Page 21 of Zoe

“Then why am I here?” Zoe demanded, although not too loudly, because she couldn’t do that to herself.

“Think about it,” Billy said, shifting slighting in the chair to get comfortable.

“Because you’re a raving lunatic,” she said. “Is there a full moon tonight? Did you go out howling?”

Billy turned a hard stare on her, but she only raised her eyebrows back at him. Good for her, he thought; she’s got a backbone. “There is; I did,” he lied. “And that’s when I found you, drunk, naked, dancing around a bonfire and chanting in tongues.”

Zoe grunted. She didn’t speak in tongues, so she took that whole answer with a pinch of salt. “Butthead,” she grumbled. “Do you have coffee?”

“Oh, now you want something from the butthead,” he said and snorted a chuckle.

“Fine,” she said and looked around for the exit.

It was apparent to her that she was in his cabin, on pack land, and if she went outside and screamed for Kristen loudly enough, she’d find her. She started for the door.

“What are you doing?” he growled.

“Never mind, your help is not required,” Zoe said with a sneer.

When she yanked open the front door, the wind blew the blizzard in at her, and she yelped in surprise. Zoe slammed the door shut and learned a hard truth – she was stuck – for now, with the big oaf who liked to growl.

“Coffee’s on the second shelf,” Billy said, eyes closed to the world but a smirk planted firmly on his lips. “Not that you need my help or anything.”

Zoe pressed her lips together, determined not to utter a word, but her lips wouldn’t stay shut, and they moved as she muttered obscenities under her breath. There was only one thing to do – make coffee and hope the drummer in her head moved on.

~

“Well, don’t you look perky this morning?” Maria said when Heather walked into the living room and looked around to see who was there.

“Are we the first up?” Heather asked, padding over to the kitchen as she followed her nose to the coffee pot.

“I have no idea,” Maria said, shrugging.

“Explain.”

“Obviously, Kristen is with her mate, and Zoe went missing, presumed close to death in the snow last night.”

“Huh?” Heather had been pouring the coffee, and now she stood there, mouth open, staring at her friend as she took in the information she didn’t know what to do with.

“She’s fine,” Maria waved an absent hand in the air.

“You could have led with that,” Heather said, returning to pouring the coffee again.

“She’s with her mate in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and they are snowed in,” Maria said. When Heather stopped pouring again, cocked her eyebrow at her, and stared, Maria grinned. “I like to save the best until last,” she added.

“I’m confused.”

“Welcome to my world. I think I might have early onset old timers,” Maria said, and she wasn’t joking. She couldn’t even find her door keys in the morning and kept trying to put the milk in the microwave and the kettle in the fridge. “That or peri-pause.”

“Peri-pause? You mean the bit before meno?” Heather asked, walking two fresh brews across and placing one on the table next to Maria’s empty cup.

“That’s the one,” Maria said, reaching for the coffee cup in front of her. “Death, taxes, and menopause, three of life’s little treasures.”

Heather snorted a chuckle. “The three we could do without,” she said, sitting opposite her friend. “Back to Zoe?”

“Well,” Maria said, settling back against the cushions like she was about to tell a story. “It all started with a bottle of tequila and a bit of fresh air; at least, I thought it was a bit of fresh air.”

“Am I going to need a nip of something in my coffee for this?” Heather asked, smiling.

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