Steamed Up by Anne Regan

Author:Anne Regan
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Gay, _fathead, Gay Romance, Anthology, Steampunk, GLBT, M/M Romance, M/M, dreamspinner press
ISBN: 9781627983303
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2013-10-21T00:00:00+00:00

R.D. HERO lives a life completely dedicated to m/m. When she isn’t spending time sifting through multitudes of yaoi looking for the rare perfect one, she’s writing slash online. Once in a while, if she has to, she goes out into the real world to do unsavory things like “college” and “socializing.” Mostly though, she prefers to stay in her cave with her boxer, Brandy. You can find her at http://www.rdhero.com.

The Clockwork Heart – Kim Fielding

THE metal barrow was still nearly empty, only a few broken bits clattering about in the bottom. Dante Winter stopped and gave the glowering sky a long, considering look. Did he have time to attempt a bit more collecting, or should he hurry back to his home before the downpour began? It was his empty purse that decided him. He hadn’t been eating well, and the rent was due in a few days. If he didn’t find some items to refurbish and sell soon, he ran a real risk of finding himself homeless.

He felt ill at the idea of being out in the world without his small refuge.

Thunder rumbled ominously, but his determination paid off when he sifted through a small heap of refuse and discovered a clockwork mermaid the length of his forearm. She was filthy, but Dante could tell the parts were finely wrought by a master’s hand. It had likely been an expensive device when it was new, intended primarily to sit on a shelf and be admired. But someone had got hold of her—a child, perhaps—and treated her roughly. The gears no longer turned, stilling the motion Dante could see in his mind’s eye: the tail fluttering smoothly and her arms and head moving in synchrony. One piece of the tail fin was missing, much of the brass was corroded and dented, and most of the enameled colors had been scraped away from her face and scales.

Dante turned the find over in his hands, inspecting it carefully. Yes, he decided. It would take many hours of work, but he could restore her. Annette Swan, whose shop specialized in expensive toys with nautical themes, would pay well for such a bauble. Dante could earn enough for another month’s rent at least.

He set the mermaid gingerly in his barrow and gave her a gentle pat. “I’ll have you better than new in no time at all,” he said. “You’ll find a much finer home than a rubbish heap.”

Smiling, he turned the barrow around and headed toward home. But he hadn’t gone far when it occurred to him that the mermaid would look especially nice with some adornments. A zinc chain about her waist, inset with bits of colored glass to simulate jewels. Maybe a matching chain around her neck. He tried to ignore the idea. Thoughts such as this had led to the falling out with his father, who had a solid reputation for producing well-made, inexpensive watches but had no patience for his son’s impulses to add bits of decoration and whimsy to the timepieces.

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