Chapter 30 #2
“You’ll try it next time,” he said, and from the tone in his voice, I could have sworn he was smiling. “Let’s go. We’ll find a place to make a fire.”
I got up and followed, staring at the dead rabbit dangling from his hold and hoping he didn’t compromise the tender meat in its neck. While we walked, I searched the foliage in the forest. I doubted I could find much but—
“Ooo!” I lifted my skirt and bounded over the tall vegetation to where I had spotted the plant I needed. I plucked a few blades of the lemongrass and stuffed them in my skirt pocket before turning back toward the demon.
He tilted his head to the side in a silent question, but I ignored it; my mind was now focused on looking for more herbs.
He didn’t say anything as we continued on until a bit later when I noticed a small bush of sage, dashing over to pluck a few of the leaves, then again a few minutes after when I picked some rosemary from its shrub.
It wasn’t a lot, but it would do.
“Need anything else, or do you have enough?” the demon asked.
“Not unless you have wine under that mask of yours,” I retorted. “Need more time or have you finally found a spot?”
He stared for a second before he pointed in front of him toward a creek he had been heading toward. “Here is good.”
“Great. Now, I’ll take care of the rabbit if you get a flame going.” I yanked the animal from him. “Make a slice with your claw here, down the spine but not deep enough to tear the muscle.” As soon as he did, I spun on my heel, and went to the water where I found a large flat rock on the bank.
Perfect.
I made swift work of the rabbit, skinning the meat with the knowledge Pa had taught me over the years, then I washed it off in the water. Once I was finished, I grabbed a round rock and the flat one I had found, stacked the meat on top, and eagerly made my way back to the demon.
If he noticed I was standing behind him, he didn’t make it apparent.
I watched as he was preparing a fire. He grabbed a couple of sticks, rubbing them together against a pile of dead grass on top of a patch of dirt between four stones making a square around it.
I remained still and quiet, staring intently.
Within a minute or two, flames engulfed the grass.
He fed the fire until it was large enough to be sustainable.
“What’s with the stones?” I asked.
“So the flames don’t spread.” He added more kindling.
“Don’t want to catch the entire island on fire?” I asked jokingly. But his responding tone was anything but humorous.
“Not yet.”
I sucked in a breath. A shiver ran down my spine at the violent implication.
It was only then that he looked at me over his shoulder. He glanced down at the meat in my hands then back to me and nodded once. Without a word between us, I knelt down beside him, setting down the rock with the meat.
Now the demon watched while I worked.
I grabbed the herbs from my pocket and ground them down with the back side of the spoon, humming a song out of habit.
It was more like a paste when I was finished, since they weren’t dried out; but it would do.
Then I rubbed the herbs all around the meat, placed it back on the rock, then put the rock on top of the stones over the fire.
“There,” I said. “Just a few minutes and it’ll be ready.”
I glanced at the demon. He was looking right at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re smiling.”
The smile fell from my face like an anchor, not even realizing I wore one in the first place. But it did feel nice cooking again. It made me forget where I was, why I was here—bringing back memories of cooking for someone else again.
The demon cleared his throat. “Smells good,” he said quietly.
I nodded in thanks, and we sat there while staring at the rabbit. Though it was only a few minutes, by the time the food was done it was dark, so we ate by the light of the fire.
“Here,” I offered him a piece.
“I’m okay.” He held up a hand to refuse.
“What, do demons not eat regular food?”
“No, we do,” he said slowly. “But you need it more than I.”
“It’s the saddle. It’s the most tender part. Just try it. Then you can tell me if those herbs were necessary or not.” I pushed the meat toward him again, with more force this time.
“Fine.” He took the meat from my hand, then stood and turned around. After a couple of seconds, he faced me again. “You’re right.” He swallowed, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment as he savored the taste. “Damn. That’s really good.”
My treacherous stomach fluttered at the compliment. I felt my cheeks flush a bit, so I turned my head, pretending to pick at the grass so I could hide my face.
“Yeah, I’m used to making the best of working with very little. But why did you turn around? Were you gagging it down or something?”
“Not at all. I had to lift my mask to eat it.” He settled down against the tree next to us.
“Right,” I muttered under my breath.
Awkward silence between us crept in once again. I continued to eat nearly everything, wishing I had two more rabbits. “Nearly”, because Wingnut croaked from a low-hanging branch before gliding down to the ground near me. He started pecking at the remnants of meat.
“Hey, hey! Go get your own.” I shooed him with a wave of my hand.
He clacked his beak a couple of times, tilting his head up to look at me.
Damn it.
The look in his dark eyes pulled at my heartstrings despite my annoyance. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“Oh, alright. Here. You can have the legs; they’re the worst parts.” I tossed the tougher parts of the meat on the ground in front of him and watched him eat.
I felt eyes on me. The demon was staring with that eerie stillness of his.
“What?”
“Nothing. You should get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”
That’s it! Sleep!
Once he was asleep, I could slip away and be long gone by the time he realized—or at least be well hidden.
I could go a night without sleep. I could push through the pure exhaustion tugging at my consciousness if it meant I could get away.
I had no idea what his end game was, but I seriously doubted it was just to help me.
“Yeah, you, too. You’ve had a long day yourself. I bet you’re tired.” I backed up against the tree opposite him so I could keep an eye on his position.
“Not really.” He crossed his legs and rested his head back against the bark. “Besides, demons don’t sleep during the Hunt. So I’ll be up all night.”
“Why?” I nearly whined.
“A part of me has slumbered long enough and won’t let me miss a single moment.”
Well…shit.