74. Cherish

Ivan promised to tell them the truth, I hardly expected him to tell the guys when we scampered back up that ravine. Their smug faces said enough. Even with being as quiet as possible you cannot erase the scent of arousal from a shifter no matter how much you try to quickly wash in the water.

“Did you get lost?” Jackson asked with an eyebrow raised as the rest of the crew smirked around the campfire.

“Dead deer in the water, had to trek upstream…” said Ivan before he looked at me and we broke into stupid grins causing Jackson to throw his apple peel at Ivan. “Bloody knew it!” Lyon and Navin said, having apparently bet on what we were up to. I sidled away to my sleeping bag leaving Ivan to deal with the banter. Although we were the butt of the joke, perhaps it was the breakthrough we needed to be closer as a team.

The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was Jackson's cry and rowdy laughter as a bucket of water apparently tipped over his head.

The next morning during breakfast wh