Chapter 68 Goodbye to the Wolf
Sage fastened the choker necklace around her neck and looked at herself in the mirror one more time. Canyon had showered quickly, hadn’t said much, and had gone straight to work on his phone, leaving the shower free for Sage. She’d showered and dressed, dried her hair, and put her face on.
She left the bathroom, gathered up her purse and phone, then went out into the suite where Canyon sat, typing on his phone, while it dinged regularly with notifications. Sage checked the time—they had five minutes to be out.
Canyon nodded at her. “Give me a sec,” he said, his attention on his phone.
Sage wandered near the door to study the painting there, showing a female commanding wolves from atop a boulder.
The female had living, auburn hair, silver eyes, bare feet, and was wearing no jewelry and a simple white shift dress.
This painting… it did things to her, making her feel several emotions, mostly a deep longing.
She could believe this was the goddess Rhen herself, somehow glimpsed by a vod.
Across the room, Canyon put his still-chiming phone in his pocket.
He checked out using the hotel phone, placed the key cards on the table, then he strode her way, taking her hand and pulling her close at the doorway.
He kissed her and opened the door at the same time, then he broke the kiss and nodded to her.
She walked out into the empty hallway, her gift on her neck and her purse slung over her shoulder, feeling different than when she’d walked in—more mature, more adult, more in command of her own life, and certainly more powerful.
She’d spent three days with a vodvod and lived to tell the tale… not that she could ever tell anyone.
At the elevator, her newfound confidence faltered and she contemplated hiding before the doors opened, in case anyone was inside.
She steeled herself and held her head high, breathing through her fear.
Canyon pressed the button to call the elevator, and he also produced his baseball cap.
He put it on her head. She smiled at him and pulled it low, wondering what he thought about it.
He didn’t spill his opinions often and she liked that about him, but it also made him a mystery.
The elevator arrived, the door opened, and the car was empty. Thank goodness. Canyon backed up against the door so it couldn’t close, then motioned for her to come to him.
“Maybe we should say bye here,” he said. He turned the cap around backwards and put it back on her head, then took her in his arms. “I had a good time with you.”
“Back at you, cowboy,” Sage said, feeling sadness threaten. She kissed him to hold it at bay, then she broke the kiss and said, “Goodbye.”
“Only for three days,” he said.
Sage’s insides quivered, butterfly wings tickling her stomach and throat, making her wonder if she was really going to see him again.
He let the elevator door close. She stood next to him against the wall, holding his hand.
When they neared the first floor, she turned the cap around and pulled it low over her face.
Canyon led her to his truck and opened the door for her.
She climbed inside. Canyon got in the truck and drove down the long drive, past the carved wolf statues, out onto the road.
The drive didn’t take long, and before she knew it, they were pulling into the rear entrance of the Renway Parking Garage.
Canyon stopped at the gate to get an entrance ticket.
Sage felt nervous during the drive and now she was more nervous as each second passed, like eyes were on her from every shadow.
She pulled her hair over her shoulder and tied it in a messy bun next to her face, trying to hide behind it.
Then she took Canyon's cap off and tossed it on the dash. He got his ticket and the gate went up.
Sage scrabbled for the door handle. “Thanks, but I can walk from here. I know where it is.”
He looked at her, puzzled, while she opened the door.
“Ah, thanks for everything,” she babbled.
She got out, slammed the door and speed walked to the stairs, up them to the second floor.
She found her car quickly, unlocked it and got in the driver’s seat.
Nothing was out of place. She sat still for several moments and took deep breaths to calm herself.
“It's okay,” she murmured. “No one knows. No one saw me.”
She started her car and drove away.
***
Sage paced through her cabin at the Inn.
It was Saturday afternoon. She’d switched shifts at her job to have the weekend free and had worked Thursday and Friday to keep her mind off Canyon.
She couldn’t believe he hadn’t called or texted yet.
She’d expected to hear from him that morning, or maybe the night before, and she was getting antsy.
She picked up her phone and pulled up his messages. All that was there was the smiley face she’d sent when she’d put her number in his phone.
She sent a text.
Hey.
She put her phone down and paced through the apartment again, waiting. After a few minutes there was still no response. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, settling on Orange is the New Black.
She watched it for a while, her mind on her phone. She picked her phone back up, looked at that word, hey, just sitting there with no response.
What could have happened? She flipped the channel to a local news station to see if there was anything going on in Serenity that would have kept him tied up. There didn’t seem to be. Maybe he lost his phone. Maybe he was sent out of town.
She tried to watch more of the show but couldn’t. Instead, she texted again.
Do you still want to get together this weekend?
There, that didn't sound too needy or desperate. It was a totally normal request. She stared at the words… and got a response!
Her heart leapt in her chest until she read it.
Who's this?
Sage stared at the two words for a long time, trying to figure out what he meant. Finally she replied.
Sage.
Sage who?
Sage couldn’t fucking believe it. What was going on?
Sage Fromthehotel3daysago.
Funny. Send me a pic.
Sage's blood boiled. Was he fucking with her? Was he pretending he didn’t know her?
She calmed herself and sent him a picture that she’d taken at the hotel, cropping it so only some of her face showed.
He replied quickly. You're cute. Where you at? I'll come pick you up.
You don't remember me?
Should I?
Sage stared at those two words for a long time, not knowing how to interpret them. She called him. He answered on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Canyon?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember me now?”
“Should I?”
Sage hung up the phone. She put it down. Her heart broke cleanly in two pieces.
She sat at her kitchen table and wept, utterly alone, unable to tell a soul.
After a long time, she got up, something calling her.
She went to her bedroom and dug the choker necklace out of a drawer.
She held it out away from her, pain spearing through her at the sight of it.
She took it outside, where it was dark. She snuck through back alleys and pathways to avoid family, straight to the golf carts parking area.
She picked the cart nearest the exit, got in, and drove down the pathway to the hole, to a spot where she could stand right up near the edge.
She threw the necklace in the hole as far as she could.
“It’s yours, Kiki!” she shouted.
She never, ever should have talked to that vod.