He scowls.
“Okay, let’s have a look.”
The three of them are wet and miserable. They have bites all over them, and they are clearly sick.
“Were you out here all night?”
“Only for the last hour or so,” Nathan mutters.
“Why didn’t you wake anyone?” I ask and turn to the tent. My memory recalls them yelling, and Rory snarling at them.Oh. Well, it’s kind of funny.
I duck my head in the tent and feel the blood drain from my face. I step back and clear my throat.
“We may have to burn it.”
My joke doesn’t go over well. They all start yelling at me, which alerts the betas up and brings the Prince pack even closer. Justin walks past me to the tent and smiles, his whole aura is one of peace and calm. It’s one of those smiles someone gets when they see a child or a kitten or a puppy. Not a bug.
He lets out a sigh that has me losing interest in everyone but him.
“They are simply beautiful,” he croons and reaches out to stroke one.
He carefully maneuvers into the tent.
“Hello, my little darlings.”
And now I know why he wanted to come on the adventure.
“Justin, are you a person who likes bugs?” I ask as I crouch to watch him carefully exploring the tent and infestation.
“No. I am a myriapodophile. I like centipedes, millipedes, and such. The name myria meaning countless and podo meaning feet. They are my life’s work,” he murmurs and gently picks one up. “I’ve never seen one of these before. Oh, I’m going to have to document this for our club. The guys will never believe it.”
It’s like all his birthdays have come at once.
“That is spectacular. Can you tell us about them? I’ve never had anyone with information join my adventure before, and I’d love to learn. But first, quick question, will Rojer, Nathan, and Kevin die?”
He stares at me from the tent infested with centipedes as if he can’t believe his ears.
“You aren’t mocking me?”
“Not at all,” I say seriously. “I’d love for you to teach me about them.”
He smiles, and I think it’s the first genuine smile I’ve seen from him.
“They will live, it will just hurt like hell,” Justin says with a wide smile.
“Holy fucking hell, I want off of this ride,” Kevin says in a shaky voice.
I ignore him. The sun is shining, I got orgasms last night, and Justin is smiling. What a fucking beautiful day.
Rory
I’m not going to have it. Their ignorant and aggressive murmurs about Bonnie are loud enough that Vale and I have been able to hear everything.
I hum and get an idea.
“Can you just hold the fort for a moment, alpha of mine?”
Vale flashes me an indulgent smile. “Sure. Going to go play?”
