Monday at Blue Ridge High found Tyra and his four friends gathered around their favorite lunch tree, sitting beneath the branches that were showing buds of green leaves.

"I'm going to Raylington," Jamie announced with pride. "I put my acceptance letter in the mail this morning."

"Hey, man, congratulations!" Jerrik said enthusiastically, and he slapped Jamie on the back none-too-gently. "That's great. Finally, one of us bit the bullet." Next he smacked Tyra on the shoulder. "You're next, buddy."

"Dalling," Tyra said simply as he slowly poked his container of noodles with a fork. "Talking to my parents tonight and putting my letter in the mail tomorrow."

"Wow, Mr. Indecisive finally talks turkey," Jerrik said grinning. "Now all that remains is Sally's choice."

"You two are not making this any easier by choosing different universities," she muttered. "I really don't know yet. And Jerrik, what about you? You've been looking so smug the whole day."

Jerrik grinned broadly. "College is going to have to wait. I got signed go to pro with skateboarding. The deal got sealed this Saturday, and I'm now a member of the Stonetown sportswear extreme team. I start training for team routines this weekend, and I start travelling for shows and competitions the day after graduation."

"Get out of here. No way, man! That's fantastic!" Tyra said. He clasped hands with Jerrik in a fraternal gesture.

Jamie snorted in disgust. "See what I meant about you guys falling on your heads? You're hopeless, really." But then he smiled. "Oh well, congratulations, Jerrik. Just try to get your sense back some time."

"And I'm still stuck at this boring school for another year," Atsayal muttered. "I can't wait to get to the sorcery academy and finally learn something useful."

"Like how to take over Wyndrah? If you do, count me in," Sally said with a broad grin. "Then I'll dictate the fashion."

"When you guys are done taking over the world, cut me off a slice of it, would you?" Tyra said with a small smile. Then he put the remainder of his lunch aside and stretched out on the grass, looking up at the budding branches above. A warm breeze played across his face.

"Nah, maybe you get a small island if you're really nice to us," Sally graciously offered. Then she grew serious again. "Hey, you alright? You have that something-is-bothering-Tyra wrinkle between your brows."

Tyra sighed and shook his head slowly. "You remember that little itty bitty age difference problem between me and Elain we were talking about a while back?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Sally asked. "Oh no, did he find out about your age, Tyra?" The others were all listening carefully now.

"No, it's not that," he replied. "Just that the itty bitty difference isn't so itty bitty." Tyra sighed, and the sigh ended in a small groan. "Elain's turning one-hundred and twenty next month. Oh, and he freaking owns the Velvet Shadow."

For a few seconds everyone gaped silently at Tyra before they all started talking at the same time.

"He's what?"

"And I picked him out for you, man!"

"Would you shut up for a moment, Jerrik?"

"Now that is indeed a major problem."

"Guys!" Sally admonished. "We're no help at all here. What do you want to do about it, Tyra?"

"I was starting to lean toward the time machine idea again," Tyra said. "Guys, I don't know what the hell to do. I thought it was bad before, but now with him being the owner and being more than a century older, I don't know how I can possibly tell him I'm only eighteen!"

"But you have to sooner or later," Sally insisted. "Or do you want to lie to him for the next few years — if your relationship will even last that long?"

"I disagree. Telling him now would just result in getting your ass kicked out of the door. I'd say you wait at least until you're out of high school, "Jerrik said. "Maybe Jamie will invent the time machine even sooner."

Atsayal gave his boyfriend a sharp blow with his elbow. "Jerrik, this is serious! Tyra, you should have told him up front. Now whatever you do, it will just get worse."

"Yeah, right, and if I'd told him up front, what do you think would have happened?" Tyra asked as he rose into a seated position. "He simply wouldn't have gone out with me, and that would have been it. But I didn't tell him, and he did go out with me, and now I don't want to lose him."

Sally crossed her arms. "It's not going to get any better by waiting."

"No, but it's not getting worse either, man. The longer he gets to know you, the better the chance he won't chuck you out when he learns the truth," Jerrik said. "I mean, you sound pretty serious to me, and if he's as deeply involved as you are, man, then it won't matter to him."

This earned him another elbow in the rips. "Forests, there are some days when I have no idea why I'm dating you," Atsayal muttered. "The only thing that can save you is to do some serious groveling and hope he's willing to forgive you. But seriously, if I were Elain, I wouldn't forgive you, Tyra," he added mercilessly.

Tyra turned pleading eyes to Jamie. "Come on, Jamie, help me out here. They're all ready to stick a fork in me and call me done."

Jamie just shrugged and shook his head. "You're asking me for relationship advice? Honestly, that's a good sign right there that you're screwed."

Despite the glum mood, the five friends couldn't help themselves and started to grin at this statement.

"What about Marithia?" Sally asked. "You told me that she's Elain best friend. Maybe she can give you some advice?"

"Eeh, that might not be a good move," Tyra said with a wince. "I'm pretty sure she'd go straight to Elain with the information. She's kind of protective of him." Tyra sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I'm going to wait until graduation. There's just no way that I can tell him I'm in high school. At least if I wait until then, I've got my diploma, one of the basic accomplishments almost every adult has achieved. I'll tell him right after that and go straight into the groveling and begging for forgiveness. Forests, I just hope it's enough."

"We all hope so. It's no fun seeing you sad," Sally said. "And it would be a lousy way to start college life."

"You got that right. Speaking of which, you're the last one to pick a place, Sally, so you have to treat us all to ice cream after school," Tyra said with a smile. At just that moment, the bell rang, indicating that they had only a few minutes to reach their next class.

