Daybreak by Ellen Connor Page B

you to our camp. We’re well hidden from our enemies.”
    So far, Jack and Shine hadn’t spoken a word.
    “You promise safe passage?” Pen asked.
    The tall woman shook her head. “I can’t, can I? But you will come to no harm from us.”
    “Our boat’s anchored a mile up the coast,” Shine put in.
    A boat? Tru banked a flicker of interest. He’d never traveled by water, despite a history of exploration. Few people had seen as much of the Changed world as he, though he usually saw it in lion form. Not this time.
    Tru waited. This was Penelope’s operation.
    Finally, she nodded. “Lead the way.”
    Adrian dug into their provisions and handed Tru a couple of fish to eat on the move. An efficient use of time and resources. Little conversation passed between the two parties. The younger female eyed Tru with a carefully blank face. He obliged her with a toothy smile, but she surprised him by responding with a wink before striding ahead.
    That left the man walking between them. It was a good move. Protective.
    “You tried to scare her,” Adrian said to Tru.
    “So I did.”
    “How come?”
    “Because she stared at me. She should be used to skinwalkers, but maybe my ability isn’t why she was looking.”
    “I think it’s amazing.” The kid’s tone held a wistful edge.
    “You wish you could shift?”
    “Hell, yes.”
    That was how he’d felt upon first learning of Jenna’s ability. “Well, I was older than you when my lion kicked in. So maybe you’ll change too. At the right time.”
    Adrian seemed cheered by this possibility. They lapsed into silence, putting one foot in front of the other. Tru didn’t trust this group or their timely intervention, but then, he was a suspicious bastard. Penelope’s magic would detect hostile intentions. Wouldn’t it? He couldn’t bring himself to ask her, and certainly not in earshot of the newcomers.
    “You’ve just about kept your promise,” Penelope said softly. “We’re almost there.”
    “Just a boat ride now. It’ll be a welcome break from walking.”
    Her voice dropped to a husky timbre. “But we still haven’t slept together.”
    That no longer sounded so pleasing as it once did. Oh, he still wanted her, but . . . not on prescribed terms. What he wanted would never come to pass. The Orchid wasn’t likely to slip into his bedroll because she wanted him too badly to refrain. As such, he’d lost his taste for the game. Seduction with Penelope didn’t promise the same sweetness, the same heady sense of power.
    And he couldn’t go down the road to caring. Not again.
    “True,” he said simply.
    This wasn’t the time to get personal. With a measuring look, she subsided. A short time later, they reached a small craft with oars that had been pushed up on the shore. Shading his eyes, Tru glimpsed a small boat bobbing farther out on the waves.
    “That’s it,” Zhara said. “We won’t all fit, so we’ll make two trips. Do any of you know how to row?”
    Silence. When the hell would we have learned? He felt snarly. Soon Pen and Adrian wouldn’t need him anymore. Not for protection. Not for anything. That knowledge dug into a ridiculously raw place—a place he’d thought scarred over for years. He’d believed himself so well protected that nothing could get inside his armor ever again.
    “I’ll need a volunteer for the first trip from your group.”
    “Me.” Adrian glanced at Tru as if for permission.
    He inclined his head in silent thanks. The kid’s bravery made his job a lot easier. There was no way in hell he was leaving Penelope unprotected, and no way he would let her get in that boat without him. Adrian’s offer simplified everything.
    Soon the small craft had pushed far from shore, leaving Tru alone with Pen. She stood beside him, grubby but undaunted. She really thought these people could make a difference in her fight against O’Malley. He shook his head in disbelief. What must it be like to have that kind of faith? And hope?