Page 73 of Wild Life

“For their own good, of course,” I added.

“Something tells me that’s what all stalkers say.” I could tell he was snickering without having a clear view of his face.

“What do you know about stalking, anyway? You live on an island with a population of one.”

“Not anymore. It’s at a population of two now.” He dropped the baskets and planted a harsh kiss on my lips. His tongue dipped into my mouth, and I melted into a puddle. He was a damn good kisser, and it was the only thing that could effectively quiet my busy brain. The American Psychological Association could stand to add it to their clinical practice guidelines for anxiety disorders.

I broke away, panting to catch the breath he had stolen. “We need to keep moving before the sun rises.”

He pressed his lips to mine again, this time briefly, but still with the promise of dirtier things to come with his tongue later. “We’re already here.” He held the lantern up.

Around the curve, there was a small entrance in a patch of stone hidden between a pocket of trees.

“Only one cave?” I had anticipated there would have been many more based on the landscape.

“No, it leads to a network of them,” he said.

“Have you ever seen bats inside of them before?”

“I haven’t been up here in a while. The last time was a couple of years after the catamaran accident, when I was too young to understand where I was. It was far from any drinkable source of water to warrant staying, so I never came back.”

“You hiked this when you were a kid?!” Jesus, I was out of shape. I did this kind of thing for a living, yet this place was seriously testing my physical health with its topography.

“Come on, let’s go inside.” He started moving, and I grabbed his arm just in time.

“We can’t just waltz in there. If it’s home to the bats, we could introduce disease into their colony.”

He glanced down at his body. “I’m not sick.”

“That you know of. We carry lots of bacteria, viruses, and fungi without realizing. Some of these can hurt the fragile organisms, especially if they’re endangered.”

“So then, we’re not going in?” I loved the effort he put in to understand my madness.

“Only after first verifying that they use this space for roosting. Then we suit up.”

“Suit up?”

I pulled out two large tarps.

“You’re kidding,” he said incredulously.

I shook the white sheeting gently, making a swishing sound. “I’d never joke about plastic.”

The material was thick enough to serve as a barrier between us and our surroundings. I assumed that Aleki wasn’t vaccinated against any pathogens the bats may carry, and it was important that he remained safe.

“How am I supposed to wear a plastic sheet?” he asked.

“Like a rain poncho!”

“A what?”

“Look, I cut out parts for our heads. And I even made booties to match out of old plastic bags.”

It was dark, but I could hear his displeasure. “Okay, it just got worse.” Aleki held his head in his hands.

“Babe, come on. You haven’t been vaccinated against rabies or Ebola, so this is also for your safety. I’ll be wearing one, too. Do it for me?” I begged.

“Say it again,” he crooned.

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