The friends reluctantly got up and started heading to their respective class rooms. For a moment Tyra watched Jerrik and Atsayal clasping hands as they walked down the hallway together. Despite the young lifebearer's harsh tone, he was always quick to forgive his boyfriend. For a moment Tyra was envious of the ease of their relationship. Why did it have to be this complicated for him?

Jamie came to walk by Tyra as they headed into the building. "Don't give up yet, okay? Because if a brainiac nerd as good looking and sociable as you can't get his relationship stuff figured out, I'm absolutely doomed."

Tyra sighed and rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the encouragement. At least, I think that's what it was supposed to be."

Tyra hurried to his classrooms and spent much of the rest of the day watching the clock on the wall, urging it to hurry along.

~*~

Like Tyra, Elain had done a lot of thinking as well, but in a totally different direction. Since their intimate encounter, he had been contemplating about a way to show Tyra that he was still resolved to continued their relationship. Although the young sire hadn't shown any insecurity, Elain was sure that he still had some doubts whether someone like Elain was being serious with someone like him. And now Elain had found the perfect way to show his intentions to his lover.

On Tuesday, he sent an email to Tyra.

Dear Tyra,

I promised you something special for our next date, so I'd like to invite you to a big event on Friday in the main VIP lounge of the Velvet Shadow. It's the club's annual charity party, and the guests are always a very mixed crowd, not only stiff people in business suits. I'd be honored if you'd be there as my official date. The party starts at eight o'clock.

Elain

The charity party was the club's highlight of the year where businesspeople, celebrities, artists, and simply anyone who was willing to buy a ticket would have a beautiful evening. It was also one of the rare occasions when the press was not only allowed, but invited since the whole event needed lots of promotion for a high donation sum.

For Elain it had always been a trial because he wasn't able to escape public attention, but this time he wasn't as reluctant as he had been all those years before. On the contrary, this time he would have the most handsome and charming partner at his side.

~*~

When Tyra received Elain's email that evening after school, he read it multiple times before he responded.

Elain,

I'd love to be your date, and I'm honored that you asked me. I'll look forward to escorting you on Friday. Hopefully I can still remember how to behave like a gentleman around you. I promise I'll be on my best behavior, or at least I'll try.

Tyra

Elain wanted him as an official date, and the significance of the gesture came through loud and clear. They'd kept their relationship very strictly to themselves, and this had to be a huge step for Elain. Tyra idly wondered how many times Elain had ever invited someone to such an event as an official date.

Nothing on Wyndrah could keep Tyra from the party that night. However, he did realize there was just one small snag in the plan. Tyra got out his cell phone and called Sally.

"Hey, Tyra, what's up?" she answered.

"Hi there. Hey, you remember when I swore up and down that I was never going to let you take me shopping and use me as a dress-up doll again?" Tyra asked.

"Yeah, I remember," Sally replied sardonically. "And so does everyone who was on the second floor of the Century department store when you started shouting. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you see, there's this thing," Tyra started, and he briefly explained his date for Friday and what he needed. Sally's squeal of delight nearly deafened him.

Gods, was there anything he wouldn't do for Elain?

~*~

The week passed by in a hurry, and by Friday evening Tyra was anxious to change into his new clothes and get ready to leave the house. But he found himself unable to even get into the bathroom. His father was in there, obviously preening himself and shouting at every inquiring knock on the door that he needed "just a moment".

Detrallin was also already at home and searching through his own wardrobe, so Tyra deducted that his parents would go out tonight. It was already past seven, and Tyra just hoped they would hurry up a bit.

However, the minutes kept trickling by as Tyrallin sat on his bed, anxiously twitching his leg and watching the digital alarm clock continue to damn him a little further. Eventually, when he knew there was no way he could make it on time, he got out his cell phone and sent a text message to Elain.

Sorry, so sorry! I'm going to be late. Can my keycard get me onto the main VIP floor? I'm really sorry!! I'll catch up with you.

He flipped his cell phone shut. A few minutes later, he received a message in return. Yes, just swipe your card and come up to the fifth floor. Don't keep me waiting too long. It's been a long week.

Tyra then went out to the hall and called out again in the direction of the bathroom. "Daaaad, are you done in there yet?"

"Not quite! Looking beautiful takes time, you know!" Lissem answered.

Yeah, I know, and that's my problem, Tyra thought.

The time was a quarter till eight when Lissem finally emerged, and he went straight to Tyrallin's room. His father really did look wonderful — he reminded Tyra of those pictures he'd seen of his father during his acting days before he bonded and started a family. He wore a golden laced-up vest over a silky cream-colored shirt, and the loose, gauzy sleeves were somewhat transparent. The sleeves flared at the end and stopped just before his wrists, showing off his gold bonding bracelets. The top buttons of his shirt were undone. His brown slacks hugged his legs almost indecently. He had even put some light makeup on for the occasion and styled his hair differently.

To top it all off, he wore a golden choker necklace with a teardrop diamond hanging from the center of it. It had been Detrallin's twentieth anniversary gift to his mate.

"You look really nice, dad," Tyra conceded.

"Thank you, darling," Lissem said with a pleased smile, and then he called out. "Feadri! Can you come here for a minute? I want to talk to you both, and I don't want to repeat myself."

Moments later Feadri emerged from his room, for once not wearing one of Tyra's old clothes. "What is it, dad?" He looked admiringly at his father. "Wow, you look great!"

"Thank you, darling," Lissem said, and he briefly stroked Feadri's hair. "You know, if you wanted, we could go shopping for some nicer things for you, some clothes that aren't quite so...baggy."

"No thanks!" Feadri said cheerfully, and he hopped onto Tyra's bed and sat there next to his brother, cross-legged. "Whatcha up to, dad?"

