Games [The Electro Cosmos Book 2]

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Heidi awoke, feeling the cold on her face. She could feel heat radiating near her back and around to her stomach as if Mila's paws were draped over her, but something about it seemed strange. She couldn't feel the tickle of fur in her face. When Mila moved, an arm rested across Heidi's waist, a hand curled over her own. Her heightened senses sent tingles up her body under her touch.

Realization hit. The night before, Mila had curled up against her, trying to warm Heidi so she could stop shivering from the chill. At that point she was still fully wolf, but if Mila had returned to a human form then she wouldn't be wearing clothes. Heidi's eyes shot open and she blushed noticing Azil and Leroy watched them curiously, amusement clear in their eyes. Heidi's face turned a beat red in embarrassment. Leroy turned and grabbed a blanket, covering Mila so Heidi could move. As soon as the blanket rested on top of her body, Mila shifted and curled her arms around it. Heidi stood and walked away, trying to calm herself from the strange morning wake-up call.

Leroy lay down next to Mila, his back turned to her as he made her less vulnerable to the cold air on her bare skin. Heidi turned to Mila's companions, stopping in front of Kobo. "Could you go find us some breakfast? I'm sure she's going to be hungry after the change her body is going through." Kobo nodded and ran off, taking Azil with him.

Heidi gathered a bit of fallen wood and began to build a fire. Mykai jumped into a nearby tree and began to sniff the air and listen to the forest around, her ears perked. Lillianna hadn't returned from her trip to the lake, gathering supplies from the small fishing community.

Mila woke suddenly, startled by a loud pop from the fire. When she bolted into a sitting position, the blanket fell around her, one corner draped over her shoulder covering very little if anything. Most of her pale body was exposed, leaving nothing to the imagination. Heidi's heart began to pound as Mila tried to get her bearings, blinking rapidly. Heidi cleared her throat, looked away and motioned to the blanket.

Mila's face paled as she fumbled with the blanket and pulled it around herself, absolutely embarrassed for flashing everyone. Leroy grunted in amusement and stood, joining Heidi by the fire as Mila curled the blanket around her. When she finally turned to look at them, her face was beat red, the same color as Heidi's. Mila stood up and walked to the other side of the fire and sat down right next to Heidi, the blanket draped over her shoulders and down just above her knees, covering anything anyone would deem valuable.

"Sorry about all of that," Mila stated after sitting on a cloth she pulled from a bag. "I didn't even realize I could change back."

"D-do you have any clothes," Heidi didn't bother replying directly, too embarrassed as Mila now realized what Heidi had woken to. Heidi stuttered, afraid of what Mila was thinking.

"Unfortunately everything I previously had ripped when I shifted into a wolf," Mila replied looking down. Heidi heard her stomach growl. "I didn't buy anything after because every human I came in contact with tried to kill me, and after a certain point I didn't think I could change back." Though Heidi would never say it, she enjoyed Mila's vulnerability. Heidi smirked, unable to shake images from her mind. When she turned back to look at Mila, the smile wiped from her face.

"I'll go get you some clothes later on if we come upon a village," Heidi pressed her hand to Mila's shoulder and squeezed. A crooked smile of thanks appeared on her face. Then it quickly disappeared as she turned to the woods. Heidi sensed she heard something, her eyes searching around the distant woods. Leroy and Mykai looked into the same direction, their ears perked, listening. Heidi reached to her belt instinctively, but as she tried to pull a knife from it, someone jumped from a tree and pulled her into a choke hold, sliding her away from Mila. Heidi shrieked at the sudden movement before quieting as the knife pricked her throat.