Of course, Thorin won’t let me anywhere near it.
He only allows me close enough to spot the pups playing outside of the cave while Meera devours a gray hare soaked in blood.
“So that’s Meera,” Zeke says as he studies the tawny wolf.
“Yup.” I grin.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t she?” I squeal like a proud mama.
Thorin gives me a sharp look in reprimand, and I wince and lower my voice. “Sorry. Can she see us?” The three of us are lying on our bellies on the much higher elevated side of the riverbed.
“Not at the moment, but she’ll hear us if we’re not careful. We’re downwind, so as long as we stay quiet, we should be fine.”
As if fate had other plans, Zeke’s radio crackles and then Khalil’s deep voice comes through with a boom. “Hello? Hello? Zeke. Zeke! If you’re getting this, pick up!”
Across the dried riverbed, Meera raises her head. Her warning growl is faint when it reaches my ears, but it still raises the hair on my nape all the same.
“Shit,” Zeke swears before crawling away to keep from giving away our position. I watch over my shoulder as he stands when he gets far enough and unclips the radio attached to the back of his jeans.
I’m reluctant to leave Meera’s den behind, but my worry for Khalil wins out when I remember that we left him alone this morning. I cast one last longing look at Meera, who’s standing now and staring in our direction but not seeing us. Her hackles are clearly raised, so the best thing I can do for Meera and her pups now is to leave them be.
The guys are right. Meera is an unusual wolf but a wild one all the same. She’s a predator who won’t hesitate to rip out my throat. I have to either trust that she can take care of herself or…
I gulp.
Let nature take its course.
Up ahead, Zeke presses the receiver button while Thorin and I catch up. “Khalil?”
“Goddamn,” Khalil immediately fusses. “Where the fuck y’all at? You were supposed to be back hours ago.”
“We went sightseeing, asshole. What do you want?”
The radio is quiet for a few seconds before Khalil finally answers in a more subdued and curious tone. “Is Aurelia okay?”
Zeke rolls his eyes and presses the receiver with a quick glance my way that at the last minute becomes searching as if he’s assuring himself of his answer. “She’s fine,” he offers curtly.He lets the receiver go and then he presses it again. “Thorin and I are fine too. Thanks for asking.”
“Look, I ain’t ask you about all that,” Khalil immediately retorts. “Let me talk to my baby.”
Zeke hands me the radio, and I reach out to take it. There’s a brief moment when our fingers graze, and it feels as if my entire body has been electrified by that small, accidental touch.
I don’t have to question if he felt it too.
Zeke snatches his hand back so quickly someone might think he’d actually been electrocuted. Cursing to himself, he avoids further eye contact as he stomps off. His mood swings are really starting to piss me off.
I press the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hey, Goldilocks. Where are you? Where did you go?”
“To find Meera’s new den.” I grin again. “Her pups are getting big.”
“What is it with you and this wolf? She’s a wild animal, Goldilocks.”
I huff. “So everyone keeps reminding me.” It’s not like I’m trying to domesticate her. Jeez.
“You’re on your way back now?”
