Running down a dry creek bed, the wolves stayed away from the bear. Back up into the hills for another run to the fence on the building they had jumped. He cleared it first and then his mate. He pawed at the lever style handle and the wolves entered the room.
She sniffed the room. Her tail wagged to show him that all was safe. Then she shifted.
“Oh that was a good run,” she said as she stretched. Looking down at her skin, she found a few new scratches and picked out a cactus spine or two. “Damn cactus.”
“Well, at least your nose didn’t hit it first,” said Patrick. He had shifted back and then locked the balcony door. He had headed for the bathroom after pulling the curtain closed.
“No, I just hit the damn thing with my hip. Need any help?” she asked as Patrick stood in the bathroom trying to pick the last spines out of his nose.
“Yes, can you get that one?” he asked pointing to a piece near his eye.
“Bend down,” she said.
Patrick sat on the edge of the bathtub and let Ginny poke and prod until she had the offending bit of plant life in her fingers. “There,” she said. “Now just enough time for a quick shower.”
Patrick picked her up as he stood and moved the both of them into the tub. Five minutes later and they were out of the shower and headed for bed. As they fell asleep, they shifted once more. Curled nose to tail, they dreamt of chasing rabbits.
*
Ginny was the first to wake as the sun streamed through the window. Patrick hadn’t pulled the curtains tight last night. She went to stretch and a heavy paw dropped across her shoulder. She tried to move it off, but he put it right back.
“Patrick, I need to get up,” she said softly.
The wolf growled as she moved his paw off again. Ginny tapped his nose with her finger. He blinked and woke up. Shaking his head, he looked at Ginny with a half grin o his face. “Come on, shift so we can get breakfast. Can’t you smell it?” she asked scooting out of bed before he could paw her again. She headed for the bathroom.
Patrick was sitting on the edge of the bed when she came back into the room. “Sorry about that Ginny. My other half is still really protective, and I guess it was just the strange smells that had him on edge,” he said apologetically.
“No worries. Just get dressed. That rabbit was a snack, and I’m starving,” she said looking around for her clothes.
“Okay,” said Patrick. He was in and out of the bathroom in a few minutes. He’d even brushed his hair and teeth.
“Damn, I knew I forgot something,” said Ginny as she smelled the toothpaste. Buttoning up her shirt, she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. It was bad form to smell of blood at breakfast, and her morning breath was nasty this morning. She grabbed the clog of hair out of the tub drain and then the two of them headed down for breakfast.
They followed their noses to the dining room which was off to the left of the check-in lobby. Seated around a few tables were other guests. Some looked and nodded hello’s as they entered. Others were engrossed in their food or the new on the TV.
Patrick was the first to lift off the covers on the chaffing dishes. To his delight there was bacon and ham in one section and sausages in another. The next one held eggs and the last one held pancakes. Syrup, salsa and shredded cheese were at the end of the table. On a separate table was yogurt, cereal, milk and fruit. Patrick and Ginny helped themselves to the meats and eggs. Ginny got one pancake as well. Each one was as big as a plate, and she figured she’d share it with Patrick.
They sat down their plates and then got coffee and orange juice. Five minutes after they had started eating, Sam came into the room. She checked the dishes, chatted with some of her guests and cleared a table someone had left. Then she walked over to Patrick and Ginny.
“Sleep well?” she asked.
“Sure did,” said Patrick. Ginny nodded as her mouth was full.
Sam smiled. “Glad to hear it. Enjoy that breakfast. Lots of sausages left and some ham too,” she said with a wink. Then she walked off to the next table.
Patrick about choked on a bite of egg. Ginny smiled. “Before you ask, no she isn’t one of us. However, I suspect she knows what we are,” she said softly.
Patrick swallowed. “You sure?” he asked. He was not use to people knowing about shifters with the same ease that Luc and the pack was in this area. He sniffed, trying to catch a whiff of Sam’s scent, but all he could smell was sausage and eggs.
“Yes, almost positive. Think. Heavy duty beds, levers instead of knobs on the doors, and the meat. How many places do you know that have that amount of protein available for breakfast now?” she asked.
Patrick thought about it. The bed hadn’t squeaked or groaned. Levers were the norm from what he could see and he had been astonished to see all the meat in the chaffing dish. He was just about to say something when Sam came back their way.
“Oh, before I forget, I have two kinds of cookies in the hall cupboard in case you need a snack. Chocolate chip in the round bin and peanut butter cookies in the square bin,” she said. “Oh, and juices and soda in the fridge next to the cupboard.” She smiled, patted Patrick on the shoulder and walked out of the dining room.
“Yeah, she knows what we are,” said Ginny.
“And your reasons?” asked Patrick.
“First off, she didn’t say what color the bins were, but the shapes. Second, she was very specific as to which was which. That, and the smile. Makes me wonder just how many shifters do visit,” she finished.
“I don’t know, but we have a schedule to keep unless you intend to abandon it on the first day,” said Patrick.
“Nope! Just let me finish this food and we are out to explore,” said Ginny. She dug into her eggs with gusto.
*