out the shower.
It just wasn’t fair! How the hell could he look so good when she knew he’d been awake the entire night leaning against that tree trunk? She ran a hand through her tousled hair, making a face. She looked and felt like she slept in her clothes, which she had, and she had the nagging feeling something unpleasant had crawled up under her jeans leg, leaving an itchy trail over her skin. All feelings that were contributing to her grumpy mood. Not to mention the fact she had less than her eight hours and hadn’t inhaled at least three cups of coffee yet, which she needed to feel at least halfway human. Or Pixie.
“So how long before we get there?” she asked, hoisting the still sleeping Spud higher in her arms, grateful she thought to grab one of the twins sling carriers on her way out of her sister’s trashed apartment. Without it, he’d be getting awfully heavy right about now and it meant he could sleep on undisturbed as they carried on walking. A stab of envy hit her, one she immediately felt guilty about. It wasn’t his fault. Whatever had happened that led to him being left on Feral’s doorstep, no one could blame a baby for it.
He made a contented little sound and nuzzled closer into Tessa, his tiny hand splaying over her collar bone. She smiled, her heart melting in that instant, snuggling him closer.
There was just something about baby cuddles that made you forget everything that was bothering you. Maybe just for a second or two, but sometimes that was all you needed.
Now what had that little smile been all about? Feral wondered silently as he folded out the parchment map, checking their location. Like everything else that surrounded Tessa and her frankly odd aunt it hadn’t exactly been what he’d been expecting. The old fashioned parchment and script handwriting hadn’t been a surprise but the little smiley faces and flowers along the border had been. Guess young girls weren’t much different, no matter what century they were born in.
“I think we’re either here, or here,” he said, tapping the map.
Tessa looked over his arm, a frown creasing the centre of her brow. “Here or here?
You mean you don’t know?” she asked, her voice incredulous. “Well, isn’t that just like a man?”
Feral caught the teasing look in her eyes but he bit anyway, the edge of unease he’d been feeling for the last hour or so eating away at him.
“Well, it’s not like we can stop and ask a local, is it?” He threw back, eyebrow arching. “Stop anything around here and it’d be more interested in stripping your flesh to the bones than giving you directions!”
Tessa gave him ‘the look’, but he was right. All they had was the hand drawn map and it wasn’t the most accurate of documents. It had no scale, no compass, or even easily discernible features. Which wasn’t a problem since there were no landmarks in this damn place, just endless plains of ratty scrub lands and dank little woods. She snorted to herself.
Hell, stick a couple ‘here be dragons’ and a red X on this thing and it could double as a kids pirate treasure map!
She carried on studying it, trying to make out where they were along the marked trail, then shrugged. “I can’t make head or tail of it either…”
“Sssh!” He held his hand up in warning, silencing her instantly. Had a guy done that to her normally, his ears would be ringing from the tongue lashing she gave him for being arrogant. But not Feral, especially not when he was doing the whole living statue thing again, his eyes unfocused as he concentrated on their surroundings. She tried as well, listening out for anything out of the ordinary, scanning their surroundings for things likely to leap out and attack them at any moment.
But nothing, she couldn’t see or hear anything odd. For all she knew he could have smelled something dangerous. She wouldn’t have had a clue on that angle, her sense of smell had packed in a few minutes after they’d come
It just wasn’t fair! How the hell could he look so good when she knew he’d been awake the entire night leaning against that tree trunk? She ran a hand through her tousled hair, making a face. She looked and felt like she slept in her clothes, which she had, and she had the nagging feeling something unpleasant had crawled up under her jeans leg, leaving an itchy trail over her skin. All feelings that were contributing to her grumpy mood. Not to mention the fact she had less than her eight hours and hadn’t inhaled at least three cups of coffee yet, which she needed to feel at least halfway human. Or Pixie.
“So how long before we get there?” she asked, hoisting the still sleeping Spud higher in her arms, grateful she thought to grab one of the twins sling carriers on her way out of her sister’s trashed apartment. Without it, he’d be getting awfully heavy right about now and it meant he could sleep on undisturbed as they carried on walking. A stab of envy hit her, one she immediately felt guilty about. It wasn’t his fault. Whatever had happened that led to him being left on Feral’s doorstep, no one could blame a baby for it.
He made a contented little sound and nuzzled closer into Tessa, his tiny hand splaying over her collar bone. She smiled, her heart melting in that instant, snuggling him closer.
There was just something about baby cuddles that made you forget everything that was bothering you. Maybe just for a second or two, but sometimes that was all you needed.
Now what had that little smile been all about? Feral wondered silently as he folded out the parchment map, checking their location. Like everything else that surrounded Tessa and her frankly odd aunt it hadn’t exactly been what he’d been expecting. The old fashioned parchment and script handwriting hadn’t been a surprise but the little smiley faces and flowers along the border had been. Guess young girls weren’t much different, no matter what century they were born in.
“I think we’re either here, or here,” he said, tapping the map.
Tessa looked over his arm, a frown creasing the centre of her brow. “Here or here?
You mean you don’t know?” she asked, her voice incredulous. “Well, isn’t that just like a man?”
Feral caught the teasing look in her eyes but he bit anyway, the edge of unease he’d been feeling for the last hour or so eating away at him.
“Well, it’s not like we can stop and ask a local, is it?” He threw back, eyebrow arching. “Stop anything around here and it’d be more interested in stripping your flesh to the bones than giving you directions!”
Tessa gave him ‘the look’, but he was right. All they had was the hand drawn map and it wasn’t the most accurate of documents. It had no scale, no compass, or even easily discernible features. Which wasn’t a problem since there were no landmarks in this damn place, just endless plains of ratty scrub lands and dank little woods. She snorted to herself.
Hell, stick a couple ‘here be dragons’ and a red X on this thing and it could double as a kids pirate treasure map!
She carried on studying it, trying to make out where they were along the marked trail, then shrugged. “I can’t make head or tail of it either…”
“Sssh!” He held his hand up in warning, silencing her instantly. Had a guy done that to her normally, his ears would be ringing from the tongue lashing she gave him for being arrogant. But not Feral, especially not when he was doing the whole living statue thing again, his eyes unfocused as he concentrated on their surroundings. She tried as well, listening out for anything out of the ordinary, scanning their surroundings for things likely to leap out and attack them at any moment.
But nothing, she couldn’t see or hear anything odd. For all she knew he could have smelled something dangerous. She wouldn’t have had a clue on that angle, her sense of smell had packed in a few minutes after they’d come
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