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The two looked at the fire. Ilya was so sure that this is what he wanted but there was an unease in his being that he couldn’t explain in Russian or English. He knew they shouldn’t work with him being a Wolf Hybrid and Shane being something other. Still Ilya had long accepted that Shane could be a rabbit shifter and he would still try and protect him at all costs.
The sappy thought meant Ilya couldn’t resist poking his partner, “We just sit here and look at it?”
Shane just looked at him with such a look, “Yeah.”
Ilya snorted, leaning in to whisper and tease. “You can tell you are no wolf.”
Shane scowled but looked like a cute angry kitten. Shane had promised that he was no feline shifter, “Fuck off. And what is that supposed to mean?”
Ilya rolled his eyes. “For most of the world … fire is bad.”
Shane shrugged, “Maybe but it sure is pretty.”
Ilya leaned in for a kiss, ”Not like you are pretty, kotenok.”
Shane scowled more, “I am not a kitten.”
Ilya smirked looking directly at his lover, “Are you sure? You scowl like an angry kitten.”
”You’re an asshole.”
Ilya pouted, “Least you know my second skin.”
Shane could have said many things like he was not comfortable in his first skin. He could have said that traditionally birds got a shit time in the Hockey leagues as there skills were deemed cheating. It was not like he ever used his wings to fly across the rink but prejudice didn’t have a reason.
A loud caw broke the silence. “What the fuck was that?”
”A Loon.”
Ilya wondered if he would ever truly understand the Russian language. He feared not, but he would keep trying. “A what? It sounds like a wolf.”
Shane giggled, “It’s a bird and you are a wolf.”
Ilya couldn’t hide his alarm. “That does not sound like a bird.”
Shane chuckled, “Listen to this.” He put his hands together, and mimicked the sound of a loon… And got an answer.
Ilya was not amused, and now it was his turn to scowl. “I hate you.”
Shane shook his head, knowing the real truth and feeling confident in it. “No you don’t.”
“No, I don’t.” Ilya agreed softly, and what words he couldn’t speak yet were showing on his face.
Shane sighed. “Do you want to go inside?”
Ilya shook his head, but decided there was far too much distance between him and his mate. He nearly froze with his thoughts but he didn’t want Shane to freak out. “No, I am. How do you say it …committed?”
He wasn’t going to reject the closeness and in fact, Shane relaxed more with Ilya lying on his lap enjoying how connected they felt.
-*-
Ilya looked more like a seal shifter the next day happily swirling around in the water. “Come into the water.”
Shane shook his head, he was quite content to rest on the rock. He didn’t mind the water but he preferred shallow water, or sometimes his feathers would come out involuntarily. ”No thank you.”
“It is relaxing.”
“I am good looking at you.”
Ilya swished him with the water to tease him. “See not too bad.”
“Asshole, what if my phone was in my pocket?”
“It is on the table.”
Shane sighed and went to say something but then he froze. He could sense a threat in a way that was making him want to shift. Shane was prey to his instincts right now. “Get out of the water. Now.”
Ilya was about to say something but he saw the shift in Shane both literally and in body language. “Okay.”
The hawk that was swooping had no chance to attack Ilya as Shane was bigger, faster and in no mood to play nice like his usual PR image.
Shane was magnificent in his shift and vicious in the fight … going for his opponents throat. He shifted back, spitting blood out of his mouth. “Gross. I need a shower.”
Ilya slid next to him on the dry land. “Are you sure?”
Shane looked at him in disbelief. “You cannot find that sexy!”
Ilya had a crooked grin. “Oh me and my wolf found that very sexy.” And to prove his point, he ground his erection into Shane’s hip.
Shane though was having none of it. “Shower first.”
“Both activities together?” Ilya countered, not wanting to waste any time.
Shane looked to ponder this suggestion and kissed his lips, “Deal.”
And ran towards the house, and that was positively teasing his lover, who howled and gave chase.
Shane was all too willing to be caught. He never complained about the results when he was captured.