Steven snorted.The guy with the hat was still looking around.“Those your clothes?”he asked.
I nodded.“Yeah.We went in the water to cool off.We always bring a change when we head out here.”
He didn’t look like he was armed, but that meant nothing.The vegetation was thick enough that they could’ve left their weapons behind before making themselves seen.Steven was running with a crowd that had nothing to do with academia and that I’d rather not have in town or anywhere near our mate.
The guy with the hat gave me an oily smile.“I see.Well, we’ll be on our way then.Such a nice day out to see some of the local wildlife.”
That man was dangerous.He wasn’t dressed like a hiker, and neither of them had a backpack, at least not on them.Their shoes were the kind you’d get used to in the military, and the first guy was still eyeing Ell and Dom with too much interest.
I made myself smile.“Enjoy, then.”
I kept stroking Marcus’s back as they vanished into the underbrush again.Steven had that look on his face that promised he wasn’t done with Marcus yet.I didn’t care.All I cared about was getting Marcus back to the house as fast as possible.
Even after they were out of sight, we all stood listening.In fur, Ell and Dom were bound to have an easier time with that, so when Ell huffed and turned, I moved too.
“Marcus?”I tilted his head up until I could look into his eyes.They were full of fear.“Are you okay?”
His lips pressed tight.“Why is he everywhere?Why can’t he just leave me alone?”
I stroked his cheeks.“It’ll be fine.We’re going to head back home, okay?”
He nodded.“Yeah.Really wanted to go in the river.”
“I know.We’ll do it another time.Ready to go?”
He nodded.“Yeah.”
Marcus stepped off my feet and flinched.Ell came close to shield him and offer his back to steady him while he started pulling on his socks and shoes.I collected the clothing and the picnic bag, tying the laces of the shoes so I could carry them over my shoulder.
“Marcus, ready?”
He nodded and wiped his face, then stopped himself when it looked as if he was about to scratch the back of his head.
“Yes.Do we have to hurry?You sound like you want me to hurry.”
Dom turned and circled around, still sniffing the air as he prepared to take the lead.He’d probably want to take a shortcut that wasn’t as easy to walk as the way here had been, but if push came to shove, I could always carry Marcus.Ell stuck to his side while I tightened the straps of the bag and got ready to walk.
“We’ll go as fast as you can manage.You don’t have to be scared, Marcus.They’re gone.It’s best to get home though.Dom’s going to make you a fresh cup of tea once we get there.”
Marcus nodded.“Yeah.You sound very calm, but I don’t think you’re as calm as you sound.That guy was creepy.”
He looked over his shoulder but started walking toward Dom.
“Which one?Do you know either of them?”
Marcus shook his head.“No.I mean, they’re the guys from yesterday.The ones Dom and I saw Steven sit with.I’ve never seen them before that.The one on the left though, he was looking at me funny.There was this one professor Steven was working with—or under, fuck if I give a shit anymore.He was like that, kind of…the kind of guy that makes you want to take a shower after you’ve had a conversation with him.”
I hadn’t noticed that, but I took Marcus’s word for it.“They really were not the academic type.Does Steven know a lot of people like that?”
We left the pebbled shore, and I fell in behind Marcus and Ell, who managed to stick to our mate’s side even without a clear path.
Marcus chuckled.“I don’t know.But that was a nice line about asking your buddies in academia about his manners.It’s the kind of thing he loathes.”
“I had a feeling.What do you mean you don’t know?You don’t know his friends?”
Marcus ducked under a pine branch, and a few squirrels dashed away as we made our way through their trees.“I think I know his work buddies.But he likes to go hunting every now and then, you know?Where other people go for paintball, he has to shoot things and then have a barbecue after.I mean, yuck, am I right?”
Ell made a surprised, wolfish noise, and even if I could barely see Dom’s red fur, I could hear him growl.
