Page 71 of Night Call

“Yeah, her food delivery guy’s kinda inconsistent, and we both like the company in the evenings.”

A sharp smirk pulled across Maya’s mouth. “I see. And here I thought you andBlakewere keeping one another company… all night long.”

Nostrils flaring, Pember yanked the empty coffee cup from her hand and dropped it into the sink. “Will you stop that?” he said, crossing his arms. “I get enough shit from Samantha; I don’t need it from you too.”

Maya looked momentarily taken aback, before throwing up her hands and tugging her coat from the back of the chair. “Okay, okay. Point well and truly taken. See you tomorrow, yeah?”

Pember let out a slow breath. “Yeah. See you tomorrow, May.”

CHAPTER 16

DEAD MAN WALKING

Pember

Speckles of lightfloated across the wall in Pember’s new bedroom, the silver stars of the dreamcatcher reflecting the moonlight as it poured through the window. He’d done away with the curtains, shoving them to one side so he could look up at the night sky. His wolf rumbled in the back of his mind, and he turned his face to the pale light and let out a quiet ‘wooo’ sound. His wolf liked that. It liked his growing nest, too.

He felt more at ease at the rear of the house; it was cooler and he was away from the road. He’d taken to piling the blankets and pillows around the edge of the mattress, making himself something close to a pillow fort, rather than a stuffy cocoon. It was nice, and he’d probably end up getting some twinkly lights for the nights the clouds covered the stars.

He’d thought about calling his mum all evening, imagining all the things he might say to her.Leave me alone. Give me space. I’ll come back when I’m ready.But none of it felt right. Like no words could accurately describe how he felt.Guilty? Betrayed? Desperate? All of the above.Instead, he’d distractedhimself by brewing a batch of elderflower flower wine whilst Val watched with her CPAP machine.

Throwing an arm across his face, he let out a long groan. His mum had had the last laugh in the end, though. Her actions had almost driven him straight into Blake’s arms, which was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Except, for the first time he’d actually wanted it too, and so had his wolf. It’d felt good to shift again, but the sudden, uncontrollable transformation had left him absolutely exhausted.

He squeezed his eyes shut at the memory of his desperate and needy reaction, because there was no way around it, no way of flowering it up to make it seem like anything else. Blake had been… Blake. Stoic and immoveable. But he’d also seemed hotter and heavier than normal. The blackness of his eyes, the way his fangs stuck out as he growled against his back.

Pember squeezed his bare thighs together and pulled down the baggy T-shirt over his groin. He wanted to text him.Shit.He really wanted to, but shame clung like sticky caramel in his gut. Huffing, he rolled onto his side and pulled a pillow to his chest. Bailey was making noise in the kitchen, her collar clinking loudly against the water bowl.

His phone buzzed from somewhere within his pillow fort. Frowning, he drove his hand in between the blankets and patted around until he found it. His throat went dry when he saw a message from Blake.

‘Are you and Val okay?’

Pember stared at it, then pressed the phone to his chest. He squirmed, toes curling. Deciding not to be a total idiot, he picked it up and typed back.

‘Yeah. Val didn’t eat much. Tummy pains.’

There was a brief pause, then: ‘There’s gastro tablets in the top cupboard, I should have said.’

Pember sat up. ‘Should I go back?’

‘No. It’s 1am. I’ll check on her in the morning.’There was another pause, then: ‘Can’t sleep?’

Pember pressed his lips together. ‘No. My brain’s too full.’

He’d barely hit send before another message appeared. ‘Want to talk?’

He swallowed, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. ‘It’s okay. I don’t want to take up your time.’

‘I’m sitting with the second body in the morgue. It’s dark and there’s no one around. I’m shitting myself to be completely honest.’

A laugh bubbled in Pember’s throat.‘Why don’t you hop up into one of the containers? Have a nap. I hear they’re more comfortable than they look.’

‘You’re sick.’

He was. The black humour of his colleagues was rubbing off on him more and more. His nostrils flared at the thought of Blake sitting alone in his trench coat, looking all grumpy and put-out with only a corpse for company. He typed back. ‘It’s probably haunted, you know?’

‘I hate you.’

His smile broadened even further, and a moment later the phone rang. He was still smiling as he hit answer.

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