Authors: Samantha Towle
Chapter 15: Passport Control
I stretch my well rested limbs out. Oh my God, I’m so comfy and cosy. I don’t want to move ever. I can’t remember the last time I slept so well.
Easing my eyes open I rub them free of sleep with my palms, stretch my arms out over my head linking my hands, and let them fall back onto the fluffy pillow. Its early morning. I can tell from the scent of the rising sun in the air.
I’m in the guest bed in Zeff’s lodge. I slept the night at his again. I spend more time in this bed than I do in mine at the apartment.
But seriously, how did I not appreciate how comfy this bed was when I slept in it the other night? It must have been the block out from the amount of alcohol I’d consumed.
How am I even here? The last thing I remember was shifting, running, hunting, feeding. I can’t believe I finally did it. I turned into my other self. And it was amazing. Exhilarating. And it felt so natural being that way. The most natural thing in the world,
Then I remember after what seemed like hours and the dark was rolling in, I started feeling tired so I stopped to rest for a while. I must have fallen asleep in the woods.
I’m guessing Zeff found me and brought me back.
Hang on. Had I shifted back to
me
, when he found me? If I had then that means…
Oh God.
I reach my hand down under the duvet. Yep, I’m naked. Zeff saw me naked. And presumably carried me back here to the lodge – naked. And put me in this bed – naked.
I pull the duvet over my face, trying to conceal my own embarrassment. I really
really
hope he had the good grace to at least have covered me with something. Knowing him as I think I do, I’m sure he will have.
God, I hope so.
Relieving my face of the duvet, I sit up, tucking it around my chest and under my arms and spy my clothes set out on the chair at the dressing table.
Climbing out of bed, I retrieve them and take them into the en-suite bathroom with me. Tying my hair up into a bun, I have a shower. When I’m done, I brush my teeth using the new toothbrush I found in the cabinet. I’ll replace it for him; I just really need to brush my teeth.
I get dressed into yesterday’s clothes and head out to the living room. Zeff is at the breakfast bar eating breakfast, reading the newspaper.
Lifting his eyes, he smiles and indicates the pot of coffee in front of him.
Trying to repress the blush I can feel rising in my cheeks, I say, “Yes, please.”
I walk over and sit on the stool opposite him.
He hands me the cup. I take it, then rest it down on the counter and start to add cream.
“You sleep okay?” he asks.
“Really well, thanks.” I curl my fingers around the cup and lift it to my lips.
“So that was kind of crazy yesterday,” Zeff says, picking his own coffee up and taking a drink.
“Yeah it was,” I murmur.
Putting the cup down I pick a croissant from the plate laden with them, and start nibbling the edge.
“It was impressive stuff though. You changing like that – it was amazing.”
Meeting his eyes, I feel a glow in my cheeks. “Really?”
He smiles, warm. “Really.”
I pull a piece of the pastry off and pop it in my mouth.
“Zeff …” I start, readying myself to ask him the one question that’s burning my brain. The main one. “What did I look like?”
He stares at me for a long moment, his dark eyes softening around the edges, liking melting chocolate over the stove.
“Stunning. You looked stunning.”
I grin, like an idiot. I can’t help it. “Stunning’s pretty cool.”
“I’d say so.”
“What colour is my fur?”
“Grey.”
“Grey. Hmm…” I ponder. I wonder why grey? Cool though.
I take another bite of croissant.
“So how did I end up back here?”
He takes a bite of his toast and turns the page of his paper. “I brought you.”
It drives me crazy when he does that. Answers a simple question with a simple answer, making me sound dumb.
“I gathered that, dopey,” I chide, good-naturedly. “I meant did I come back or …”
Without looking up from his paper, he says, “No. You’d been gone a long time. It was getting late. So I went looking for you.”
“How in the world did you even find me in the dark, in the woods?”
He drags his eyes from the paper to give me a curious stare. “I’m a hunter, Bunny. I track things for a living.”
“Oh.” Pause. “So was I still a wolf or …”
“You were back to you.” ~iv> /blockquot A grin.
“You saw me naked.” I cringe as the words leave my mouth.
He closes his paper. I see the smile flicker over his features. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
I put my croissant down, instantly losing my appetite. “Actually, thinking about it, no I don’t.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I was a complete gentleman. I didn’t see anything … well, just that mole on your left bum cheek, but that was it.”
“I don’t have a mole on my left bum cheek!” I screech, wondering if I actually might have. I’m sorely tempted to check.
His face breaks and he starts to laugh.
“You’re such an arsehole.” I reach over and give him a playful punch on the arm.
“Hey, there’s no need to get physical, Bunny. If you want to touch me, you only have to ask.” A cheeky wink. When I shake my head at him, he says, “No seriously, when you hadn’t come back I went looking for you and found you curled up asleep at the foot of a tree, exhausted from the whole shifting business, I guessed. And well, you looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to wake you, so I covered you up best I could with your clothes and carried you back to the lodge, and I put you straight into bed.”
I feel instantly touched. “That was really nice of you, thanks.”
“Well, I couldn’t just leave you sleeping out there, alone.”
Alone. I used to feel so alone. Now here with him, not so much.
Then almost in a reflex reaction to that thought, the words are spilling out of my mouth before I even realise I’m speaking, “So have you heard anything from your friend about my passport?”
I see the flicker of surprise in his eyes, which he quickly conceals.
“Yes.” He puts his toast back down. “I was just going to tell you. He called late last night while you were sleeping. Your passport will be ready tomorrow.”
