Once the door shut Eli pressed his cheek against Cameron’s, soaking up the heat of his body as it radiated out. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “The past few days have been awful.”

Cameron twisted his torso so he could get hold of the blanket and bring it up to cover Eli’s shoulders. “I’m sorry you had to be alone for so long. When I think about what could have happened…” he had a pained expression, and he pressed his forehead against Eli’s. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

“Sounds good to me,” Eli said. He enjoyed the physical contact for another few moments. “Can you help me to the shower? I don’t think my legs are going to hold me up right now.”

Cameron had the glimmer of a smile when he sat up, and Eli narrowed his eyes at him. “Was that the plan?” He asked. “To keep me bedridden so I couldn’t leave your side whether I wanted to or not?”

“You figured it out,” Cameron joked.

Eli rolled his eyes, feeling more human and settled than he had in days as Cameron helped him up. Tried to, at least. Eli couldn’t stand. His lower back ached, but his legs were completely numb. “I’ll carry you.” Cameron offered.

“That’s too embarrassing.” Eli protested. “Anyone who sees us will know I can’t walk because we had too much sex.”

“There’s no such thing as too much.”

Eli shot him a look, and Cameron visibly tried not to look pleased, but failed. Of course, Eli figured, Cameron wasn’t shy at all about other people knowing about their physical relationship. In fact he even tried to flaunt it so that any wolf to even pass by Eli would know that Cameron was his mate. Hadn’t he been happy to get physical with Eli and leave the door open back at the boarding house?

“I don’t like this being the first impression they have of me,” Eli objected.

“They’re shifters, Eli. It’s expected.” Cameron pointed out. “Besides, nobody is under any illusions about what we did last night. Hiding isn’t going to work, not with these here,” he nudged the bites on Eli’s neck. “So, you may as well let me carry you.”

Eli ran his hand over the curves of his throat, and where his neck met his shoulder. Cameron had littered him with marks. And he was right, there was going to be no hiding it. Eli had to resign himself that his first impression had been made last night when he’d simply thrown himself at Cameron. He sighed. It’s not like he could regret it, not when his body couldn’t handle doing anything otherwise.

“I’m going to wash your scent off,” Eli threatened.

“I’ll be happy to cover you again after.” Cameron said back with a grin. He offered out his hand. “May I?”

Eli gave in, letting Cameron carry him princess-hold into the hall and then a large bathroom. And by large, Eli meant the size of his living room back home. “Is that a jacuzzi?”

“Looks like it,” Cameron placed Eli down on the edge of. “Want to try it out?”

Eli looked around the place, noting that there were several shower stalls and a sloping tiled floor that led to a drain in the centre of the room. “Are people going to walk in on us?” he frowned. He vaguely remembered that this was a large log cabin. Aside from that he hadn’t actually paid much attention beyond, well, the double bed in Cameron’s room.

“Not unless they want their eyes gouged out,” Cameron said easily. Eli rolled his own at the remark.

“So,” Cameron asked. “Bath or shower?”

“A bath would be easier,” Eli said. “But I am hungry, so… think you can help me stand for a quick shower?”

Cameron helped Eli wash, wrapping him up in a thick fluffy towel and carrying him back to the bedroom. The hot water and steam had helped immensely. In the bedroom Cameron pulled a duffle bag out from under the bed and got them out clothes.

Eli sifted through the small pile that had been left on the bed while they were showering. Cameron took them right out of his hands, handing him his own set of clothes that were certainly not going to fit Eli.

“I’m going to trip trying to walk in these,” Eli held up the sweatpants, looking critically at them. They were Cameron’s, which meant not only were they going to dwarf his own waist, they were also several inches too long for him.

“I’m carrying you anyway.”

“I am walking downstairs. I’d die if you carried me to dinner like that.”

“I carried you to bed last night, and there were quite a few witnesses to that.”

Eli groaned, “Just let me have the clothes that fit.”

