Page 40 of Jace

She smiled down at him and took advantage of his happy mood, washing him as best she could.

When he was nice and clean, she went about bathing herself with one hand. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t like they had any pressing appointments. They could take as long as they needed.

After a bit more scrubbing, she felt satisfied with their accomplishment. She played with Zeke for a few minutes, scooping up water and letting him flip her hand over to dump it.

When she could tell he was getting sleepy again, she whisked them both out, dried off and wandered into his room with a towel wrapped around herself.

She chose a fluffy gray set of pajamas for him from his shelf and got him diapered and dressed quickly.

“Are you ready for a nap?” she asked him.

His little eyelids were drooping, but he fussed every time she tried to put him in the crib.

“Do you want to nap on your mama?” she asked him.

She grabbed a sling from the shelf and put it on carefully, then tucked him inside and secured him.

He yawned snuggled in. Clearly, this was what he had in mind.

Feeling content about her parenting skills so far, Susannah headed back into the kitchen to figure out breakfast.

She took the bowl of red berries from the counter and rinsed them in the sink.

She grabbed a particularly juicy one, and was about to pop it into her mouth when she heard someone’s quick intake of breath.

“No,” Jace cried from the hallway.

15

Jace

Jace moved to Susannah, borrowing the dragon’s speed, and snatched the berry from her hand.

“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “Are they supposed to be cooked first? I still can’t believe you were up early enough to gather these.”

“I didn’t gather them,” he said, taking the bowl and throwing the offending berry into it before he headed for the front door.

“Where did they come from?” she asked, trailing him.

“I have no idea,” he said as he opened the front door. “Where did you find them?”

“Right there,” she said, pointing to the table on the porch. “I wasn’t sure why you left them outside, but I figured you picked them. The bowl matches the ones in the kitchen.”

He reached out with his senses, allowing the dragon to rise to the surface without breaching his skin.

He tasted the air with both their noses.

Yes. Someone had been here. Yet there were no signs of an intruder.

“Do you think it was a neighbor?” Susannah asked. “Someone leaving us a housewarming gift?”

“There are no neighbors,” he said gruffly. “And I have never seen these berries before, but they look very similar to poisonous creffberries, so I have to assume they’re dangerous.”

“The curse,” Susannah murmured.

Mangled refuse of the Outer Rings, he had forgotten her worries about a curse.

“It’s not your curse,” he told her gently. “You said that caused accidents. This is not an accident. It’s very deliberate.”

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