Page 151 of Beasts of Mine

“You sound ridiculously pleased about that.” I observed as his purr grew louder behind me.

“I am.” Tavian answered without apology, tightening his arm loosely around my waist.

“I like both.” I admitted to Tavian as I rested my hand over his, the mixed cedar, citrus, and spice already beginning to feel familiar against my skin. His purr surged beneath my back.

“Do not make me regret saying that.” I warned Tavian when the vibration immediately became louder.

“I’m behaving.” Tavian promised into my shoulder, his mouth curving against my skin while he remained exactly where he was. That was technically true enough that I let it go. We stayed tangled together while his knot gradually softened, and when I eventually checked my watch, it was three twenty-nine. We had enough time to clean ourselves up and make the return without rushing, but not enough that I wanted to waste much of it lying around.

“We’re good.” Tavian followed my glance toward the watch and checked the direction of the trail, already thinking about the return trip without needing to be reminded.

“We are.” I agreed with Tavian as I let myself stay against him for another minute, pleased that the schedule had become something he was helping me keep rather than something I had to defend. Only after his knot had released did Tavian carefully ease away. I felt steady until I tried to sit up and one thigh trembled enough to make me reconsider standing immediately.

“Give yourself a minute.” Tavian caught my forearm before I could push fully upright, his grip loose and supportive rather than trying to force me back down.

“I’m fine.” I assured Tavian while sitting back down anyway, stretching one leg carefully when the muscles protested enough to expose the lie.

“Your legs disagree.” Tavian glanced toward them, and the satisfaction crossing his face was impossible to miss.

“Do not start.” I warned Tavian before he could turn the look into one of the comments already gathering behind his teeth.

“I wasn’t going to.” Tavian lied as he reached for my water bottle instead, wisely choosing hydration over whatever joke had almost escaped him. He uncapped it and handed it over, waiting until I had taken several long drinks before reaching for what remained of the lunch he had brought. Tavian set the bundle between us, apparently deciding that if I wasn’t ready to stand yet, he could at least make sure I ate something.

“You really did bring enough food for the entire day.” I told Tavian after handing the bottle back, eyeing the remaining fruit and roasted meat while he rearranged the bundle between us.

“I told you I provide things.” Tavian reminded me as he offered another piece of fruit, looking far too satisfied to finally have evidence supporting his claim.

“Luca made half of it.” I reminded Tavian as I accepted the food and took a bite.

“I transported it through dangerous terrain.” Tavian rested one hand dramatically against his chest as though the hike had involved considerably more peril than the same route I had walked carrying thousands of dollars in camera equipment.

“You carried it in a bag.” I pointed out to Tavian, gesturing toward the small field pack lying beside the blanket.

“Exactly.” Tavian nodded solemnly, apparently deciding I had just strengthened his argument instead of destroying it. I laughed and ate, letting the food, water, and a few minutes of rest settle me before I tried standing again. Once my legs felt reliable, we cleaned up and started dressing. Tavian found one of my socks beneath the angled root, where it had somehow escaped the rest of my clothing.

“Gift.” Tavian announced as he held the sock toward me with a perfectly straight face, pinching it delicately between two fingers like another valuable forest treasure.

“That is mine.” I stared at Tavian and held out my hand, wondering how he could possibly think this argument was going anywhere useful.

“I found it.” Tavian wiggled the sock slightly, his eyes brightening when he realized I wasn’t immediately amused by his logic.

“You are not giving me my own sock as a courtship gift.” I told Tavian firmly, keeping my hand extended while he continued considering the possibility.

“Still useful.” Tavian pointed out as he studied the sock as though usefulness alone might save his argument.

“Give me the sock.” I ordered Tavian, curling my fingers toward myself when he continued holding it just beyond reach. Tavian surrendered it with a laugh, and I pulled it on before finishing the laces on my boots. I repacked the blanket while he shook loose a few pieces of dried leaf stuck to one corner, then checked the camera body, verified both memory cards were secure, and made sure nothing had shifted inside the padded compartments before closing the bag.

Tavian reached toward the strap and stopped, his fingers hovering over the canvas rather than closing around it the way they had that morning. He looked at the bag and then at me, and the difference was small enough that I might have missed it if I hadn’t been paying attention.

“May I?” Tavian asked, his voice noticeably different from the exaggerated performance he had given at the station that morning. There was no joke waiting behind the question this time and no attempt to make asking sound ridiculous. He had remembered what I told him.

“Yes.” I answered Tavian as I lifted the strap from the rock and handed the camera bag to him. Tavian took it with a pleased lift at the corner of his mouth and settled the strap across his shoulder. His gaze dropped briefly toward the section he had scent-marked earlier, but he left it alone without being reminded.

We left the waterfall at three forty. The faster return pace was easier now that I wasn’t investigating every promising movement along the trail, although I still stopped when a motmot landed on a low branch with its long tail hanging cleanly against the darker vegetation. Tavian checked the time, saw that we had room for it, and settled beside a tree without complaint while I took several frames.

I was reviewing the last photograph when a capuchin called down from somewhere above us.

Spotted one smells happy, the capuchin announced from behind a cluster of broad leaves, its voice reaching me from somewhere high enough that I couldn’t immediately locate it.