of Kane’s world. 
  Everet wasn’t someone with a wallet big enough to keep him content for more than a day 
  or two. For the first time he could remember, Kane had to keep nudging that fact to make sure it 
  stayed right in the forefront of his mind. 
  Freedom. 
  Kane stepped outside Everet’s apartment. 
  
  The corridor looked ridiculously long, but with Everet standing right behind him, just 
  waiting to swoop down on any excuse to send him back to bed, not walking along the miles of 
  ugly green carpet was out of the question. 
  “Go the other way.” 
  Kane glanced over his shoulder. 
  Everet nodded toward an equally long length of corridor heading off in the opposite 
  direction. “The only thing you’ll find if you keep going your way are apartments for the other 
  avians based here.” 
  “What’s that way?” Kane demanded, glancing suspiciously in the direction Everet 
  suggested. 
  “The main part of the nest.” 
  Kane grudgingly set off along that route. Everet quickly fell into step behind him. 
  Kane pushed one hand into his pocket. At least the time he’d spent in Everet’s bed had 
  given someone time to find him some better clothes. These looked like they’d been chosen by 
  someone with an eye for what would make him look like an avian worth screwing—worth 
  investing in. 
  Running the fingers of his other hand through his hair, Kane smiled slightly to himself. 
  Damn, but he looked good. The bruises were gone. He no longer looked like a zombie in need of 
  a nice long nap. He was back in form. 
  It wouldn’t take him long to find a rich bird of prey who’d be more than happy to take 
  him under his wing, in return for owning a nice tight backside that he could screw any time he 
  wanted. 
  Two long flights of stairs led down to a busy hall. Kane kept a tight grip on the handrail, 
  trying to look like he wasn’t knackered even after a short stroll. 
  He stopped with six steps left to go and ran his eyes slowly over the men bustling back 
  and forth in the lobby. 
  “It really is a male-only nest,” he said. 
  “Didn’t you believe me?” Everet said, from one tread behind and above him. 
  Kane glanced back. The raven had a good enough height advantage over him when they 
  were on level ground. There was no need for him to stand up there and loom. 
  “Have you ever been to a male-only nest before?” Everet asked. 
  
  He shrugged, as if it was no big deal, but part of him was quite fascinated. Did his parents 
  know this kind of nest existed? If they did, why hadn’t they told him? If there were this many 
  men who liked other men, why had they allowed his older sister to give him so much hell about 
  taking it from guys? 
  Kane looked heavenward, as if there would be any answers coming from that direction! 
  He blinked several times in quick succession as his eyes came to rest on a truly wonderful sight. 
  Above them, a huge chandelier sparkled. Kane stared up at it, admiring the way the gilt 
  arms that held the up lights shone with a deep golden luster. The crystals were magnificent, cut 
  to refract the light and make each ray dance and shimmer. 
  It was a work of art, far more beautiful than any of the boring paintings of stuffy old men 
  who stared down at them from the high, wood paneled walls. Kane’s neck protested at the way 
  he tilted his head in an effort to see every bit of sparkle. 
  Maybe one day he’d get screwed by a man who had something like that hanging in his 
  house. Then, every moment that his arse or his mouth wasn’t required, Kane would lie on the 
  floor beneath the magnificent combination of shiny metal and sparkling glass. 
  Kane smiled. The very thought of it pulled at something deep within his magpie side. He 
  wanted it. If he could have leapt from the stairs and caught hold of it, he’d have clambered into 
  the center and had himself completely surrounded by the lights and luster. 
  It was no good. It had been years since he took to the wing. Kane wasn’t even sure he’d 
  even be able to. Maybe it would be worth it, though. If he could build a nest up there surrounded 
  by sparkle and— 
  “Kane?” 
  The raven prodded Kane’s shoulder, his touch was gentle, but it was enough to snap Kane 
  out of his daydream. Acceding to the other man’s prompting, for now at least, Kane made his 
  way down the remaining steps. 
  He was already halfway across the hall when he realized that, while he’d stood on the 
  stairs, he’d missed a bloody good opportunity to scope out a guy to latch on to, or even a dealer 
  he could approach directly. He had to still be pretty ill after all. 
  “This way.” Everet didn’t lead on. He stayed beside Kane, apparently unwilling to let him 
  out of his sight by striding on ahead. 
  
  Kane allowed Everet to have his way, willing to believe a tour guide could be useful until 
  he got his bearings. Lifting his head as high as he could in an effort to see as much as possible, 
  Kane ran his eyes over the men around him, purposefully looking for a man who looked rich 
  enough to own a chandelier—or at least a lot of other shiny things. 
  Being amid a crowd quickly got his adrenaline pumping; his eyes darted to one object 
  then another as he took in his surroundings. Fancy carving surrounded every door. Another, far 
  smaller and less impressive, chandelier glittered above them as they made their way down a 
  corridor. Even the tiles beneath their feet screamed out their high-quality status. It must all have 
  cost a fortune. 
  Yes. Kane smiled to himself. The humans could keep their seedy little clubs. This was 
  much more his kind of world. This was where he’d really thrive. 
  Kane frowned, as Everet tried to steer their course toward what looked like a much 
  quieter part of the nest. “Where are we going?” 
  “We’re going to get some food. Then, if you feel up to it, we’re going to talk about 
  what’s going to happen now you’re up and about.” 
  Kane made no comment about that. It didn’t sound like the kind of talk he’d enjoy. Food, 
  however, was something he could easily declare himself in favor of. One corridor later, they 
  stepped into a high, beam-topped space that seemed to be a cross between a really high-end 
  restaurant and the food hall of a huge human shopping center. 
  It was all mahogany and glittering silverware, but the bustle and noise that filled every 
  inch of the place didn’t fit with the murmuring of polite voices Kane expected to grace that kind 
  of establishment. 
  With one hand on the small of Kane’s back, Everet guided him to an empty table near the 
  middle of the room. 
  “I want to sit over there,” Kane said. Stopping short, he pointed toward the right hand 
  side of the room, where the men looked far more capable of supporting a magpie in the way to 
  which he’d really love to become accustomed. 
  “No. We sit here,” Everet said. He had a way of stating stupid things like they were facts 
  that couldn’t be disagreed with. It was a bloody annoying habit. Kane folded his arms across his 
  chest. 
  
  It the raven thought that he wouldn’t throw a tantrum just because they were in a public 
  place, he really didn’t have a clue who he dealt with. Making himself the center of attention 
  would just ensure the richer part of the restaurant noticed him. 
  “If you try to sit over there, one of the men who serve here will simply ask you to move.” 
  “Why?” 
  “Because rank has its privileges, and neither of us have that sort of rank,” Everet said, 
  calmly. He put his hand on Kane’s shoulder and nudged him down onto his seat. 
  Kane sat. He glared across the table as Everet took the chair opposite him. “It doesn’t 
  bother you that you can’t sit wherever you want?” 
  For a second, Everet’s mask of emotionlessness slipped. He actually looked surprised. 
  “Why would it?” 
  Kane folded his arms and looked pointedly away from him, not willing to say another 
  word if the raven wanted to be stupid about it. 
  “Kane—” 
  Whatever Everet was about to say, he stopped short when a man wearing nothing but a 
  pair of very skimpy black shorts stopped at their table. 
  Kane’s eyes narrowed. Just because he had no interest in remaining under Everet’s 
  protection by the end of the day, that didn’t mean the raven could turn his attention elsewhere. 
  Kane leaned forward in his seat. “Who the hell are you?” 
  The guy looked like he was barely out of his teens, but he was more than old enough to 
  be a threat. At his age, Kane had already been working men for money for years, and had moved 
  onto his third sugar-daddy. The guy took a step back when he saw the pure hatred in Kane’s 
  eyes. 
  “I’ll be serving you this morning, sir. If you have no objection.” He proffered a menu. 
  Snatching the thing from him, Kane only stayed silent long enough for Everet to take one 
  of the other menus from the guy’s hand. “You can go now.” 
  The waiter looked to Everet for confirmation, as if Kane’s words didn’t mean a damn 
  thing without the raven’s approval. 
  Everet nodded his endorsement. “Thank you. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to 
  order.” 
  The waiter hurried away, shaking his arse far more than he needed to, in Kane’s opinion. 
  
  “There’s no reason for you to be rude to him.” 
  Kane pursed his lips and turned his attention pointedly his menu. Flicking open the 
  leather cover, he peered down at the list of offerings. 
  “Did you notice the waiter’s wrist?” Everet asked. 
  “No.” 
  “You should have. His mark would have told you that he’s a pigeon.” 
  “So?” Kane snapped. 
  “So, in case you’ve forgotten everything you learned before you left avian society, you 
  and he are of a very similar social rank.” 
  Kane forgot all about the menu and turned his complete attention to the man sitting 
  opposite him. 
   
  If looks could have killed, Everet was sure he’d have been hung, drawn and quartered, 
  then buried at the crossroads for good measure. It was very possible that Kane would have even 
  added a stake through his heart, just in case the rest of it hadn’t made his annoyance clear 
  enough. 
  Kane threw down his menu, almost knocking over his glass. “He and I are nothing alike.” 
  Everet had lived at the nest long enough not to need to consult the menu, he set it down, 
  leaned back in his chair and studied his companion. For the first time in an eternity, his primary 
  concern no longer had to be if Kane was close to death. The novelty was almost dizzying. 
  “You’re not the same species,” he granted. “But you are—” 
  “I have nothing in common with some pathetic little idiot, who’s content to waste his 
  whole life waiting on other people,” Kane bit out. 
  “Pigeons do tend to take to service far more easily than magpies,” Everet allowed, very 
  calmly. That was the important thing now. He needed to be calm and in control, of both himself 
  and his reactions to Kane, or everything would quickly descend into insanity. 
  “They’re stupid!” Kane snapped, apparently still completely focused on the pigeon. 
  “They don’t have the reputation for being the brightest of breeds,” Everet admitted. 
  “Magpies are smarter.” 
  “Smart enough not to stay at the bottom of the pecking order for a second longer than I 
  need to!” Kane cut in triumphantly. 
  
  “But, at the same time, not always shrewd enough to know what sort of role would suit 
  them best,” Everet continued, still keeping his words measured. 
  Kane’s eyes narrowed. “And I suppose you know what’s best for me?” 
  “Yes.” 
  “Bollocks.” 
  Everet lifted a hand and summoned the pigeon to their table. “We’ll both have the classic 
  breakfast, please.” He dismissed the waiter before Kane had a chance to try to change the order. 
  “That wasn’t what I wanted!” 
  “You’re under no obligation to eat it when it arrives,” Everet said. “If you tell me, calmly, 
  that you don’t like what’s put before you, we can order something else. But any decisions you 
  make for yourself will be made quietly and with consideration for those around you, or you 
  won’t make any at all.” 
  Kane put both his hands on the edge of the table. It looked as if he might bolt. Everet 
  tensed, ready to spring up and chase him down. 
  “So this is why you agreed to keep me out of prison?” Kane demanded. “So you’ll have 
  someone to boss about and bully all the time? And probably someone to wait on you twenty-four 
  hours a day, too. Well, I’ve got a news flash for you—” 
  “I have no use for a personal servant.” 
  Kane stopped short “What?” 
  “I said I’ve no use for a servant of my own. When you’ve finished acting like a brat, one 
  of the things we’ll discuss is what kind of job you’ll take on at the nest.” 
  Kane remained very still for a moment, but Everet had no doubt that inside the magpie’s 
  mind, thoughts were racing around at a truly frantic pace. “I want to look around before I make 
  any decisions, get a feel for the place.” 
  “And try to find a rich old fool who’ll take you under his wing and spoil you, rather than 
  make damn sure you work for a living?” Everet asked, knowing that the subject had to be dealt 
  with, and the sooner the better. His tone was polite, but there was no way he could make the 
  subject palatable. 
  “You don’t think pandering to a rich man’s whims is hard work?” Kane shot back. 
  You’re better than that. 
  
  Everet bit back the words, judging it best to keep that particular opinion to himself for 
  now. 
  I didn’t get you this far through withdrawal just so you could go back to getting high and 
  whoring yourself out. 
  There was no need to make Kane aware of that fact either—far better for him to learn 
  both things as time passed. Everet took a deep breath. All his carefully laid out plans and 
  promises to himself regarding how he’d deal with Kane once he had recovered seemed so 
  unbelievably naive now that he faced an avian capable of talking back. 
  All the jobs he’d thought might suit Kane ran in the opposite direction at the sight of him 
  in his current form. 
  Their food arrived. 
  Kane folded his arms and stared mutinously across the table. 
  “If you’re going to try to get a wealthy new master, you’re going to need your strength,” 
  Everet pointed out. “Unless you’ve already seen sense and abandoned that plan, of course.” 
  Kane either fell for it, or he was willing to use the excuse Everet had offered him as an 
  acceptable way out. He ate with far more appetite than he had shown before. He really was 
  through the second stage of his withdrawal. The job could be ticked off Everet’s list once and for 
  all. 
  His anxiety level went down a notch. Everything would be fine. They were two thirds of 
  the way there. If he could just convince the other man’s mind to believe he didn’t need the stuff. 
  “I take it you haven’t had any training in a particular profession?” Everet asked as they 
  each pushed near empty plates aside. 
  He’d obviously been right to keep the question back until Kane had finished his 
  breakfast. The magpie leaned back in his chair and pointedly turned his attention away from 
  Everet, in a complete and instant sulk. 
  “In that case, we’ll start you off with something that you don’t need any training for. It 
  will give you a bit of structure while you’re settling in here and—” 
  “I’m tired. I need to rest now.” 
  Everet didn’t even miss a beat. “The avian in charge of the day to day maintenance of the 
  nest is a barn owl. His name is Mr. Johnson. We’ll go and speak to him now—he’ll know what 
  jobs are available.” 
  
  “Didn’t you hear me?” Kane demanded. 
  “Yes. You’re tired.” Everet held Kane’s gaze, almost daring the other man to look away 
  first. “If you really can’t manage to join me, I suppose I can ask Ambrose to take you back to the 
  apartment. You can rest there while Mr. Johnson and I decide how you’ll spend your time for the 
  next few weeks.” 
  “Like hell you will.” Kane launched himself to his feet. His cutlery clattered to the floor 
  as he carelessly pushed it off the table. 
  Everet remained in his seat, tilting back his head so he never once needed to look away 
  from Kane’s eyes. “You said you were too tired to speak to Mr. Johnson yourself.” 
  “Where is he?” Kane demanded. 
  Everet raised an eyebrow. 
  “This Mr. Johnson,” Kane snapped. “Where is he? I want to speak to him, right now.” 
  “Sit down.” 
  “I said—” 
  “I heard you, so did most of the men in the room. Sit down. Pick up your knife and fork 
  and put them back on the table. Then, when you’re calm, I’ll take you to see Mr. Johnson.” 
  “No.” From the way he said it, Kane seemed to expect some sort of dramatic reaction to 
  the pronouncement. 
  Everet merely settled himself a little more comfortably in his seat. He had plenty to think 
  about to pass his time. At some point, he’d have to get back to his regular duties at the nest. No 
  doubt everything had gone to hell when he’d been distracted by Kane’s illness. 
  He’d have to sort out the mess the other men had made of his attempts to set up a system 
  where avians who, while not exactly breaking any of the nest’s laws, had mistreated or taken 
  advantage of lower ranking men, could be recorded and monitored. 
  “Are you just going to sit there?” Kane demanded, his voice still a dozen decibels louder 
  than it needed to be. 
  “Yes, until you’re ready to leave, that’s exactly what I intend to do.” 
  “I’m ready now!” Kane actually stamped his foot. He was obviously used to getting his 
  own way whenever he threw that kind of a fit. It would have been amusing if it hadn’t reduced a 
  man with Kane’s potential to something so far beneath what he should have been. 
  
  “The way to show me you’re ready is to sit quietly in your chair, with your knife and fork 
  back on the table.” 
  “Seriously? This is what you want to make a stand over?” 
  Everet shrugged. It might as well be. The point that he wouldn’t be influenced by 
  hysterics would have to be made sometime. “No time like the present.” 
  Kane dragged his chair back several inches, making the legs screech against the 
  floorboards. He snatched up the cutlery and tossed it on the plate with a clatter. Shoving one 
  hand into his pocket, he dumped himself into his seat as if the chair had personally offended him. 
  Although why Kane should think anything in its right mind wouldn’t love to be pressed up 
  against his arse— 
  Everet cut that line of thought off very sharply. If he went down that route, they’d never 
  get anything done. He stood up. “Good. Well done. Mr. Johnson’s office is this way.” He held 
  his arm out, letting Kane precede him between the rows of tables. 
  Kane still didn’t have much weight to him, but he stomped far better than many men 
  twice his size could have managed. One brief glance told Everet that the men at most of the 
  tables around them were staring at Kane, some with disapproval or amusement, but most of them 
  with straightforward lust. 
  Everet automatically quickened his steps, making sure he walked so closely behind Kane 
  no one could miss the fact they were together. Kane was his, and Everet needed every man who 
  even thought about screwing Kane to realize that it wasn’t an option. Kane had already been 
  claimed. 
  Everet’s hands itched with an unaccustomed desire to lash out at any man who went near 
  Kane. He’d never felt anything like it, never felt so out of control inside his own skin. 
  Damn, but he’d have loved to be able to put a collar around the magpie’s neck—and to 
  attach a lead to it. The idea of Kane being marked and kept at his side appealed like nothing else 
  he’d ever known. 
  As his mind raced, Everet forced himself to keep his expression neutral and his fingers 
  relaxed, no matter how badly they wanted to furl themselves into fists. 
  It only took them a few minutes to descend the stairs into an administrative part of the 
  building. The elaborate décor of the public rooms morphed into a more business-like space that 
  supplied a middle ground between the grandeur above and the Spartan servants’ quarters below. 
  
  Mr. Johnson’s office stood halfway down a long corridor housing the entrances to a 
  dozen different offices. Searching for something to keep his mind off thoughts of killing anyone 
  who tried to steal Kane away from him, Everet glanced at the brass plates on the doors as they 
  passed them. 
  Owls, pelicans, penguins, gulls. No ravens’ names were etched there. They weren’t quite 
  in Everet’s domain, but the men who resided behind those doors weren’t exactly birds of prey 
  either. 
  No men occupied the line of chairs in the corridor directly outside Mr. Johnson’s 
  doorway. The door stood open. 
  Everet tapped on the doorframe to catch the attention of the rather portly gentleman 
  sitting behind the large leather-topped desk. 
  “Everet, always a pleasure!” Mr. Johnson stood up and extended a hand across the table, 
  offering him the status of an equal without hesitation. 
  Everet shook the other man’s hand, but even while he looked at Mr. Johnson, all his other 
  senses homed in on Kane, ready to react to any movement on the magpie’s part. 
  “And who have we here?” Mr. Johnson asked, as jovial as ever. 
  “You don’t have me, darling,” Kane drawled. “And if you had ever had me, you’d 
  remember who I was. Some of us aren’t forgettable.” 
  Everet looked toward Kane just in time to see him run his eyes up and down Mr. Johnson 
  in a way that made it quite clear which side of the memorable-unmemorable divide Kane thought 
  the nest’s household administrator fell onto. 
  “Ah, yes, Everet,” Mr. Johnson said. “Your new charge. There has been more than a 
  touch of gossip surrounding your little endeavor.” He took his seat and indicated the chairs on 
  the opposite side of the desk. 
  Everet sat down. 
  “We all can but hope you are successful,” Mr. Johnson went on, absentmindedly 
  shuffling some of the many papers that littered his desk. “It would be a fine day indeed if 
  someone were to find a way to rehabilitate the less savory species in our—” 
  “I am still here, you know,” Kane snapped. 
  
  Mr. Johnson glanced up at him. “Yes, so you are!” He completely dismissed him and 
  turned to back Everet. Amusement danced in his eyes as their gazes met. “What can I do for you 
  today, Everet?” 
  “Kane would like a job at the nest. Preferably nothing too strenuous, but definitely 
  something which will entail supervision and structure,” Everet said. 
  His unease at his submissive's behavior gradually dissipated as he realized Mr. Johnson 
  had no intention of taking offense at anything Kane said. He put Everet in mind of a female owl 
  who’d taught him when he was a fledgling in school. She’d had far more sense than to reward 
  naughty children with attention as well. 
  “Kane can speak for himself!” Kane cut in. 
  “You could,” Everet allowed. “But you gave me the right to speak for you in certain 
  matters when you agreed to come under my protection—at least until you can speak politely 
  about them on your own behalf.” He turned back to Mr. Johnson. 
  The older man bowed his head over a ledger. “Does he have any special skills that might 
  be of use to the nest?” 
  “I give excellent blowjobs,” Kane said, before Everet had a chance. 
  Mr. Johnson ran a finger down a column. “Unfortunately, we don’t appear to have 
  anything that requires that particular skill…” he murmured. “However, there’s a position on one 
  of the cleaning flocks that—” 
  “No way in hell I’m—!” 
  “He’ll take it.” 
  Both statements hit the air at the same time. 
  Mr. Johnson’s lips twitched. “Fantastic!” 
  Kane jerked to his feet and planted his hands on Mr. Johnson’s desk. “I said—” 
  “That you would defer to my decisions,” Everet interrupted. He really wished there was a 
  way to turn down the volume on Kane. His head ached like he’d been punched by an albatross. 
  And he’d thought looking after the mute and motionless version of Kane had been exhausting! 
  Kane glanced over his shoulder at Everet. His eyes narrowed. “Whatever.” 
  He’d started plotting something. Everet had no doubt about that. Kane wasn’t simply 
  giving in. Even after such a brief acquaintance, it was obvious that wasn’t his style. 
  
  Mr. Johnson looked at the clock on the wall opposite his desk. “As it happens, one of the 
  cleaning flocks is due to congregate in the upper hallway in just a few minutes time.” 
  “Perfect. Thank you. We’ll go straight up and meet them there.” Everet stood and offered 
  Mr. Johnson his hand. The owl extended a hand toward him in return. 
  Kane strode out of the room as Everet shook hands with Mr. Johnson, his own hands 
  once more shoved deep into his pockets. 
  Everet caught up with him at the end of a row of chairs in the corridor, just in time to 
  grab hold of his arm and turn him toward a set of service stairs leading up to the top floor. 
  “Me. A cleaner?” Kane demanded. “Seriously?” 
  “There’s nothing wrong with cleaning.” 
  “Fine, then you can do it!” As they stepped into the upper hallway, Kane planted his feet 
  firmly in the deep pile of the long, maroon carpet. “I’ll do your job.” Kane’s frown deepened. 
  “What do you do?” 
  “Nest security,” Everet told him, not for the first time. “You wouldn’t like it.” 
  “I don’t like this, either. I’m not going to be a cleaner!” 
  Everet didn’t bother to answer. He’d already seen the group of avians milling around at 
  the other end of the hall. He strode forward, his hand still wrapped around Kane’s arm, ignoring 
  any of the other man’s attempts to slow them down. 
  The group caught sight of them when they were just a few yards away. One man nudged 
  his neighbor in the ribs, by the time Everet and Kane came to a halt, all the men faced them 
  expectantly. 
  “Good morning, gentlemen,” Everet said. “Kane will be joining your crew today. He’s 
  new to the nest. He’s also restricted to light duties for the time being.” 
  One of the avians stepped forward. His stance and attitude made it clear that he was the 
  highest-ranking man there and therefore in nominal charge of the group. “Yes, sir.” He tipped his 
  head respectfully to Everet. 
  The man looked to be somewhere in his forties, short and dressed with a neatness that 
  hinted he’d probably be fanatical in his attention to detail. Everet glanced down at the other 
  man’s wrist. His mark proclaimed him to be a partridge. 
  All in all, the man looked like a fine choice to lead the flock—and no match at all for 
  Kane’s current standard of behavior. 
  
  “I’ll stay and follow your progress today, too,” Everet went on. “To observe Kane, make 
  sure he settles in and that everything goes well on his first day.” 
  “You’re very welcome, sir.” The partridge nodded to him again. When repeated so often, 
  the gesture made him look a little like a puppet with a faulty string. 
  Everet acknowledged him with a very slight dip of his own head and took three steps 
  back, leaving Kane as part of the group while he removed himself from their immediate sphere. 
   
  Kane glared at the group of drab little men standing before him. He could already sense 
  how badly they resented his presence. Well, screw them. Kane pursed his lips, not bothering to 
  hide his distaste at the company he was temporarily forced to keep. 
  Everet’s eyes bored into the back of Kane’s neck so fiercely the other man might as well 
  have been put in a permanent choke hold. If he’d just have buggered off and left him to it, it 
  would have been so easy. 
  The guy who’d been so deferential to Everet handed a yellow duster and a canister of 
  spray polish to Kane. Damn. With Everet there, he’d at least have to pretend to play along for a 
  while. Kane snatched both items from the other man. 
  There was a mark on the inside of the guy’s wrist but Kane didn’t recognize it. 
  “You’re a magpie?” the man asked. 
  “Yeah.” What about it? 
  The other man glanced toward Everet. It was obvious that his decision not to answer the 
  unspoken question was based entirely upon the raven’s presence. 
  Kane huffed his disgust. What a coward… 
  The guy cleared his throat in that prissy little manner self-important men had. “You’ll 
  work on the left-hand side of the hallway. Make sure you get all the wooden surfaces. One of the 
  others will be around to take care of the glass and the soft furnishings. Until we know what sort 
  of standard you work to, I’ll make regular checks on your progress.” 
  Kane said nothing. 
  The other members of the group picked up equipment from a wheeled trolley in the 
  middle of the hall and spread out to do their various jobs without any orders hitting the air. 
  Apparently, they were all well trained. 
  Kane tilted up his chin. He’d never be like them. 
  
  They all worked in silence, just to make the task that little bit more boring than it would 
  have been anyway. Kane sighed and halfheartedly squirted some of the polish on a side table set 
  between two doors. 
  Perhaps the job would have been slightly more tolerable if it had looked like something 
  worth keeping clean, but it was the most boring thing in creation. No sparkle or glitter, just drab 
  brown wood. He gave it a quick rub with the cloth because Everet still lurked nearby, and moved 
  on to the next one. 
  “Kane.” 
  Rolling his eyes, Kane returned to the table and tapped his toe against the floor as the 
  same guy as before gave him an in-depth lecture about making sure he moved things and cleaned 
  beneath them rather than just around them. He went on about how it was important to work the 
  duster over the detailing on the sides of the table too. Apparently, it was also vital to make sure 
  no dust clung to the rail underneath the table. As if anyone could possibly give a damn about 
  what was down there. 
  “Any questions?” 
  Kane let his face go carefully blank. “Maybe you could show me on the next table along? 
  I’m sure I could get the hang of it then.” 
  He offered the man a carefully calculated smile and saw color rush to his checks in 
  response. 
  Gotcha! 
  This one would be so easy to wrap around his finger, it would be— 
  “No.” 
  Kane looked over his shoulder and there was Everet, well within eavesdropping range. 
  The head of the work party blinked, as if he had completely forgotten about the raven’s 
  presence. 
  “He knows what to do,” Everet said, coldly. “He just wants to con you into doing it for 
  him. Every table you demonstrate the correct technique on is one less that he has to do himself. If 
  you’re not careful, he’ll flirt his way into getting you to do them all for him.” 
  Kane glared over his shoulder at Everet. 
  Bastard. 
  
  There was no point trying to get out of doing it again, at least, not straight away. Kane 
  snatched the equipment off his self-appointed cleaning instructor and stomped off to the next 
  table lining the hall. 
  Everet silently took up position barely a yard away from him, arms folded across his 
  chest, as still as a statue. If Kane didn’t do the job right, he had a horrible feeling that Everet 
  would make him re-do it over and over again until he was satisfied. 
  Quick to spot out the route of least resistance, Kane did exactly as he’d been shown. He 
  even remembered the bar beneath the damn big lump of oak. 
  The only way to reach beneath the table was to get down on his knees. Kane turned to 
  Everet the moment his knees hit the hall carpet. “You know, there are far more interesting things 
  I could do in this position.” 
  The raven wasn’t an idiot, he knew exactly what Kane offered him, but Kane still licked 
  his lips, just to make things that little bit clearer. 
  “You’ve used sex to manipulate men for too long. It’s time to stop,” Everet said. His face 
  remained expressionless, but the way his shoulders tensed made it clear that he was far from as 
  unaffected as he’d like to appear. 
  “You think that’s the only reason I’d want to suck your cock?” Kane asked. “I’d never 
  have guessed you were so modest!” He turned and ran the cloth over the carved wood running 
  between the legs of the table. There wasn’t even any damn dust there to be wiped away, talk 
  about bloody pointless. 
  “Flattery won’t get you out of doing your fair share of work,” Everet snapped. 
  A few of the other men had vacuum cleaners going as they attacked the carpet with 
  apparent pleasure in their work. 
  Despite the fact a dozen avians lurked in the hallway, Kane realized that there was no one 
  within earshot of them. “It’s only flattery if I’m lying.” 
  Everet’s face remained impassive. He even managed to relax his shoulders and look 
  stress free. It was only the way his trousers tented over his growing erection that let Kane know 
  that all his kneeling and flirting wasn’t going to waste. 
  “You’re not an idiot,” Kane said. “You have to know you’re hot—in a grumpy sort of 
  way. After bending over for rich old men who’d never have a chance of getting laid if they 
  weren’t paying for it, you’d actually make a nice change.” 
  
  Everet stepped forward, giving another member of the work party room to open a door 
  behind him and step through it. The door swung closed, but Everet didn’t retreat. 
  He was now less than half a yard away from Kane. 
  “More subtle attempts at manipulation aren’t going to get you anywhere either.” 
  Kane laughed. “Do you want to screw me just because you think it will give you a better 
  chance of getting some kind of obedience out of me the next time you try and order me around?” 
  “Of course not!” Everet snapped. “That has nothing to do with—” 
  “So why can’t I just want to screw you because I think it might be fun?” Kane stood up. 
  “If I’m going to spend all day doing this.” He brandished a duster. “I could use something hot to 
  look forward to when I’m done. Sometimes sex is just sex.” 
  Everet’s gaze narrowed. He didn’t trust him. 
  Kane smiled. He’d been right to say the other man was no idiot. 
  “You’re neglecting your work,” Everet finally said. 
  That wasn’t a no. As Kane made his way to the next table, he had no doubt he’d be able 
  to make the answer a very firm yes by the time they went back to Everet’s rooms that night. 
  Leaning over to wipe all the way to the back of the tabletop, he made sure that his arse faced 
  Everet and the fabric of his jeans stretched very nicely over his buttocks. 
  Against all his expectations when he’d first decided to make the offer, Kane found 
  himself looking forward to exchanging something other than cross words with the raven. His 
  shaft pressed against the inside of his fly just as firmly as Everet’s did. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Six 
   
   
  “Well?” Kane demanded, before Everet had even had a chance to close the apartment 
  door behind them. 
  Everet took a deep breath. 
  “I did the damn housework, what do I get in exchange?” Kane asked. 
  “The nest will pay for your food and lodging here, and you’ll be given a salary at the end 
  of the month.” Everet decided it was best not to mention that, as Kane’s master, the salary would 
  be paid to him. There was no need to invite another temper tantrum when Everet knew he’d pass 
  on every penny to Kane anyway. 
  Everet pushed his hand through his hair as he walked deeper into the apartment, for once 
  he was unable to stop himself fidgeting in an effort to expel some of the energy that coursed 
  through his veins. 
  “You know that’s not what I’m talking about,” Kane snapped. 
  “Sex shouldn’t be about exchanging anything other than pleasure,” Everet said. “You 
  don’t earn sex any more than you sell it—not anymore.” 
  Kane scowled across the room at him. “You said we could have sex.” 
  “No,” Everet corrected. “I didn’t.” He’d been very careful about that. He hadn’t promised 
  anything. He hadn’t guaranteed what would happen between them that night. 
  No matter how many times he turned the matter over in his head, he was damned if he 
  could work out what decision he’d make if he really wanted to do the best by Kane. 
  Give in, and everything could fall apart. Kane might think he was the same as every other 
  man who’d used him that way. 
  Avoid sex entirely, and it would always be the issue hanging over them. Kane would 
  always think he’d be able to get around him if he just flirted enough. 
  Everet ran his hand down his face. 
  
  “We might not even get that much pleasure from it.” The words were part of the 
  conversation he had with himself, intended to be heard by no one else. But they were out of 
  Everet’s mouth before he could stop them. The worst of it was, the words were true. Fantasy was 
  one thing, reality something else, for both of them. 
  “If you don’t have the balls to follow through, just say it,” Kane ordered. “Don’t lie. We 
  have enough chemistry to start a damn lab and you know it.” 
  Everet huffed. If only that was all they needed. “You think I bossed you around a lot 
  when you were dusting tables? You have no idea how much control I like to have over my 
  lovers.” 
  Kane leaned against the back of Everet’s sofa. Everet wasn’t sure why he should be 
  surprised at that. The little sod had found a million different things to bend over during the day. 
  God, but his arse looked amazing from every conceivable angle. 
  “Ravens have a reputation for being kinky,” Kane said, as if it were no big deal. 
  “But magpies don’t,” Everet countered. 
  Kane shrugged. Pushing himself away from the sofa, he slowly walked around it, until he 
  stood directly in front of Everet, his hands hooked into the beltloops on his jeans, his crotch 
  thrust forward and his erection clearly visible against the fabric of his pants. “Think you can 
  come up with anything I haven’t tried before?” 
  “Tried when payment wasn’t involved?” Everet asked. “Yes.” He had no doubt about 
  that. 
  Kane glared up at him, anger suddenly burning brightly in his expression. 
  Everet didn’t flinch from it. Hell, he welcomed it. “We’re talking about pleasure, not 
  payment,” he repeated, in the vague hope it would help the idea sink into Kane’s mind. “You’re 
  not going to get anything out of this except a good time—and if you’re not into my kind of sex, 
  you probably won’t even get that from me.” 
  Kane turned and walked away from him, his steps slow and lazy. On the other side of the 
  room, he glanced over his shoulder. “You’d best tell me what you’re into then.” 
  “I like to be in control.” 
  Kane’s eyes opened wide as he looked over his other shoulder and favored Everet with 
  another glimpse of his face. “I’m shocked.” 
  
  “I like to play rough,” Everet added. If he wanted the truth from Kane, he had no option 
  but to offer it in return. 
  “How rough?” There was nothing coy about that question. Kane turned to face him head 
  on. 
  “The kind of rough that doesn’t leave bruises,” Everet said. “The kind both guys can 
  enjoy.” 
  For once, Kane didn’t rush to interrupt. He let Everet continue in peace. 
  “I like to pin a man down, but only when I know he enjoys the game as much as I do. I’ve 
  reddened a few arses, but only when they’ve belonged to guys who begged for more.” Everet 
  forced himself not to close the gap between them, but it was the hardest thing he’d ever done. “I 
  like to feel a man squirm beneath me, but only when I know he’s just testing my control over 
  him, not when he’s actually trying to get away.” 
  Kane’s lips twisted into a smile. “I think I’ll survive.” 
  “We’re not talking about survival anymore.” 
  Kane was suddenly six inches away from Everet’s face. “You want permission to pin me 
  down? You’ve got it. But, you know, if you want me to play hard to get just so you can have the 
  pleasure of catching me, you don’t need to try and press my buttons. I’m more than happy to run 
  away if that’s what turns you on.” 
  And suddenly, Kane was in the bedroom. The door slammed shut in his wake. Pure 
  predatory instinct kicked in. No raven would have been able to stand still. 
  Every thought of the nice civilized discussions he’d intended to have before they so much 
  as brushed against each other fled from Everet’s mind. He lurched forward. Before his brain had 
  caught up with his body, he was through the bedroom door. 
  It wasn’t a huge room. There wasn’t far for Kane to run. He stood on the opposite side of 
  the room, eyes sparkling with mischief. 
  Alive. 
  He looked so damn alive. Just a few days before, Everet had been so sure the only version 
  of the man he’d ever see in that room would be deathly pale, his breathing unreliable, his 
  temperature sky high. 
  