Lissem let out a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, but let me know if you change your mind. Well, as you know, your sire finally completed the Gro-En project. Apparently there's a function for the project that I'm accompanying him to tonight." Lissem dropped his voice as he continued. "But more importantly, he says he has a surprise for me. I've been hinting for the past month that I'd like to visit that lovely new spa that's been advertised, and I'm hoping that we'll be coming back here and packing our bags and heading out for the weekend. If that's the case, you two can mind the house for us, right? Tyra will be in charge, naturally. Of course maybe it won't be this weekend. It might be later on, but I'm hopeful."

"No problem, dad," Tyra said. "You just go on out and have a good time." Unfortunately, his father didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry.

Feadri however, noticed that Tyra was fidgeting a bit and glancing at his watch. As soon as Lissem was out of the room to find matching shoes for his outfit, Feadri nudged his brother lightly. "Sooo, what are you up for this evening?"

"Big plans with Elain, and I'm late," Tyra told him very quietly. "I can't get dressed until dad and sire are out of the house, and Sally needs to come over and fix my hair for me. Geez, I can't believe my luck."

"Oh, fun," Feadri replied. "Anything I can do to help?"

"If there is, I'll let you know," Tyra said.

"Well, you could change now and put a sweater or something over it," Feadri suggested. "And why not call Sally now and tell the parents she's here to hang out? Or I could go and help dad with finding his shoes. Even I can have taste when required."

Tyra ruffled Feadri's hair. "I can't put a sweater over the shirt I'll be wearing. It'll wrinkle," Tyra explained. "You go help with shoes. I'll call Sally."

They both set about their tasks. A few minutes later, as Lissem and Detrallin were heading down the stairs to leave, the doorbell rang.

Feadri was fast enough to open the door and let Sally in. She greeted everyone, gave Lissem some compliments, and then wished them a beautiful evening.

"And you three have fun, too — and don't stay up all night!" Lissem warned good-naturedly.

"I think they know that already," Detrallin remarked dryly. "Come on, love."

As soon as the door closed behind them, Tyra raced upstairs to change. Sally and Feadri followed him, grinning at his eagerness.

Tyra slammed his door shut and quickly started to change. He pulled on a pair of brand-new dark gray slacks, a black belt, and a very dark gray button-down shirt with an extra wide collar. On top of that, he shrugged on a gray vest with a pattern of flashing silver scales. He stepped opened his door wide again and then stepped in front of his full-length mirror and started fussing with the details of his appearance and straightening thing out. He deliberated about unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling them up for a few minutes and then decided to go ahead and do it. He replaced his casual bracelets and earrings with the nicer silver pieces he reserved for special occasions.

Sally came in and leaned against his doorjamb. "Yo, this is Fairy Godmother to Charming. Hair needs to commence in T minus ten seconds and counting. Do you read me? Over. Ugh, why didn't you get the gel out before I came over? This is going to take time to fix, you know."

"Sorry, dad was occupying the bathroom and I couldn't really stick my head in the kitchen sink," Tyra answered, dashing past her into the bathroom to get the gel out. With lightning speed he rinsed it off, trying not to get any water on his outfit, and then rubbed his hair dry again with a towel.

Sally hauled a chair from Tyra's room into the bathroom and plunked in down in front of the sink, and Feadri followed her into the bathroom.

"Now sit down and hold still," Sally instructed as he came back and grabbed a comb to get the tangles out. "Feadri, styling foam, please." She held out her hand as if she was a doctor during an operation requesting the scalpel.

With no small amount of trepidation, Tyra took a seat in front of Sally. "Just go easy on me, okay? It's been a long time since I did anything besides the spikes."

"Styling foam!" Feadri responded, and he put the metal can into her waiting hand.

"Don't worry, Tyra, this is going to hurt you a lot worse than it's going to hurt me," Sally said with glee. She sprayed foam into her hands and then dug her fingers into Tyra's hair.

He hollered as if he was in agony, and he started wailing at her to stop torturing him. She complained that he was being a baby. Their antics sent Feadri into a fit of giggles that had him leaning over the sink and gasping for air.

"Next time I'll have a camcorder ready!" he promised.

"Don't make idle threats. Give me the brush," Sally instructed him as she continued to work on Tyra's hair. She had combed it all back, and now she started to fluff it up again but kept the bangs out of Tyra's face.

"Done yet?" Tyra asked when the styling looked like it was just about completed.

Sally brushed one last time through the hairs at the back of his neck and then eyed him critically from all sides. "Perfect! And if I might praise myself for once, you've never looked better."

Tyra bolted up from the chair and gave Sally a very quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Fairy Godmother!" And then he bolted from the bathroom and into his room, where he quickly gathered up his wallet, keys, and cell phone. When he left his room, he found Sally and Feadri waiting in the hallway. "Feadri, you're okay minding the house, right? And you'll cover for me if dad and sire get back early?"

"Of course! Have fun, Tyra," Feadri said, grinning.

"Sweep that prince of yours off his feet!" Sally cheered.

"Will do, and thank you both." Tyra opened the front door to leave, and he saw his paint-scraped and rusted car waiting for him. "Hey, Fairy Godmother, anything you can do about my carriage?"

"No, now get going!" Sally replied.

"Later!" Tyra gave one last wave and then went off to the party.

~*~

Meanwhile in his apartment, Elain was getting a bit impatient. Over half an hour had passed since Tyra had sent him the text message, and he couldn't delay his appearance at the party any longer.