“No.”

“Cameron!”

Cameron met his gaze with an unyielding one of his own. “They stink of whatever wolf owned them before.”

“Funny, I didn’t know there were wolves that smelled naturally of laundry detergent.” Eli reached for them, but Cameron stepped back, out of range of where Eli could reach without standing up. He strode to the window, popping it open.

“Don’t you dare—Cameron!” Eli cried.

Cameron tossed them out, letting them fall to the ground. “They’re covered in dirt, you’ll have to wear my clothes.”

“That’s so rude.” Eli complained. “We’re guests and you just tossed the clothes Penelope was nice enough to lend me into mud?”

“They’ll understand,” Cameron replied, unconcerned.

“No,” Eli objected immediately. “If they thought you would do that they wouldn’t have offered in the first place.”

Cameron sat next to Eli, not a hint of repentance in his expression. Eli stared up at him. Usually, Cameron was quick to give in to Eli, and to try meet what it was that Eli wanted. But now, the look of resolve in Cameron’s expression said that he was ready to weather Eli’s anger.

Eli found himself fizzling out. He turned over the sweatpants in his hand. “You marked me last night. Isn’t that enough? It’s not like I was going around wearing your clothes before now.”

“I just want to keep you safe.”

Eli frowned. “How is this and that connected?”

Cameron didn’t have an answer.

“I think you’re mixing up protectiveness and possessiveness.”

“Maybe.”

“Cameron—”

“How am I going to protect you without being possessive?” Cameron asked, there was an edge in his voice. “Acting like a boyfriend and not like your mate led to you getting taken to a hunter compound, and Eli, it’s basically a miracle that Quint was even able to get you out of there.”

Eli sensed Cameron’s wolf rumbling to life, agitated, and looking for someone to fight. Not Eli, but anyone who came near Eli. He put his hand over Cameron’s, squeezing it gently. “Okay,” he said, giving in. “I get it.” He had to think about how awful it must have been for Cameron, especially not knowing that Eli was alright. If he really thought about it, maybe the miracle here was that Cameron had agreed to go downstairs and eat food with others instead of keeping Eli cooped up here.

“I’m happy to stay by your side,” Eli said. “And I’m not going to argue with you about acting like my mate,” clearly, Cameron’s instincts were going to be taking the lead in that regard anyway, “but I still don’t think you need to take it so far as to throw clothes you don’t want me to wear out the window.”

Cameron was silent for a long pause, until eventually he sighed. “I guess that may have been taking it too far.”

Eli repressed a sarcastic, You think?

“Just a little,” Eli agreed. “Let’s get changed, I really am hungry.”

Cameron offered to carry Eli once they reached the stairs. Eli regretted saying no when he was halfway down and his legs were trembling like crazy. Cameron stuck to his side, his arm wrapped protectively around Eli’s waist, ready to catch him if he made any misstep. At the bottom of the steps Eli followed a murmur of voices into a large dining room, where the smell of food greeted him.

An array of different foods were spread out around a large dining table, big enough to fit at least a dozen people, and an array of giants were scattered around everywhere. There was a rumble down Eli’s nerves as some sixth sense alerted him at once that every person in the room was a shifter.

Penelope was sat at the head of the table with Quint at the far end away from her. Next to Quint were two empty seats.

Penelope greeted him with a smile. “I hope you like tacos.” She gestured to the seats by Quint for them to sit.

The shifters, while they may have been pretending not to look at Eli, were all clearly very aware of him as he came in. Eli took the seat closest to Quint, so that Cameron was between him and the unfamiliar wolf at the other side. Penelope offered him an encouraging smile.

“Now then, since we’re all here.” Penelope looked to her left. “Finn, could you pass around the plates?”

At a glance, Finn seemed to be the youngest at the table. Maybe Cameron’s age? Eighteen? Or possibly older? But even if he was the youngest, he was big. Like, football player big. They all were.