Page 16

Pinky

REINA

“Easy, breathe.”

I huffed in annoyance. “I could close my eyes and make this shot.” We’d spent the last week making our way through Yellowstone. Headed nowhere yet somewhere at the same time.

“I know, but something about how easy it is to piss you off made me want to comment, anyway.”

His husky laugh made me grin from ear to ear. I kept my eyes on my brother as I fired, the deer three-hundred yards away going down silently and I winked. The past few months on the road had brought us closer than ever. We’d had no choice but to trust each other blindly, putting the fate of the other into each other’s hands. He’d saved me more times than I could count, and I’d saved him a few times myself—though he’d never admit it out loud.

We made a quick fire, cooking the meat to a safe temperature, then took off. Never staying in one spot too long made sure we gave ourselves enough time to get out of dodge and find another place to eat and sleep. I’d taken to dousing our fire pit with my water magic, wanting to keep the remnants of a cooked meal and signs of life minimal. It’d come in handy back on the ranch once I’d accepted it wasn’t an accident and no, I wasn’t hallucinating. I still lacked control with my gifts—I could either douse things slightly and take forever to do so, or create a potential flash flood. There was no in between.

Seth’s hide poncho brushed against my shoulder, providing extra warmth and encouraging me to scoot closer in the depths of the cave. There hadn’t been any cabins nearby, which didn’t matter much since it’d only make us a target out in Yellowstone. A feral scream rang out, followed by the sound of what was surely someone dying. It was close. Not directly in front of our cave, but close enough to hear them being ripped to pieces. Alive .

“Do you remember that time James convinced you that you were adopted?” He wrapped his arm around my body, pulling me closer.

I peered up at him, taking the bait and offering a huffed laugh. “Yeah. I literally cried so loud mom came out in a towel, pissed. She could hear the commotion from the shower. Hadn’t even washed all Nessie’s birthing gook out of her hair yet.”

One of the horses had gone into labor that morning. The birth had been difficult, but she’d managed to save both the momma and her calf.

“She looked like a damn zombie herself,” Seth teased.

Silent laughs shook our bodies at the memory.

“Hunter was livid when he got home from the fair.”

He nodded his head, the movement pulling at the strands of my hair. “Well, if you were adopted, then that meant he was too.” Silence took back over at the thought.

Hunter and I didn’t resemble the rest of our family. We’d all shared our father’s eyes, but Seth and James had taken after our father and his red hair. Our mother’s kind eyes were brown, glimmering, resembling pieces of gold against her tan skin and blonde hair. Hunter and I favored our maternal grandfather. The Italian blood ran victorious against the Irish. Our dark features stood out against our pale skin and bright eyes.

A warm droplet fell against my forehead. I ignored it, letting him feel as though he was making me strong, but knowing I was simply adding to it. I’d realized that I had an additional gift once it became a bit too easy to talk him down during fits of rage over the past few months.

The journey had been far from complicated, but there had been several situations that were tough to get ourselves out of. That added on to time spent lost, and having nowhere to go … the anger had been justified. Nevertheless, unhelpful.

“We should try heading north now,” he said, breaking the silence.

“Newport’s only eleven days from here.”

His body jerked at the words. “That’s where we’ve been headed?”

Newport was a small coastal town in Oregon. Our mother had grown up there and we’d visited during the holidays while our grandparents were still alive. We hadn’t been back in years, but it was the perfect size to pass through with limited risk. Our mother’s reluctance to sell our grandparents’ house was only an added plus to provide us a nice place to recover.

I tensed, not wanting to trigger him, quietly pushing my power out to calm him. “I think it’s where we should head. I met a girl at the river a few days ago. She said that part of the country is done. All of it. If it wasn’t the undead, the weather would freeze out the rest.”

Seth stared out into the dark void beyond the cave entrance. Minutes passed, yet he said nothing. I closed my eyes, pretending to rest as I worked to force more of my power out. It was dark here, but his own heightened abilities made it where he could see just enough to spot my lie. A shiver went through his body, not yet knowing about the extra gift I possessed.

That’s how I viewed them, as gifts. I wasn’t sure how they worked, or if they could be felt or go undetected. It wasn’t uncommon to run into others, my story was believable enough, but still caused pause, hesitation. It was a Hail Mary; I needed to give more, say more, to dissuade him.

There was nothing left for us up north, no family that would be waiting. At least none worth fleeing to. None that I could be sure wouldn’t lead my brother down a dark path he’d fall easy prey to. Our cousin could be rather … convincing. The similarities between her and Seth would cause nothing but trouble and questions they’d ensure they found answers to. Their relentless energy would be damning, and I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to know definitively that it was really only the two of us left. Couldn’t take that. Sometimes no answers are the best answers for everyone.

“It’s gotten cold, Seth. Even with the gear we’ve managed to get, it’s too cold to make it there safely. Let’s wait out the winter.” I shrugged. “Try again in the spring and hit the coast for a bit. At least we know the area, and if there’s people, maybe they’ll know something about the state of things up north.”

We wouldn’t. I knew that, but if it helped convince him, then to hell with it.

Minutes later, he turned away. “No later than spring, Reina.”

“Pinky,” I said. Cursing myself for making a promise I never intended to keep.