At nine o'clock, he would have to make the official reception speech to the guests, thanking the donors for their participation, and until then he had a lot of shaking hands to do. Elain would have preferred not to do it alone, but there was no choice now.

He adjusted his tie one last time in front of the mirror although it was already perfectly straight. Elain was wearing the new formal suit he had found during his last shopping trip. He had actually meant to buy only casual clothes like simple pants, sweaters, and polo shirts so he wasn't overdressed for the occasions when Tyra took him out. But that suit had just been perfect, so he had decided to take it as well.

It was a black frock coat with matching black slacks, a gray silk vest underneath, a white shirt with a high collar, and a dark red silk tie that matched the color of his hair. The suit molded itself to Elain's body in a way none of his other suits did. It didn't make his shoulders look broader, and it accentuated his slim waist. Until a few weeks ago Elain had never considered wearing such a suit, but now it was all different. He wanted to look good in it, not just impeccable and serious.

Elain glanced at his watch again and then decided to leave his apartment. After a short ride in the elevator he found himself on the fifth floor. Most of the guests were already there, chatting, drinking champagne, and showing off. Everyone was dressed in their finest, and some celebrities were showered in a rain of flashing lights from the reporter's cameras. Elain quickly weaved through the guests, trying to get to the bar where Marithia was.

He didn't get far, however.

Elain had barely taken five steps into the main VIP lounge when guests began to greet him enthusiastically with compliments and congratulations on a stunning turn out for the party. And every time he excused himself from one set of guests, another two or three or four were upon him, delighted to rub elbows with the reclusive owner of the Velvet Shadow.

Elain was polite as always but tried to be brief in his answers so that he might have a chance to reach the other side of the room in the next half hour.

He finally reached the middle of the room and had already spotted Marithia who was handing out drinks with a smile and looked like a living extension of the room in her glittering, black-and-white dress. But just as he had excused himself from a bunch of guests, he caught a snippet of conversation behind him.

"... of course. Tyrallin is such a sweetheart and so very reliable, I'm really lucky to have him. I mean, what's a few years for us lashran? Of course I intend to go back to the stage when my children are fully grown up."

This stopped Elain dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around to have a look at the speaker. It was a beautiful lifebearer with silvery hair and a face that seemed to belong on a perfume ad. His two companions were humans, a famous theater director and one of the wealthy female patrons of the arts in Valkyrie Falls.

Don't be silly, Elain chided himself. Tyrallin is not an unusual name here, no need to get suspicious.

But the suspicion was already there, a nagging feeling in the back of his head that forced him to turn around and find out what this was all about.

"Mrs. DeVillard, it's a pleasure to see you here," he smoothly greeted the woman, who eagerly shook his hand and beamed at him.

"Why, Elain Silvestri! You look absolutely stunning this evening," declared Mrs. DeVillard. "And you must be thrilled that your club is hosting such a delightful and popular event. Everyone seems to be having a fabulous time. Mr. Silvestri, you remember Mr. Spencer of the Valkyrie Repertory Theater, don't you?"

"Of course," Elain said as he reached out to shake the man's hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Spencer."

"Likewise, Mr. Silvestri," said the theater director.

"Mr. Silvestri," Mrs. DeVillard said to capture his attention once more, "we were just speaking with Lissem here and trying to convince him to return to our stage sooner rather than later. Won't you be a gem and help us with that?"

"I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure of making his acquaintance before," Elain said, and as he said this, he met the lifebearer's silvery eyes.

"Oh, this is a dreadful oversight," said Mrs. DeVillard with a flutter of her hand next to her age-softened face. "Lissem, this is Elain Silvestri, the owner of the Velvet Shadow."

The other lifebearer held out a hand toward Elain, and he offered Elain a warm and inviting smile. Golden bonding bracelets glimmered on his wrist. "Lissem Alwick. Very pleased to meet you."

For a moment Elain almost forgot what he as supposed to do, but then he took Lissem's hand and shook it. "I hope you'll enjoy this evening, Mr. Alwick," he managed to say and desperately hoped that his shock and confusion did show on his face. This could still be a coincidence, and he needed to find out.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Elain offered.

A pleased little smile appeared on Lissem's face, and he dropped one hand to briefly touch his abdomen. "I'm afraid not. The little one that's on board right now would prefer that I abstain." He looked to Mr. Spencer then. "That's what I wanted to tell you. It looks like it'll still be several more years before I'm ready to return to the theater. I do miss it, but apparently the Forests are blessing me right now, and I'm going to take full advantage of it."

"Of course. Just don't make us wait until we're old and gray," Mr. Spencer said.

Mrs. DeVillard smiled fondly at Lissem. "I wish you all the best! I got a little grandson last year, and it's such a joy to have a child in the house again."

Elain was grateful for their interjection because he felt like he had just gotten doused with cold water. If this Lissem Alwick really was what he feared, then...

"Mr. Silvestri? Maybe I could get some mineral water or soda instead?" Lissem asked.

Elain pulled himself together. "Of course. Should we try to get to the bar? If you don't mind," he looked at Mr. Spencer and Mrs. DeVillard.

Mr. Spencer chucked softly to himself. "I'm never one to object to getting closer to the beer," he said. He offered Mrs. DeVillard the crook of his elbow. "Shall we, my dear?" The two humans lead the way through the crush of people, and Lissem fell into step next to Elain.

"I haven't been to the Velvet Shadow before," Lissem Alwick said. "This is a spectacular place, Mr. Silvestri."

"Thank you. I'm always glad to welcome new guests here."

Elain was on autopilot, he noticed. They managed to get through groups of other guests and finally reached the bar. Elain gave Marithia a short sign, and moments later she was there with a bottle of mineral water. She briefly frowned as she saw that something was not right; she'd known Elain too long to not notice.

