Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

PERRY

Staring through the windshield at the white smoke—or is it steam?—rising from the hood of my car, I figure it's safe to say I'm having a bad day. Maybe even the worst day of my life.

It started when I was jolted awake at three in the morning by a crash that turned out to be my kitchen ceiling caving in… for reasons yet to be established. What was already a shitshow became the stuff soap operas are made of when the new building manager realized the wreckage that fell through from my upstairs neighbor was part of a meth lab. He called the cops immediately, because he's too new for my neighbors to have bribed yet.

A whole lot of drama followed, with the end result being the arrest of my neighbors (no great loss, they were fucking noisy and inconsiderate), and me being temporarily homeless, since my kitchen is now evidence. The cop who escorted me to pack a couple bags was sympathetic, but even when I solemnly swore to stay in my bedroom and the bathroom and not go anywhere near the kitchen, he didn't cave.

By that time, I was already running late for work—cop shows on TV don't prepare you for how long all that shit takes. So instead of arguing, I left, planning to ask someone at the law firm where I'm a receptionist for some general advice on what my rights are. It'd be great if I could get some help covering the costs of a motel for a few nights, since none of this was my fault.

But when I got to work, it was to find the FBI there, taking boxes of files and interviewing the staff. Apparently all four partners and some of the senior associates got arrested last night for… something. I stopped listening when I realized it meant I'm probably out of a job. That led to the second police interview of my day—and it's important to note that, what with having no kitchen and being late to work, I hadn't had any coffee yet.

I didn't really know what to do after that. It was nearly lunchtime by the time the FBI said I could go and that they'd be in touch if they had follow-up questions. I got in my car and started driving around. I guess what I should have done is called all my friends to beg a couch to sleep on while I started applying for jobs, but I'm sleep deprived, uncaffeinated, homeless, jobless, and in shock from it all, so driving aimlessly seemed like a better idea.

Except now I'm on a semi-rural road about an hour from home as my car decides I'm too much trouble and it needs a break. Me too, car. Me too. But not fucking now!

I steer to the side of the road, put the car in Park, and turn off the engine. It makes a weird clunking sound, and more steam or smoke or whatever rises. Fuck my life.

If this were TV, I'd go look under the hood and either (a) diagnose and fix the problem or (b) be rescued by someone who could diagnose and fix the problem. Depending on what kind of TV show it was, that could result in my abduction and murder. Given how this day is going, that seems likely, so I'm going to avoid looking under the hood.

Instead, I get out of the car and turn slowly in a circle, looking for a miracle. I don't see any, just a lot of unmowed roadside grass turning brown in the summer heat, some fences I assume belong to farms, and a couple of random dead trees. There aren't even any cars passing. What the fuck road did I decide to drive down?

Sighing, I lean against the car and pull out my phone. I don't have a lot of options here, and all of them are probably going to be expensive. But the first step is a call to AAA. I'm half expecting my phone to have no service, just as a special cherry to top off the turd sundae of this day, but to my surprise, I have full coverage.

I barely have time to feel the tingle before the thunderous crack echoes around me. I drop to the asphalt and cover my head as black spots rise in my vision.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

Was that a lightning strike?

Oh my god, did I just nearly get struck by lightning? What the hell? Which long-forgotten evil deity did I offend?

I stay down until the tingle of electricity fades and my vision clears, and then I cautiously lift my head. Everything seems normal. The sky is still blue. It can't have been lightning—who ever heard of lightning striking from a clear sky?

I'm tired and hungry and probably hallucinated it. It's a good thing that my car broke down—at least this way I'm not driving around being a danger to others. I climb slowly back to my feet, sparing a moment to mourn my pants, which are now scuffed beyond repair. It's all fine. I'll call AAA and get someone out here to look at my car. Maybe they'll be able to fix it. If not, I'll grab a ride with them to the nearest garage and find myself something to eat and a cup of coffee. Everything will be okay. I just need?—

Holy fucking god .

It was a lightning strike. It must have been, because one of those dead trees I saw before is now split in half, right down the middle of the trunk, still smoking. I don't even have time to be grateful it didn't catch fire, because I'm too busy gaping at the naked green-haired man strolling toward me.

Then I remember I'm probably hallucinating and huff a relieved laugh. This really has been quite a d?—

"You're here! It's been ages."

I squeeze my eyes shut, count to five, then open them. Yep. He's still standing in front of me, still naked. His smile is wide and warm and makes part of me relax. That's the part I like to refer to as my inner dumbass. The part that decided living downstairs from a meth cooker in a roach-infested dump was worth it to not have roommates.

Still, as dumb as that part of me is, it doesn't usually react to things that aren't there. So I pinch myself, hard.

"Ouch!" Fuck, that hurt.

The smile turns to a concerned frown. "You okay? Why'd you do that?"

