The kids race toward the entrance of the cave and I trail behind, arms sore from handling the little shifter tornado, who now twists in my grip at the promised arrival of food.
"Pah! Pah!" Bun chants, kicking her legs against my ribs as she giggles.
The exhaustion hits me in a wave. Between Bun's shifting frenzy, the bizarre rumors about Caine and me, and just the general chaos of being trapped in a cave with hyperactive shifter children—my body's tapped out. Done. Dead.
My hospital stay seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it's only been hours.
Owen staggers inside, arms loaded with the promised holy food, and Jer shouts, "Did you remember cheese?"
The man grunts, his eyes darting around the room until he sees me. Then he glances behind him.
He looks paler than when he left, a sheen of sweat visible on his forehead. The unflappable, impassive man is…
Nervous.
My stomach drops.