Elain took two glasses from the counter and managed to pour water into them without spilling anything, although his hand threatened to shake.

Calm down. You don't know yet for sure.

"So, may I ask where your bondmate is this evening, Mr. Alwick?" Elain asked Lissem.

Lissem rolled his eyes in obvious annoyance. "He had things he needed to speak to his co-workers about, all sorts of dry and dusty construction stuff, so I've abandoned him for the evening. I swear, I need to take that sire by the ear and firmly start reminding him to pay more attention to me."

Elain managed to stifle a gasp. He remembered quite clearly Tyra telling him that he worked part-time at a construction firm.

No, this couldn't be a coincidence! Tyrallin Alwick had been lying to him the whole time! All that nice, honest, open demeanor had been a charade. No wonder he had refused to stay the night since he had a family waiting for him!

Forests, why did I have to fall for such a bastard again? Elain thought bitterly. He took a sip from his water and tried to calm down. He had a responsibility as host. And Lissem was as much a victim as he was.

"Well, I guess he just doesn't know what he's missing," he heard himself say.

Lissem Alwick gave Elain a small smile. "Oh, I think he'll come around soon now that his latest work project is over." Lissem took a long drink of his water and then looked at Elain again. "What about you, Mr. Silvestri? Is there anyone special for you? I suppose you meet plenty of attractive sires and men in your line of work."

Elain kept his features carefully schooled as he answered, "Yes, I suppose so. But most of them turn out to be dazzlers who just think of their own fun. I imagine you met that sort often enough, too, if you worked at the theater."

Lissem tilted his head just slightly as he considered this. "I did sometimes, but then I just learned to pick out the good ones from the bad ones."

At that moment in the conversation, Mrs. DeVillard returned and put a hand on Lissem's arm. "Lissem, my love, I've just spotted someone that you absolutely must meet. She's a new and rising star at our beloved theater. I do so hope to see you together on the stage one day. Mr. Silvestri, do you mind if I steal him back from you?"

Lissem turned amused and playful eyes to Elain. "I have a feeling I'm going to be taken from person to person all evening."

"Trust me, I know that feeling. Nevertheless, please enjoy the evening," Elain said and forced himself to smile. Lissem returned the smile and then followed Mrs. DeVillard back into the midst of the crowd.

Lissem Alwick seemed to be a nice person, and he wasn't responsible for anything that Tyrallin did. For a moment Elain had been tempted to drop a hint, but strictly speaking this wasn't his business.

For one, short moment Elain wondered why Tyrallin would have risked that his mate and his lover could meet here, but then he simply concluded that he didn't know that Lissem would be here.

Forests, the next time he saw Tyrallin, Elain was sure to forget his good manners.

A brief glance at his watch told Elain that he didn't have much time until nine o'clock. Until then he had to cool down and be prepared to give his reception speech and then survive the rest of the evening.

Before Elain could leave the bar, however, Marithia noticed that he was now without companions, and she came over to him again. She leaned over the bar toward him so that she could speak a little lower and still be heard.

"Hey boss, you okay? You look like you just tasted something extremely sour," she said.

"That's an understatement," Elain murmured. "Sorry, Marithia, but I'm not in the mood to talk right now. Could you be a dear and do your best to cover for me tonight? I'll be leaving as soon as I can."

"Leaving early?" Marithia practically squeaked. "But this is the annual charity ball! I don't know how I could possibly cover for you. People are going to want to talk to you, not me." But then she paused and took another look at his face. She sighed heavily. "I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, Marithia," Elain replied. With that said, he got up and made his way through the crowd of guests again.

Of course several people wanted to talk to him. He tried to be as short as possible with his answers without getting impolite before he managed to reach the entrance to the VIP lounge.

The elevators were located in this area as well as a separate cloak room. Two pretty hostesses stood at the entrance as well to check the tickets and the guest list. Elain gave them a quick nod and turned around to reach a door leading to a maintenance room that was only accessible to staff members.

A familiar voice, however, stopped in Elain in his tracks.

"Elain!" Tyra said from behind him. "I'm so sorry I'm late. I got held up, but I raced here as soon as I could. Gods, you look great tonight. I don't think I've seen you wearing a suit quite like that before."

Slowly, Elain turned around.

Tyra stood there, looking absolutely gorgeous in his outfit. The different hair style accentuated his features in an elegant, distinguished way without taking away the openness of his face. Too perfect to be real, and therefore not real at all.

Elain felt his hands growing cold, and for a moment he had to struggle to take a breath.

"You're late. Some urgent business matters, right?" he asked coolly.

"Nah, actually, believe it or not, it was my parents that held me up," Tyra replied with a crooked smile. "But I'm here now. You'll have to tell me what to do. Am I supposed to escort you around, or do I get to play your ever-devoted shadow?"

Elain's eyes narrowed. "Why don't you go in there and say hello to your bondmate? We chatted a bit. Congratulations, by the way. And then I would prefer if you leave after that and never come near me again."

Tyra blinked a few times, feeling extremely perplexed. "Bond...mate? What?" He laughed awkwardly. "What are you talking about? I don't have a bondmate."

Elain couldn't believe what he heard. Tyra really had the audacity to deny it!

"As I said, I just talked to him. Now please stop trying my patience, Mr. Alwick. I have a party to run," Elain told him, turning away from Tyra to leave.

Tyra panicked and took hold of Elain's wrist before he could get very far. He had a horrible feeling that if he let Elain get away now, he might never see him again. "Elain, wait. Don't just walk away. We need to clear this up. You've made a mistake, or there's some sort of confusion. Just hold on a second, okay?"

