Page 49 of Misfit Monsters
I ignore his mocking tone. “I trust that you know that I can call you back if it comes to that. And if you run, that’s an automatic fail. If you wanted to get banished, you could have saved us the trouble and told Rollick back at academy.”
The winter fae grimaces, but he knows I’m right. He stalks off around the other side of the van. Raze frowns and vanishes into the shadows amid the trees.
Mirage peers at me with mischief glinting in his eyes. “What about me? Where do I fit in?”
I can’t stop my voice from coming out dry. “I guess you could hang out on top of the van? I get the feeling you’d like having a wider view.”
Mirage laughs and jumps up, transforming into his fox shape as he does. He bounds from the ground to the hood and onto the roof with a patter of his paws.
I inhale slowly, hoping none of them could tell how rattled I was. Hoping my precaution will be enough to prevent further squabbling in the middle of the night.
I’ve been driving most of the day as we try to narrow down where the unnerving shadowkind was heading. I needmy rest if I want to avoid guiding us straight into a ditch tomorrow.
As I lift the little pot off the miniature stove, Peri hunkers down next to me. She considers my meal as I stir it. I catch a slight wrinkling of her nose that she quickly hides. “Is that good?”
I guffaw. “Not really. But it’s easy, and it’ll hit the spot. We’re not out here for fine dining.”
Well, I’m not, anyway. Who knows what kind of satisfaction Peri’s been getting from the miasma of emotions that’ve been flowing between our group.
She sits back on her hands, gazing into the darkness of the woods while I gulp down my pasta. I can’t stop my own gaze from lingering on her.
It’s not just her pretty face and her softly curvy figure, though both of thoseareplenty enticing. There’s a looseness to her stance that I haven’t seen before, as if she’s released some tension I hadn’t realized was gripping her.
She’s been trapped from the moment I dragged her into the cage with my sorcery, hasn’t she? Even at the academy, as much as she’s wanted to learn to control her powers, she was hemmed in by the rules and the hostility of her classmates.
I’m sorry that she was forced onto this dangerous quest, but I’m glad she got an escape from those restrictions. Maybe the experience will make it easier for her to adapt to the academy’s boundaries once we go back.
Assuming we fulfill Rollick’s mission without the entire team falling apart.
Peri looks over at me and gives me one of her sunny smiles. My heart skips a beat despite my best intentions.
It’s hard to comprehend that a being made of shadows could contain so much light. So much it can overflow to the point of burning.
Right now, the glow she gives off is only metaphorical, inthe warmth of her expression and her voice. “You know, a lot of people boss everyone else around to make themselves feel good. Superior, I guess. But you really do it because you want the rest of us to be happier and safer. I think that’ll make the difference, even if they don’t always want to listen. So keep at it.” She grins.
My voice locks in my throat. I shouldn’t be surprised—of course she can pick up on my emotions just as well as anyone else’s. I’ve seen her try to reassure people about their insecurities time and time again.
But I’m not sure I’ve ever felt quite as seen as right now, with those bright blue eyes shining back at me.
They stir other emotions that every professional ethic balks against. When she reaches over to grasp my hand in a gesture of solidarity, I force myself to let go as soon as I’ve given her fingers a quick squeeze to show I appreciate her kindness.
The warmth of her touch seeps over my skin, kindling a deeper heat.
“Thank you,” I say, keeping my voice totally calm. “I hope you’re right.”
“I know it’s made a difference to me.” She gets to her feet. “If the guys are sticking to the shadows, I’ll try one of those bench-beds. I want to see what sleeping in a room on wheels is like.”
I let out a casual chuckle. “It’s all yours.”
But as she walks back to the van, I can’t help wondering how much sleep I’ll be able to get after all, with her lying right there across from me.
19
Periwinkle
My eyes twitch open. A mishmash of clashing flavors wobbles through my nerves like someone’s upending a buffet table over me.
I sit up, peering through the darkness. Faint moonlight seeps through the camper van’s windows, highlighting Jonah’s sleeping form tucked under his blanket.
