Summon Lyght(98)

Hunting was great, being on his own for a whole day had been great in ways he could never define. But this right here was more. It was like…this was the reason for it all. This was the why he was a man.

He was a man for a woman.

"What are you smiling about?" Francis made a come on gesture with his hand. "Tell me."

Tyler laughed. There was nothing else to do with the revelation he'd just experienced. "You're just…so right. And I understand."

"What do you understand?"

"What I'm to become."

"Which is?"

"A man."

Francis narrowed his gaze, like he was missing something. "You…didn't know that?"

Tyler laughed once. "No. I didn't. I mean yes I knew I was a male. But I didn't really understand my…calling." Tyler couldn't think of anything else to name it. "I understand the feelings that go with that now, I understand that it's my destiny to be that. And not just be that, but why I'm supposed to be that."

"For her." Francis' sad smile said it all.

"Yes. Exactly."

Francis leaned back slowly and became contemplative.

"So you um…going see her tonight?"

Francis suddenly got up and began pacing. "Yes."

"That's…a good thing, right?"

"I don't know. My body says it is but I'm afraid."

"Afraid?" That was an odd word for somebody like Francis.

He turned to Tyler, eyes wide. "The proper word would be terrified." He went back to pacing. "She's fighting it. Her feelings. She's probably more terrified than I am. What if I do something wrong and scare her further away?" He spun to Tyler. "I want her for my wife. To do all those things I'm destined for. But I have…" he shook his head, "near zero how-to knowledge in that particular department. I mean I know the technical things, but I can tell you right now, knowing and experiencing it, is-is five worlds removed from each other." Francis zoomed back to his spot and sat. "What can you tell me about it?"

Shit. "I…I really…" Tyler shook his head, fighting embarrassment. "Don't know to tell you the truth. I'm afraid I'm as clueless as you."

Francis flopped back in the chair. "Oh thank God."

"Thank God?" That was unexpected.

"I thought there might be something wrong with not knowing. I thought that meant I couldn't…couldn't be a real man."

"Oh." Tyler hadn't thought of that. "Yeah. That would suck."

"No shoot."

Tyler nodded a little. "Shit. You say it, no shit."

"No shit?"

"No shit."

They burst out laughing and Francis ruffled Tyler's hair, his red eyes twinkling with mirth. It felt good to have a friend like that. Tyler realized Francis was his first real guy friend. "So what is the actual plan tonight?"

Francis grabbed his coke from the side table and rotated it in his hands. "I meet her at her apartment to discuss the particulars."

"I see."

Francis eyed him, catching his tone. "I'm not doing anything more with her until I know for sure."

"Know for sure what?"

"That she feels the same as I do. Once I give myself to her…" Francis looked down, thinking. "…Who am I kidding? I am already hers. Whether she would have me or not. That's what I'm most terrified about. How will I survive is she doesn't feel the same? If tasting her has done this to me, I don't want to think what actually making love will do."

Wow. He really was in love. Bad. Horrifically bad as he said. "When will you know?"

"I…was sort of playing it by ear as they say. But hoping to be closer to knowing after tonight."

"How dangerous will this operation be?"

"We don't expect confrontation. She's delivering him to us." Francis dug in his jean pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "She called me on this." He held it up before him as though it were a thing of salvation. "I thought she'd never talk to me again after our…" He shrugged. "But she called. And said she arranged it. Talked sense into the boy and he'll be with her tonight. We're simply picking him up."

Tyler frowned. "You…trust her?"

"I used my powers to tell if she were lying. She wasn't."

"Can I go?"

Francis appeared surprised with the question. "My dad would shit."

"But it doesn't even sound like this is a mission, more like a casual date."

He shook his head and downed his coke then crushed it like paper in one hand. "I can't bring you there."

"Then I'll stay somewhere nearby."

A knock sounded at the door and Francis put his finger to his mouth in a shush. Tyler nodded.