"It's practical! It's cold in here."
"We wolves run hotter," I retort. "If anything, it's too warm."
"Should I open the window then?"
"Just shut up and go to sleep."
"Your pillow talk leaves a lot to be desired." Marlow flops back onto the bed, making a show of getting comfortable.
I grumble under my breath, eventually joining him on the mattress and sticking to the very edge. I turn on my side, away from him.
As I close my eyes, the cold seeps through the walls of the cabin. We obviously can't light a fire tonight, so we're stuck enduring the cold. The threadbare quilt on the bed really isn't enough. Shifting into my wolf form isn't the best idea either.That's why I'm wearing these stupid pajamas and camouflaging my scent.
The cold eventually wears me down. Despite my better judgment, I find myself gradually drifting closer, scooting back towards him. I think he's drifting to the center of the bed too. This close to the mountains at night, it gets pretty damn cold. There’s no point in breaking his ass out of prison just to let him freeze to death.
Marlow may be annoying, but his warmth is too tempting to ignore. I can tell myself it’s purely practical, just because we can’t turn on the heat.
"Alright, it’s cold," I say. "So maybe we just man up and do what we need to do to keep warm."
"Alright."
Slowly, inch by torturous inch, we draw closer. Every movement screams awkward. Is this really what sharing a bed with my mate is like? It shouldn't be like this.
But despite all efforts to hide his scent, if I concentrate, I swear I can still pick up the faintest scent of spice and him. The wolf in me wants to bury my nose against his neck and just breathe him in. I find myself turning around, and he turns too.
Even in the dark, his eyes have managed to find mine, and now I can’t look anywhere else.
It’s like we’re being pulled by magnets—not just two guys trying to survive a frigid night in the mountains. The awkwardness melts away, replaced by something that makes my chest tighten. I wish I could pretend that I’d be as eager to cozy up to any warm body, but deep down, I’m excited to put my arms around this pesky demon.
Marlow stretches his arm toward me, fingers nearly grazing my shoulder when wings flap overhead. A tiny bundle plummets into the narrow space between us. Iggy seems completelyunaware of the tension that sizzles around us. "Is there room for me too?"
The moment shatters.
You know what? The chill isn't so terrible after all. We retreat to our respective sides, backs turned, pointedly ignoring each other's existence.
It’s going to be a long night.
10.The Glamorous Art of Hiding Out Isn't so Glamorous Afterall
Wynn
Climbing trees isn't exactly natural for wolves, but my human half finds a good vantage point to hunker down in. Being up this high gives me a view of the clearing and hiking trail nearby.
Last night wasn't as bad as I thought. Not after I got up and put the time to better use.
I’m miles from the cabin when finally spotting the search party in the distance. The wolves weave through the undergrowth, noses pressed to the ground, sniffing and snorting as their tails twitch, completely focused on the decoy scent trail I laid earlier. The trail leads them further and further from the cabin.
Good. This is working.
Covering our tracks and leading search parties astray becomes just the start of my tasks over the first week as fugitives. My family thinks I'm lounging on vacation, but I've never worked harder in my life. Confined in a cabin with a pesky demon while I do everything. It turns out Marlow's survival skills… are lacking. Basic tasks like figuring out which directionis north or picking up his own mess baffle him completely. How did this demon even survive this long on his own?
"I usually just... snap my fingers and things sort themselves out." Marlow demonstrates with a flourish, but nothing happens.
Even making the bed defeats him. He wrestles with the fitted sheet and soon becomes tangled in the fabric like a fish in a net, cursing creatively while Iggy and I watch in horrified fascination.
My supposed mate can't handle the most basic domestic tasks. Iggy ends up being a lot more useful. He flies through the forest and watches for threats, all while cloaked and invisible. Iggy’s been keeping tabs on the wolves searching for Marlow. They’ve come fairly close to the cabin a couple times but are focusing more on the other side of the forest thanks to the fake trail I laid earlier.
I risked everything to help this demon escape. The least he can do is pull his weight around here. Maybe I can teach him to actually contribute.
