limber muscle. He reached underneath the lip of the counter and withdrew a box of Capt’n Crunch, offering it to her as he continued to read. She took it from him gratefully, and poured herself a bowl. Then she paused, a thought occurring to her.
“How can you guys buy cereal?”
He swallowed. “Backpacks.”
“What? What do you mean, backpacks?”
Looking up at her, he grinned. He held up a finger as he pushed himself up from the stool. She watched as he disappeared into the backroom, only to appear a minute later with a large, empty duffel bag.
“What’s that?”
“Exactly what it looks like.”
“A duffel bag? What, you put your wings in there for the afternoon and then hit the mall?”
He chuckled. “Sort of.” He turned the backpack around, and Callie saw that someone had gutted it. The back side had been cut out, and Callie realized it performed like a massive slipcover. She could easily see how Alex would put that on over his wings, strapping it on like a regular backpack, and suddenly become an average member of society.
“Oh,” she said, feeling foolish. “But don’t people think you’re…I don’t know, out of place? I mean, you’d look like you were backpacking through Europe, or homeless or something.”
“You want to know a secret?” he asked, mischief in his liquid brown eyes.
Her heart fluttered, and she couldn’t tell if it was because of his expression or because she suddenly remembered that there was a secret about him that had been keeping her up all night.
“Sure,” she breathed.
“Most homeless people with duffel bags aren’t really homeless,” he said. And then, as an afterthought, “Or human.”
He disappeared again to put the backpack where he’d found it, and then came back out and sat at the counter. As he began to eat his breakfast again, she felt disappointed. More than that, her bad mood had come back. She felt like she’d been tricked. Surely that hadn’t been what Emeric had been talking about.
“So what’s your story?” she asked, picking at the cereal with her fingers. “I mean, that’s the most I’ve heard you speak in the past two days.”
He chewed for a moment after taking a bite of his own breakfast, and then looked up at her. “You have coffee on your shirt,” he remarked.
She looked down and saw a brown blotch on her pajama top. “Perfect,” she grumbled. She took a towel from beside the sink and blotted at it, her irritation growing. She saw that the laughter hadn’t faded from Alex’s eyes, and slapped the towel back down onto the counter. “You know, for someone who doesn’t seem talk much, you can be really annoying.”
He met her furious eyes with his own, gentle ones. The smile had disappeared, and he looked as though he were being intentionally patient with her. Of course, this did nothing to soothe her temper.
“So, what is your story? I’m dying to know,” she said, suddenly intent upon angering him. He said nothing, seeming to understand her angle and unwilling to give into it. “Oh, don’t be so shy. Big, tough guy like you? You’ve got the dark and broody thing going so well. You must have a story,” she said, hearing the words tumble from her mouth with aggression and derision. “Some tragic secret buried in your past, right?” she asked, twisting the knife.
He met her challenging gaze levelly, and took another bite of cereal,
“How can you guys buy cereal?”
He swallowed. “Backpacks.”
“What? What do you mean, backpacks?”
Looking up at her, he grinned. He held up a finger as he pushed himself up from the stool. She watched as he disappeared into the backroom, only to appear a minute later with a large, empty duffel bag.
“What’s that?”
“Exactly what it looks like.”
“A duffel bag? What, you put your wings in there for the afternoon and then hit the mall?”
He chuckled. “Sort of.” He turned the backpack around, and Callie saw that someone had gutted it. The back side had been cut out, and Callie realized it performed like a massive slipcover. She could easily see how Alex would put that on over his wings, strapping it on like a regular backpack, and suddenly become an average member of society.
“Oh,” she said, feeling foolish. “But don’t people think you’re…I don’t know, out of place? I mean, you’d look like you were backpacking through Europe, or homeless or something.”
“You want to know a secret?” he asked, mischief in his liquid brown eyes.
Her heart fluttered, and she couldn’t tell if it was because of his expression or because she suddenly remembered that there was a secret about him that had been keeping her up all night.
“Sure,” she breathed.
“Most homeless people with duffel bags aren’t really homeless,” he said. And then, as an afterthought, “Or human.”
He disappeared again to put the backpack where he’d found it, and then came back out and sat at the counter. As he began to eat his breakfast again, she felt disappointed. More than that, her bad mood had come back. She felt like she’d been tricked. Surely that hadn’t been what Emeric had been talking about.
“So what’s your story?” she asked, picking at the cereal with her fingers. “I mean, that’s the most I’ve heard you speak in the past two days.”
He chewed for a moment after taking a bite of his own breakfast, and then looked up at her. “You have coffee on your shirt,” he remarked.
She looked down and saw a brown blotch on her pajama top. “Perfect,” she grumbled. She took a towel from beside the sink and blotted at it, her irritation growing. She saw that the laughter hadn’t faded from Alex’s eyes, and slapped the towel back down onto the counter. “You know, for someone who doesn’t seem talk much, you can be really annoying.”
He met her furious eyes with his own, gentle ones. The smile had disappeared, and he looked as though he were being intentionally patient with her. Of course, this did nothing to soothe her temper.
“So, what is your story? I’m dying to know,” she said, suddenly intent upon angering him. He said nothing, seeming to understand her angle and unwilling to give into it. “Oh, don’t be so shy. Big, tough guy like you? You’ve got the dark and broody thing going so well. You must have a story,” she said, hearing the words tumble from her mouth with aggression and derision. “Some tragic secret buried in your past, right?” she asked, twisting the knife.
He met her challenging gaze levelly, and took another bite of cereal,
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