  A man would have had to be a complete bastard to want to screw the magpie who’d lain 
  in the sick bed, but this version of Kane. He was perfect, strong and bratty, and he wouldn’t let 
  anyone do anything to him that he didn’t want—not for free. 
  As Everet admired this new version of Kane, he stepped forward, closing the gap in 
  careful, measured paces. 
  Kane grinned. There was no hint of fear in him, no sign of any kind of weakness. He was 
  cornered, but he didn’t seem to know it. There was no way he could possibly escape while 
  Everet stood— 
  Without any warning, Kane was gone. 
  Jumping up onto the mattress, he tapped into the energy in the springs and leaped onto 
  the floor at the other side of the bed. Damn, but he was quick. Everet spun around to face him 
  again. 
  “Too slow, sweetheart,” Kane chided. 
  Yes, he was exactly that—slow. Everet remained slow as he rounded the bed. He didn’t 
  rush, didn’t leap, every step he took was very deliberate now that he had his prey in his sights. 
  Kane managed to remain motionless as he studied Everet in return, but only for a few 
  seconds. He didn’t have Everet’s patience. He was all about movement. His feet shuffled against 
  the bedroom carpet as he fought against that instinct for all of a millisecond. He leapt again. 
  This time Everet was ready. His slow progress meant he hadn’t even moved past the 
  bottom corner of the bed. He dived, just a split second after Kane. His arms wrapped around the 
  magpie’s torso. His weight carried them forward until they crashed onto the mattress. 
  The chase morphed seamlessly into a wrestle for supremacy. 
  Everet grappled for Kane’s wrists. Light, contagious laughter filled the air as Kane 
  managed to squirm around and trap his hands beneath his own stomach, hiding them from 
  Everet. 
  Their bodies lined up perfectly as Everet straddled the backs of Kane’s thighs and 
  reached around him. His crotch rubbed against Kane’s arse again and again as he tried to worm 
  his hands beneath the smaller man’s torso. 
  Success. He finally caught hold of one wrist, then the other. Sitting back on the other 
  man’s calves, Everet revealed his prize to the world as he pulled Kane up off the mattress to 
  kneel in front of him, as if they were spooning against each other. 
  
  Breathless, mostly from their tussle, but more than a little from laughter too, Kane 
  cheerfully collapsed back against him. 
  “Screw me.” It was a demand, not an invitation. 
  All at once, neither of them was laughing. 
  “I thought I was supposed to be the bossy one,” Everet growled in Kane’s ear. 
  “You want to be boss of this bed. Prove you can take the title from me.” 
  In less than two seconds, Everet had rolled Kane onto his back and straddled him again. 
  Shock filled Kane’s eyes for a second then he was back in form. He parted his lips, no doubt to 
  utter something insulting. 
  Everet put his hand over the other man’s mouth, testing the way forward. Every cell in 
  his body reacted to Kane and his challenges. His desire to take control of another avian had never 
  been so strong. His need to make sure the man in his care was well treated had never seemed so 
  desperate. 
  “There’s only one word you’re allowed to say from now on,” Everet said. 
  Kane nipped at the soft part of Everet’s hand where the skin at the base of his thumb 
  curved up toward his index finger. Everet ignored the stab of pain. 
  “No.” 
  Kane’s eyes narrowed, obviously furious at hearing the word directed at him in any 
  circumstances. 
  “That’s the only word you’re allowed to say,” Everet explained. “You want this to stop, 
  say no.” 
  He frowned. For a moment he was as silent as Kane, even without the help of a gagging 
  hand. 
  “Actually, scratch that last bit. Whatever you say, that’s what’s going to happen,” Everet 
  decided. “No more smart remarks, no more coy flirty little bits of nonsense. Either you want this 
  or you don’t. If you don’t, say something, anything at all. If you do want it, you have to stay 
  completely silent. Not one word.” 
  Kane stared up at him, his eyes as calculating as ever, but Everet saw no way in which 
  Kane could manipulate the order. 
  He held Kane’s gaze as he went on, determined that the other man should see how serious 
  he was about this. “You can speak up at any time. I won’t be angry. You won’t be punished.” 
  
  Everet kept his hand over Kane’s mouth for several more seconds, making sure the magpie had 
  time to think about what he’d said, if he wanted to speak or not. 
  “You understand your options?” Everet checked, one last time. 
  Every fiber and sinew in him prayed Kane wouldn’t back off now, but he somehow kept 
  his expression neutral. “Nod if you do.” 
  Kane nodded, taking the opportunity to simultaneously dig his teeth a little farther into 
  Everet’s hand. He might as well have saved himself the bother. Everet was so focused on the 
  importance of the moment, he didn’t even feel the bite. 
  Lifting his hand away from Kane’s mouth, Everet straightened, shifting his weight back. 
  “Give me your answer.” 
  Kane didn’t say a word. Not one single blessed syllable left his mouth. 
  A wave of relief rushed through Everet. He knew how hard it was for Kane to remain 
  silent at any time. If he made the effort and kept quiet, it was because he really wanted this. 
  Then, Kane poked out his tongue. There was a smudge of blood on it—Everet’s blood. 
  Everet automatically glanced down at his hand. The little bugger had bitten down hard 
  and broken the skin. He looked wonderfully proud of that achievement. 
  “Careful, Kane, you’re not the only man in the bed with teeth.” 
  Everet still sat over Kane’s legs. The top half of the magpie’s body was free. Kane made 
  the most of that and sat up. 
  Watching him warily, Everet allowed the other man to retain that little bit of freedom for 
  a few moments. Catching hold of Everet’s wrist, Kane guided his hand up to his mouth. 
  He very gently kissed and licked at the wound, doing what he could to clean it and make 
  it better. 
  It might have looked like an apology, but when Kane glanced up at Everet’s eyes, his 
  gaze was all seduction. No one should have been able to make licking an open wound look 
  erotic, but somehow Kane managed it. 
  Everet took his hand away. Lifting his leg over Kane, he got off the bed completely. Kane 
  opened his mouth, no doubt his complaint already rushing to his lips. 
  “Remember the rules,” Everet warned. 
  Kane stopped short, unable to say a single word without bringing the game to a halt. 
  Folding his arms across his chest, he settled for lifting one eyebrow in silent challenge. 
  
  “Take off your clothes,” Everet ordered. 
  Kane held Everet’s gaze for a moment. Then, a smile curved his lips. He pulled his shirt 
  over his head and threw it aside. 
  Everet made a mental note to make tossing clothes on the floor against the rules in future. 
  He wasn’t about to play the maid and pick them up. 
  Kane reached for his fly. Everet had seen the other man naked a hundred times before, 
  but it felt different this time. This time they were both thinking about sex. Everet sent up a silent 
  prayer that what they were both doing was for the right reasons. It was too late for him to back 
  off now. The only one with a safe word was Kane. 
   
  Kane flung his jeans to one side. Everet looked so bloody serious about it all. But, if he 
  really thought there was any way in hell that what happened between them that night wasn’t 
  going to completely alter everything between them, he was far more of an idiot than Kane would 
  ever have taken him for. 
  Kneeling in the center of the bed, Kane waited for another order, no doubt just as Everet 
  intended him to. It wasn’t as difficult to do that as he expected it to be. Not talking, now that was 
  a challenge. 
  Kane bit down on his bottom lip as he fought to keep words back. There were no 
  particular words that he wanted to say, but that was irrelevant. The urge to speak, to be heard, to 
  prove he was worth hearing, was almost overwhelming. 
  Everet finally stopped doing his statue impression. He pulled his own shirt over his head 
  and set it on the chair in the corner of the room. Other items of clothing followed. Kane watched 
  every movement, taking in each line of muscle revealed to him. 
  The raven wasn’t pretty, he was too strong to suit a word like that, too male. There was so 
  much raw power in him it almost took Kane’s breath away, and he had a truly gorgeous cock. 
  It really was a case of no payment necessary in Everet’s case. The guy was so— 
  What the hell? Kane shook his head at himself. Other men thought with their cocks, he 
  didn’t think with his. There bloody well had better be a pay-out on the cards! Otherwise, he 
  was— 
  “Second thoughts?” 
  Kane opened his mouth, but quickly settled on silently frowning at Everet. 
  
  “You’re allowed to speak to answer a direction questions.” 
  “I’m not having second thoughts,” Kane said. “I’m ready to go, aren’t I?” He waved a 
  hand at his flourishing erection. 
  “You shook your head.” 
  “No, I didn’t.” 
  Everet said nothing. He just stood there, stern and disapproving. 
  “And even if I did, it doesn’t mean you have to stop everything.” 
  “Yes, it does,” Everet said. “I have no interest in an unwilling partner, remember?” 
  He said it so patiently, as if it wasn’t already the millionth time he’d said it, as if he’d say 
  it another billion times if he thought he needed to. 
  Kane glared at him, remaining perfectly still while his brain went into overtime. 
  Everet meant what he said. And he wasn’t going to be easy to fool. Nest security. Nest 
  cop. Being lied to all the time would have given him a really good built-in lie detector. 
  There was only one way to proceed with a man like that. 
  Kane looked inside himself, searching out that part of himself that wanted to believe that 
  the version of reality Everet spoke about actually existed for a magpie like him. 
  It was far easier to find that part of his psyche than it had been any other time. Kane had 
  turned to his tactic of last resort. Barely a split second had passed before that side of Kane 
  stepped forward, more than ready and willing to take over. 
  It would be good to be able to have sex and just enjoy it rather than be focusing on any 
  kind of end game that didn’t involve an orgasm. Yes. Being aware of his own pleasure rather 
  than the need to constantly please someone else so they’d be inclined to give him what he 
  wanted… 
  It was strangely freeing, undeniably scary. 
  Kane let it all flood right to the front of his mind, safe in the knowledge that the regular 
  part of him was still there in the background, ready to resume control once it was in his best 
  interests to do so. 
  He looked up and met Everet’s eyes. The raven’s frown deepened. Kane didn’t even 
  blink. 
  
  Everet moved forward, until he stood with his legs pressed against the edge of the 
  mattress. Kane remained perfectly motionless as the raven dipped his head and brought their lips 
  together for the first time. 
  The kiss was simple and strangely sweet. For the first time he could remember, Kane 
  didn’t keep his eyes open in order to monitor his lover’s reactions. He let his lids drop down so 
  he could better focus on the way the other man’s mouth felt against his. 
  Everet’s lips were far softer than he expected. There was nothing insistent or demanding 
  about the way they moved against Kane’s mouth. It was all very, well, very un-raven like. 
  Kane parted his lips, curious if Everet would accept the invitation. He didn’t jump at the 
  chance to claim Kane’s mouth the way Kane hoped he might. Instead, he slid his hand into 
  Kane’s hair and encouraged him to tilt his head back. 
  Kane allowed Everet to do that. Yes, that was right. He let Everet do it. Kane was the one 
  in control, whatever Everet might think. He was the one who could stop it all with a word. And, 
  for once in his life, it really felt like that was what would happen if he demanded the game stop. 
  Everet wouldn’t simply grin and keep going, enjoying himself all the more because the 
  man trapped beneath him was in the middle of a panic attack. Ravens were an honorable flock—
  more fool them. 
  Kane shifted on the bed, impatient for a real kiss. Everet ran his tongue gently across 
  Kane’s bottom lip. Frustration bubbled up inside Kane, demanding more, demanding movement. 
  Lifting his hands from his sides, Kane slid them into Everet’s hair. Tugging hard at the 
  thick, black strands, he pulled the raven down toward him, demanding that Everet deepen the 
  kiss now and not just whenever the hell the mood might strike him. 
  Everet made a grumbling, pissed off noise in the back of his throat as he swayed, almost 
  lost his balance, and quickly recovered. A strong stable lover was an invitation to use them as a 
  climbing frame as far as Kane was concerned. He let Everet take his weight and practically left 
  the bed as he fought for control of the kiss. 
  He nipped at Everet’s bottom lip, demanding to be allowed to explore the other man’s 
  mouth. Everet took no notice. So bloody controlled! 
  Kane tugged at the raven’s hair so hard he knew it had to hurt. With each movement he 
  made, his bare cock rubbed against Everet’s torso. Everet’s hard shaft rubbed against his body in 
  return. 
  
  Everet made that sound in the back of his throat again. A tingle of expectation raced all 
  the way down Kane’s spine. He moaned his approval as he pressed himself ever more firmly 
  against Everet’s body. 
  One moment Kane hung from the raven’s shoulders. The next, he lay flat on his back. His 
  eyes snapped open. He stared up at Everet in shock. The raven still wasn’t smiling, but at least he 
  didn’t look like a man inclined to be sensible and do his thinking with any part of his body that 
  resided above his waist. That was a definite improvement. 
  Even better, Everet looked like a man who was ready to screw. As if to confirm that 
  possibility, Everet grabbed a tube of lube from the drawer in his nightstand. 
  Kane immediately twisted around, to put himself on his hands and knees. 
  “No, stay on your back. I want to be able to see your face.” 
  Kane gave a mental shrug and rolled over again. Everet had already coated his fingers 
  with lube. Kane barely had a chance to pull his knees back toward his chest before the other 
  man’s digits slid against his hole, smearing the lube around the tight ring of muscle. 
  As Everet knelt on the bed alongside Kane, he loomed taller than he had any right to 
  appear. Without any warning, the raven turned his attention from Kane’s hole to his face. 
  “You remember what you need to do if you want me to stop?” Everet asked. 
  It was a bloody stupid question. Kane glared at him in annoyance. Everet’s fingers stilled, 
  halfway inside him. 
  He was waiting for an answer? Seriously? 
  Kane squirmed, trying to push himself farther onto Everet’s fingers so the tips of them 
  might rub against his prostate. The raven was as stubborn as a rock. 
  Finally, purely because it was in the interests of gaining his own pleasure, Kane nodded. 
  Yes, he knew what he needed to do to make Everet stop. He just wished he knew what to do in 
  order to get the other man to hurry the hell up. 
  As if someone had flicked a switch inside Everet, the moment Kane nodded, his fingers 
  started moving again, working their way deeper inside him, stretching him, preparing him to take 
  another man’s cock. 
  The whole time, Everet kept looking away from what his fingers did, and staring at 
  Kane’s face. It was completely unnatural. All the interesting stuff was going on elsewhere, damn 
  it! 
  
  “Just because you’re not allowed to speak, that doesn’t mean you can’t let me know what 
  you like.” Everet crocked his fingers, obviously looking for Kane’s prostate. 
  On the second try, he found it. Kane gasped. That wasn’t obedience, though. It was an 
  uncontrollable instinct. He couldn’t have kept it back if it would have saved his life. 
  Everet smiled slightly. He crooked his fingers again. A wave of pleasure rolled through 
  Kane’s body. It wasn’t like the bliss that came from quicksilver, but it felt good, and his body 
  was quick to latch onto it as a replacement, however ineffective it might ultimately be. 
  Kane moaned, arching his back and pushing himself down on Everet’s fingers. It was 
  easily the most wonderful sensation he could ever remember feeling. If Everet wanted to be 
  soppy and try to make it good for the guy he topped, Kane wasn’t going to complain. 
  Five minutes later, Kane changed his mind. He bloody well would complain. He didn’t 
  want Everet’s fingers. They weren’t good enough. He wanted Everet’s cock. Now! 
  Dizzy with a combination of pleasure and frustration, Kane reached out and wrapped his 
  hand around Everet’s shaft. 
  A surprised grunt escaped from Everet’s mouth. His cock slid against Kane’s palm, 
  slicked with a liberal supply of pre-cum but Everet’s free hand grasped Kane’s wrist before he 
  could deliver more than a few strokes. 
  Kane looked up. Their eyes met just a fraction of a second later, when Everet lifted his 
  own gaze. 
  Subtle pressure pushed against Kane’s wrist, encouraged him to resume his movements. 
  At the same time, Everet began to crook the fingers still nestled snuggly within Kane’s body. 
  The tips of the digits pressed against his prostate. His thumb rubbed against the sensitive strip of 
  skin between his hole and his ball sac. 
  Kane arched his back, pressing his head back against the mattress. His free hand 
  scrabbled at the blankets alongside him, grabbing fistfuls of them. His mind swirled with 
  pleasure. He gasped for breath, unable to stop himself moaning with both pleasure and 
  frustration. 
  Everet guided Kane’s wrist, nudging his hand to move faster and faster around his cock. 
  Kane’s own cock remained untouched. He didn’t have the coordination to reach for it. Hell, he 
  wouldn’t even have been able to keep jacking Everet if it hadn’t been for the raven regulating his 
  movements and helping him along. 
  
  Kane closed his eyes very tightly as bliss took flight inside him, quickly gaining height 
  and soaring through the sky high above anything he’d ever be able to control. He clenched his 
  teeth. There was no way he could hold back now, no possibility of calling that kind of ecstasy 
  back to the perch. Kicking out at the mattress, Kane lifted his arse up off the bed as he came. 
  Cum spilled across his stomach and chest. His hole clenched around Everet’s fingers. 
  Ecstasy stabbed him again and again, a pleasure so sharp it felt more like pain. 
  Kane’s breath lodged in his chest. He jerked against the sheets, unsure if he wanted to 
  squirm further into ecstasy or escape from it. It had been so long since he came, he’d swear his 
  body was punishing him for that. 
  Panic rushed through him as his lungs screamed out for oxygen. It seemed possible that 
  he might never be able to breathe again. Then, as quickly as it had claimed him, the moment of 
  pure perfection slipped away. He collapsed back in his bed, finally managing to pull a breath into 
  his lungs. 
  He lay there for what might have been hours letting all the parts of his scattered mind 
  come slowly back to him one by one. He lay completely still. Kane frowned. 
  Still. 
  Motionless. 
  That was a problem. Part of him should be moving. That was important. 
  His hand. Damn. Kane opened his eyes and looked down at his right hand. It still 
  encircled Everet’s shaft. It was also splattered with Everet’s cum. The other man had come, and 
  Kane hadn’t even noticed! 
  Lifting his gaze, he looked Everet in the eye. 
  The raven appeared completely emotionless. He should have looked impressed. Men 
  were supposed to be impressed after screwing Kane—it was a fact that he was very certain of. 
  No, that didn’t fit. Everet should actually look really embarrassed about coming too early. 
  They hadn’t even got to the screwing and being impressed stage, and Everet was as finished as 
  any man could ever be. As Kane continued to stare into Everet’s eyes, the raven retrieved his 
  fingers from within Kane’s body. 
  Kane straightened his legs. Everet lay down alongside him on the bed, apparently 
  perfectly at ease with the whole world. Kane frowned. 
  “Bit quick off the mark, weren’t you?” Kane asked. 
  
  “No,” Everet said, very simply. 
  “So you never intended to screw me?” Kane didn’t even try to make it sound like he 
  believed him for a second. 
  “Oh I imagined it,” Everet admitted. “I even let myself pretend that I’d do that tonight. 
  But no, I couldn’t let that happen.” 
  Kane rolled away from Everet and sat up on the edge of the bed, his feet on the floor. 
  “Messing around was one thing. Actually screwing you would have screwed us up in too 
  many ways,” Everet said. 
  Kane glared at the plain white wall adjacent to the bed, as if it had personally offended 
  him. His hands clenched into fists around the edge of the mattress. He looked down at his right 
  hand. It was still covered in cum. So was a fair amount of his torso. Kane absentmindedly wiped 
  his palm on the sheet. 
  He pulled himself to his feet. As he stepped forward he expected Everet to leap off the 
  bed and catch hold of him. He didn’t. A stupid part of Kane was disappointed. 
  Everet didn’t make any move to leave the bed and pursue him. He didn’t even speak until 
  Kane’s hand was on the door handle. 
  “You can go into the bathroom and clean up, that’s fine. But you’re not to leave the 
  apartment without my permission.” 
  Kane looked over his shoulder. And who’s going to stop me? 
  It was only his complete certainty that Everet’s inevitable answer would be “me”, that 
  stopped Kane from asking the question. The annoying thing was, Everet would probably follow 
  through with that statement, too. 
  Kane slammed the bedroom door behind him. He slammed the bathroom door too. In the 
  small, spartan space, he stared in the mirror above the sink. 
  He tried to remember the last time a guy hadn’t screwed him at the first opportunity and 
  failed. He couldn’t recall any occasion when that had happened. It was simply unheard of. 
  Kane frowned at his reflection. All his injuries had healed. Granted he still looked a 
  fraction tired around his eyes, but if he wasn’t an out and out ten, Kane reckoned that he could at 
  least manage a nine and a half on most men’s scales. 
  But, for some reason, Everet hadn’t wanted to… 
  
  No. He’d wanted to. Kane was sure of that. Everet had wanted to, but he’d held himself 
  back. 
  Kane’s frown deepened. He blinked rapidly and forced the expression from his face. 
  Running his fingers over the lines where the frown had been, he checked carefully for wrinkles. 
  No, he was still safe from that. There were no crow’s feet at the edges of his eyes either. 
  Kane turned away from his reflection, suddenly uncertain that what he saw there could 
  get him what he wanted. He shook his head in an effort to clear such a preposterous idea from his 
  mind, but it didn’t work. 
  Once he’d cleaned himself up, Kane wandered into the living room. Everet sat on the 
  sofa. He’d pulled his jeans on, but he hadn’t bothered with anything else. His feet were bare, so 
  was his chest. If he’d wanted to look as hot as possible, he’d succeeded. Kane stopped in his 
  tracks as their eyes met. 
  “Tomorrow, before you start work, we’ll need to put some ground rules in place.” 
  Kane folded his arms across his chest and said nothing. 
  Everet leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. “By then, you need 
  to decide if you want what we do together to be strictly about getting your behavior up to a 
  standard the nest considers acceptable, or if you are interested in a completely separate 
  arrangement between us, which would run alongside that. The second option would include sex. 
  The first wouldn’t.” 
  Unable to think of a witty, or even a sarcastic response, Kane raised an eyebrow. 
  “It’s your decision, and whatever it is, I’ll respect it.” Everet nodded toward the bedroom. 
  “Go get some sleep.” 
  “What about you?” Kane said, before he could think better of it. 
  “The room is yours for the night,” Everet said. “A bit of distance will probably do us both 
  good.” With that, he moved a cushion to one end of the sofa and lay down. 
  He was far too tall for the undersized piece of furniture. He had to rest his feet on the far 
  arm of the sofa. 
  Kane shrugged and went into the bedroom. There was no reason why he should care if 
  Everet got a good night’s sleep, so why did part of him hesitate as he closed the door, wondering 
  if he should offer to take the sofa? 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Seven 
   
   
  Everet tilted his head to one side, then the other, and rubbed the back of his neck. He’d 
  have to get a full night’s worth of sleep, at some point. Preferably one that involved lying 
  stretched out in a nice comfortable bed. He’d end up with a permanent crick in his neck if he 
  didn’t. 
  “Sleeping on the sofa not as much fun as you thought it would be?” 
  Everet spun around. 
  Kane stood in the bedroom doorway completely naked. 
  Apparently, Everet had been wrong to assume he’d have to drag the magpie out of bed to 
  face his second day at work. 
  “I slept fine, thank you,” Everet lied. 
  Kane’s lips twisted into a disbelieving smile. 
  Everet squared his stance and folded his arms across his chest in an effort not to fidget 
  nervously under the magpie’s gaze. “Have you made your decision?” 
  “Yes.” Kane said no more. 
  Everet clenched his teeth, determined to outstare the other man. Kane made him wait for 
  what felt like hours before he finally spoke again. 
  “Yes, I think a little side arrangement would be a very pleasant way to pass the time.” 
  Everet didn’t give himself time to look relieved. He immediately strode to the bedroom 
  door. Kane had left it ajar in his wake. Everet pushed it open the rest of the way, and drew a line 
  across the threshold with the toe of his boot. 
  Kane raised an eyebrow. “Are we playing charades now? I hope it’s a movie. I’ve never 
  been one for reading—unless you include the kind of magazines that have pictures of hot men 
  and sticky pages, of course.” 
  “This is the boundary line,” Everet said. 
  
  All the time he’d spent rehearsing the words in his head during the night paid dividends. 
  The syllables came out smooth and confident. There was no way Kane would be able to tell just 
  how fast his heart raced, or how unsure he was whether this was the right thing to do. 
  “Oh?” Kane prompted. 
  “On this side of the line, in the bedroom, we’re lovers. Perhaps one more dominant than 
  the other, but still, lovers.” Everet stepped back into the living room. “On this side of the line, 
  my only concern is making you a productive and trustworthy member of the nest.” 
  Kane frowned, apparently not the least impressed, but Everet didn’t even miss a beat. 
  “Nothing we do in the bedroom will affect anything that happens out here in any way. It 
  won’t change what work you’re expected to do or anything else. I won’t let that sort of 
  manipulation be an option for you.” 
  “You’ve got it all sorted out very neatly, haven’t you?” Kane asked, perching 
  nonchalantly on the arm of the sofa, still as naked as any man could ever be. 
  “I would hardly be a good master if I didn’t think things through in advance,” Everet 
  said. 
  Kane nodded slowly. It was impossible to tell what he thought of the arrangement, or if 
  he intended to sabotage it in every conceivable way. 
  Everet took a deep breath. “Do you have any questions?” 
  “What happens if you want to screw me somewhere other than in the bedroom? What if 
  you wanted to bend me over the back of the sofa, or push me up against the tiles in the shower? 
  Or, what if—?” 
  “For the moment, none of those things are an option,” Everet cut in. He didn’t need any 
  more erotic little sketches of Kane filling his mind. 
  Kane grinned and Everet knew that the other man had already spotted the way his jeans 
  tented over his erection—and that was just because they were in the same room together, Kane 
  hadn’t even needed to try to turn him on. 
  “It’s time for you to get dressed and go to work,” Everet announced, as impassively as 
  possible. 
  Kane laughed as he walked past him and disappeared into the bedroom. Everet didn’t 
  really blame him. 
  * * * * 
  
  “You’ll have to let him out of your sight sooner or later.” 
  Everet didn’t need to look over his shoulder. He knew Raynard’s voice well enough to 
  know who intended to deliver a lecture in his direction. 
  “Good afternoon, sir.” 
  He sensed the hawk move forward to stand alongside him but he didn’t look away from 
  Kane. The magpie’s dusting still wasn’t enthusiastic, but at least he seemed to have realized he 
  wasn’t going to be able to get out of doing a good job, so he didn’t need to be nagged and 
  prompted through each individual task. 
  “You’ve watched him all day, every day, haven’t you?” Raynard observed. 
  “He belongs to me.” 
  “That doesn’t change the fact you must be as bored as hell.” 
  Everet spared a brief glance toward the hawk. “No one said it would be an interesting job 
  all the time, sir.” 
  Raynard smiled slightly, but his face soon reverted to a more serious expression. “When 
  was the last time you stretched your wings?” 
  Everet watched Kane crouch down and dust the side molding on an elaborate mahogany 
  cabinet. 
  “I’m still waiting for an answer,” Raynard mentioned, calmly. “I have nothing to do until 
  Ori finishes in his meeting. I won’t walk away from this conversation just because you’ve decide 
  to adopt some of your submissive’s brattiness and keep me waiting.” 
  Everet pushed down his annoyance. Raynard was a hawk and should be spoken to with 
  respect. He was also a good man who actually deserved that respect. 
  “I haven’t stretched my wings since I took him on,” he admitted. 
  “Then it’s time you did.” 
  “There hasn’t been a suitable opportunity, sir. When he’s more settled, I’ll—” 
  “Now.” 
  Everet turned and looked up at the taller man. “He’s not ready to be left on his own, sir.” 
  Raynard turned as well, so they stood face to face, directly squaring off against each 
  other. “I agree.” 
  Everet hesitated, completely prepared to do battle, but not at all sure how to deal with a 
  peace offering. 
  
  “But that doesn’t change the fact you are going to go and stretch your wings. Now.” 
  Everet opened his mouth. 
  Raynard raised a hand, commanding his silence. “I’ll watch him until you get back.” 
  There were a great many things Everet could have said, but none of them felt suitable. 
  No! was the first response that tried to rush to his lips, but Raynard was a hawk. A raven 
  didn’t say no to a hawk on a whim. 
  You? Jumped up as a second option. He bit that back too. 
  “Kane is…” Everet finally began. “Kane is quite different to the kind of submissives you 
  might be used to, sir.” 
  “You mean he’s the complete opposite of Ori.” 
  Everet thought it best to remain silent at that point. 
  Amusement danced around Raynard’s eyes. “I told you before that a man’s first 
  submissive isn’t always his last. I do have a little more experience than you give me credit for.” 
  “I meant no disrespect, sir.” 
  Raynard waved the apology away. “None of this changes the fact that you’ve been given 
  an order—one I expect you to obey. Go and stretch your wings. You have one hour, starting 
  now.” 
  Everet glanced toward Kane. 
  “You may go and tell him who he will be answerable to in your absence,” Raynard 
  allowed. 
  Everet held back a sigh and walked down the corridor to where Kane halfheartedly went 
  about his duties. He seemed to sense Everet’s approach because he suddenly became far more 
  industrious. 
  “Mr. Raynard will be watching over you for the next hour.” 
  “Why?” 
  “Because you’re not ready to be left unsupervised just yet.” 
  Kane straightened up. “Where are you going?” he demanded. 
  “Everet, now!” Raynard ordered. 
  “We’ll speak about it later,” Everet said to Kane, as quickly as he could. Well aware of 
  all the various men’s eyes on him, he turned on his heel and strode along the corridor. 
  Every step he took was like fingernails on a chalkboard. 
  
  Leaving Kane was unnatural. It was only pure bloody mindedness that kept him going. 
  That, and the knowledge that he’d hardly be setting a good example for Kane if he went back on 
  his word and failed to obey what was, on the surface at least, a very reasonable command from a 
  man fully entitled to give him orders. 
  Parts of his body were obviously very in favor of following Raynard’s instructions, 
  because he didn’t need to think about where he headed. His feet rapidly carried him up to the 
  highest floors of the nest. 
  He pushed open a door at the top of the flight of stairs leading to the mid-level avians’ 
  changing rooms. A couple of other men stood alongside the row of lockers lining the wall to the 
  left, but all of Everet’s attention immediately honed in on the windows on the right-hand side of 
  the space. 
  Each square aperture offered a glimpse of sky that called to Everet, drawing him closer. 
  The door behind him swung open, only just missing his shoulder. With one last glace toward the 
  pale blue sky, Everet made his way to the lockers and pulled his T-shirt over his head. 
  Within a few seconds, he’d stripped down to his bare skin. Setting his clothes in the 
  locker, he put his boots in on another shelf, and tucked his watch inside one of them. He took a 
  deep breath. 
  One hour. Kane would be fine without him for an hour. Maybe just as importantly, Everet 
  needed to remember he’d be fine without Kane, too. Closing the locker, Everet turned to the 
  window directly opposite him. 
  The moment he opened it, fresh air caressed his skin. A shiver ran down his back but it 
  had less to do with temperature than with his body’s increasing desire to shift. Everet closed his 
  eyes and placed his hand on the small wooden perch positioned just inside the window. 
  There was some part of his mind that wanted to hold on to its human shape, but as he 
  sensed another man change into his avian form a few windows down from him, the need to do 
  the same took hold of him, overwhelming everything else. 
  He was helpless to resist the pull toward the avian half of his psyche. With a flap of 
  wings and a toss of the head, he found himself already half transformed into his raven form. It 
  had been far too long since his last shift. The transformation coursed through him in a rush of 
  physical and mental changes. 
  
  More luck than judgment was responsible for the way his claws wrapped around the 
  perch. He unfurled his wings to their full span in an effort to regain his balance. The squawk he’d 
  let out hadn’t been very dignified. Everet ruffled his feathers as he looked both ways along the 
  long, narrow room, almost daring anyone to have noticed his silliness. 
  The space looked different through an avian’s eyes. The colors were more muted, the 
  distances shortened. Everet turned his attention to the window. The sky was oh, so much more 
  inviting seen through these eyes. 
  This time, when the wind blew against his face, it teased and tempted him, calling to him 
  like a lover. No one who was entirely human could understand that feeling. Even an avian who’d 
  yet to complete his first shift wouldn’t know what it was like to see the whole world there, and 
  know that it was his for the taking. 
  Kane would be safe with Raynard for a little while. Everet partially extended his wings 
  for balance and hopped onto the windowsill. One more leap, and he was out there, hanging high 
  in the empty air, with nothing between himself and the ground but his muscles and his wits. 
  Flapping his wings, he climbed high above both the nest and the city at large. This was 
  the way humans and their society should be viewed—from up here on the wing, where they were 
  unable to hurt anyone. Kane should never have been let loose in their company. 
  Everet worked his way higher, anger pushing him faster. No. This wasn’t the time for that 
  kind of fury. Kane was safe now. The only men Everet needed to worry about were other birds, 
  and he understood them. Turning in the air, he spotted a few other avians out getting some fresh 
  air into their lungs—or at least air as fresh as it could be, considering the sprawling city below 
  them. 
  Two finches flew together. From the other side of the nest, a falcon left the changing 
  room reserved for the birds of prey and took to the air. Everet’s attention darted from one patch 
  of sky to the other, carefully checking on the progress of each avian, ready to make sure 
  everyone remembered that, under no circumstances should any member of the nest be considered 
  an appetizer, no matter how their entirely bird-brained brethren of the same species may act 
  toward each other. 
  The finches flittered away in the opposite direction to the falcon. For a little while, Everet 
  found himself completely alone and able to simply enjoy how the sun felt on his back and the 
  way the wind played beneath his outstretched wings. 
  
  The freedom of it after so long spent in an unnatural position in that wooden chair 
  alongside a sickbed sent his heart beating faster than even its avian form was used to. Everet flew 
  higher, forcing his body to work harder and harder as he let out an angry caw at the entire world. 
  Freedom. 
  If he had any sense it probably should have been what he craved more than anything else. 
  So why was getting back to the nest the only thing he could think about? 
  * * * * 
  Kane watched the other members of the cleaning flock wander off in various directions. 
  The working day was over. They were free to go. When the last of them disappeared from view, 
  Kane turned his attention to Raynard. 
  He was well aware that he couldn’t walk away and do as he pleased. He was still under 
  very careful scrutiny. The hawk had done nothing but stare at him for over half an hour. No 
  conversation. No small talk. Not even a smile. Kane now had no doubt the guy enjoyed playing 
  hard to get. 
  He mentally rolled his eyes. 
  “So,” Kane said, turning to face the other man. “What are you going to do with me now?” 
  Raynard didn’t accept the implied invitation to step forward and close the gap between 
  them. He just frowned as if Kane had insulted him rather than propositioned him. 
  “You belong to Everet.” Each word was colder and more clipped than the last. 
  Kane shrugged, pushing the raven out of his mind as best he could. 
  “And I already have a submissive. You’d do well to learn respect for both those facts.” 
  Kane pinned his most seductive smile to his face. If Raynard wouldn’t come closer, he’d 
  just have to go to him. He moved slowly, letting the hawk get a good look at him as he 
  approached. “I won’t tell them if you don’t.” 
  He was less than a step away when Raynard reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. 
  Success! 
  Without warning, the hawk turned away from him and marched down one of the halls 
  Kane and the other cleaners had spent the best part of the day polishing. 
  “Where are we going?” 
  “Down to one of the public areas. We’ll wait for your master there.” 
  Kane laughed. “Don’t you trust yourself alone with me?” 
  
