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Ohh.
I kind of liked the way he used my whole name. No one had called me that since I was a kid.
“There’s only one door that functions as an exit and an entrance. I’ll be waiting out here, in case you need me.”His fingers brushed my arm gently, and then he took a step back.
I didn’t like the space. Not even a little bit.
“You don’t need to wait here,” I whispered. “I’m fine.”
“I never said you weren’t.”His lips lifted in a slow, small smile.
“You could go back to your den and shower. I’m sure you feel as disgusting as I do, right now.”
“I won’t be going home again until you’re going with me.”He shifted forms, and my worry faded slightly.
“I told you, I’m not taking a mate for anything other than friendship.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”He brushed his furry side against my smooth one.
My face flushed, but I turned around and slipped into the women’s den. Ezra followed me, closing the door unceremoniously behind us.
I found myself standing in a massive, open space with a living room and a kitchen that rolled into each other.
My stomach clenched, and I felt more sure than ever about wanting a cozy den.
Jill and Riley were already in the kitchen, cooking. It had to be late for dinner, but no one was complaining.
“I thought women don’t cook here,” I said, as I walked with Ezra to a row of stools in the kitchen.
“Not for their mates,” Ezra agreed. “In the Peaks, they don’t cook at all. We’ve been forcing the men to wrap their minds around the fact that we can cook for them too sometimes.”
Huh.
“What do the women in the Peaks do, then?” I asked. “Not that cooking is all they’d do otherwise. I just mean—”
“We’ve got you.” Ezra flashed me a grin. “The dynamic is weird, we know. The whole idea in the Peaks is that the men take care of the women, and the women bring joy to the men in exchange. So the guys make dinner, and the ladies make desserts. The guys create functional clothes, the women make fun ones. The guys build houses, the women decorate them, and make art for them.”
I blinked.
“The guys in the Woods have been alone so long that some of those traditions have already faded. You’ve seen the tattoos on them; a handful of the guys are artists. We’re slowly making the tasks more equal around here, but it will never be Earth.”
“Thank the damn veil for that,” Jill called out.
My lips curved upward. “What is the veil? I’ve heard Amarok mention it before. He tried to explain a lot of things, but I think he didn’t realize some of them didn’t make sense to me.”
Ezra nodded. “Rok’s one of the good ones. He’s Ivaylo’s beta, along with Valko. The three of them basically held the pack together over the last fifty years. Their numbers dwindled pretty fast after the last alpha lost his fight to immis.”
I blinked.
Ezra clearly understood a hell of a lot more of the pack’s history than I did. I knew basically nothing.
“The veil separates this world and this life from the ones before and after. I wouldn’t be so inclined to believe in it, but Serae said she had to cross it to find Earth, so… I’m a believer,” Ezra said.
“Most of us are,” Riley agreed. “But no one will be offended if you aren’t, so don’t worry about it.”
I bit my lip, but nodded. I had no idea what I believed.
“Tell us about yourself, Rory,” Ezra said, leaning over the countertop in front of us. Her gaze was interested. “And about your trip here. From the amount of dirt on your skin, I assume it was a long one.”
