Page 30 of Hunter’s Harvest

“Those are jack-o’-lanterns. They’re pumpkins carved with faces and lit with candles on Halloween night. I think they’re supposed to ward off bad spirits, but don’t quote me.”

Somehow, I was even more confused than when we started. But we were at the door to the infirmary already, so I let it go.

***

I looked down at the world below lit by the setting sun. It felt good to be in the air again. And I hadn’t realized how much I had missed having a shuttle. I wondered if I was still a good pilot or if I’d need practice to have the shuttle feel like an extension of my body again.

Nelly sat in my lap because my arms were still wrapped tightly around her waist.

From the front of the shuttle, the one named Meghan twisted around to grin at us. “Let us know when we get close, and point us where to go.”

The first stop on our itinerary was my cabin.

“I can’t believe we traveled so far already,” Nellie said, peering down at the tree-filled landscape. “This shuttle flies so much faster than the delivery one.”

“It is also much lighter,” Mal’k said.

“True, and not filled with tons of oranges. Oh look! That’s the front of the shuttle right there!”

And that meant we were close to my home.

“Do you think we’d be there on time to salvage what we could of the shipment?”

That was the second location on our itinerary. The main goal was to strip the shuttle of all the key components before the NEM could get back with the tools to do it themselves.

The shuttle dipped a little lower, and I saw the tiny, overgrown clearing where my cabin sat waiting. From the air it looked unassuming, piles of rotting wood and overgrown vines, which was exactly how I’d planned it. The roof looked ready to collapse, but like the barn, it was only an illusion I created to keep interest off my home.

Nellie studied it, tilting her head. “You know, this is the first time I really looked at it from the outside. It looks nothing like the inside.”

“What does the inside look like?” Meghan asked. The doubt was unmissable in her tone.

“A lot cozier, I promise. I’ve got to say this is a great deterrent. I also have the doors and windows connected to the power source to prevent tampering.”

“Well, there’s no crispy body by the cabin, so that’s a good sign.”

Mal’k landed the shuttle in the overgrown brush just outside my home.

“This part I remember,” Nellie said as we made our way to the door. “Hard to get to the cabin with all this around it.

“I’d say.” Meghan whacked away a branch. “I’d never have guessed anyone lived here.”

That was the point. I disabled the security and opened the door.

The inside of the cabin was exactly as I’d left it. My weapon still hung on the wall, and my belongings were neatly stacked. The furniture I did not use remained pushed up against the wall.

“See!” Nellie said. “Rather cozy.”

“Yeah,” Meghan agreed. “Clean and tidy too. A complete night and day.”

I showed Mal’k where I kept everything. The power source had a dedicated space in the closet.

“I apologize. I cannot help.”

“The mating bond happens just once. Enjoy it.” The other hunter sent his mate a wistful look.

“Hey, since we didn’t see Marisol on the way back out, do you think Hess’n has found her?” Nelly asked.

“That is a distinct possibility. It would explain why she has not been found. We shall go pay him a visit.”