A Shadow of Wings by Linda Gayle

why you’ve never had a boyfriend?”
    “It wasn’t for lack of wanting. There was someone…” 
    “What? C’mon, you gotta tell me now that I told you everything about my fucked-up past. It’s only fair.”
    Cam shifted on the mattress. “All right. I’ll tell you, but you can’t ask any more questions after this.”
    “Cross my heart.” Like hell he wouldn’t.

Chapter Seven
    If Tash were here now, he’d be dragging Cam out to the street and loading him onto the next plane to the basilica. But Cam was sick and tired of hiding, always hiding. He drew a deep breath, then said, “There was another student in my literature class at Bann. His name was Simon. Most of the other kids kept their distance. I sat apart, wearing dark glasses, because of, you know…” He waved vaguely toward his eyes. “Anyhow, they were told I had a rare eye condition, but I’m sure I seemed strange to them.”
    “So, wait, if you’re wearing sunglasses, then your eyes don’t affect people?”
    He hesitated only a moment before he confessed, “Yes. They’re shielded.” That was more than any trice had ever told another human outside of the brotherhood, he was sure. Dylan only looked more interested. Which was dangerous.
    “Huh. Okay, go on. Simon, eh? Was he cute?”
    “Very handsome,” Cam admitted, remembering the rangy boy with the shaggy brown hair and Cupid’s-bow lips who had dazzled him. “And smart. We often worked as partners on our assignments. He asked me to the library one afternoon, and without asking Tash if I could, I went. I wanted to go, to be alone with him. I’d hoped he had more on his mind than analyzing poetry.”
     Dylan smirked knowingly and made an “mm-hmm” sound, and Cam said, “Of course, he did.”
    “Gettin’ it on in the stacks,” Dylan said. “Nice.”
    “I wish it had been like that. We did…kiss. Simon had a reputation, a well-deserved one, and I fell right into his hands. We didn’t do more than that, but I was so naïve. He started asking questions. He tried to take off my glasses. I…” He swallowed around a lump in his throat.
    “What happened, baby?” Dylan ran his hand up and down Cam’s back soothingly. How he longed to lean into that strong hand, into Dylan’s embrace. God, he prayed he wasn’t being as foolish trusting Dylan as he had been trusting Simon. “He got you to take them off, didn’t he? Something bad happened?”
    He nodded. “Between Simon kissing me and…touching me, I didn’t have the control I should have. I was so dazed, I stared right into his eyes, and he…”
    “Did he fall down like old Jose?” 
    “Worse.” He shook his head, seeing the scene far too clearly in his mind. Simon’s mouth widening in a silent scream, his eyes going blank, his face stark with terror as Simon’s darkest nightmares rose up from his soul to devour him. Cam’s breath caught. “I can’t say anymore. I shouldn’t have told you any of this.”
    “Oh, fuck no, no backing off now.” Dylan gripped Cam’s hand tighter when he tried to pull away. “I’m glad you told me. And I’m not afraid of you, so don’t you worry about that.”
    “You should be.” Cam looked anywhere but at Dylan. What if his roiling emotions compromised his control again? He would never harm Dylan, not intentionally. “Hurting him was the last thing I wanted to do,” he ground out, as much to himself as to Dylan, who pulled him closer. Him, the monster. Dylan wrapped his arm around Cam’s trembling shoulders, far too trusting, but Cam was helpless to resist the offered comfort.
    “Hey, quit it. You’re just different. I like different. I’ll keep your secrets, right here.” He patted his chest over his heart. Cam longed fiercely to believe him.
    He allowed himself to relax into Dylan’s embrace. To be held felt so good. Cam drew his hand free so they could get even closer, hugging hard if awkwardly, knee to thigh on the wheezing air mattress. Dylan ran his hands all