at him made little sense. He’d given her exactly what she wanted: space, no clinging or whining, no treating her as weak. So why did she want to attack him and scream?
Especially when he smirked. “Someone seems a little bit cranky. Maybe it’s you that needs a beauty rest.”
“Did you just call me ugly?” She was on an epic roll of insanity, and all he did was lie on his back, looking delicious. She couldn’t touch him. If she did, then he’d think he owned her and controlled the situation.
That couldn’t happen.
“You couldn’t be ugly if you tried. But you are grumpy when tired,” he remarked.
“Am not. I’m just careful when it comes to my safety outside protected walls.”
“This isn’t the Wasteland.” Said softly.
“You’re being complacent.”
He snorted. “That is the one thing no one could ever accuse me of being. I told you this place is safe. Believe me or not, it’s your choice. Now, if we’re done arguing, I’m going to sleep.”
Smug bastard. She might have glared as he turned on his side, his knapsack for a pillow, and closed his eyes.
He’d treated her just like she’d treated all the men she’d fucked before. She didn’t like it one bit. Especially since she was the one who was supposed to put him at arm’s length. How dare he take that from her?
Glaring at him wouldn’t keep them from being ambushed. He put a lot of faith in a treehouse with its trapdoor barred. The windows were open and strung only with a screen, sections of it repaired with thick twine. It seemed rather exposed.
She’d been raised in the Wasteland, a much wilder, more dangerous place than this side of the continent. Peering out, there was more to see than expected. At the base of the tree a ring of glowing flowers provided light. Odd how pretty and distinct they were given, in the daytime, it appeared as flat weedy ground cover.
In that light she saw bugs flitting, their many wings a flutter of motion and color as they reflected the glow of the flowers. As she watched the beauty of it, she kept waiting for the ugly to hit. For the bug-eating creature that would suddenly pounce into view and slurp them up.
Instead her eyes drooped. She shifted to try and remain awake, reflecting on the day. A crazy day. She’d even seen her first ocean. The memory of it retained much of its awe.
The forest continued to be annoyingly peaceful. So boring. She would have fallen asleep If not for the occasional crashing sounds as giant husks dropped from the trees. At one point, even those couldn’t keep her from dozing.
When she toppled over, she woke with a startled squeak. She lay there on the floor, able to see Roark snuggled in the blanket he’d pulled out. She wanted more than anything to curl up beside him.
What if he rejected her?
Yet another reason to not succumb. A few hours before dawn, despite what he’d said, she woke him for his turn. He sat up immediately, no question, no sleepiness. Almost as if he’d not been asleep at all. She fell face first onto his knapsack, snaring the blanket for her own rest. She did not wake until the sun streaked hotly over her face.
Surely it wasn’t time to get up already. Lying on her back, she opened her eyes to see the thatched ceiling rising in a peak. The tree’s own limbs formed the framework, shaped into a cone then lashed in place. Construction in tune with nature. She wondered who originally made it.
Stretching, she closed her eyes, stretched her legs, pointed her toes. Even her arms pulled out and her fingers wiggled. She froze at a sudden weight on her chest.
Nothing heavy but definitely not something that should be there. A slow opening of her eyes showed her the puckered anus of some animal. Not a big creature. Small and lithe, tan and dark fur. The hole flexed and released gas.
Incredulity only froze her for a second. Long enough for the smell to hit.
“Nasty thing! How did you get here? Doesn’t matter, I’m going to kill you!” Casey yelled, shoving to her feet and sending Sachi flying.
The feline hit the ground on four paws and with a grace that didn’t match the smell in the air. The cat’s head tilted, and she hissed before turning sideways to show her rising hackles.
“Go ahead and try.” Casey bared her teeth at the cat. “I will skin you and make