Page 79 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

King grabs his pack and leaps from the raft, disappearing before we even have a chance to wish him luck.

Rolly mutters under his breath but smiles widely at Pix. I wonder if the omega can see the distress in his eyes. He must because he picks a fight with the alpha over the correct name of the colour of the moss that clings to the rocks.

The water starts moving faster. Sage, Pix, Rolly, and I shove our raft up against the bank of the river. With an unspoken decision, we pull it out of the water and hide it, while Merle walks towards the roaring sound of the falls.

She turns around, her eyes wide. She marches over to Pix and shoves him in the chest. He scowls and grips her wrists when she goes to do it again. She points to the falls and shoves him a third time.

“Oh, you don’t want me to jump?”

Her brows snap down, and she positively growls.

He laughs.

I wish I could smother the sound. I wish I could make him take it back. Alas, there is nothing I can do but watch Merle’s temper turn supernova.

She lets out a pterodactyl screech and shoves him hard.

“Hey!” Pix snaps.

Rolly puts an arm over him and pulls him back. “Relax, kid, she’s worried about you. She doesn’t want to see you get hurt, and she’s pissed you laughed at her when she was worried.”

I stare at Rolly, perplexed that he has understood the situation so accurately. This is one of the few times I’ve seen Rolly interested enough in people to be able to notice, let alone decipher, their feelings.

Pix licks his lips and transfers his gaze to Merle, who has turned away from us, her back ramrod straight.

“Is that true? Were you worried?”

She shrugs, refusing to turn.

Sage grips my arm and squeezes. I glance at him.

“Our babies are having a moment!” he mouths silently.

I roll my eyes and shake him off.

Before we go any further, I scout the area, looking for signs of anyone passing this way. We’re heading to the outskirts of the massive park. There’s a village called Little Marshall; almost no one knows about it, but it’s got about two hundred people living there. It’s tiny, and I happen to own property on the outskirts.

Not even Kota knows about it. I’ve made sure it’s one of the most hidden properties and doesn’t exist in any portfolio attached to my name.

At last, I’m satisfied and head back to the group. Sage is regaling them with a story of one of our last camping trips. I ignore them, looking up and checking the sky. The weather is turning. We’re in for rain, perhaps lots of it, which means getting away from the river.

I pick up my pack and whistle.

“Let’s go.”

They file after me as I lead them deep into the forest. I find the spot where we are going to hole up two hours later. It’s a cave system with a ledge that overhangs the entrance. It’s off the forest floor, meaning any water will run down to the river, and we will be safe.

“Right, my kids. We need wood, lots of it. Blaze says there’s a storm coming.”

Pix glares at him. “When did he say that?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention? We are telepathic, and he communicates straight into my mind. Bastard sends me pics of him sucking-”

Merle lifts her head, and Sage chokes on what he was going to say.

“Lemons,” he finally spits out. “He sucks lemons.”

Merle blinks and clicks her tongue.