Page 19 of Back in the Hunt

“Okay!” Everly nodded. “How?” he asked but Merlin held up his hands.

“I have no idea, but all I ask is for you to simply try. Howard has warded and armed himself, just in case.”

Everly chewed on his lip as he stared at the storefront. “Are you sure he won’t mind and he’ll be safe? What about customers?”

“At this hour? Rarely,” Merlin said with a laugh. “There’s a storage room and oversized wingback chairs in the corners where you can hide your face in a book, if necessary,” he said and Everly was excited again.

“Let’s go!”

Bryn smiled at Merlin as he reached around Everly for the door, his opinion of Nox’s odd little sidekick softening even more. “Let’s go,” he agreed, holding on tight to Everly’s hand as they got out and crossed the street.

Another tiny man with thin, curly, white hair was already gushing with praise and delight as he greeted them at the door. “Agent Nelson, how lovely to see you again so soon!” He gestured impatiently as Nelson lowered and offered his cheek for a kiss. “How is the professor this morning?”

“Teaching and happy,” he said and went to a stack of boxes on the counter. “Want these in the storage room?”

“Please!” Howard said as he clasped his hands together. “The UPS man was just here before you and left them,” he explained and turned back to Merlin with large smiles for Bryn and Everly.

“Which one is the hellhound and which one of them is the changeling?” he asked Merlin, surprising Bryn and making him laugh.

“You can’t tell?”

Howard blinked up at him, bemused. “No, lad. That’s why I asked.” He offered Merlin an awkward cringe. “Is it him?” he whispered and Everly covered his mouth to hold in a giggle.

“It’s me! I’m the changeling! I’m Everly Wells.”

“Are you?” Howard looked at him closer and then squinted up at Bryn. “I’d swear, the wee one feels stronger!”

That got a gasp out of Merlin. “He does, doesn’t he? I thought some sun and a little adventure might boost his spirits. This other gentleman is Mr. Bryn Cadwallader,” he told Howard, looking rather pleased with himself. “I’m looking for a book as well.”

“Oh?”

That sounded like their cue, so Bryn gave Everly’s hand a tug. “Let’s get a basket and look around. We’ll get some books and fun things to keep you busy at Nox’s.”

Everly started to nod, then bit down on a panicked squeal. “I don’t have any money! I probably don’t have a job anymore and my apartment—!” he whispered loudly up at Bryn. “I forgot about my job and my rent istwo days late!”

“You’ve had a pretty intense week,” Bryn reminded him and raised Everly’s hand, giving it a squeeze and a kiss. “We all had a talk while you were recovering and we don’t want you to worry. With the exception of Fletcher and Nelson, we’ve all had the ability to put away a lot of money over the course of our very long lives, or inherited incredible wealth. You’re important, Ev, and it’s important that you stay safe. Keeping you here makes our jobs much easier.”

“Why am I important?” he asked but Bryn saw that Everly’s gaze had caught on the wall of crystals and the long row of glass cases.

“Let’s start over there,” Bryn suggested and gave Everly a nudge to get him moving again.

If Bryn was as brave as the legends had claimed, he would have told Everly thatlovewas the reason he was important. Because it was becoming obvious to Bryn that he was wildly and completely in love—and lust—with Everly and would do anything to protect him.

The lust part wasn’t new, but Bryn had never seen the point in anything else before. Not when Bryn’s heart was dedicated to his brother, their duty, and glory. He loved Fletcher as a brother, but he was Bryn’s life partner too in that Arawn was loved deeply enough inthat wayfor both of them. Arawn’s happiness was Bryn’s happiness and he couldn’t imagine finding another human as generous and as patient as Fletcher, who’d fit their very unusual family in the same harmonious way.

It turned out that Bryn had been waiting on a changeling.

“We wouldn’t have known that a monster was on the loose if it weren’t for you,” Bryn said and reached for a large rose quartz on the top shelf when Everly pointed at it. “Or that other changelings were in danger.”

“That’s true…” Everly replied distractedly. His big, black eyes sparkled, just a thin ring of bright white at the edges as they followed the pale pink crystal. He held up his palms, ready for the shoe-sized stone, his teeth digging into his lower lip nervously. “Oops!” Everly yelped when Bryn let go and the weight nearly knocked him into the shelf, but he recovered and cradled it like a baby. “Isn’t it beautiful?” he whispered as if it had fallen asleep.

They turned as Merlin joined them. “Did he pick that out himself?” he asked Bryn and he nodded.

“I just did the reaching,” he informed Merlin.

There was a gasp as Howard came over. “Compassion, healing,love…It’s telling that of all the gems in this shop, this one spoke loudest to you.”

Everly nodded quickly. “I could hear it calling to me!”