"Confusion? There's a pretty, bonded lifebearer here at this party who shares your last name, says he's lucky to have his Tyrallin, and mentions his mate works in the construction business. Do you think I'm stupid?" Elain resisted the urged to struggle although he felt the beginnings of fear rise up inside him. "Now let me go!"

Tyra couldn't think of any proper explanation. He was dumbfounded as to what was going on. All he knew was that he couldn't do as Elain asked and let him go. "Elain, Elain, calm down! I don't know what happened or who it is that you met, but it's a misunderstanding. Would you please stop looking at me like that? I'm not the bad guy here. Look, just listen to me, and we'll figure this out, all right?"

Tyra wanted to look around and see who this lifebearer was that Elain was so concerned about, but he didn't dare take his eyes off Elain for a second. However, he could sense that some people around them were starting to murmur and cast questioning looks in their direction.

Although they stood at the entrance of the lounge and therefore weren't in direct viewing line to everybody, enough people had already noticed that there was something going on. For a moment Elain glanced at the curious guests and caught the flash of a camera.

"For the last time, let me go, or I'll call security!" Elain hissed. Forests, they were delivering a perfect little scandal for the press.

"Elain, please!" Tyra said urgently. He would have continued, except for one thing....

"Tyrallin Alwick, what the hell are you doing manhandling that lifebearer?"

Tyra looked over his shoulder to find Lissem Alwick standing there, hands on his hips, and looking more pissed off than he'd seen his father looking since the time he had taken his sire's car for a joyride without permission. In fact, he hadn't even looked as angry then as he did now.

Shit, Forests, gods damnit. Tyra was completely fucked.

And still, despite the fact that the world was crashing down around his pointed ears, he couldn't make himself let Elain go.

Elain stared at Lissem for a moment before he looked at Tyra again.

"Now dare to tell me you don't know him!" he said with deadly coldness in his voice.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on just a second," Tyra said. He met his father's eyes with desperation. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going out to a Gro-En function or something like that."

"That hardly matters at the moment, I think," said Lissem. He folded his arms across his chest. "I'm expecting a very good explanation right now, Tyrallin."

Tyra, however, was at a complete loss for words. He felt his mouth open a close a few times, and a few helpless noises made their way out, but words seemed beyond him at the moment.

Elain took the opportunity to finally free his wrist from Tyra's grip and took a few steps back.

Lissem still glared at his son. "I'm still waiting! What is this all about? And why are you even here? I thought you were at home!"

"I know this looks bad right now," Tyra said to Lissem, "but can I please explain it later on at home? I have to talk to Elain. Please." Tyra pleaded with his eyes as well as his words, but there was no softening in Lissem's expression.

"I don't think so, Tyrallin. You'd better come up with a good explanation right now," Lissem declared mercilessly.

Elain decided to stay out of this. For a moment, he thought that it would be a good idea telling his guests that everything was in order and tell the reporters not to take any photos. But Elain's mind wasn't clear enough at the moment to take the necessary actions. All he could do was stand there, listening and waiting to see what was about to happen.

Tyra ran a hand over his face. "It's really complicated, a long story, and it's important that I get something cleared up with Elain first." Tyra took a step toward Elain, but Elain took a step backward from him. "Look, Elain, hold on. Who is it that you think I'm bonded to? Tell me, and then we'll go talk to him and clear that up, okay?"

Elain stared at him, not believing what he heard. "If this is a joke, it's the worst I've ever heard, and I'm not in the mood for it in the slightest. You either stop playing dumb, or I'm throwing you out immediately!"

"I'm not playing dumb!" Tyra hissed. "I really have no idea what the flying fucking hell is going on here!"

"Language, young sire!" Lissem snapped.

"For the love of —" Tyrallin started, but he stopped himself before he cursed again. "I hardly think my language even matters at the moment, dad. I've got bigger things to worry about!"

"Dad?" Elain echoed, sure he had misheard. Now completely confused he looked back and forth between Tyra and Lissem.

Tyra tried once more to turn pleading eyes on his father. "Look, dad, this is more important to me than you can possibly imagine. I promise I'll give you a full explanation at home later, and I won't spare a detail. I just have to do this right now, and it can't wait."

"Just wait a moment. Lissem Alwick is your father?" Elain interjected, now sure he hadn't misheard. He turned to the other lifebearer. "Mr. Alwick, is that true?"

Tyra felt his jaw drop as the pieces started to click together. "You thought he was my bondmate?" He nearly sagged in relief, but he couldn't do that quite yet. Because there was still one more problem.

"Yes, this is my son," Lissem said. "And my son is now going to give me an explanation, and then he's going to go home, where he's now officially going to be grounded until the start of university in the fall. So? Start explaining, Tyra."

Detrallin appeared from the crowd at that moment, and he went to his bondmate's side and whispered. "What the hell is going on, beloved? One of my co-workers just pointed me over here and told me my family was causing a scene. And why is Tyra here?"

"I still have no idea why our son is here, and I'm still waiting for him to explain it," Lissem replied, looking at Elain. "Mr. Silvestri, if you..."

Elain didn't hear him however. The words grounded and start of university echoed in his mind. Forests, if Tyra had as young a parent as Lissem seemed to be and still lived at home, he had to be a good deal younger than Elain had thought. And usual only a kid got grounded by his parents...

"Tyra," Elain whispered, gone deadly pale. "Please don't tell me you're a minor!"

Tyra felt his entire body go cold and then hot in the span of a few seconds. He felt as if the ground should open wide and swallow him. He wanted to hide, but there was no way that he could now. "Elain, I—" But what could he say at this point? "I'm not a minor. I'm not. But...I'm eighteen."

