Page 63 of Winter’s Teeth

My stomach turned, threatening to bring everything straight back up. “I...” If I were my friends, I would want to know, no matter the risk. At the same time, I understood his fear. I didn’t want to put my friends in any more danger than they already were. “Alright,” I huffed, ceding to his will. Trust went both ways. “I don’t want them to die like the others though.”

The trooper and the warden. An image burned in my brain that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

If I ever got home, if things ever settled... I wasn’t ready to think about how hard it was going to be to cope with everything I knew now.

A shudder rippled through me, fanning out from the base of my skull, skittering across my shoulders and down my arms so that my whole body jerked. “I think the shock is starting to catch up,” I said through chattering teeth as shivers rolled through me unceasingly.

So much death, so much fear, and so many impossible things had happened. Everly could be alive, but maybe not forever. My friends could be safe, but maybe not for much longer.

“Fox?”

My vision swam, but his thigh pressed against mine in the booth as he slid in beside me. An arm snaked around my frame, pulling me under his wing for a bit of warmth.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he murmured.

“You can’t know that.”

“No, but... Since you’ve turned up in my life, things keep working out.”

“Really?” I tipped my head back, peering up at him from the crook of his shoulder. “I thought it would be the opposite. It seems like everything is falling apart since I’ve turned up.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Guess that’s true, too. But...” His dark, warm eyes fell on mine. “Everything was falling apart before, and I didn’t care. Or I didn’t think it was worth fighting to survive it. Now...”

I was pretty sure I knew where he was going with his trailing off thought and nodded my head weakly. “I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. If it wasn’t for Everly, I don’t think I would have had much to fight for either.”

“Your parents?”

“Yeah...”

A few beats passed, and all we could do was stare at each other. My shivers never went away, but they morphed into something else. Something less scared and a little more nervous.

He drew a sharp breath, turning his head to the side. “Corbin isn’t answering my texts, so maybe we can bum another ride off Harold when he gets out of the bathroom. You want to get milkshakes while we wait?”

I chuckled to expel the nerves, shifting in his embrace so I wasn’t falling into his lap. “I guess? I never had one before.”

He blinked incredulously. “Seriously?”

“Horrible parents, remember? They didn’t buy me treats growing up, and I forgot to get one with my own money when I was on my own.”

“Huh. Well, that’s child abuse. I’ll get you one.”

“Just get one. I don’t want a whole one to myself.”

“You might change your mind,” he drawled as he slid out of the booth. Cold air settled in the space he’d been before, making me miss his closeness already.

“You can buy me my own if I change my mind later.”

“Fair enough.” He flashed a crooked smile, then strode to the counter to place his order.

I couldn’t help but stare as he walked away, my gaze lingering on his broad figure. His feather-soft hair. His natural confidence that riled me in a few different ways.

What was happening?

Was I...falling for him?