“Oh. Cool. Brilliant. That’s really, really excellent news.” I don’t think I could have used anymore synonyms if I’d tried. But even though I’m saying those brilliant words, for some reason, it doesn’t feel quite so – brilliant.
He flickers a look my way, then says, “I said I’d pick it up from his place tomorrow morning. So I’ll swing it by yours straight after if you want?”
“Oh cool. Sure. Thanks.” I pick my coffee up just for something to do with my suddenly fidgety hands. “I guess I best let Joe know I’m leaving the café and apartment tomorrow. I don’t think he’ll be too gutted about the apartment as I paid up front for the lease and there’s a while left on it. But he might be a bit pissed at having to find another Barista at such short notice.”
“Or you could just stay a while longer.” The air freezes into blocks of little tension all around us. “I mean you could just give Joe not ~youice now and leave then when your lease has run out. You know, so you don’t lose any money.”
I don’t think I’ve wanted to agree to something more than I do that statement right now. But I can’t.
Shaking my head, but not meeting his eyes, I utter, “I’ve stayed too long already. It’s time I moved on.”
That’s not strictly true. And apart from the vampire attack, there has been no danger since. I’m safe here as anywhere.
But, I have to leave for another reason.
Because I’m getting too attached to him. Way too attached. More than I ever should have allowed.
I care about him. A lot.
And because that very fact puts him in danger. The very danger I put Nathan and the rest of them in.
Sol.
I’m not losing anyone else. I made myself that promise when I left Nathan. I’m not breaking it now.
I allow myself a look at him, meeting his dark eyes. It’s intense. There’s something in his stare I’m not willing to see yet, or maybe ever.
I press my lips together and look away, shifting in my seat, I pick my half-eaten croissant up and tear a piece off, forcing myself to chew on it.
“So … seen as though it’s your last day with me,” he says in a brighter voice. I can tell it’s forced. “I thought we should go out for dinner – you know a good-bye dinner.”
“Dinner?” I echo, offering him a glance.
“Yes, Bunny, dinner. No sex though.” He grins. And the atmosphere is instantly back to easy.
But it still doesn’t stop my insides from flipping over like an acrobat performing in the circus, the instant the word ‘sex’ left his lips.
I tense my stomach tight, alleviating the fuelling sensation. “You mean to tell me they don’t serve sex at restaurants nowadays?
Shocking
.” I flash him a wide-eyed look.
“I know.” He nods seriously. “I can’t believe it either. I’ve been considering setting up my own restaurant. You know, two hookers for the price of one – free blow job with your slam, that type of thing.”
“Slam?” I snort out a laugh.
“Sorry –
shag.
” He sounds all British when he says it. And kind of sexy. Fuck. No, not fuck –shit, yeah shit is a much better word to use.
I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t they just call those places brothels?”
“Yeah, but brothels don’t serve up food, do try to keep up Bunny.” His face is serious, but his eyes can’t hide his grin.
I’m really going to miss his humour. Actually, I’m just going to miss him, end of.
I laugh again; no snort this time. “You really are strange, Zeff. And kind of gross come to think of it.”
“Oh, I know.” He runs his hand through his dark hair. “So is that a yes then?”
“To the sex or dinner?”
“I’m easy either way.” He shrugs. “We could have dinner first, save the wild sex for later.”
Even though we’re jesting, I can feel my insides starting to heat up in the worst kind of way.
I stare straight into his lovely dark pooling eyes. Eyes that a girl could easily lose herself in. But not me. I can’t. I won’t.
“I’ll say a yes to the dinner, and a rain check on the sex.” I take a sip of my coffee maintaining my steady gaze.
It’s his turn to choke on his drink. “Rain check?” he wipes his mouth clean with the back of hand.
“Yeah.” I put my coffee down on the breakfast bar, pull a piece of toast onto my plate, and slide off the stool. “You know the kind of rain checks that are cashed in when hell freezes over.”
Grinning at him, I head to the fridge to get the jam out.
“You see, now that’s what I like about you, Bunny,” he says from behind me.
I pause, opening the fridge door and looking over my shoulder. “What? The lack of sex I have to offer?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “That you somehow always manage to keep things interesting, even when they shouldn’t be.”
He takes a bite of his toast and opens his paper back up.
I’m not really sure how to take that comment. But for some reason it’s made my heart thud in my chest. Stilling it, I reach in and retrieve the jar of jam.
“So do you want me to run you back to your place after breakfast?” he asks, as I slide back onto my stool.
“Yes,” I say nodding. “Now that is something you definitely can do for me.”
*
Climbing out of his car, I thank Zeff for the ride to my place. He tells me he’ll pick me up at half-seven to go to dinner.
I go in and change into work clothes. While I’m looking in my wardrobe, I realise I have absolutely nothing to wear for dinner tonight. The last time Zeff and me ate it was just pizza, and it was straight from work, but this is an actual night out.
It’s been so long since I’ve been out. The last time I went out was … well, the night everything changed for me.
I have a feed, then leave the apartment, going straight to work.
Joe’s already there when I arrive, so I take advantage of the quiet to let him know I’m handing my notice in and that tomorrow will be my last day. He’s not pleased at the short notice, but overall he’s pretty good about it.
Really I could do with staying as I have used nearly all of my money on the passport. Once I’ve paid the money for the passport I’ll only have a hundred and fifty euros left to travel. I don’t like it, but I can’t stay here any longer. I need to move.