Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves - K.A. Merikan Page 0,89

want?”

“Lager,” Yev told him and wouldn’t let Radek leave without a final squeeze of his hand. It meant that he’d be waiting, and that Radek could always call him if he needed help or felt threatened by his best friend. Which was ridiculous. But also endearing. It made Radek feel less alone in the mess that was his life now.

Iga led the way to the large bar with a counter stylized to resemble marble. It was only once they were far from their table that she gave Radek a concerned look that made his stomach shrink. He didn’t want anyone’s pity.

“Radek… I’m so sorry about your arm. Sorry about all the upset texts I sent you. I was really worried when you stopped responding, but I see now that you’ve had other shit to deal with.”

“It’s… not ideal,” he said, glancing at the stump he was slowly getting used to, even though the witch’s magic had healed him in record time. How would he carry two drinks back to the table? Everything was that bit more inconvenient now. He’d have to ask for a tray, and strangers stared at him when they noticed.

Iga swallowed, waiting in the line, not in a hurry to actually purchase the alcohol. “But you didn’t actually marry that guy, right? It’s been what? Two months?”

Radek sighed. Of course she was too smart to buy this. “No, but we’re seeing each other. I just didn’t want people to ask me questions about the amputation. I’m gonna hear enough of them all my life.”

Iga chewed on her lip before pulling him into a hug. “I’m so sorry. But are you sure you’re okay? He’s kinda possessive. Jan didn’t say anything offensive, and your ranger's like a guard dog.”

“We’re exclusive, and he doesn’t know my friends, so he’s a bit territorial. It’s fine. I wouldn’t like it if some guy pawed at him either.”

She frowned, but there was a smile pulling at her mouth. “You and a serious relationship? I didn’t think you’d want that before you hit your forties. And since when are you into older guys?”

Radek squirmed under the scrutiny, but she was right and they both knew it. He’d always rejected the very idea of having a boyfriend, joked relationships were like collars and chains, and now he’d moved in with a guy he met two months back? There was no pretending they were roommates, or buddies who fucked while living together for convenience. They did couple things, and even preserved some venison together, which was exactly the kind of thing Radek had laughed at Emil doing with Adam.

And as much as he avoided the idea, he was starting to worry about the expiration date of their involvement, since Yev was supposed to go back to Ukraine in a few months, and Radek planned to return to Cracow. Just thinking about parting ways sent an unpleasant shudder through Radek’s stomach, no matter how much he wanted to dismiss it as fear of being helpless without one of his hands.

“Maybe it’s exactly what I’ve been missing.” Radek winked at Iga but didn’t feel like laughing at all. The smile she had for him dropped. “Radek? Something’s up with your eyes. You wanna… sit down?”

Radek gasped when his top lip twitched in response. He’d shifted enough times by now to know that whiskers were about to come out of his skin. He covered his mouth. “I’ll check in the bathroom,” he said and turned on his heel, speeding up as he maneuvered between people standing in his way. He could not allow himself to turn in public, but if he managed to hide away in a toilet stall and wait out the transformation, the danger it posed would be avoided.

“Radek, wait!” Iga called out through the loud music, but something must have held her back.

Radek dashed through the dense crowd of people like an animal on the run from a predator. His heart beat ever faster, creating a dull pulsing in his head and limbs. His gums tickled, and his joints ached as he stumbled, falling on his face when something in his feet shifted rapidly.

Fuck.

Fuck!

He tried to even out his breathing to fool his body into thinking he was perfectly calm, like Yev had taught him, but how was he to do that when he was in a corridor, far from possible hideouts, and growing fur all over?’ Yev had told him it was too soon to travel out of Dybukowo, but no, he’d had to