“I know.” My gaze slid past him to thestream. “There are fish in there. I can catch some.”
His finger trailed over the small scar atthe corner of my eyebrow. “Will it result in another one ofthese?”
I laughed and pulled his hand away to brusha kiss across the back of his knuckles. “No, this time a net or atarp will be all that’s required.”
“I’m sure we have something at the camp,” hereplied and bent to kiss me.
He pulled back before the kiss could deepentoo much, just as he had last night when he’d held me in his arms.“I’m not going to break,” I muttered.
“I know, but you need your rest, and you’rea temptation I can’t resist.”
So are you, I thought as I watchedhim tug his clothes on. The shirt stretched taut over his broadshoulders and back. I had no idea how those stitches were holdingtogether, but they looked ready to burst at any second. When hebent to pull on his boots, I couldn’t help but admire the way thematerial of his pants clung to his ass as he moved.
“Behave,” he said with a glance over hisshoulder.
I assumed an innocent expression as he roseto stand at his full, towering height. “I’m not doinganything.”
He grinned at me as his hand cupped myelbow. When I’d first met him, that smile had been rare andfleeting; it occurred more often now with me, and every time I sawit, I basked in its warmth.
“You forget I can smell your arousal,” hesaid.
By now, I should have been used to his blunttalk, and he shouldn’t be able to make me blush anymore, but I wasnever prepared for it, and he could still make my face heat like afurnace.
“That’s cheating,” I muttered, and helaughed.
“Come.” He tugged on my arm and led methrough the trees back toward the camp.
Once there, I broke away in search ofsomething to fish with while he went to speak with the otherdemons. Within minutes, I found two pieces of netted material thathad been used to keep the supplies pinned into the back of a truckby one of the groups who had joined us. I recruited Vargas, Erin,and Hawk to be my helpers. Caught up in settling a disagreementbetween the demons and humans, Kobal assigned Corson to return tothe stream with us.
“I like the idea of a fishing break,” Hawksaid. “It reminds me of home. When I was a kid, my stepdad used totake me out on the lake behind our house with our rowboat. We’dfish for hours, but rarely caught anything.”
As he spoke, I couldn’t help but think of myown home, the town right next to the one where Hawk had grown up.After the gateway had been torn open, I’d spent a lot of timefishing and often missed the simple joy of casting a line andwaiting for a bite.
“We’ll be catching them today,” I assuredhim as we arrived at the shoreline of the stream.
I unbuckled the gun holster from my waist,set it on the ground, and pulled off my katana to place it withthem. The others all hesitated before removing their weapons andplacing them near mine.
I didn’t bother to remove any of my clothesor try to roll up my pants; I was going to get wet no matter what.It had been peaceful in the camp, but I’d prefer not to be barefootif something decided to sneak up on us now. Plus, our boots wouldgive us better leverage against the rocks on the bottom of thestream when we were hauling the netting in.
“I’ve never fished before,” Vargas said ashe took hold of the edge of the net I handed him.
“Neither have I,” Erin said.
“It will be easy doing it this way,” I toldthem. “Vargas and I will go in first, and I’ll show you what todo.” I pointed to the opposite bank fifteen feet away. “Across yougo,” I said to Vargas. “Walk as far as the net will stretch andkeep the bottom of it on the ground.”
He sloshed across the stream that rose tohis waist when he made it to the middle. I stepped into the water,lowering the net until it rested on the bottom, and held it inplace with my foot. Vargas stopped walking ten feet away from mewhen the netting reached its limit.
“Do as I do,” I instructed him as he loweredhis side of the net into the water.
Corson leaned against a tree, folding hisarms over his chest and crossing his legs before him. He stared atus for a minute before his gaze lifted to survey the woods. A fewbirds chirruped. Shadows played across the mossy river banks as thetrees swayed in the summer breeze. Most of the trees were barelytaller than me, but a few older ones towered over the others.
Erin and Hawk stood on the shoreline,watching us intently as the water flowed into the net, carrying afood supply with it. Cool water splashed my face. The feel of itbrought forth more memories of home as I savored this opportunityto do something normal again. The life pulsing within the stream’sunfathomable blue depths flooded me with strength. Kobal was right,I needed this day of recovery more than I’d realized.
“Okay,” I said to Vargas after ten minutes.The jerking on the net within my grasp convinced me there had to besomething stuck within it. “Walk slowly toward me, keeping the neton the ground. We have to fold it in, like a sheet.”
He moved cautiously toward me as hecarefully maneuvered the currents. Only four feet away from me, hisfoot slipped out from under him, and with a startled cry, heplummeted into the stream. He bobbed up almost instantly, spittingwater and cursing as he wiped the water from his eyes.
I bit my lip to keep from giggling. Corson,Erin, and Hawk had no such reservations as they all laughed loudlyand Hawk even pointed.
