Page 49 of Jace

She watched him unpack a cell of biscuits and another of protein goo as Zeke began to coo from his place in the sling. He would be hungry soon, too.

“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I know where to hunt now, remember? You won’t have to eat this for the rest of your life. And besides, you’ll have a farm soon.”

She looked around the meadow at the beautiful forest that formed a picturesque perimeter around them.

“The old growth forest is so beautiful,” she said thoughtfully. “Why would we tear this down?”

“Because you need to eat,” he reminded her. “This land is your only means of making a living, right?”

He was right, but she still didn’t feel good about it.

It was as if the souls who had died on this land were tugging at her heart, begging her not to disturb their resting place.

It hit her that she did truly feel as if she were being watched. But if that were the case, Jace would be freaking out about it.

He’s very protective.

Though she had always been an independent spirit, the thought gave her a shiver of pleasure.

She scanned the forest around them to find the same birds she’d been seeing and hearing all day. In one of the higher trees, a pair of tree-rodents scampered and leaped from one branch to another. A group of arbistles watched them warily from the edge of the meadow. Susannah tried not to notice how cute they were, since she knew they would be dinner before long, and she didn’t want to be stuck with protein goo because she was feeling sorry for the meat.

Behind the arbistles, a flash of red caught her eye. But once again, it was gone so fast she wasn’t entirely sure she’d even seen it.

“Do they have foxes here?” she asked.

“I did pick up the scent of a few small predators,” Jace told her. “But they are harmless. No need to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” she said. “I just…”

She trailed off, unsure how to explain what she was feeling.

“Eat,” he told her, handing off a biscuit with a smear of protein. “There’s rain on the way.”

She glanced up at the sky and was surprised to see it was darkening.

They ate in comfortable silence, then tended to Zeke, who loved the bright flowers.

An hour later, they were hurrying through the last of the woods, hoping to get back to the cabin before the heavens unleashed.

The first few drops were already making their way through the leaves of the forest here and there, making it sound as if there were dozens of tiny footfalls all around them.

At last, they made it out of the canopy and up past the felled trees on the lawn to the cabin.

But when it was finally in sight, Jace threw out his arm to stop her from running for it.

“Wait,” he hissed.

“What?” she asked.

“There’s something hanging from the porch rafters,” he murmured.

Sure enough, something dangled on the porch.

A shiver of horror went down her spine.

“Stay here,” he told her. “I’ll investigate.”

“Can I take Zeke?” she asked.

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