Marduk explained before I could ask more questions. “They were making sure no one bothered us while we were vulnerable. It’s how packs work; they care for each other.”
Between the wolf packs and my serpent twins, I suddenly felt so damn cared for that I wanted to cry.
Maybe forever wasn’t such a bad thing.
Chapter 16
Danzig
Saturday morning, Bec declared that she had to study. She said we could stay, but only if we remained quiet and didn’t bother her. We were both good at self-entertaining, so we got comfortable.
For the next hour, I watched my mate pretending to study.
It was clear that she was deeply distracted. She would stare at her computer screen, click a few things, then shuffle papers, open a book, close it, then go back to the computer. It was as if she couldn't focus on any one topic very long.
Marduk was sitting peacefully on the couch, head back and earbuds in. He was probably listening to his favorite opera. He’d badgered me into going to many shows over the years. I usually fell asleep. It was one of the rare joys we didn’t share.
It would be interesting to see Bec’s reaction when Marduk got the courage to introduce her to his favorite operas.
But that was for another day. Today I wanted to do something fun with Bec, especially since she was growing visibly frustrated with the work materials in front of her.
I leaned back and moved the window curtain far enough to accommodate my phone. I took a picture of the beautiful blue sky outside, dotted with a few fluffy clouds.
Even though it was slightly out of focus, I opened PixUs and sent it. She grabbed her phone the moment it chimed, eager to do anything but study. When she saw the DM from me, she grinned and looked up.
“I don’t see any shapes in the clouds,” I said, referencing the picture of an elephant shaped cloud picture I’d sent a few days ago.
“No shapes to find,” I said. “I only wanted to show you what a pretty day it was outside.”
She glanced past me to the window. “I guess.”
“It’s too pretty to stay inside all day,” I said. “We should go up the coast and have lunch in San Juan Capistrano.”
“I really need to study,” she said, but it was clear she was tempted by my words. “I’m already behind schedule.”
I tilted my head. “Whose schedule?”
“I have worked it all out on how many hours and days I have to study to take the next bar exam,” she said.
“And if you miss that date, will there never be another one?” I asked.
“They’re offered every February and July,” she said.
“So there’ll be another one,” I said.
She did a strange half nod, half shake of her head. It was adorable. “Yes, but I’d have to wait a long time.”
“You seem very set on getting your California state credentials," I said, sitting forward in my seat. “Help me understand your process. Do you have plans to open a practice soon?”
She let out a long sigh and shut one of the books. “Honestly, I’m not sure I want to go back to being the same lawyer I was back in South Dakota. Helping people with their prenuptial agreements, wills, and power of attorneys was fine, but I feel like I want to do something more challenging.”
That explained the underlying restlessness I’d felt coming from her over the last two months.
“That’s not surprising. You should talk to Rissa,” I said. “She assists a lot of people with things like finding housing, jobs, and getting enrolled in programs. She’d know where your talents would be the most useful. But the important thing is that none of it needs to happen on a strict timeline. You’re trying to enjoy life more, remember?”
She rubbed her hands over her face. “Adventure. I'm supposed to be more adventurous.” Her words were muffled by her hands, but I heard the frustration. “I'm turning into the same old me. I can't fix myself!”
“Hey, look at me.”
