Fyn's first thought was that it could be a burglar, but then he remembered that several people had a key to his apartment. The identity of the late guest was revealed seconds later anyway as a familiar, tall figure appeared.

Eondar stared at him in surprise. "Sorry, I thought you were out..." As he was about to close the door again, Fyn stopped him.

"No, it's okay. Err, come in."

The photographer hesitated, then he entered the apartment. He looked a bit uncomfortable. "I just wanted to return your keys," he said and put them on the counter next to the door. "And I hoped to find my favorite shirt..."

Now Fyn realized that he was wearing that exact piece of clothing, and nothing else, and he blushed. "I guess I've found it," he mumbled. "Wait a sec, I'll..."

"Keep it on." Eondar's face lit up as he saw Fyn's reaction, and a little smile graced his lips. Someone wearing another person's shirt was a pretty obvious sign of affection, and both knew it. "It suits you."

"Oh. Erm..." The journalist was usually not at a loss for words, but now..."Care for a mug of hot milk?" he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I'd love to," the sire answered, closing the door behind him and pulling off his coat.

A few minutes later, the two were sitting on the sofa, drinking their milk. Fyn was still wearing the shirt, but as he pulled up his legs to sit more comfortably, he noticed Eondar's gaze on his right leg. There was a large, jagged scar on the otherwise smooth, creamy skin were the bones had broken through. It somehow looked like a crack in a fine porcelain cup.

"I know, it's ugly," Fyn mumbled, trying to pull the hem of the shirt over it, but Eondar stopped him. His warm, large hands carefully settled on the leg, slowly starting to massage the tense muscles. The lifebearer sighed in bliss as the pain slowly eased. He closed his eyes, not caring anymore about decorum or their fight. He just didn't want Eondar to stop – ever.

Slowly, very slowly, the massage turned into a caress. The pain was gone, and now the sire's fingers left a strange tingle on the scarred, oversensitive skin. Fyn caught himself giving a little gasp and opened his eyes.

Eondar's beautiful, steely eyes were lit with a warm fire as they met Fyn's gaze. There was so much hope in them, so much longing... Was it real? Was it truly Fyn Eondar wanted and no one else? Or had the sight of Fyn in that shirt just reminded the sire of Sharelan's picture again?

"If there's any chance left for you and me, I'd happily take it," the sire confessed in that low, gentle voice of his. "I know that I'm asking for a lot, but..."

Fyn cut him off by putting a finger on Eondar's mouth. "It's okay." Then he leaned forward to gently kiss the sire. It was a brief touch, impossibly warm and sweet with just a tinge of bitterness. But the lifebearer ignored it. He wanted Eondar, and he wouldn't let him get away, even if the sire just saw Sharelan in him. Maybe it was time to face the realities of life and just take what was offered to him. Maybe it was time to truly grow up and accept the fact that this was all he could ever have.

As Fyn pulled away, Eondar looked at him in an almost inquiring manner. "Have you drunk any alcohol?" he asked softly.

Fyn grinned. "No. I know what I'm doing this time."

That was all Eondar needed to hear. With a swift movement, he pulled Fyn towards him and sat him down on his lap. That way, neither of them had to crane their necks while kissing. The sire's large, warm hands roamed over Fyn's back, letting the shirt glide sensually over the skin. It was pure heaven.

The sire didn't take long to realize that Fyn wasn't wearing anything underneath the shirt, and as his hands wandered lower, the lifebearer felt a twinge of nervousness for the first time. This was getting serious, and he wasn't sure what to do. Sure, he knew enough from books, the internet, and Kalish's detailed reports, but doing it himself was an entirely different thing.

Eondar immediately noticed that something was distracting Fyn and stopped. His gentle gaze met Fyn's in a silent question. The lifebearer bit his lip, wincing at the abuse of the sensitive flesh. "Can we... take it slowly?" he asked softly, hoping that he wasn't blushing too hard.

Forests, this was humiliating. But he sure as hell wasn't about to tell Eondar that this was his first time!

But the sire just nodded and resumed their kiss while he restricted his touch to more innocuous areas of Fyn's body. But it was more than enough already. The lifebearer felt as if his whole body was melting, and the friction between their clothed bodies just enhanced his arousal. Starved of physical contact as he was, the combination of these things and their heated kiss was sufficient. With a helpless moan, the lifebearer reached orgasm just as Eondar once again caressed the scar on his leg.

Breathing heavily, Fyn leaned his head against the sire's shoulder. Forests, he really had no self-control when it came to that man! Now Eondar knew for sure how desperate and pathetic he was.

But the sire stayed silent and didn't make any comments. He just stroked Fyn's disheveled hair and then kissed the top of his head. After a few moments, Fyn felt himself being lifted and carefully carried into his bedroom. There, Eondar put him on the bed and pulled the covers over him.

