Page 28 of Such a Feral Little Lamb
“You’ll be safe up there tonight, Isaac. I promise.”
I shouldn’t trust him. I don’t trust him.
And yet…
My lips part and there’s a wild second where if he leaned in and took my mouth, I know I’d let him do that, too.
Only a second. My senses catch up quickly and I take a shaky step back.
“Okay,” I say. “Thanks.”
“Not a problem.”
He follows me back up the stairs, still carrying my shower bag and dirty clothes, though I take them from him once we walk through the door. Callum still sits on one of the pews. He gets to his feet when he sees Mason.
The church is all deep shadows except for where my team is resting. There, our small electric lanterns keep the darkness at bay, and in the silence around us, I can hear their faint hum.
“Go rest,” Mason says when Callum reaches us. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I don’t look back at him as I cross to the altar, though I’m aware of the prickle of eyes on my back. The sensation only fades when that side door shuts. I drop on my sleeping bag, next to Otto, who is sitting with his elbows resting on his knees.
“All sorted?” Rae murmurs. Maybe she wants to ask about Mason, but she won’t. Not unless he’s a threat, and right now he seems not to be.
“Mhm.” I shove my things back in my bag and climb awkwardly into my sleeping bag.
Dane tromps over. He and Blake are apparently on the first watch.
“What did you do down there?” Dane demands.
“Cleaned up,” I reply.
“He was with you the entire time?”
“Yeah.”
“Theentiretime?”
The positioning of the lights makes the shadows of his face even deeper. I groan. He’s hard enough to deal with when he’s not on a jealous rampage, and I’ve never had to handle this before.
“More or less.” I hunker down. “Can I go to sleep now, or do you have more questions?”
Dane opens his mouth, but Rae is faster. “Sleep,” she says, and I don’t know what look she levels Dane with, but he quickly backs off.
“Thanks,” I mutter when he’s far enough away.
I don’t hear her reply. I curl my fingers around my bat, drag it close, then shut my eyes and drop into slumber.
Chapter Ten
It’slightwhenIwake. I’ve slept the entire night through, which is a surprise, but what’s more surprising is that it isn’t the light that wakes me.
It’s sound. The sound of people coming in and out, moving around me.
I jerk upright and Autumn looks over at me. She’s clearly been awake for some time; she’s fully dressed and doesn’t look tired at all.
“You all right?” she asks, shoulders a little tense.
