Page 55 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

Mariane yips in excitement when she sees it, having chosen to stay in her wolf form for the afternoon’s journey. The way her tongue lolled happily out of her mouth while she’d loped alongside the horses was honestly a bit amusing.

Letting out a whoop of my own in response, I bump my heels against Adaman’s sides, urging him into a gallop. He obediently surges forward and Obsidian does his best to keep pace with him, the rope tethering the larger horse to my saddlehorn going taunt.

A black mass darts us as Mariane accepts my unspoken challenge to a race.

The sound of the horse’s thundering hoofbeats is joined by my gleeful laughter as a wave of happiness washes over me. For this brief moment, all of my worries fall away, leaving behind nothing but overwhelming joy at knowing the woman I’ve come to care deeply for will soon be reunited with her family.

That is, until we near the treeline Mariane throws her head back and howls.

An unwelcome memory from our childhood flashes in our mind and I quickly shake my head. My grip on Adaman’s reins tightens as a brief shiver also runs down my spine. Our fear of wolves is something I never intend to let Mariane find out about.

Adaman, having no such fear, answers her call with a loud whinny, doing his best to keep pace with her. The distraction does wonders to calm my nerves and once again I find myself thankful to whatever fool had left such a marvelous horse unattended long enough for me to steal. A loud snort from the massive horse beside us proves Obsidian is an equally perfect match for Mariane, the sound eerily similar to her huffs of annoyance.

Both horses begin to slow, leaving the wolf the clear victor as she races past the first tree marking the very edge of the forest.

Easing Adaman down to a trot, I call out, “Welcome home, Your Majesty!”

Mariane skids to a stop, whirling around to face me with what is no doubt the happiest expression her furry face is capable of making.

Returning her sharp-toothed smile with one of my own, I bring both mounts to a halt, their nostrils flaring and sweat glistening on their necks from our brief sprint. Swinging down out of my saddle, I grab both sets of reins and lead them over to the heavily panting wolf.

“Would you like to shift back now, or once we’ve found a place to make camp?” I ask, already anticipating what her answer will be.

As expected, she huffs, turning and trotting deeper into the forest itself. Chuckling softly, I shake my head and follow after her.

Darkness has fully settled in by the time we make it to the small stream with plenty of room to make camp on its bank that Mariane had led us to.

“Thank you, Mariane. This is perfect,” I say, placing a kiss on the top of her head as I walk past her, guiding the horses to the water so they can have a drink while I unsaddle them.

I’m in the process of untying our bag of supplies from Obsidian’s saddle when I hear a loud splash. Glancing around his massive chest, I spot Mariane in the middle of the stream, her wet fur glistening in the moonlight. I watch as she continues to splash about, sending droplets of water flying in all directions each time her tail wags.

Smiling at her adorableness, I quickly finish removing our supplies and the horse’s tack, eager to join her. It’s been far too long since either of us have had a proper bath.

The last was when we’d stayed the night at the courtesan house in Drixton. Gwen had insisted on letting us use the worker’s washroom, so we needn’t risk running into any other patrons. At least we now know how she was able to make the offer, considering the woman had apparently owned the establishment.

The bakery, on the other hand, had lacked a bathtub. Rosaline had left a large bucket of water and some towels in our room when she’d been preparing it, so we’d thankfully been able to wash away the blood we’d been covered in. But that was about it. Apparently she and Slivo prefer to use the bath house in town and therefore have no need for a bath in their own home. Blasphemy if you ask me.

After tying the horses loosely to a nearby tree, I reach into our bag and pull out a set of travel clothes I’d bought for Mariane. Folding them neatly, I set them on a rock far enough away from the water’s edge that they won’t be at risk of getting wet. My smile returns as I also remove the clothing she’d borrowed after her original outfit had been torn apart. Those I simply toss next to the rock, intending to change into them after my make-shift bath. I pile all of our collective armor in a separate heap, knowing it’ll need to be cleaned later as well.

While I’m tugging off my boots, Mariane comes bounding out of the water. Noticing the mischievous glint in her eye, I drop the boots and throw both arms over my face, narrowly avoiding getting water in my eyes as she shakes out her fur.

Laughing, I lower my arms and say, “Oh you’re gonna pay for that.”

She yips, prancing in circles around me while I remove the rest of my clothes.

I’m down to only my chest wrappings and shorts when Aren suddenly blurts out, *Oh! Let me know before Mariane intends to shift back. I believe I may have found a way to alleviate a bit of her pain.*

Having not realized they were lurking, I’m momentarily startled at their outburst. Glancing down at the wolf beside me, I mentally reply, *Is that so? Guess you’re good for something after all.*

*Rude. I won’t need to take full control, I only need access to our hands.*

*Simple enough.* Dropping to a knee in front of Mariane, I place a hand on her furry cheek and say, “Whenever you’re ready to shift back, let me know. Apparently, Aren has an idea to help you in some way.”

She stares at me for a moment, then licks me in the face, her wet tongue dragging from the tip of my chin, over my lips, my nose, not stopping until she meets my hairline.

I’m so stunned that all I can do is blink at her in response. Aren on the other hand, bursts out laughing.

After a moment, Mariane nudges my hand with her nose and Aren’s laughter trails off as they say, *I believe that’s her way of telling you she’s ready.*