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ARIZONA
If a pig hurts itself, what should you put on the wound?
Oink-ment.
* * *
Panic was rising inside me at a dizzying pace. “Hurry! You have to get away from me. Now! I don’t want to hurt you.”
I tried to scramble off Jack and onto the sand, but he kept hold of me as he sat up.
“I’m not leaving you, Firefly.” His arms tightened around me.
“Don’t be an idiot. You’re more fragile than me. Probably. Maybe? The point is, I’m not willing to risk your life.”
I focused on the semi-transparent dome wall, wishing a Jack-sized hole would appear. To my relief, it did.
“Please, Jack.”
He shook his head. “I made the decision to throw caution to the wind for a chance to be with you. There’s not a chance I’m leaving now.”
Frustration and fear consumed me, causing my magic to crackle in response. I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful it was, though. Pale pink sparks showered down the side of the dome, like flower petals in the spring. It would have been incredibly romantic if I wasn’t absolutely terrified it was going to go nuclear at any moment.
I chewed on my bottom lip. “I wish the guys were here. They might know what to do.” Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on my emotions, but I was a hot mess and couldn’t figure out where to start.
Jack stiffened behind me. “What the—”
Another voice I recognized asked, “Jack? Why are you here?”
Opening my eyes, I found myself staring at Zon, Rez… and Albert Einswine?
It was one of the weirdest scenes I’d ever laid eyes on, shocking me enough that I momentarily forgot about my ever-growing magical dilemma. Both men looked guilty, like they’d been caught pranking the devil himself. Rez held Albert out in front of him using two plastic salad tossing forks, while Zon was busy wrapping my disgruntled teacup pig up tight in white fabric.
I couldn’t tell if they were aiming to turn Albert into a mummy or a pork burrito. “Why are you here? And what are you doing to Albert?” I demanded, stress making me sound a little hysterical. Today was not the day to test the limits of my sanity. My worry for Albert temporarily overrode my concern over the impending magical doomsday.
Rez and Zon looked at each other, eyes widening and brows raising as they carried on a silent conversation.
“I want the truth,” I demanded.
Rez kneeled, and careful not to jostle Albert, he set my tiny ham in the sand. Standing and backing away from the pig, Rez met my eye. “Honestly, he scares us.”
“Yeah, we live in fear every moment we are in the apartment without you,” Zon added in all seriousness. “We thought we could wrap him like a newborn, and perhaps he would sleep contentedly until you arrived. It is stressful to have him always popping out from behind doors and furniture. He finds enjoyment in our screams.”
Trying to save their pride, I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at their sincere expressions. How could the only two dinosaurs who walked the earth fear a six-pound pig?
Jack didn’t get the memo about fragile masculinity and burst into loud laughter. “You weren’t joking about their terror over a pig. If this is a taste of how our life together is going to be, I can’t wait for what comes next.”
Jacked wiped the tears from his eyes. “But seriously, guys, a pig? She told me you two were dinosaurs, and that was honestly more believable than when she said you feared one of the cutest creatures on earth. Did you know pigs are incredibly smart?”
Rez scowled. “Yes. We are very aware of how smart they are. Just as we know the terror that they caused during our time.”
“They think Albert is the kind of creature you don’t feed after midnight,” I whispered to Jack, sending him into another fit of laughter.
I watched Albert shake like a wet dog, freeing himself from Zon’s attempts at swaddling him. Once he was free, he pranced around Zon and Rez, playfully kicking up sand. A white crab darted across the sand, and Albert chased after it, his adorable butt jiggling as he romped on the beach.
I wondered why I’d never brought him to the ocean, and I made a mental note to bring him back since he seemed to enjoy it.
That was assuming we lived through the day. That thought caused my anxiety to begin rising again. My magic expanded as though it had taken a breath, and another cascade of crackling sparks fell around us, bringing my focus back to the issue at hand. I turned to my dinos. “Guys. I have a problem.”
