Shaun grunted as he hit the ground hard, going with the momentum to roll onto his feet. He turned in time to dodge the next blow, using his hands to carry the fist past him and overextend the blow’s reach. Following through, he held tight and yanked on the arm, pulling so he could knock his opponent off his feet and slam him onto the ground.

The air was knocked from Jacob’s lungs as he hit the ground with a grunt. Shaun stood over him smirking, his hand stretched out for his father to take. Jacob nodded, taking a deep breath before reaching out to take Shaun’s hand. As Jacob pulled himself up, he used his forward momentum to bring Shaun onto his shoulder and up over his back. Shaun’s body reacted instinctively, twisting around as he fell to the ground so that he landed in a crouch. It only took a split second to readjust himself to the position before swiping out with a thick leg to take his father’s unsteady feet out from beneath him.

Having landed face-first on the ground, Jacob rolled over to look up at Shaun with a grin. “Damn boy, you woulda fallen for those not too long ago. You been gettin’ better.”

There were no tricks this time as he bent to help his father up off the ground. “Learned those from Lucas.”

“Didja now? Don’t think I ever saw him fight before,” Jacob said with interest as he brushed himself off.

“Told me he doesn’t want to ‘intrude’ on us when we’re out here,” Shaun told him.

Jacob scoffed. “Ain’t no intrudin’ that’s gonna happen. It’s good to get out here where there ain’t no one else and get it out of your system for a bit. Fightin’ is good for the mind, and it makes ya better at it, too.”

“He trains with me. How do ya think I learned?” Shaun asked.

“Where’d he learn to fight like that? That’s the kind of fightin’ that’s smart,” his father asked as he bent to grab the pair of water bottles nearby and toss one to Shaun.

Shaun shrugged as he opened his. “Probably the same people who asked y’all to find him a partner a few years ago. I never met ‘em, remember? Y’all just shoved him toward me and said this was gonna be my new partner.”

Jacob grinned at that. “And wasn’t that just the most fun ya had with a partner since ya started?”

That was one way of putting it. “I dunno about ‘fun’, Dad.”

“Aw c’mon. You two were perfect for one another. Anyone with sense coulda seen that.”

It was easy to see that now, but back then, it had seemed like his parents had lost their damn minds. Everything about Lucas had driven him crazy, and driven his temper to new heights. The guy was meticulous and patient, and when he really wanted to be, emotionally impenetrable to the point of infuriating, even to the most understanding of people. The two of them had spent more time disagreeing and ready to kill each other than they had spent trying to fight monsters.

It was odd to think the things that once drove him crazy about Lucas were the same things he now appreciated in his partner. Lucas’ need to plan had saved Shaun’s life more than once, and his patient nature now soothed him more than frustrated him. Over time, they had gradually come to an understanding with one another, and that understanding had probably saved both of their lives more times than they would ever know. It was difficult to think of a life without Lucas.

Which was exactly what he was having to consider. The idea of willingly allowing a war with the Fae to come to the hunters was becoming increasingly intolerable as the days went by. He knew Lucas probably wasn’t feeling much better about it, and Shaun knew where his partner’s mind would go with that. Shaun had long ago learned what happened when Lucas made up his mind, and when he did, not even Shaun could stop him. The only thing he could do was be there with him, and hope they might take comfort from the thought that their end could spare the rest.

It also meant he would never be able to tell Lucas all the things he had been too scared to say. He had spent the past couple of years fighting with himself, trying to weigh up whether or not he should tell Lucas how he truly felt. The fear of ruining the best partnership he had ever had always held him back. Now, they were facing their mutual destruction and he still didn’t think he would have the courage to tell the man he loved him.

Jacob peered at him, frowning. “Got somethin’ ya wanna share?”

Shaun shook his head. “Naw, nothin’ important.”

“You thinkin’ them things about Lucas again?” Jacob asked quietly.

Shaun winced, regretting his moment of weakness the year before. It had been during one of their visits to the bar, and Shaun had stayed up late with his father. The two of them had sat in a far corner of the bar, drinking and telling stories of their hunts. The talk had grown more and more serious as the night went on and more alcohol began to affect them. It had culminated in Shaun admitting bluntly to his father that he was in love with his partner.

“I’m gonna take that look as a yes. You still ain’t said nothin’ to ‘im?” Jacob continued.

“Just ain’t found the right time,” Shaun mumbled, ashamed of the fear that kept him silent.

