Devious Claws

Chapter Thirteen

We'd been travelling for hours. The darkness had draped across the forest like a thick, wool veil. This night was darker than any I'd ever seen; no street lights, no moon, no sight more than three meters ahead.

Somehow Eros had managed to get us to the fireplace where the five men and Luke were sitting watching meat grill above the flames. I stretched my legs as I landed on my own feet for the first time in what felt like forever and as I plopped down on the moss next to Frill, Eros came to sit beside me. The outside of his upper arm pressed against mine.

"You look fine," Luke commented from the other side of the fire. He looked bitter - and a bit green. "I guess you traveled first class."

"Uh, yeah." I shrugged, taking a skewer Eros gave to me. Rabbit - I think. "It was kind of nice travelling like this, don't you think? And this forest! It's so peaceful. I saw a lake when we arrived - it's just a few hundred meters from here."

Luke looked just about ready to jump me. "Peaceful? Peaceful? I have been holding on for dear life for hours!" He lowered his voice to a hiss, ignoring Rafe sitting just a few meters away glaring daggers at him. "I threw up, like, five times!"

Rafe growled, a menacing figure in the low light. With one look from Eros, he quieted, but his face spoke more than enough.

"Sorry, Luke. I actually enjoyed today."

"You did?" Eros surprised me by asking, his own food a little ways from his mouth.

"Well, yeah." I switched my attention to Luke once again. "Maybe you can travel with Eros tomorrow? And I guess I'll go with... Rafe."

"No," Eros said immediately, cutting off Luke. "No."

I'd been hungrier than I thought, my rabbit was quickly gone. I sunk a little, putting the skewer to the side. My stomach grumbled in protest.

"And why not?" Luke challenged from across the fire.

"Because," Eros said, handing me his half-eaten rabbit, "I want to go with Cindy."

Luke's eyes narrowed. Rafe smirked. "And what if Cindy doesn't want to go with you?"

"Luke."

"She does," Eros said calmly. His tone became a bit hopeful as he slightly turned to me. "She enjoyed today. Right?"

"Sorry Luke." I gave an apologetic smile, my mouth full of meat. He responded with a glare.

"I can travel with Luke," Frill piped up from beside me. "I'm not as fast as Rafe but I think we'll be fine if we take a more undercover road until the next checkpoint."

"Yes!" Luke said before anyone could protest. "Yes, please."

"Then its settled. Now, we need to discuss Alpha Alheera. We'll be there in two days, and the humans need to be dealt with before then."

"Dealt with?" Luke questioned, worried.

"It's our smell," I offered. "We can't smell like humans."

"Well don't you know everything," Luke grumbled but didn't interrupt further.

"They already smell less human," the man with pale skin and blond hair piped up. "For our smell to transfer we just need to keep close. If they sleep alongside us tonight then the smell should ferment a bit."

Luke and I both grimaced.

"And once there, you can sleep in the same room as Cindy, you'll be in the big room anyway," he continued. "We'll be with Luke in the sleeping halls."