He kissed her forehead gently. “You going to be okay?”
She nodded quickly. “I might throw up a few times, but I’m not giving up.” Her stubborn announcement made his heart sing. They were truly going to be a wonderful pair, once they dealt with a few minor issues like her shifting problem. Her refusal to accept their mating. Making sure— Jared nudged them, breaking them apart, before handing over two life jackets. “Try to throw up over the edge of the gunnels.”
Maggie smacked him on the arm and Erik bit back his surprise. “Next time, don’t listen to a private conversation. If I have to throw up, I’ll throw up anywhere I damn well please. Got it?”
A ripple of shock crossed Jared’s face and he dipped his head in submission. Maggie stood just a little straighter and Erik hid his grin. It seemed his little wolf was starting to feel her place in the pack.
He turned to make sure TJ had his lifejacket on properly. The boy was still swearing colourfully, with few repetitions.
“Does your brother know you’re this talented with words?”
TJ snorted. “Who do you think I learned them from? Well, him and Robyn. She’s awful good at cussing in sign language.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to fuck this up. I just know it. I’m going to cause some major catastrophe.”
“Why?”
TJ looked at him like he’d grown a third head. “Because I’m me. You know I can’t walk twenty feet without landing on my face.”
Erik shrugged. “You bounce pretty good. Just get up and get your ass into the boat.” He tightened TJ’s lifejacket straps and stepped back to complete his own.
TJ continued to stare. “How can you be so calm when chances are I’m about to screw this up for us like I always—”
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55
Vivian Arend
“Enough.” Erik let his power roll out over the young man as he towered over him. “I don’t let anyone talk shit about you, not even you. Do your best, that’s all any of us ask. If you do have an accident then fix it the best way you can.”
The panic in TJ’s eyes faded slightly.
A piercing whistle broke the air and the team gathered around Erik.
“Okay, there’s the five-minute warning. Those are prospector canoes—flat bottomed so they’re nice and stable. I want Jared in front, TJ and Maggie side by side in the middle. I’ll take the stern and steer us.
What do you think about going for the extra buoys? Yes or no?”
TJ flicked a glance at the team. “I’m just going to paddle and keep my ass in the seat. I’ll do whatever you decide.”
Maggie chewed on her lip. “Are the buoys far out of our path?”
Erik shook his head. “Looks like we can pretty much stick to the current. We’ll want to do that anyway to make the best time. The fastest route down the river is not a straight line. When we get close to the rocks we’ll have to stay to the right.” He looked at Maggie. “Did you ever see the rapids when you lived in Whitehorse?”
“If I did, it was a long time ago.”
“There are four towers of granite dividing the current into five parts. The far right is the best one to go through, but the main thing is to avoid the towers themselves and the far-left channels. There are sweepers off the left, and some nasty undercurrents over there. When we get close, just listen to my instructions.
We’ll use the first few minutes in the canoe to practice our strokes.”
“What about the symbols?” Jared jiggled on the spot as he stood waiting.
“Maggie, I want you to try to memorize them. Describe them out loud when you see them and we’ll all try to help remember, but I don’t want all four of us staring at the damn things or we’ll be in the drink for sure.”
The final warning whistle blew and there was no more time for discussion. The gun went off and they were away, racing over the grass to grab paddles. They sprinted to the side of the canoe to manhandle it down to the water’s edge. Jared hopped in, TJ fell in and Maggie gracefully jumped over the side as he pushed them out into the current.
“I hate wet socks.” Jared complained from the front of the canoe.
Maggie laughed at him. “You’re not wearing socks.”
Erik laughed. “Okay. Practice time. Everyone draw on the right.”
They practiced maneuvering the canoe until Erik felt they should at least survive the trip. The rest of the competitors had settled into a pattern around them. There were two canoes alone in the lead, a group of six or seven close around the Granite Lake team, and another larger pack behind them.
“Buoy approaching on the right,” Jared shouted.
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Wolf Games
Erik checked the river. “We’ll try for this one, then we need to slip over to the left more.”