Kelwyn Grayson is just one more faceless runaway on the streets of Tower City. Among elves, gnolls, and dragons, one winged boy fades into the background of life in the Eternal Kingdom.  But when he cuts the purse of the handsome were-lion Harun Rashid, he finds himself dragged out of the crowd.<br><br>Rather than a cell, however, Harun offers a helping hand to set Kelwyn on the road to a respectable, peaceful life ... if he could just bring himself to stop flirting shamelessly with Harun, keep his sticky fingers to himself, and avoid bringing the wrath of a powerful, mad vampire down on his head.<br><br>But even faced with Kelwyn's death -- or undeath -- Harun will not give up on him, and Kelwyn will not give up on finding his way to sharing that peaceful life with Harun.  Two men, love, and magic are bound and determined to find their way to their shared dream of a future -- and family.

Blood and Fire

The indoor practice hall did have a gaggle of recent recruits working through drills under the arms master’s watchful eye, but Harun snagged a pair of training swords from a bin in the corner that held assorted shapes and sizes of them without interrupting the lesson. Most of the soldiers were using a standard short sword, just longer than Kelwyn’s birthday gift, but a fair bit wider.


That was the kind of practice blade Harun snagged for him, while he managed to find a second one that at least approximated his own larger weapon.


The practice swords were made of wood, wrapped in a layer of fabric padding that cushioned them slightly. Kelwyn hefted his as they walked out into the open square again. It felt heavier than his sword, and the balance didn’t seem to be as good, but he could swing it well enough.


Chapter 32