“No,” I said. “It isn’t.”
Steven had chosen her too.
All of them were choosing her.
I didn’t know what to do with that except write it down later.
We stepped outside, and as I’d predicted, Steven left her hair and joined his friends inside the enclosure. I shut the door and walked with Laina out to the front of the building.
After I’d pried Sofia off Laina’s shoulder, she drove away in her truck.
As it started to get dark, the facility emptied.
Traig left first, muttering about supply orders. Drogar followed, heading out to check the perimeter fence. Krem stayed late to finish adoption paperwork, and Greth disappeared to his cottage on the end of the row near mine. We’d built them after the facility, all of us choosing to live close by in case any of the creatures needed us.
I sat at my desk in my office, my notebook open in front of me.
Cooper’s page had five entries now, all positive. I flipped to a blank page and wrote Abagail’s name at the top.
Still quiet. Eating reduced. Resting more than usual. Laina asked good questions and gave Abagail a thorough examination. She doesn’t seem concerned. Will monitor closely.
I closed the notebook and strolled through the facility. I should go home to my cottage. Have dinner. But I couldn’t bear to leave.
Her mug sat on the counter where she’d left it in the kitchen. The chip on the handle caught the light.
I picked it up and traced the chip with my thumb.
She’d chosen to keep a damaged thing. Humans did this sometimes. I hadn’t learned why.
I filled the sink with warm water, added soap, and washed the mug slowly, taking care not to drop it.
When it was clean, I dried it and placed it on her desk.
Would she realize someone had washed it for her?
Sofia had curled into a ball on Laina’s desk, exactly where Laina’s bag had rested.
“She’s gone home, Sofia,” I said. “She’ll be back in a few days.” She’d be on call during the weekend, but if we didn’t need her, we wouldn’t see her until Monday.
The emberkit peeped but didn’t move.
I lifted her. She warmed my palms, her small body radiating heat.
I locked the building and carried her to my cottage, setting her on her perch inside my living area.
Sofia peeped, soft and mournful.
I turned off the light and stood in the dark, waiting for my eyes to adjust. The cottage was silent except for the sound of Sofia’s breathing and my own.
On Monday, Laina would walk through the door again. She’d examine our injured creatures and check on Abagail and Cooper.
Sofia would fly to her. Steven might too.
And I would watch it happen, the same way I’d watched it today, feeling something I had no surface word for.
The word might be longing.
CHAPTER SEVEN