  Raynard made a disbelieving sound in the back of his throat. “I think you’ll find a man 
  who owns a swan has no use for a magpie.” 
  Kane glared up at Raynard, flames of pure humiliation coursing through him. Unwilling 
  to blush, there was only one way he could let out the heat burning through his veins. Anger. 
  “Let go of me.” Halfway down a flight of stairs, he fought to pull himself out of 
  Raynard’s grasp. The hawk’s hold on him wasn’t tight enough to be painful. There was no 
  chance of it leaving a mark, but it was still infuriatingly unshakable. 
  “Stop squirming, before you have us both tumbling down there,” Raynard snapped. 
  “You’re not my master. I don’t have to obey you!” Kane pushed against Raynard with his 
  other hand. “Where’s Everet? I want Everet. Now!” 
  They reached the bottom of the long flight of stairs without tumbling. Raynard 
  immediately pulled Kane around to face him. “That’s enough. Your master left you in my care. 
  That should be all you need to know in order to conduct yourself appropriately.” 
  Kane pushed against his chest, not sure if he wanted to get away from him or just hit him 
  because he was so pissed off. 
  Raynard pulled Kane closer, tightening his hold on him, apparently entirely on automatic. 
  Kane sensed the anger building in the other man. That was good. Anger wasn’t all that 
  different from passion. Raynard already held him so close they were almost in an embrace. Their 
  lips could easily be brought together if the hawk dipped his head and— 
  “Raynard?” 
  The hawk leaned back, jerking his face away from Kane. He glared at someone standing 
  just out of Kane’s line of sight. Suddenly, Kane found himself stumbling backward as Raynard 
  shoved him away so hard Kane barely kept his balance. 
  Kane spun around as he regained his footing. A group of old guys, who were probably 
  those elders that Everet was always on about, congregated just a few yards farther down the hall. 
  The swan stood slightly apart from them. 
  “Raynard?” the same voice repeated. It was the grumpy git from Kane’s first day there. 
  The eagle, Hamilton, turned his attention to Kane. “Where is your master?” 
  Kane waved a hand toward Raynard. “Ask him. No one told me a damn thing, they just 
  told me to do whatever he wanted. As if it’s my fault he’s not getting what he wants from his 
  own submissive.” 
  
  Raynard didn’t say a single word, but Kane could sense the pure fury emanating from 
  him. 
  “Ori.” 
  The young man with the white hair hurried past Kane to stand in front of his master, as 
  eager to obey as a puppy who’d just learnt a new trick. 
  “You have too much sense to believe him,” Raynard said. It was a statement, not a 
  question. 
  “Yes, sir.” The swan’s tone was as mild as ever. “You told me earlier that you would be 
  watching over Kane while Everet stretched his wings.” 
  Kane mentally cursed. How hard could it be to drive a wedge between two guys? What 
  kind of man refused string-free sex from an expert? 
  “If Everet can’t handle—” Hamilton began. 
  “I ordered Everet to take a break from watching the brat,” Raynard cut in. 
  Kane looked up at Raynard. Everet hadn’t wanted to rush off? 
  The sound of footsteps pelting down the hallway to their left seemed very loud in the 
  silence. Hamilton and Raynard glared at each other and no one seemed brave enough to disturb 
  them until Everet appeared around the corner. 
  The raven appeared to blur as he went from a full out sprint to a man determined to look 
  as if he’d never achieved anything above a moderate pace on his way across the nest. 
  He strode down the short length of corridor that still separated him from the group. Every 
  man’s eyes were on him. For some stupid reason, Kane found himself not just looking at, but 
  truly feasting his eyes on the raven. 
  Everet wasn’t the best looking guy on the planet. On a purely points-based scale, Kane 
  knew that Raynard would have easily outscored the raven. Yet, somehow, it was impossible for 
  Kane to look away from Everet. 
  There was a new ease and confidence in Everet’s movements since he’d been out on the 
  wing. He was hotter than ever. Raynard didn’t even play in the same league as him when it came 
  to a pure, raw I want him to screw me score. 
  “Sire, sirs, is there a problem?” Everet asked. He glanced at Kane for a moment, but soon 
  transferred his attention back to the other men in the hallway. 
  
  “No problem at all,” Raynard said. He pushed Kane’s shoulder, shoving him toward 
  Everet. “He’s all yours.” 
  “Thank you, sir,” Everet said. As if he’d just been handed a bloody parcel. 
  Kane stepped away from him. The moment he moved, he sensed Everet’s attention snap 
  toward him. Yes, that was the way things should be. “Raynard and I had a wonderful time,” he 
  said. 
  Everet didn’t even blink. It was as if he found it impossible to believe that Raynard would 
  want to screw him, even for a second. Another wave of heat coursed through Kane. Since when 
  did the entire world consider him not even worth a quickie in a conveniently discreet alcove? 
  Everet turned back to the others. “I’m sorry if he was any trouble, sir.” He paused for a 
  beat. “If there’s nothing else?” 
  “No,” Raynard said, with an idle wave of the hand. “You may both go.” 
  “Thank you, sir.” Everet reached out and caught hold of Kane’s arm. When Everet set off 
  down the corridor, there was little Kane could do but try to keep up with his long, rapid strides. 
  He needed all his breath to trot along at Everet’s side. Speaking was out of the question. 
  The raven didn’t slow down until they were back in his apartment. Finally, he let go. 
  Kane leapt away from him, as if being close to the other man weren’t a very enjoyable 
  thing indeed. 
  “Tell me exactly what happened,” Everet ordered. 
  “Why?” 
  Everet fell perfectly still, staring at some apparently random point on the wall. Silence 
  descended. Several seconds passed before Everet looked toward Kane and met his gaze. 
  “Because I am your master, and I can’t look after you properly if I don’t know what’s going on.” 
  “Maybe you should have thought about that before you buggered off and left me with that 
  trumped up bastard!” 
  Everet’s expression changed. The skin between his brows furrowed as if he were thinking 
  deeply about something. “I’m sorry if I scared you by leaving so suddenly. Before I stretched my 
  wings, I wasn’t thinking as clearly as I should have been.” 
  Kane gawped at him as if he’d just beamed down from a spaceship filled with little green 
  men. The raven’s reaction was so at odds with anything he expected, it took Kane a full minute 
  
  to take in what Everet had said, what kind of accusation had actually been leveled at him. “I 
  wasn’t scared!” 
  Everet sat down on the sofa and indicated the chair opposite him. 
  Kane planted his feet. 
  “Sit down, Kane,” Everet said, very calmly. “That’s an order. I am your master, and I 
  expect you to obey me.” 
  “And if I don’t?” Kane demanded. 
  “Then I will pick you up and put you in the chair. If I need to tie you to it in order to 
  make you stay there while we have this conversation, I will. It’s time certain things were made 
  clear. Obedience is not optional. You’ll end up in the chair one way or another.” 
  He was serious. Kane saw that in his eyes. Moving both slowly and carefully, he took the 
  offered seat. His curiosity over what would come next was too strong to deny. 
  “That’s good,” Everet told him. “And, as I said, I’m thinking a lot more clearly now. I 
  can see that I made mistakes before—” 
  “Like playing with me?” Kane demanded, very ready to hear the insult and retaliate by 
  any means necessary. 
  Everet seemed to think about that very carefully. “Like playing with you before things 
  between us outside the bedroom were more clearly settled,” he specified. “I don’t regret what we 
  did, just that we didn’t talk more first. We’re not doing things in the right order.” 
  Kane frowned. Leaning back in his seat, he pulled his feet up to rest on the cushion in 
  front of him and glared at Everet over the top of his knees. If Everet thought that they could go 
  back to a time before they fooled around, he’d have another thought coming very quickly. 
  “You need to try to understand that, as your master, I have your best interests at heart. 
  The orders I give you outside the bedroom are all ultimately for your own benefit.” 
  Kane huffed his disbelief. 
  “I know you don’t see that yet, but in time, you will.” 
  Kane didn’t bother to argue. He recognized what that tone meant when it appeared in an 
  avian’s voice. Everet had flown high in the sky, seen the whole world stretched out beneath him. 
  All the people probably looked like little toys he could push around on a whim. It would take a 
  little while for reality to reassert itself and for him to remember that Kane wasn’t the type to take 
  that kind of treatment quietly, he’d always shove back. 
  
  “Now, I want you to answer my original question. When you were with Raynard, what 
  happened?” 
  Kane shrugged, but deep down he knew that it wouldn’t get him anywhere with Everet. 
  He sighed. The path of least resistance was obvious. “He’s a grumpy sod. I flirted. He frowned. 
  That’s about it, really.” 
  Everet nodded to show he had heard. “Will Raynard say the same when I speak to him?” 
  “You’re going to check up on me behind my back?” Kane demanded. 
  “No.” Everet smiled slightly. “I’m not going to do anything behind your back. I’m telling 
  you to your face that I’m going to ask Raynard the same question.” 
  Kane rolled his eyes. “Yeah,” he muttered. “He’ll say the same.” 
  “Good.” Everet straightened in his seat. His tone changed, as if he was done with that 
  subject and was more than ready to set it aside. “Do you have any questions for me?” 
  “Yeah.” A God-like feeling of authority wasn’t often the only side effect of an avian 
  having stretched his wings. 
  “Go ahead, you can ask me.” Everet encouraged him with a nod and a slight smile. 
  Kane raised one eyebrow and smiled back. “Wanna screw?” 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Eight 
   
   
  Everet didn’t laugh, but it was a close call. 
  He should probably have expected that to be the foremost question in Kane’s mind. It 
  was obviously his perpetual default mode. If in doubt, turn to sex. 
  “You can’t be the only avian in history who doesn’t want to get laid after being on the 
  wing,” Kane said. 
  “I want to,” Everet agreed. 
  Kane’s gaze turned suspicious. “Does that mean you’re going to, or are you going to get 
  all talkative again?” 
  Everet allowed a smile to touch his lips, but behind the calm façade he maintained 
  through sheer force of will, his mind raced faster and faster. He knew what he wanted. But what 
  was the right thing. What would a good master do? What would… 
  No, it was no good wondering what Raynard would do. Ori and Kane were so unlike each 
  other it would be useless. Raynard wouldn’t have made a good master for Kane. 
  Hamilton? He didn’t give a damn about anyone other than the ranking birds of prey. It 
  was impossible to consider him to be a good potential master for anyone. 
  There was no suitable example for Everet to follow, no one whose advice he could take. 
  In unchartered territory, all he had to guide him were his instincts. After his shift, while the raven 
  side of himself flew so close to the surface, it was easy to believe that his avian instincts would 
  guide him toward the right solution. 
  Everet stood up. He extended his hand toward Kane. 
  The magpie just stared at him for several seconds, as if he were an idiot. With skepticism 
  filling his gaze, he finally put his hand in Everet’s grip. 
  Leading Kane to the bedroom door, Everet stopped just short of entering it. “Do you 
  remember what we discussed earlier?” 
  
  “Yeah, yeah, inside the bedroom we’re screwing, outside we’re all serious. I’ve got it, 
  okay?” Kane stepped over the threshold. “I’m not an idiot, or a child—stop treating me like I’m 
  both.” 
  Suddenly, his grip on Everet’s hand was as strong as Everet’s hold on the other man’s 
  hand had ever been. Kane’s eyes damn near dared him to try to retreat. 
  Everet stepped forward with outward calm, and joined him in the bedroom. Closing the 
  door, he sealed them inside there, away from the rest of the world. 
  Kane stood just a few feet inside the room. He made no attempt to run away this time. He 
  even held his ground when Everet moved forward. Cupping Kane’s cheek with one hand, Everet 
  kissed him, firmly but very gently. 
  With the adrenaline from his recent flight still swooping and twirling through his veins, 
  even that chaste bit of contact was enough to make Everet moan with desire. Everything was so 
  intense now. With his other hand, Everet pressed against the small of Kane’s back, tugging him 
  forward until their bodies were jammed tightly together. He gasped, every nerve ending suddenly 
  screaming with pleasure. 
  Kane moaned in return, balancing on his tiptoes in an effort to bring himself to a more 
  accessible height. He responded so perfectly to every prompt, his tongue dueling with Everet’s 
  and exploring his mouth in return. Sliding one hand around to the front of Kane’s body, Everet 
  rubbed his palm against his fly, stroking his cock through the material. 
  Kane moaned into his mouth as he thrust determinedly against his hand. The magpie was 
  very pleased to see him, Everet had no doubt about that. But there was something else, too—
  something in Kane’s pocket. 
  Everet frowned. Pulling back, he broke the kiss and peered down between them. 
  “You look like you’ve never seen a hard on before,” Kane grumbled. 
  Everet made no reply. He slipped his fingers into Kane’s pocket instead. 
  “Hey, that’s mine!” 
  Everet automatically lifted the wallet out of Kane’s reach. It wasn’t Kane’s. He hadn’t 
  arrived with it. Everet hadn’t given it to him. That left only two options, neither of which were in 
  the least bit palatable. He wondered what would be worse—that someone had given Kane a 
  wallet in an effort to tempt the magpie away from him, or that Kane had acquired it by some 
  other means. He flicked open the wallet. 
  
  Frederick Raynard. 
  Everet was prepared to swear that he actually felt the blood drain out of his face as he saw 
  the name printed on the driver’s license. 
  “Give it back,” Kane demanded, snatching at the wallet. 
  “You picked his pocket,” Everet said, lifting it out of Kane’s reach. There was no 
  accusation in his tone, no anger, it was a simple statement of fact. 
  “It’s—” 
  “It’s not yours, Kane,” Everet said, tearing his eyes away from the wallet, even as Kane 
  made another grab for it. “You stole it.” 
  Catching hold of Kane’s shoulders Everet forced the other man to face him and look him 
  in the eye. The magpie stared back at him, anger and confusion filling his expression, as if he 
  didn’t get what all the fuss was about. 
  He didn’t get it. In that moment, Everet realized that Kane really didn’t understand that 
  what he’d done was wrong—that he’d done something that the very vast majority of avians 
  would find wrong. Maybe he knew that he’d broken a rule, but he really didn’t get how 
  important that rule was. 
  “Have you taken anything from anyone else since you arrived here?” Everet demanded. 
  “From a man or from the nest.” 
  Kane’s expression turned mutinous. He pressed his lips firmly together, not saying a 
  word. 
  A bitter taste hit the back of Everet’s mouth as he looked at the wallet again. 
  “If you give me everything you’ve taken, right now, you won’t be in trouble with me,” he 
  promised. “But I need to have everything off you. Now.” 
  “I haven’t taken—” 
  “Kane,” Everet snapped. “We both know you’re lying. If I have to search every part of 
  the nest you’ve so much as walked through, I will.” 
  Kane held out for almost thirty seconds before his gaze flicked toward the bottom drawer 
  of the chest set against the far wall. Everet was quicker than Kane. He reached the chest first, 
  wrenched it open, pushed aside the clothes and snatched up the little hoard of items pushed into 
  the back corner. 
  
  Kane’s fingers scratched and tugged at his arm, but Everet paid no attention to that. His 
  lack of reaction only seemed to infuriate the magpie more. He swore and threatened everything 
  he could think of—including several things that wouldn’t have occurred to Everet in his entire 
  life. He was reasonably sure most of them were physically impossible. 
  Everet turned away from the chest, keeping a firm grip on all the stolen items. 
  As suddenly as someone might flip a switch, Kane’s entire demeanor changed. He 
  smiled. His expression turned coy. When he reached out to put a hand on Everet’s arm, his 
  attitude was all flirtation. 
  And, this was the moment that would make or break it for them, Everet had no doubt 
  about that. It was all so clear inside his head now. If he’d ever prove that he was a good master, 
  that Kane could always have complete trust in his word, it would be now. 
  Brushing past Kane, Everet strode to the bedroom door, wrenched it open and strode into 
  the living room. He dropped everything Kane had stolen onto the side table. Turning around, he 
  was back inside the room before Kane had a chance to react. 
  “What do I need to do to get them back?” Kane asked. 
  Everet pushed his hand through his hair and made a concerted effort not just to appear 
  calm, but to actually be calm. Two deep breaths, and he knew he was as near to achieving that 
  goal as he’d ever be. 
  “Everything you stole will be returned to its rightful owner. Nothing you can do will 
  change that.” 
  “What?” 
  “Nothing that happens in this room affects how you’ll be treated out there, and nothing 
  you do out there affects us in here, remember?” Everet asked, very levelly. 
  Kane seemed to study him for a long time. Everet remained perfectly still, and let him 
  look his fill. He wouldn’t see any hidden agenda. There wasn’t one to see. 
  “So, you’re not going to punish me?” Kane asked, carefully. 
  “No.” Everet tilted up his chin, determined to keep his word, no matter what. 
  Kane stepped forward until they were almost touching. “You’re not even going to be 
  angry with me?” 
  They were close enough together now that Everet had to dip his head to keep looking into 
  Kane’s eyes. “No, I’m not.” There was little point. 
  
  “You’re still going to screw me?” Kane asked, setting one hand in the middle of Everet’s 
  chest and stroking his way down to rest over his abs. 
  “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t do whatever we want in here.” 
  Kane smiled and looked up at Everet through his lashes. “I still want you to screw me.” 
  Everet’s body certainly didn’t care what went on in the real world. As Everet gazed down 
  at Kane, he couldn’t help but see him not as a thief, but as a boy who was desperately in need of 
  someone who could show him what it was like to be with a man for no other reason than the 
  pleasure they might find in each other’s bodies. 
  He didn’t hesitate to bring their lips together in a kiss just as confident as the first they’d 
  shared that evening. 
  I really can leave all your bad behavior out there. 
  Everet slid his arms around Kane once more, praying that Kane understood the message 
  he wanted to send to him. 
  Kane kissed him back. He slid his hands up Everet’s body and into his hair. His 
  movements weren’t as confident as Everet’s but that could only feel like a good thing right then. 
  Being with a man for some reason other than payment was new for him. It would take him time 
  to find his feet. 
  “I want to screw you into the mattress,” Everet whispered as he trailed his lips back to 
  Kane’s ear. “That sound good to you?” 
  Kane nodded. 
  “Tell me,” Everet ordered. 
  “I want your cock buried in my arse,” Kane bit out, frustration coating every word. “How 
  many times do you need to be told?” 
  Everet grinned. Pushing everything else out of his mind, he concentrated entirely upon 
  the fact that they were two guys who just wanted to come. 
  A nudge against Kane’s shoulders easily had him toppling backward onto the bed. Everet 
  watched him fall. He bounced, his eyes opening very wide. Everet didn’t need to issue an order 
  this time. They were both too close to the edge. Their hands went to their clothes and they pulled 
  each item off as quickly as they could, not caring about tearing seams or buttons tumbling away. 
  
  The moment they were both naked, Everet was on the bed with Kane. His hands slid 
  against bare skin. There was so much to touch, and neither of them seemed to be able to do 
  anything other than move his hands over the other’s body as frantically as possible. 
  Before Everet knew it, he lay over Kane, pressing him down against the blankets. The 
  other man’s legs were spread and Everet’s cock pressed against his hole. Kane’s hands scrabbled 
  at his back, pulling him forward, clumsily demanding that their bodies come together. 
  Lube. 
  Even with the raven side of him so close to the fore, some part of Everet knew that 
  looking after his lover meant remembering that lube was essential. He grabbed a tube of it from 
  his nightstand drawer and slicked his fingers. Kane swore and grumbled, his comments only 
  half-muttered beneath his breath as he cursed the delay. 
  Everet pushed two fingers inside Kane, preparing him as quickly as he could. 
  “I want your cock.” 
  Everet gave his complete attention to the way his digits worked inside Kane’s hole. 
  Suddenly, Kane’s hands were on either side of Everet’s face, demanding he look him in 
  the eye. “I want your cock, not your fingers.” 
  He sounded serious but Everet could see in Kane’s eyes that he was afraid, too. 
  About to pull away, Everet stopped short. He met Kane’s gaze and was sure that Kane’s 
  only fear was that he’d stop at fingers again, and never actually screw him. 
  “Cock,” Kane repeated, wiping away the last of Everet’s doubts. 
  Everet reached up and, the fingers of one hand still smeared with lube, caught hold of 
  Kane’s wrists. He tugged Kane’s hands away from his face, but he didn’t stop there. He kept 
  moving until he had Kane’s arms pinned against the mattress. 
  Looming over Kane, Everet let his cock rub against the other man’s lubed up hole. He 
  lowered himself far enough that their lips could meet. Kane helped, leaning up into the kiss, too. 
  “Cock,” Everet whispered against his lips. 
  He pushed forward, sheathing his shaft slowly inside Kane’s body. Pure pleasure filled 
  the breathless little groan that Kane let out. The sound vibrated against Everet’s lips and tingled 
  through his body. 
  Kane’s muscles tensed and relaxed around him, as if the magpie was determined to 
  squeeze every bit of bliss he could from their joining. A lifetime seemed to pass before Everet’s 
  
  cock was completely surrounded by Kane’s hole. Finally settled inside him to the hilt, Everet 
  stilled. 
  Barely a millisecond later, Kane squirmed beneath him, trying to get him to move. He 
  had his eyes closed very tightly. Everet stared down at him, waiting for that to change. 
  Eventually it did. Kane glared up at him, confusion filling his gaze. 
  “That’s right. I want you to look at me,” Everet confirmed. 
  He began to rock his hips, the movement slight at first, but slowly building. He ground 
  down against Kane. A whimper of approval and Kane adjusted his position so his legs wrapped 
  around Everet’s body, pulling him closer still. 
  Kane’s hands clenched into fists, he squirmed within Everet’s hold on him. 
  “I’ve got you.” 
  Kane frowned. He shook his head. “I don’t need—” 
  “Whether you need it or not,” Everet cut in, his voice just slightly breathless. “That’s the 
  way things are. You’re mine. I’ve got you.” He tightened his hold on Kane’s wrists in proof. He 
  wouldn’t let anyone hurt Kane now. 
  Kane looked away and squirmed again. 
  This time, Everet didn’t make Kane wait. Bracing his feet against the bed, he pulled 
  away, then thrust deep into the other man. 
  The groans of their pleasure hit the air at exactly the same time. Kane was so tight around 
  him, and it was so soon after his flight, and he’d wanted Kane for so long. Everet scrabbled for 
  control of his own body as he pushed into Kane over and over again. 
  Determination to make Kane happy flooded through Everet’s veins just as quickly as his 
  own need to come. Every inch of his skin tingled with increased sensitivity, but the frantic 
  signals sent up from his cock overpowered everything else. 
  Its way slicked with a generous coating of lube, his shaft was encased within the heat of 
  Kane’s body. Combined with the tight muscles, it seemed to caress his erection on each stroke. 
  If he hadn’t been so determined to make Kane come first, Everet would have been able to 
  reach his orgasm a dozen times or more. But, no, that wasn’t an option. 
  Kane had to come first—in all meanings of the term. If Everet had ever doubted that 
  before, every single part of his mind and body declared it to be true in that moment. 
   
  
  Please, please, please. 
  Kane didn’t say a word, but that didn’t mean he stopped repeating the plea over and over 
  inside his head. He needed to come so badly, he could barely think. 
  When he’d lived with the humans, he’d only ever wanted to beg because he knew the guy 
  screwing him would probably give him a better tip if he put on a good show. This time, the 
  words were inside Kane’s head. He didn’t plead for anyone’s ears but his own. 
  Squirming on the mattress, Kane tried to meet Everet’s thrusts and tighten his muscles 
  around him, but that wasn’t for Everet’s pleasure either. Kane was incapable of thinking of 
  anyone other than himself. 
  Forget manipulation. Forget payment. Kane wanted to come. That realization scared him 
  more than any kind of kink could have. Pain was one thing, power something else. 
  If Kane couldn’t focus on the other man now, then he wouldn’t be able to make Everet do 
  whatever he wanted later. He’d have no way to ensure Everet treated him right after they zipped 
  up. 
  Kane whimpered. Thoughts, even those he’d been able to manage until that point, slipped 
  away into darkness and oblivion. Everet thrust into him again, pushing against his prostate, 
  sending sparks of bright, shiny bliss shooting through Kane. 
  Kane couldn’t reach for his own cock to jack himself off, but the tip of his erection 
  rubbed against Everet’s stomach every time the other man thrust forward. Suddenly, that was 
  enough. 
  Jerking within Everet’s hold on him, Kane came. His cum spilled across his stomach and 
  smeared between their bodies on Everet’s next thrust. 
  The raven’s grip on Kane’s wrists tightened. 
  Gasping out Everet’s name, the only thing Kane could do was fly high on whatever air 
  currents his pleasure offered to him and hope it didn’t drop him some place he didn’t want to be. 
  Everet let out a yell. The sound was muted and seemed to come from very far away, but 
  Kane still knew what it meant. Everet had come, too. 
  All was right with the world. Kane had been good enough. The other man would be 
  pleased with him. 
  Slowly, the ecstasy drained away, leaving them both panting for breath on the mattress. 
  As the first minute passed, Kane sensed Everet begin to recover. The raven rearranged them in 
  
  the bed so they lay facing each other. His hands remained around Kane’s wrists as he brought 
  them together to rest on the small amount of empty mattress between them. 
  Kane tried to breathe more evenly, but his heart rate showed no sign of slowing. Panic 
  bubbled inside him. He closed his eyes very tightly as he fought against it. 
  “I’ve got you,” Everet said again. 
  I don’t need to know that. I can look after myself. 
  Kane pressed his lips firmly together. If he said those words right then, he had the terrible 
  suspicion that they would sound like a lie. 
  Everet tightened his grip on Kane’s wrists. 
  Kane didn’t want that to make him feel better, but it did. So did the gentle kiss Everet 
  placed against his lips. 
  “Open your eyes.” 
  Against all his instincts, Kane obeyed. He glared at Everet, determined not to let any 
  honest emotion show. 
  Everet smiled and relaxed comfortably with his head on one of the pillows. That was it. 
  He just lay there, pleased as punch and twice as intoxicating. 
  At least he seemed to have forgotten all about the stuff he’d found in the back of the 
  drawer. That was good. Kane closed his eyes and pretended to rest just as easily as Everet 
  seemed to, until the raven eventually released his wrists and sat up. 
  Wriggling toward the opposite side of the bed, Kane immediately headed for the door. 
  “No.” 
  Kane found himself stopping short as the order hit the air. There was no reason for him to 
  do that. Everet couldn’t physically stop him from the other side of the room, yet the door 
  remained a yard away, and Kane didn’t take another step. 
  Everet got up and walked past Kane. He opened the door and stepped out into the living 
  room. Before Kane realized what the other man intended to do, Everet had picked up all the 
  pretty little things Kane had acquired, placed them in a drawer, and locked it. 
  “Get dressed, come out here, and we’ll deal with this.” 
  “Deal with it how?” Kane said, suspiciously. 
  “Get dressed,” Everet repeated. He stepped into the bedroom, but only for long enough to 
  grab a clean set of clothes from his wardrobe, then he was back in the living room. 
  
  Kane looked from the raven to the rumpled bed. It was as if nothing that had happened 
  there existed in Everet’s mind. That was… that was just wrong. 
  “I told you before that nothing we do together will affect the standard of behavior I 
  expect you to achieve in the nest at large,” Everet said, pulling a black long-sleeve T-shirt over 
  his head. 
  He’d actually meant it…? 
  Kane cursed the raven in a dozen different ways, but he didn’t open his mouth to share 
  his opinions. 
  “Get dressed, Kane,” Everet said once more. 
  Pulling his clothes on gave Kane time to think, unfortunately it didn’t give him any clue 
  how to handle the other man. All too soon, he sat on the sofa facing Everet, still without any firm 
  idea of how he could get out of this without having to accept some sort of punishment. 
  “Do you remember the rules I’ve given you?” Everet asked. 
  Kane studied him warily. “Don’t leave the apartment without your permission. Don’t try 
  to use sex to manipulate you.” 
  “That’s good,” Everet said. 
  It was like watching a volcano, waiting for it to explode. Every muscle in Kane’s body 
  tensed as he waited for the raven’s anger to be unleashed. Unfortunately, it was only then that he 
  realized being perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop looking down into the bubbling magma 
  wasn’t the safest place from which to observe proceedings. If Everet flipped out, there’d be no 
  way for him to get out of the apartment. 
  “I’m adding a new rule,” Everet went on, still outwardly calm. 
  “Okay,” Kane said, since some sort of contribution seemed expected of him at that point. 
  “You’re not to take anything that doesn’t belong to you. There are things I’ve given you 
  since you came to the nest, they’re yours. No one will take them from you. And, if you come to 
  me and tell me you need something, I’ll listen. But I want your word that you won’t take 
  anything from anyone else without both my and his permission.” 
  Kane stared at Everet, wondering if the raven had completely lost the plot. 
  “It’s wrong to take something that doesn’t belong to you,” Everet continued, his 
  expression as serious as ever. “Just like it would be wrong for someone to take something that 
  belonged to you. Can you understand that?” 
  
  “I’m not a child,” Kane snapped. 
  “I didn’t say you are,” Everet said, still as mild as ever. He hadn’t moved anything but his 
  lips the whole time he spoke. His eyes hadn’t left Kane’s face. It was freaky. 
  Kane shifted his position on the sofa, pushing his hand through his hair and wiping his 
  fingers across his lips. 
  “Can you give me your word you’ll remember that rule and follow it from now on?” 
  Everet asked. 
  Saying no obviously wouldn’t get Kane anywhere. That only left one answer he could 
  give. “Yes.” 
  “If you break your word, you’ll be punished. Understand?” 
  “Yeah.” Kane shifted in his seat again. “Are we done now?” 
  Everet leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. “With this part, yes.” 
  Kane frowned, all his misgivings roused once more. He straightened the edge of his T-
  shirt, as if that would help. “This part?” 
  “We need to return the things you took.” 
  Kane shook his head and crossed his arms. There was no way in hell he’d do anything of 
  the sort. “They’re mine now.” 
  “Things become yours if someone gives them to you of their own free will, or if you buy 
  them, not if you just take them.” Everet walked across to the locked drawer and took out the little 
  bundle of items Kane had acquired. 
  Kane rushed across to stand next to him. Everet moved the stash out of his range before 
  he could grab a single thing. 
  “We’ll see Raynard first.” Everet glanced at his watch. “He should be with Ori and 
  Hamilton in the elders meeting room.” 
  “I don’t want to go.” 
  Everet glanced over his shoulder. Whatever he saw on Kane’s face, it made him turn 
  around and look at him properly. “Nothing bad will happen to you, Kane. You won’t be 
  punished.” 
  Kane still didn’t make any attempt to follow Everet when he set off toward the front door 
  of the apartment. 
  “This isn’t optional,” Everet said. 
  
  “They’ll be mad,” Kane pointed out as fear peaked inside him, invading all those parts of 
  his mind where pleasure had reigned a few minutes earlier and claiming them for its own. Not far 
  behind that came anger. If Everet hadn’t decided to be stupid and try to make him go and admit 
  to picking up the things, no one would be angry with him and there would be no need for him to 
  be afraid. 
  “Yes,” Everet agreed. “They’ll be mad, but I’ll be there with you.” 
  “And you can protect me?” Kane demanded, moving back toward the far side of the 
  room. 
  “Yes.” He said it with such confidence, holding Kane’s gaze without a flicker of 
  hesitation. “Have I ever given you any reason to think I’d lie to you?” 
  “You promise I’m not going to be punished?” Kane asked, doubtfully. 
  “I promise.” 
  Either Everet really believed every word he uttered, or he was the best liar on the planet, 
  better even than Kane could claim to be himself. 
  With a heartfelt sigh, Kane gave in. He followed the other man through the corridors and 
  hallways, but he saw no reason why he should act as if he was happy about it. 
  Long before Kane was ready for it, they stood outside the elder’s door. Everet spoke 
  quietly to the man guarding the room from unwanted intruders—which Kane was pretty sure 
  meant anyone below the rank of a bird of prey. 
  Pretentious bastards. 
  He scuffed his heels on the carpet as he waited for Everet to finish babbling with the 
  guard. The lover of a bird of prey wouldn’t have to wait around like this. Kane glared at the mark 
  his shoes had left in the carpet’s pile. He’d have to upgrade to a better master soon—preferably 
  before he became the guy cleaning the carpets rather than leaving marks on them. 
  As for Everet… 
  An uncomfortable feeling wound around Kane’s stomach. If he found a new master, he’d 
  have to find a way to keep seeing Everet, too—for sex if nothing else. Maybe the raven could be 
  his bit on the side… 
  Kane smiled down at the carpet. If the other guys could have the best of both worlds, why 
  couldn’t he? Everet would screw him, but he wouldn’t have any right to order Kane around 
  
  unless they were sneaking a quickie behind the sugar-daddy’s back. Throw in a bit of quicksilver 
  and the picture would be truly perfect. 
  Hell, he might even share the quicksilver with Everet… 
  “Kane.” 
  He jerked his gaze away from the carpet. Everet stood next to the open door, beckoning 
  him forward. There was no way to keep pretending this wasn’t happening. In some horrible 
  version of autopilot where he couldn’t help but obey Everet, Kane walked into the meeting room. 
  The same elders who’d been present when Kane first arrived at the nest sat facing them. 
  Everet stopped in front of the table. Not sure what else to do, Kane stood next to him. 
  “Is there a problem?” Hamilton demanded impatiently. 
  Everet stepped forward and put Raynard’s wallet on the table in front of the hawk. “Kane 
  took it from your pocket when you were watching over him. I don’t think anything has been 
  taken from it, but I’d appreciate it if you’d check so I can be sure, sir.” 
  The room fell silent as Raynard rifled through his wallet. 
  It was all there. Kane knew that. He hadn’t even had a chance to look through the thing 
  before Everet took it off him. 
  “Was mine the first pocket he’s picked since he arrived?” Raynard asked. 
  “It doesn’t matter if it’s the first time or the hundredth time,” Hamilton snapped. “He is 
  evidently unable to conduct himself in an acceptable manor and Everet is just as clearly unable to 
  control him. Everet—find out if there is a cage free in—” 
  “With all due respect, sir,” Everet cut in. 
  This silence was deeper than any Kane had ever felt. 
  “What?” Hamilton’s tone rattled like a glass full to the brim with ice. 
  Eagles weren’t used to being interrupted, arrogant sods. Kane glared at him, pissed off on 
  Everet’s behalf. 
  “You put him under my protection, sir,” Everet said. “He belongs to me. Until one of us 
  breaks our bond, I’m the only person who has a right to punish him.” 
  “And have you?” Raynard asked, while Hamilton apparently remained stunned with 
  residual shock at being interrupted. 
  “No, sir. I don’t intend to. I’ve spoken to Kane. He understands what is expected of him 
  in future,” Everet said, ever so calmly. 
  
  Kane turned his head and downright gawped at Everet. He honestly intended to try to 
  keep his promise? He really thought he could do this? Kane mentally shook his head. It was 
  blatantly pointless. There was no way in hell the avian aristocracy would allow a mere raven to 
  speak to them like that. 
  Everet should know that, and— 
  “Completely unacceptable,” Hamilton burst out, confirming every suspicion Kane had. “I 
  will not have a magpie running amok in my nest. The precedent of not punishing a thief is—” 
  “I’ll willingly take the punishment on his behalf, sir.” 
  Kane’s eyes opened even wider as he stared up at the raven. 
  Everet didn’t turn toward him. It was as if he’d forgotten Kane was in the room. 
  Everyone else seemed to have done the same. All eyes were on Everet. Kane might as well have 
  been invisible. 
  “I believe the current punishment is a period of time spent in the cages,” Raynard said. 
  “Yes, sir. But, with your permission, the more traditional punishment for theft is twenty 
  lashes,” Everet said. “Kane is my submissive. His actions are my responsibility. I’ll take that 
  punishment in his place.” 
  The elders exchanged looks and muttered to one another in voices too low to be audible 
  on Kane’s side of the table. 
  “Do you have any objection, Ori?” Raynard prompted, after all the other elders seemed to 
  have had their say. He made no attempt to speak quietly. 
  The swan frowned. He looked toward Everet for a second. “You’re sure this is what you 
  want?” he asked. 
  Everet didn’t waver for a second. “Yes, sire. Very sure.” 
  “Then, I don’t think we should interfere with a master’s care for his submissive unless 
  it’s essential,” Ori whispered. 
  Raynard nodded, a curt little motion. “I’d also advise that Everet’s offer to take Kane’s 
  place be accepted.” 
  Hamilton huffed, but finally waved a hand as if to indicate that they might as well get on 
  with it, if they really were intent on such an action. “But keep him on a shorter leash in future,” 
  he snapped, as a parting shot. 
  “Understood, sir,” Everet said with a little nod. 
  
