Page 41 of Entangled in the Woods
I agreed, and she left me to bathe in peace.
I allowed myself a long shower, probably using up all the stored rainwater. The water flowed over my body, washing away everything that had accumulated on me this past weekend. It wasn’t just dirt I had collected but a whole new part of the world that I’d never known existed. A mythical place where humans shifted into wolves, something I’d believed only existed within the confines of a fairytale. It all should have scared me, but it didn’t. The researcher in me thrived in the unknown, the mystery, the search for answers. Their world fascinated me, and I had a feeling I had only skimmed the surface.
Now that I had found the Lycans, I wasn’t so sure I wanted them to be hidden from me. There was too much in it that intrigued me. Yes, Everett was a big part of it. He had sunken into my pores. My fingers brushed across my lips, still feeling the touch of his.
But the rot—it was affecting the forest in a way that I hadn’t known was possible, easily killing the plants native to the area.
Killingwasn’t the right word. It was vaporizing them, turning them into a fine dust. It was affecting the shifters too, turning the lush green forests of their home into brown wastelands. Although Everett didn’t have answers about the rot, it was nice to have someone who was just as invested in the forest as I was. We would figure it out.
We.I talked about him in my head like we were already partners, not only in investigating the rot but in other ways. It had been so natural, letting him help me last night with the mulberry. The way he’d cared for the plant and then cared for me.
I wanted more. Maybe after I figured out the mystery of the rot, I would let myself explore Everett. I couldn’t let him become more of a distraction from my research than he already was.
When the shower became more of a dribble than a stream, I turned off the faucet. Hopefully it rained soon to replenish our supply if Jenny and Leo needed to clean up.
Leo must’ve been busy working if Jenny hadn’t seen him recently. His research brought him close to the ground like mine did, all the water ecosystems under our feet. Had he noticed the rot? I’d be surprised if he hadn’t.
Cozy and clean, I met Jenny in the living room. “Is Leo coming back tonight?” I wondered where he was. The cabin was getting dark. Soon we would have to turn on the lanterns.
“He’s been getting back super late,” she said. “I’ve been hearing him come in well after midnight.”
That was weird to me. I couldn’t imagine Leo getting any work done in the dark. Especially in the water. What was he doing? I knew he’d been meeting with one of the land owners out here, so maybe those talks were keeping him out so late. I knew I’d be talking someone’s ear off if they had any experience with my area of study.
After popcorn and chitchat, Jenny released a yawn and announced that she was going to bed. I followed shortly after her, excited to sleep in a proper bed in a house with solid walls.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
On Monday morning,I felt refreshed from a full night’s sleep. I woke up early, put on my running clothes, and threw my hair up into a bun. Heading out on the trail, I fell into the comfortable meditative trance that I needed to reset myself from the past weekend. It had been too intense with Everett. I had never felt like that with a man before. He was addicting and made me forget what I was here to accomplish. I’d earned a scholarship to do research here, and that was what I was going to do. People like me didn’t get many chances like this, and I had worked hard to earn the opportunity.
After three miles, my head was reset, and I felt ready to tackle some more thesis writing. I hoped Professor Robinson would bring back some results for me on Thursday, but I had other things to keep me busy and on track with my work.
I walked down to my room, passing Jenny’s and Leo’s rooms along the way. Leo’s door was slightly ajar, and I saw him sleeping in his bed soundly. He must have gotten in late last night. Jenny was up working at her desk in her pink heart pajamas. I hurried past her door so I wouldn’t get caught in a conversation.
The day flew by, and I only noticed it was the evening when my room darkened, signaling the sun beginning to set. I stretched my arms above my head to relieve the tension in my muscles from sitting in a chair for so long. It was well past dinnertime. I was terrible at remembering to eat when I was working, and I had skipped lunch. Leo and Jenny’s rooms were both empty, and I was happy to have the evening to myself.
Looking at the floppy turkey sandwich I made myself for dinner, I missed the shifter’s cooking. I certainly didn’t go hungry when I was with them. Funny how my thoughts continued to come back to the shifters.
Even though I had sat at my desk for most of the day, I could still sense that my body was tired. Probably still recovering from the weekend. Pleased to find there was still rainwater, I took a quick shower before bed. After not having access to a shower the past two weekends, it was a luxury to smell decent before climbing under the sheets. Changing into comfortable pajamas, I got into bed for another night of sleep.
I heard the front door of the cabin open, and heavy footsteps alerted me it was Leo. The footsteps got closer to my room instead of stopping. A soft knock came from my door, and I opened it to see Leo standing in the doorway. His face looked tired and overworked. Mud splattered across his skin from the stream he had been standing in.
“You’ve been looking into the rot in the forest, right?” Leo asked. We didn’t know a lot about each other’s research projects, but he had seen me give the samples to Professor Robinson last week.
“Yeah, I am. Why?”
“It’s just that?—”
Tap, tap, tap.Hearing what sounded like a tree branch hitting the window in my bedroom, I leaned back holding onto the door frame to look. The curtains were closed, but I couldstill see an outline of a man standing outside my window, illuminated by the moonlight. What the…? Then I saw a flash of golden eyes and gasped.
You’ve got to be kidding me,I thought.
“Is everything okay?” Leo stood there waiting for me to give him the go-ahead to finish.
I couldn’t give him the opportunity. Not when a certain shifter was outside my window.
“Can we talk about this later? It’s getting kind of late,” I said, keeping my door as closed as possible.
“Yeah, you’re right.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “Can we talk about it soon?”
