Lone Werewolf Duology (bxb)

48. For Luck

Volya traded the only accessory he'd ever worn, his silver cross, for a heart monitor. Sure, the cross went around his neck, while the monitor hugged his wrist, but they both dealt with his heart. The cross might as well have Liam's name engraved on it. The monitor screeched in alarm whenever his heart blew past 190 bpm. When below the dangerous threshold, the gadget limited itself to concerned beeps. Basically, it was Sangha's digital alter-ego.

Volya rolled his eyes once he'd listened to the alert in the test more. "Liam, you don't have to come with me. This bloody thing will summon Walkwe from their graves, let alone interrupt my visions."

Liam looked up from stuffing his sleeping bag into its tubular case. "I know CPR," he responded, like it settled the matter.

"Don't be morbid." Volya had told Sangha he wanted someone to watch over him two days ago, but he hadn't realized back then that it would have to be Liam. His heart would get to 190 bpm in no time with Liam around.

"Staying alone on the Buyan Isle is madness," Liam argued. "But if you want someone else to come with you—"

"There's no one else."

Sangha was an amiable lady, with his best interests at heart, but he could barely restrain himself from howling every time emotions fought on her face when she looked at him. He could see the desire to put him on bedrest wrestling with her faith in him. Plus, while he'd never say it outright, he was pretty sure that June needed Sangha far more than he did. While less dramatic than Anabelle, June didn't take the Island's presence well. She wouldn't leave her IT trailer unless Sangha was with her.

He'd never grown comfortable with daSilva, Lydia or Young; or at least not to the point of sharing a tent with them or relying on one of them to wake him up from a vision.

Ironically, Volya didn't mind Anabelle as much as she minded him. The centaur, who used to adore him for no reason, now sporadically wept at the sight of him, also for no reason. Other times, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. So Anabelle was out.

Finally, Damir and Marina's relationship continued on a sinusoid trajectory, swinging from animosity to yearning so palpable, the pheromones swarmed around them thicker than mosquitoes in Siberia. Bringing both along would be worse than bringing Anabelle, and bringing one of them... Gosh! He shuddered to even imagine how that would play out.

That left Volya with Liam, unless he picked one of the guards as his confidante.

"Do you even realize that all you're going to do is watch me sit in a stupor or sleep?" Volya grumbled.

The smile on Liam's face gave way to a smoldering gaze that put Damir vis-à-vis with Marina to shame. "I'll watch you sleep," he promised, "and I'll bring you out of the trance if necessary."

If they could coat almonds in Liam's voice, it would be the sweetest candy in the world. Volya would buy it by the wagon-load, even if he couldn't eat a single one.

On another hand, he couldn't utter a single word in response. The heart monitor gave an annoying beep as his first warning. Great, now it would apprise the entire world about his confused feelings. Just what Volya needed.

Liam's gaze might or might not have swept Volya's perked up midsection. "If you want to set up our tent on the island before dark, you better start packing."

Volya grabbed the first thing in front of him—his sleeping bag. The monitor didn't relent.

Honestly, what rubbish was that? He'd shared the tent with Liam already. It made zero difference if they were on the island or here, in the camp. If he wanted anything to happen between Liam and him, it would have happened already.