  “Leave the other things he stole here,” Raynard said. “I’ll see that they’re returned to 
  their rightful owners and places.” 
  Everet set them all on the table. 
  The sparkle of the highly polished silver called to Kane. It was only a teaspoon, but it 
  took all his fear of the punishment being transferred to him to keep him from trying to pocket it 
  again. The pen he’d taken from the owl’s desk lay next to it. The little gilded box that had once 
  decorated a hall table was also there. 
  “Go back to your apartment,” Raynard ordered. “The punishment will be set up for this 
  evening. I’ll send someone to fetch you.” 
  “Yes, sir.” 
  Everet turned toward the door. Kane followed him. All in all, the meeting had gone a 
  hundred times better than he could have ever expected. After all, he wasn’t the one due to get 
  whipped. So, why the hell did it feel as if someone had punched him in the stomach? 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Nine 
   
   
  Everet took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten. Perhaps that made it a little easier 
  for him to keep his emotions to himself, but it didn’t magic away the sheer strangeness of the 
  situation. 
  He wasn’t used to feeling so many men’s eyes wandering over his body while he 
  removed his shirt. He didn’t want to get used to it either. There was a time and a place for public 
  nudity, and it was when the men undressed in the locker rooms so they could shift into their 
  avian forms unencumbered by yards of fabric unnecessary to a man who wore feathers. No one 
  stared then. 
  Still, he told himself, it had to be better than being put in a cage. The very thought of that 
  made a shudder run down his spine. At least this way, he’d be free and able to keep an eye on 
  Kane. That was the important thing. 
  Everet didn’t look up. Apparently, every man in the nest had turned out to watch him take 
  off his shirt. Everet had never seen so many people in the nest’s playrooms at one time, now they 
  all clustered around the same station. 
  The whipping post stood in the middle of a carefully delineated area. 
  Folding his shirt neatly, Everet set it on the table to the left-hand side of that area. Kane 
  stood alongside the table, nibbling at his bottom lip. He seemed to be the only man in the room 
  whose attention wasn’t on Everet. In fact, the magpie looked everywhere except at him. He 
  hadn’t met his eye once since they left the elders meeting room. He hadn’t said a word either. 
  Everet could no longer afford to give the magpie time to mentally process everything at 
  his own speed. He touched Kane’s cheek and made him look up. 
  Kane glared into Everet’s eyes, as if daring him to change his mind about accepting the 
  punishment in his place. 
  
  “You can trust my word,” Everet said. “No one will raise a hand to you while you belong 
  to me. Not me, not anyone else” 
  Kane said nothing. His expression wavered, but he didn’t seem to know what emotions 
  other than distrust and anger would be suitable for the situation. 
  “When you’re ready, Everet,” Raynard said from behind him. 
  Everet smiled down at Kane for a moment, pushing all other concerns aside in favor of 
  reassuring the magpie as best he could. “Everything will be fine. It won’t take long. Just wait 
  here for me. Understand?” 
  Kane nodded. His cheek rubbed against Everet’s palm. 
  It was hard to turn toward the whipping post, not because he was afraid of the whip, but 
  because turning away from Kane when the younger man was confused and hurting went against 
  every instinct Everet possessed. 
  Raynard stood on the other side of the square area around the whipping post. Hamilton 
  and Ori flanked him. Whispered words passed from one man to the other. Everet stopped a few 
  steps away from them, just out of eavesdropping range, patiently waiting to be invited closer. 
  Ori noticed him first. He placed his hand lightly on Raynard’s arm to get his attention and 
  nodded toward Everet. 
  “You’re ready?” Raynard asked. 
  “Yes, sir.” 
  Raynard stepped away from the others. Everet remained exactly where he was as the 
  hawk approached him. He felt strangely calm now that the moment had arrived. 
  “Have you ever been whipped?” Raynard asked. 
  “No, sir, not seriously.” Not since he’d indulged his curiosity as a very young man, 
  before he’d even reached his avian maturity. 
  Raynard didn’t need to say that this would be a serious whipping. They both knew they 
  couldn’t permit it to be anything else. The law of the nest was the law of the nest, and if Everet 
  had any intention of remaining one of the men who enforced it, he couldn’t be seen to either 
  disobey it, or to suffer less when he admitted his guilt. 
  “Ori and Hamilton both think you should accept time in the cage in lieu of this kind of 
  punishment,” Raynard said, idly running the tails of the whip through his fingers as he spoke. 
  Everet met the hawk’s eye. “You don’t, sir.” 
  
  “I’d pick whichever punishment allowed me to best care for the man under my 
  protection. I won’t try to convince you to do otherwise—not even if our resident swan thinks I 
  should.” 
  Everet smiled slightly, but his attention quickly returned to the whip. 
  “If you ask me to stop, I will,” Raynard said. “But if you can take the twenty in one 
  block, it will be over more quickly.” 
  Everet nodded. 
  “As soon as you reach the whipping post, I want you to find whatever mental place you 
  need to go to as quickly as you can and stay there. Don’t worry about Kane. Ori will keep an eye 
  on him during the whipping. He’ll let me know if the little brat moves from his place.” 
  “Thank you, sir.” Everet had never been more relieved to hear anything in his life. Kane 
  would be fine. Even when his master was distracted, Kane would be looked after. 
  “Any questions?” Raynard asked. 
  “No, sir.” 
  “Go and get yourself in position. There’ll be no bondage.” 
  Everet met the hawk’s eyes once more. Raynard understood what it was like for a natural 
  dom to have to put himself in a position of weakness. Perhaps being in love with a swan wasn’t 
  the same as taking a whipping, but, yes, Everet had no doubt that Raynard understood what he 
  was going through. 
  He’d never been more grateful that Raynard had stepped forward and volunteered to 
  administer the punishment on behalf of the nest. 
  “Thank you, sir.” He could only hope Raynard knew how sincerely he meant that. 
  Everet turned away from Raynard. He kept his chin up and his shoulders back as he 
  approached the whipping post. He had nothing to be ashamed of, and he’d be damned before 
  he’d act like he had any reason to blush before men who’d turned up just to see a punishment-
  whipping—as if it were a novel form of entertainment. 
  Everet knew there were more than a few avians who weren’t thrilled that he seemed to be 
  a favorite of two high-ranking elders. He had no doubt they’d all love being able to witness what 
  had to look like a spectacular tumble from grace. 
  
  He arranged himself in front of the post as quickly and efficiently as possible. Reaching 
  up, he caught hold of the metal ring set at the top of the thick wooden support without hesitating 
  for even a fraction of a second. 
  He didn’t need to keep his head up and watch over Kane while the whipping took place. 
  His last concern had been allayed. Everet allowed himself to rest his forehead against the wood 
  and close his eyes. No one would know if his mask slipped as the whip fell. That was good to 
  know, too. 
  The whole room suddenly fell silent. It seemed to Everet that even the gossips’ lips 
  stopped babbling. After all, what would they have to talk about tomorrow if they missed some 
  important detail tonight? 
  His muscles tensed as he waited for the first lash to fall against his skin. Raynard didn’t 
  make him stand there and suffer as expectation built up. Only a few seconds passed before the 
  leather snapped against his skin. A line of fire roared into existence across his shoulders, from 
  one side of his body to the other. 
  Everet gasped. It was nothing like he’d expected. The only thing he’d experienced before 
  was during an experiment he conducted with a few other ravens, so that they would, in theory at 
  least, know how it felt, just in case they were ever called upon to whip a man as punishment. In 
  that moment, Everet realized that the experiment had failed. None of its conclusions were in any 
  way valid. 
  That sensation and this were as far apart as a single match being struck against the sole of 
  a shoe, and the result of that match being applied to a forest full of dry kindling. 
  Clenching his teeth, Everet kept his curses to himself. 
  There was a point behind this, and it was one that was worth making, whatever the cost. 
  Find whatever mental place you need to go to as quickly as you can, and stay there. 
  Raynard had given him good advice. But there was no pleasant beach scene for Everet to call to 
  mind. He couldn’t imagine that he flew high above the nest, unconcerned with anything that 
  happened beneath him. 
  There was only one thing Everet was able to think about. His mind needed to be on 
  Kane—on how to be a better master for him. He needed to focus upon his duties to his 
  submissive. 
  
  The whip struck Everet’s back again. This time there was no gasp. Everet didn’t have any 
  breath left in his lungs to escape. 
  He pulled air into his body the moment the whip left him, but that was just survival 
  instinct. His mind was entirely focused upon what Kane needed him to do differently in future. 
  Another blow fell. 
  Everet needed to make sure he took time to stretch his wings, so he could make the right 
  decisions for Kane. 
  Raynard had a rhythm established now. Pain spiked inside Everet at regular intervals. 
  He needed to make sure he explained exactly what he expected from Kane, so that the 
  rules were simple and clear. 
  Again and again, the whip fell. Everet made no attempt to count the lashes. That was 
  Raynard’s job, not his. Everet’s job was to take his pain and use it to make his resolution to be a 
  better master stronger than ever. 
  He didn’t try to fight the pain. He welcomed it, hailing anything that enabled him to be a 
  better dominant, as a gift to cherish. His back burned, making it harder for him to think clearly. 
  Everet pressed his forehead hard against the whipping pole. His grip on the metal loop tightened 
  until his fingers cramped around it. 
  His mind welcomed the whip. His body didn’t. His body hated it and everything it 
  represented. A little part of Everet had always wondered if he might like pain the way some of 
  his previous lovers had, if it were to be properly applied by a man who knew what he was doing. 
  Now, Everet knew for sure, and he didn’t find it the least bit erotic. His cock remained 
  soft. It was only bloody mindedness that kept him standing there. It was only his need to become 
  a better master, a better man for Kane, that stopped him spinning away and launching himself at 
  Raynard to try and wrestle the whip from him. 
  Kane. 
  The image of the other man rose up in Everet’s mind. Kane as he had first seen him, 
  huddled in a pathetic little ball in the back room of a human club. 
  As another lash of pain exploded inside him, the image changed. Kane standing in the 
  middle of the living room, his arms folded, his expression mutinous. 
  Every fall of Raynard’s whip brought another picture of Kane to Everet. Kane was his, 
  and Everet had never been more determined to do right by him. 
  
   
  Kane closed his eyes tighter than ever as yet another crack of the whip filled the air. The 
  twenty lashes seemed to go on forever, echoing around inside his head until he was sure it had to 
  have been at least the hundredth time the leather connected with Everet’s back. He desperately 
  wanted to lift his hands and cover his ears, but he couldn’t. He stood frozen in place. He couldn’t 
  even turn and run away. 
  It probably wouldn’t have helped, even if he’d been able to sprint out of the room, out of 
  the nest, out of this whole screwed up world. The sight of the whip landing on Everet’s back for 
  the first time had burned itself into his retinas, he’d never be able to un-see it. And he’d never be 
  able to un-hear the sickening sound of flesh trapped under the whip. 
  The breath caught in Kane’s throat. He’d received plenty of beatings, but they were 
  different. Those times had been filled with anger and fueled with alcohol. It had been about some 
  guy catching hold of him as quickly as he could and raining down blows until his arm got tired 
  or he needed another drink. 
  Anyone standing around when Kane had fallen foul of a punter’s temper had either 
  cheered or joined in with a sadistic level of enthusiasm. Kane had thought those nights had been 
  bad, but this… 
  The room was filled with avians who seemed to have turned up just to watch Everet get 
  whipped. And now, they just stood there, impartial observers. The only sound was the crack of 
  the whip. The cold clinical nature of the punishment somehow made it far worse. The nest 
  wasn’t lashing out at Everet in drunken fury. It wasn’t acting before it thought things through. 
  Without needing to open his eyes, Kane knew that Raynard wasn’t getting off on hurting 
  Everet. He was just going through the motions, doing a job that he might consider distasteful, but 
  which nevertheless needed to be done. 
  And Everet… 
  Kane managed to make a few muscles escape the icy stillness that filled his veins. His 
  hand curled into a fist at his side. His teeth cut into his bottom lip. He whimpered, but another 
  crack of the whip made it impossible for him to open his eyes. He couldn’t watch Everet get 
  whipped because of him, he just couldn’t… 
  In that moment, no piece of sparkly treasure was worth this. 
  
  A small, selfish part of Kane knew that, just because he wasn’t the one getting whipped, 
  didn’t mean the punishment wouldn’t hurt him in the long run. What if Everet decided he was 
  too much trouble and he wanted to trade him in for a submissive who didn’t have Kane’s skill at 
  pick-pocketing? What if Everet gave up on him? What if he didn’t want to screw him anymore? 
  What would happen to him then? 
  But that wasn’t the only reason why Everet should never get hurt. Hurting Everet was just 
  wrong—it was as simple as that. Everet was…Kane didn’t know what he was, but he was 
  someone who shouldn’t get hurt—not ever. 
  The silence following that blow was longer. Kane tasted blood as his nerves built up and 
  his teeth cut through the thin, sensitive skin on his bottom lip. 
  “It’s over now,” Ori whispered, from somewhere to Kane’s right. “You can go to your 
  master.” 
  That was a lie. Kane couldn’t do that. He couldn’t do anything. Fear still paralyzed him. 
  “Kane?” Ori said again. 
  Through super-avian strength of will, Kane managed to pry open his eyes. They’d been 
  so tightly closed, they’d started to water. Ori now stood directly in front of him. He appeared 
  concerned. He was also blurry. 
  Kane swiped at his eyes. They’d watered a lot. 
  Ori extended a hand, offering Kane a handkerchief. He was so bloody nice. He was 
  probably just the kind of sub Everet wanted. 
  “I’m not crying,” Kane snapped, in no mood to help Ori show him up in front of Everet. 
  Striding past the swan, Kane marched across the whipping square. He was halfway to 
  Everet before he realized that he was about to come face to face with the very sight he’d closed 
  his eyes against. 
  His steps faltered. All the air rushed out of his lungs. Everet stood next to the whipping 
  post, his hand resting on the thick wooden pole as if to steady himself. His head was bowed, as if 
  all his strength had deserted him. 
  Raynard stood alongside Everet, speaking to him in a low voice. Ori must have walked 
  around the other side of the pole because he appeared at Raynard’s side and offered the hawk a 
  small pot of something. Raynard handed it over to Everet with more softly spoken words. 
  Then, Raynard looked up and caught sight of Kane. 
  
  “Come here, Kane.” 
  Kane reluctantly did as he was told. 
  Everet looked over his shoulder as Kane came closer. His face was white. His back 
  wasn’t. Thick red marks crossed his skin in long straight lines. There was no blood. Raynard 
  hadn’t broken the skin. 
  Kane moved closer still. 
  Everet’s expression was impossible to read, until it suddenly morphed into one of acute 
  concern. He partially released his hold on the post and held one hand out to Kane. “It’s okay. 
  Everything’s fine. It’s over now.” 
  “You’re very fortunate,” Raynard snapped, almost at the same time. 
  Kane turned his attention toward the hawk, mostly because it was easier than thinking of 
  something to say to Everet. 
  “Not many masters would have taken the punishment in your place the way Everet has. I 
  suggest you show your appreciation of his generosity by altering your behavior very rapidly.” 
  “With all due respect, sir,” Everet said. “Kane and I have already spoken about this. 
  What’s done is done.” His voice wasn’t entirely steady. Inside, Kane wept to hear it, but he kept 
  his expression blank. 
  Raynard humphed with obvious disapproval. “He’s your submissive. You have to do as 
  you see fit, I suppose.” He looked at Ori for a moment. When he spoke next, his tone was far 
  more mellow. “Do you need help back to your room?” 
  Everet shook his head. “I’ll be fine, thank you, sir.” 
  Raynard and Ori turned and walked away, with the swan casting concerned glances over 
  his shoulder as they went. Kane swept his gaze around the room. Most of the men who’d filled 
  the space were leaving. 
  It seemed as if only a few short seconds had passed before they stood alone in the center 
  of the huge playroom. That was when Kane made the mistake of turning his attention back to 
  where Everet supported himself against the post. All at once, Kane was unable to do anything but 
  stare in horror at Everet’s back. 
  “It looks worse than it is,” Everet said, lifting his head and straightening his stance the 
  moment he realized he was being watched. 
  
  Kane’s gaze snapped up to the raven’s face. “I thought you said I could trust you to tell 
  me the truth.” 
  Against all of Kane’s expectations, his words caused Everet to smile. 
  Something inside him sang with joy as he saw the raven’s lips twitch and curve with 
  approval. He’d made Everet smile. He could make him happy. That was it—that was the perfect 
  way for him to make up for getting Everet whipped. 
  “Do you want a blowjob?” 
  Everet laughed, sounding even happier, but the noise quickly morphed into a hiss of pain. 
  “Not right now, thanks,” he murmured. 
  Kane frowned. “You have to. It will make you feel better.” 
  Everet’s expression changed. He stared at Kane for several seconds, his scrutiny so 
  intense it made Kane squirm. 
  “You remember what I told you about trying to trade sex for things?” Everet turned away 
  from the post and put his hand on Kane’s shoulder. 
  It wasn’t obvious if he wanted to touch Kane the way a man touched a lover, or just 
  needed something to stabilize him. Part of Kane was desperate to step back and run away, but he 
  found himself unable to deprive Everet of anything that might help him stay on his feet. 
  “I wasn’t trading, I was just offering,” he muttered, pushing his hands into his pockets. 
  “Because you think I’m angry with you, because you think sucking me off will fix 
  something?” Everet shook his head. “No.” 
  “Maybe I just thought that an orgasm would make you feel better,” Kane snapped. 
  Everet smiled, but he also shook his head. “At the risk of making myself sound far more 
  vanilla than I could ever actually be, sex is for the bedroom, not the whipping station.” 
  “Okay.” That wasn’t a deal breaker. Kane turned to go back to the apartment. The sooner 
  they got back to the bedroom the better. 
  Everet’s grip on his shoulder tightened. 
  Damn. That was right. He couldn’t run away and expect Everet to chase him right now. 
  Kane frowned down at the floor, unsure of the best way to handle the situation. “If you 
  want to lean on my shoulder on the way up to the room, I don’t mind,” he hazarded. 
  Everet nodded his acceptance. “Thanks. Just fetch my shirt first, please.” 
  
  Kane hurried across to the table, snatched up the garment and returned to Everet. He gave 
  it to him, but Everet made no attempt to put it on, he just held it in one hand, and returned his 
  other hand to Kane’s shoulder. 
  Leading the way back to their apartment, Kane soon found himself monitoring Everet’s 
  progress via the weight the raven placed on his shoulder. By the time they were in the living 
  room, Everet seemed to need a hell of a lot more support than he had when they first left the 
  whipping post. His steps had shortened, his grip on Kane had tightened, but his back remained 
  straight, his chin up. 
  It was only when they got inside the apartment that Everet’s energy seemed to completely 
  desert him. He slumped down onto the sofa, but he made no attempt to lean back against the 
  cushions. He stayed right on the edge of the seat, his elbows resting on his knees, his head 
  bowed. 
  Kane didn’t need to remain at his side any more. He walked away, only to stop halfway 
  across the living room. 
  Damn! Belonging to Everet made him weak and stupid. He’d come dangerously close to 
  missing a trick. The raven had kept him so busy he’d almost forgotten what his main priority 
  should have been the whole time. 
  Carefully schooling his features into a neutral expression, Kane retraced his steps and sat 
  alongside the other man on the sofa. “I should call the doctor to check you out.” 
  “There’s no need,” Everet said, without even looking up. “Raynard knew what he was 
  doing. I don’t need a doctor to tell me that my back will heal without any help. Time is all it 
  needs.” 
  “It can’t hurt to check,” Kane pushed. 
  Everet looked up. His hair had lost its slicked back style; several black locks fell forward 
  into his face. He stared past them at Kane, a slight smile on his lips. “You don’t need to worry 
  about me.” 
  “But I do!” Kane protested. “I should get the doctor. If nothing else he should be able to 
  give you something for the pain—” 
  Everet’s expression changed from one extreme to the other in less than half a second. His 
  brow creased as his eyes narrowed. Any hint of a smile left his face. “No.” 
  “I just meant…” Kane began quickly. 
  
  “There will be no drugs in this house.” 
  Kane’s forearm screamed in protest. Damn it, he needed it. The moment he’d 
  remembered the easiest way to make his heart sing and his pain disappear, it became vital he get 
  his hands on a hit. 
  He wouldn’t have to feel guilty if he had quicksilver rushing through his veins. None of 
  this would be important anymore. Everet wouldn’t matter to him if he could just have a little 
  sparkle injected into him. His hands curled into fists, as if he really could reach out, grab hold of 
  the idea and hold onto it no matter what Everet said. 
  He stood up, but he had no idea where he intended to go. Pacing across to the fireplace, 
  he turned and made his way back to Everet, only to repeat the process all over again. 
  The apartment door called to him. He could escape now. Everet was in no condition to 
  catch up with him. The raven would be in far too much pain to— 
  Kane shook his head. No. That was wrong. Most men worked that way, but Everet wasn’t 
  most men, he worked according to his own rules. Everet would run after him no matter how 
  much it hurt. 
  Hell, he’d probably try to chase him down if he had two broken legs, and a broken wing 
  to boot. He’d catch him, too—even if he had to claw his way along by his fingertips. He was 
  stubborn like that. And Kane had already hurt Everet enough, forcing him to give chase would be 
  wrong. 
  Kane shook his head again. He pushed his hands through his hair, trying to straighten out 
  his thoughts from the outside in. He was all muddled. Belonging to Everet was so different to 
  belonging to any other man he knew, it had completely messed up his brain. 
  He’d known lots of men who’d completely scrambled their minds on drink and drugs, but 
  he hadn’t realized it was possible to do that simply by over indulging in the presence of another 
  person. 
  “I’ll help you into the bedroom,” Kane decided. It was all simpler in there. 
  “I told you before,” Everet said, a very slight edge to his voice even though he was still 
  trying to sound all nice and patient. “Sex isn’t a bargaining chip. You don’t have any ground to 
  make up with me. I’m not mad at you.” 
  Kane glared down at him. “What if it’s not about any of that? What if I’m just horny?” 
  “So you liked watching me get whipped?” Everet asked. 
  
  “Yeah, it was hot. All I could think about the whole time was how much I wanted to 
  jump you. It’s only your stupid sex is for the bedroom rule that made me wait until we got back 
  here.” 
  Everet raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t think that particular lie was even worthy of 
  comment. 
  Kane sighed and looked down at his fly. His cock had never been softer. He wasn’t going 
  to fool anyone. “Maybe I want everything to be as simple as two guys in bed together,” he said. 
  “As simple as pleasing the man I belong to and making him feel better when he’s in pain.” 
  Everet blinked, his eyes revealed his shock, even while his other features remained 
  impassive. Kane kept his own expression entirely neutral, but no one could have been more 
  surprised than he was by the words that had just left his mouth. 
  Now they were out there he realized, to his great surprise, that they were true. One part of 
  him wanted a high, but another part of him just wanted to please Everet—and right then, that bit 
  of him was the stronger of the two. If he had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, 
  the angel had just taken off his halo and beaten the devil over the head with it until the poor little 
  bugger gave up any attempt to whisper anything at all in Kane’s ear. 
  He didn’t understand it, Kane wasn’t even sure he wanted it, but he knew in that moment 
  that, without any shadow of a doubt, that was the way things were. 
   
  Everet watched confusion flicker in Kane’s eyes. The boy was a good actor, but he 
  wasn’t that good. He looked so lost, so scared, as he tried to work out what went on in his own 
  head. 
  The desire to wrap him in his arms and hold him for the rest of his life overpowered every 
  sensible thought in Everet’s head. He pulled himself to his feet. The flames that had burnt across 
  his back raged all the more fiercely as molecules of oxygen brushed across his skin and fed the 
  blaze. 
  Everet forced himself to ignore that. He stepped forward. 
  Kane remained perfectly still as Everet took his hand. 
  “The bedroom,” he said. “Just because we can make each other feel good.” 
  Kane nodded. 
  
  It was impossible to tell who led the way. Everet knew his balance was still shot. His grip 
  on Kane’s hand was only partially intended to reassure the magpie. Everet wasn’t sure he’d have 
  made it to the bedroom door without Kane’s support. 
  Inside the room, Everet headed straight for the bed and sat down heavily on the edge of it. 
  “What do you want to feel better first,” Kane asked. “Your back or your cock?” 
  Everet managed to lift his head and peer up at the other man. Kane held the little pot of 
  ointment Raynard had given him in one hand. His other hand was empty. Apparently, no props 
  were necessary in order for Kane to make his cock as happy as hell. 
  “My back,” Everet said, ignoring the fact that, in spite of everything else, his cock had 
  started to harden at the very idea of Kane’s hand wrapping around his shaft. 
  Kane nodded. The mattress shifted beneath Everet as Kane climbed onto the bed behind 
  him. Even the tiny movements Everet made as he automatically balanced himself sent new bolts 
  of searing heat through the muscles in his back. 
  Everet gripped the edge of the mattress and gritted his teeth, riding it out as best he could. 
  He heard plastic move against glass as Kane took the top off the pot. The ointment had a strong 
  metallic smell. Anything that smelled that bad had to do someone some good. 
  “I just rub it into the whip marks, right?” Kane asked. 
  “Yeah.” Everet closed his eyes, determined not to react however much the application 
  hurt. Kane wanted to help, and he couldn’t let any negative reaction to such a positive sign of 
  progress creep past his defenses. 
  Everet wasn’t sure what he’d expected as he waited for the first touch. Clumsiness? 
  Carelessness? For Kane to quickly lose interest in the task and leave it half done? He quickly 
  realized that all those guesses would have been wrong. 
  The magpie’s touch was gentler than anything Everet had ever felt. It slid over the injured 
  skin so tenderly, it was barely possible to feel his fingers moving against him. 
  The lotion quickly cooled on Everet’s skin. That was the only way he was able to track 
  Kane’s progress across his back and down toward the lowest whip marks, placed as low as they 
  could go without the risk of doing Everet serious damage. Raynard really had done his best to 
  space out the lashes and stop them crossing over each other. He’d have to remember to thank the 
  hawk for that. 
  
  Everet felt his breaths become less labored as the skin ceased to shift and burn with each 
  lungful of air he took. He opened his eyes and stared down at his boots. 
  “Did I miss anywhere?” Kane asked. 
  “No.” Everet turned just far enough to be able to look over his shoulder and meet Kane’s 
  eyes. The skin across his back only protested mildly at the movement. 
  The magpie looked so sad. Everet’s stomach clenched. A ferocious need to make his 
  submissive happy wiped every other thought from his head. Twisting a little farther, Everet 
  brushed their lips together. “You did a fantastic job. Thank you.” 
  He tried to catch Kane’s gaze, but the magpie quickly looked away, as if afraid of what 
  Everet might see in his eyes. 
  “Are you ready for your blowjob now?” Kane asked. 
  Everet had been ready to see Kane’s lips wrapped around his cock since the first moment 
  he’d recovered his health. He’d wanted Kane on his knees in front of him for so long, Everet 
  wouldn’t have been able to remember a time before that, even if he’d been inclined to try. 
  “Yes,” he said, softly, as if it was a secret that only Kane would ever hear. “Very ready.” 
  Lifting one hand, he trailed his fingertip across Kane’s lips. They instantly parted as Kane 
  offered his mouth to his finger. 
  Everet swallowed rapidly in an effort to gain some patience, but he couldn’t bring himself 
  to delay the forthcoming blowjob by messing around with his fingers. He dropped his hand back 
  to his side. 
  Kane chuckled, but for once he didn’t seem to be interested in playing the brat. Everet 
  had never been more relieved in his life. He remained perfectly still on the edge of the bed as 
  Kane moved around him. 
  He seemed about to drop to his knees, when he stopped short. 
  Everet held his breath. 
  Grabbing a pillow off the top of the bed, Kane dropped it on the floor at Everet’s feet 
  before lowering himself gracefully down onto it. 
  Everet remembered how to breathe out. Gradually releasing his grip on the edge of the 
  mattress, he reached for his fly. 
  His whip marks didn’t object too badly to that kind of movement, but Kane put his hand 
  over Everet’s fingers, stopping him short before he had a chance to pull down the zipper. 
  
  Their eyes met. They both froze in place. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Ten 
   
   
  “Let me?” Kane asked. 
  Everet didn’t seem inclined to grant his request. The silence stretched out, so thin and taut 
  that it could have been used as a trampoline. 
  “I’m not trying to take control,” Kane said, when the hush became too much for him to 
  bear. “I just—” I just wanted to do this for you. Kane mentally cursed himself but the words 
  wouldn’t rise to his lips. There was no way for him to explain the desperate need that burned 
  deep down in the pit of his stomach. 
  He had to do this, for Everet, for himself, for…he didn’t really know, he just had to. 
  Everet stroked Kane’s cheek and returned his hand to the edge of the mattress without 
  saying it was a bad idea, without making any comment at all. 
  Kane grinned as if he’d been given a precious gift—something made from a metal that 
  sparkled and shone whenever it caught the light. He reached for Everet’s fly and carefully drew 
  it down. He still didn’t have enough room to work. There was too much fabric in the way. He 
  tugged at Everet’s jeans but he couldn’t get them down without the raven’s cooperation. He 
  looked up. 
  Everet didn’t make him ask. Resting a hand on Kane’s shoulders, he stood up. No wince, 
  no intake of breath. Kane mentally added a tub of whatever that cream was onto his “must get—
  now!” list. 
  Kane quickly pulled the denim all the way down to Everet’s ankles, letting him resume 
  his place on the edge of the bed. 
  Everet was already more than a little hard. Kane smiled as he wrapped his fingers around 
  the long, thick shaft. God, but he was gorgeous—and Kane had seen enough, had gone down on 
  enough cocks, to know what he was talking about. 
  
  He stroked Everet firmly, coaxing him to grow harder still under his watchful eye. The 
  foreskin slid back, exposing the glans as he worked, tempting Kane and making him abandon all 
  thought of waiting and trying to make the game last. 
  Dipping his head, he wrapped his lips around the tip. Stilling his hand, he circled the head 
  with his tongue before sucking to create a snug little vacuum. Everet gasped. 
  Kane looked up through his lashes. 
  For the first time since Everet had finally allowed them to start playing together, Kane 
  wasn’t so distracted by his own need to come to pay proper attention to his lover and ensure the 
  other man had a bloody wonderful time. 
  If he pleased Everet then… 
  Kane hesitated—not physically—his tongue continued to play around Everet’s cock with 
  the ease and confidence that came from long hours practicing and an almost endless list of 
  former partners. No, Kane’s hesitation was all mental. 
  If he pleased Everet then… 
  Part of him wanted to finish the thought with the possibility that Everet might let him get 
  high, or Everet might give him something bright and shiny to keep all to himself. Neither idea 
  formed the right shape inside his head. Everet wouldn’t change a damn thing just because he 
  proved he gave really good head. 
  Kane frowned slightly, staring down at the base of Everet’s cock as he dipped his head 
  and took a little more of Everet’s shaft into his mouth. 
  If he pleased Everet then…then Everet might be pleased with him? 
  Kane whimpered and bobbed his head down even farther as he realized that he’d been 
  wrong—not about if he should give Everet head, he still knew this was the perfect way to cheer 
  up almost any man. But he’d been wrong about something else that was also very pertinent to 
  that moment. 
  Damn it, but he was just as distracted by his own needs and desires as he’d ever been. 
  The only difference now, was that he was concerned with how happy he’d be if Everet was 
  pleased with him rather than how good his own orgasm might feel when he eventually got to 
  come. 
  
  It was no good. Magpies obviously weren’t cut out to think and fool around at the same 
  time. Another dip of the head. Kane pushed all the complicated, confusing things aside and 
  concentrated on what he didn’t require even a single brain cell to understand. 
  Everet’s cock was delicious. 
  Yes, that was a straightforward and increasingly firm point of fact he could focus on. 
  Kane stroked the satiny soft skin and let his eyes drop closed. The taste wasn’t the only 
  wonderful thing about sucking off Everet. The sensation of his mouth being filled again and 
  again sent a shiver rushing down Kane’s spine—straight to his balls. 
  The texture of Everet’s shaft as it rubbed against his lips, the scent of Everet’s pleasure, 
  the flavor of his pre-cum as it leaked onto his tongue—everything combined inside Kane, 
  making his cock harden and his head spin. 
  A touch to the back of Kane’s head made him open his eyes and look up. Everet stroked 
  his fingers through Kane’s hair, his touch firm, but still strangely gentle. 
  Kane stilled, waiting for Everet’s grip to tighten around the longest strands of hair he 
  could find, so he’d be able to take control over him. He waited for Everet to force his head down 
  until his shaft pushed into the topmost section of his throat and choked him. He waited for 
  Everet’s hips to thrust forward and for the other man to start screwing his mouth in earnest. 
  “That’s good, Kane.” 
  That was it. Everet stroked his hair again before stilling his hand near the nape of his 
  neck. He smiled. Apparently, he had nothing else to say. He was once more content to let Kane 
  get on with it. 
  Kane swallowed in confusion. 
  “Feels great,” Everet murmured. 
  Frowning, Kane dropped his gaze down to Everet’s cock. While he still held the tip 
  between his lips, the angle made it impossible to see most of the shaft, but that wasn’t the point. 
  It didn’t matter what he stared at, as long as he managed to avoid Everet’s gaze. 
  He tried to dip his head but, all at once, it was impossible. Everet’s thumb pressed firmly 
  against Kane’s forehead, just where his skin creased in confusion. 
  Kane stubbornly kept his gaze down, focusing on the dark, wiry hairs that grew around 
  the base of Everet’s cock as if they were the most interesting things he’d ever seen in his life. 
  “If you need to stop, you can,” Everet said. 
  
  Kane jerked his gaze up. 
  Everet sounded so understanding, as if he really wouldn’t mind if Kane quit in the middle 
  of it. Except, his eyes made it very clear that he would mind—he’d mind a lot. He was just being 
  a nice guy. 
  Kane made a distinctly unimpressed noise in the back of his throat. It would serve Everet 
  right if he did stop, after he scared him that way, making him think that he did such a bad job of 
  sucking him off that he couldn’t care less if Kane bothered finishing what he’d started. Reaching 
  up with his free hand, Kane took hold of Everet’s wrist and pointedly moved the other man’s 
  hand out of his way. 
  Everet didn’t protest. He allowed Kane to resume bobbing his head at whatever pace he 
  liked. That suited Kane just fine. 
  It had been a long time since he’d been able to simply concentrate on the pleasure of 
  going down on another man rather than how best to manipulate the situation. He’d enjoy the end 
  result too, and nothing would stop him. 
  Curling his tongue and caressing the bottom of the shaft each time he lifted his head, 
  Kane descended more quickly, taking Everet all the way to the base. No more teasing. It was 
  time to bring out his A-game and show Everet just what he’d been missing out on during all 
  those years before they'd met. He’d make sure that Everet knew he’d never be able to find 
  another lover that could make him come as hard as he could. 
  Kane had to make himself indispensible to the raven’s future happiness. He whimpered at 
  the thought. As if reading the idea right out of his head, Everet moaned his approval, too. He 
  stroked Kane’s hair again. His hips thrust forward, the tiny movement of a guy who’d been 
  driven too close to the edge and was no longer able to stay still, no matter how hard he tried. 
  “That’s right,” Everet ground out, his voice deep and rich with lust. 
  Yes. It did feel as if everything was right in Kane’s world. He settled a hand high up on 
  Everet’s leg, but he didn’t attempt to control the raven’s movements. He just wanted the pleasure 
  of feeling Everet’s skin under his hand. 
  The other man’s muscles bunched and twitched beneath his palm. Kane whimpered, 
  loving both the strength he felt in Everet, the control he sensed him practicing. No other man that 
  strong had ever shown any sort of inclination to control his strength around Kane. 
  
