Killian knew the feeling. Before the safe house, before he and his friends had been kidnapped for their babies, luxury items like ice cream had been extremely hard to come by. He, Walren, and the others had worked their tails off just so they could afford rent, food, and baby supplies back at their cramped apartment in Colorado. That was expired food, too, priced to clear at the expiring food store.
But that was back then, and this was now.
“We just received the latest delivery two days ago,” Killian said dryly. “We won’t get another for five days. You knew that. And yet youate all the ice cream anyway.”
Mathlin gave him the most pathetic puppy eyes.
“You and Walren, I swear,” Killian muttered. “You see your favorite food and suddenly it’s disappearing into your stomach like Cthulhu has sucked it into the abyss.”
“How do I get more ice cream?” Mathlin whimpered. “It’s so warm in here.”
“Lower the A/C. At least neither of us is in heat. Especially not the rabbits’ mythical heat. That would just suck big time.”
Mathlin shook his head. “Ice cream. Sweet and creamy on my tongue. Look, Naddie wants it too.”
Killian looked down at his eleven-month-old daughter, who was crawling on the kitchen floor and stuffing a forgotten pea into her mouth. Killian yelped and plucked it out of her mouth. She scrunched her face unhappily.
“Wedon’teat peas that have been sitting around on the floor, hon,” Killian said gently. “That will probably make you sick.”
She whimpered and tried to grab the pea; Killian held her face to his chest instead, to distract her with his milk.
Mathlin gave him another pathetic look.
Killian sighed. “Youcouldbuy some ice cream. You have an allowance now. But I would have to come with you; we can’t go out alone.”
Neither of them had to be reminded of the kidnapping threat—human traffickers were on the lookout for dual-species babies. That meant both their children.
“Thank you, thank you!” Mathlin perked up, already grabbing his bundle of money and strapping his baby to his chest.
“The things we do for food,” Killian said dryly.
“Food is love. I would marry a tub of ice cream if I could.”
“You would be jailed for neglect when your ice cream melts.”
“Good thing I can eat up all the evidence.”
“Then you would be jailed formurder.” Killian snorted, but he was smiling.
They left the apartment together, Killian with Naddie in her chest carrier, both of them tucked into an oversized hoodie to hide her from view.
On their way to the nearest convenience store, Killian reached out with his hearing, his grip tight on his phone. No one showed any interest in them.
Not that it helped; he would only relax once they were back at the safe house in one piece.
Mathlin took way too long to choose his ice cream. Killian stood with him anxiously, his back to the coolers so he could keep an eye on the store entrances.
Then Mathlin finally paid, and they stepped out.
Something pricked at the edge of Killian’s senses. He gripped Mathlin’s arm in warning. “Math.”
Mathlin froze at the sudden chill in his tone.
“Keep walking. Don’t show any sign that you’ve noticed something wrong,” Killian said under his breath.
His mind raced. This bad feeling... It was familiar.
It wasn’t like the times he’d gotten kidnapped. Those had been a low warning buzz, a mild foreboding that grew in intensity until he had been taken by surprise.
