“What a night.” She yawned. “I have never been so tired in my life.”
“You were amazing.” Conner kissed the top of her head. “I can’t believe your father didn’t ask more questions about what happened to his office. I mean, I’m pretty sure at least a couple of those guys outside saw me.”
“I don’t think they knew what they were looking at.” She closed her eyes. “It took me days of being around you guys to accept that what was happening was real. They probably think it was a smoke bomb filled with hallucinogenic gas or something.”
“Yeah.” Conner didn’t sound convinced. “You’re probably right. The guys are going to be blown away when we tell them everything.”
Jillian’s eyes popped open.
“Are we going to tell them… everything that happened last night?” Jillian shifted in her seat.
“I…” Conner bit his lip. “I won’t say anything if you feel weird about it. I felt you staring daggers at me in the club. If you have any regrets, we can pretend it never happened.”
“I honestly don’t know how I feel about any of it.” She sat up and leaned the other way. “I’m honestly just happy we made it out alive, and Hemlock is safe for the time being. We can talk about us after we’ve had some rest.
Conner managed to talk the cab driver into taking them to the parking lot near the campground. Once they paid him and had walked far enough into the woods that they were sure no one was anywhere close by, Conner shifted into his bear form. He laid down so that Jillian could climb on. His broad body wasn’t made for riding, but once she got situated, laying on her stomach felt a little bit more stable.
The texture of his fur against her skin made her remember when she was suffering from the snake bite. He carried her across the lake to the circle just like this.
After nodding off and almost falling a couple of times, Jillian opted to walk. Conner stayed in bear form, and she wasn’t sure if it was to avoid talking about what had happened between them or just that he enjoyed being a bear sometimes.
They stopped to rest every couple of hours, and Jillian licked her parched lips. They hadn’t passed the river yet, and they hadn’t had anything to drink since the night before. The sky darkened, and finally, Jillian sat down on a fallen tree and pulled off her shoes and socks, revealing water-blisters on the ball and heel of both feet.
“I’m sorry, Conner, but I just can’t go any farther tonight.” She rubbed her eyes. “I can’t even keep my eyes open.”
He snorted, lying down on the ground beside her. She abandoned her tree seat and leaned against his side, sliding down to the ground. She exhaled, snuggling into his side, and closed her eyes. The stress of the day came crashing down as she drifted. Her dreams were a chaotic blur, but she vaguely remembered talking to Eden, the vampire.
When she opened them again, it was morning, and the details of her dreams melted away. She was unsure if any of it had been important. She forgot about it entirely as she realized Conner’s human arms were curled around her. She patted the back of his hand, feeling only a little awkward that she was lying in the middle of New York’s biggest wilderness being spooned by a naked man.
He stirred, pulling her closer, and she tried not to notice his stiffening member pressing against her backside. He let out a soft growl in his dozy delirium and released her, rolling over. Jillian grabbed his hoodie from the backpack and draped it over his middle, not wanting him to be embarrassed when he finally woke up. Staring up at the orange leaves, she took a deep breath of forest air.
This was her home now, and it felt good to know that she had done her duty to protect it. A chill came over her as a gust of wind blew a flurry of leaves down from the canopy. It was as if the spirits were reminding her that the clock was ticking. She thought about how they could only see possible futures. When accounting for all the variables involved with making a baby, even after she chose who she was going to be with, the slightest little thing could change everything.
“G’ morning.” Conner sat up, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. “When did I shift back?”
“I’m not sure.” Jillian tossed him his jeans.
“You look worried about something.” He stood up and put his pants on. “What were you thinking about just now?”
“The first full moon of winter.” She looked down at her feet. “December twenty-ninth.”
“The Cold Moon.” Conner pulled his hoodie on.
“Two months to choose a mate.” She rubbed her temples. “I can’t even get my head around it.”
“Look how much has happened in the last week.” He stretched his back “You can learn a lot about the three of us in two months. When the time comes, you’ll know what you want.”
“What I want…” She stood up. “Before I came out here, what I wanted for myself didn’t even enter my mind. I feel like I’ve lived my whole life trying to make everyone else happy, and now that I have to figure myself out, I’m lost.”
“Nah.” He wrinkled his nose.
“What does that even mean?” She stood up.
“You are so much stronger than you think you are.” Conner squinted at the overcast sky. “If you ever see yourself the way I see you, you’re going to be fucking unstoppable.”
“You barely know me.” She followed him as he continued trekking through the leaves.
“I know enough.” He walked on.
It took three more hours of hiking before Jillian recognized the landscape, and it was another hour
