Page 20 of Luna & Andres

I paused and half-turned to him. "Then you won't have any problems going on without me."

He frowned. "I can't do that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why not? It's not like we know each other."

Vincent turned his face away from me. "B-because I can't."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, you can wait three hours, but any longer and you're just wasting daylight. Now come on. I don't know about werewolves, but I need some sleep."

We wandered back to the fire. The flames were fed with the garbage Vincent had collected, and I looked around our little camp.

"Is there only the one mattress?" I asked him.

He sat on his barrel and nodded. "Yeah, but I'm fine. I think I'll keep the fire going a little bit longer."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I climbed into the culvert and tried to make myself comfortable. The mattress smelled, and the dirty blanket wasn't much cleaner. Both made my old bed seem like a new, king-size bed. I shivered and curled myself into a ball. The heat from the fire didn't stretch into the culvert. I wrapped my arms around myself and closed my eyes.

My mind's eye replayed the day's events, but in reverse. The confrontation at the house, the diner, the apartment, the interview at my work. They played out like scenes from a story that I couldn't quite comprehend. Every new situation brought with it new questions and few answers.

Something slipped over my shoulders. My eyes flew open. A shadow loomed over me. I sat up and pulled my gun. Vincent stumbled back and held his hands in front of him. His coat blocked my view of his body.

I lowered my gun and glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you looked cold, so I. . ." He held up his coat.

I holstered my gun. "I'm-" My eyes caught on something. I leaned to my left and raised an eyebrow. "Are you wearing a shirt?"

Vincent sheepishly smiled and moved his coat to block my view. "No."

My eyes flickered to his face. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I had one on earlier, and now I don't."

I swung my legs over the mattress and studied his attire. "Are your pants stretched?"

He looked down at them. "No, they fit fine. Why?"

"Because when you change into a werewolf you're a lot bigger. That probably explains why you wear those pants, and that coat," I commented.

"What's wrong with my coat?"

I nodded at the front. "It's a little big for you."

He smiled. "Yeah, but it's really warm."

I stood. "How about we move the mattress closer to the fire? I don't want a sick werewolf on my hands just because you gave me your coat."

"I guess," he agreed.

He slipped his coat over his shoulders. I glimpsed his pale skin and thin frame. The necklace lay against the center of his chest. There was nothing to show he was the monster. He buttoned his coat so I could only see his pants and stepped to one side of the mattress.

"I'll lift the end, and you can get the other," he suggested.

"Can't you lift the whole thing by yourself?" I asked him.

"It's a little heavy," he pointed out.

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