I nod since my mouth is full of pear. A night or two in the cabin should be no problem. We have our own rations in addition to whatever’s around here.
Henri adds another log to the fire and joins us on the couch. Charm and Magnus sit in the chairs and stretch out.
Cato finishes feeding me, and we relax in silence.
The smell of the fire grows—no, not the fire, Charm. His woodsy scent is stronger now that he’s not covered in winter gear.
Allour scents are richer than normal. There’s no air filtering system in here and our descenters are wearing off after a long day of exertion.
We smell like the perfect cozy winter evening, eating desserts by the fire, warm and sweet.
I inhale deeply.
We’re missing one. A winter night isn’t complete without candy canes.
“Where’s Orion?” I ask.
“He said he was going to check the exterior walls for damage when I passed him,” Magnus says.
“Shouldn’t he be done by now? I can’t imagine there’s a gaping hole somewhere, there aren’t any drafts,” I say.
“Orion likes to triple-check everything. He’s probably making a list of supplies and where they’re located too,” Charm says.
I frown. “He needs to rest. You can help him make a list, right? Orion doesn’t have to do it all himself.”
Cato chuckles, and I turn my frown on him.
“We don’t disagree with you,” Charm says. “It’s just difficult to get Orion to believe he doesn’t have to do it all alone. We’ve tried.”
Well,Ihaven’t tried.
I throw off the blankets that somehow got tucked around me again and head out to look for him before they can argue.
I’ll make him stop running himself ragged, no matter what it takes.
Chapter 27
Orion
Iinspect the upper hallway again, ensuring the windows are shut and tapping the frames to see if they’re stable. Old windows can fall out if the wood has degraded, especially in winds like these.
These windows seem sturdy, so we should be safe there.
Unless a tree falls on the house and the glass shatters.
I wipe my breath off the glass and look for nearby trees. There’s a decent stretch of empty land between the cabin and the forest, at least on this side of the house. It’s unlikely any trees will fall on us over here.
I carefully cover the window back up with the drapes, blocking out the cold.
I’ve checked all the exterior walls now, but only from the inside. I should walk the perimeter to make sure there aren’t any dangers lurking. An outside wall could be on the verge of collapse, imperceptible from the inside.
I still have my gear on, so I can be out the door in seconds.
At home, I know Hestia is protected, but out hereanything could happen. I don’t know this cabin well enough to trust it with my mate and packmates’ safety.
I’m halfway down the stairs when I remember I never called for a dinner break. I should have made everyone eat when we got in.
I’ll detour to the kitchen first and see what kind of meal Henri can put together.