  Magpies were for using hard and rough. Gentleness was for other people. Self-restraint 
  was for lovers who weren’t paid by the number of orgasms they induced. 
  Everet slid his hand down onto Kane’s shoulder. He gasped. His head dropped back. It 
  was enough of a warning for Kane to know what was about to happen in plenty of time to move 
  away. Stilling, he held his tongue in front of the very tip of Everet’s cock instead. He caught the 
  other man’s semen on his tastebuds as he came. 
  The raven didn’t make a single sound as his hips bucked. He didn’t even appear to 
  breathe. Head back and staring up toward the ceiling, he just spilled his cum over Kane’s tongue 
  in long, creamy ropes. 
  Kane had to swallow as fast as he could to keep up. Then, as suddenly as it had struck 
  Everet, the other man’s orgasm ended. The only thing left in the world to prove that Everet had 
  ever reached his orgasm was the taste in Kane’s mouth and the tightness of Everet’s grip on his 
  shoulder. 
  Even when he’d first stepped away from the whipping post, Everet hadn’t needed Kane to 
  stabilize him this much. He had to be really dizzy with pleasure. Yes, Kane liked that idea. He 
  smiled to himself as he sucked almost tenderly around the raven’s softening shaft. 
  A far less attractive thought revolved around the fact that, at some point, he’d have to pull 
  away and separate them. Kane didn’t like that prospect at all. He’d have much preferred to stay 
  right where he was for the rest of the night, maybe even for the rest of his life. 
  “Come up here.” 
  Kane reluctantly obeyed, moving to sit on the edge of the bed alongside the raven. He 
  didn’t even try to look toward Everet, he stared at the floor between his feet instead. 
  “You want me to help you get comfortable?” he eventually blurted out. He tried not to 
  feel too pathetic for wanting any excuse, even one involving menial labor, that allowed him to 
  break the silence. 
  “Yeah, thanks,” Everet said. 
  Kane clumsily helped Everet out of the tangle of material around his ankles and tossed it 
  in a heap at the base of the bed. Picking up the pillow he’d knelt on, Kane pitched that toward the 
  top of the bed. 
  The bed… 
  
  There was no way in hell Everet would get a wink of sleep on the sofa. Kane looked once 
  more at the beautiful, big bed he’d slept in so comfortably the previous night. He glanced at the 
  whip marks on Everet’s back as the other man moved the pot of ointment onto the nightstand. If 
  the raven had taken a whipping for him, then… 
  “I’ll take the sofa tonight,” Kane said, as levelly as he could. 
  Still perched on the edge of the bed, Everet looked up at Kane, a slight frown furrowing 
  the skin between his brows. “Take off your clothes.” 
  Kane pursed his lips. The other man obviously thought that he’d take the opportunity to 
  escape from the flat. Well, if he thought that being stark bollock naked would keep him there, he 
  was about to have another thought coming pretty bloody quickly. Nothing could keep Kane there 
  now. Nudity would only help him find another master! 
  Making no attempt to hide his anger, Kane tore off his clothes and threw them on the 
  floor next to Everet’s. The seam on his shirt ripped. He didn’t care. Kane didn’t care about 
  anything or anyone. That’s the way it had always been, and that’s the way it would to stay. 
  “Come here.” 
  Kane stomped forward, maybe he’d only remained in the room this long because he fully 
  planned to give Everet a piece of his mind before he strode out of there, but he could just as 
  easily do that up close. 
  When he stopped directly in front of Everet, the other man lifted his hands and set them 
  to either side of Kane’s hips. Kane was ready for the forthcoming lecture, and was determined 
  not to listen to a word of it. What he wasn’t so ready for was the way Everet dipped his head and 
  took the tip of his cock into his mouth. 
  Kane grabbed hold of Everet’s shoulders. It had been so long since anyone had cared if 
  he came, too, that it hadn’t even occurred to him that Everet would want to get him off, let alone 
  on today of all days. 
  It was impossible for Kane to hold back a surprised little cry. Once that first sound was 
  freed, others followed hot on its heels. Kane clawed at the tops of Everet’s arms as he fought for 
  some sort of self-control. 
  Everet deftly caught hold of Kane’s wrists. A moment later he had them both pinned 
  behind the small of Kane’s back. 
  
  Squirming was out of the question. It might make Everet stop, and that wasn’t the kind of 
  thing that could ever be allowed to happen. Kane stared down as Everet dipped his head and took 
  him all the way to the base in one smooth motion. 
  Long strands of dark hair obscured Kane’s view of Everet’s eyes, but they didn’t stop 
  him from seeing how beautiful Everet’s lips looked while they were thinned out around his shaft. 
  The raven’s tongue caressed along the underside of Kane’s shaft as he pulled back. Then, 
  just in case Kane hadn’t been able to believe his eyes the first time, Everet repeated the action 
  several more times, letting him take in every wonderful detail. A few extra flicks of his tongue 
  against the sensitive spot just where the head joined the length of his shaft and Kane came into 
  Everet’s mouth. 
  Sparklers burst into life behind his eyelids. His knees shook. His hands clenched into fists 
  behind his back as if there were some way he could hold onto ecstasy and make it last a little 
  longer. 
  Despite his every effort, it slipped through his fingers, intangible and oh-so fleeting. The 
  bliss that had extended all the way to his fingertips faded gradually away, leaving a strange 
  emptiness in its wake. 
  Kane groaned. There was no way he could stay on his feet a moment longer. He slumped 
  forward until his knees and rested against the mattress between Everet’s legs. The raven’s grip 
  on his wrists didn’t falter as Kane collapsed against him. 
  “That’s right,” Everet whispered, as Kane bowed his head down to rest it upon Everet’s 
  shoulder. 
  While Kane was still mussy-headed with afterglow, Everet carefully rearranged them on 
  the bed. Kane couldn’t bring himself to protest being nudged and prodded right then. No suitably 
  sarcastic thoughts rose up inside him. The idea of sharing a bed with Everet was curiously 
  appealing—and not only because it gave him a good excuse to avoid making do with the sofa 
  after all. 
  Within a few short minutes, Kane spooned in front of Everet, all wrapped up under the 
  blankets with the heat of the other man’s whole body pressed against him at every point. Everet’s 
  chest moved against his back each time either of them took a breath. His knees fitted neatly 
  against the back of Kane’s knees. Even Everet’s feet followed the line of Kane’s feet. Their toes 
  rested against each other. 
  
  Kane smiled against the pillow. It would be easy to get used to this safe, cozy feeling. 
  Sleep claimed him the moment he closed his eyes. He didn’t move again until he suddenly felt 
  Everet pull away from him. 
  Kane had no idea how much time had passed. He could have been asleep for moments or 
  hours, but he still knew for a fact that Everet shouldn’t be leaving him. 
  “Where are you going?” he demanded, pushing himself up onto one elbow and glaring at 
  the shadowy outline moving toward the edge of the bed. 
  “Bathroom,” came the sleepy reply. 
  “Oh.” Kane supposed he couldn’t complain too much about that. 
  He lay down and waited impatiently for his raven-shaped hot water bottle to return. The 
  bed was cold without Everet to keep it warm. 
  Kane hadn’t noticed before, but the bed was far too large for one man to sleep in on his 
  own. He pulled the blankets up around his neck and grumbled under his breath. Everet had been 
  gone for ages. 
  Kane turned over, even when he felt grumpy at being temporarily left in the bed on his 
  own, he couldn’t help but smile at the fact Everet had invited him to share the bed with him. 
  He’d never want to leave the soft comfortable confines of the bed now that… 
  Kane’s smile died an agonizingly slow death. A frown spread across his forehead at much 
  the same pace. 
  The bastard. 
  A bitter taste filled Kane’s mouth. All of a sudden it was obvious that the only reason 
  Everet had let him sleep there was because it was the easiest way to make sure he didn’t sneak 
  off in the middle of the night. 
  No wonder Everet had wrapped himself around Kane and held him so tight. He was 
  playing the bloody guard dog again. 
  The door swung open. Everet stepped back into the bedroom. In the half-light, Kane saw 
  that the raven’s hair was disordered. His movements lacked their usual fluidity. The magic cream 
  had obviously worn off. The pain from the whipping showed in every move Everet made. 
  Kane refused to feel any sympathy, or any responsibility for that. Everet had chosen to 
  take the whipping. It wasn’t Kane’s fault the other man was in agony. Everything was Everet’s 
  fault. He deserved to hurt. 
  
  The raven slipped between the sheets and immediately moved across the mattress to trap 
  Kane in there with him. 
  It took everything Kane had learned when he’d whored himself out, to force his body to 
  relax and accept an embrace he no longer had any interest in receiving. He lay meekly within 
  Everet’s arms, even as his anger burned all the more viciously inside him. 
  He listened carefully to the rhythm of Everet’s breaths. By the time fifteen minutes had 
  ticked past, he was sure the raven was fast asleep. Moving slowly, doing his best to make it seem 
  like he just wanted to be considerate and to not wake his lover unnecessarily, he tried to extract 
  himself from Everet’s hold. 
  He didn’t even make it to the edge of the bed. 
  One moment Everet was sound asleep. The next, his hand encircled Kane wrist. 
  “I’m just going to the bathroom,” Kane said. Not one iota of his fury infected his tone. 
  Damn, but whoring made a man a good actor. 
  “Go ahead.” Everet let go of his wrist. 
  Kane left the bed and moved toward the door. Two paces later, he glanced back. Everet 
  already appeared to have fallen asleep. He blatantly didn’t give a damn. 
  He was just like all the other guys who’d screwed Kane in the past. The fact Everet’s 
  back wasn’t covered by the sheets, because even thin cotton probably pressed down too painfully 
  against his whipped skin, was irrelevant. Kane still hated him. 
  Picking up his clothes from the bottom of the bed en route, Kane moved into the living 
  room. He was dressed within seconds. Never once looking at the bathroom door, Kane headed 
  straight to the apartment’s exit. 
  He tried the handle. It turned easily. Everet hadn’t even cared enough to lock him in. 
  Kane closed his eyes for a moment, wondering why he had ever thought Everet might be 
  different. 
  Shaking his head at his own stupidity, Kane opened the door. It wouldn’t take him long to 
  find someone with a little bit of quicksilver. At least he knew where he was with that. 
  Quicksilver never let a man down. 
   
  
  Everet launched himself out of bed. The response was purely instinctive and physical. His 
  brain was still fast asleep when he left the bedroom. It was barely any more awake when he 
  sprinted through the open front door of his apartment and out into the corridor. 
  Eyes open wide, adrenaline pumping, unaware of anything except a few very basic facts 
  about the world, he threw himself down the corridor after the figure racing away from him. 
  Predatory predispositions were everything in that moment. Everet couldn’t have stopped 
  to think if he’d wanted to, and he didn’t want to. He wanted Kane. The magpie filled his whole 
  world. 
  Everet’s legs were longer. Kane might have recovered his health, but his fitness still 
  lagged way behind Everet’s. Kane was less than ten yards ahead of him by the time he reached 
  the top of the stairs leading down to the main part of the nest. 
  As Everet stepped onto the first tread, Kane had just made it down to the first landing. An 
  expanse of carpet covered a flat area leading to a ninety-degree turn and the next flight of stairs. 
  Everet leaped. 
  Clearing all twelve stairs in one swoop, he landed just behind Kane. His momentum 
  carried first himself, then both of them, forward, tumbling onto the floor. 
  The carpet did little to cushion the fall. They landed heavily, knocking the breath out of 
  their lungs. Everet caught hold of Kane, before the magpie could roll away in the direction of the 
  next flight of stairs. He fought for a better grip on the squirming figure but Kane seemed to have 
  more limbs than any one man had a right to. 
  “Get off me! Help! Someone help! He’s trying to kill me!” 
  Everet finally caught hold of him, making use of fistfuls of fabric to keep him under 
  control until he finally managed to wedge the magpie beneath the weight of his body. 
  He pressed his hand over Kane’s mouth. He didn’t know what the hell was going on, or 
  what had prompted the other man to completely lose his mind, but Everet was pretty sure an 
  audience wouldn’t help either of them sort it all out. 
  Kane bit down hard. Everet cursed. Blood seeped from the deep bite marks on his index 
  finger, but he didn’t try to pull his hand away. A little bit of pain wasn’t important. 
  Everet’s body had already started to remind him that he’d have far more pain to deal with 
  once he allowed his mind a second to process it. He didn’t care about that either. He’d deal with 
  it when he had time. 
  
  His first concerns were far more immediate. 
  “Kane. Kane!” 
  Everet grappled for a hold on Kane’s hair with his other hand. Finally, he managed to 
  turn Kane’s head toward him. He held him still, trying to force Kane to meet his gaze. 
  “I’m not going to let you go. Stop struggling. You’re just going to tire yourself out.” 
  Either Kane saw sense or, more likely, he was already exhausted. Either way, he fell still 
  beneath Everet. He stopped trying to scream against Everet’s bloodstained hand. 
  Everet waited a few heartbeats, and carefully removed his fingers. 
  “You booby trapped the door!” Kane accused. 
  “Yes,” Everet agreed. 
  Kane stared up at him in shock. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he 
  finally settled on something to say. “Why?” 
  “Because I didn’t want you to sneak out while I was asleep.” 
  Apparently that kind of logic didn’t appeal to Kane. He started to wriggle again. “Let me 
  go.” 
  “No. You’re mine.” 
  The pronouncement made Kane freeze. This time, he looked at Everet voluntarily. Their 
  faces were so close together, Kane looked more than a little blurry, but Everet could still see that 
  something about what he’d just said appealed to the other man. 
  “You’re mine,” he repeated. “Did you start doubting that?” 
  Kane said nothing. The answer was still obvious. 
  Everet dropped his head until his forehead rested against Kane’s temple. “There’s no 
  need to be scared,” he said. “You’re mine. I won’t let you wander off.” 
  Kane took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. “Why did you let me sleep with you in 
  your bed?” As calm as he’d somehow managed to make his voice, confusion still infiltrated 
  every syllable. Each word was carefully spaced out. The answer to the question was important. 
  “Because I wanted you there,” Everet whispered, keeping the words just between them, a 
  wonderful little secret they could keep entirely to themselves. “That’s the only reason anything 
  happens in that room, isn’t it? I wanted us to sleep curled up close, because I knew it would feel 
  good—for both of us.” 
  
  Another deep breath shifted Kane’s torso. “It wasn’t just to stop me from running away?” 
  Suspicion filled each word. 
  Everet let out a chuckle. “Sweetheart, I think my early warning system was the only thing 
  I needed for that. It let me know you were leaving in plenty of time to catch you, didn’t it?” 
  Everet lifted his head so he could look down at Kane and see him more clearly. 
  The little magpie nodded his agreement. 
  “Did you like sleeping in my bed with me?” Everet asked. 
  Kane offered him another little nod. 
  “Do you want to go back to bed?” 
  Kane hesitated. 
  “You’re still allowed,” Everet said, the moment he guessed the reason. “Nothing that 
  happens in that room can be taken away as punishment, remember?” 
  Kane graced him with one more nod. 
  Everet smiled encouragingly as he pulled himself painfully to his feet and helped Kane to 
  stand alongside him. 
  The magpie was dressed. Everet was stark bollock naked. When he tore his attention 
  away from Kane, Everet noticed that there were several men leaning against the railings that 
  looked down over the staircase. 
  “Show’s over,” Everet said, his tone very different to the one he’d used with Kane. “I 
  suggest you all go back to your beds.” Hand in hand with his magpie, he walked up the stairs and 
  past the group. 
  “No one would have blamed you if you were trying to kill him.” 
  Everet turned on his heel. It was impossible to tell which one of the group had spoken. 
  “I’ll put any avian who hurts a man under his protection into the bird cages,” he told them all. 
  “And I’ll see to it that he grows old down there.” 
  He might not have looked like the head of the new internal-security department at the 
  nest, but he bloody well was. Any avian who forgot it would have to deal with him—naked and 
  whipped, or otherwise. 
  He spun away from them and led Kane back to the apartment. The siren that went off if 
  anyone opened the door after he’d sealed it for the night had obviously been a very good 
  precaution. 
  
  When Everet closed the door behind them this time, he once again pressed the button on 
  the discreet little device fitted high up on the doorframe, reactivating it just to be on the safe side 
  and, more importantly, to make sure Kane knew that he still cared if he left or not. 
  “Come on,” Everet said. “We’ve still got a few hours before we have to get up. Back to 
  bed.” 
  The moment Everet sat on the edge of the bed, his body presented him with the bill for all 
  that energetic chasing around. It was to be paid immediately, and in throbbing discomfort. He bit 
  down upon his tongue as the first wave of it ripped through his body. A thousand needles stabbed 
  into his back, burying themselves deep in his flesh along the lines where the whip had left its 
  marks. 
  Everet closed his eyes, sick to his stomach. It took several minutes before he was able to 
  risk opening his eyes again. Moving very cautiously, he looked over his shoulder. 
  Kane sat on the other side of the bed, uncertainty radiating from his every pore. “I could 
  put more ointment on your back, if you like.” 
  Despite it all, Everet managed to smile. “Yes, that would be good. Thank you.” Anything 
  to do with Kane’s first ever attempt to offer a man something other than sex to make up for 
  something he’d done wrong was fantastic in Everet’s book, even if it involved letting someone 
  touch his back when every logical bit of his mind protested at the top of its voice. 
  Logic couldn’t compete with either instinct or his desire to be a good master to a man he 
  cared for more deeply by the day. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Eleven 
   
   
  “Just out of curiosity, how pissed off at me are you?” 
  Everet blinked and tried to focus on the world around him. His brain was still more than 
  half-asleep. The signals it sent out were sluggish after a night where his back had made even 
  dozing difficult, and deep slumber impossible. 
  Kane really had picked the worst possible day to decide he wanted to be a morning 
  person. The magpie was wide-awake, sitting upright and cross-legged on his side of the bed. The 
  blankets were pushed back. He was completely naked. 
  Focusing on the view became more of a priority. Everet’s morning erection quickly 
  stiffened further. His brain stumbled into action at a far more leisurely pace and pointed out that 
  Kane had asked a question that he’d yet to answer. 
  “I don’t remember saying I’m pissed off at all,” Everet said. His voice sounded thick with 
  sleep. He yawned, thought about stretching, and checked that idea before it even made it out of 
  the gate. While he lay very still on the bed, his back was only moderately sore but he was sure 
  any kind of movement would change that very quickly. “What time is it?” 
  Kane’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t have to say you were pissed off. I’m not an idiot. I 
  can put one and one together.” 
  Everet looked up at him. “The time, Kane.” 
  He huffed, but he looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. “Ten past six.” 
  Everet relaxed slightly. He still had plenty of time to get Kane to work punctually. 
  “Thank you. And, to return to the original subject. You might not be an idiot, but you are wrong. 
  I’m not mad at you.” 
  “I ran away,” Kane said. 
  “I remember.” Everet knew he’d never forget that heart-stopping moment when the alarm 
  went off and he realized Kane no longer lay at his side. 
  
  “I broke the rule about leaving the apartment,” Kane pushed. 
  “Yes, you did.” 
  “Well?” he demanded. 
  Everet took as deep a breath as he dared. The skin on his back complained, but it didn’t 
  burst into flames, he’d apparently calculated an acceptable lung capacity correctly. “We do need 
  to talk about that,” he admitted. 
  However, he was damn sure that wouldn’t happen while he lay face down on the bed. 
  Some conversations required easy eye-contact and he had no doubt this would prove to be one of 
  those exchanges. 
  “Have you been in the shower yet?” 
  “What does that have to do with anything?” 
  “You can have the bathroom first,” Everet said, ignoring the anger in the other man’s 
  voice. “Go on. We’ll talk in the living room once we’re both dressed.” 
  Kane huffed, but he also did as he was told. Everet listened to doors open and close. If he 
  strained his hearing, he could just about make out the sound of the shower and Kane splashing 
  about in there. 
  Everet risked a slightly deeper breath and winced as the skin across his back drew against 
  the whip marks. 
  It was like the biggest sticking plaster ever invented, and there was only one way to deal 
  with removing it. Kill or cure. Everet jerked himself into a sitting position, pulling that sticking 
  plaster off in one harsh movement. 
  His head spun. His stomach heaved. He braced himself with his hands on the mattress in 
  front of him and waited for the worst to pass. How anyone could find a whipping erotic was 
  beyond him. How anyone could put up with the after-effects just to get off, baffled him. 
  He shook his head slightly. It took every scrap of courage he could pull together to make 
  himself shuffle across to the edge of the bed, alter his position and drop his feet onto the floor. 
  “You can do this,” he muttered, and forced himself to stand. Each new movement made 
  him wish he could claw the skin off his back and fling it out of the window, pitching it as far 
  away as his strength would allow. 
  
  Standing wasn’t easy while dizziness ruled his world, but he managed to stay on his feet. 
  He thanked any god who listened that Kane wasn’t there to see him take his first tottering steps 
  that morning. 
  A shower was out of the question. The idea of water falling on his back made a cold 
  sweat break out across his skin. Everet moved shakily to the wardrobe and grabbed a pair of 
  jeans. 
  He wasn’t sure if the pain signals from his back became less frantic, or if the worst of the 
  pain dissipated once he’d made his first major movements of the day. It was quite possible that 
  the sheer bloody mindedness, that most people considered the hallmark of a raven’s psyche, had 
  kicked in. 
  It really didn’t matter to Everet what it was that helped him complete his self-assigned 
  tasks for the morning. He cared about ensuring that, by the time Kane walked back into the 
  room, he had forced his body into a clean set of clothes. 
  Black jeans, black boots, black T-shirt. Everet nodded to himself. He was ready to face 
  the world, or at least ready to square off against a magpie in a bratty mood. 
  Kane didn’t knock before he walked into the bedroom, but Everet felt the other man’s 
  gaze on him announcing his presence, loud and clear. Kane was even more wary now. He 
  couldn’t have proclaimed his fear of retaliation more plainly if he’d cowered in the corner with 
  his arms raised to shield his head and fend off the blows he clearly expected to rain down upon 
  him. He’d obviously been whipped often enough to know how a man felt the following morning. 
  “Get dressed and join me in the living room.” Everet walked out, making sure he held his 
  head high and kept his spine straight, no matter how uncomfortably his T-shirt rubbed against his 
  back. 
  He only had a few minutes to settle himself on the sofa, leaning forward and resting his 
  elbows on his knees in an effort to spare his back any contact with the sofa cushions. It was just 
  enough time for him to decide what his first question should be. 
  “Tell me how you felt just before you left the apartment,” Everet ordered, as soon as 
  Kane sat down next to him. 
  “Why?” 
  
  Because I told you to. Everet bit back the words. Pain didn’t give him the right to be a 
  jackass. “Because if we can work out what made you do the wrong thing, we have a better 
  chance of making sure you to do the right thing next time you feel that way.” 
  Kane shifted uncomfortably in his seat. A second later, he was on his feet. “We should 
  go. I don’t want to be late for work.” 
  Everet caught hold of Kane’s wrist when the other man would have walked past him, 
  heading for the door. “Tell me how you feel right now,” he ordered. 
  “Angry,” Kane spat. 
  “Good.” 
  Kane hesitated. He tried to snatch his hand out of Everet’s grip on him but failed. Everet 
  wouldn’t have let him go for anything. 
  “You want me to be mad at you?” Kane demanded. “Well, in that case, well done.” 
  “I want you to be honest with me,” Everet corrected. “Did you feel the same way last 
  night?” 
  Kane shrugged. 
  “You’ll have to do better than that.” 
  Kane huffed. “Yeah, okay. I was pissed off then as well.” 
  “And afraid,” Everet added. 
  Kane tried to pull his wrist out of Everet’s hand again. Everet remained perched on the 
  edge of the sofa, keeping his back as still as possible while maintaining his hold on his 
  submissive. It wasn’t difficult to keep his grip, especially when Kane had yet to put any real 
  effort into shaking it off. 
  “You were afraid that you liked sharing my bed more than I liked having you there,” 
  Everet said. 
  Kane stared at a blank patch of wall alongside the window and made no reply. 
  “I love having you sleep next to me. I like keeping you close. You never need to doubt 
  that or to doubt that I want you to belong to me. Any mistakes you make won’t change that.” 
  Everet had no idea he intended to say all that before the words hit the air. Perhaps the 
  adrenaline from his injuries had altered his ability to control his tongue. Still, every syllable was 
  true. He couldn’t deny any of it. 
  Kane still didn’t look toward him. 
  
  “Next time you feel angry or afraid, I want you to tell me rather than run away. Do you 
  think you can do that?” 
  Kane shrugged. 
  “You can shout it or stamp your feet. You can lunge at me and try to claw my eyes out if 
  that’s what you need to do. But, whatever happens, I want you to stay alongside me and let me 
  know how you feel.” 
  Another shrug. 
  This time Everet returned the other man’s silence with more of the same and sat there, 
  still as any statue in the fancy human museums. Kane remained on his feet in front of him, 
  pulling ever so slightly against Everet’s hold on him, constantly testing to see if Everet still 
  wanted to keep him there. 
  It might have been a minute or an hour. Time didn’t matter as they mentally stared each 
  other down, waiting to see who would give in first. 
  Finally, the pressure against Everet’s hand eased. Kane stopped leaning away from him. 
  More incalculable time slipped past. 
  “I’ll try,” Kane muttered. 
  Everet smiled and squeezed the other man’s wrist, in what he hoped felt like a reassuring 
  way then released him. “Good.” Everet stood up. “Let’s get you to work.” 
  “Are you staying with the cleaning team?” Kane asked. Are you staying with me? Please? 
  “Yes.” What other answer could he give to that kind of silent plea? 
  Kane seemed to relax slightly. He wanted his master close to him. 
  Everet didn’t tempt fate by grinning like an idiot, but his lips twitched into a small smile. 
  It was probably tiny, even as baby steps went, but it still felt good to consider that some sort of 
  progress had been made. As Everet led Kane to his duties and took up his post watching over 
  him, his T-shirt rubbed against his whipped back like wire wool dipped in saltwater. 
  He squared his shoulders and pushed aside the pain. It had definitely been worth it. 
  * * * * 
  “Everet, may I speak to you for a moment, please?” 
  Kane looked up from his duster just in time to see Ori beckon Everet across to the other 
  side of the hallway, attempting to put several yards between Kane and his master. 
  “Of course, sire.” Everet smiled slightly as he joined Ori. 
  
  Kane straightened up, all thought of dust-free surfaces forgotten. His eyes narrowed as he 
  glared at the back of the swan’s neck. He had no right to speak to Everet in private, let alone 
  practically throw himself at him. 
  Anger twisted and swarmed within Kane, green-eyed and furious. Everet wasn’t Ori’s 
  master. There could be no possible need for Ori to wander around pestering men who were 
  supposed to be watching over their own submissives. 
  Kane turned away from the table he’d been working on. He made no attempt to be subtle 
  as he observed every detail of the other men’s softly spoken conversation. 
  Ori stood far closer to Everet than he needed to. From the way Everet bowed his head to 
  put his ear nearer the swan’s lips, Kane knew that Ori had to be talking really quietly. Kane had 
  used that trick himself, dropping his voice to a seductive whisper, when he wanted to get a 
  prospective sugar-daddy leaning in close. He knew how to spot a slut making a play for a guy. 
  Everet should have had more sense than to fall for it, too. 
  Kane tossed his duster on the floor and folded his arms across his chest. The conversation 
  continued for several minutes. Neither man so much as glanced in Kane’s direction. Well aware 
  that his existence had been forgotten, it took all of Kane’s self-control to remain on his side of 
  the hallway. 
  Finally, Ori stepped back. Then, of all the bloody cheek, he tilted his head slightly, 
  smiled, and looked up at Everet through his lashes. It was the final straw. No one in his right 
  mind would have allowed another submissive to flirt with his master that way without taking 
  immediate action. 
  Kane strode across the freshly vacuumed hall carpet, stepped straight past Ori and right 
  into Everet’s personal space. He heard something that might have been Everet starting to ask 
  what he wanted, but Kane didn’t have time for questions. 
  Careful to keep his hands up higher than the whip had struck, Kane slid his hands around 
  Everet’s neck and up into his hair. Pulling the raven’s head down, he brought their mouths 
  together. 
  For a second, Everet seemed too startled to kiss him back. Kane made the most of it, 
  thrusting his tongue past Everet’s lips to explore the other man’s mouth with impunity. For once, 
  Kane was the one in control of every detail of what happened between them. 
  
  Everet made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat, but he didn’t push Kane away. He 
  slid his arms around Kane’s body and pulled him closer. Kane allowed that, but when Everet 
  demanded that he instantly hand over all control of the kiss, Kane was in no mood to let that 
  happen without a fight. 
  He nipped at Everet’s bottom lip and squirmed against his body, making it difficult for 
  the other man to get a grip on him. Their crotches rubbed together as he wriggled—he made sure 
  of that. They’d barely had enough time to lose their breath before they were both hard and ready 
  to do far more than kiss. 
  Kane mentally grinned. Outside his own head, he remained serious and determined. He 
  knew it wouldn’t be long before Everet’s brain caught up with his body. Kane had to make the 
  most of every second before that happened. 
  Tightening his grip on Everet’s hair, Kane yanked at the thick black strands, using them 
  as leverage as he fought to bridge the gap between their heights a little more perfectly. 
  Suddenly, Everet stopped trying to embrace him. His hands moved to Kane’s wrists. The 
  raven caught hold of Kane’s arms and jerked him bodily away from him, breaking the kiss and 
  putting clear air between them all the way down to the floor. 
  “What the hell’s got into you?” Everet demanded. 
  Kane glared up at him. Could he really be that clueless? 
  “I think this might be my cue to get back to my meeting,” Ori murmured. 
  Everet twisted around to look at the swan. Shock crossed his face. He’d obviously 
  completely forgotten Ori was there. 
  Kane grinned. Success! 
  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sire,” Everet said, but it was obvious to anyone listening that his 
  mind was elsewhere—that the only man he could think of was a magpie rather than some stupid 
  swan. 
  Ori walked away. Kane strained his avain senses, listening to his footsteps, they died 
  away, and Everet didn’t glance after him once. 
  Job done, Kane tried to take a step back. Everet stopped him short, refusing to let go of 
  his wrists. “Where are you going?” 
  “Back to work,” Kane said, with a nod to the discarded duster. 
  Everet frowned. “Do you think I’ll give you the afternoon off just so we can get laid?” 
  
  “Sweetheart,” Kane said. “If a little bit of frustration would make that happen, you’d have 
  given in days ago. Why would I think today would be different?” 
  “Then what was this all about?” Everet demanded. 
  Kane shrugged. “Can’t I just want to kiss you?” 
  Everet didn’t believe a word of it. Kane couldn’t blame him. 
  “You said I could do whatever I wanted when I was pissed off with you, providing I 
  didn’t run away,” Kane reminded him. 
  The expression in Everet’s eyes changed. He still didn’t get it, but he seemed more 
  inclined to smile than to frown. “Are you still in a bad mood?” he asked. 
  “Nope.” 
  Everet nodded, as if making a decision. “Good. You did the right thing. Well done. 
  You’re free to get back to work.” 
  Kane smiled. When Everet released him, he picked up his duster and resumed his duties. 
  He was aware of Everet’s eyes moving over his body every time he bent down to reach a bit of 
  low carving. Everet was just as turned on as Kane was, just as desperate to come as he was. 
  The raven didn’t take his eyes off Kane once during the rest of the day, and Kane didn’t 
  stop smiling, either. The world was once more just as it should be—with Everet’s attention 
  completely focused on him. 
  And, just to make the universe an even better place, Kane was able to spend the rest of 
  the afternoon sure that Everet would jump him the moment they got home and closed the 
  bedroom door behind them. Talk about having something nice to look forward to. 
  * * * * 
  “You’re going to do something different today.” 
  Kane froze, his T-shirt halfway over his head. His skin was warm and slightly damp from 
  his morning shower. He still broke out into a cold sweat. 
  A punishment. 
  Kane had known it was on its way. He was ready for it. It had taken just four days for 
  Everet’s back to heal. He no longer appeared to be in any kind of pain—not even when he 
  thought he was unobserved. 
  
  The raven was fully fit. The evening before he’d been more than capable of pinning Kane 
  to the bed and screwing him just the way Kane loved. And now, he obviously felt healthy 
  enough to exact his revenge on Kane for trying to run away, too. 
  Kane dropped his T-shirt to his side. “Should I bother putting this on?” 
  “What do you mean?” 
  Kane turned toward where Everet stood in the doorway between the bedroom and the 
  living room, already dressed and ready for the day. “The punishment for leaving the apartment 
  without your permission that night,” Kane muttered. “It’ll be a whipping, right?” 
  Everet shook his head. “There’s not going to be a punishment. If you still have questions 
  about that, we’ll have another chat this evening about why you’re not going to be punished.” He 
  stayed in the doorway, his arms folded, his stance squared. “First, you have a day’s worth of 
  work to do.” 
  Oh, joy, Kane thought. Now he’d be able to spend the whole day in anticipation of yet 
  another awkward conversation where he had no idea what to say, no idea how to explain how 
  scared he felt when he thought about a future which didn’t involve Everet and him being 
  together. 
  Bloody wonderful. Kane pulled on his T-shirt, his movements jerky and impatient. 
  Everet led the way out of the apartment. Kane followed along behind him, his feet 
  dragging along the carpet. Damn, but dusting was enough to bore anyone to tears. It was only 
  Everet’s supervision that made it bearable and— 
  Suddenly, Kane looked up. They were heading in the wrong direction. 
  “Where are we going? You said I had to go to work?” 
  You’re going to do something different today. 
  The raven’s earlier words floated to the front of his mind. Kane had been too focused on 
  the prospect of a punishment to question that statement properly, now he realized how big an 
  error that was. 
  “You’re still going to work. You’ll just be doing a different job today.” 
  All of Kane’s senses were immediately on high alert. He stopped halfway along a 
  corridor he’d never seen before. “A worse job?” 
  Everet shook his head as he retraced a few steps, caught hold of Kane’s hand and led him 
  forward once more. “Not a worse job, just a different one.” 
  
