Page 97 of Bitter Heat

Kerry clung to his alpha, his heart hammering hard, and lost in wonder at the immense amount of love he’d discovered flowing through his bloodstream. It’d been there a long time, he saw now. Long enough that he believed Tristan didn’t know it had ever been absent.

“Let’s go, sweetheart. We have a small funeral pyre to build.”

Kerry allowed Janus to lead him up the path, one arm around his waist. “He’s a good boy.”

Janus smiled at Kerry. “Yes. A sweet boy. He’s like his pater.”

“Me? I’m bitter.”

“No, you’re sweet as a peach.”

When they had finished building the small pyre by the lake, the remains of the beautiful bird Kerry had taken with him from a tropical island years before were placed on top. Janus stepped forward and, after a prayer, carefully lit the kerosene underneath. As the flames burned gold, Kerry thought of the gilded cage now residing in the attic. It’d been empty for so long now. He’d never imagined seeing Kiwi again. They’d both been freed.

“Sing him to wolf-god,” Tristan said. “Please, Pater? Sing for him.”

Clearing his throat, Kerry started to sing. He chose the song that he’d learned from Janus, and he sang it with all his heart, lifting his sweet bird with the ash into the sky. Janus stood close, and Tristan wrapped his arms around Kerry’s leg, holding tight. Together, they watched the heat from the fire lift the burning feathers into the air. Pater stood solemnly by, and their little family was complete in their respectful mourning.

Suddenly, Tristan began to sing too, his small voice quavering with emotion. Images from Tristan’s short life flashed in front of Kerry’s eyes: his birth in the lake, his small crib in their bedroom, his toddling first steps, and his squeal of joy playing in the puddles one recent rainy afternoon. Overwhelmed by love, and with tears rising to his eyes, Kerry stopped singing as his voice broke on a note.

Tristan hugged Kerry’s leg tighter. “Sing, Pater,” he said. “It’s all right if you cry. I’ll comfort you. But sing.”

“Yes, sing, sweetheart,” Janus urged.

Heart full, Kerry opened his mouth and let his love come soaring out.

THE END