“You get to help me with dinner.”
“Wonderful.”
“Thought you’d like that.” Isaac clapped him on the shoulder. “Now come and help me find something relatively easy and cheap to cook for our guests.”
“Guests?” Callum grumbled. “Not what I’d call them.”
Isaac laughed as they headed down to the kitchen. “That’s why I’m the alpha.”
* * *
Michael sataround the unlit firepit with everyone else, sandwich in one hand, water in the other. Not that he was ungrateful for the food Isaac had left them, but what he wouldn’t give to light the fire and cook some meat over it. Or anything hot, for that matter.
Sam sat next to him on one side, Smith on the other.
“I guess this means the HRU are still here.” Sam stared at his sandwich for a moment before taking a bite. “Not that I’m complaining or anything,” he added, waving his sandwich around. “Food is food.”
“But you’d really like a barbecue?”
Sam groaned. “I would.”
Murmurs of agreement rippled around the group.
“At least we know they haven’t found anything, though,” Smith said. He finished the last of his roll and pointed at the tunnel entrance. “As long as we don’t hear the pitter-patter of HRU footsteps coming down there, I’m more than happy to survive on sandwiches and rolls.”
“Yeah. Okay, you’re right.” Sam sat back in his chair and tucked into his food again.
When everything had been eaten and the rubbish cleared away, Cole spoke up. “How certain are we that they won’t find the tunnel entrance? I know we’ve been over this, but I’ve trained with the HRU. I know how good they are.”
He directed the question to Michael, and the others all looked his way, waiting for an answer.
For reassurance.
Waiting down in the cave, cut off from everything else, was taking its toll. None of them liked being helpless, Michael least of all, and that’s what they were at the moment.
Waiting for Paul and his team to either go back to London or appear at the end of that tunnel armed to the teeth. And nothing they could do would change that.
“Isaac has his own pack to protect too. He has Goddess knows how many HRU members in his house at the moment. If any evidence of our visit is found, they’ll all be in trouble. Isaac will be charged with treason against the Shifter Alliance, and so will any of his pack who they can prove helped him.” He looked up, meeting everyone’s gaze in turn, hoping to reassure them that they were safe as long as they stayed in the cave and waited. “If Isaac says the tunnel is undetectable once closed, then it’s fucking undetectable. He wouldn’t risk our safety and definitely not the safety of his pack if he wasn’t one hundred per cent sure.”
“Okay.” Cole scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry for doubting him, I just... The waiting has me on edge.” Logan nudged his knee against Cole’s in a silent show of support and Cole gave him a small smile in return.
Michael focused on his water bottle and ignored the ache in his chest as his thoughts inevitably returned to Isaac. He didn’t realise he’d placed his hand over his heart until Sam leant against him.
“Everything okay?” he whispered. “Apart from the obvious, that is.”
“Yeah, I was just thinking.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.” Sam reached for his hand and squeezed it.
Michael sighed. “I know he can handle himself against Paul. It’s not that.” His gaze drifted to where Logan and Cole sat talking quietly, heads together.
“Ah.”
“What does ‘ah’ mean, exactly?”
Sam shrugged a shoulder. “You wish that was you and Isaac.” Michael glared at him, and Sam rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. We all know how you feel about him. Especially after this morning’s display.”
“Yeah, all right. Fair point.”