  The sound of clattering dishes dropped some not very subtle hints about their destination. 
  Hell, no! “I can’t cook, so there’s no point—” 
  “Hush,” Everet chided. They turned down another corridor. The rattling grew quieter 
  until it completely faded from hearing. “Do we need to go over the newest rule you’ve agreed to 
  follow?” 
  “No nicking stuff,” Kane muttered, purely because he really wanted to avoid the longer 
  version of the conversation. 
  Everet smiled. “Well done.” 
  Another corner traversed and the big dumb albatross came into view, standing outside a 
  heavy looking wooden door. 
  “What’s he doing here?” Kane glared up at Ambrose. 
  Everet might think the guy was all sweetness and light, but Kane had no doubt the oaf 
  would jump at the chance of fooling around with Everet if he was given half a chance. Kane 
  pursed his lips. The sooner he had a chance to get the albatross alone and make it clear that 
  Everet belonged to him, the better as far as he was concerned. 
  “It’s standard protocol to have a member of security down here at all times,” Everet 
  explained, still leading Kane forward. 
  “Why?” 
  “You’ll see.” 
  Ambrose nodded a greeting to Everet with a great deal more friendliness than was 
  required. Everet returned the gesture, wearing a far more serious expression, and rapped on the 
  door. Someone called for them to enter. The door swung open. It was only luck that stopped 
  Kane coming in his pants right there and then. 
  A tug on his hand gently led Kane into the most beautiful room he’d ever set eyes on. He 
  turned, taking in every glorious detail surrounding him, as the door clicked closed behind them. 
  He’d never even imagined a place like this could exist, let alone that he’d shared a building with 
  it for so long. 
  “I thought you might like it here.” 
  Kane managed to glance toward Everet for a moment, but his eyes were soon drawn back 
  to the beauty of their location. Every wall was covered in shelved cabinets, and every shelf was 
  weighed down with more glitter and sparkle than Kane could comprehend. 
  
  There was more silver in there than he’d ever realized the world contained. 
  “It’s beautiful…” 
  “Yes, it is.” That wasn’t Everet’s voice. 
  Kane’s attention snapped toward a small figure sitting at a table on the far side of the 
  room. 
  “Good morning, sire,” Everet said from Kane’s left. 
  The swan stood up and made his way across to them both. “Good morning.” His attention 
  settled on Kane. “It takes a great deal of work to make sure all the silver remains in the best 
  possible condition.” 
  Kane glanced toward Everet. “This is the new job you were talking about?” 
  Everet nodded. His expression remained serious, but Kane saw a light in his eyes that 
  hadn’t been there when he’d looked at Ambrose, or even when he’d looked at Ori. 
  “Kane?” Ori asked. 
  When Kane turned back to him, the swan lifted his hands. He held two polishing clothes, 
  one extended in offering toward Kane. “Would you like to help me polish some of the nest’s 
  silver?” 
  Kane wasn’t sure why, but he turned to Everet to see what the raven thought of the idea 
  before he made his own decision. His hand clenched into a fist at his side, eager to reach out and 
  grab the cloth before the offer was withdrawn. 
  Everet nodded his approval. “Go ahead. I need to get on with some work of my own, but 
  I’ll be back to collect you later.” 
  “You’re going?” Kane blurted out. 
  “Yes. But, you’ll be fine. Ambrose will be right outside the door if you need anything. 
  And Ori will show you what to do in here.” 
  Kane frowned, torn between his desire to have Everet within sight, and to remain 
  surrounded by sparkle. 
  Everet stepped forward and pressed a kiss on Kane’s cheek. 
  No one had ever done that before. Kane’s fingers twitched, but he managed not to make a 
  complete idiot of himself by lifting his hand and touching the chaste bit of skin Everet had 
  kissed. Still he was distracted enough by it that, before he could think of anything else to say, 
  Everet was gone. 
  
  “He’s a good man,” Ori said from behind him, as the silence Everet left in his wake 
  threatened to reach a breaking point. 
  “Too good for someone like me, you mean,” Kane translated, turning to square off 
  against the swan. 
  Ori dropped his gaze. Against all of Kane’s expectations, the other man retreated to his 
  table. “I’ve only just made a start on this set of spoons,” he said. 
  Row upon row of silver lines stretched out across the table. Kane gravitated toward it. 
  Before he knew it, he had one of the spoons in his hand. 
  “Please, take a seat,” Ori invited, with an encouraging smile, as he sat down on the 
  opposite side of the table. 
  Kane lowered himself onto the seat, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the silver. 
  “I’m not sure how much you know about silver, but it all needs to be polished regularly 
  to stop it from tarnishing,” Ori said, his words soft and gentle, his tone exactly the same as that 
  he used toward Everet. “If it’s left for too long, the surface goes dull and it loses all its shine. 
  Eventually, it goes completely black. Would you like me to show you how we keep it 
  sparkling?” 
  “Yes.” Kane’s grip on the spoon in his hand tightened. 
  “That’s the one I just finished,” Ori said, with a nod toward it. “Maybe you’d like to keep 
  it in front of you for comparison, so you know when the first one you do is finished?” 
  Ori wouldn’t try to take it off him. That was the only thing Kane really cared about right 
  then. The spoon, with all its sparkle and shine was his. Kane nodded. 
  Setting it down carefully in front of him, he managed to release his grip on the spoon. He 
  picked up one of the others. It was nigh on impossible to believe that it could ever look like his 
  spoon. 
  Ori set to work on another part of the cutlery set. Carefully copying the swan's actions, 
  Kane worked on his task in silence. Very slowly, he saw something like sparkle begin to emerge 
  from beneath the polish and the cloth. 
  Pure silver glittered and shone under the bright overhead lights. Kane gazed down at it in 
  wonder. 
  “It’s almost like magic, isn’t it?” 
  Kane jerked up his head. He’d almost forgotten Ori was there. 
  
  “That’s one of the things I like about this job,” Ori added. 
  “This is your job?” Kane asked. 
  Ori took a deep breath. Unless Kane was mistaken, it took a lot of effort on the swan’s 
  part not to let that breath out as a sigh. “No. Not really. I’m not supposed to want to do things 
  like this.” As he spoke, his hands kept working without a single hesitation. “I’m supposed to be 
  all delicate and pretty—useless for anything other than offering the occasional opinion.” 
  Kane turned his eyes back to his own work, unable to resist trying to make the spoon 
  shine as brightly as possibly, but he didn’t stop listening. 
  “My master says that my role in the nest is to counteract the birds of prey’s more 
  aggressive nature with instincts that are all about tolerance. I am slowly getting better at that, I 
  think. But this…” 
  Kane glanced up. 
  “This is still the kind of work I like best.” 
  Kane nodded. Part of him felt like he understood. “It’s a good job, getting the sparkle out 
  of things.” He frowned, knowing he sounded like an idiot. 
  Ori didn’t laugh. “The avian who used to look after the silver left the nest a few weeks 
  ago—he’s in a breeding colony now. Nobody’s found a suitable replacement yet,” Ori said. 
  For a moment, Kane actually believed that the nest might actually consider him as that 
  replacement. He shook his head. He wasn’t suitable for anything. “They’d never leave a magpie 
  alone in a place like this,” he muttered. 
  “Why not?” 
  Sudden anger fired up inside Kane. His grip on a half-polished knife turned white 
  knuckled. He wanted nothing more than to lash out at the whole world, to stab the universe deep 
  in the heart and watch it bleed. It wasn’t fair. 
  “Because you all know I’m a thief,” Kane ground out, each word more bitter on his 
  tongue. 
  “People can change.” 
  Kane closed his eyes. “Magpies can’t.” He’d known it all his life, even if he managed to 
  push the knowledge to the back of his mind when he was with Everet. 
  
  Thieves, whores and disgraces to the avian nation. Magpies couldn’t change. The best 
  anyone could hope for was that they’d behave reasonably well under very close supervision. 
  Hamilton was a bastard, but Kane knew he’d been right about that. 
  “Maybe they can change if they have a master who believes in them—a master like 
  Everet.” 
  The sheer unexpectedness of the statement made Kane look up and meet Ori’s eyes. For 
  the first time, they held each other’s gaze for several seconds. 
  “I wouldn’t be who I am without my master,” Ori said. His brow furrowed as he thought 
  carefully about each word he said. “I think, over time, belonging to a man, or owning a man, 
  changes someone. Part of the master rubs off on his submissive. A little of the submissive is 
  passed back to the master. I know I’m far more confident than I was when I first met Raynard. 
  There’s no reason why Everet’s self-control couldn’t rub off on you. He has quite a bit to spare.” 
  Kane looked down at the knife. It took a man with a hell of a lot of confidence not to be 
  worried that he’d get stabbed right then. Even most birds of prey would have faltered. 
  Kane looked up. Ori didn’t pull away in fear. He didn’t even blink. 
  “Everet is very controlled,” Kane allowed. 
  “Yes.” Ori said. He paused for a moment, as if debating whether or not he should say 
  something. “There’s another reason why none of the elders would need to worry about you 
  wanting to take anything from here away with you when you’d finished your work for the day.” 
  Kane waited, hoping like hell there wasn’t a punchline on its way. He wasn’t sure he’d 
  survive it, if there was. 
  “Because, in a way, you’d know everything in the room would already be yours,” Ori 
  said. “You’d be responsible for it. You’d know you’d come back here every day. And you’d 
  know that it would be safer here than it could be anywhere else in the nest.” 
  For a few minutes both of them remained completely silent and absorbed in their work. 
  “Do you think you’d need to take it out of the strong room if you knew it would be there 
  for you whenever you came back to it?” Ori eventually asked. 
  Kane stroked his fingers over the glistening metal. A swan was part of the group who ran 
  the nest because he didn’t think like a bird of prey. 
  An eagle would send a thief to prison. 
  
  A swan… Kane looked up at Ori. A swan tried to make sure he had exactly what he 
  wanted, then there’d be no need for him to steal anything in the future. 
  “You really think you could get me the job?” Kane asked. 
  Ori smiled slightly. “I know I can get you a trial period in the job. If you do it well, 
  there’d be no reason why anyone wouldn’t want you to take up the position permanently.” 
  Kane nodded very slowly. Everything around him, even the ideas in his head, they were 
  all so new and interesting. Even better than that, they were all shiny, too. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Twelve 
   
   
  Everet lifted a hand and knocked on the door leading into the nest’s strong room. His 
  heart raced so fast he was sure that the guard standing to the left of the door had to be able to 
  hear it. 
  It wasn’t a good idea to look like an idiot in front of a man he’d probably need to give 
  orders to in the future. Everet couldn’t allow himself the luxury of a hesitation when Ori called 
  out permission for him to enter the room. 
  As he stepped inside, Everet’s eyes went straight to the workbench. Kane sat hunched 
  over with his polishing cloth in hand, apparently so hard at work he hadn’t even registered 
  Everet’s arrival. 
  “Good afternoon, sire,” Everet said to Ori, even though his attention remained completely 
  focused on Kane. 
  The words had barely left his mouth when Kane’s manner did a complete one-eighty. He 
  leaped out of his chair and raced across to Everet. 
  It was only his first day. Everet couldn’t expect too much from him. It would have been 
  cruel to think that one day in— 
  “Look!” 
  Kane caught hold of Everet’s hand and dragged him across the room. Everet was so 
  shocked it didn’t even occur to him to try to hold his ground. At the bench, Kane indicated 
  several rows of sparkling silverware, laid out on a length of purple fabric with a neatness that 
  bordered on reverence. 
  “Look!” Kane ordered again. 
  “You polished all of this today?” Everet asked. 
  
  “Yes. Isn’t it beautiful?” Kane whispered. He moved closer to Everet’s side, his left hand 
  crossing his body to grip Everet’s nearest elbow. It was hard to know if the posture was a request 
  for reassurance or if Kane just wanted to snuggle into his side after a day of being apart. 
  Everet turned to Kane. The cutlery was nice enough, but Kane, high on success, with 
  pleasure softening his features, was gorgeous. 
  “Everet!” Kane protested, tugging at both his hand and arm. “You have to look at them, 
  not me!” 
  Everet smiled down at him. “You did wonderfully,” he said. “You must have worked 
  non-stop since I left.” 
  Kane nodded, grinning with triumph. There was a smudge of silver polish on his cheek. 
  Everet lifted his free hand and wiped it away with his thumb. 
  Dipping his head, he brushed their lips together. He’d intended it to be a chaste little bit 
  of praise, but the moment their mouths touched, it became something very different. 
  Kane’s shorter frame molded itself against Everet’s body, like ivy growing up and around 
  an oak tree, covering every branch and completely engulfing a creature far larger than itself. 
  All at once Kane was pure sex, pure submission. He wrapped his arms around Everet, 
  threaded his fingers into his hair and tugged him down into the kiss. 
  Somehow, Kane managed to demand more from Everet and make it feel like he’d offered 
  to submit and follow his lead at the same time. It was a bloody good trick and one Everet 
  instantly fell in love with. 
  Relief at finding out that Kane had taken to the new job like the infamous duck took to 
  water, mixed in with the lust Everet always felt whenever he was in the same room as Kane until 
  it was impossible to untangle them. 
  Sliding his arms around the magpie’s body, Everet braced himself for the stab of pain he 
  expected to burn across the skin on his back. Nothing. He was finally free to do whatever he 
  liked without the after-effects of the whipping holding him back. 
  He grabbed Kane’s arse and pulled him even closer, rubbing their bodies together. 
  Deeping the kiss, Everet took complete control of Kane’s mouth. Of course, the magpie didn’t 
  just let that happen, he made Everet fight for it. But the way he thrust even more firmly against 
  Everet’s crotch, his cock already hard and his whimpers needy, let Everet know that Kane was 
  desperate to lose that particular fight and— 
  
  A polite little cough cut through the air like a very well-polished silver knife through 
  butter melted by the sexual heat that filled the room. Everet jerked up his head. 
  Ori smiled shyly across at them from the other side of the room. “You’re very welcome 
  to have the room to yourselves,” he offered. “I wouldn’t have interrupted at all, except you’re 
  standing between me and the door.” 
  Everet automatically looked over his shoulder. As they’d rubbed against each other, they 
  had indeed moved toward the door. 
  “I’m sorry, sire,” Everet began. 
  “I’m not,” Kane said, still grinning. 
  Everet couldn’t bring himself to chide Kane for being cheeky right then, especially when 
  it sounded more like friendly banter than petulance toward a man he’d previously shown an 
  unaccountable dislike of. 
  “I’ll leave you to, um…” Ori blushed as he hedged past them. “I hope you’ll join me here 
  again tomorrow, Kane.” 
  The door was heavy and, no matter how gently it was closed, the mechanism still thudded 
  loudly into place. 
  For several seconds, neither Kane nor Everet moved a muscle, neither of them uttered a 
  single word. 
  “I did really well today,” Kane eventually said. 
  Everet stared down into Kane’s eyes, loving the peace and happiness he saw there. “Yes, 
  you did.” 
  “I know I can’t be rewarded for that,” Kane said. “But does that mean you’re not allowed 
  to celebrate with me.” 
  Even as he smiled, Everet studied the magpie a little more warily. “What are you plotting, 
  Kane?” There was more than a touch of warning in his voice. 
  “I’m thinking: you, me, right here, coming harder than either of us ever have in our 
  lives.” Kane whispered each part of his plan into Everet’s ear. Heat ran down Everet’s spine as 
  Kane brushed his lips against the lobe. 
  Lifting his head, Everet used their height differences to take his ear out of range. “I said 
  no sex outside the bedroom,” he reminded Kane. 
  “You also said for now. I remember.” 
  
  Everet swallowed and did his best to keep his brain above his belt. 
  “I know you’re not screwing me for being a good little silver-polisher,” Kane said. 
  “You’ll just be getting us off because we’re both really, really, happy right now.” 
  Everet glanced around the room. He’d seen Kane’s expression when they’d arrived there 
  that morning. He knew how much he liked the sparkle and glitter that surrounded them. 
  Maybe there wasn’t any reason why they couldn’t have sex there… Maybe it was the 
  perfect time to make the line between their sex life and Kane’s training, a mental rather than a 
  physical barrier… Everet sighed, maybe he just really wanted to screw Kane right there and then, 
  and any excuse that let him do that was fine with him. 
  Was he thinking like a good master or a horny man? He had no idea, but he also knew 
  that, while he’d been busy thinking it all through, the decision had been made in a far more 
  instinctive part of his brain. 
  “Stay exactly where you are.” Everet stepped back as he gave the order. 
  Kane glared at him with obvious disapproval, but he also obeyed. 
  Striding across to the door, Everet jerked it open. The guard in the corridor leaped to his 
  feet and shoved the book he’d been reading behind his back. 
  Everet glowered at him, but he didn’t say anything. They’d talk about keeping his 
  attention on his job the next time they met. “No one is to enter this room until we leave. No one. 
  Understand?” 
  “Yes, sir.” The guy straightened his back as if springing to attention. It did nothing to 
  make up for his earlier lapse in concentration. 
  Everet slammed the door and turned to face Kane. 
  “Strip.” 
  “Because you want to make sure I’m not hiding the cutlery in my pockets?” Kane asked. 
  “If I wanted to know that, I’d frisk you,” Everet corrected, folding his arms across his 
  chest and leaning back against the door. “I want you naked because I want to see every single 
  inch of you. Now.” 
  Kane pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor at his side. Their eyes 
  met across the room. Kane paused for a moment. 
  Everet didn’t move. He didn’t even take a deep breath. 
  Smiling to himself, Kane kicked off his trainers. 
  
  Socks. Jeans. Boxers. One by one, he tossed each item aside. Finally, he stood in the 
  center of the room stark bollock naked. 
  It was only then that Everet allowed himself to step forward. He walked around Kane 
  very slowly. The other man remained as motionless as Everet had a few moments before. He 
  didn’t turn to watch Everet. He didn’t say anything bratty. The atmosphere in the room was very 
  different to that which usually fell over their bedroom. 
  Even if he was in control in their bed, the atmosphere was light and friendly. In this 
  room, it all felt far more serious, much more important. It wasn’t just about making sex about 
  something other than money now, it was about wrapping it up in the tight bindings of dominance 
  and submission. Down here, sex wore a collar and walked at heel on a lead made from heavy 
  silver chains. 
  Kane’s breaths turned uneven and Everet hadn’t even laid a hand on him yet. 
  “I told you I want to see every inch of you.” When Kane would have spoken up, Everet 
  put a fingertip against his lips. “That’s because, as soon as we make our time here about sex, I 
  own every inch of you.” 
  Kane’s eyes sparkled with interest. For once, he didn’t bite Everet’s finger the moment it 
  came within a yard of his mouth. 
  Everet’s lips twisted into a smile as he dropped his hand to his side and began to walk 
  around the magpie once more. “You love all this glitter, don’t you?” 
  “Yes.” 
  Everet picked up one of the knives Kane had polished. The handle was molded into some 
  complicated pattern that had probably been the latest fashion a few hundred years ago. Every 
  nook and cranny of it gleamed. 
  Kane’s back was toward Everet. He had no warning before Everet brought the knife to 
  rest upon his bare shoulder. 
  “What?” Kane twisted his neck and peered around at it. 
  “It looks good against your skin,” Everet mused, as if entirely to himself. 
  Kane’s jaw dropped as he managed to catch a glimpse of it. A tiny whimper escaped from 
  the back of his throat. 
  The knife wasn’t sharp enough to hurt anyone. Everet was able to trail the blade across 
  Kane’s skin without worrying that it would do the other man any harm. 
  
  “Feel good?” he asked. 
  “It would feel even better if you’d do it where I could watch properly.” 
  Everet was sure Kane was right, but that wasn’t the point. “I can see fine from here,” 
  Everet said. “You don’t need to see, you just need to feel.” 
  Kane huffed. 
  “Close your eyes,” Everet ordered. 
  “Why?” 
  “Because I told you to. I warned you that I like to boss my lovers around. It’s time you 
  got used to obeying me properly when we play.” 
  Everet walked around to face Kane. The magpie raised an eyebrow at him, but he made 
  no attempt to cover his erection and hide how turned on he was by Everet’s orders. 
  One last moment of mutiny, and Kane finally closed his eyes. Everet rewarded him by 
  touching the handle of the knife gently against each eyelid. Kane’s breath caught in his throat. 
  He licked his lips. Nerves, Everet wondered? No, excitement, that was it. 
  “Can you feel it glittering against you?” Everet whispered. “It feels good, doesn’t it? 
  Smooth and clean, and so shiny…” 
  He let the silver brush against Kane’s lower lip. “Taste it.” 
  Kane opened his mouth in acceptance and Everet offered the blade slowly, slipping it past 
  his lips until it touched against his tongue. The look on Kane’s face was little short of pure 
  ecstasy. 
  Under no pressure to maintain a somber expression while Kane was blind to everything 
  that happened around him, Everet grinned. 
  When he took the silver away, Kane frowned. He kept his mouth open for several 
  seconds, obviously hoping to feel the silver slip inside him one more time. 
  “Tell me what it tastes like,” Everet ordered. 
  Kane licked his lips. “Good.” 
  “You can do better than that.” 
  Rather than open his eyes and argue, Kane closed his eyes even tighter and frowned in 
  concentration. 
  “Shiny,” he whispered, his tone more uncertain than Everet had ever known it. 
  
  “Good,” Everet said. “What else?” He moved to stand directly behind Kane. With his free 
  hand, he reached around the magpie’s torso and guided Kane to lean back against him. 
  Kane didn’t try to fight whatever Everet wanted to do with his body. He was far too 
  caught up in what Everet did with his mind. 
  “Silvery,” Kane offered. 
  “Yes,” Everet said, encouragingly. Keeping one hand on Kane’s abs to hold him in place, 
  Everet brought his other arm around Kane as well, and guided the knife to rest against Kane’s 
  collarbone. 
  A shiver ran down Kane’s spine, so fierce, Everet felt it, too. 
  “Cold?” Everet asked. 
  Kane huffed. “You bloody well know that temperature has nothing to do with it.” 
  “True,” Everet allowed, as he slowly traced the blunt point of the knife around one of 
  Kane’s nipples. The little bud immediately peaked and hardened for him. “It’s all to do with how 
  good the silver feels against you, isn’t it?” 
   
  Kane tried to take a deep breath, but he couldn’t force enough air into his lungs. His head 
  spun, but that had nothing to do with a lack of oxygen, temperature, or any of that bull. It had 
  everything to do with an overload of silvery-ness. 
  His mind swirled with sparkling clouds. “It’s almost like being high.” 
  “It is?” 
  Kane hadn’t realized he’d made the confession out loud until Everet uttered his reply. It 
  was too late to take it back now, pointless to curse himself for an idiot. Kane simply nodded. 
  “The silver, it’s…” He shook his head. There were no words to describe the way the element 
  seemed to seep through his skin every time Everet traced it over his body. 
  As Kane stood there, naked and mute, Everet moved the knife down. It moved around to 
  the side of his stomach in an effort to circumnavigate Everet’s other hand and, suddenly, it was 
  on his thigh. 
  It was right next to his cock. 
  Kane gasped and thrust forward his hips. 
  Silver against his cock. His mind came dangerously close to disintegrating at the 
  prospect. 
  
  “Tell me what you want,” Everet commanded. 
  The knife. Sex. You. Silver. Everything. So many things sprang to the front of Kane’s 
  mind, but if he could only have one thing then there was really no choice for him to make. Only 
  one of those things was truly essential to his future happiness. 
  “You.” 
  Everet hesitated, as if Kane’s answer had caught him completely off guard. 
  “I want you,” Kane repeated, with complete conviction. “I want your cock buried in my 
  arse, your body pinning me down and your lips against mine. I want you wrapped around me, 
  filling me, grabbing me, everything. You said you own me. I want you to prove it.” By the end, 
  Kane’s words tumbled out so fast he had no control over them and barely any breath left to say 
  them. 
  Everet made no immediate reply. Kane tensed, pleading with any deity who might be 
  inclined to take pity on him. 
  Still without saying a word, Everet very slowly began to slide the silver knife blade up 
  and down Kane’s shaft. 
  Kane dropped his head back until it rested on Everet’s shoulder. He parted his lips and 
  gasped up toward the ceiling, but he didn’t open his eyes—not while he lacked permission to do 
  that. 
  The raven’s touch was so controlled, so determined. Then, without any warning, it 
  changed into something so different, it was almost impossible for Kane to believe he still shared 
  the room with the same man. 
  Everet pushed Kane forward. Instinct made Kane open his eyes, there was no way he 
  could stop the lids flying up as self-preservation kicked in. He reached out to break his fall. His 
  hands slid against the spoons and knives laid out across the table. Silver caressed his palms. As 
  he lost the last of his balance, his whole torso came to rest on the disordered rows of freshly 
  polished silver. 
  Even before his brain had processed what had just happened, Kane reached out to touch 
  and caress the hoard. Everet caught hold of Kane’s wrist and twisted it up behind his back, 
  stopping him short, forcing him down against the silver. His cheek pressed down on the bowl of 
  a spoon. A blunt knife pushed along the line of his neck. 
  So much silver. So much sparkle. So much perfection… 
  
  Everet soon had two well-lubed fingers working inside Kane, preparing him for his cock. 
  Kane couldn’t figure out what felt better—what happened inside him, or what pressed against his 
  skin. 
  It was too much for any man to be able to take in silence. Kane didn’t even try to control 
  the words that left his lips anymore. He had no idea if he praised Everet or cursed him, if he told 
  the other man he loved him or hated him. Silver, quicksilver, submission, sex. Everything 
  blurred together in his mind. 
  It was only when Everet thrust deep inside him, lodging his shaft in Kane’s arse to the 
  hilt in one harsh movement that events crystallized into one solid reference point that he could 
  depend and focus upon. 
  Kane cried out as he bucked against the table and silver stroked the whole underside of 
  his body. Even the head of his cock rubbed against a highly polished surface. 
  Kane squirmed, relishing every bit of it. Everet strengthened his grip around his wrist, 
  sending another wave of bliss through him. 
  Eyes closed again, Kane watched flashes of silver and gold explode in the darkness. He 
  couldn’t do much except flex his muscles around Everet’s cock and try to make sure Everet 
  enjoyed the ride, too. 
  All too soon, Kane felt the ice crack beneath him. He crashed down into the arctic water 
  beneath the winter freeze. There was no air now, just pleasure, so sharp and brittle it felt more 
  like pain. Water splashed above his head. He had no idea if he was waving or drowning, if he 
  wanted to be rescued or not. 
  He cried out, but heard nothing past the ringing in his ears. Finally, he managed to drag a 
  full breath into his lungs. He gasped and spluttered, his whole body shaking as he pulled himself 
  back to the surface and came face to face with the real world. 
  Everet’s hand tugged at Kane’s wrist, forcing him to stand long before he was physically 
  capable of attempting such a mammoth undertaking. He immediately stumbled. 
  Both Everet’s arms slid around him, but they didn’t hold him up, they merely made his 
  descent toward the bare wooden floor of the silver room a little more controlled. 
  Everet went down with him. Wrapping his arms more firmly around Kane, he held him 
  close to his chest and cradled him there. Everet made a noise in the back of his throat, which he 
  
  probably intended to be reassuring. It sounded more like the kind of sound a saber-toothed tiger 
  would make if it tried to purr like a tabby kitten. 
  Kane closed his eyes. He didn’t need so much fuss made over him, but he couldn’t deny 
  that it was very nice to have a strong warm body to rest against while he came down from his 
  high. 
  He smiled. He knew Everet would let him get high sooner or later. It involved silver, and 
  there had even been a certain sort of quickness involved, on Kane’s part at least. He was 
  reasonably sure Everet hadn’t held back either. 
  “Don’t look too pleased with yourself,” Everet whispered in his ear. 
  Kane raised an eyebrow. “You came too.” He had no doubt about that. The other man’s 
  softened shaft pressed against his skin, sticky with the residue of both lube and his cum. 
  “Yeah, I did,” Everet agreed. “I wasn’t talking about that.” 
  Kane sluggishly lifted his head. “Then what?” 
  “I mean, before we leave the room, someone is going to have to clean the silverware you 
  just came all over.” 
  Kane glanced up toward the table. Damn. He had, hadn’t he? He shrugged. “Was worth 
  it.” 
  Everet pressed a kiss to the top of Kane’s head. “Yeah. It was.” He chuckled then. “How 
  about you wash and I help you dry?” 
  * * * * 
  “Good evening, sire.” It took all of Everet’s self-control to look straight at Ori and not 
  immediately turn his attention to Kane. 
  “Hello.” Ori smiled. “Did you have a good day?” 
  “Yes, thank you, sire.” 
  Everet knew what a poor liar Ori was. If anything had gone wrong for Kane during the 
  day, it would have shown plainly on the swan’s face. Everet didn’t need to ask the same question 
  in return. 
  The tiny bit of tension that had lingered in Everet’s spine dissipated. This made it twelve 
  days in a row that Kane had proved to be an exemplary worker—a true credit to his master and 
  his nest. 
  
  Everet had made conversation with a man who thoroughly deserved his respect—not to 
  mention his thanks for the silver-room suggestion. But, now, Everet would have his reward for 
  being polite to Ori. He allowed himself to turn toward Kane. 
  Hard work suited the magpie. Nothing else had ever made his eyes shine so brightly—not 
  just with pleasure but with pride as well. 
  “Did you have a good day?” Everet asked. 
  Kane nodded rapidly. He strode across to fetch Everet from his place by the door, just as 
  he had every other day. 
  Everet dutifully followed his somewhat polish-stained lover across the room and happily 
  praised the progress Kane and Ori had made on cleaning and polishing a huge silver punch bowl. 
  The thing was monstrous. Filled to the brim, it would have held enough to get every avian in the 
  nest thoroughly sloshed. 
  “You did really well,” Everet said. He pressed a kiss against Kane’s lips, but this time he 
  managed not to let the magpie lead him too far astray. He kept the kiss chaste and quickly turned 
  his attention back to Ori before he forgot the swan was even in the room. 
  “I’d better be on my way,” Ori said, halfway to the door already. “Raynard is expecting 
  me upstairs.” 
  Ori wasted no time making his exit. It had never been more obvious that he knew exactly 
  what they did in the silver room once he left. His hand was halfway to the handle when an 
  unexpected knock sounded on the other side of the door. 
  Everet turned his attention to the door, suddenly on his alert as both a member of the 
  security flock and a master. 
  Ori frowned slightly and opened the door. “Yes?” 
  “A visiting party has arrived from another nest. Mr. Hamilton requests that you come to 
  the main reception room to greet them as soon as it is convenient, sire.” 
  Ori indicated his willingness to do that, but the messenger didn’t step back to make way 
  for him to leave the way Everet expected him too. 
  “Mr. Hamilton also orders Everet and Kane to attend him in the main reception room, 
  immediately.” 
  Ori glanced over his shoulder. Everet wished he could have told the swan what was going 
  on, if only because that meant he’d have known for himself. All he could do was shrug. 
  
  Ori turned back to the messenger. “You may tell Mr. Hamilton we are all on our way. 
  Thank you.” 
  “Yes, sire.” 
  “I don’t want to go to some boring meeting,” Kane began. 
  “It’s possible that we could come back down here after the meeting,” Everet said. 
  He didn’t actually add the words unless you throw a temper tantrum to the end of his 
  sentence, but Kane still seemed to hear them, loud and clear. He sighed, but uttered no further 
  complaint as they made their way up through the nest. They eventually reached one of the big 
  reception rooms used to entertain high-ranking avians from nests both near and farther afield. 
  As soon as a wren opened the door for them, it was obvious that these particular visitors 
  obviously weren’t from an all-male nest. 
  Everet hid his surprise well. Kane didn’t. He stalled less than a foot into the room. 
  Placing a firm, guiding hand on the small of Kane’s back, Everet tried to nudge him subtly 
  forward. 
  Nothing. Kane seemed to be welded in place. 
  “Kane?” Everet asked softly. 
  Ori had moved forward without them and now stood at Raynard’s side. The guests were 
  so busy greeting him, they hadn’t noticed the little scene in the doorway, but Everet knew that 
  situation wouldn’t last forever. 
  Kane didn’t reply to his prompt. He didn’t move. His eyes remained fixed on something 
  on the other side of the room. Everet followed his gaze. A woman hung off an older man’s arm. 
  Her skirt was short, her heels high and her jewelry very expensive. Everything about her 
  screamed trophy wife, or perhaps a straightforward mistress. 
  Everet frowned. Kane couldn’t be that shocked by the sight of a woman in the nest, not 
  even by one who seemed to be glued to the side of a man at least twice her age, and possibly 
  closer to three times. 
  Suddenly Hamilton turned the full force of his scrutiny toward them. 
  “I’d like to introduce you to our recently promoted Head of Internal Security at the nest—
  Everet, a raven of excellent standing in our community.” 
  Everet blinked, never having heard the formal title that he’d apparently acquired, along 
  with his mountain of paperwork. He’d never heard Hamilton speak so highly of him either. 
  
  The eagle’s attention moved to Kane. His expression morphed into one of complete 
  distaste. “And, I believe at least one of you already knows the magpie Kane.” 
  Everet slid his arm a little farther around Kane, doing his best to offer very general 
  reassurance until he knew enough to make something more specific feasible. 
  “Come here, Kane,” Hamilton ordered. 
  Kane remained exactly where he was. As far as Everet could work out, it had nothing to 
  do with disobedience, and everything to do with temporary paralysis. 
  “Kane!” Hamilton snapped. 
  “Hello, darling,” the woman said, her tone full of joy at seeing Kane. If the emotion 
  hadn’t been brittle and obviously fake, she might have gone up in Everet’s estimation. 
  Her words rather than Hamilton’s order seemed to finally convince Kane to take a step 
  forward. He walked across the room in slow even strides. Everet never moved an inch from his 
  side. 
  “Hello, Crystal.” 
  “You know each other?” Raynard asked from the other side of the group. 
  “Yes,” Kane said, his tone emotionless, as if he’d gone completely numb. “She’s my 
  sister.” 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Thirteen 
   
   
  Everyone looked shocked, except Hamilton. 
  Everet’s eyes narrowed as he studied the eagle. “That’s why you invited them here, isn’t 
  it?” 
  Hamilton peered over his glasses at him. “I don’t believe I need your permission to 
  entertain whomever I wish in my nest.” 
  He obviously intended to intimidate Everet with the reminder of their respective ranks. 
  All he did was make Everet even more determined to protect Kane from whatever the hell the 
  sanctimonious bastard plotted against him. 
  “If you’re trying to fob him off onto us,” Crystal said, “don’t bother. My Harold doesn’t 
  swing both ways, do you, darling?” 
  The old man she’d fawned over ever since they’d entered the room laughed. Crystal 
  joined in. 
  Everet glanced down at Kane. He didn’t laugh. The light that shone so brightly in his 
  eyes while they had been in the silver room was gone. As Everet watched, the last traces of 
  expression faded from Kane’s face. 
  “Thanks, sis, but I’ve never needed your help to catch a meal-ticket.” 
  Crystal looked them both up and down. Tossing back her hair with a hand laden down 
  with huge, flashy rings, she laughed. “Oh, darling, from what I can see, you really do need all the 
  help you can get.” 
  The differences in their clothes, or in the amount of precious metals that decorated their 
  bodies, couldn’t have been more different. The clothes Everet bought Kane were no worse 
  quality than those he wore himself, but their styling was simple, and no jewelry had been added 
  to Kane’s outfit. 
  
