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sneezed explosively. Shaking his head, he plopped down onto his haunches and turned to see what Joe thought of their temporary haven. Nick watched with wary eyes as Joe looked around the clearing, swiveling his ears this way and that, before walking around, his nose to the ground.
After making a trip around the tree line Joe turned to face Nick. He cocked his head, his wolf-face thoughtful. Nick braced himself for the worst when Joe started in his direction, but to his surprise, when Joe reached him it was to do nothing more than to circle in place three times and lie down on the choicest piece of moss. Nick huffed with feigned indignation. Joe's wolf laugh took away any real sting at losing the best napping spot. Feeling pleased with himself, Nick made the required three turns and settled down beside Joe. The wolves curled together, each resting his head on the other's flank, and slept.
    Night had fallen when Nick next opened his eyes. The air felt cool but not uncomfortably so, wrapped in fur as he was and piled with his best friend. Stars twinkled in the sky overhead giving the appearance of a high domed ceiling. The moon hung low and fat, an additional reason Joe's emotions were so volatile. Nearly full, the hunk of rock hanging in the sky—so important to the Earth's wellbeing—didn't dictate a wolf's change but it did have a strong effect on them, sometimes sending the most sedate wolf into an emotional crisis. Nick snuffled a wolfy laugh; by no stretch of the imagination could Joe be considered a sedate wolf.
    Taking care not to wake his friend, Nick shifted. The ground where he'd lain as a wolf felt warm under his naked bottom, and the air felt a little cooler against his human skin. Nick looked down to where Joe's muzzle rested on his thigh. He looked peaceful lying there asleep. His blond hair translated into silver-hued fur that made it easy to see him in the dark. Nick didn't try to resist the urge to thread his fingers into the thick fur at Joe's throat, letting his fingers bury deeply into the warmth. He scratched Joe's ears with his other hand. Nick couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so content. Even in the midst of their current crisis the warmth of Joe against Nick's leg, combined with his scent in the clean night air, made Nick feel as if he'd come home.
    Sitting quietly in the dark, Nick did his best to ignore the brush of Joe's breath across his groin. It wasn't easy. In human form Nick had no sexual desire for Joe the wolf. Sexual relations didn't work that way among wolves, but the awareness that in the space of a single heartbeat the wolf could become the man kept Nick on edge.
    And then it happened. The sleek form of Joe's wolf disappeared and a very human Joe lay still and quiet on the ground. His head still rested in Nick's lap. Nick froze, the fingers of one hand caught in the act of caressing the line of Joe's throat, the others stroking his ear. Joe didn't move or make a sound, the undisturbed rise and fall of his chest suggested he still slept. It was unusual, though not unheard of, for a wolf to change in his sleep. Since arousal was a frequent culprit, Nick wondered what Joe was dreaming. Despite what Joe claimed about his dreams over the past years, Nick suspected that since her death, Mara filled Joe's mind asleep as well as awake. Her good-natured sass had been the perfect foil for Joe's intensity; her soft petite form had fit into his strong arms as if she were made for him.
    Mara had been impossible to hate, though Nick had longed to do just that. He'd been angry and hurt when they met, but it hadn't lasted. Knowing what was best for Joe, Nick let go of his dreams and let go of his friend. Allowed him to go forward with his life into a place Nick couldn't follow. Now, Mara, for all her goodness and beauty, was gone and Nick remained. Surely wishing for a second chance to regain something so precious couldn't be wrong. He felt the brush of Joe's lips against the naked skin of his