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"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
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September 9 | Late Noon
The red dirt road wound through pine trees and oaks. Sunlight hung in the woods, turning dust motes and pollen to gold flecks, the sight of which soothed my frazzled nerves. Deer pranced away at the sound of the four-wheel drive. The trail dead-ended at a vibrant glade where my cabin was located. There was one way in, one way out. Long-eared hares played hide-and-seek in the tall grass, and birds chittered in protest as my Dodge came to a stop.
I wanted to kiss the ground.
Somehow, we had reached our destination without anyone taking a bullet. I stared with relief at the faded walls of the lodge, the aluminum roof dulled by time, the yard that was more wildflower field than lawn. Inside the cabin, there was a great room, an updated bathroom, and a loft. Aurie and Mys would be comfortable here.
As I killed the engine, Mys slowly awoke from a catnap, and Aurie stretched, taking in our new setting. I could almost hear her brain working up a plan to sneak off. Not for the first time, I regretted keeping her in isolation. At least here she could leave the house. No sneaking necessary.
"Nothing for miles except nature and God," I mentioned.
"Are you staying with us tonight?" Mys nudged my hand. Without thinking, I laced our fingers together atop the center console. It hit me that I was encouraging intimacy, and I disengaged. Inky black hair fell over Mys' pink-tinged cheeks but the flicker of emotion was so brief, it was easy to miss.
"I need to do a perimeter check," I muttered. "Take the keys and you two get settled inside. I'll be back." I stepped from the truck and inhaled the rich, loamy odor of the forest. The smells were intoxicating, hyperreal. Courtesy of my wolf.
I called it forth as I unbuttoned my shirt, ignoring my friends, ready to shift. I had reasons for doing it in plain view this time. I needed to make sure no one had followed us, and man-shape wasn't ideal for reconnaissance. I was also being an exhibitionist to remind Aurie and Mys of the more savage aspects of my nature. They needed to see the rogue, the creature that would bite the hand that fed.
Mys had overplayed the experienced jade this morning. Aurie had given me a look of yearning that knew no bounds. All because of a drunken Saturday night dare. We never should've landed in bed together. Yet, they were the only two beings who had ever made me want to throw caution to the wind.
I knew that a relationship, especially an unconventional polyamorous one, was off limits. The wildness of going full rogue had taken root, and there was no alternate happy ending. Walls had to be built. Feelings had to be hurt. Last night had to remain purely about sex. When an inward voice quizzed me, "Was it, though?" I reminded myself of my own lunacy. Enough said.
I tugged off my shirt and dropped it on top of the shoes I had kicked away. The sun spilled over my shoulders like a weightless massage, but my fracturing psyche couldn't appreciate it. When I caught Aurie and Mys staring, a rueful smile touched my lips, but this wasn't a striptease. It was more severe.
