Page 43 of A Swan’s Love Song

Sean’s heart pounded as he turned to face an older, short and squat, very grizzled man of

indeterminate age. He’d undoubtedly spent a number of years in the blazing sun. His cracked, tanned

skin with a smattering of gray and red whiskers decorating his chin, spoke volumes about his lifestyle.

“I…I…” Sean pointed to the frame, not sure he could bring himself to reach under the battered

ones covering it to verify the awful truth of what it could be.

“Ah, yes. This is the one I had a hunch you were takin’ a gander at. She’s a beaut! Just got her

in.” The seller leaned down then roughly shoved the ones concealing it aside. “Don’t worry about that

picture. Came with it, but it’s easy enough to take out and throw away.”

“No!” Sean snatched the frame from the seller and clutched it to his chest. Tears ran freely

down his flushed cheeks and his heart no longer felt as if it pounded in his chest but instead roared in

his ears. “W-where did you get this? Where?”

The seller gaped at him with wide eyes then took a step back, his hands held in front of him as

if to ward Sean off. “Yer one of those swan shifters, ain’t you? I’ve run into a few of you in my day.

Foxes have to eat too, you know. I only ever took from nests that had more than one egg. I ain’t

greedy.”

Those shoppers who had been milling about nearby had begun to gather at the edge of the

carpet.

“Hey. You. Here’s the rest of that junk I told you about. Give me a fifty and it’s all yours.”

A loud clattering noise sounded behind him as something was dropped on the ground and Sean

whirled around to see…

Finn.

They both froze as they stared each other down. Bile rose in Sean’s throat as Finn’s shocked

expression slowly changed to a leering glare.

“Well, well, well. What have we here?” He glanced past Sean toward the seller. “Tell you

what. Keep this pile of shit and I’ll take the omega instead.”

The fox shifter chuckled then advanced on the bag of Sean’s things that Finn had just dumped.

“Works for me.”

“Like hell you will.”

Sean kicked the old seller in the leg as he passed him by, then still clutching the frame with the

photo of his parents, he whirled around to run away. He yelped as he was yanked back by his collar,