  The smudges of polish probably didn’t help in her eyes either. Everet had no idea what 
  Kane thought of them, but for himself, he loved them. Signs of hard work and diligence weren’t 
  to be sneered at. Lack of vanity could only be a good thing. 
  “Dating some cop or other might be worthwhile if you find yourself in a jam, but you 
  should know better than to think one could be useful in the long run,” Crystal said, her words 
  sharper and more vicious by the moment. “He could never look after you the way Harold takes 
  care of me. Could he, Harold, darling?” She tittered as if it was a joke. Harold obviously didn’t 
  care if everyone knew his lover was bought and paid for. He chuckled along with her as if she 
  were the funniest comic ever to stand up before a mic. 
  Kane remained perfectly serious. 
  Everet moved his hand up to rest on Kane’s shoulder. The woman was Kane’s sister. 
  Everet had no idea how Kane would react if anyone pointed out that she was a complete bitch. 
  He forced himself to remain silent, restricting himself to observing until a clear course of action 
  presented itself. 
  The man with Crystal, Harold, lifted a champagne glass to his lips. On the inside of his 
  wrist, Everet made out his species mark. A pheasant. Not the brightest of birds at the best of 
  times. Far too amenable to be sensible—any magpie who hadn’t been taught the difference 
  between right and wrong could easily run rings around one. 
  Hamilton waved a hand toward a little group of chairs and sofas set around a low table in 
  one section of the grand room. Gilding and dark green upholstery covered everything within 
  view. “Please, do take a seat, everyone. After you, sire.” 
  Tension radiated off every fiber of Kane’s body. He’d come so far in the last few weeks. 
  Everet couldn’t risk forcing him to remain in his sister’s company. “Thank you, sir,” he began. 
  “But—” 
  Before he could finish, Kane stepped forward and stood at one end of a fancy sofa that no 
  one had laid claim to. Everet quickly took his place next to him, ready to occupy the other end of 
  the sofa when it was their turn to sit. 
  Ori quickly took his seat, then the birds of prey settled themselves into their chairs, 
  followed by the guests at the nest. Kane and Everet were the lowest avians in the pecking order 
  of those present. 
  
  For the first time, Everet’s spine stiffened at having to wait while the order of precedence 
  made itself felt throughout the group. Kane barely held himself together as it was—Everet could 
  sense how nervous he was, how close to the cliff-edge he stood. Waiting around like idiots 
  couldn’t help. 
  “We don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to,” Everet whispered to Kane, as it finally 
  became their turn to lower themselves into their seats and he had the chance to dip his head and 
  whisper in the other man’s ear. 
  Kane didn’t even glance toward him. If his attention had been fixed on his sister, that 
  would have been understandable, but it wasn’t. He stared directly ahead gazing blindly at the 
  wall opposite him. 
  Everet followed the other man’s line of sight, but nothing special hung on the wall there. 
  There was no mirror, no portrait, just the same ancient decoration that covered the rest of the 
  walls. 
  Everet set his hand on Kane’s leg, determined to let his submissive know that, whatever 
  was about to happen, he wouldn’t have to face it alone. If Kane took any reassurance from his 
  presence, he didn’t let on. 
  “I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that Kane is making a good home for himself in our 
  nest,” Ori suddenly said to their guests. “He’s becoming a great credit to us.” 
  Everet could have kissed Ori for his kindness, if he hadn’t been sure Raynard and Kane 
  would both have killed him for it on the spot if he’d tried anything of the sort. 
  Crystal laughed as if the swan’s words couldn’t be anything other than a joke. Hamilton’s 
  lips twisted, as if he was amused, too. 
  Kane didn’t smile. He sat so still, Everet had to study him for what felt like an age in 
  order to check he was breathing. 
  “Perhaps you’d be kind enough to tell us a little bit about your brother’s life before he 
  came to the nest,” Hamilton drawled, twirling the stem of his glass between his fingers. “I’m 
  sure we’d all find that quite fascinating.” 
  Everet jerked his attention away from Kane. “With all due respect, sir, surely it’s the way 
  Kane acts now that’s important. Everything else—” 
  “When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it,” Hamilton snapped. 
  
  “Oh, dear.” Crystal smirked. “It looks like someone’s afraid he’ll be embarrassed by your 
  indiscretions, Kane. You should have chosen your protector more carefully. If he can’t deal 
  with—” 
  “I am not ashamed of Kane,” Everet cut in. Politeness and nest politics could both be 
  damned. He made no attempt to mask his anger. “Nothing you can tell me will change that.” 
  “So sure?” she asked, sitting back in her chair and crossing very long, tanned legs. 
  “Yes,” Everet bit out. 
  “Then you can hardly object to hearing a few highlights, can you?” 
  Everet glared across the room at her. She’d outmaneuvered him and they both bloody 
  well knew it. 
  Taking one step toward the door would ensure that everyone there thought he felt 
  ashamed of Kane. Worse, it might make Kane think that, too. Everet scrolled through every 
  curse word he knew. 
  Everet couldn’t fix this. Neither could Raynard and Ori, from the other side of the little 
  seating area. Everet turned to Kane. He still hadn’t shifted his gaze from the point he’d selected 
  on the wall when they first sat down. 
  “It’s up to you,” Everet said. 
  Kane took a slow breath. “I’ll stay.” 
  Everet waited for more, but that really seemed to be it. He didn’t ask Everet to stay with 
  him. All Everet could do was hope that was because it didn’t even occur to Kane that his master 
  would leave him there on his own. 
  “So glad we have your permission to continue,” Hamilton spat. 
  “Well, let me see,” Crystal mused, twisting a lock of long, blonde hair around her fingers. 
  “There are so many stories to tell…” 
  Everet gritted his teeth so hard; he expected his molars to shatter at any moment. 
  “Kane started young,” Crystal said with obvious relish. “Really young. He found his first 
  sugar-daddy well before he completed his first shift.” 
  “As if I had a choice,” Kane snapped. He finally looked toward his sister, his anger 
  flaring so quickly, Everet had no time to step in and try to check it. 
  “You will be silent,” Hamilton commanded. 
  Everet shifted forward in his seat. “Sir!” 
  
  “You will both be silent. If you can’t keep your peace, Everet, Kane will stay and you 
  will leave. I don’t want to hear another word from you.” 
  Everything Everet wanted to say to the eagle died on his tongue unsaid. He couldn’t risk 
  being thrown out, couldn’t chance Kane being left there on his own. He realized then that he’d 
  never truly hated another man—not until that moment. 
  “Mr. Hamilton, if I am permitted to speak.” 
  Ori! 
  Everet turned his gaze toward the swan. So did everyone else in the room. 
  “All I’ve asked for is a true account of Kane’s history, sire,” Hamilton told Ori, his tone 
  suddenly all civility. “It’s a perfectly reasonable request, if he wishes to become part of this 
  nest.” 
  “Will Kane be allowed to present his version of events, too, sir?” Ori asked. 
  “Certainly, sire. When his sister has finished, we’ll all hear his side. I have no interest in 
  being unfair.” 
  Everet glanced at Kane, hoping that Ori’s intervention provided him at least a little relief. 
  Apparently not. He’d gone back to staring at that spot on the wall. 
  “Crystal, if you’ll continue?” Hamilton requested. 
  “Of course,” she trilled. “I’ve got plenty of stories about Kane. Do you know he once 
  managed to run five different men at one time, getting each one of them to pay through the nose 
  for him? He took the money and spent it all on drugs.” 
  She and her companion laughed. 
  “You should have seen their faces when they found out they’d been played. You should 
  have seen Kane’s face when they’d cut him back down to size, too—I’ve never seen anyone so 
  messed up!” 
  For some reason they found that funny, too. 
  Kane would have his chance to tell his side soon. Everet repeated that fact over and over 
  again inside his head as he listened to Crystal prattle on and on, with Hamilton encouraging her 
  every step of the way. 
  Everet kept his hand on Kane’s knee, hoping his touch somehow helped Kane feel less 
  alone under the onslaught, but she seemed to go on for hours. It was torture for Everet, he could 
  only imagine how much worse it was for Kane. 
  
  Kane’s a whore. Kane’s stupid. Kane’s a thief. Kane can’t be trusted. Not one word she 
  said was in any way complimentary about her brother. 
  Halfway through it, Everet became convinced that Kane had blocked out the world, and 
  everything she said flew straight over his head. But Everet couldn’t afford to do that himself, not 
  if he wanted to be a good master to Kane. He listened to every word, more than that, he really 
  thought about what they meant when they were all joined together. 
  Kane’s used to being used. He’s used to being treated like a whore. He’s used to being 
  beaten black and blue and having to steal to survive. What she described wasn’t a life where a 
  man might receive any hint of kindness and compassion from the men who screwed him—or 
  even a life where he could find some sort of discipline and consistency. 
  Kane had lived exactly the kind of life he’d been born to expect. Everet’s heart wept for 
  him. 
  “Thank you, Crystal. I think that give us a very complete impression of Kane’s 
  character,” Hamilton said, smugly. 
  “May I ask a few questions, sir?” Everet said. 
  Hamilton frowned over his glasses at him. 
  “That only seems fair,” Raynard said. “Everet is Kane’s master.” 
  Hamilton glanced at Raynard, then at Ori. “Very well,” he said, with obvious distaste. 
  “You said that Kane was involved in prostitution,” Everet said. 
  “Very involved,” she corrected—as if she hadn’t dug a big enough hole for Kane already. 
  “Are you involved in it, too?” 
  She raised one heavily plucked eyebrow at him. “I know better than to give away for free 
  what men will pay good money for, if that’s what you mean.” 
  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Everet said. “Your parents, they earned their money likewise?” 
  “I fail to see your point,” she snapped. 
  “My point is—” 
  Suddenly, Kane leapt out of his chair. Twisting away from Everet, he raced across the 
  room and away from the little group of chairs. 
  Everet had been so focused on working out a way to show everyone what kind of man 
  Kane really was, it took him far too long to react. Kane was out through the door before Everet 
  even realized it. 
  
  Everet jumped up. He chased after Kane as fast as his legs could carry him, but the 
  magpie already had a good head start. Paying no heed to Hamilton’s commands to stop, Everet 
  worked on closing the gap between himself and Kane as quickly as was physically possible. 
  The magpie could be bloody quick when he wanted to be. This time there wasn’t the 
  shock of an alarm connected to a door to slow him down. As Everet turned the corner at the end 
  of the hallway leading away from the nest’s best reception room, he found the corridor ahead of 
  him empty. 
  Letting out a curse, he slammed his hand against the expensive wallpaper that stretched 
  all the way up to the richly decorated ceilings above. There were far too many corridors leading 
  off this one, and no way of knowing which to race along. 
  Which direction would Kane have taken? 
  Kane didn’t know this part of the building. If it came down to that, Everet didn’t know it 
  that well, either. This wasn’t the part of the nest they lived in. It wasn’t even a part of the nest 
  where they often worked. 
  Everet’s eyes quickly darted toward the various passageways, considering Kane’s options 
  as he tried to remember where each one led. 
  Where would he go? 
  Everet pushed a hand through his hair and rubbed at the back of his neck. 
  The apartment? The silver room? Somewhere else? Maybe he’d fallen off the wagon and 
  headed down to the busiest part of the nest in an attempt to find someone who would help him 
  get high. It was possible—even understandable after his sister threw him to the birds of prey that 
  way. 
  Everet cursed. Standing there wouldn’t do anyone any good. Two places seemed like 
  more probable destinations than anywhere else. Everet flipped a mental coin and headed up 
  toward their apartment. 
  Every man in the nest seemed to crowd the corridors, determined to get in the way. 
  Everet pushed his way roughly through the mob, desperate to get to his flat. 
  Kane would be there, he told himself. It was the obvious place for him to go. Everet 
  would open the door, and Kane would be right there, as defiant and as in need of guidance as 
  ever. Or maybe Kane would have hidden himself away in the bedroom, seeking solace and 
  reassurance in sex. 
  
  That would be even better. They could cheer each other up straight away. That would 
  prove to Kane that nothing had changed between them faster than any words could. 
  Everet pushed open the door leading into his flat. “Kane?” 
  His gaze darted into every corner of the living room. Nothing. He rushed to the bathroom 
  door and pushed it open, praying for angry words that demanded the right to take a leak in 
  private. No one stood in the small tiled space. 
  Everet raced across the living room and jerked the bedroom door back. Empty. 
  Cursing himself, sure now that it should have been obvious to him that Kane would head 
  straight for the safety and reassurance of the silver room, Everet raced out of his apartment and 
  along the corridors leading down to the vault-like room hidden away in the servants’ quarters, 
  where no bird of prey ever ventured. Yes. That silver room. That’s where Kane would be. 
  Stairs rushed beneath Everet, taken three or four at a time. If he fell, he didn’t care—that 
  would only get him to the bottom of the flight even more quickly, but his balance held out. He 
  made it all the way to the corridor leading past the silver room without tripping once. 
  As Everet threw himself around the corner and hurtled toward him, the guard stationed at 
  the silver room’s door dropped the magazine he’d been idly flicking through. 
  The guy’s eyes opened very wide. “I only glanced at—” 
  Everet grabbed him by his shirt and pushed him back against the wall alongside the door. 
  “Is Kane in there?” 
  “I swear, I’ve been—” 
  “I don’t care!” Everet shouted. “Read whatever the hell you like. Jack off to porn right 
  here in the corridor for all I care.” He pulled the guy away from the wall and slammed him 
  against it again. “Is Kane in there?” 
  The guard shook his head. 
  Everet’s heartrate doubled. It wasn’t as if Kane could have snuck in, no matter how 
  interested in his magazine the guard might have been, but Everet was way past the point of 
  caring about that kind of logic. 
  “Open the door.” 
  His hands shaking with so much fear he dropped the keys twice, the guard eventually 
  obeyed. Everet strode into the middle of the silver room turned through a complete three-
  
  hundred and sixty degrees. It was hardly as if Kane could have hidden in one of the vases or 
  goblets that filled so many of the glass cases, but Everet had no idea where else to look. 
  He closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he 
  bowed his head, desperate to do the right thing. 
  He could order all the other men in the security flock to search the nest for Kane. That 
  would let him look in dozens of different places at once. 
  No. As tempting as it was, Everet shook his head. That would make it seem like Kane 
  was a criminal who had to be hunted down. He wasn’t. 
  Everet wasn’t a security guard right then, he wasn’t in charge of anything in the nest, he 
  was just a man who wanted to find his lover, wrap his arms around him and tell him that 
  everything would be fine. 
  Everet pushed his hand through his hair and turned around again, as if Kane might 
  suddenly pop into existence behind him. No such luck. 
  There was no sign of Kane, there were no thoughts in Everet’s head now, either. It was all 
  just a complete blank. Everet squared his shoulders and walked out of the silver room as calmly 
  as he could, well aware that the security guy, whose name he couldn’t remember, watched his 
  every move and would no doubt report back to the others at the first opportunity. Bloody gossips 
  the lot of them. 
  “If Kane comes here, I’m to be informed immediately,” Everet said. 
  “Yes, sir.” 
  Everet made his way up to the main part of the nest, walking more slowly, giving himself 
  time to think and come up with a plan. He scanned the face of every man who passed him, 
  hoping against hope that one of them would turn out to be Kane, that good fortune would be on 
  his side, just once. 
  He wasn’t the kind of man who ever relied on luck, but just this once he’d make an 
  exception. He needed to find Kane, right now—and maybe not just for the other man’s benefit. 
  * * * * 
  Kane wrapped his arms around his knees and curled himself into an even tighter ball. The 
  room wasn’t cold, but it didn’t need to be. The chill that seeped into his bones came from deep 
  down. 
  
  It wouldn’t have been so bad if stone-cold fury had filled him. If he’d been able to hate 
  someone, to want to lash out at someone, it might have been easier, but no, the only person Kane 
  hated was himself. 
  He frowned. He supposed he could lash out at himself. He could hurt himself. That might 
  work. He could slash at his skin and slam his fists into his own body. He could make himself 
  hurt so badly it blocked out everything else. Pain was hot, wasn’t it? It might ease the chill inside 
  him. 
  Quicksilver was hot, too. He’d never be allowed to see the inside of the silver room 
  again, but he could make silver flow through his veins instead. There was no point staying away 
  from the stuff now. He might as well shoot up. 
  He trailed his fingers over the inside of his elbow. The skin there had stopped itching 
  now, but the very thought of getting high made the part of him that had loved the quicksilver 
  expand within his mind. Kane closed his eyes as he heard someone walk past, but he didn’t open 
  his eyes to see if they cast a shadow he could identify. He didn’t want to see anyone. 
  He wouldn’t want to see anyone ever again. 
  Kane couldn’t control much. He couldn’t change who he was, he couldn’t change what 
  he’d done with his life—it was too late for anything like that now. All he could do was lie there, 
  with the cold freezing him from the inside out, and wait for it all to be over. 
  Another set of footsteps passed by the dank little space Kane had found for himself, down 
  where he belonged, right at the bottom of the barrel, with the rest of the dregs. He closed his eyes 
  tighter and tried not to think about what Crystal had said—about the man who’d heard her say it. 
  Kane had spent the best part of his life not thinking about anything at all. Surely it 
  couldn’t be that hard to regain the ability when he needed it most? 
  * * * * 
  “Everet!” 
  Everet spun around. “Ambrose?” 
  The huge albatross lumbered to a stop alongside him. “What the hell happened?” 
  “Happened?” Everet repeated. 
  Kane! If something had happened anywhere in the nest, it was reasonable to assume that 
  there could only be one man in the middle of it on any day, and today that was especially true. 
  “What’s happened? Have you seen Kane? Where is he?” 
  
  Ambrose frowned down at Everet, out of breath from his sprint along the corridor. “You 
  don’t know?” 
  “Know what? Where is he?” Everet asked. His heart raced so fast, he wasn’t sure he 
  could stop it from exploding out of his chest if his friend didn’t hurry the hell up and spit out 
  what he knew. 
  Whatever it was, Everet had to know—now. 
  If something was broken, as Kane’s master, he needed the information so he could fix it. 
  If Kane was broken— 
  No. A shot of pure terror rushed through Everet’s veins. Kane couldn’t be broken, not in 
  any way that couldn’t be fixed, please, no… 
  Everet tried to shake Ambrose by the shoulders, but the other man was so big he couldn’t 
  move him an inch. All he could do was grab Ambrose’s shirtsleeves and tug so hard he almost 
  tore them away at the seams. 
  “He’s down in the cages and…” 
  That was all Everet heard. The “s” at the end of the word cages had barely hit the air 
  before he started running. 
  For a few steps, Everet heard Ambrose hurrying along in his wake, but he was more 
  narrowly built than the albatross, and far faster over the ground. And, when it came right down to 
  it, Ambrose probably cared who he knocked over—that slowed him down. 
  Everet had already run along almost every corridor in the nest, up and down a dozen 
  different flights of stairs in his search for Kane. His stamina held out until he was within sight of 
  the guards’ desk set in the anteroom leading to the cages, but getting there took every scrap of 
  energy he had left to give. He half collapsed, bracing himself with his hands on the desk. His 
  head spun. If he’d been a cartoon character, he was sure that pretty little stars would have circled 
  his head. 
  He pulled in one deep breath and demanded that be enough. “Kane. Show me where he 
  is. Now.” 
  The man behind the desk didn’t argue. He didn’t ask questions. Grabbing his keys, he led 
  the way down the hall. A man waving a loaded gun couldn’t have achieved anyone’s cooperation 
  more quickly. 
  
  Almost at once, the small room opened up into a space higher than any other in the nest. 
  On each side of the central guards’ walkway, narrow cage bars ran from the ground, all the way 
  up to the ceiling, at least two-dozen-yards above them. 
  Lines of metal filled the world. Everet had hated the cages the first time he set eyes on 
  them. That was over a year ago, when they’d first been brought back into use. 
  His opinion of them hadn’t changed. Maybe some people thought they were more 
  humane than a whipping, but he wasn’t sure. The space closed in on him at the very thought of 
  being trapped in one of the tall, narrow spaces. 
  He’d have walked more quickly if he could have, but it would have meant stepping into 
  the back of the guard. And, when it came right down to it, rushing would have involved scraping 
  together supplies of energy he didn’t actually possess. 
  They passed the first pair of cages. One was empty, on their right-hand side, a man slept 
  sprawled out on a narrow cot. A small slate board hung on the outside of his cage—Crow. 
  Drunk. Until sober. 
  A few cages along, they passed by another occupied cage. Seagull. Disturbing the peace. 
  Three days. 
  Everet glanced past the metal. The gull was in his avian form, perched on a bar attached 
  to the back wall of the cage. As their eyes met, it extended its wings and cawed at him. 
  “Bloody noisy things,” the guard muttered under his breath. 
  They walked on. Everet found himself holding his breath. Right at the end of the row, he 
  spotted another slate with something written on it. Everet turned his attention to the guard when 
  the man stopped and started looking through a large ring holding keys. He selected the 
  appropriate one. 
  Everet caught hold of the guard’s arm and stopped him before he could reach for the 
  heavy padlock that held the cage closed. He put out his free hand. The guard placed the correct 
  key in it. 
  The guard took one look at Everet’s expression, turned on his heel and walked away. He 
  strode past the cage Kane occupied, and down a corridor that could have led straight to hell, for 
  all Everet knew or cared. 
  Everet stepped forward, but he didn’t look beyond the bars. A bitter taste filled the back 
  of his mouth. His stomach tightened into knots more complicated than any seagull had ever used. 
  
  He had no idea what he’d see when he looked into the cage, but he couldn’t let his fear keep him 
  ignorant of the facts forever. 
  Summoning up every ounce of courage he could find, Everet lifted his gaze and peered 
  into the cage. 
  Kane. 
  The magpie was there. That was the main thing. They were together. Everything else 
  could be worked out from there. Everet forced himself to take a deep, calming breath before he 
  assessed the situation further. 
  Kane sat in the middle of a narrow bed, his arms wrapped around his knees, his legs 
  drawn up close to his chest. He bowed his head so low, his forehead rested on his arm. 
  His face was blocked from view, so was much of his body. A hundred injuries could’ve 
  been hidden from Everet’s gaze, there was only one way to find out what they were. A man 
  couldn’t call himself a good master if he didn’t step up and deal with each and every scrape his 
  submissive felt against his skin. 
  “Kane?” 
  Whatever caused his voice to sound calm and steady, Everet was glad enough of it to 
  send silent thanks up to a god he’d never believed in. Forget interrogating fools who’d caused 
  trouble in the nest, this was when Everet really needed to be in complete control of himself. 
  Kane’s head snapped up. His face was deathly pale, but there wasn’t a mark on it. 
  Everet let out the breath he’d held, but his pulse didn’t slow in the slightest. “What 
  happened?” 
  Kane’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed several times in quick succession. His 
  eyes were red. He’d obviously been crying. 
  Kane shrugged, but Everet felt sure that his silence had nothing to do with him feeling 
  incapable of speaking past his emotions. 
  Unwrapping one of his arms from around his body, Kane rubbed at his face with his 
  shirtsleeve. His efforts did little to make his cheeks less tear-stained. 
  “Kane?” Everet prompted. 
  The magpie turned his face away from him. 
  Forget taking it easy and not spooking Kane. Everet slid the key into the padlock on the 
  cage door. The mechanism was well oiled. It turned over easily. The lock sprung open. 
  
  “You can’t do that!” Kane straightened up in his seat on the bed. “You’re not allowed in 
  here. Guard!” 
  Everet jerked open the barred door, stepped inside and pulled the cage door shut behind 
  him. “I want an answer.” 
  “And I want you to get the hell out of here.” Kane launched himself to his feet. He used 
  every ounce of momentum he had and pushed against Everet’s chest. Frantically trying to shove 
  him out of the cage, he hit against Everet’s shoulders and neck, but he failed to move him a 
  single inch. 
  Everet caught hold of Kane’s wrists and tried to pull the smaller man into a tight embrace 
  before he hurt himself with his flailing about. Kane allowed nothing. He kept pushing, kept 
  struggling. “Get off me. You can’t just come in here and do whatever the hell you want with me. 
  You can’t—” 
  “Yes, I can. I’m your master.” 
  “Get off me.” 
  What had made Kane freak out before? Fear of being disowned. 
  “You’re mine,” Everet tried. “That hasn’t changed.” 
  “Yes, it has. I quit.” Kane looked up at Everet, but he didn’t seem to be able to actually 
  focus on anything. His eyes were wild. His movements jerky. He was stronger than anyone his 
  size should have been. 
  Everet’s whole body tensed. 
  What have you taken? 
  He kept the words to himself. Asking Kane would have been pointless. He’d have lied. 
  Everet knew that if he’d fallen off the wagon, Kane wouldn’t be able to do anything else: 
  the drugs would call all the shots and every scrap of progress they’d made would have been 
  wiped away as easily as a needle could pierce a man’s vein. 
  Kane delivered a particularly vicious kick to Everet’s shin. “I don’t want to belong to 
  you. Get off me!” 
  Everet stilled. Holding on to Kane’s wrists he simply stood there and let the other man 
  rail against him, kicking and pushing him away with all him might. Kane cursed and shouted 
  until his voice started to give out. He fought until he was so breathless he became unable to stand 
  on his own. 
  
  Suddenly, he was completely reliant on Everet for support. Everet wasn’t holding him 
  still now, he held him up. 
  “Tell me what happened after you left the meeting room,” Everet ordered, when silence 
  finally settled over the cage. Exhaustion filled every cell in his body, but he made sure it didn’t 
  seep into his words. 
  “None of your business.” The words were barely muttered loud enough for anyone to 
  hear, it was obvious that Kane’s heart wasn’t in it any more. 
  Everet had never seen a man look so defeated. He longed to wrap his arms around Kane, 
  but he didn’t dare let go of his wrists just yet. It wasn’t beyond the realms of possibilities that 
  Kane merely wanted to lull him into a false sense of security. 
  Unable to ignore their surroundings, Everet looked at the bars around them. Knowing that 
  Kane was once more safe with him, another part of that question presented itself for his 
  consideration. Who the hell would dare to put his submissive in a cage without his permission—
  without even sending word of his submissive’s location to him? It was tantamount to a challenge 
  for ownership. 
  “Who brought you down here?” Everet demanded. 
  “I don’t need to be taken places. I’ve got legs. I can go wherever I want without someone 
  hovering over me warning me to look both ways before crossing the road.” Kane stared at the 
  floor, pouting like a child who suddenly realized he couldn’t get his own way and now intended 
  to make life as annoying as possible for the man who refused to indulge him. 
  “You put yourself in here?” Everet asked. 
  Kane shrugged, but it was obviously the truth. It would have been too bizarre a lie for 
  anyone to tell—even Kane, even if he was high as a kite. 
  “Why would you do that?” Everet demanded. 
  Another shrug. 
  “Answer me!” For the first time, Everet let a little of the fear he’d felt as he raced around 
  the nest out as anger. 
  Kane looked up, his eyes declaring that he was just as scared and just as angry as Everet. 
  A little of the fight he’d shown earlier came back. He straightened up, squaring his shoulders. 
  “Why?” Everet repeated. 
  “Isn’t it obvious?” Kane demanded. 
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Fourteen 
   
   
  “If it was obvious, I wouldn’t have to ask,” Everet said, as calmly as he could, which 
  wasn’t all that calmly at the moment. If it sounded like he spoke through gritted teeth, it was for 
  a very good reason. 
  “Because this is where I belong!” Kane suddenly yelled. 
  Everet stared down at Kane for several seconds in complete silence. He had no answer to 
  that. The statement was so bizarre, he wasn’t sure an appropriate response existed. “No, you—” 
  “What would you know about it?” Kane demanded, before Everet could get out a third 
  word. “You’re not one of us. You don’t know what magpies are really like.” 
  “I know you,” Everet said. 
  “No,” Kane cut in. “I know me. And I’m just like her, like my parents, like every magpie 
  that’s ever lived—I’m like all of them!” 
  “No, you’re—” 
  “Stop saying that,” Kane said, completely ignoring the fact Everet hadn’t actually 
  managed to finish saying anything once, let alone repeat it. “You wanted to know what the rest 
  of my family’s like? We’re all the same: Thieves, whores and gold diggers. Happy now?” 
  Everet had guessed what kind of example the rest of Kane’s family had set for him, but 
  the arguments about nature and nurture that he’d intend to set out in front of the elders, and 
  Crystal, seemed pointless now. 
  Kane fell silent, he stared down at the way Everet’s hands still encircled his wrists as if 
  he’d never seen skin pressed against skin before. “You can’t cure a man of his species, Ev. You 
  saw her up there. She’s a whore and so am I. You can’t change that, no one can.” 
  Everet thought he’d felt angry before. It was nothing compared to what he felt now. He 
  stepped forward, forcing the smaller man to retreat. Pushing Kane back against the bars of the 
  cage, he held him there with both hands. 
  
  Kane’s eyes opened very wide with shock, but his expression soon changed to one of 
  acceptance. Of being beaten? Worse? Everet didn’t know, but every possibility that ran through 
  his mind turned his stomach. 
  “I’m not going to hurt you,” Everet growled. 
  “Too late.” The words were barely louder than a whisper. 
  Everet immediately checked his grip and eased the pressure he put against Kane’s body 
  as he looked down his torso, checking for any injuries he’d failed to notice behind. 
  Kane laughed as he shook his head. The sound was so sad; it cut through Everet to the 
  bone. 
  “You don’t have a clue, do you?” Kane asked. “I don’t care how tight you hold me. I’m 
  used to having it rough. But, you’re worse than any back alley trick, you know that? You made 
  me think I could actually have something like that, with someone like you! You made me think I 
  could have the job, and the guy, and the life, and…” He shook his head again. “You bastard…” 
  The words were just on the edge of hearing. 
  Kane tried to push Everet away, but there was far less strength behind his struggles now. 
  It was as if he knew Everet wasn’t going to budge, that he had no choice but to submit to 
  whatever the guy pinning him to the wall wanted to do to him next. 
  In reality, Everet was simply too surprised to do anything. For what seemed to be years, 
  he just stood there, trapped in a bubble of shock. “I’ve never offered you anything you can’t 
  have,” he finally managed to say. 
  Kane shook his head, keeping his gaze averted, peering at the bars of the cage he’d put 
  himself in, rather than risk looking Everet in the eye. 
  “You haven’t done anything wrong. You know that, don’t you? All you’ve actually done 
  today is listen to some vindictive bitch babble on about things that are all in the past. Nothing she 
  said has changed anything between us. It hasn’t changed your position in the nest.” 
  “You’re right,” Kane said. “It didn’t change anything.” 
  His tone was off. Everet tensed, knowing that there was more to come. He couldn’t 
  possibly have won that easily. 
  “It just reminded me of who I really am. It’s been fun, playing pretend with you. And the 
  sex has been great—I’ll give you that. But no one can play a part forever.” He shrugged, still not 
  looking Everet in the eye. “Sooner or later, I’ll start acting like a magpie again. I’ll screw up; 
  
  you’ll have enough and get rid of me. I’ll end up in the cage one way or another. So, I’m not 
  going through all that bull, I’m jumping to the last bit and—” 
  Everet released one of Kane’s wrists and put his hand over Kane’s mouth. Against all his 
  expectations, Kane didn’t bite him. He didn’t even lift his gaze. 
  “I won’t get rid of you,” Everet promised, willing the other man to believe him with 
  every fiber of his soul. 
  Kane closed his eyes as if in more pain than ever. 
  Everet ached to be able to ease his hurt, but he had no idea how anyone even started to 
  heal the years of pain Kane had endured. 
  Kane mumbled against his palm. Everet lowered his hand. 
  “You have no idea, do you?” Kane whispered. 
  “About what?” 
  “That would just make it worse.” 
  It took all of Everet’s self-control not to curse the sheer rate at which Kane seemed to 
  change what he wanted from him. “How the hell could it make things worse?” 
  “You deserve better than me. If you did get all stubborn about it and decide to keep me 
  no matter what, I’d still start screwing up. You’d end up getting whipped, or worse, just because 
  of me. I can’t…” 
  Everet blinked down at his lover. “Keep in mind exactly what you just said. And tell me, 
  do you still think you’re too much of a magpie to fight against your instincts and put someone 
  else first?” 
  Kane frowned for a moment then shook his head, tossing aside everything Everet said as 
  if it amounted to nothing. 
  “You can’t change your species, Kane,” Everet said, damned if he’d back down now. 
  “You can’t change the fact you might always be tempted to do the wrong thing. But you can 
  change whether or not you give in to temptation.” 
  He stared down at the magpie as he ran the past couple of weeks over inside his head. 
  “Scratch that, you have changed whether or not you give in to temptation.” 
  Against every instinct he possessed, Everet forced himself to take half a step back, 
  allowing the other man a little more freedom, making it clear that he trusted Kane to make good 
  
  use of whatever independence he chose to give him. Even so, he kept hold of the magpie’s 
  wrists—Kane was still his after all. 
  Kane’s frown only deepened. 
  “You have no idea how proud I am of you, do you?” Everet asked. “Every species is 
  prone to certain weaknesses, but you’ve faced every one of yours head on and you’re controlling 
  them. Kane—you’re amazing.” 
  And I love you all the more for it. Everet somehow managed to keep those words back, 
  but only because he was sure Kane wasn’t in any condition to take them in right then. 
   
  Everet wasn’t the kind of man who told jokes on a regular basis, but Kane knew that it 
  had to be the only explanation. He tugged, trying to pull his hands out of Everet’s grip. No one 
  was more shocked than him when he succeeded. 
  He stared down at his freed wrists. It really was true, then. No matter what he said, Everet 
  had no interest in holding on to him anymore. Until that moment, some stupid little part of Kane 
  had actually believed that Everet gave a damn about him. 
  He shook his head as he turned his back on the other man. He should have known better. 
  No one could really care about a magpie. He’d known that all his life, why should it change 
  now? 
  “Kane?” Everet asked. 
  “Don’t,” Kane whispered to the bars. 
  “Don’t what?” 
  “Whatever you’re going to say, don’t,” Kane tilted up his chin and turned back to face 
  Everet. “Don’t make fun of me—not for this.” 
  Everet frowned. Even then, Kane couldn’t help but acknowledge that Everet looked hot 
  when he was grumpy. There really was no limit to Kane’s own stupidity. 
  “I’m not joking about anything.” 
  “Really?” Kane demanded. 
  Well, that was fine. If he had to play the game, fine. 
  “So, what are ravens’ weaknesses?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. 
  Everet smiled slightly. 
  
  It wasn’t just while grumpy he looked sexy as Satan himself. In spite of everything, 
  Kane’s cock tried to rise. 
  “An inclination to try to control the whole world, to make rules and bully people into 
  following them for their own good, regardless of whether they want to or not.” 
  Kane turned away. “That’s not a weakness,” he snapped, as he reached the other side of 
  the cage. 
  “It is if I try to date a man who doesn’t get some sort of benefit from his lover micro-
  managing his day and checking up on him all the time,” Everet said. He sat down on the narrow 
  cot, no longer making any attempt to block Kane’s exit or his path across the cage. 
  Stepping into the middle of the small space, Kane glared down at Everet. “You’re not 
  making this easy.” 
  Everet leaned back against the only side of the cage constructed out of masonry rather 
  than steel bars. The stark white paint was cold, hard and uncomfortable. Everet made it look like 
  luxury. 
  Kane stood uneasily with nothing to lean against, nothing to support him—nothing except 
  Everet. He quickly looked away from the raven, but he couldn’t change the facts. Everet had 
  supported him ever since they met. He did it as if it was the job he’d been born to do. 
  Everet was there, and he looked after him, and made sure that he obeyed the right rules. 
  No other species had managed to get Kane to obey one rule, let alone dozens of the damn things. 
  It came so naturally to the raven. And— 
  Kane closed his eyes. 
  “I’ve never promised that anything I asked you to do would be easy,” Everet said. 
  Kane pointedly ignored him. He hadn’t told him it would be like crawling over broken 
  glass on his hands and knees either. 
  “But it feels good when you know you’ve done the right thing, doesn’t it?” 
  “To know that you’ll be pleased with me,” Kane corrected, unable to keep the words 
  back. Doing the right thing be damned. It felt good to know that Everet was pleased with him—
  felt better than almost anything in the world, apart, perhaps, from being screwed by Everet over a 
  table covered in silver. 
  “That’s a start,” Everet said. 
  
