She waves a cell phone. My heart lifts, but worry strangles my breath. What if things aren’t okay? Am I going to call him with such good news while things are really bad for him?
The phone plays a little jingle, waiting to see if the call will be answered. My heart races. Finally, Thompson’s face pops onto the screen.
“Thompson!” I say more out of worry than excitement. His face is slick with sweat. His eyes look sunken. His clothes are wrinkled and ripped.All three of us gather into the screen, and I force a smile.
“Hey!” he says, his eyes lighting up. His smile seems sincere, and the pressure on my chest eases slightly. “How’s it going, guys?”
“How’s it going with you?” I blurt out.
His expression falls slightly. “Oh, you know. Not great. No casualties this week but we’re having trouble getting supplies into our territory. The Brush-kins pack is blocking our deliveries so—” He shakes his head. “We’re fine, though. We’ll be okay. How about you guys? Has Candice poisoned all the evil fucks in the world to end the Orizian war yet?” His smile seems forced.
“Not yet,” I mutter.
“But she does have good news!” Lola chirps.
“Oh?” Again his eyes light up. He’s sincerely happy to hear from us, to hear my news, despite things not going well for him. Are they starving there? Are the supplies they can’t get through to their pack basic needs, like food?
They’re wolves, Jarron reminds me.They can hunt.
Right. That clarity does little to ease my concern.
Jarron is concerned by how much I’m worrying about Thompson. There’s a small stream of guilt coming from my demon.
“Candice?” Janet says, a frown on her brow.
I blink and refocus on the call. “What?”
“Show him,” Lola says.
I blink rapidly. “Oh! Right. Yeah.” I hold up my wrist to show him the crescent mark, and my cheeks redden immediately.
“I knew it!” he hollers, pointing to the screen. “I told you!” He howls in celebration, and I can’t help but feel real joy, to allow a real sincere smile to spread on my lips.
He stares at it again and then examines my expression. “It was you, right?” he asks, suddenly less sure.
“Yes,” I force out through my stressed lungs. “Yes, you were right.”
He howls again in celebration.
He’s honestly so happy for me. Not for what it means for him or his pack, but just for his friend who he cares about.
“We miss you,” I tell him.
“I miss you guys too. Trust me, I do.”
Lola and Janet chatter with him for a few minutes, sharing stories of when they were certain I had to be Jarron’s chosen and arguing about who will take what role during the wedding. Lola claims flower girl. Janet a bridesmaid “Of course Liz will be the maid of honor,” she tells me with a beautiful grin. And Thompson will be the ring bearer.
After a few minutes, the chatter dies down and I venture to ask the thing still bothering me. “Tell me honestly, though, what’s going on there? Are you safe?”
Slowly, his smile fades. His shoulders droop. “We’re… surviving.”
“Thompson,” I chide.
“What are you able to do, Candice? What will telling you the grim truth help?”
My brow pinches. “I don’t know. But I’d rather know so that if there is something, I can at least try.”
He shakes his head. “It’s my problem to deal with.”