Okay. I don't know where this guy came from or why he's naked, but he seems harmless enough—even friendly. And if I've been cursed by a god nobody remembers, I need to up my karmic points, because there's not much more I can take. So I dredge up a smile.

His eyes widen in alarm, and he takes a step back. Makes sense… I'm not really in a genuine-smile mood.

"Are you hurt?" I ask him. "Or lost? Can I call someone for you?"

For a second he blinks at me, confused and… devastated? I hold up my phone, as if to prove I can call someone for him… I'm guessing his caretaker. Or some kind of spiritual leader. His gaze locks on the phone, and a moment later understanding dawns.

"Yes! Thank you."

I wait.

He watches me expectantly.

"Uh… what's the number? Do you want to make the call yourself?"

Pursing his lips, he tilts his head as though listening to something, then says, "Nah. I don't know the number. Guess we'll hafta go there." He points back the way I came. "It's that way."

Oh… kay.

Before I can think of anything to say, he looks at my car. "Is this yours? Can we go in this?" He reaches out and pats it. "Does it have a name?"

"No," I manage. "No name. It broke down, so… not going anywhere. But I was just about to call…" I trail off at the sound of an approaching engine and turn to see a tow truck coming toward us. It slows, and the driver pulls onto the opposite shoulder and winds down his window.

"Car trouble?" he calls.

Oh my god, I need coffee.

"Yeah. I don't know what. I was about to call AAA." Please let him be affiliated and cut out the wait time I was expecting.

He turns off his engine and gets out. "It's me they'd be calling, so this is your lucky day."

The hysterical laugh that bursts from me makes him pause halfway across the road.

"Sorry. It's, uh… been one of those days. I'm Perry. Thanks for stopping."

"No problem, Perry. I'm Bud Charlton, and I have a garage just down the road a ways, in Middleville."

"I'm Aether," my green-haired friend announces with a beaming smile. Bud's gaze turns to him, and I guess he didn't notice the naked thing before, because his jaw drops.

"Uh… fella, there are laws around here."

Aether looks confused, and they both turn to me. I sigh.

"Do you have an old towel or something he can use? I think, um, I think he might…" I don't know how to say "he probably escaped from a care facility" without potentially upsetting Aether.

Fortunately, Bud seems to get it and nods slowly. "Ahhhh. You know, I think I got an old pair of sweats in the back. The wife stashed 'em there years back after I had to go wading in a lake after a car."

I send up a silent thanks to the universe that my car isn't in a lake as Bud goes to his truck and returns a minute later with a pair of old gray sweatpants. They even look like they might fit. "Thank you," I tell him.

"Ginormous thanks!" Aether declares happily, sticking one leg in and nearly toppling over. I catch him by the shoulder, instantly wishing I hadn't. His skin is smooth and warm, the muscles beneath flexing. I notice absently that he really committed to the whole green-hair thing, even dying his chest hair. It's a good dye job, too, with lots of different shades of green blending together.

"Alrighty then, tell me what happened to the car." Bud's voice cuts into my fascination with Aether's chest, and I gratefully follow him to the hood of the car, explaining about the smoke and the clunking noise.

"Sounds like it overheated. How long you been stopped?"

I glance at the screen of my phone. "About twenty minutes?"

"Good." He lightly touches the hood, then puts his whole palm on it. "Yep, that's cool enough. You wanna pop it for me?"

It takes me a second to remember the lever is inside the car. My face is hot as I go do as he asked. When I get back, he's pulled on a pair of work gloves and is poking around in my engine. I have no idea what he's looking for, so I glance around to make sure Aether isn't getting into any trouble.

And jump. He's standing right behind me. Still smiling. Does he never stop smiling? What does a naked man in the middle of nowhere even have to smile about?

Although he's not naked anymore, and as impressive as his bare cock was, the dick print in those sweats is… Let's just say my car's not the only thing overheating. Hel lo there.

I drag my gaze back to his face. "You never said where you came from."

"Nature," he answers promptly. Somehow, I'm not surprised he's one of those "Mother Earth is my parent" types.

"No, I mean today. Which direction did you come from?" Maybe that will help me work out where to take him.

He points toward the lightning-struck tree. "Over there."

Not helpful. There's nothing behind the tree except fields and fences for as far as I can see. Maybe there's a farmhouse?

"Do you live around here?" I ask hopefully. That would kind of explain the nakedness… or at least mitigate it, if he was on private property and got turned around or something.

"I live everywhere." He opens his arms wide. "I am of the world, and the world is me."

I sigh again. Great.

Bud straightens up from under the hood. "From what I can see, you got a blocked radiator hose."

"That sounds complicated and expensive." The car's old and ugly and not particularly good to drive, but right now, it's where I plan to sleep tonight, so I need it in working order. Unless I want to stay here by the side of the road forever.

