27. Chapter Twenty-Eight #2
The simple confidence in her response stayed with me as I stepped outside.
The western trail felt strange with almost nothing on my back.
I carried water, the radio, locator, my personal bag, and one camera because apparently I was physically incapable of spending a final evening in a rainforest without one available.
The rest of my equipment remained inside the station cases, and my shoulders kept anticipating straps and weight that weren't there.
The forest hadn't changed just because my contract had ended.
Recent rain had darkened the soil between roots, moisture still clung to broad leaves along the trail, and tiny drops hit my forearms whenever I brushed too close to the vegetation.
Mosquitoes found me within minutes. Somewhere higher in the canopy, a tanager moved through the branches, and I automatically slowed to follow it until the bird disappeared into foliage too dense for a usable photograph.
My hand had already moved toward the camera before I stopped myself. I didn't need another shot, and after six weeks of constantly calculating light, distance, angle, and whether a subject was worth following, that was going to take some getting used to.
The scarlet macaw found me before I reached the outer ruins.
It dropped onto a branch several yards ahead with enough force to send water shaking from the leaves beneath it.
Bright red feathers stood out against the dark green vegetation, and its black eye immediately moved from my smaller pack to my face.
You have less things, the macaw observed as it shuffled sideways along the branch, leaning far enough toward my bag that I half expected it to inspect the zipper personally.
“Most of my equipment is packed. I leave in the morning.” I told the macaw as I stepped carefully over a broad root cutting across the trail.
Good, the macaw declared as it launched itself toward the next tree, sounding so thoroughly unconvincing that I stopped walking.
“You've been complaining about me leaving for days.” I reminded the macaw as I planted one hand on my hip and looked up.
I did not, the macaw argued as it turned away and began attacking the torn edge of a leaf with suspicious intensity.
“You absolutely did.” I told the macaw as I resumed walking, smiling when wings beat overhead and the bird followed me instead of disappearing into the forest.
Forest quieter without human talking, the macaw informed me from another branch, puffing its chest as though it had finally produced an argument I couldn't challenge.
“That is an even worse lie.” I answered the macaw as I ducked beneath a low branch, wet leaves brushing the top of my hair. The bird clicked its beak several times before tipping its head toward the sanctuary.
Spotted one talks more, the macaw conceded, unmistakable satisfaction entering its voice now that it had found someone else to insult.
“Tavian will be thrilled you noticed.” I told the macaw as the first weathered stones became visible between the trees.
The bird followed me as far as the outer courtyard and stayed on a high branch while I crossed between the ruined walls.
When I looked back, it was still watching me, but instead of saying anything else, it opened its wings and disappeared into the canopy.
“Yeah, I'm going to miss you too.” I muttered toward the empty branch as I continued farther into the sanctuary.
The elder capuchin sat on a section of weathered wall, carefully pulling apart a piece of yellow fruit.
Its fingers worked around the seeds with practiced precision while it watched me approach.
You go tomorrow, the capuchin said as it placed one seed neatly beside its thigh.
“Yes.” I answered the capuchin as I let my bag slide lower on my shoulder and stopped near the wall. The capuchin chewed slowly, its dark eyes remaining on me while insects buzzed around the vegetation growing between the stones.
You return? the capuchin asked as its fingers paused against the remaining fruit.
“Yes.” I told the capuchin without hesitation, surprised only by how little effort the answer required now. There was no list of reasons I shouldn't promise something and no need to carefully separate wanting from certainty. I knew I was coming back.
Good, the capuchin replied with one satisfied nod before returning to its meal. Apparently that was everything it needed from me, and I appreciated the efficiency.
Tavian found me before I'd completely removed my pack. His arms wrapped around me from behind and pulled me against his chest while his face disappeared against the side of my neck. Citrus leaves, sun-warmed wood, and spice strengthened immediately around me.
“You smell like the station.” Tavian complained as he pressed his nose into my hair, one hand spread across my stomach while the other tightened at my waist.
“I was at the station.” I reminded Tavian as I leaned back against him and rested both hands over his forearms.
“I know.” Tavian replied against my skin, making absolutely no attempt to let go.
