Page 25 of Demon Shock

Between the cats and Ava, I hadn’t moved for hours. I didn’t want to disturb her.

“A word to the wise, Gyrik,” Will said from the hallway. “If Ava’s drooling on you or her hair is messy, you’ll want to slip out of therebeforeshe wakes up, or she’ll be embarrassed and try to avoid you for at least half the day.”

I frowned through her hair and wondered if wearing it like a mask counted as messy.

Deciding not to risk it, I carefully removed Pete from his place. He made unhappy sounds. I understood how he felt as I eased out from Ava’s arms.

Standing beside the bed, I watched her move restlessly for a moment before settling again. The ache I’d been fighting the entire night intensified as her underwear shifted over her backside, showing me the full expanse of her rounded flesh. I wanted to touch her. Feel her softness.

My fingers twitched as I reached for her. At the last second, I grabbed the sleeping bag to cover her before reluctantly turning away.

When I opened the door, Zach grinned at me and pointed at the wet spot on my shirt.

“Good call to leave,” he said softly. “They get embarrassed by that.”

“Why?” I asked, already moving toward the living room.

“Not everyone likes to be drooled on, I guess,” Will said with a shrug.

What male wouldn’t want a female’s mouth juices on him? All of the ways my brothers had described experiencing their female’s mouth on their bodies vividly played through my mind as we joined Bram.

Ava appeared dressed—unfortunately—a few minutes after the morning stew started simmering.

“Good morning.” She smiled at everyone as she picked up Pete. Then, her gaze settled on me. “Did I hog the bed?”

“No,” I said, understanding that term. She’d taken up just the right amount of space in the bed and on me.

She approached where I stood by the stove and looked into the pot.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

“I am. Stew’s an unusual choice for breakfast.”

“You’ll find that we don’t stick to food norms in the communities,” Bram said. “We’re just grateful for whatever food we have.”

Ava faced Bram. “I’m sorry. My comment wasn’t meant to sound judgmental. I was just curious.”

“I know,” Bram said. “You were well stocked and still have plenty of the breakfast-type foods you’re used to. We can make them if you want. The stew is just something that will feed us all.”

She glanced at Zach and then at me. “Sorry. I forgot you lean toward meats.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” I said. “I know what it’s like to learn the rules of a new world. It’s confusing at first.”

Her soft smile warmed me from the inside, and I turned back to the stove so she wouldn’t see how much I liked her attention.

After we ate, we packed up and headed out. With so much snow on the roads, I had to run ahead again. But by lunch, we’d moved far enough to the south that I didn't need to run out front anymore, and I sat comfortably in Ava’s truck with Pete and Repeat on my lap.

“It’s weird to drive so long and not see another car. It’s been a day already without seeing another person on the road. Not even a track.” She sighed. “It’s not that I didn’t believe what you were saying…I just think the reality of it is still settling in, you know?”

I did know. It’d been like that for me when I’d first come to the surface. The sun, which was still bright to me now, even behind the clouds, had felt like a hundred bone needles piercing my eyes. The people had been strange and angry. Everything I’d done and said had been wrong. I’d mumbled thousands of apologies for misunderstandings the first few weeks we’d lived with the humans. Yet, I loved this world and the brightness and the people. It was better than the endless loneliness of the caves.

The radio clicked, and Zach started to speak. “We’re stopping. Ava, cut the engine as soon as you’re parked. Gyrik, we need you up front.”

“What’s happening?” Ava asked, slowing.

“I’ll find out,” Gyrik said. “Stay here, and lock the doors.”

I waited until I heard the door lock behind me to jog to the lead truck.

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