He turned to me, holding out the luminook. “Would you hold him while I help Marcy?”
“Of course.” I gently took the tiny creature from him. Growing up, I’d begged for a kitten, but my parents rented an apartment that didn’t allow pets. As an adult, I’d thought about volunteering at the animal shelter, but I hadn’t reached out to any of them yet. Then I wasdiscovering horrifying things about the organization I worked for and on the run, testifying, and now, still on the run.
Warmth spread through my chest as I held the baby. Its spines pulsed, and its tiny heartbeat pattered through its soft blue fur. It was like holding starlight, magical and fragile and utterly wonderful.
“Are you hurt anywhere, Marcy?” Dungar asked. “Did you fall down or scrape yourself?”
“Just my knee a little.” She showed him a minor cut on her right knee.
“We’ll get that cleaned up when we get back.” He straightened and held out his hand to her. “It’s time to go back to town. I’ll help you.”
She stood and yawned. “I’m tired.”
“I could carry you if you want,” he said.
Her eyes lit up. “Daddy always carries me on his shoulders. Can you do it too?”
He grinned. “I’d love to.”
Dungar scooped her up and settled her on his broad shoulders, his hands steady on her legs to keep her secure.
“I can see everything.” Marcy laughed. “I’m like a giant.”
Ava’s camera captured the wonder on Marcy’s face, the gentle strength in Dungar’s posture, and the way the last rays of sunlight caught the luminook’s glow in my arms.
“No pictures of my face, please,” I said almost by rote.
“I’ll be happy to blur you or use an emoji.”
“Thanks.”
Dungar’s gaze met mine, but he said nothing.
“This is going to make the most beautiful story,” Ava said. “Social media will eat it up.”
“You’ll need to clear this with Marcy’s mother,” Dungar reminded. “And please blur my face as well as hers.”
“Of course.”
As we began walking back, Marcy chattering about her view from the giant height, I found myself stealing glances at Dungar. The crisis had revealed layers of him I’d only glimpsed before. He was competent under pressure and gentle with a frightened child. I loved the way his methodical nature translated into genuine care for others.
And the way he’d trusted me to hold the luminook, as if he knew instinctively that I would guard something precious.
As we made our way down the trail, Marcy swayed on Dungar’s shoulders, clutching his hair and chattering about her adventure.
“I’m really good at rescuing,” she said. “There was a bad lady who wanted to take the baby lum-a-ook away from his family, so I saved him.”
Dungar and I exchanged glances.
“A bad lady?” I asked carefully.
“Uh-huh. She was trying to catch one of the pretty glowing babies. This one got away. But I was faster than the mean lady. I grabbed the baby and ran away so she couldn’t get him.”
“That sounds like quite an adventure.” Ava adjusted her camera lens and took some more shots from various angles. “You’re very brave.”
The little girl beamed. “I’m going to be a superhero when I grow up. Or maybe a princess. Or both.”
“Did this bad lady have green skin like Sheriff Dungar?” I asked.
