“Yes. I’ll be right there.”
When I hung up, I noted I had Mom and Dad’s attention.
“Sorry. I need to cut this visit short. Fenris got into a fight at the Academy and ran off. His girls are hoping I can help them find him.”
“They’re very clever to use you as bait, baby. After last night, you know no one can resist you. Go help your friends and have fun. Let me know if we’re still going to the Quills' for dinner. I’ll make sure I’m suitably hungry.”
Her smile made me think of Mrs. Quill’s worried phone call and her willingness to feed us both.
“I think that will depend on finding Fenris in time,” I said. “But I’ll let you know.”
After raiding Dad’s wardrobe for an extra shirt for warmth, I headed for pack territory. The girls were waiting for me in the parking lot. While I layered up, Jenna explained the plan.
“We’ll split up, each heading in a different direction. Eliana, since you’ve already been north, you take that one. Remember the tree?”
I nodded even though all the trees looked pretty much the same to me.
“Good. When you get there, call me, and I’ll guide you to the next place to check. GPS works out here, so just keep heading north, and you’ll be fine. Call me if you find him.” She looked at the other two. “Agreed? We call each other?”
Their worry was so thick I could almost taste it.
“We’ll call,” Willow agreed. “I just want him back to his old self again.”
They created a group text so I would have all of their numbers then Willow and Laurel jogged off.
“I’ll walk with you for a bit and get you on the right path,” Jenna said, tagging along with me. “Are you going to be warm enough?”
“If I get cold, I’ll jog for a bit,” I said since my toes were already cold from standing in the parking lot.
We walked in silence, skirting around Blueleaf before Jenna spoke again.
“The elders are putting too much pressure on Fenris. Pack runs don’t last until dawn. We’re burst animals. We might jog a lot, but we’re not meant to run indefinitely, and that’s what Fenris was doing last night. Running like crazy. He had to be exhausted. Yet he went to class like normal. I think it was just too much. That’s why he snapped, right?”
Guilt hit me hard. I’d been so insensitive this morning. When he’d mentioned cuddling, I hadn’t even considered it was because he was tired. I’d thought it was just his way of pushing at my boundaries. And it probably had been, but only as a secondary purpose.
“I’m sure that’s it,” I said, answering Jenna.
She gestured to the right. “This is where you want to start. Walk straight north, and you’ll find the tree. Thanks again for helping.”
With a nod, I started in the direction she’d indicated. It was laughable how short a distance I’d gone before I checked my phone, thinking I had to be almost there. My feet were cold enough that I gave jogging a try. Instead of warming me, it made me colder. I knew why. I was hungry. Past hungry. The need for nourishment clawed at my middle.
I thought of Mrs. Quill’s invitation to dinner. Maybe I should go.
My side cramped, and I slowed from a jog to a walk while I amended my thought. Maybe I needed to go.
That familiar tingle of awareness returned before I reached the tree. My eyes turned black with my annoyance. Hangry wasn’t a good combination for me and whatever was in the woods following me, so I took a few calming breaths then took out my phone to call Jenna.
“What do I do if I feel like something’s following me?” I asked when she answered.
“In these woods, if something’s following you and you run, you’d probably be chased. But I’m not sure that’s what you want.”
“Because I’m cold and tired and hungry?”
“Um, maybe you do want it then. Being chased is our version of foreplay. It doesn’t have to end in sex, but there would definitely be enough sexual energy for you to eat if you wanted.”
My steps faltered. That didn’t make sense with what Fenris had told me. He’d said not to run or I’d become prey. It sounded more like I’d end up being the predator even if I was the one being chased. But he knew I didn’t want to be the predator, so maybe that had been his way of helping me prevent another slip.
“Got it,” I said to Jenna. “Thanks for the warning.”
After hanging up, I stopped walking and looked around at the trees.
“I’m not up for hide-and-seek or chase the mate or whatever this is. If you’re bored and looking for something to do, help me find Fenris. His girls are worried about him, and my toes are two steps away from turning blue with cold.”
I waited. Nothing moved in the trees around me. But slowly, the feeling of being watched faded.
Sighing, I continued on, this time calling Fenris’s name. When the tree finally came into view, I was surprised to see Fenris lounging on one of the lower branches.
Barefoot and shirtless, he gazed up at the canopy, looking completely lost in thought.
I didn’t say anything as I approached, unwilling to interrupt whatever occupied his mind.
“Hey, snow princess. I heard you’re not up for hide-and-seek.” He turned his head. “Why are you out here looking for me?”
“Jenna called me. They’re worried and said you’re not acting like yourself. That you yelled at them.”
Instead of answering, he went back to gazing up at the canopy. Something about it felt like an irritated dismissal and showed just how not himself he was acting.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to go to class. When you said you wouldn’t be able to sleep, I assumed you weren’t tired. I’m sorry I behaved so selfishly this morning.”
He gave a humorless laugh.
“Aubrey was selfish; you’re just scared.”
My vision sharpened in my annoyance, and the pulse fluttering against the column of his throat stood out in crystal clarity.
“You still don’t get it. You smell amazing, Fenris. That’s why I didn’t want you to come with me today. What do you think my mom would do? Yes, I was afraid. For you, you moody furball. I’m fighting against every adult in my life, just like you are. I don’t need to fight with you when all I’m trying to do is keep you safe. Even from me. Now get down out of that tree, and go find a bed before you annoy me enough to come up there.”
His lips twitched, and he turned his head to look at me again.
“Moody furball?”
“That’s all you heard out of that, isn’t it?”
His grin widened. “Your eyes are all black. I like it.”
“You’re insane. Only you would think it’s funny to provoke a hungry succubus.”
“Rather than you attempting to climb a tree, let’s make a deal.”
I rolled my eyes and shivered lightly in my jacket.
“Your deals are intrusive to my personal boundaries,” I grumbled. “Okay, fine. In what new way would you like to make me uncomfortable and test my control?”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“There’s the spirit.”
He leaned to the side then fell gracefully to his feet. Steam rose from his chest. My mouth watered, and I struggled to swallow. All I wanted to do was lick that valley of skin between his pectorals.