“Okay. I think they’re all right for now,” Zina whispered. She made her way over to the open box that contained the other egg. “No change here – it’s still cracked, but I can’t see anything coming out yet.”
“Hmm. We’ll keep an eye on it,” Trent said. “But for now, make sure you come over here and get something good to eat.”
Zina looked weary, and Trent couldn’t say he blamed her, as he scooped a copious amount of stir-fried noodles, honey chicken, salt and pepper pork ribs, and sauteed green vegetables onto a plate for her.
“If something happens,” Zina said as she ravenously eyed the food he was doling out, “hopefully your kangaroo will be back in a couple of hours, and we could put Dusty, Goldie and the egg into your pouch, and carry them out to the sanctuary.”
“Uh,” Trent said, frowning as he looked at her. “Youdoknow I’m a boy kangaroo, right? So I don’t actually have a pouch.”
Zina looked up at him, blinking. “It’s just females? I really thought it was just like… a general kangaroo thing. Like an extra pocket. Something like that.”
“Right, right.” Trent nodded. “Just out of curiosity, what exactly do you think a kangaroo – I mean a normal one – might carry around in its pockets? Business cards? Its collection of Hot Wheels? Snacks? The One Ring?”
“Well, I don’t know, do I?” Zina snapped at him, though Trent could hear the humor in it, and see the smile in her eyes. “How am I supposed to know what your crazy Australian animals do in their spare time? And are you saying it wouldn’t be good if youdidhave a spare pocket?”
“Righto, fair point,” Trent conceded, grinning at her. “I guess itwouldmake life easier. Especially with these guys around – itwouldbe good just to be able to carry them out of here. And keep a little snack in there for later.”
Tomorrow, at least, we’ll know Dusty, Goldie and the egg will be in good hands,he thought, as he carried the food to the table. What would happen then, Trent really couldn’t say. But at least he’d know he’d done his duty, and gotten the little creatures to a safe place.
But whatever happens after that, my only concern is protecting Zina.
Hargreaves and this Bloodhound character were bad news, that was for sure – but Trent knew he’d never let anything happen to his mate.
And hopefully my kangaroo will be back soon. That’ll make things a bit easier – in some ways, anyway. Even if I don’t have a pouch to carry these little guys around in.
For now, he just had to hope that the serum Zina had given them was shielding them from detection by Hargreaves’s goons.
“What should we do now?” Zina asked a little while later, as they were both crunching on the enormous bag of free prawn crackers Trent had been given with his purchase. “I guess we can really only sit around and wait.”
Trent grinned at her. “Well, I can think of a few ways to spend our time,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her – and he wasveryhappy to see his suggestive look returned.
“Thisisthe honeymoon suite, after all,” Zina said, with a wicked grin. “It’d be a shame not to use it as nature intended.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Trent told her, as she grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the bedroom.
Chapter 13
“Zina?” was the first thing Trent said on waking the next morning.
Her side of the bed was empty, and Trent felt a pulse of fear run through him as he sat up, at least until he heard Zina’s voice calling out from the living area.
“I’m in here! Quick, come and look!”
Getting out of bed and quickly pulling on a pair of shorts from his bag, Trent made his way out of the bedroom, and found Zina sitting cross-legged on the floor by the couch, Dusty and Goldie by her side, looking curiously up at her.
Trent could see right away what she held: it was the egg that had started cracking open yesterday.
“Did whatever’s in there hatch out yet?” Trent asked, as he came to crouch by her side.
“Not yet.” Zina shook her head. “But look – it’s a little wider today. I guess it must just want to take its time and really make sure everything’s safe?”
“I suppose so,” Trent said.
He leaned over, looking down at the egg where it was cradled in Zina’s hands. The crack reallywaswider, but there was still no clue as to what exactly might be going to hatch.
“I wonder what’s in there,” Zina murmured, as she gently placed the egg back down in its box. “Another dragon? Something else?”
“Could be,” Trent said, shrugging. “Hopefully it’s not a wyvern or something like that. I could do without having to explain how this beautiful suite got acid damage.”
