The Wilde Expedition

27. much ado about wolves

Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.

〮CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN 〮

"Are you always such a mess... afterwards?"

"What're you talking about? I'm always a mess."

"A hot mess." I reached across the table to pound my fist against his arm for that. He was giggling to himself like a madman, and had to adjust his glasses again to see me roll my eyes. "Kidding! I was kidding! But in all seriousness, is the blood a regular thing? Because I think I can still smell it."

"Well duh you can. Even I can. Back at home we've got this insane soap that practically bleaches the scent. Otherwise we'd all smell like wet dogs," I explained. My eyes felt strained, just trying to focus on him and the meal at hand. Breakfast. I couldn't believe that I was still awake—by the time I'd gotten back to the lodge and showered up, Gavin was up asking questions.

I stretched my arm up and back and released a massive yawn that had my toes curling in and my fists clenching. I thought I'd be full after last night, but nope, my stomach had other plans. French toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, the whole kitten-caboodle.

"Do you think you'll be up for hiking in an hour?" he asked, a playful grin on his face.

Good Lord I couldn't even think about walking much farther than this from the room.

"You go on without me. Maybe in the afternoon I will be," I told him, and he agreed on it. I scrubbed a hand down the side of my face and set to work polishing off my plate, which didn't take too long. The entire time, though, a thought was on my mind, and it all revolved around the blur that was last night. I remembered one thing as if I'd been myself all that time it happened, like playing a record back in my head. The sound of it was... familiar. Only, my wolf-brain couldn't process it like I could now. I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

After breakfast, we went back to the room where Gavin packed his backpack up with camera equipment, a water bottle, and suited up with his jacket, jeans, and boots. I was already collapsed on my bed, shimmying under the covers and feeling almost too sleepy to make one simple phone call.

"You'll be fine here?" he questioned, and I nodded. "Don't answer the door for strangers."

"No promises."

"Spontaneity, I like it. Unless it gets you in the back of another semi," he said, using that same playful, joking voice that had me laughing.

Once he was gone, I reached over for the phone and dialed up Alister's phone. I doubted he'd be awake, but I knew he'd be sleeping with his phone right next to him. He never silenced his phone, either. I knew that because he'd gotten in trouble plenty of times for having the teacher hear it going off. You'd think he'd've learned by now.

The first try it went to voicemail, but the second time he picked up with a groan of annoyance. "Leave me alone," he whined, and I knew he was about to hang up.

"Hold on, buddy, I'm not a telemarketer," I said, straightening myself up so my back was against the headboard.

"Jesus Emma, do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah. It's, like, eight."

"Yeah, in the morning. Look, it's not that I'm not glad to hear from you, but when it's when I'm sleeping..." he drawled. A smile pulled at my lips and I couldn't help but poke fun at him anyway.

After bantering around for a solid five minutes, he said, "So what'd you call for anyway? You miss me?"

"Hell fucking no. I'm having a great time," I said, laughing. "But I just wanted to ask you something. I'm guessing you went for a run last night, huh?" He confirmed this suspicion, so I went on. "Do you remember much? About last night?"