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Adam shook his head and called them idiots, which made Tor grin. The fey’s pointed canines looked much longer than the rest of his teeth. Like a dog, but not. He caught me looking and immediately stopped smiling. Adam noticed and shot me a look.
I flushed again and focused on the surrounding houses.
“Let’s start with the ones at the end of the cul-de-sac over there,” I said softly. “Bigger back yards usually mean kids.”
While we moved off in that direction, away from the people sticking to the homes closer to the trucks, I did my best to shake off my slip. Pointed teeth did not define a man’s character, but it sure could be startling when not expecting it.
Three fey cleared the first house and moved on to the one next door while the remaining nine came inside with us. Adam and I propped our guns close by and started in the kitchen.
“So you guys live in that other town, Tolerance, right? What’s it like over there?” Adam asked, opening the first cupboard.
“Good,” Tor said.
Adam laughed and used more specific questions as we moved the things we wanted to the countertops. Gradually, we learned that Tolerance didn’t have the same supply issues that Tenacity had. People could go into the supply shed and take what they needed whenever they needed it.
“Why did we get stuck in Tenacity then?” Adam asked.
“New people go to Tenacity.”
“Okay. How do people get to live in Tolerance?”
“Mya and the other women have to approve them.”
“Could you let Mya and the other women know we’re interested in switching?” Adam asked. “Living in Tenacity sucks sweaty jock balls.”
Tor grunted, and I wondered if he knew what “sweaty jock balls” were.
When I turned to open the full-length pantry door, Adam caught my arm and shook his head.
“I will check,” Tor said.
He waited until Adam and I stood a healthy distance away then opened it. There was nothing but shelves of dry goods and chips inside. My stomach rumbled at the sight of the chips.
Adam grabbed the bag, handed it to me, then lifted me to sit on the counter.
“You snack, and I’ll sort.”
I opened the bag and took a chip out.
“We’ll get more if I work,” I said before shoving the crisp bit of deliciousness into my mouth.
“Union lunch break. Eat.”
I rolled my eyes at him but kept munching. When I caught Tor watching, I tipped the bag his way.
“I promise it tastes nothing like yesterday’s candy. Give it a try.”
Adam grinned back at me as Tor took a chip and crunched on it. The face the fey made had me laughing again.
“Come on,” I said, taking another one. “It’s sour cream and onion. It’s a universally enjoyed flavor.”
“Don’t let her bully you, Tor,” Adam piped in. “It’s not my favorite either. Watch for anything with flames on it. That’ll be better.”
I snorted, already picturing Tor’s reaction to that.
“Flames usually mean spicy,” I warned him.
We worked our way through the rest of the house without incident and moved on to the next. There were fewer infected here than in the other place, which meant we moved faster. We’d almost cleared the third house when Tor stopped us.
