I listened to the message again, this time pressing my cell phone to the receiver so I could record it for Wanda. I doubted she could trace it since it had come through the hotel’s switchboard, but I figured it didn’t hurt to try. Then again, we probably didn’t need to trace it, given that the O’Brians were clearly on their way here to Seattle.
Hazel flopped down on her bed, throwing her arm over her face.
“Where do your folks live?”
“Boston. At least that’s where they were the last time I talked to them.”
“Well, if they’re in Boston they won’t be here before tomorrow anyway, so we might as well try to get some sleep.”
Hazel pushed up to seated. I thought she’d be sad, or maybe scared, but instead she looked pissed.
“Is it too much to ask that I live my life in peace?” she asked loudly. “I mean, really. All I want to do is figure out how to make advantageous alliances for Canada while keeping international peace. It’s not like I’m asking for the moon here.”
She got up and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. When she emerged ten minutes later she was in her pajamas, face scrubbed clean, breath smelling of toothpaste, her manner calmer although I could still sense the agitation beneath the surface. Without a word, she got into bed, pulled the blankets up, and rolled over to face the wall.
Since I didn’t need light anyway I turned off my light, then headed into the bathroom to do my own pre-bedtime rituals before settling into bed. I couldn’t sleep though, not when my mate was awake and agitated. She was trying to be quiet, but I could practically hear her brain whirring, her body tense beneath the blanket as she shifted positions every few minutes.
“Can’t sleep?” I finally asked her.
“No. My mind won’t shut off. Sorry if I’m bothering you.”
“You’re not.”
I was tempted to offer her an orgasm, but I didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerable state. I knew it was for the best if we kept our distance except… she looked so sad and lonely over there, her face turned towards mine in the dark.
Before I could think better of it, I got out of bed and crossed the short distance between us.
“Move over,” I ordered.
“What?”
“Move over.”
She slid towards the center of the bed, and I got in next to her.
“Let me hold you for a while.”
She was quiet for so long I thought I’d made the wrong move, but then she was sliding closer. I stretched out the arm closest to her, and she burrowed into my side, letting out a long sigh as she rested her head on my shoulder, her hand on my belly. I wrapped my arm around her and everything inside me calmed.
“What are your parents like?” Hazel asked. “Are they crazy too?”
“Not really. I mean they have their quirks but they’re great. We’re pretty close. Dad was in the military, so for the first part of my childhood I was an Army brat, moving from place to place.”
“Must’ve been hard to form friendships that way,” she noted.
I hadn’t thought about it before, but maybe that’s why I resisted forming relationships. Why I was nervous about the whole mate thing.
“Yeah, I guess so. But Dad retired when I was a freshman in high school, so I was able to finish my last three years of school in one place, here in Seattle.”
“Do they still live here?”
“No. A few years ago Dad retired from his post-military job, and he and Mom moved to Montana where there’s more room for him to let his wolf roam.”
“What’s your mom like?”
I smiled in the darkness. “She’s the true general in the family. She insists on family holidays. Has strong opinions on just about everything. But she also makes great cookies and gives the best hugs.”
“They sound great.” Hazel’s voice was wistful.
