Thorn (Werewolf) ✔

Chapter Fifty-One

"So what's the deal with you two?" I say. "Are you a couple?"

"No, we're just friends," Balan says. "Close friends."

"With benefits," Kira says. They turn and glare at her but she just shrugs. "Don't act like you haven't been shagging every chance you got for the last century. Enjoy it while it lasts because once you find your mates, it's over."

Balan removes her hand from Pal's shyly. "Thanks for that, Kira."

"You're welcome."

"Listen up!" Thorn walks down the steps behind us, his voice makes many people flinch. "By our calculations we should be arriving in England by noon tomorrow. We only have a few rations left and I understand that many of you are hungry so I'm allowing Nadia to slow down the boat for ten minutes to enable a fishing expedite."

Slow down the boat? Not stop? I don't even know why I'm shocked by that, they can probably keep up with it.

"Any volunteers?"

Almost everyone volunteers. Their hands push into the air excitedly, Kira is almost punching it. The boat begins to slow down and Thorn laughs to himself.

"Have fun but be respectful. Remember to kill before you throw."

Pal jumps to his feet and dives over the side of the boat, followed by Kira who narrows her eyes as though it's a competition. There are splashes all around us, half of the boat is now empty.

Not even twenty seconds later, a fish is thrown over the railing and hits my leg. It isn't moving, it's already dead. Dozens more of them follow from all angles.

I feel kind of bad but I can't deny that it looks delicious. Balan casually just grabs one and holds its head as she bites into its tail. Raw. There's no such thing as gutting or cooking with werewolves, they take what they can get.

I would have been disgusted before, but now the gene is activated my wolf side is having all kinds of bizarre instincts that are telling me it's natural. I pick up the large fish from beside my leg and I cover its eyes before taking a bite into it. The juices leak down my chin. It's so slimy that the meat just slides down my throat. It's gross but it's appetizing. I devour it in seconds, carefully biting around the bones. Thorn watches me for a moment before walking over.

"Who are you and what you have done with the girl that couldn't even watch me gut a rabbit without puking?"

I smile as I throw the head and skeleton back into the ocean. "She changed. I hope one of those changes is immunity to salmonella."

"Yes," he laughs. "I would have cooked it for you. We still have to cook the meat for the children, they won't receive our immunities until their gene activates."

I wipe my chin with the end of my shirt. "Too late now. It wasn't that bad actually, it felt. . . natural."

He smiles and leans his lips close to my ear. "Just one more night and then I get you all to myself."

Our cheeks brush against each other. I feel the butterflies sting my stomach and I almost give in to the intimate moment, until I clock eyes with Balan who is watching us with an amused expression. I turn my head away shyly. Eventually, she leaves.

"You scared her away," I say.

"She'll get over it." His hand slowly moves down my leg, getting closer and closer to the one place that I really want him to touch. I check that no one's watching before I turn my head back, allowing him to press his lips into the side of my throat. "Am I making you nervous?"

"Mm-hm."

"How nervous?"

I close my eyes as his fingers brush down the side of my face, lingering on my jawline. He's teasing me but I don't mind. These pants are thick but they can't disguise the scent of my arousal. I feel Thorn's lips smile against my throat as his hand claims that one place.

"I can't believe you're doing this right now," I mutter.

"No one's looking. They're all distracted with catching the fish and the rest have their heads submerged underwater. How much do you want this right now? For me to just slip right in those jeans?" He pulls on the front of them, creating a gap that's big enough to let air through.

I take a deep breath, scanning my eyes over the oblivious boat full of people that are starting to climb their way back over. Dead fish are everywhere, there's even a few crabs that Kira holds up proudly. Thorn retracts his hand and turns to lean back on his elbows.

"How are we ever going to escape them?" I whisper. "Creatures with supernatural hearing isn't exactly the biggest turn on."

He starts grinning. "Did I forget to mention that the bedrooms are soundproof?"

I smile so wide that it's almost a squeal of excitement. "Mating activities are quite the priority."

"I thought you hated that word?"

"I'm warming to it."

I turn to look at the magnificent ocean, stretched out for miles for as far as I can see. The others have crossed the ocean before, they arrived here by boat before the war began. I'm still adjusting to it. It didn't even phase Sky, but I'm not sure if she's just acting brave to try and prove a point to everyone else. I hear her voice from across the deck, she is showing Pal something that she caught, she sounds proud of herself.

The scent of the saltwater is strange and displeasing but the view makes up for it. When the sun sets, everyone is silent. It's the only time of day when there is peace.

"One more night," Thorn says, reaching out for my hand. "I know they're my pack but I can't wait to just spend some time alone with you."

Our fingers entwine in between our bodies, I smile as the dogs see us and start running over, Luna has a fish in her mouth. "One more night," I repeat.