  Kane swallowed. His head was so full of confusion he wanted to reach inside his brain 
  and pull out the muddle of thoughts. That would be the only way he’d ever get them all 
  unraveled. 
  He looked down as he scuffed his toe against the bare concrete floor. “You said you’re 
  proud of me.” He offered no opinion on such a declaration. 
  “Yes. I am.” He leaned forward. “That said, at some point, we’re really going to have to 
  work on your inclination to run away when you get scared. I can’t run around the nest like a 
  madman again. I don’t think my heart would take it.” 
  Kane said nothing. Working on things in the future, meant having a future together, 
  didn’t it? 
  “It must have been a shock seeing your sister there,” Everet added. 
  Kane shrugged. He shuffled his feet again. Somehow, he ended up taking a step closer to 
  Everet in the process. 
  “I’m guessing you two don’t get on?” 
  “No.” 
  Everet said nothing. The silence demanded to be filled. 
  Kane had no interest in talking about how she’d treated him when he was a fledgling. “I 
  used to be just like her,” he said, instead. 
  “Not anymore,” Everet said. He sat so still, he might have been a statue. 
  Kane helplessly took another pace toward him. “You really don’t want to get rid of me? 
  You don’t mind that I’m a magpie?” 
  “I’ve got far more respect for a man who battles his demons than one who gives in to 
  them, or even one who didn’t have any to begin with.” 
  Another foot of distance disappeared from between them. If Everet could ignore his 
  failings, then it hardly seemed right for Kane to keep harping on about them. He now stood right 
  next to the cot. His knees were just about to bend and sit him down next to his lover and— 
  “When was the last time you stretched your wings?” 
  Kane took several very quick steps back. “What’s that got to do with anything?” he 
  demanded. Any inclination to get up close and personal with the raven vanished in an instant. 
  “I want to see the other side of you.” 
  “No.” 
  
  Everet remained silent. 
  It would have been far easier to argue with the man if he’d cooperate. Silence was hard to 
  disagree with. Kane glared down at Everet until inspiration struck. 
  “I haven’t seen your avian side either.” Ha! He grinned with glee, knowing he’d won. 
  “Fair point,” Everet said. “We’ll both shift together. Maybe that will convince you I have 
  no objection to your species once and for all.” 
  All Kane’s triumph drained away. Everet had adopted that stubborn tone of voice now—
  the one that meant nothing anyone could do, or say, would change his mind. 
  Everet got to his feet. Reaching for the hem of his T-shirt, he began to undress. He 
  obviously intended to put his plan into action without any delay. 
  Kane half turned away and obstinately refused to follow his lead. He made a brief attempt 
  to look at the bars and not even watch the other man strip. It was no good, the prospect of seeing 
  Everet’s naked body was far too much temptation for him. 
  Kane soon stared straight at the raven, taking in every gorgeous line of muscle that came 
  into view. Within moments he was as turned on as he had ever been in his life. 
  Everet smiled, his movements full of confidence as he folded the last item of clothing and 
  placed it neatly on top of the little pile he’d created on the floor at his feet. He moved forward to 
  stand directly in front of Kane. Dipping his head, he brushed their lips together. 
  “Just remember this, sweetheart. There’s far more than one way to get high. And there’s 
  at least one way that I completely approve of.” 
  The kiss was so sweet, and Kane had been so sure he’d never feel their mouths meet 
  again, and— 
  Everet stepped back. Without any warning, he extended his arms and pulled his knees up 
  toward his chest as he leaped as high into the air. Shifting mid-jump, his human form vanished, 
  to be replaced by a flash of feathers that quickly morphed into the sleek black wings of a raven. 
  Using the momentum from his leap to gain more height, he rapidly flapped his wings and 
  overcame the last few tendrils of gravity. Within a few seconds, he rose up the narrow column of 
  air that made up ninety percent of the cage’s volume. 
  No! 
  Kane didn’t think—he followed. 
  
  His body automatically began to shift—determined to shadow his master’s movements by 
  whatever means necessary. In hindsight, it was obviously a mistake not to invite his brain in on 
  the decision-making process at that point. 
  Unfortunately, Kane only realized that when his clothing fell around him, trapping his 
  wings and covering his beak. 
  He struggled against what seemed to have become yards of thick fabric with a mind of its 
  own. Kane cawed and pecked at it, but his head remained covered. Wings were no use at all. His 
  claws only managed to scratch at the denim beneath him. 
  All at once, light appeared overhead. The fabric moved away entirely of its own volition. 
  No. As Kane peeked his head above the neckline of his T-shirt, he realized the edge of 
  the fabric was held in a raven’s beak. Squirming out of the clinging material, Kane hopped onto 
  a clear patch of floor and shook out his wings, encouraging his feathers to settle around him in a 
  far more attractive way. 
  Through avian eyes Everet was…Kane let out a sound as close to a huff as a bird’s throat 
  could produce. Everet looked just as he always had. Sleek black feathers replaced sleek black 
  hair. He was still big and strong, his movements were still confident. He still had that look in his 
  eye that hinted he kept perpetual watch over the whole world and was ready to pounce on the 
  first man to break the rules. 
  And Kane loved him for that as much as for any of the other things that made Everet who 
  he was. 
  Kane was reasonably sure he couldn’t blush in his avian form, but he wasn’t going to risk 
  Everet seeing any hint of embarrassment in him. The raven would be bound to want to know 
  what he felt, and why, and a million other things that were none of his business. 
  Stretching out his wings, Kane hopped up onto the edge of the cot. Taking no more than a 
  moment to bunch his muscles and ready himself, Kane took flight. It would have been much 
  easier out in the open, where he could have taken a long straight course and got his wings 
  properly under his control. 
  It was strange being back in this form after so many years spent as a human. His pulse 
  was so fast, his limbs so different. Controlling wings wasn’t easy when part of him clung to the 
  belief they were still arms. 
  
  Frantic flapping wasn’t the most elegant way to take to the air, but Kane determinedly did 
  whatever it took to gain height—to get high. As loath as Kane was to admit it, something about 
  flying gave him the same rush of adrenaline and pleasure that the quicksilver had provided. 
  Although, he still wasn’t sure anything could beat that table in the silver room. 
  He rose higher as he sensed Everet join him on the wing. 
  Cleaning might have made him improve a few human muscle groups. It had done nothing 
  to make his wings stronger. A perch called to Kane. 
  He landed, wrapping his claws around the welcome resting point and clinging to it with 
  all the fear of a shifter who wasn’t sure big human feet could balance on such a narrow bit of 
  wood. He looked up just in time to see Everet catch up. The other man didn’t hesitate to join him 
  on the thick wooden pole extending a yard out from the side of the cage. 
  Kane turned his head and glared at Everet, as if he wasn’t completely thrilled to be 
  perched next to his master. Everet dipped his head and let the top of it rub against the side of 
  Kane’s neck. 
  Kane hadn’t been in his avian form for years—not since he took up residence in the 
  human world and discovered quicksilver made shifting impossible. Even when he had flown, it 
  was only with other magpies. 
  Kane looked down. He never remembered receiving such a gentle, flirtatious touch from 
  anyone while in his avian form. Unsure how he was expected to respond, not wanting to let his 
  master down, Kane hesitatingly copied the gesture. 
  Everet made a noise that sounded approving. That was good enough for Kane. He’d have 
  grinned, if his beak had been willing to cooperate. 
  Several other perches were set around the edges of his cage. 
  Kane hopped off his current resting place and swooped down to a lower one. Everet 
  followed. Kane rubbed the top of his head against the other man’s feathers, before quickly 
  leaving that perch for another—this time higher up on the bars. 
  Everet followed. No, Kane knew that was wrong. 
  Everet wasn’t the type to follow. If he was on a man’s heels, it was because he chased 
  him. 
  Predator and prey. Dominant and submissive. Cop and criminal. 
  Raven and magpie. 
  
  Maybe one really would be lost without the other… 
  As he dipped and weaved, flapped and swerved around the cage, Kane’s soul sang out in 
  wonder. Why had he never realized before just how bloody wonderful flying could feel? Even in 
  this stupid cage, it was pure ecstasy. 
  It would be even better out there in the real world, where he’d be able to see all the way 
  to the horizon and nothing could stop him claiming the whole sky as his own. 
  Kane paused on a perch for a moment, sudden fear making him less than inclined to 
  spread his wings again. 
  A flutter of feathers behind him made him look over his shoulder. The whole time he’d 
  been on the wing, Everet had never been more than half a yard behind him. 
  The sky would never belong to Kane alone. Everet would never let him leave the nest and 
  fly all on his own. The world might stretch all the way to the horizon line, but Kane knew that 
  Everet would only let him loose out there once he’d made him recite all the rules and limitations 
  he placed on him a million and one times. 
  Everet hopped along the perch until he was close enough to dip his head and straighten a 
  few of Kane’s wing feathers that had slid askew by his awkward landing. 
  Nothing could frighten Kane while another avian cared about him that much. He took 
  flight again. He had no idea how many times they circled the cage, their journeys short but quick 
  as they dashed from one perch to another, spreading their wings and resting by turn. 
  Each time he took to the wing, more and more adrenaline and endorphins rushed through 
  Kane’s avian form, until he suddenly reached a point where his magpie form was too small to 
  hold it all in. 
  His decent was rapid. The air rushed past as he sped toward the base of the cage, racing 
  against his own desires. He was aware of Everet swooping down after him, but in the raven’s 
  case, it was probably by choice rather than necessity. 
  Kane barely managed to reach the cot before he began to shift back into his human form. 
  The raven landed on the cot just a second after Kane crashed down on it. The moment he 
  touched the rough canvas, Everet began to morph. 
  His hands had barely changed from talons into fingers before they wrapped around 
  Kane’s wrists, pinning him down against the hard mattress. Their mouths met the second their 
  beaks deserted them. 
  
  Kane tipped back his head, thinking of nothing other than offering the other man his 
  complete submission. There were no games to be played now. It was too soon after his change 
  for him to be anything other than the man he was and to react the way his nature dictated. 
  Everet was bigger and stronger than him, but more to the point, he was good and strict, 
  and Kane really did love him more than he’d ever believed a magpie was capable of loving 
  anyone other than himself. 
  Everet growled deep in the back of his throat. Kane moaned in response and squirmed in 
  an effort to spread his legs and offer his body to the other man. 
  “Mine,” Everet snarled against Kane’s lips. 
  Kane was too busy kissing to talk. Lifting his head off the mattress, he brought their lips 
  together again. Everet pulled away, swiftly taking his mouth out of kissing range and glared 
  down at him. He was as stubborn as ever. Nothing would be granted to Kane until he knew what 
  was required. Another shot of adrenaline shot through his body. 
  Perfect. 
  “Yours.” There was no hint of doubt in his voice. 
  Everet rocked his hips, rubbing their crotches together. Hard flesh slid against a mirror 
  image of itself, teasing, tempting, slicking skin with pre-cum. There was no controlling 
  themselves, no way that they could actually have sex. 
  Fingers which still half-thought they were talons weren’t suited to applying lube. 
  Humping each other like teenagers in heat was all they could manage—it was all they needed. 
  Kane gasped, moving even more quickly as he reveled in the lack of control he sensed in 
  Everet’s movements. 
  Masters absorb something of their submissives too. 
  Ori had been right. Even as he lay there, Kane sensed some of Everet’s self-control give 
  way to a little of his own brand of impulsiveness. 
  Everet was his master just as much as he was Everet’s submissive. 
  Kane squirmed and writhed beneath the heat and strength of Everet’s body, glorying in 
  both the mental and physical hold the other man had over him, that they had over each other. 
  He bucked, arching his back he came, spilling between their bodies, slicking their 
  movements even further. 
  
  Everet didn’t pause for a moment. If anything his thrusts became more determined, more 
  resolute. Blinking rapidly, Kane managed to focus on Everet’s face. The raven’s control 
  gradually returned as his human side moved to the fore, but he still wasn’t the ice man he’d been 
  when they first met. 
  Kane stared up at his master, completely enthralled by Everet’s every movement as the 
  other man determinedly thrust his way to orgasm. 
  Pleasure flashed across his face as he came. He was beautiful. A strong, hard, masculine 
  kind of beautiful, but none the less perfect because of that. He was glorious—a man anyone in 
  his right mind would fall in love with the moment he set eyes on him. 
  Everet collapsed against Kane as all his energy seemed to desert him. Their bodies 
  molded together as if they’d been designed specifically for that purpose. 
  The cot was built for one. There was no room for them to move farther apart on it. 
  Someone had to lie on top of the other. Everet had to pin him to the bed. Kane smiled as his eyes 
  fell closed and sleep rushed to claim his mind. 
  Positioned as they were, Everet didn’t need to have a lock on the cage door, or put an 
  alarm on it, either. There was no way Kane could get up, move, or even breathe without his 
  master knowing about it. He’d never felt safer in his life. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
  Chapter Fifteen 
   
   
  “So, this is where you’ve hidden yourselves away.” 
  Everet lifted his head. It was the only part of his body he could move without waking 
  Kane. The magpie lay half on top of him and half wrapped around him, in a complicated 
  arrangement of limbs that barely allowed Everet to take a deep breath. Wriggling was out of the 
  question. 
  Raynard stood just outside the cage looking more than a little amused. “Hamilton’s 
  ordered men to search the entire nest for you. Apparently, your fellow guards completely failed 
  to notice your presence here…” 
  Everet said nothing. It seemed unlikely that Raynard would allow anyone to be 
  disciplined for hiding his whereabouts, but it wasn’t his place to risk other men’s backs on it. 
  “You really ruffled Hamilton’s feathers by rushing off the way you did.” Raynard 
  couldn’t have sounded less concerned by that fact if he’d tried. “And after he put all that effort 
  into getting her here so he could prove Kane is a lost cause.” 
  “He’s not a lost cause!” 
  Kane made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat and snuggled into Everet’s side, 
  as if he sensed his fury but, while asleep at least, couldn’t comprehend that it wasn’t directed at 
  him. Everet automatically held him more firmly and stroked his hand down his spine in an effort 
  to soothe him. 
  Everet knew that Raynard observed it all. He wasn’t one to miss a thing at any time, but 
  when their eyes met, Raynard merely nodded his approval. 
  “Ori and I agree with your assessment. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with 
  my own eyes, but he’s turned out passably well.” 
  From a man like Raynard, and directed at someone other than Ori, it was high praise 
  indeed. Everet was too shocked to think of thanking him for it. 
  
  “Our visitors have left,” Raynard went on. “Ori will talk Hamilton down off the ledge—
  he’s proven to have quite a talent for it. So, it’s quite safe for you both to come out of the cage. 
  Neither of you will be punished.” 
  “I’m glad you both think well of Kane, sir,” Everet said. “I have a favor to ask.” He 
  studied Raynard’s expression very carefully as he rushed out the request. 
  The hawk raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?” 
  Everet took a deep breath. If it had just been for himself, he’d have bid a rapid retreat. 
  Raynard and Ori had done so much for him already. Asking for anything from them was the 
  most ungrateful insult he could have stumbled upon, but this wasn’t for him. 
  Sometimes being a good master involved putting your submissive first and doing 
  whatever needed to be done—even if it meant going down on bended knee and begging a favor, 
  even if it meant admitting that he wasn’t able to make everything right in Kane’s world all by 
  himself. 
  * * * * 
  Kane arched his back, stretching his spine as he stirred. He lay against a warm, strong 
  body. That was always a good way to wake up. A calm, content feeling filled every corner of his 
  mind. That was even better. It meant the body he rested half on top of was Everet’s. No one else 
  had ever made him feel that way. 
  He opened his eyes and lifted his head. 
  Everet was already wide awake. Their eyes met. 
  Kane smiled as a wonderful idea rushed to the front of his mind. Morning sex! 
  He blinked and rubbed at his eyes then, as his surroundings nudged at the edge of his 
  senses, hinting that they weren’t in Everet’s apartment. 
  Metal bars. Narrow cot. Cell. Cage. Damn! 
  Kane pushed against Everet’s chest as he tried to sit up and re-process everything that 
  happened just before he fell asleep. He failed on both counts. 
  Everet’s arms wrapped around him, making it impossible for him to rise. As for his 
  memories, Kane was sure they would never make sense. 
  “Anything special you want to say?” Everet asked. 
  Giving up on doing anything except leaning against Everet’s chest for the moment, Kane 
  shook his head. 
  
  “Raynard dropped by while you were asleep,” Everet mentioned, almost casually. 
  Kane’s instincts for self-preservation instantly went onto high alert. “Why? What did he 
  want? Am I—?” 
  Everet put a hand over Kane’s mouth. 
  Bite? Kiss? Caught between two options, Kane finally settled for doing nothing. 
  “We’re expected in the elders meeting room. Now.” 
  Kane pulled his head back, taking his lips away from Everet’s hand. 
  “No.” Everet’s tone of voice didn’t invite disobedience at the best of times, but it seemed 
  to be especially true then. 
  Kane was caught so off guard, he forgot what he’d been about to say. 
  “Don’t talk. Just do as you’re told.” Everet released Kane from his embrace. “Get up. Get 
  dressed.” 
  Within seconds, Everet was on his feet, his clothes half on. A strange kind of tension 
  filled his body. Kane saw it in every movement Everet made. Something was wrong. Everet was 
  hiding something from him. 
  Kane frowned as he hesitantly followed Everet’s example and picked up his trousers. 
  Cum stains decorated both their bodies. Kane toyed with the idea of suggesting they head up to 
  the apartment to take a shower—after all, it would probably be disrespectful to turn up in front of 
  the elders unless they were nice and clean. And, once he got Everet up to the flat, he could 
  probably convince him to— 
  No. Kane stopped himself short before a single word left his lips. Everet deserved better 
  from him than that sort of behavior. That probably applied even when he kept secrets from him. 
  Kane dressed and followed Everet out of the cage. 
  The raven paused there for a moment, and wiped something off the slate with his 
  fingertips. 
  Kane lingered in the entrance to the cage. There was a strange sort of safety to be found 
  behind the bars. There were no temptations there. It was impossible for him to do the wrong 
  thing. 
  “Come on.” 
  
  Everet’s order pulled Kane away from the cage, offering him a different kind of 
  security—one that put all his temptations directly in front of him and demanded he learn how to 
  resist them. 
  The guards said nothing as Everet walked past them with no more than a nod. Kane 
  hurried to keep up with him, feeling as if they’d just enacted the least subtle jailbreak in the 
  entire history of the cage. 
  Up in the main part of the nest, Kane tensed even further. People stared at them, turning 
  their heads to watch them go—and it probably wasn’t because they smelled like sex. Something 
  was up. Kane had been in the cage for less than a day, but something had changed while he’d 
  been there. 
  Kane sped up, walking closer to Everet’s side. For once in his life, he wasn’t interested in 
  being the center of attention. 
  Everet glanced toward him. His expression changed slightly. The seriousness in his eyes 
  didn’t disappear, but it softened a little. Reaching out, he took hold of Kane’s hand. 
  It shouldn’t have felt either reassuring or strangely romantic. It was either criminally 
  soppy or a blatant precaution against any attempt to run away on Kane’s part. Somehow, Kane 
  still found he liked it. Being connected to his master that way felt good. Not as good as being 
  screwed into the silverware, but very nice nonetheless. 
  Bolstered by his lover’s touch, Kane’s steps didn’t hesitate, not even when a servant 
  opened the door leading to the elders meeting room and they made their way inside. 
  They walked forward, side by side, until they stood directly in front of the long oak table. 
  On the other side of it sat Raynard, Ori and Hamilton. None of the other elders were present. 
  Kane wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good sign. 
  His mind rushed back to the day he’d first arrived at the nest. It felt like a lifetime ago 
  and, at the same time, as if it were just yesterday. 
  A few extra elders had sat on the other side of the table then. Other things were different, 
  too. Kane wasn’t the same man. How he felt about the guy holding his hand had changed beyond 
  all recognition. The circle had completed itself. He was back where he started. 
  The amount of self-control it took to stand in front of the elders and neither throw a 
  temper tantrum nor run and hide, was almost more than Kane could manage. It was only Everet’s 
  
  grip on his hand that kept him there. It was only his desire to be good for his master that made 
  him try his best to keep his chin up and his heart from leaping out of his chest. 
  Everet squeezed his fingers. 
  Kane turned his head and glanced up at him. 
  The smile Everet gave him was worth whatever effort Kane needed to expend in order to 
  meet the raven’s expectations. 
  Finally, Hamilton finished shuffling his papers around. He glared up at them over his 
  glasses. 
  “Last time you stood before us, you convinced the council of elders to grant you 
  permission to undertake an experiment.” Distaste dipped off his every syllable. “The experiment 
  is over.” 
  No! Kane tensed. He swayed forward, more than a little tempted to grab hold of 
  Hamilton’s lapels and shake him until he changed his mind. 
  “It is the opinion of the elders that Kane has proven that he can maintain the level of 
  conduct required of him in order to be accepted into the nest as a free avian.” Hamilton couldn’t 
  have sounded less pleased with the pronouncement if he’d spoken his own death sentence. 
  “From this moment Kane is a free avian, with all the rights and freedoms that entails. He does 
  not belong to Everet and is no longer under any kind of supervision.” 
  Hamilton stood up, turned on his heel and strode out of the room. The door in the far wall 
  slammed closed in his wake. 
  Kane stood perfectly still. He was quite sure the death sentence Hamilton had announced 
  was his own rather than the eagle’s. A life without Everet was… 
  “Kane, I know you’re scared right now, but you’re not going to run away.” Everet turned 
  so they faced each other. His hand tightened around Kane’s fingers as if to make sure of that. His 
  other hand came to rest on Kane’s shoulder. “This isn’t where it ends.” 
  “Yes, it is,” Kane whispered. “Hamilton said…” He looked up at Everet and forced 
  himself to meet his gaze. “Hamilton can really do that? He can just wipe away everything 
  we’ve…?” 
  “Some things,” Everet corrected. “Not everything.” 
  Kane swallowed. “What do I have left?” By supreme force of will, he kept his voice level 
  and the majority of his emotions in check. 
  
  “The experiment is over,” Everet said. “The elders interest in our relationship is over, 
  too…if you want it to be.” 
  Kane frowned. What he wanted mattered? 
  Someone cleared their throat. 
  Kane jerked his attention away from Everet. He’d almost forgotten that Ori and Raynard 
  still sat on the other side of the table. 
  He turned back to Everet. It didn’t matter who was there, he had to sort things out with 
  Everet. If other people heard him, that couldn’t be helped. 
  He looked up into Everet’s eyes. “I love you.” 
  Kane mentally cursed. He hadn’t intended to just blurt it out that way, but the words had 
  been right there in the front of his head and he hadn’t been able to stop them escaping—not even 
  if they made him look like the biggest idiot alive. 
  “I love you, too,” Everet said, very calmly, as if that should have been obvious. 
  “As I was about to say,” Raynard cut in. “As far as the elders are concerned, there’s no 
  reason why the two of you can’t enter into a properly ratified contract, if that’s what you both 
  want?” 
  Everet didn’t even glance in his direction. As important as Raynard’s words felt, Kane 
  couldn’t even look away from Everet for long enough to blink let alone peer across the room at 
  the other man. 
  “Hamilton was right about one thing,” Everet said, his voice suddenly turning gruff. “I 
  can’t speak for you anymore. You’re a free avian. You have a choice.” He paused for several 
  seconds, as if to allow Kane to process that. Finally, he spoke again. “Do you want to belong to 
  me?” 
  As confident as Everet sounded, something in his eyes hinted he wasn’t as at ease as he 
  might wish he was. Everet was scared. 
  That couldn’t go on. Kane needed him too much for Everet to be scared by anything. He 
  loved him too much to let him feel any sort of pain. 
  Kane had to fix this! “Yes,” he rushed out. “To everything.” 
  As easily as that, Everet’s expression cleared. He might not grin often, but when he did, it 
  was certainly worth the wait. Kane beamed back at him, success and relief mixing in his veins 
  and making him dizzy. 
  
  “I’ll arrange for someone to visit you tomorrow and draw up a contact that you both find 
  suitable,” Raynard offered. “I suspect you’ve both had enough excitement for today.” 
  “Thank you, sir.” Everet turned toward Raynard as he spoke. 
  “Kane?” That was Ori’s voice. Kane turned toward him. 
  “Everet has asked us to make sure that the contract is binding, that there be no way for 
  either of you to leave it, except for the most serious of possible reasons. It’s the kind of contract 
  that’s intended to last for life. Is that what you want?” 
  Kane turned back to Everet. “You asked them?” 
  Everet nodded, just once. 
  This was what Everet really wanted. Kane’s mind reeled with the knowledge. Everet 
  hadn’t been landed with him. He hadn’t stepped in to rescue him from the cage. He hadn’t taken 
  him on at the spur of the moment. Everet had planned this. He wanted him. 
  “Kane?” Ori prompted gently. 
  “Yes.” Kane nodded rapidly, as he glanced toward the swan. “That’s what I want.” 
  Ori smiled. His fingers twitched and Kane noticed that Ori had hooked them into the 
  band of leather he wore around his neck, the way he’d seen him do so many times in the silver 
  room. 
  “You’ve got the same kind of contract, haven’t you?” he asked. 
  Ori nodded. His grip on his collar tightened. He didn’t need words to explain what they’d 
  chosen to commemorate their understanding. 
  Kane tugged on Everet’s hand. “I want a collar.” 
  Raynard chuckled. “So there is still a bit of the magpie left in him.” 
  Kane ignored him. So did Everet. The raven’s attention remained all on him. 
  “I’ll get you one,” Everet promised. 
  Raynard and Ori walked around the table. Hands were shaken. Raynard babbled on about 
  something, and no doubt Everet listened to him very politely, but Kane’s mind was all on the 
  prospect of getting the collar he wanted. Lifting one hand, he touched his neck, working out 
  exactly where it would lay against his skin. 
  Yes, he’d have a collar—but not a boring black leather one like the swan wore… 
  
  Finally, Everet turned and walked toward the door. Apparently, there’d been enough 
  talking. They were free to go. Kane was more than happy to leave, his hand still held within the 
  raven’s slightly larger hand. 
  The heavy wood had barely closed behind them before Everet turned to him. 
  “Yes.” 
  Kane looked warily up at him “Yes?” he asked. 
  “Yes, you can have a silver collar,” Everet said. Lifting his left hand, he traced a fingertip 
  along the same line Kane had followed around the front of his throat. “And it will glitter and 
  sparkle beautifully. I promise.” 
  “You made me another promise yesterday,” Kane reminded him with a grin. 
  “I did?” 
  Kane nodded very seriously. 
  Everet’s eyes narrowed. “And what was it?” 
  “You said that, after we went to the meeting with the elders, we could go back to the 
  silver room and get laid.” 
  “Did I?” Everet asked, far more relaxed now, his tone of voice completely off. 
  Kane shook his head sadly. “You’re a good master. But you’re a really bad liar.” 
  Everet blinked, doing his best to look innocent and uncomprehending. 
  Kane pushed his free hand against the raven’s chest. “Don’t tease! You know what I’m 
  talking about.” 
  Everet hadn’t even swayed when Kane pushed him, but his hand automatically came up 
  to rest on Kane’s back, keeping him steady and safe as naturally as any other man might breathe. 
  Kane leaned forward, rose up on his toes and whispered into Everet’s ear. “If you want 
  me to get down on my knees, right here in front of everyone in the corridor and, very loudly, beg 
  you to do everything you’ve ever done to me in the silver room all over again, in precise and 
  graphic terms, I’m more than happy to do that.” 
  “Still trying to blackmail me, after all this time?” Everet asked. If he attempted to fake a 
  stern tone of voice, he failed spectacularly. He was clearly as high on life and love as Kane felt. 
  “Nope. I’m just trying to hurry you the hell up. I want my daily dose of silver. And my 
  daily dose of you, too.” 
  
  Everet laughed, looped his arm around Kane’s shoulders and turned them both toward the 
  silver room. “Only one dose of me a day?” 
  Kane frowned. “My morning dose,” he corrected. “Which is very different to the 
  afternoon dose, or the evening dose, or the happen to catch you in the shower dose, or the—” 
  “I get the idea,” Everet cut in, with another chuckle. 
  Kane grinned. Making Everet laugh felt good. Wearing a piece of silver Everet had given 
  him around his neck would feel brilliant, too. 
  As they turned a corner, Kane slid his arm around the other man’s waist in return. For 
  once, it didn’t even occur to him to try to pick his lover’s pocket, not even when this perfect 
  opportunity presented itself to him. 
  He didn’t need to bother with that kind of stuff anymore. There was no need for him to 
  think about stealing a damn thing. Not when he already had the life, the lover, and everything 
  else he’d ever truly wanted. 
   
   
   
  
   
   
  About the Author 
   
   
  Kim Dare is a twenty-nine year old, full time writer from Wales (UK). First published in 2008, 
  she has since released close to eighty BDSM erotic romance titles. 
   
  While most of Kim’s stories follow male/male relationships, she also writes about characters that 
  enjoy male/female, female/male (female dominant), female/female and all kinds of ménage 
  relationships. Kim’s titles have included contemporary stories, fairy-tale re-tellings, vampires, 
  time travelers, werewolves and werelions—not to mention the occasional wereduck. 
   
  Regardless of the gender of her characters or the different genres they inhabit, from short stories 
  to full-length novels, there are three things Kim always wants to give her characters—kink, love 
  and a happy ending. 
   
  Kim loves to talk to her readers and can be found at http://kimdare.com. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Also Available from 
  Resplendence Publishing 
   
   
  Duck! by Kim Dare 
   
  Raised among humans, Ori Jones only discovered he was an avian shifter six months ago. 
  Unable to complete a full shift until he reaches his avian maturity, he still can’t be sure of his 
  exact species. 
   
  But with species comes rank, and rank is everything to the avians. When a partial shift allows the 
  elders to announce that they believe Ori to be a rather ugly little duckling, he drops straight to the 
  bottom rung of their hierarchy. 
   
  Life isn’t easy for Ori until he comes to the attention of a high ranking hawk shifter. Then the 
  only question is, is Ori really a duck—and what will his new master think when the truth 
  eventually comes out? 
   
   
  Ash Swan by Amber Kell and Stephani Hecht 
   
  Cob Brothers Series, Book One  
   
  When Prince Landon Cob sees Brian Dawson, he's not sure what to make of the bicycle courier 
  with a pierced nose and green streaks in his hair, but the man's gentleness in feeding the water 
  fowl strikes a chord with him. In this story of Swan Prince meets Cinderfella, two men from 
  different backgrounds have to find a way to counter magic and divergent lifestyles to find their 
  happy ending. 
   
   
  Bedtime Story for a Stolen Child by Anna Mayle 
   
  Stolen Child Series, Book One 
   
  Stolen away from his cradle as a child, Leinad has been a plaything of the Faerie for thirty years. 
  He has been broken and put back together so many times that he cannot even remember what he 
  used to be. He has given up all hope of escape, until a soft breeze through his cell leads him 
  home, only to find out that home has gone on without him. A man with Leinad’s face is there in 
  his place, with his siblings, acting out his life. A changeling. The creature who enabled his 
  imprisonment and torture for all those years. 
   
  Daniel Tessel is a thirty year old folklorist. He is meeting his brother and sister at their family 
  cabin, to spend the anniversary of their parent’s deaths together. His biggest worry is the séance 
  his little sister is insisting on, and trying to stave off her inevitable disappointment. That is, until 
  
  he looks up during the ritual to see his own face watching him from the window. He is pulled 
  into the consequences of a plot he cannot even remember, accused of stealing his own life. 
  Confused, angry, and frightened beyond reason, Daniel tries to escape from Leinad, but there is 
  something pulling them together. 
   
  Revenge and passion are two very similar things. Blood sings, lust and tempers rise, and before 
  they know it, neither is quite sure who the real monster is anymore. Or if it will even matter in 
  the end. 
   
   
  Feral Lust by Mia Watts 
   
  As a third son of an Earl, Mr. Michael Hastings hasn’t a title or lands. Since a title comes with 
  responsibilities, Michael needs only money to leave the prying eyes behind and live a quiet 
  life—with another man. 
   
  Country recluse Viscount Lord Atherton is the bearer of a family curse. He must wed and 
  conceive an heir before his birthday, or live with the painful physical changes that turn him from 
  man to wolf, several times a month. But Atherton has another dangerous secret. His attraction to 
  men could place him at the end of the hangman’s noose for sodomy. 
   
  Atherton pays Hastings to help him find a wife by Christmas. Yet the more time Atherton spends 
  with Hastings, the more he wants to know. And when Hastings displays a lust for sex play that 
  rivals his own, can Atherton trust Hastings enough to share the truth behind his quest? As 
  Atherton loses his heart where he least expects it, he wonders if he can fulfill his destiny, or face 
  a lifetime of pain from the curse? 
   
   
  The Mark of Cain by Cash Cole 
   
  After a night of hot sex with an elusive Native American, Gage is left with a bullet wound and a 
  scarred shoulder from where a panther slashed him. The New Orleans police tell Gage that his 
  lover morphing from man to beast is highly improbable and that whoever broke into his hotel 
  room left no trace evidence, but Gage knows he hasn’t imagined any of this. He starts with the 
  only clue he has, the name of a town in Oklahoma where his lover said he was born. But can he 
  track down sexy Cain, who is in witness protection, before the assassins find and kill them both? 
   
   
  Possession by SW Vaughn 
   
  Devlin Island Series: Book One 
   
  Sully Shaw is one of three – a coven of gay male witches on Devlin Island, charged with 
  protecting the place from the ancient gate between worlds, deep in the woods, that sometimes 
  lets evil things escape. Sully’s job is to banish demons and spirits – which works for him, 
  
  because after his last disastrous relationship, he’d rather not deal with people. Until a gorgeous 
  stranger crashes on his private beach and needs his help. 
   
  Troy Landry was just out for a vacation, and maybe a fling, on Devlin Island. What he didn’t 
  bargain for was crashing his boat on the beach, finding a hot naked man who claims to be a 
  witch, and getting possessed by a demon who takes over his body when he falls asleep. The 
  demon can’t be driven out until dawn – so Troy and Sully have to stay awake all night long. Lots 
  of sex helps. But when they start falling for each other, incredible sex might not be enough to 
  overcome Troy’s insecurities, Sully’s past trauma, and a demon bent on releasing its brethren 
  and killing any mortal who stands in its way. 
   
   
  Moon Princess by Suzanne Graham 
   
  As Celina Maddock left the office on a Friday evening, her coworker jumped into her car and 
  demanded she get on the highway and drive fast after their sizzling kiss in the parking lot. She 
  never imagined she’d get the gorgeous Barrett Osborn ordering her around; however, when he 
  starts talking about Shadows, werewolves, and werebears, she becomes a little worried about his 
  mental health. 
   
  When Barrett’s lover, Stan Varka, offers his assistance in escaping the Shadows, Celina goes 
  along with their strange story about shapeshifters, because finding herself the center of their 
  attention becomes extremely erotic. 
   
  Once they’ve finished their night of playacting, Celina doesn’t think she could possibly have a 
  future with these two amazing lovers¼until they convince her that she really is the Moon 
  Princess and the only hope for establishing peace between the wolves and the bears. 
   
   
  Ryland’s Sacrifice by Kim Dare 
   
  Principles don’t pay tuition fees. When Ryland’s math scholarship disappears overnight, he has 
  two choices. He can borrow money from fellow student Jason Burrows, who has very interesting 
  ways of collecting debts. Or, he can volunteer to be thrown to the werelions. 
   
  One night spent playing the part of a willing human sacrifice will give him enough money to 
  finish his PhD. It seems like a good deal-right up until the moment he finds himself naked, 
  blindfolded, bound and surrounded by lions. 
   
   
   
  
   
   
  www.resplendencepublishing.com 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Vault2.0.-.Fiction-and-audiobooks/Books/D/Dare, Kim/Kim Dare - [Avian Shifters 02] - Magpie.pdf