Running Wild

it out. He’d thought Ri would have returned by now. Ri had been all sincerity when he’d told Seamus he’d be back, but did his thoughts change when he was a horse?
Seamus stared down at his phone for a while. Finally he picked it up, found Pete in his contact list and hit dial.
He got Pete’s voicemail and sighed. His reluctance to leave a message was outweighed by the questions he had and his concern for Ri.
“Hi, Pete, it’s Seamus. If you could give me a call, I’d appreciate it. Thanks.”
He’d barely put down the phone when it rang.
“Seamus,” said Pete. “Everything okay?”
“Sure.” Seamus paused. After all, he had called Pete. “Uh, I don’t know quite how to say this. I mean I do but…”
“Has Ri gone off as horse?”
“Yes.” He stopped himself from saying, How did you know that? Perhaps it was obvious to a fellow shifter.
“Horses run.” Pete sounded soothing. “He spent a day in the city. He’s spent a lot of his life as horse. It’s normal. It may take days.”
“Days,” Seamus said, heart sinking.
“Otherwise, no new developments?”
Seamus frowned. “What is there to develop, exactly?”
“Nothing, I hope. Certainly the visitors were excited to meet a new type of shifter.”
The visitors . Didn’t sound like Pete knew them all that well.
Pete blew out a breath. “I wouldn’t have wished this on you, Shame.”
“Wished what?”
“A shifter boyfriend,” Pete said dryly.
“Oh, yeah? And why is that, because I already had one who didn’t bother to tell me?”
“Yep, we’re too secretive.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Pete, but you and Ri are very different people.”
“I know that. He’s got a lot of baggage.”
“Therefore people should dump him?”
“Of course not. I’m just worried about you .”
“How did you find me?”
Pete hesitated. “What do you mean?”
“How did you find me years ago?”
“Luck.”
“Be more specific, Pete.”
“Okay, by scent, and luck and legwork. You left your scent at the scene. I memorized it. I decided to watch you because I was also a student.”
Same story as before. Seamus supposed he needed to stop asking the same question if the answer was always unsatisfying.
Pete misunderstood his silence. “Hey. You were cute.”
“Pete,” Seamus warned.
“You’re still cute.”
“You’re still charming. I’m sure you have men falling at your feet.”
Pete grunted as if irritated by that comment. “Look, about Ri. If he doesn’t make it back in a week—”
“A week!”
“Then call me and I’ll go look for him. But I’m sure he’ll have returned by then.”
“A week,” Seamus repeated with disbelief.
“I told you, horses like to run and he’ll lose himself in it. Plus he’s been halfferal so he’s more likely to get in his horse’s head and forget all about you.”
“Feral,” Seamus echoed, disliking the hollow feeling that assailed him at the thought of Ri forgetting him.
“It’s a shifter term. When one of us stays in our animal half for too long. It’s better to have a balance.”
“If you say so.”
“Ask him yourself when he returns. I’ll bet he’s relieved as hell to be acting human, talking to humans again.” His voice dropped. “And whatever else you two get up to.”
“Thanks for returning my call,” Seamus said sharply. It was his own fault he’d made this call, but that was enough talking and he didn’t want Pete’s innuendo. He was ready to take himself to bed; he had a lot to accomplish tomorrow. No sense staying up when Ri might still be away for days yet.
“And, Seamus.”
“Yeah?” he answered warily.
Pete’s tone descended to smarmy, and Seamus didn’t remember Pete doing smarmy. “Shifters, well, they can be, uh, enthusiastic after a shift. I thought I’d give you fair warning.”
His skin began to crawl. He wasn’t calling his ex anymore. “Good night, Pete.”
“All right.” Pete backed off. “Keep in touch, okay?”
“Bye,” said Seamus, and they rang off.
    When Ri came to, well heated from the recent shift, he rose from the damp ground and shook himself, trying to get reacquainted with his body.
The sun had just risen. He was pretty sure he hadn’t been gone too long—a few days, perhaps—but it was hard to tell.
He hoped Seamus hadn’t returned to the city. Though if that was the case, Ri could wait. He’d be disappointed, but Seamus would have to come back at some point.
Nevertheless, the idea of Seamus being here, perhaps being in