“You ain’t never gonna find a right time. I spent two years around your Mama, and those were some great years, lemme tell ya. But if I hadn’t seized the moment when I did, then you wouldn’t be here today. You tellin’ me you ain’t had one moment that mighta been right?” Jacob demanded, though his face was filled with understanding.

“It’s different, Dad. It’s not like Mama didn’t know how you felt from the beginnin’, Lucas don’t know. It’s just…different,” he finished lamely.

“Just because ya say it’s different don’t make it different. You still sleepin’ with ‘im, too?”

The bluntness of the question should have bothered Shaun, but he was used to it from his father. If anything, it reminded him that he needed to keep his mouth shut when he was drinking. Right along with having told his father that night about his feelings for Lucas, he had also carelessly told him they had been having sex. Even with his father, it wouldn’t have been something he would have admitted without the aid of alcohol.

“Still tryin’ for that miracle baby,” Shaun said, trying for a joke to lighten the mood.

His father’s frown deepened. “Ya know that ain’t funny. That, and your Mama and I don’t care about that.”

Which they had made sure to tell him repeatedly ever since they found out he had no desire to be with a woman. It would have been an awkward conversation no matter how it came about. It had been made especially awkward by the fact that it only happened because his mother had discovered him in a compromising situation with a young hunter who had come into the bar. It had been the first time Shaun had found another hunter about his age, and the two had been instantly attracted to one another. Their fun filled weekend of discovery had been interrupted when his mother entered his room thinking he wasn’t in. He had been in alright, just not in the way she expected.

“Dad, I know,” he whined, not wanting to be reminded of the months of assurances from his parents that they loved him and didn’t care. He didn’t dismiss their willingness to accept him no matter what, and he appreciated it. It didn’t change the fact that it reminded him of more than a few embarrassing conversations.

“Then quit makin’ bad jokes just so ya ain’t gotta talk about what’s goin’ on. You’re gettin’ to be as bad as Lucas, ‘cept he don’t go around makin’ bad jokes,” Jacob scolded him.

“Not around you he don’t,” Shaun grumbled.

His father sighed. “I just wanna see you happy, boy.”

“I know Dad,” Shaun told him, his guilt growing.

“Don’t be gettin’ that tone goin’ either,” Jacob warned him.

“What tone?” Shaun asked, bewildered.

“Like you failed or somethin’, because ya ain’t failed nothin’ and no one. I know how much harder this sorta thing is than runnin’ at some monster ready to kill ya. The heart’s a lot more fragile than skin and bone.”

Silence fell between them as his father let him ponder over that. It wasn’t anything he didn’t already know, but it helped to hear it from someone else. In truth, the only person he had ever spoken to about it was his father. He regretted the slip to a degree, but there was also relief that someone knew his secret. Having spoken it aloud to another living person had eased the burden he carried on his shoulders. At the very least, he had someone else he could turn to whenever it began to eat away at him.

Lucas’ voice cut through the quiet of the trees. “Hey! I’m coming in, please don’t throw anything at me.”

“Lucas?” Shaun asked, surprised to hear him.

“And me! Please don’t throw anything at me either,” Nic called out from somewhere nearby.

Both men emerged from the line of trees, and from the looks on their faces Shaun knew they weren’t out here for a social visit. Nic was visibly worried, though it didn’t stop him from glancing around the clearing to take in the stones that made up the perimeter of the sparring circle, or the well-made shed filled with various training weapons. Lucas’ face was impassive, but Shaun could see the tension vibrating off him as he looked between father and son.

Jacob took one look at the pair and grunted. “Guessin’ you two ain’t out here to practice with us for once?”

Lucas shook his head. “We’ve received news, and it’s important you both hear it.”

“You okay?” Shaun asked, wary of what was about to come out of his partner’s mouth.

Lucas waved a dismissive hand at him to let him know he was okay. It was Lucas’ way of saying that whatever was on his mind would have to wait until they no longer had an audience. Which meant he was considering either Jacob or both his father and Nic as the audience. The question in Shaun’s mind was, which was it?

“Are you familiar with a place called ‘Dave’s Inn’ by chance?” Lucas asked Jacob.

“Of course. Hunter bar out in Montana. Haven’t talked to Dave in ages. He alright?” Jacob responded, growing serious.

Lucas shook his head. “He’s in a rough spot, but it looks like he’ll pull through without any lasting damage. His bar was attacked and burned to the ground, and a handful of hunters went down with it. He called Anne not too long ago and tried to tell her what he’d seen, but between the painkillers and the stress of what happened, he wasn’t too coherent.”

Jacob swore under his breath. “And his family?”

