Chapter SeventeenMason sat on the bluff overlooking the valley, watching lazy curls of smoke rise on the still air. Most of the people there below him were sleeping. The air was cold, but warmer than it had been. Christmas was behind them, and New Year's was only a day away.
The time had passed faster than he'd expected. He knew he needed to leave. He needed to get back to D.C., and he knew that if he didn't leave soon, he wouldn't leave at all. He was comfortable here, even though not everyone accepted him.
Then there was Alaric. Being with him was different than anything he'd known. In some ways it was overwhelming. He was attentive in ways Mason had never experienced, and there was no denying that the s*x was mind blowing.
Mason huddled down into his coat and put his hands in his poc
