Page 42 of Escape from the Green

"Well, fuck me, man," he said when I turned back, eyes challenging.

"I don't recommend it," Smoky broke in. When my gaze went to her, brows down, she smiled, shrugging. "Fucking him," she clarified. "Because afterward, all he does is follow you around like a little lost Brownie," she added as I shrugged back into my shirt, pulled my jacket back on, suddenly feeling a bit for the Salamander. Not because of Smoky's somewhat rough critique, but because just the moment without layers covering me made my skin smart and ache. I had gotten soft already, it seemed. And that bastard was still standing there stark naked.

Sal ignored Smoky entirely, eyes on me, head shaking slightly. "Never believed the rumors about some of you still existing. This is like if one of those humans just happened across a dinosaur."

"What do you know about humans?" Smoky asked, one brow quirked up.

To that, Sal's wicked smile came back once again. "Let one keep me as a pet for a few years," he admitted, making Smoky choke slightly. "It was a good deal. Lots of food, back rubs, nice heat lamp all the time. I was young," he added, shrugging it off. "Not all of us take too keenly to letting The Green raise us," he added, clearly meaning Smoky's life. "When I kept getting bigger and bigger, they took me off the side of the road, dropped me off near the woods, and I found my way back easily enough. But I'd bet my left eye that I know more about humans than the two of you combined."

Smoky's gaze moved to mine, head tilted in a way that seemed to say What do you think?

And, well, what I thought was simple.

I hadn't even known what a bus was until Amy explained it to me. And Smoky didn't seem the kind to have any desire to explore the human realm on her own, so comfortable with the woods that had been her family.

So if there was someone who was willing to help who could get us where we needed to be when we needed to be there, then, really, was there even a choice here?

"You got anything to wear?" I asked.

"Nah. I just go around dick-swinging all the time," he said with an eye roll as he half-turned, reaching down into the thicket he had appeared from, pulling out a pair of muddy brown hemp pants and a long off-white tunic-style shirt. I could have sworn, too, that I heard a grumble from Smoky when all his skin was finally covered up.

As if maybe hearing it as well, Sal's smile curved up again as he went back into the bushes to retrieve a satchel weighed down heavily with supplies.

"So, Smoke. You think you can fit in with the humans?" he asked, the two of them moving forward since, apparently, I was the only one who didn't know exactly where we were heading, leaving me trailing behind. "Might have to rein in the attitude a bit, don't you think?"

"I think that if you don't shut up, I will slice that tongue of yours off. Then what will you use to catch all your food?"

"Now why would you do that to yourself?" he asked, hands tucking into his front pockets, clearly not intimidated by Smoky's chilly demeanor, leaving me to wonder if it was because there was some warmth inside her, or if he was simply the kind of man who was charmed by prickly women. "'Cause you know you're gonna let me between your thighs again, Smoke."

"Why would I take you for another ride? Don't you have, like, fifteen brothers?"

To that, a hiss escaped Sal, low, threatening, a sound that made a throaty chuckle escape Smoky.

"So, where in the human realm are we heading?" she asked a while later while Sal fell into what I interpreted as a sulking silence. Or maybe it was seething. It was hard to tell.

"The Big Pear," I offered somewhat confidently.

"Apple, bud. The Big Apple," Sal corrected, turning over his shoulder to shoot me an amused look. "Where about?"

"Some museum," I told him, patting down my pockets to find my note. "By a terran..." I trailed off, not wanting to embarrass myself again if I was wrong.

"T-rex," Sal supplied. "At the Museum of Natural History. What?" he asked when Smoky sent him an odd look. "The kid who fed me crickets smuggled me on his field trip with him. Almost fucking froze to death, but I'm familiar."

"Will we be anywhere near that when we go through the veil?"

"Been a while, but if I remember correctly, we end up just across a stretch of ocean from there. A small stretch," he clarified when my shoulders slumped. "We can take a train or bus or ferry. Ferry might be preferable," he went on. "Less metal," he added even though no one asked. Coming from such an abundant tribe, he likely wasn't as comfortable with silence as we were.

"How long does a ferry take?"

"An hour or two?" he said, shrugging it off. "Not long. Are we on a tight schedule?"

"Trying to beat the Dark King, Prince, and a slew of Redcaps and other evil baddies there, so, yeah, you could say we are on a tight schedule," Smoky supplied.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. You're getting me involved with the Dark Court? What kind of mess did you two get yourselves into?"

"First, it's his problem. And I like when I am owed favors. Second, that is for him to answer if he chooses to. Which he doesn't have to."

"Shit. I like favors too, Smoke," he said, tips tipping up. "From my scoreboard, you owe me six."