Lucas shook his head. “No idea. He didn’t say anything about them. According to Anne, he was jumping all over the place. Telling her what happened, then switching to repeating what the attackers had been shouting.”

A dark realization dawned on Shaun. “Who were the attackers?”

Nic was the one to answer. “Anne made a guess and I looked into the phrases that Dave apparently kept repeating. His pronunciation was horrible, but I was able to figure out some of the words. There’s no doubt, they were Fae from the Winter Court, shouting the royal families name.”

Shaun closed his eyes, as a wave of horror and relief flooded through him. They had taken too long in making up their minds, and now the decision had been made for them. Fae, even the sort that liked fighting, didn’t just attack a hunter’s bar. Just like hunters adhered to the idea that you didn’t attack a royal member of a Fae court, or a Vampire Master, they didn’t attack what hunters considered sanctuaries. Any and all of those were considered acts of war, and it was always bloody. That the Fae had attacked like that, meant they knew what had happened and were responding in kind.

“The Fae are startin’ a war?” Jacob asked, furious.

“They have committed an act of war, yes,” Lucas responded, being careful to skirt around accusing the Fae of being responsible.

“Hell, do other places know?” Jacob asked, hurriedly cleaning up the training area.

“Anne is making the calls now, informing the other sanctuaries. She’s making sure they pass along the message to any places she doesn’t know of, and is making sure every hunter she knows is aware this has happened,” Lucas explained.

“Good, that means they ain’t gonna be catchin’ too many people off-guard,” Jacob said as he locked up the shed.

“Except for those that have gone missing or gone into hiding,” Nic added.

Jacob turned to him. “You know somethin’ about that?”

Shaun looked sharply at his father. “You know about all that?”

Jacob looked sideways at his son. “Boy, I live and work in a bar, ya think I don’t hear that sorta talk? Hunters are worse than old housewives, nosier than can be, and a buncha gossips. They been talking for weeks now about people disappearin’. Didn’t think too much of it at first, but I ain’t a fool. It’s got me to wonderin’ what’s goin’ on. Nic, you tellin’ me you know somethin’ about it?”

Nic glanced between the three other men. “Uh, well, I’m looking into it. It’s hard to do, since a hunter that doesn’t wanna be found isn’t easy to find. It’s probably better I don’t really say until I know more.”

Jacob frowned at him. “You ain’t used to workin’ with others, are ya?”

Nic turned to Shaun. “Are both of your parents able to read minds or something?”

Shaun laughed. “They work in a bar, like he said. Ya learn to read people pretty good when ya work behind a bar long enough. Not gonna get too far with ‘em.”

Nic rolled his eyes. “I’m used to working alone, yes. But I’m trying to get better about it. Doesn’t change the fact that I wanna be sure of my theory before I go blabbing about it to everyone.”

To no one’s surprise, his father was insistent that Nic tell him what he knew. Lucas ignored them, looking at Shaun with a faint, questioning expression on his face. His partner wanted to know just how much they should tell. They had been keeping what they had done secret, and had come to the unspoken agreement that they wouldn’t say anything. It had pained Shaun to think he was saying goodbye to his parents without actually saying goodbye. Now it seemed that wasn’t going to be necessary. The war had already begun, and their sacrifice wouldn’t stop it.

Now it was a matter of deciding if others should know they were the ones responsible. It wouldn’t matter in the slightest that they hadn’t known what Fae they had killed until it was too late. All that would matter would be that they had brought war to hunters. Hunters were willing to fight day and night against supernatural forces, but there was an established order of things. Both sides respected the boundaries they had established, and accepted that to go too far would incite a bloody war. All but the most zealous hunters wished to avoid a war. It didn’t matter who the war was against, they were always drawn out and cost both sides dearly.

Shaun wasn’t sure he wanted the whole hunter world to know what they had done. His parents, if they were told, could be trusted not to tell anyone else. They had kept enough away from his parents, and he didn’t think he could stomach anymore secrets. He hoped Lucas was thinking the same thing as he nodded at his partner, giving him his permission.

Meanwhile, Nic groaned in exasperation. “I think my reasoning is pretty, you know, reasonable. Plus, isn’t there a war we’re supposed to be worrying about right now? I think a handful of missing hunters can wait until we settle that.”

“Jacob,” Lucas said softly, drawing the older man’s attention.

“What?” Jacob demanded, sounding irritated after his prolonged argument with Nic.

Ignoring the soft sounds of protest from Nic, Lucas took a deep breath. “There’s something Shaun and I need to speak to you and Anne about. It’s about the Fae, and you’re going to want to hear it.”