Their leap of faith could unleash magic ... or plunge them into darkness. Henry Thorn has worked at Larkin's since graduating high school. He likes it -- especially when he can use his secret skill of hiding inside shadows so his boss can't find them. Without that talent, he would never had survived growing up different. When a hire enters the store, Henry's other latent talent kicks in. He can smell an emotional response even before he lays eyes on the redhead. Jamey Currey came out, and his conservative parents promptly kicked him out. He, too, is different -- he senses Henry's attraction the moment they met. The first time they kiss, torrential rains fall from skies split by lightning. Their kiss also awakens the Watchers, diabolical hunters who will stop at nothing -- even extermination -- to keep magic suppressed. With the help of a friendly coven of friendly witches, the boys embark on a quest to discover an ancient key to restoring magic to the world, and to understand mysteries of their own hearts. The question is, will this quest cost them their lives?

The Werewolf and His Boy

Of course. If he could have smacked his forehead, he would have. Werewolves.


Now the voices, feet and paws on the gravel, were all around him.


“Dory, Vernon, take the bag off his head, untie him. Get him on his feet. Now y’all give us some space,” a dark voice growled.


Rough hands, one pair clawed, jerked him off the ground. Unbending almost made him cry out. He stood still as whoever was behind him, muttering and grumbling, untied the ropes from his hands and feet while clawed hands yanked the bag from his head.


Feeling a little shaky and sore, he saw he was standing in a small clearing surrounded by woods, thick and dark, interrupted by a narrow path that led, he guessed, to the river. A few feet away, he saw a small fire in a shallow pit, surrounded by a circle of grey and white stones. He wished he could stand right by the fire, no matter how quickly his body’s temperature adjusted, he was still cold.


Chapter 71