Page 287 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

Kass frowned and nodded. “So you’re saying we wait it out?”

“I guess. You have to do your thing and I need to get my life sorted. Then…” Now he was saying it, it was too much. How could this work? He didn’t want to be away from Kass when he’d only just gotten his hands on him. He let everything unravel through the bond. He wasn’t pushing Kass away, but he wasn’t able to hold him either, and it tore him up because he wanted everything, and it was always out of reach.

Kass reached over and put his hand over Bailey’s. “I know, exactly. But you’re right, and it makes sense in a weird way.”

Bailey looked at the witch across the table. “I want to move to Melbourne, away from my family, but one of the parole conditions is that I’m not allowed to move without a job. And I have nothing.” And he might be unemployable.

“I can put out feelers for work,” the woman said.

“Do snow leopards have a bad rep in Melbourne too?” If so, he’d go somewhere else. “I don’t want more trouble.”

“I can look into it. Is there anything you’re especially interested in?”

Bailey shook his head. “I never let myself think that far ahead. I’ve finished school—I’m sure you’ve copies of my academic record—but that’s all.”

“Okay, that makes it easier if you’ll take anything.” She lifted an eyebrow and Bailey nodded. “Do you need a place to stay?”

“Yes…” His gaze flicked between Kass and the witch. “But that can’t be free too.”

“It’s not, but we have a few places were paranormals can stay if they need emergency accommodation. We want to make sure you land on your feet and don’t end up back in jail again, as it makes everything complicated.

“You reckon?”

She gave him a tight smile. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Bailey shook his head and glanced at Kass, hoping he wouldn’t bring up breaking the bond again.

“No.”

Bailey popped the rest of his Danish in his mouth before they left—he wasn’t wasting good food—and it gave him something to do besides chewing out Kass.

They were halfway down the block before Bailey said anything. “What the hell? You could’ve asked me instead of ambushing me.”

Kass stopped walking, and Bailey turned to face him.

“I have no control over this. When I drive, when I shoot, when I walk through a crowd. All the time I control the world with tiny nudges. But this…this is something else, and it scares me.”

“It scares me too. But I also won’t waste it. We have two weeks, then you’ll be gone, and I’ll be moving, and when you return, we can try again, or not. I won’t ask you to promise me forever or anything.”

“We have terrible timing.” Kass’s eyes were glassy. “I’ll find you when I get back.” He touched his chest over his heart. “I’ll always find you.”

“Now you sound like a stalker.” But he kissed his witch like he’d never be kissing him again. Because for all his bravado, he was afraid for Kass and for himself and what the future held.

Neither of them could promise the other a life.

* * *

Gettinghis life together wasn’t as simple as moving to the outer suburbs of Melbourne and getting a job, though both those things had happened with the Coven smoothing the way. He was still on parole, but that was tolerable—someone checking once a week to make sure he went to work and was behaving himself, which he was.

He needed his driver’s license, so he’d done lessons and had now roped one of the other shifters living in the Coven-owned share house into sitting in the car with him as he drove to get his hours up. Work at the meat-packing plant filled the time and put money into his account. The hours weren’t great, and he was the only one who didn’t bitch about the cold. Once he had his forklift license, he’d get a pay rise and then he’d consider moving out of the share house. But the rent was cheap, and it wasn’t like he needed space for visitors.

Bailey lay in bed, in the dark, waiting for his alarm to go off, typing an email to Kass that he probably wouldn’t receive for weeks. The last message Bailey had received had been about two weeks ago, and Kass had said he would be spending a lot of time away from the unnamed base. Mostly Bailey felt his boredom—which was far better than adrenaline. Boredom meant he was safe.

Happy one-year anniversary!Does it count when we’ve spent so much time apart? I think it does because we haven’t actually ever been apart. I’m settling in at work and I’ve moved from the emergency accommodation to a share house not too far from the plant. It’s nothing special, but it’s a place to stay.

I haven’t heard anything from my family. Hopefully I never will.

I’m going to the mountains this weekend so I can see snow. I don’t know if I’ll go for a run, but there’ll always be a next time.

Love

B

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