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The closer we got to the road, the more surefooted he seemed to be. The trail here was well-used by hikers, and I knew I could leave him here and he would find his car. He was safe. I still found myself lingering, though. I found I needed to know for certain that he was on his way, far away from here. Away from me…
It was after noon by the time he finally stopped at a white compact with rust spots around the fender. I had to stay well back because the trees grew thinner here and provided less coverage. I squinted, trying to make him out. I heard him dig keys out of a zippered pocket of his jacket, and he opened the driver’s side door. He paused, and I held my breath, waiting for him to get in. Why wasn’t he leaving?
He tilted his chin up, scanning the trees. “My last name is Pettyfer, and I live at 76 Royale Street in Fairhome. You know, in case you ever want to find me.” Then that smile of his stretched across his face and he said, “I really loved spending the day with you. See you around, Rumpy.”
Rumpy? What kind of name was Rumpy?! I actually found my mouth opening to ask, but it was too late. He climbed into his car, started the engine, and pulled onto the road. I’d taken three steps after him before I stopped myself.
I had expected to feel relief when Morgan drove away, but instead, I was hit with the most unbelievable wave of… grief. Which was stupid, because this was what I wanted all along. The human was safe, and now he was gone. End of story.
On autopilot I turned to head back to camp, though I didn’t feel like I was entirely here. I kept thinking of Morgan Pettyfer of 76 Royale Street, Fairhome. More specifically, I was thinking about all the trouble he was bound to get into, living in the city.
He’d managed to almost drown yesterday. He’d lost his food and water and would’ve surely died if I hadn’t led him back to his car. And there were way more dangers in the city! There were car accidents, house fires, falling down an elevator shaft. Did he eat enough red meat? He could getanemia! What if he went to the corner store for bread and milk and a thug came in with a gun to rob the place? He could get shot!
Nope, this just wouldn’t do. Vesta said he was mine to protect, but that seemed like a full-time job. Too many things could go wrong. Morgan needed someone to watch out for him, you know, from a distance.
I was going to need some clothes. And a car.
Chapter 8
Morgan
I woke up thenext morning feeling a strange mix of hope and despair. The sunlight reflecting in through the crack in the curtains had that too-bright, too-white quality to it, and I knew without looking that it had snowed overnight. It likely wouldn’t stick around for long, but it was coming. A less-determined man might’ve given up on camping, at least until next spring, but not me. I would be heading back to Outdoor Adventures to ask about outfitting myself with winter gear. Better boots, a warm jacket, maybe even snowshoes. At least the river would freeze over.
My recent trip had been a total disaster—but also, a complete success. Now I was even more certain that my wolfman was mine. At the precise moment I was sure I was about to die, my wolf had snagged my jacket and gottenme out of that river. He’d led me to shelter and kept me warm all night long. He was my hero.
The man I woke up to, though, he was my fantasy.
Gods, he was bigger than I’d thought. The first time I’d seen him it was from a distance, but once I was in his arms, he was large enough to totally own me—he hadn’t, unfortunately, but from the monster erection he had, it wasn’t from lack of interest. I guess he was just that much of a gentleman. I’d tried not to stare at his cock, because that was probably rude, but it was right there! Of course he was naked, because wolves didn’t wear clothes—duh—but there was just so much skin! I didn’t know where to look first. And he was warmer than I imagined and smelled even sweeter than his wolf had. My mouth watered just thinking about it.
Those muscles,drool-worthy, the way they flexed when he moved. And even though he’d been startled, he’d been so incredibly gentle with me. His green eyes had flared, a mix of so many emotions all at once, and he’d tried to back away, but the cave was too small for a man his size. I wish I knew what I’d done wrong to scare him off like that; I wanted to make sure I didn’t do it again. He’d followed me all the way to the car, though, I was sure of it, even going so far as leaving me berries, so I knew he feltsomethingfor me. But what that something was, that was another question entirely.
Maybe he was entirely wild, more wolf than man, with no language skills. I looked forward to teaching him. Or… A cold tendril of doubt crept in through a chink in my armor. Maybe he just didn’t want me. Maybe I wasn’t good enough for him.
I was torn from my thoughts by a knock at my apartment door. I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet, lingering over my memories. It couldn’t possibly be my wolf at the door… could it? The hollow echo in my chest said it was not. I got out of bed and pulled a t-shirt on. Instead of calling out to whoever was in the hallway, I tiptoed across the cold floor in my underwear, listening.
The knock came again, more insistent. “I know you’re in there,” a familiar voice called. “I can hear you breathing. Open up.”
I winced, guilt churning in my stomach. It was my landlord, Al. There was no chance his hearing was that good, but I pinched my lips shut and held my breath just in case.
The cheap door was thin enough that I heard his frustrated groan. “Come on, Morgan, you can’t hide from me forever. You’re way late on your rent. This isn’t a charity. I’ve already cut you a ton of slack. You have until the end of the month to pay up. After that, you’re out.”
We both stood there on either side of the door for a long moment, each waiting for the other to break. Finally, he stomped off down the hall, cursing under his breath about his useless tenant.
Great, now he would be looking to corner me. I would have to sneak out the back.
Okay, so I really needed to make finding a new job a priority, but… it just hadn’t been. The only thing that seemed to matter anymore was finding my one true love. I felt like I was living in a fairy tale—except Cinderella did chores to pay for her room and board, and the prince did all the hard work tracking her down. All she had to do was wait. Not to mention all the animals helping out, plus a fairy godmother? Puh-lease. I didn’t get what she was complaining about.
Maybe Al would let me do some cleaning or building maintenance to make up for what I owed him.
I tugged on some pants, then my shoes, and grabbed my jacket on the way out the door. I eased it shut behind me, since Al was no doubt listening from his first-floor apartment, then I slipped down the back stairwell and around the building to my parking space. It was probably just my overactive imagination, but I swore I saw Al glowering at me from the window as I peeled out of the parking lot.
When the bell over the door at Outdoor Adventures went off, the salesman’s eyes lit up. I was no doubt his favorite kind of sucker—the kind willing to spend his life savings on camping gear, only to lose it all in the river. I told him I was just browsing, but he wasn’t fooled by the lie. He left me alone for now, but he was circling like a vulture over fresh roadkill.
I was comparing prices on backpacks when I felt someone move in next to me. “I told you I don’t need any help,” I repeated. Then their smell wafted over me, and my stomach lurched in an unpleasant way. My head whipped up, and I turned to the man. “You!”
His smile was all charm, but I refused to be taken in by it again. “Oh, I wasn’t sure you would remember me. You’d had a fair bit to drink last time we spoke.” It was the guy from the bar. “Eric,” he reminded me, holding out his hand to shake, but I stepped back, and he eventually let his hand drop. “I was glad to run into you here. We never got a chance to finish our conversation.”
“There wasn’t anything left to discuss,” I said sharply, looking around for that salesman. Of course, the moment I needed an interruption, he was nowhere to be found. Go figure.