"Eighteen? Forests..." Elain felt the cold shudder of dread creeping over his body. He had pegged Tyra for about thirty, at least twenty-four. But eighteen... an adult in any legal sense, but just barely.

The whispered voices of the other guests sounded hazy, like he heard them through a veil. More flashlights went off, but Elain didn't care. It was simply too much.

Not even discovering that Tyra could be bonded had made such an impact on Elain. This was so much worse. And it didn't change one fact, one damning fact: Tyra hadn't told him.

Tyra tried to take Elain's wrist again. "Elain, please let me explain? Can we go talk somewhere, please?"

Going somewhere else. That was all Elain understood. And suddenly his brain started to function again. He realized what a scene they had made, how perfect a scandal they had caused for the press and the society to sink their claws into. A lover's spat in the middle of the VIP lounge complete with fake rivals, the confused parents and a lot of shouting, worse than any sop opera on TV could ever be. Now Elain had to cut his losses.

"Mr. Alwick, please excuse us," he murmured in Lissem's direction. Then he grabbed Tyra by the arm and hauled him off to the staff entrance.

Tyra, oblivious to such issues as press and flashing lights, simply looked over his shoulder at his parents. "I swear I'll explain later." And then he hurried to keep up with Elain.

Hastily Elain opened the door, unceremoniously pulled Tyra in and shut the door behind them. It was a small maintenance room where the main controls for heat, light, and acoustics were located, only illuminated by the pale light of various monitors and displays.

Elain sagged against the door, taking a few deep breath before he looked up to meet the young sire's eyes again.

"Why?" he demanded quietly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Tyra froze for a moment, and then he just slowly started to shake his head. "At first it didn't seem to be a big deal, but when I started to realize there was a pretty significant age gap, I didn't want to tell you because I wasn't sure how you'd react. Even if you were willing to see me, I didn't want you treating me like a kid. And I didn't even know just how big the gap was until this past week."

Elain took a deep, shaky breath. Although he could understand it somehow, since he hadn't told Tyra everything up front either, it wasn't a valid excuse.

"And what do you expect me to think of you now? When did you plan on telling me that little detail?"

"I thought," Tyra stumbled a bit. "I thought, well, I was planning to tell you after graduation. I was hoping that if I had at least graduated, then...." But Tyra couldn't finish because he wasn't entirely certain what he'd been hoping for. Could anything, even a high school diploma, have made this any better?

"Then what? That I would be able to see you as an adult then? Forests, Tyra, it's not that easy! One may become an adult overnight in the eyes of the law, but being mature is a completely different thing! Yes, you have proven yourself quite mature or else I would have realized it sooner, but keeping this from me... YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME!" Too late Elain realized that he had been shouting.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't know what else to do! Look, I'm sorry I kept it from you, but I just didn't feel like I could tell you because I didn't feel like I was ready to let it—"

Tyra froze. He couldn't say the last word because he couldn't bear to say the word end right now.

Elain looked at him, his eyes invisible behind the glasses reflecting the computer monitors.

"So you intended to keep this little game up since I was so stupid to play along. Nice plan, really. And you could end it anytime by just telling me the truth. How convenient."

Tyra felt as if Elain had just slapped him. "Game? You have to believe me, this wasn't a game! I'm serious, Elain. I'm serious about you. And fuck no, there was nothing convenient about it. All I wanted was to be with you, but no matter which way I decided to do things, I was going to end up shooting myself in the foot. Not exactly what I'd call convenient, you know?"

Tyrallin's voice sounded so honest, so desperate, that for an instant Elain was inclined to believe him. He wanted to believe it, wanted to forgive Tyrallin for keeping this from him.

But deep inside him a wave of memories started to drown his mind, gripping his heart with an icy hand.

Honest, good-looking faces, desperate pleas to forgive, promises of love and devotion in the face of obvious betrayal. Then those faces turned into cold masks, smirking at him, whispering.

"No, really, I like you. It's just that I'm still in love with my ex. Can we continue to be good friends?"

"Please believe me! I didn't mean to hurt you, it's just... I guess I still prefer girls."

"It was fun while it lasted. Did you really think this was serious? You're so naive, Elain."

Oh yes, so naive.

"It doesn't matter," Elain whispered. "At the moment I can't believe a word you say, Tyrallin. And I can't ever again."

Tyra felt his face fall. Gods, this can't be happening, he thought.

"Elain, you don't mean that," Tyra insisted. "I know, I know you're really angry right now, and you have every right to be. I covered up about my age and deliberately kept it from you, and I'm sorry. That doesn't mean we can't work this out. Elain, please." Tyra took a step toward him, desperate for some sort of contact and reassurance.

But Elain shook his head. "There's nothing to work out. I won't sink so low as to let myself be lulled by any empty promises a kid like you might make. I don't want to repeat myself, and I don't ever want to see you again. It's finished, Tyrallin. Now please wait here a few moments and then leave. "

He turned around and opened the door again. A few more people were standing in the antechamber, turning their heads as Elain exited the staff room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's alright," Elain said loudly. "There has been a minor misunderstanding about the guest list, but now everything is back in order. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please return to the lounge. I'll be making the reception speech in a few minutes."

For a moment, Tyra stood right were Elain had left him, utterly shocked by Elain's words. A sudden urge nearly had him running out into the lounge to grab Elain and demand he take back everything he'd said, but Tyra froze in place with his hand on the door handle. Tyra had heard what Elain had said to the crowd, and he was beginning to awaken to the fact that they must have caused a scene and attracted unwanted attention. He was utterly trapped. He couldn't go out there and cause even more embarrassment for Elain.

