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Chapter 16
My eyes flutteredopen to darkness. A faint light called my attention to the corridor, where an orange glow flickered from the fireplace. Oryn’s and Nero’s heavy breaths told me they still slept alongside me, legs entwined across my body. Every inch of me tingled from last night’s marathon and left me feeling tender down there. Who would have thought being watched would have turned me on so much? Now, I lay next to them, adoring their warmth, their constant admiration, and yet the earlier worry crept forward. The one that reminded me we would head back home today. My stomach hurt. I wasn’t ready to face the priestess, or the decisions coming my way. Most days, I had enough trouble deciding what towear.
With the urgency to pee pressing on my bladder, I wriggled out of the men’s hold, took my small blanket, and tiptoed around them before hurrying down the hall, where I spotted light pouring from around the ajar kitchen door. Was Dagen awake? After a visit to the bathroom, curiosity got the better of me and I poked my headinside.
“Morning,” Dagen said, his voice gravelly, clear he’d just woken up too. He sat in a chair, leaning over folded arms on thetable.
“May I join you?” I didn’t wait and wandered in, pushing the door closed to avoid waking the guys. “How can you tell what time it is in here with nowindows?”
He pushed himself back into his seat and stretched, his spine cracking. “Hunters can sense the rising and falling moon, so it lets me know when the sun’s about to rise. It ripples across my skin, as if I’d jumped into a freezing river, like now.” He stuck out hisforearm.
I stepped closer and studied the way the hairs on his skin shifted upward. “Impressive internal wake-upalarm.”
“Yep.”
I glanced around the kitchen, unsure if I could head back to sleep if it was morning and my stomach was doing somersaults. Half the loaf I’d baked yesterday remained on the table. “Want eggtoast?”
“No idea what that is, but sure. I may be a hunter, but my favorite ingredient of all time isegg.”
I took the bread and set it in front of him, then fetched him the knife. “Cut these to the width of onefinger.”
“The bread’s hard. You sure this isedible?”
“You bet. Means the slices will soak up more of the yummy goodness and helps ensure the result is not soggy.” I busied myself with placing a pan over the fire and used a slice of fat from the leftover piggy for oil. Yesterday, I’d found a container of eggs in the boxes of supplies under the table, so I pulled them out. With four of them beat in a bowl, I dipped two pieces of the loaf he’d cut into the mixture and placed them into the frying pan. At once, the delicious aroma hit, and my mouthwatered.
Taking a seat next to him, I coated more bread. “Eggs are my go-to meal too when I can’t be bothered to cook. I could eat it for every meal. But where do you guys get eggs fromhere?”
“Back in my territory, my pack runs a farm of animals, including chickens, and a garden to supply food to everyone year-round.”
“Really? I thought you would chase anything you needed.” I got up and flipped the slices, oil splattering, and I backedaway.
“We hunt any day we want, but we like variety. We also hold a monthly pack run under the full moon to bond as a pack, so we’re not completesavages.”
“That sounds like it would be kind of fun, if I were a wolf. During full moons, I always cleanse my herbs. They say that such nights can clear away impurities.” With a plate in hand, I scooped up the slices and placed them in front of Dagen. “Enjoy.”
With the next two in the pan, I took the salt to the table to find the food gone and Dagen licking his lips. “What did you call this again? It’sgood.”
“Egg toast. It’s even better with salt.” I set the salt bagdown.
“Gotcha. So tell me. Do you think once we’re apart, our connection with each other willbreak?”
“Maybe. Or you could be stuck with my funny thoughts in your head for life. Who knows? The universe has a strange sense ofhumor.”
“Funny thoughts? Let me know when you have any of those so I can laugh.” He smirked. “So far, it’s all been you getting horny, worried about losing Nero and Oryn, and facing the priestess. Kind of repetitive if you ask me.” He leaned back in his seat, his browcocked.
“There’s more. I’ve thought about you lotstoo.”
He shifted in his seat. “Why does it bother you so much whether or not I likeyou?”
The sizzle of the oil drew my attention, and I hurried to turn the egg toast. “I don’t think it’s fair to judge me with the same stick you do for all humans. Everyone’sdifferent.”
“True.”
Back at the table, I sat down. “What? You’re agreeing with me! Wow.” It wasprogress.
He didn’t respond but studied me as if I were a strange creature he’d never seenbefore.
“My grandma used to say no matter someone’s race, we are unique and have both good and bad insideus.”
