36

Cory left the garage and headed straight for camp. He was a little late getting back. He didn’t have regular work hours, but he did try to be in the shop when the warriors were training. That was usually the time they’d choose to stop in for repairs or to talk about new leathers. As he crossed the training field, he saw his dad working with the new recruits from this spring. They'd be making the cuts soon, and then Cory would be really busy. His dad looked up to see him pass, and Cory waved at him, continuing on to his shop.

Shade was barking instructions at a new group that were trying their turn at the bow. It was never his art form, the bow, but he did know how to use one and he tried to instruct with a firm hand. Stepping back to observe, he saw Cory heading for his shop and he stared at his son. What the fuck is that shit in his hair? Shade saw Cory’s single braid embellished with beads and fucking feathers. Cory threw up his hand to him, as he headed for his shop. Shade nodded but couldn’t take his eyes off his son’s hair.

Taking a deep breath, he headed in that direction, wanting to know what the hell was going on. Cory had been acting a bit strange for the past few weeks and now this? As he stepped into his shop, one of the warriors was inside talking to Cory. "Out! You can do this later. Your ass needs to be on the field."

As the warrior scrambled from the shop, Cory stared at him and said not one word. He felt his father’s tension and knew something wasn’t right here.

"We need to talk, son."

"What's wrong? I know I was a little late, but you haven't made cuts yet. I didn't think we'd be very busy."

Shade slid his hand through his hair and leaned against the long cutting table. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared at Cory's hair. "You tell me what’s wrong. You seem to be avoiding me lately. And now, you come to work with braids, beads, and fucking feathers in your hair. Cory, there are fucking pink feathers in your hair, son. You need to talk to me."

Cory's hand flew to the braid. He’d completely forgotten the braid. "Oh that, it's nothing. Just...uh, it's really a pink feather?"

Shade looked sideways and squinted. "More than one. So, you think coming to work with pink feathers in your hair is nothing? Is this a new trend, or something else? I know you were close to Raven, and if that’s what’s going on that’s okay. Just spit it out, whatever it is."

"Dad, you think I'm...like Raven? I mean, I love Raven, like a brother but I'm not gay. I let, uh, someone else braid my hair. We were just fooling around, and I forgot it was there."

Shade pushed himself off the table and stood back and stared. "I didn’t say you were gay. And if you were, so be it. But now, I’m more concerned. Someone else braided your hair? Elaborate, please."

Cory sighed; he’d hoped to put this conversation off a little longer until he knew where he and Madison stood. "Okay, well, can we talk, you know, man to man, without you going all parental on me?"

Shade walked to a chair and plopped down. He threw his booted feet on the table, crossed at the ankles and lit up a smoke. "First of all, being parental is my job. Get over it. Look, just start from the beginning. Tell me what you think I need to know and I will listen. But, then, I get to talk. Man to man, let it go."

Cory took a deep breath before he started talking. “Okay, well, I went into town with Marcello a few weeks ago. We went to a frat party on campus to, you know, feed. Only, I met this girl. I mean, we were there to meet girls, but not to, you know, meet them."

Cory scuffed his feet. "Anyway, I met this girl I really liked, so we hung out, had coffee and stuff, and I went back to her place. I ended up falling asleep there. I didn't feed from her. I was attracted to her and I wanted her, but I didn't feed or have sex, you know? I didn't want to just feed from her. I didn't want to erase her memory and have her not remember me. So, we just slept. We've seen each other a few times. I was with her all day today. She braided my hair while we were on a picnic. I still haven't made love to her, but I can tell we’re headed in that direction. I really like this girl, Dad, a lot. And I don't know what to do because, well, look at me. Look at all of us. How can I let her in? How can I tell her what I am, what we all are? That's why you’ve seen me talking with Luca. Since Shannon is still mortal, I was hoping he could help me. But I'm so confused and afraid, because she might bolt when she finds out. So there...that's my big secret."

Shade listened to his son and read his body language. He felt him deep inside and knew Cory was far more than gone on this girl. His next words needed to be spoken with love, care, and guidance.

"You could have told me to begin with, Cory. I am not the enemy. I love you, more than you can ever imagine. Going to be honest, it hurts me a bit you went to Luca instead of me, but I can’t blame your choice. I know Luca guided you in the right way. I’m proud of you. You showed this girl respect. That shows me how much you care about her and she means something to you."

Shade stood up and hugged his son to his chest. "Relax, we can figure this out together. Luca never saw Shannon coming, and I admit, I feared we would be exposed, but I was wrong. And with Kate, I didn’t care if I had to move mountains and pull the stars from the sky for her. Both mortal, and things turned out fine."

Shade released Cory from his arms. "Listen to me. It’s still new, and you don’t need to expose her to everything at once. You will know when the time is right to tell her what she needs to know and when she needs to know it. Believe it or not, you have it much easier than I did."

Cory looked at him in disbelief. "Easier? Not possible. I see how women look at you, and the warriors all talk. You had experience with women. I've been with men and women, but always for money. Trust me, it's not the same, and never easy. I've never been with anyone when it was for real, so I feel like a blind man right now. But thanks for listening and understanding. Luca said you’d understand."

Shade chuckled. "I didn’t come into this world having experience, I had to learn the ropes like everyone else. I could never have talked to my padre like you are talking to me. He arranged for me to be mated once, and if it were not for my madre, I would have lived a very different life. You are what you are, a half-breed. You can mingle with mortals much easier than I can, you can eat their food, drink their drink, and appear mortal. Your beast doesn’t claw for release when it sees a female you desire. So, you do have some advantages that can give you more time before exposing who and what you are to her. You may feel blind, but you are not. Look around you, there is plenty of guidance here, and we will get you through this when the time comes. In my heart, I know you are struggling, but relax. Take your time, don’t expose anything yet. If you have been with her this long and nothing's happened, she wants this to go slow as well. If she starts to push for answers to questions you aren’t sure how to answer, come to me. We will go from there, put our heads together and figure out a plan. So, does this female have a name?"

Cory grinned. "Her name is Madison. Madison Barnes. She's an art student at the University, and she's so beautiful. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes, and I can't believe she didn't already have a boyfriend. We have a lot in common. She makes her own pottery, so we both work with our hands. I made her a leather handbag. She really liked it, I think."

Shade smiled. "Did she kiss you when you gave her the bag?"

Cory blushed. "Yeah, she kissed me."

"She liked it, trust me. Just remember, females, whether mortal or immortal, are never easy."

Giving Cory a huge hug, he pounded his back lightly and headed for the door. "Just do me one favor, check your damn hair before you come home and walk in this camp, you will get a lot less ribbing if you do."

Walking out the door, he could almost hear Cory sighing with relief. Shade lit up another smoke. This father shit was going to turn him gray.