"Nah," Bud chuckles. "Super easy and cheap, I promise. I'll take it back to my place and have it done in an hour."

That sounds too good to be true.

"You got a coupla options."

Oh, hello, catch. "Options?" I parrot, only half paying attention. The rest of me is staring incredulously at the butterfly that just landed on Aether's nose and is being cooed at by him.

When I drag my gaze back to Bud, it's to see him watching Aether too, disbelief and concern on his face. "Options?" I prompt.

He shakes his head. "Yeah. You can call Triple-A, who'll call me, and we'll do all the paperwork official-like. If it's a blocked hose like I think, changing that plus the tow is gonna run you about two hundred."

Two hundred dollars. Even on a good day, I'd be unhappy to part with that kind of money. Today, homeless and jobless? I want to break down and cry.

"What's the other option?" Please don't let it be sexual favors. I'm not ready to learn if that's something I'm willing to do.

He looks at Aether again, takes a few steps back, and gestures with his head for me to join him. I follow, hoping really hard that he's not the front man for a human trafficking ring who's about to ask me to look the other way while he makes Aether disappear.

"That fella needs help getting back to his people," he says quietly. "I don't rightly want to take on the challenge, but I can't in good conscience just leave him. You get him home, and I'll take care of your car as a thank-you."

I blink at him. Is… Did he just offer to fix my car for free if I do something I was planning to do anyway? Because like Bud, I can't just leave Aether here without knowing he's safe. I'd never have another good night's sleep in my life.

"Yes. I can do that. Let's do that." Finally, something is going right for me.

Bud's face breaks out in a wide smile. "You got anything in the car you're gonna need? Wallet or sweater or something?"

My phone is still in my hand, and I pat my back pocket and feel the slender lump of my wallet there. "All set."

"I'll get 'er hooked up, and we'll be on our way in just a minute," he promises. "Can you make sure he…?" We both look at Aether.

"I'll keep him out of your way," I agree, then raise my voice. "Hey, Aether?"

He coos once more at the butterfly, and then as it takes flight, comes to join me. Bud heads toward his truck.

"Perry!" Aether greets me with delight, then frowns. It's almost a relief to see that his face is capable of other expressions. "Where's the rest of your name?"

Where…? "Uh… it's right here?" I cringe. Yep, really said that. "I mean, that's my name."

He shakes his head. "There's more. Perry's part of it, but there should be more syllables." A big hand rises and presses to the center of his chest. "I feel it."

Of course he does. "Well, the name on my birth certificate is Peregrine, but only my dad calls me that. Because he's the hardcore falconry enthusiast who thought it would be fun to give me a name that would get me beat up at school. Everyone else calls me Perry."

His sigh of relief is confusing. "Peregrine. Yeah, that's it. But Perry suits you best."

"Yeah, sure. Listen, Bud's going to take us and the car to his garage and fix it so I can take you home. How's that sound?"

Annnnd the smile is back. "That slaps, dude!"

It... what? I narrow my eyes and take him in properly. Before, I got the impression that he was my age or maybe older, definitely in his late twenties at the least. But the only people I've heard use that expression have all been teenagers and college students. Could he be younger than I thought?

He doesn't look like a teenager. There's this weird ageless quality to his face, probably because of the green hair and smile, but I still feel like he's too old to be saying things "slap."

"Okay," I agree. "Hey, so speaking of names… mine's Perry Lasters. What was yours, again?"

"Aether," he says promptly, then frowns. "Oh… is that too weird? I can pick a different one. Something common… John. My name is John."

I hold in a sigh, purely because I feel like I've been sighing too much today. "Aether is fine. What about your surname?"

He shrugs. "I don't have one."

That sounds about right. "No family name?" I press. "Even if you don't use it, it would help for me to know it."

"Nature is my family. I can be Aether Nature."

My tired, stressed-out brain decides finding out more about him can wait until I've had coffee. "Aether Nature it is. Come and stand next to this fence with me while Bud hooks my car up to the truck."

He obediently follows me, then leans against the fence and watches Bud avidly. "This is way cool," he says. "So much is new. I especially love all these new words."

My early morning and all the stress are catching up with me, and I lean beside him and close my eyes—just for a second. "Uh-huh. So new." The fog of part-sleep descends on me as I drift into a drowsy state. Not fully asleep, but not awake either. In the haze, I'm half aware of a warm hand coming to rest on my shoulder, present but unobtrus?—

Energy surges through me, blowing away the remnants of sleep and returning me to full wakefulness. Blinking, I take stock of myself. It feels like I've been on a weeklong relaxing vacation and just got ten hours of sleep. Even the knowledge of what happened this morning seems less immediate. I know it happened, know I still have to deal with the fallout, but I feel better equipped to handle it.

Aether takes his hand off my shoulder, his wide smile back in place.