He had absolutely no choice right now. He had to do as Elain had told him and leave.

Tyra turned around and put his back to the door and slowly sank down it until he was curled in a sitting position, and he buried his head in his arms. And there he stayed for ten minutes, fifteen, twenty, just listening to the blood rushing in his ears, listening to the faint murmurs of happy people on the other side of the door.

When he was sure enough time had passed, he quietly slipped out of the lounge and then out of the building. Driving home, he gripped the steering wheel hard to still the shaking of his hands.

As he pulled up in front of his home, he noticed that his sire's car was in the driveway, and all the lights were on. Through the big window, he could see silhouettes moving in the living room. For a long time, he simply sat in his car in the street.

What could he possibly tell his parents? His father had been furious with him already without even knowing what had been going on. If Lissem knew the whole story, he surely wouldn't speak to Tyra for the next weeks.

But it was no use; he had to go in there and face his parents if he didn't want to be hauled in by his ear like a criminal.

As soon as Tyra had left his car and taken a few steps toward the house, the door opened and Feadri peeked out. "Tyra? Forests, don't come in here! I'll... hmpf!" The young lifebearer was interrupted by a hand clamping over his mouth. Seconds later, Detrallin appeared in the doorframe.

"You'd better come in, Tyra," he said, his voice betraying no anger, just bemusement.

Tyra trudged into the house and walked past his sire and brother. He went straight to the living room, where his father was standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Tyra unbuttoned his vest and threw himself into the love seat. His sire followed him into the room, as did Feadri.

"Go to your room, Feadri," said Detrallin.

"But I—" A look from Detrallin quelled whatever protest Feadri was about to make. "Okay, I'll go." The young lifebearer departed after he gave his brother a quick, worried look.

Lissem opened his mouth, but before he could start to give Tyra an earful, Detrallin said, "If he deserves it, you can yell at him later all you want, love. But first I think Tyra should get a chance to tell us what this was all about. I'm absolutely confused here, and I want to know what's going on." He looked at his son. "Well?"

Tyrallin looked away from his parents and just stared at the mug and empty plate and magazines resting on the coffee table for a few seconds. Then he shrugged and told the story.

"I met Elain at the Bowzer concert in March. I decided to pursue him, and we started dating. I figured out he was a little older, but I just... didn't tell him how young I was. I only found out last week that he owns the Velvet Shadow and exactly how old he is." He met his father's eyes before continuing with the rest. "He invited me to be his official date tonight, and the mix up happened, and now he knows I'm eighteen. He dumped my sorry ass and says he doesn't want to speak to me again. There, that's it. That's what's going on."

Silence reigned the room as his parents just looked at him in disbelief and consternation. Lissem finally found his voice again.

"What on Wyndrah were you thinking? You can't just date someone and not tell him something like this! And why didn't you tell us that you were dating?"

"Look, I know, I know, alright?" Tyra said desperately. "I didn't do anything right, and now everything's gone to hell, and I'm sorry, and it isn't good enough, and there's nothing more I can say!"

Detrallin crossed his arms. "Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk. I can understand that you wanted to keep that from us since we tend to be overprotective and would have advised you to find someone closer to your age. But I know you, Tyra; you're not the type to throw yourself head over heels into something unless it's something you really want to go for. And we can hardly accuse you for liking this lifebearer. However, you have to deal with the consequences now. Lissem said you're grounded until further notice, and I agree. But you absolutely have to go and apologize."

"Of course I'm going to apologize!" Tyra said. "I tried to apologize tonight, but he didn't want to hear it. He's..." In Tyra's mind, he saw an image of Elain's face as he yelled at him. There was anger there, and it ran very, very deep. "I'll try again in a couple of days. Is that all?"

His sire nodded. "I'm not proud of you today, Tyra, but I see that you're accusing yourself far worse than we ever could, so I'll leave it at that."

Lissem gave his mate a confused look, then he sighed. "Okay, I'm not yelling anymore. But just so you know, young sire, I still have some very strong urges to hang you up by your ears for behaving like that tonight! Now you'd better go to bed."

Without another word to his parents, he went upstairs to his room. He didn't bother to turn on the lights, but simply shut the door, took off his shoes, and climbed into bed fully clothed. He curled up on his side and put a pillow over his head.

After a few minutes, he heard a tentative tap on the door. He lifted the pillow in time to hear Feadri saying, "Tyra? Wanna talk?"

Tyra stared out his window at the night sky. Eventually he responded. "Not tonight, Feadri. Go away." After a short pause, he heard the soft padding of retreating footsteps.

It was a long time before he was able to fall asleep that night.

To be continued...

Note:

I'd like to explain a bit about seasonals and reproduction here since it might be confusing.
Although lashran can reach a lifespan of a few hundreds and even thousands of years, lifebearers are usually only fertile during their first 150 years, more or less. Usually the seasonals or heat are the only time when they are able to conceive a child. Depending on the individual, they can go into seasonals multiple time a year or just once in a few decades (although it's possible to get a lifebearer into seasonals on demand thanks to medical advance). This is also the reason why there are so much less lashran than humans.

Some other important things about lashran biology: lifebearers produce eggs like men and sires produce sperm, so it's important to mix fluids and then get them inside the lifebearer - they don't get pregnant like women with simply getting some sperm inside them. That's also the reason why lifebearers' release tastes sweet and not salty. The actual incubation time is shorter than a human's (seven months) and the lashran babies are very tiny. They are also born with all their baby teeth so they don't need any nursing.
As you can see, Xenobia made quite an effort for believable mpreg here, and that's one of the reasons Phen and I love her world so much ^^