“You're aware I need my arms eventually?” I asked Tavian as his grip shifted and one hand settled more firmly along my hip.
“No.” Tavian answered immediately, his purr vibrating against my back while his arms tightened for a second.
“That's going to make packing difficult.” I told Tavian as I turned my head enough to see the edge of his face and rubbed my thumb over the inside of his wrist.
“You finished packing.” Tavian argued as he pressed his cheek against mine and drew in another slow breath near my hair.
“At the station. I still have things here.” I corrected Tavian as I finally turned inside his arms. His expression changed immediately.
The little bit of humor disappeared from his amber eyes, and his hands remained against my hips as he glanced toward the sleeping room.
He knew as well as I did that the bags at the station weren't the difficult part of leaving.
Luca entered from the workroom carrying a plate before Tavian could say anything else. His long dark hair was loosely tied back, and several pieces had escaped around his face.
“You hungry?” Luca asked me as he stopped near the table and tilted the plate enough for me to see sliced fruit and warm food wrapped in leaves.
“Always a little.” I answered Luca as I reached for one piece, realizing how long it had been since lunch once the smell reached me.
“I thought so.” Luca replied as he set the plate on the table after I took another bite, his sandalwood-and-herb scent warming as a soft purr started beneath his chest.
Malek crossed the courtyard behind him without immediately saying anything. Cedar, damp earth, and faint smoke were stronger around him than usual, and his golden-brown eyes moved over me before he came close enough to run his knuckles gently along my upper arm.
I leaned into the touch, and Malek's fingers opened long enough for his palm to rest there before falling away again.
“I need to decide what stays.” I told all three men as I finished the piece of fruit and looked toward the sleeping room. Tavian's hand returned to the middle of my back almost immediately.
“You aren't taking everything?” Tavian asked as he looked between me and the doorway, surprise cutting through some of the strain in his face.
“No. I'm definitely not taking everything.” I answered Tavian as I set the food down, wiped my fingers on a cloth beside the plate, and headed into the sleeping room. The room looked like mine because, at some point, it had become mine in all the ways that mattered.
My old lens cloth rested near one pillow.
A soft shirt, sleep shorts, and clean socks occupied the drawer Luca had once deliberately left empty.
My spare hair tie and a pair of empty memory-card cases sat on the shelf, and Tavian's smooth dark stone remained exactly where I'd placed it beside them.
Luca's blanket formed one side of the nest, one of my shirts was tucked beneath the edge of a pillow, and smaller gifts Tavian had given me over the last several weeks remained mixed among the things I'd chosen to keep.
The whole room smelled faintly of all four of us. Normally, I would've cleared it. I would've opened the drawer, packed every shirt and sock, checked beneath the bedding, emptied the shelf, and made sure nothing remained that required me to think about coming back.
I crouched in front of the drawer and found the soft gray shirt Luca had moved away from the damp wall yesterday folded on top. My fingers rested against it while my Omega immediately approved of the idea of leaving it exactly where it was, and for once my practical brain agreed.
I closed the drawer.
“You're leaving it?” Tavian asked from behind me, surprise lifting his voice while he stayed several feet outside the nest instead of following me in.
“Yes. I'm going to need a shirt when I come back.” I told Tavian as I stood and looked back at him. His purr started so quickly that I nearly laughed. The low sound filled the room while his shoulders dropped slightly, some of the tension finally leaving them.
I crossed to the shelf and picked up my finished field notebook. That still contained information I wanted access to at home, so I slipped it into my personal bag with the pencil tucked inside the cover. The spare hair tie and empty card cases could stay.
Then my fingers rested on Tavian's smooth dark stone.
“You're leaving that too?” Tavian asked as he came one step closer, his attention fixed on the stone beneath my thumb.
“Yes. It belongs on my shelf.” I answered Tavian as I rubbed my thumb once across its polished surface before leaving it exactly where it was.
The words affected him more than I'd expected.
His purr deepened, and he kept looking toward the shelf even after my hand moved away, but that shouldn't have surprised me.
He'd carried the thing around for weeks because he wanted me to have somewhere I actually wanted to put it.