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“You’re right,” I say without a fight.
His head draws back, brows raising. “And here I was preparing for a fight.”
I snort and take a few steps before looking back over my shoulder. “It’s not a compromise if only one of us gives in, is it?”
Lawrence and Cassius set to work feeding and stripping the tack from the horses then brushing them down. Della and I gather small woody plants growing from cracks in the rock, piling them in the center of camp.
I struggle to get the wood to light before I remember the flint. Turning to ask Cassius if I can borrow the tool, my nose bumps against his knee. He steps back and I crane my neck to look up at him.
Cassius extends the flint with a smug look. “I was wondering when you would ask for this.”
I pluck it from his hand and offer a matching, playfully sardonic smile. “I didn’t.”
His mouth drops open, realizing he spoke too soon. I turn away to focus on the fire, ignoring the way heat prickles up my neck to my face. It takes several attempts before flame catches.
I lift my hand without looking and offer to return the flint. Rather than taking it, Cassius pats my head and says, “Keep it for now.”
Dropping to the ground, I cross my legs and heave a sigh.
“What is that about?” Della asks. Her full lips pull into a knowing smile.
“What business is it of yours?” I bite out. It seems her unwillingness to open up to me earlier bothers me more than I realized.
She sucks in a sharp breath, her back straightening. “You should get some sleep if you want to leave as soon as possible,” she says flatly.
Getting to my feet I dust myself off and make my way to one of the two bedrolls laying side by side near the sheer wall of rock. Sleeping in shifts makes sense, but I doubt any of them will wake me for my turn.
Irritated, I climb onto the one set against the rock wall and turn my back on everyone, clutching my arms to my chest. Cassius lays down beside me as I settle in.
I do my best to let my annoyance go, knowing I’m the cause of my own foul mood, and try to sleep.
* * *
It feels as if only minutes have past, and beneath the night sky, it’s impossible to tell. The space at my back is empty and cold. I sit up, rubbing sleep from my eyes, and looking for whatever woke me.
My vampire companions huddle around the fire. They must have added to it because the flames are considerably higher now.
“Something is coming,” Della hisses from the far side of the fire.
“What is it?” Lawrence demands a little louder.
“I don’t know.” She lifts her head and looks off into the distance.
That has my attention.
Pointing to the sky, she says, “There’s something in that direction buzzing. I only followed it for a few miles before coming back.”
Climbing to my feet, I squint where she points, but only see the stars twinkling against the dark sky.
“There,” she says. “That black cloud. See how it moves? It’s not natural.”
“Let’s not stick around to find out what it is. The two of you prepare the horses,” Cassius orders.
Inching closer to the edge of the trail and away from the fire, my eyes strain to see what they do.
Cassius appears in front of me in a blink, grasping my shoulders. The air swirls wisps of hair around my face from his speed.
“Are you ready to go?” he asks, glancing over his shoulder.
