Page 104 of Wing'd
“I, uh,” I thought about it, “I guess I did. I’ve got a whole new set of drawings of the area I thought might make cute postcards. If I can find an outlet for them, of course.”
“Sweet. You should put them on your website as a side hustle.”
James plopped down beside me. He smelled of sunshine and fresh sweat. “I had the best ice creamever. We walked bloodymiles, but it was nice to be out.” He too required a kiss. “I had a text off Sorley. I didn’t know he even knew my number.” He stretched, giving me a view of the lovely bulge in his shorts. “He wants to know if we fancy heading up to visit him and Gethin. I haven’t answered it yet, ’cause I wanted to check with you it’s really him.”
“My paranoid Padawan,” I said fondly. “Show me?”
I confirmed it was indeed Sorley. “What do you think?” I got to my feet and crossed to the kitchen. “Trace, your opinion on visiting Sorley and Gethin?”
We discussed the possibility of extending our holiday even further as Trace cooked and James laid the table, they ate, and I cleared up. Afterwards, I fed from James — which led to a frenzied, threeway bout of fucking on the sofa — then we headed out when it was late for another prowl across the beach.
We walked, and talked, and held hands. Sometimes we paused to kiss. Everyone stayed fully clothed and sober and I realised,thiswas what I needed. My men, in whatever form they showed themselves to me. Travelling this path called life, for as long as we had together. Nothing was promised, not even for a vampire. I was going to stop looking for trouble and attempt to curb my own paranoia. Right now, I had the gods of several worlds shining down on me.
We were going to be just fine.
END
REMEMBRANCE
While you wait for book 4 in the Evergreen Council series, which will be Dalziel’s story, please enjoy this short piece I wrote for Remembrance Day 2025.
“Eddie, can I ask you something?”
Edwin glanced up from his latest drawing, a pen and ink rendition of Chrisp Street market. “Always.”
“I know you can’t go to a church service for Remembrance Day, because obviously, vampire, but you never put the TV on or watch any of the news about it. Is it because it’s too painful?”
He set his pen down and turned fully around to face me. “Painful? No, not in any way you might be thinking. I survived the Great War. At the time, that was all I’d had in mind, survival. I went home, to my mum, and eventually, Bertie.” His voice cracked a little on the last word.
I felt a rush of guilt for having brought the subject up. Whatever he’d said about leaving his last love firmly behind him, I was certain the memory of Bertie was tinged with a lot of pain.
Edwin religiously wore a red poppy on any outfit he left the house in, every autumn as soon as they became available, but he only ever spoke about his war experiences if I brought the subject up, which I didn’t anymore, because it seemed he didn’t like to dwell on it. Understandable, really. I didn’t reckon I’d last more than a few hours under the circumstances he’d fought in for four years.
Still, I’d asked, so I might as well finish, because I knew my lover well enough to be sure he’d prise it out of me at some point.
“So why do you act as if it’s not happening? I’m not judging, I promise, but I am interested.”
A shadow passed over his perfectly beautiful face. He got to his feet with an elegance I never tired of seeing. He ran a hand through his neatly coiffed blond hair, then in a move that made me jump, slammed his fist down on the table, and spat out between gritted teeth,
“Because, James darling, nothing ever fucking changes! Monsters who call themselves leaders, defenders of right and reason, haven’t learned a damned thing. Their words and actions of the last hundred years make a mockery of everything Armistice Day stands for.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Nothing ever changes.”
His expression morphed from anger into dismay. He sank to his knees on the rug. “Baby, I’m sorry. I scared you. Please forgive me.”
I toppled off the chair and into his arms. “Nothing to forgive, but I do anyway. I love you.”
I held him until the shudders of his rage turned to trembles of desire, then he in turn held me while we waited for the third member of our trio to arrive home. We weren’t going to change the situation in the world, or not today, but we could still play a part in not contributing to the hate.
We would love. For as long as we had.
