Running Wild

time.”
“He’s a wolf, Seamus.”
“You know this how?”
“His scent.”
Seamus paused, doubt appearing. “Do you have an excellent sense of smell and an excellent sense of hearing?”
He seemed to be quoting someone. “Not quite as good as a wolf’s, but yes, I do.”
“Then Pete would recognize you, no? I mean assuming he is a wolf.”
“We’re rare, maybe unique to my family. He might not recognize what I am, though my unusual scent made him wary. I, however, recognize wolves because there are a hell of lot more of them, and they hunt us.”
Seamus frowned. “I’m not saying bad things haven’t happened to you, Ri. I won’t argue he’s not a wolf, though I doubt it. I am saying Pete’s a good guy.”
Ri supposed he should allow the possibility, but it stuck in his throat. “Perhaps. However, he may know wolves who aren’t good guys.”
“I saw Pete for a few years, on and off. He did not bring in the werewolves to do me harm in all that time. And he was the only boyfriend I had who lasted.” Seamus paused. “Who made the effort to last.”
Ri couldn’t imagine someone not making an effort for Seamus but wasn’t able to articulate such a thing. He also had to admit he didn’t quite understand what Pete’s agenda was when it came to Seamus, given their history. It was hard to see that he was evil and psychopathic.
“So, Ri, here’s what I want.”
Ri felt like he was holding his breath as he listened.
“I want you to come to the city with me.”
“Why?” The request had baffled him last night and did again this morning.
“You can meet my family, and you can meet Pete. See what kind of person he is.”
Ri didn’t know what to say. He avoided wolves, he didn’t seek them out.
“Are you worried Pete is going to attack you?” When Ri didn’t answer, Seamus continued, “Because that’s hard to do in a city surrounded by people, right?”
Ri had no idea, to be honest. He was used to being alone, had been raised with his brother and by his grandfather. Bigger groups were an unknown to him. On top of that he was more concerned about Pete attacking Seamus. Ri had ways to protect himself. He cleared his throat. “Why don’t we stay here?”
Seamus cast him a look like he was hopeless to suggest such a thing. “We can’t stay here, Ri. Those semi-edible bars are going to run out at some point, never mind that my family is going to file a missing-persons report if I disappear, and then this whole area is likely to be scoured by law-enforcement-type people.”
It felt like the blood drained from his head when Ri realized Seamus might be right. If it had been just himself, he could run, of course, any great distance. He didn’t have to stay anywhere near here anymore, at least not for Grandfather’s sake. But he was with Seamus, and Ri wasn’t used to running with another person, was crap at thinking things through.
Slowly Seamus turned towards him, standing close, looking up with that clear gaze of his. “Ready to meet my family?”
“Not at all.”
“They’re all right. Though I’ll warn you, my mom rather likes Pete.”
Ri found himself scowling, and Seamus laughed. He turned slightly to nudge Ri’s shoulder with his own, a comradely gesture he hadn’t been expecting. Then Seamus walked back towards the tent.
“First you’d better eat. I did read enough about shifters to understand you must eat a lot or you become dangerously skinny.”
“It’s worse for horses.”
“Fantastic.”
Ri wasn’t sure what Seamus meant by that.
“That is,” Seamus amended, “one more thing we need to be careful about. Let’s get that box of bar thingies out. I’ll even have one. Yum.”
Ri was still stuck on the “we” word. As if Seamus thought they were in this, whatever this was, together.
By the time he stumbled forward, Seamus was exiting the tent with a bunch of bars in his hands. “After breakfast, partner, we are heading back to the farm and on to the city.”
Ri couldn’t tell if he was thrilled to be Seamus’s partner, no matter how temporary that was, or alarmed by the daunting idea of visiting a city.
Seamus squeezed his arm—all this touching was going to Ri’s head in a weird way—and said, “I promise you, it will be okay.”
Ri couldn’t help but smile, but he also couldn’t help but think, You are so naïve.
Still, he accepted the plan. Better to be on the move than standing still at that farm, and with Seamus as his guide, the city might offer more