“Picture rust. The cage on the ship we chartered was more rust than steel, a fact we did not realize until we were already way out at sea, thousands of miles from home, and with a video to shoot. It was early on, and we were figuring a lot out, and of course were on a shoestring budget because we hadn’t hit our first million subscribers. Not anywhere near.”
“I haven’t ever seen that video.”
“It didn’t make the cut because unlike some of our misadventures which are cute or funny or have satisfying endings, it was a nightmare from start to finish.”
“Oh no. Did any of you get hurt?”
“Not us. But someone else. I have the footage you can look at if you ever want to.”
I shuddered. “I don’t know. While I love the idea of seeing an exclusive Three Bears Road Trip, I’m not good with gore.”
He chuckled. “It’s not quite gore, but I can do an edit to save you from the accident. We could have done that and put it out there, but we had a contract with the shark cage people as sponsors, and if we had put it out there, we couldn’t have told our viewers the truth. We were contractually prohibited to do anything to hurt their business—which our opinion 100 percent would have done. Good news is, they are out of business now, after a few lawsuits, and the contract is no longer an issue.”
“So, are you going to put it up, then?”
“Maybe so. I’m starving. You?”
Chapter Eighteen
Saber
We combed the area and came up empty. We’d had things happen during our travels, as everyone did, that made us concerned, but this was a new level of worry that made me sick to my stomach.
We hadn’t found Posy, and now, Judah was missing as well.
“What do we do now?” I asked Aldrin. Her scent had somewhat faded from our camping area, her nest.
“We stay put. Let’s build a fire and start some breakfast. If Judah found her, they know where to find us. It’s only been an hour. Moving will cause more chaos.”
I got to work building the fire and I pushed some of the embers to the side and filled our camping pot with water. We always kept some staple things in our packs, and one of them was oatmeal. No matter where we went hiking, camping, wherever, oatmeal always fit the bill, and we could get creative with it on the trail.
In no time, I’d made oatmeal with peanut butter and trail mix in it and set the pot near enough to the fire to keep warm if Posy came back hungry.
I looked off into the distance and shook my head. The chance that our mate might not come back was enough to stop my heart.
We barely got a chance to know her.
At the snap of a twig, I turned to see Judah emerge from the trail with Posy in his arms.
“What happened?” Aldrin touched the ends of her damp hair. “Everything okay?”
Judah beelined toward his pack after putting Posy on her feet , fished out one of our cameras, and began to film. What in the hell was going on?
Posy leaned into Aldrin as his hand moved to cup her face. “I’m okay. I just went to take a quick bath in the stream. This one walked right up on me.”
My heart drummed so hard, I could barely get out a word. My fears for her were blinding. And she was bathing? What the fuck? “You couldn’t let us know where you were, so we wouldn’t be worried to death?” The words projectile-spewed out of me without my permission. She didn’t deserve anger. And I wasn’t angry, but from her wide eyes and trembling chin, it probably sounded that way. “I’m sorry. We were just worried.”
Posy came over and stood right in front of me. Judah was still filming, and it felt weird this time. She was ours, the one part of our lives that should be private. Shouldn’t it?
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I should’ve told you where I was, yesterday and today.” Posy stared into my eyes. She reached out for me, and I hugged her, breathing in the scent I’d learned to crave. Like every beautiful travel moment and sunshine. “Forgive me?” she whispered in my ear.
“Of course.” I looked over her shoulder at Judah. “What are you doing?”
“Filming. Posy, want to tell them what you told me on the way back?”
We all sat down around the campfire on logs Aldrin had brought in.
Posy sighed. “I came here to join you three as a mate but also, I want to go on your adventures with you. Not as some female you treat with kid gloves but as an equal. I can make fire and carry firewood, and do most of the things you do. And if I can’t, I’ll learn. I was raised among wolves as the weakest part of the pack, but I’m still stronger than most humans. I don’t likethe fancy trailer. I want to be in a tent. In the dirt. Eating charred food from the fire and sleeping under the stars. I’m not fragile. I won’t break.”
