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But he had a vague memory of Slate mentioning something about eggs.

She was still asleep when he got back to the cave. For a moment, he just stood there and watched her, curled up in the morning light with her limbs tucked in like she was protecting herself against something.

Maybe she was cold. Slate had mentioned that mortals felt the temperature more than Skullstalkers.

Wick took a step toward her clothes, which were in a pile next to her. A twig snapped under his foot.

Briar sat up so fast he thought she had been lying in wait. Then she blinked groggily, and Wick realized that she had just woken up that quickly.

She looked up at him, startled. “Gods!”

Wick raised the hand that wasn’t holding an egg. “Hello.”

Briar laughed and sat up, pulling her knees up to cover her nakedness. For a moment, she looked almost shy. Then she grinned, her cheeks flushing.

“So, it wasn’t a dream,” she said. Then she shifted and winced. “Definitelynot a dream. Ow.”

“Ow?” Wick sniffed the air. Still no blood. “I hurt you?”

“Only the good kind of hurt, big boy.” She closed one eye at him.

Wick frowned. The eye-gesture seemed significant, but he didn’t understand what it meant. She was smiling, so he assumed she meant it to be good.

“I didn’t mean to,” he tried.

Her smile faltered. Then it came back, bigger but somehow paler than before.

“Youarea big boy. Couldn’t be helped.” She hugged her knees, resting her chin on them. “And it wasn’t like I didn’t have a good time. You enjoyed yourself, right?”

It was probably the best night of Wick’s life.

“Yes,” he said honestly.

“Lovely!” Briar ran a hand through her hair, glancing up at him. No, glancingaroundhim.

Toward the cave opening.

He paused. She didn’t smell like fear, but she didn’t look completely at ease. If she wanted to leave, he wasn’t going to stop her. He just needed to ask her something first.

“Well,” Briar said. “I should…”

Then she stopped, squinting at him. “Are you… holding an egg?”

“What? Oh.” He looked down at the egg in his hand. “Yes. I collected two, but the second broke on the way back down the tree.”

He held out the remaining egg.

Briar stared at it. Her smile was getting smaller, but the discomfort was gone from her face.

Wick looked at the egg consideringly. “Is it not suitable?”

“No, no! It’s great!” Briar took the egg, examining it with a grin. “Haven’t done this in ages.”

She cracked it into her open mouth and swallowed it with a grimace.

“Better than nothing,” she announced.

Wick had the feeling he had done something wrong. “Are eggs undesirable for mortals?”