"Stay with me?" Fyn asked softly, his voice already heavy with fatigue. The sire smiled and nodded. He pulled off his shoes and climbed into bed next to the lifebearer. Fyn curled up next to him and almost immediately fell asleep.

Both awoke early in the morning, Fyn found himself lying on top of Eondar, using him as a pillow, and the embarrassment of last night returned. But there was no regret, and as he smiled sheepishly at the sire, he knew that the feeling was mutual. Nevertheless, there was something he had to say. "Sorry for taking advantage of you like this, but would you move in with me again?"

"I'd be happy to," Eondar answered with a smile. "But what do you mean by taking advantage? I'll be your pillow any time."

The lifebearer felt himself blush. "No, I mean for... well, for falling asleep again and not... you know, returning the favor."

"As I've said before, I'm the last gentleman on Wyndrah, and I can wait," Eondar replied as he combed through Fyn's curls with his fingers. "You set the pace here."

"Okay, you're officially too good to be true," the lifebearer stated. Either Eondar had an unusually low sex drive like himself, or he took a lot of Amsinol – or he wasn't that interested in Fyn. There it was again, the nagging little demon of doubt.

As if the sire had read his thoughts, he pulled Fyn closer and gave him the longest and most passionate kiss in history to prove the sincerity of his attraction.

As promised, Fyn met Kalish and Othric for lunch. He and Eondar had been busy all morning with moving the sire's stuff back into Fyn's apartment and then going to do a quick review of a theatre matinee. They would have both preferred to stay at home and do some more intimate exploring, but work had to come first.

The place Kalish had proposed for lunch was a nice and quiet little restaurant in downtown, not far from the building where the "Valkyrie Times" offices resided. Othric was once again wearing tinted glasses, but the restaurant was known to be a haunt of important businesspeople during lunchtime, so nobody took notice. Fyn had done some undercover work here before, but today he was here just for private business.

Kalish gave him a hug as usual, and Fyn exchanged a handshake and a smile with Othric. "I hope you know what you're in for. Kalish always starts to sing when he's drunk," the journalist said with a grin. "And he can't keep a tune to save his life."

"Shush, you," Kalish interrupted him with a soft blush. "I wasn't singing that loudly yesterday, okay?"

"Yes, you were, love," Othric told him with a smile and kissed his hand. "But I don't mind. My barkeeper has strict orders to throw all the other guests out whenever you and Fyn want to have a drinking party again."

His betrothed giggled. "I think that's a promise."

The waiter came, and after the three had ordered lunch, Fyn wanted to know everything about the bonding ceremony and the things Kalish and Othric had planned. A lashran bonding was different from a human wedding, but many traditions had intermingled. A big party with speeches, games, and dancing, a cake and the throwing of a bouquet were universal customs now that were celebrated by humans and lashran alike in Avras. Fyn, adept at organizing, of course volunteered to help as much as possible and was glad to see that Othric was obviously happy about it. They might not be friends yet, but it was a far cry from their horrendous first meeting.

The only problem was Fyn's parents. He hadn't told them yet about his meeting with Othric and the things he had learned, but he had to warn them before they met him at the ceremony. Kalish had of course insisted on inviting his best friend's family, and it might get a bit awkward. But Fyn wanted to visit his parents the following evening anyway – and take Eondar with him.

After lunch, Othric said goodbye, since he had to return to his office, and Fyn and Kalish walked down the street to reach the shopping mall that was located just a bit further down the road. The red-haired lifebearer had a thousand ideas already for the clothes he wanted to wear for the ceremony and told Fyn about it in his usual, cheerful manner. The journalist listened with a happy smile, and finally his friend interrupted himself. "Fynnie, you're so... I don't know, cheerful today. Something good must have happened, right?"

Fyn grinned at being caught. "Yes, I guess so... Eondar and I... Careful!"

With a quick grasp, the journalist pulled his friend away from the curb. A big car had passed them dangerously closely, and if he hadn't intervened, Kalish might have been hit. Both stared after the car as it sped along the street. It was black, with tinted windows and no license plate.

"Forests, what an idiot," Kalish exclaimed, patting Fyn's arm. "Thanks, Fynnie."

"No problem," the lifebearer murmured as it dawned on him what had just happened. "Let's hurry, okay? The mall should be safe. Lots of people, and nobody can run you over."

"What?" Kalish frowned at his friend. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't mind me. Come on." Fyn practically dragged Kalish off the sidewalk and into the elegant mall. There, he ushered his friend into a designer shop where half a dozen employees started to fuss over him immediately. With a deep breath, Fyn pulled out his cell phone.

"Celia? Just a moment go, my friend Kalish almost got hit by a car, and it was no accident. I think I know now who's behind all of this."

To be continued...