Page 28 of Rivers and Roads

Thirteen

ORION

The house was in the middle of fucking nowhere, even more off the beaten path than Nadya’s little safehouse. The road wasn’t much of a road at all—more like a space just barely big enough for a car to weave in and out of trees. But eventually, I pulled up to a small stone house with two steps up to the front door and not even a whiff of human or Wolf around it.

I hadn’t realized how much I needed that security, and I took a moment to feel my relief before I reached for the key and the phone. Stepping out, I felt the ache in my bones from being stuck behind the wheel for so long. I wanted a shower, a meal, and a long sleep, but I wasn’t sure I’d be getting any of those things with Zane the way he was.

He was sitting up in the back seat, staring out the window almost sullen, and he didn’t move when I opened the door and held my hand out.

“Please,” I begged, watching him turn his face away from me. “I’m fucking beat.”

He let his hands hang heavy at his sides, so I reached down and curled fingers around his wrist. He gave me a warning growl, but when I pulled, he didn’t attack. He simply shuffled to his feet and let me tug him toward the door. I wasn’t sure if he was purposefully making his body slower and heavier than he was naturally, but from the look on his face, I could see he wasn’t trying hard to cooperate.

“You’re like a five-year-old,” I muttered as I used my free hand to fumble for the key.

He didn’t acknowledge me, but I could see his nostrils flaring, and his head turning from side to side. Kor had done that a lot when I first found him, and for a second, I wondered if Zane was blind.

Hesitating, I turned to him before I opened the door and waved my hand in his face. He stilled, then snapped his teeth at me, and I reared back.

“Just checking,” I muttered. I turned back to the door, pushing it open, and I grimaced at the smell of dust and a faint trace of mold. It was clean, though, and empty. Nothing had died in there recently, which was a nice surprise. The light switch in the front room didn’t work, but the early dawn haze filtered over a plush sofa covered by a sheet, a fireplace, a small table with chairs, and an open kitchen.

It was an actual home, not some run-down hole I’d found Kor in. Zane could recover in an actual bed instead of some vermin-infested mattress on the floor, and I would count us lucky for these small gifts.

“Alright,” I said, locking the door behind me and tucking the key in my pocket, “the only rule here is that you don’t leave. We have to be careful. I have no idea if those fuckers managed to get a trace on us, and the last thing I want to do is give them an easy target.”

He didn’t look at me while I was speaking, instead taking shuffling steps around the new living space, sniffing the air. I hated not knowing what he could and couldn’t understand, and I wondered if I could drop my guard at all.

If I slept, would he try to run?

I briefly considered tying him to me, but I wasn’t going to bind him again. Not after what he’d been through. I could only hope and accept the fact that I wouldn’t be getting much sleep until backup arrived.

Dragging fingers through my hair, I left him to his sniffing, and did a quick tour of the house. There were two bedrooms with naked beds, but a quick exploration of the linen closet found what we’d need. They were clean, and only a little dusty, so I took two comforters and two sets of pillows, throwing them in the rooms before turning to the bathroom.

The lights there worked, weak and flickering, but when I ran the hot water, it warmed after a second. I wanted to weep with relief, but I couldn’t let myself. Not yet.

I moved back to the main room where Zane was standing in the front window, his bright eyes scanning the horizon. I wanted to call out to him again, but I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt him. This was likely the first time he felt anything but pain in weeks.

I turned away from him, checking the fridge, which was running, and it was stocked with a few of the essentials. There was also food in the pantry—mostly canned, but a single loaf of fresh bread, and a small box of bagels sat on the lower shelf. I sniffed, checking for mold, but there wasn’t a trace.

Someone had been here recently, but they hadn’t stayed long enough to leave a scent impression.

Rubbing my hands down my face again to try and wake myself up a bit more, I leaned on the counter and cleared my throat. Zane’s shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t look back at me. “You should get cleaned up,” I said. “Changed out of that stupid fucking gas station outfit. And I want to look at your wounds.”

Still no response. I had a feeling I’d be bathing him like a stubborn toddler, but it would be worth it in the end. I went back to the bathroom and started the water, then checked the bedrooms again for the supplies Kor had been talking about.

I found them eventually, two bags in the small closet. The items inside smelled like unfamiliar Wolf and laundry soap, and I quickly laid them out, rubbing my hands on them to try and mask the stranger’s scent. It wasn’t perfect, but it was likely enough for Zane, and I left them on the bed as I went to find him.

He was still by the window, one palm pressed to the glass. His claws were making a gentle scraping sound, and he stiffened when I approached and took him by the wrist.

“I know this sucks, but you seriously have to get clean. I’d love it if you could wash yourself, but since I don’t think you’re gonna be that easy, I just want you to promise you won’t kill me for this later. When you get better,” I added, letting myself feel certain he would.

He had to come out of this eventually, didn’t he?

He took shuffling steps at my side as I steered him to the bathroom, and he stiffened when he saw the water. I pushed against his back, but he was as unmoving as a stone, and after a beat, I sighed and sagged forward.

“Please,” I begged. “It’s probably going to sting, but the water’s warm, and you’ll feel better. I swear.” I touched the back of his neck gently with claws, and wished we had more of a pack bond just so I could share my emotions with him.

Zane let out a small growl, leaning back into me, and I found myself glad I wasn’t in his head right then. Gods only knew what tortures he was reliving. I did and didn’t want to know what they’d done to him.

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