Page 42 of Kingdom of Chaos
“Yo! What’s taking so long?” Imogen yells from the doorway of our motel room.
Talon’s grip loosens and I slip out of his grasp, feeling slightly breathless.
Turning my back, I scoop up the backpack Imogen gave me and flee like a coward, speed-walking back to the room without checking to make sure Talon is following. I dump the bag just inside the front door.
“You okay?” Ensley asks, giving me a funny look.
“Yeah. Of course. Why?”
“You look flushed.”
Talon enters the room at that exact moment, carrying a large black duffel bag.
“I’m not flushed,” I mumble. “It was just cold outside.”
Ensley shoots me a confused look. The swamplands are hot and muggy at the best of times, and sweltering during the others.
“I mean hot.”
I turn away from Talon and Ensley only to come face to face with Imogen. There’s a knowing smirk on her face that I choose to ignore as I sidestep her and take a seat at the small bistro table across the room.
“Did you get everything you needed?” Titus asks.
“We did,” Talon says, holding up his hand to reveal a bulky gold ring set with a black stone. “Most importantly, I got our ticket home.”
Titus eyes the ring with curiosity. “That’s the tamalite?”
Talon nods. “Yeah. Sorry it took so long. Took a little extra convincing to get them to hand it over.”
“I tried calling a few times but you didn’t pick up,” I say, still a little salty about that.
Talon pulls on the back of his neck. “Right. I don’t actually have my phone anymore. I left it behind so that I couldn’t be tracked. Imogen did the same.”
“Oh.” I didn’t even think of that, but it makes perfect sense.
“What are in these?” Ensley asks as she bends down to look at one of the bags. “They’re only half filled.”
“We wanted to leave space to bring some clothes and personal items,” Talon explains.
“Granola bars, first-aid kit,” Ensley says, listing items as she digs through the pack.
“What’s that at the bottom?”
“A compact tent.”
“We’re going to be camping?” she asks, a note of surprise in her voice.
I grimace. I’ve only been camping once, with my dad when I was nine. He’s a nature lover, which is pretty typical for bear shifters. It’s basically in their blood. But I learned quickly that it is not in mine. Ensley enjoys glamping, but sleeping in a tent is a stretch for her too.
“We know our worlds influence each other,” Talon says. “I think it’s safe to assume they have some modern amenities. But we don’t know how safe it’s going to be for us in the general population. Best to be prepared.”
“But we brought our own bags,” Ensley says, pointing to her pink backpack in the corner.
Talon nods. “You can keep whatever personal items you need, but these are better suited for traveling light and staying mobile. Just transfer the essentials into the new ones.”
Ensley frowns, not looking pleased with her new backpack, but she goes over and starts sorting through her things to figure out what to bring and what to leave.
Bending over, Talon unzips the black duffel he brought in. I can’t see what’s inside. Titus’ eyes widen as he gets a good look. Leaning over, Ensley peeks in the duffel and her mouth drops open.
