Carol raised her hand from her spot by the fire. “I’ll take one. Just jelly. No peanut butter.”
“I’ll get it.” Claude stood up and squatted by the supplies.
Christian split his attention between the group and the woods. He was on the opposite side of everyone except for the twins, who were busy speculating where they were going. Christian didn’t want to get too immersed in conversation since he was listening for suspicious footfalls, a human heartbeat, or whispering. They hadn’t run into any trouble during the hike, so this would probably be an uneventful trip unless they encountered a rogue band of Shifters. As long as the kids kept their jackets on and their birthmarks covered, they’d be okay. Christian had been busy with manual labor, and this was his first chance to sit down. Once everyone went to sleep, he planned to pick a spot in the shadows and stand guard for the night.
After Claude slathered jelly across a slice of bread, he handed the sandwich to Carol and sat next to her. He’d been keeping a close eye on the lass ever since she and her boyfriend had parted ways. Christian had mentioned to Shepherd that the lad might try to escape, but Shepherd said he had plans to add an extra sleepytime ingredient to Joshua’s cocoa, which would allow Shepherd to get some shut-eye for the night.
Eve stood up and removed her black jacket. Christian watched while she opened her bag and put on extra layers of clothing. She flipped her dark hair out from the collar and then made funny faces as she tried pulling her jacket on over everything. When it didn’t zip, Christian did everything he could to refrain from laughing. Adam pulled out his clothes and copied her plan.
“Sorry, kids.” Blue fished out two flat packages from her bag and tossed them on the ground. “We had to pack light. I only have two of these, but they should keep you warm.”
Eve ripped open a plastic package and unfolded a silver Mylar blanket. “I don’t get it.”
Adam added more leaves to his makeshift bed. Their sleeping spots were farther back from the fire. Probably just as well since the boy’s bed was about as flammable as it got. “You wrap it around yourself, dummy. It’s supposed to lock in body heat. Kinda like the foil they wrap around hot dogs.”
She plopped down on her pile of leaves and spread the blanket over her. “Great. So now I’ll look like a juicy hot dog to all the wild animals.”
Adam opened his up and showed her how to wrap it around herself. Once they settled in, they lowered their voices and speculated what the new place would be like. Christian had to mute the rattling from the Mylar blankets. These kids weren’t about to win any awards for the quietest camper.
When Carol sneezed, Claude took off his brown jacket and put it around her. She set her sandwich on a rock and put her arms through the long sleeves. After zipping it up, she resumed eating.
Claude dug through his bag and found a long-sleeved shirt to put on over his T-shirt. He ran a hand through his curly hair then poked his stick in the fire. “I think I cursed her.”
“Who?” Blue took a seat just behind him, next to Viktor.
Claude looked over his shoulder at her. “Gem.”
She rolled her eyes. “I doubt that.”
“When we were at the pawnshop, I put on a mask. Gem said it was cursed and would bring bad luck or death to whomever you looked at. I can’t remember exactly what she said.”
“Superstition.”
Viktor’s head was still propped in his hand as if he were just resting his eyes and listening, but Christian isolated the sound of his heart and recognized the relaxed rhythm it often hit whenever he slept.
Claude’s jacket swallowed Carol, covering her entire body down to her feet. Only her head of curly blond hair stuck out. She was a nervous little thing. Eyes always darting around, never trusting. They had to quell her chewing gum fixation after she kept snapping bubbles during the hike and then sticking the pink candy on trees when she was done. When she didn’t have gum to keep her mouth busy, they had to endure a steady stream of complaints about how unfair it was that they left Joshua behind.
Young love.
Jaysus.
Christian heard birds rustling in the trees, a small mammal scurrying across the forest bed, and a larger animal moving around. He had already spotted two bears during their walk, but predators usually kept their distance from Breed.
Unless they were hungry.
“Why don’t you seal up the rest of that food,” Christian instructed them. “And don’t leave any crumbs lying around. Not unless you want to wake up to a bear gnawing on your skull.”
Carol’s eyes widened as she finished the last bite of her sandwich.
Claude’s nose twitched, and he gave Christian a loaded glance. “Don’t scare them.”
Christian shrugged. “Life is scary. Better they get used to it now.”
While Blue gathered up the trash, Claude patted Carol on the back and tried to ease her fears. When he started purring, she snapped her head toward him.
“Are you doing that?”
He inclined his head.
