“Because of the bear.” I point behind us, just like before when we were escaping an emu.
“Lion,” Trevor says casually, pointing in another direction.
“Lion!” we all scream, and run for our lives.
Morgan does not allow running for our lives to deter himfrom discussing our new romance. “So I was thinking, for our next date, we’ll go to Wheatberry Books in Chillicothe,” he says. “It’s about an hour’s drive, and if memory serves, there’s a candy shop, an ice cream shop, and a cake shop right around the corner. We’ll hit up all three, because I’m a classy guy who treats my lady right, and then get matching tattoos at the tattoo parlor on West Second Street.”
I process this while leaping over tree roots, dodging crevices. “Matching tattoos?”
“They don’thaveto match. You can go first, and then whatever happens…happens.”
“Hang on.” Romina grasps my wrists, giving me a full-body shake. “You two are dating?”
“Yes,” Morgan replies quickly, before I can answer. “Our first date was at Dark Side of the Spoon. We shared a burger and apple pie. It was devastatingly romantic.”
“Awww,” Romina and Trevor cry.
I laugh. “That was my date withDylan.”
Morgan raises his nose in the air. “I don’t remember anybody named Dylan. He sounds unnecessary in the greater scheme of things.” He lifts our joined hands, nuzzling a kiss over my skin.
Luna’s jaw is dragging behind us. “You and Morgan? Why didn’t you tell us? This is so against the code! Your sisters are supposed to be the first to know when you like a guy, so that we can tease you every time you’re in the same room. Winking, nudging, innuendos. It’s our right.”
“Yeah, you deserve it!” Romina piles on. “You teased me so bad about Alex.”
Oof. “Can we do this later? Talking while running is hard. Running at all is hard, especially without a sports bra. Two sports bras doubled up, in fact. Have youseenmy chest?”
“Yes,” says Morgan, reverently.
My sisters cackle their heads off.
“Lion’s behind us again,” Trevor announces.
“I could pen sonnets,” Morgan tells me in an undertone so that the others won’t overhear. “I’m going to. I’ll make you listen to them, even if they’re bad. I won’t rest until I’ve got you naked in a hayride.”
I am not getting naked in a hayride, but now is not the time for that discussion.
“Is the lion injured?” Luna turns. “If he wanted to catch us, he certainly could.”
“Maybe he enjoys the thrill of the chase,” Alex suggests. “Going slow so that his prey thinks they have a hope of surviving.”
Trevor begins to estimate how many lions we could sustain. “There’s six of us,” he says. “That’s a feast.”
“Possibly seven,” Romina tacks on thoughtfully. “Is now a good time to tell everybody that my period’s a week late?”
Thirty-Nine
Amorgic moths: Silver, hummingbird-sized parasect moths attracted to the cables of energy between soul mates. Appear only during storms, and become frenetic when feeding on lightning/electricity. Their mundane disguise is the luna moth.
Paranimals,AthroughM,
Tempest Family Grimoire
In short order,we find ourselves up a tree, with Alex securing Romina to a branch with his belt.
“This is an overreaction,” Romina insists. “I haven’t taken a test yet. And a week isn’t much—it could be nothing.” She nibbles on her nails, betraying that she hopes it isn’tnothing. Romina wants to be a mother, and while I bet she didn’t plan on that happening right now, I know my sister: the only reason she hasn’t taken a pregnancy test yet is that she’s already grown attached to the idea that she might be having a baby, and she’s worried she’ll see a negative result.
“You might be pregnant,” Alex says, uncharacteristically dazed. “And there is a lion in the…there is a bear in the…”
