Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf, #3)(71)

I sighed as I dropped the towels back onto the chair and then plopped down on top of them. I had time for a quick call while Cal was talking to Kelly and Andrew.

I dialed Rachel, my heart suddenly ramping up a bit, knowing that she would probably be pissed at me and wondering how I could have let so much time pass without giving her a thought. This Huntress business had been all-consuming and an easy enough explanation…but not something I could tell Rachel about.

“Hello?”

“Rachel?”

“Morgan?” Her voice rose to an almost screech. “Where the f*ck are you?”

Okay, pissed might have been an understatement. “I’m okay, Rach, calm down.”

Rachel scoffed. “Calm down? You run off with some long-lost boyfriend, basically fall off the face of the f*cking planet and don’t bother to call anyone for—oh, I don’t know—two f*cking weeks, and you’re telling me to calm down?”

I grimaced. It didn’t sound that great hearing it from my friend’s hysterical mouth. “I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Rachel’s tone was clipped. “Where the hell are you, Morgan? Should I be worried or are you really just a shitty, inconsiderate friend?”

I winced. “I’m really sorry, Rach. I’m not in trouble. In fact, far from it. Everything is great.”

“Okay, good to hear. But that doesn’t explain to me where the eff you are and who you’re with. Care to give a little more detail so that I’m not totally freaking out when you disappear for another two weeks?”

I sighed. “I’ll be home soon.” Would I? After the battle, if I didn’t die of course, Cal would let me go back home for a visit, I was sure. “Cal and I…”

“Cal? Is that his name? Why is it that I don’t ever remember you telling me about a long-lost love named Cal?” By Rachel’s tone, it was clear that there was no point in going into detail, as much as my friend might want me to, she was too pissed to actually listen.

“Okay, Rach, fair enough. You’re mad at me, I get that. I’ve been a shitty friend, like you said. I just wanted to give you a call to let you know that I’m okay.”

“Why aren’t you answering your cell phone?”

“It’s broken and I haven’t had time to get a replacement.” I sighed as I brought my hand to my forehead, suddenly very sorry that I’d called, as a blast of a headache pounded through my skull. “I have to go. I’m sorry that I’ve pissed you off. I just wanted you to know that I’m okay, and I will be home soon.”

Rachel sighed. “I miss you, hon.” Her tone had softened, the anger from moments before deflated. “Sorry I’m being such a bitch, but you’ve had me really scared. The cops were by the other day. Apparently Jimmy is missing, and they wanted to know if I’d heard anything.”

I gulped back a lump. “Jimmy’s missing?” Of course the police would be searching for him. They didn’t know he’d been turned into a werewolf and was now dead and buried.

“Yeah, they were asking about you too, thought maybe the two of you were away together or something. I told them you were on a mini-vacation with a friend. You might want to give the police a call, let them know you’re okay.”

My headache flared. Fuck. “Okay, good idea. I’ll give them a call today.” Yeah right. And say what exactly?

“I kinda thought you might be with him too, ya know, and just didn’t want to say anything to me about it. But the guy you’re with, Cal—he’s someone from back home?”

I nodded. “Yeah, he is. I ran into him at the carnival, got to talking and catching up, one thing led to another.” I didn’t like lying to her but what else could I do? The truth was so not on the table as far as Rachel was concerned. “Anyway, I better get going. I’ll be home soon, and I’ll fill you in on all the details. Then you can meet Cal yourself and see why I left.”

“Okay, I’ll be here waiting. But, Morgan?”

“Yeah.”

“If you’re going to be gone for another two weeks, do you think you could give me a call just to let me know?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Good.”

“Talk soon.”

“I’ll stop by your place and make sure everything is cool.”

I nodded. “Thanks, I didn’t even think about the house. Do you mind?”

Rachel scoffed again. “No, I don’t mind, I just said I’d do it, didn’t I? Anyway, you need to get your head out of the clouds, friend. I’ve got to meet this guy. He’s got you off in la-la land.”

“You will meet him, and you’ll love him.”

“I hope so, Morgan. Take care.”

“’Kay, bye.”

I put the phone down and ran my fingers through my hair, blowing out my breath with a moan. Shit, that was intense. After a week of bliss with Cal, being confronted with a harsh dose of reality had my head not only pounding but spinning as well. I hadn’t given Rachel one thought since Cal had returned. I’d been so caught up in training and loving Cal that I hadn’t realized what my absence would do to her. On top of that, I hadn’t even considered that folks would come looking for Jimmy. Like me, he didn’t have any family left to speak of, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be missed.