We stay like that for a long time, and then he slips his hand in mine, just holding. Just us in the dark.
His scent fills the air around me, and the cold isn’t so cold; the dark isn’t so oppressive. His hand is warm and feels like it could be a good place to stay. To stop.
When I look at him, he’s staring up at the stars, and I can see their reflections in his eyes.
“You’re not alone. Not right now. I know this isn’t forever, but today, tonight, we’re here.”
My hand tightens around his; my chest feels like it’s been cracked open, and somewhere deep inside of me, the warmth of a fire has been lit.
Tonight, I’m not alone.
When he turns and touches his lips to mine, it’s as inevitable as the stars themselves. If Wrath was going to shake me apart, Hazard is lifting me up and putting me back together.
I surrender to his kiss, to him as he pulls back, staring at me, the way he stared at the stars.
“I’m going to stay with you,” he whispers the promise so only the stars and I hear.
And I want that…so badly.
Casey
I try not tosigh as I follow my date around the hiking trail as we head deeper into the mountains. He had been adamant about not meeting in town, and whilst that was a little bit of a red flag, since I have five big wolves who can eat him if he tries something, I was not terribly worried.
I really should have been.
“Did you see it!” He turns and bounces up to me. “Did you see the bird?” His enthusiasm might be infectious…to a five-year-old.
“I saw it.”
“It’s a brown thornbill. It’s excellent to know they are here.”
I look around, noting the half dozen other brown thornbills in residence. Should I point them out or…no. My date rushes off, crouching over some rabbit shit and poking it with his finger.
I look at my hand and pull out my hand sanitizer, rubbing it all over–twice. I glance to my left, where I can feel the intense stare of Angel. His head is low, but his fur is catching too much light; he shouldn’t be this close.
He’s hunting my date.
I bite the inside of my cheek and try not to imagine what Marcell Donnelly the Third would say if confronted with a huge white wolf. Or acknowledge the other thought that’s making me feel all shivery inside.
Marcell is wire-thin, no doubt because he forgets to eat and spends all his time in the forest chasing animals, which he is, surprisingly, incredibly bad at.
“Come on, I found the tracks of a bear.” He gives me a huge smile, but I don’t think he’s really seeing me. “I studied the bear for my thesis.”
“Have you ever seen one?”
His eyes get hard, and he lifts his chin. “I do not need to see an actual bear to be an expert. Casey, I have already told you, I am a professional and highly qualified. I studied for seven years. I know more about them than almost anyone in the field.”
“Uh-huh.”
My reply doesn’t impress him, but I think he’s going to continue trying to find this bear regardless of what I say.
I nod and follow, but when I pass the tracks, they are scuff marks from a dirt bike. Seriously, if you’re going to be into animals, you should probably at least learn how to track and identify them properly.
Hazard huffs, and I whip around, finding him standing there, right out in the open. He wags his tail, opens his mouth, letting his tongue hang out.
“Hazard! Please don’t-”
The red wolf flashes me a mischievous look and crashes through the trees, making as much noise as possible.
