Elena’s warning whispered through her mind and Teresa trembled.
Only moments ago she had been wishing he was there with her. Now, she didn’t know whether to be grateful to have him back—or to be worried.
As if sensing her hesitation, Chico shrieked, “Run for it!”
Chapter 37
Rune looked from the bird on Teresa’s shoulder into the eyes of his witch. “How did that get here?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted with a smile, turning her face to look at the small creature. “But lorikeets are incredibly smart. And loyal, too. It’s not the first time Chico’s found me like this.”
Walking into the cave, Rune studied the brightly colored bird and couldn’t quite hide his dislike of the creature. Something about it didn’t sit well with Rune. “The village is miles from here. How would it find you across the desert?”
“Beats me,” she admitted with another smile. “But he did. Maybe it’s a sign of good things to come.”
“Maybe,” he said, but his voice made it clear that he doubted it.
She looked up at him and her smile slowly faded. “What about you? Did you find anything out there? Any sign of the hunters? Did you have trouble at the village?”
There was no way he could keep this from her. She had to know the kind of dangers they were up against. “No. There was no trouble at the village. Everyone there was dead.”
“What?” She staggered back a step and the bird on her shoulder lifted his wings as if to steady her. “Everyone ? When? How? Did you—”
“No,” he snapped instantly. “I didn’t kill them. Whoever’s after us did. That’s my guess, anyway. Probably didn’t want any witnesses who could identify you or me to the feds.”
“Oh, my God.” She lifted one hand to her mouth and it wasn’t until then that Rune noticed she was wearing one of his T-shirts. She looked like a young girl. Innocent. Hurt. And he hated like hell to add to the burdens already weighing her down.
Then he remembered her inner strength and, as if she recalled it, too, she lifted her chin and asked, “Did they track us? I mean, did you see any sign of them following ?”
“No,” he said, shifting a quick look to the bright-eyed bird. “There’s nothing—for now, anyway. I picked up enough stuff in the village to last us a few days. We’ll take it with us when we go.”
“When are we leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning,” he said, and taking Teresa’s arm, he turned her around to walk her back down the long tunnels. When she hissed in a breath, he frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“My feet hurt, that’s all.”
He looked down and muttered, “You came through the tunnels barefoot? You could have cut yourself to the bone on these rocks.”
She shrugged. “I was in a hurry. I heard Chico and—”
“The damn bird again.” He bent, swept her up into his arms and held her close while he called on the fire and flashed them to the heart of the cave.
When they appeared in the plush living area, Teresa looked up at him. “Now why didn’t you do that the first time we came here instead of making me walk all the way?”
He gave her a quick look before he set her down on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of her. “Because I wanted to walk the tunnels. Make sure there was no one lurking there.”
“Ah,” she acknowledged. “Good point.”
“Thanks.” He shook his head as he shifted his gaze from her face to the bird perched on her shoulder. Its beady eyes were fixed on Rune and he had the distinct impression that the creature was watching him with malice. Nothing he’d like better than to get rid of the damn thing. He didn’t like it, but more, he didn’t trust it. How the hell had it found them? Did Teresa really believe that a small bird like this one could smell her across miles of desert? That it could avoid the raptors and other predators living in the wild?
“What’re you thinking?” she asked.
“What?” His gaze snapped back to hers. “Just wondering how your bird found you this far from the village.”
Teresa smiled and looked at her pet, bobbing up and down on her shoulder. “He’s amazing. He’s always been able to find me. I used to leave him at home and go into the desert to practice spells or whatever and after an hour or two, there he was.”