Epilogue #3
“You know what that is?” I asked Tavian as he leaned closer to the image, his amber eyes narrowing as his usual restless energy disappeared.
“No. But I don't think it's human.” Tavian answered me as he braced one hand against the back of my chair, his voice lower now as he studied the figure. Malek examined the photograph without reacting immediately, his fingers resting against my shoulder.
“Not leopard.” Malek told me as his thumb moved once against my shirt, his voice calm rather than alarmed.
“Helpful.” I told Malek as I enlarged the image one final time, stopping once the extra magnification only made the edges less clear. Luca focused on the information panel at the side of the screen rather than the figure itself.
“Can you tell when you took it?” Luca asked me as his finger hovered near the metadata without touching my laptop.
“Yes. I know exactly where too.” I answered Luca as I opened the file information, checking the time against what I remembered from that afternoon.
Nobody suggested we leave that night, and nobody acted as though the figure was about to appear outside the temple.
We had one strange photograph and no explanation for it.
That wasn't enough for me to turn curiosity into panic.
I saved a separate copy into a new folder.
“Unknown?” Tavian asked me as he read the folder name over my shoulder, some of his humor returning now that we'd established nothing was actively trying to eat us.
“I don't name folders before I know what's in them.” I told Tavian as I closed the image and started the backup, making sure the original remained untouched.
“You have one called Tavian Stop Touching Things.” Tavian reminded me as he leaned closer, sounding genuinely offended by my filing standards.
“That folder has a very clearly identified subject.” I informed Tavian as I looked over my shoulder at him, making Luca laugh beside me while Malek's purr started quietly behind my chair.
I left the photograph saved on the laptop. Tomorrow, I'd look at the surrounding images, check the exact location again, and decide whether there was anything useful to investigate. Tonight, I was tired, home, and not interested in creating an emergency out of one unexplained photograph.
I followed the men into the sleeping room.
The nest had changed slightly while I'd been gone.
Luca had replaced one worn blanket, Tavian's shirt rested near the left side where he'd put it before traveling with me, and Malek's scent covered half the pillows.
I climbed into the middle and rearranged two of them before deciding a third needed to move several inches too.
Luca watched without comment from the edge of the bedding.
Tavian smiled.
That was his first mistake.
“Don't.” I warned Tavian as I pointed at him, already recognizing the expression he wore whenever a comment was trying to escape.
“I didn't say anything.” Tavian protested as he raised both hands, his grin making the denial useless.
“You were going to.” I told Tavian as I pulled Luca's blanket across my legs and tucked part of it beneath one thigh, finally satisfied with the pillows.
“Probably.” Tavian admitted as he crawled into the nest beside me, deciding honesty was apparently the safer option.
Luca joined us on my other side after turning off the light near the doorway, and Malek came in last, settling behind me with one arm resting loosely around my waist. The room grew quiet except for the rainforest outside.
Tavian's hand rested against my calf, Luca linked his fingers with mine beneath the blanket, and Malek's chest stayed warm against my back as his purr vibrated through the bedding.
My camera equipment waited beside the worktable. The clay turtle sat on the shelf among small pieces of other assignments, and my laptop held a photograph I didn't understand yet.
There would be another job eventually. Maybe I'd go alone. Maybe Tavian would come again. Luca might decide to travel with me one day, and Malek might eventually agree to get on an airplane after Tavian stopped describing airport security as a personal attack.
None of that had to be decided tonight.
“You're home?” Malek asked me quietly as his mouth pressed against the top of my shoulder and his arm tightened slightly around my waist, cedar surrounding me alongside Tavian's citrus and spice and Luca's sandalwood and herbs.
I looked toward the shelf in the dim room, where small things from several assignments now sat together.
Tavian was stretched beside my legs, Luca's fingers remained linked with mine beneath the blanket, and Malek's body was warm against my back.
Across the room, my camera gear waited for whatever work came next.
They knew there would be more assignments.
I knew I would leave again.
Neither of those things changed where I wanted to return.
“I'm home.” I answered Malek as I relaxed against his chest and closed my eyes, feeling Tavian and Luca shift closer while all three purrs mixed with the sounds of the rainforest outside.