Page 4 of Kiss of Fury

Fury snickered.

“It’s not for eating—but for heating,” Phibious explained. “It’s grass, wood dust, and horniger dung.”

Dung as in…“Drop that!” she said.

“What’s dung?” He set it in the bin.

“Animal shit,” Fury supplied.

“Ew.”

She glowered. Did he have no concept that he was in the presence of a child? He might resent her, but couldn’t he have the decency to watch his language?

“Don’t touch anything until you wash your hands,” she said.

“Let’s go inside so I can explain a few things.” Phibious marched into the cabin. When they were all in, he pointed to an arched opening in the back wall. “The washroom is through there.”

She went to check it out and have Brody clean his hands before removing his coat. The jacket had to be cleaned, but at least it was his vomit all over it and not animalshit. “Do you need to use the toilet?” she asked her son.

“No.”

“Okay. I do. Wait for me outside. Don’t touch anything,” she repeated. Who knew what other surprises he would find? Who expected to find a bin of animal shit on the porch?We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

She let her son out and then used the commode. Washing her hands, she stared at her reflection.Ugh.Speaking of shit—she scowled at her appearance. The conveyance had been drafty as hell, and exposure to the wind and cold in the compound had turned her cheeks bright pink. Fatigue and worry had drawn dark circles around her eyes. She looked like a clownish raccoon.So much for making a good impression.Shepulled off her woolen cap. The top half of her hair stuck to her scalp.Hat hair. Great.

Men had considered her attractive—at least on her good days. She must have been to have drawn Kyle Dorn’s attention, but today wasn’t a good day.

She’d intended to look her absolute best when she met Fury, but climate and circumstances had thwarted her. She’d been informed they’d be landing during the “warm” season. To her shock, it had been cold and blustery. Fortunately, she’d been able to get to their warm clothes in the trunk.

Did her appearance matter? It wasn’t like she could mitigate her omission by batting her eyelashes.You blindsided me with a kid you failed to mention, but you’re not ugly, so it’s all good.

She finger-combed her hair and went to face the music.

Arms folded, Fury leaned against the wall. The foreman, his posture much more relaxed, stood beside him. Her son sat on a loveseat. She’d rushed him into the washroom so fast, she hadn’t paid attention to the interior. Now, she took it all in, in a single glance. Other than the sofa, so short the three of them would have to squish together to fit at the same time, the only other furniture in the room was a small square tableand three chairs. Some cabinetry, a flash cooker, and a cooler completed the kitchenette. An ugly black stove stuck out against the “living room” wall. She supposed it was used tobakeherb cakes.

“We’re ready.” She shrugged out of her coat and draped it over a kitchen chair then carefully laid Brody’s soiled jacket, dirty side up, on top of it.

“Good,” Phibious said. He ducked outside and returned with an herb cake, which he carried with tongs. “The cabin runs on solar energy, but we don’t get a lot of bright sunlight. It’s cloudy most days. To conserve the solar batteries, we heat the cabins with herb cakes.”

He opened a door in the stove, shoved the brick inside, and then lit it with a striker he extracted from a drawer. “That’s all there is to it. The herb cakes in the bin should last a week. You can purchase more at the mercantile. You were given a pay credit card, right?”

“Yes.”

“You have enough creditsfor foodto tide you over until your first payday. Of course, Mike has been here for two pay periods, so he should have a surplus.”

As if I’d ask him for anything.

“Meals at the mess cost three credits for dinner, two for lunch, and one for breakfast. Child meals are one credit.”

“Mom, I’m hungry!” Brody said.

Phibious chuckled.

“In a little bit,” she said. It was past his dinnertime.

“Any other questions?”

“What time do I start work?”

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