Finally, Seth remarked, “For a brilliant conversationalist, you sure are quiet all of a sudden.”
Rogue laughed, but it was a nervous laugh. “I guess I lied. I’m not so great, after all.”
“I don’t know. To me, you’re pretty much perfect,” Seth said like he was remarking on the weather.
Caught off guard, Rogue’s breath hitched in her throat. She bit her lip, wondering what to say. Did she feel the same? She didn’t know. Her emotions were a mess. With everything that had happened: Olivia, Ric, the hunt, the council… it was all too much for her handle. Or was it?
Rogue came to an abrupt stopped in the middle of the road. “Seth?”
Seth halted, flashing her a questioning look. “What’s wrong?”
“Kiss me.”
“What?”
“Kiss me, you idiot,” she demanded.
When he hesitated, she reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Standing on tiptoe, she yanked his head down to her level. Her lips hovered below his, almost touching, but not quite. Their eyes met as their breaths intermingled, and her heart skipped a beat.
With a groan, Seth closed the distance. Their mouths crashed together, and his arms wrapped around her waist in a fiery embrace. Heat rose from her stomach to her chest as her feet left the ground. His kiss was neither gentle nor kind. It seared into her soul with a passion she found both shocking and delectable. The world melted away beneath the force of their growing need.
For a brief moment, they broke apart, panting for breath. As one, their eyes flashed to the shed, and Rogue’s lips curled at the corners. “Shall we?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Seth growled.
He hauled her toward the shed, fumbling for the keys in his pocket. Once he had it open, he shoved her inside. As his feet crossed the threshold, she was on him, tearing at his shirt with desperate hunger. With a low laugh, he fended her off while closing the door. “Slow down, tiger.”
Rogue ignored him, running her hands across the smooth skin of his back. The moment the lock clicked into place, she was in his arms. Time stopped as their bodies melded together in an explosion of the senses. Whatever it was, whatever it meant, she wanted more. She’d always want more.
***
An hour later, Seth stuck his head out of the shed’s door. “The coast is clear.”
“Are you sure?” Rogue asked, more than a little hesitant to face the outside world.
“I’m sure. You can come out, I promise.”
On tentative feet, Rogue stepped into the bright sunlight. It was hard to believe that only a short time had passed. An hour during which everything had changed.
Seth smiled and reached out to smooth her hair. “You’re beautiful. You know that?”
Suddenly shy, Rogue blushed. Her stomach tingled at his nearness, and her knees grew wobbly. Woah, I’ve got it bad.
Thankfully, he turned away, granting her a moment’s reprieve. She took a deep breath and tugged at her clothes. Everything was in place. Nobody would notice. She hoped.
Seth collected their backpacks from the ground and asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” Rogue replied, tearing into her pack.
“Good. Me too.”
They chose a spot next to the berry bushes to eat their lunch. A tree cast its dappled shadow over their heads, and a soft breeze whisked away the worst of the heat. Olivia had ensured they wouldn’t go hungry, and they each had two sandwiches, an apple, a couple of cookies, and a boiled egg.
Rogue eyed the egg with a frown. “I’m never gonna have a moment’s peace, am I?”
Seth snorted. “I’ll eat it if you won’t.”
Rogue handed him the egg. “Enjoy.”
“Was it that bad?” he asked.
“Was what bad?” she replied.
“The incident with the Quetzalcoatlus.”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Only if you’re ready,” Seth said. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“That’s okay. Maybe…maybe I’ll feel better if I do,” Rogue replied, staring at the half-eaten sandwich in her hand.
It reminded her of that day, of how hungry she’d been, and the single crust of bread she’d managed to steal. A crust that left her hungering for more. And then there was the egg. That beautiful egg nestled in a basket of feathers. A rarity in Prime. A reminder of her youth and a time before the shift.
Her voice was low when she began to speak, telling Seth of the incident. She wove together the memories until she was transported back to the market.
***
Rogue was running. Running from the owner of the stall and the Watch, the precious egg tucked into her pocket. Her heart galloped like a frightened horse, but she was confident she could escape. Until she heard it.
A terrifying screech that rent the air and sawed into her eardrums. Rogue stumbled, casting a horrified look over her shoulder. A gigantic shadow swooped over her head, followed by another screech. It was a sound that awoke an ancient fear within anyone who heard it. A call as old and primal as the earth itself. The triumphant cry of a predator that had found its prey. Pterosaur!
As soon as the knowledge registered, the gigantic beast plunged toward the market, its taloned claws ripping apart the sheet metal and canvas covering the square. The noise caused by her chase must have lured the beast in, rendering their flimsy camouflage useless. Screams rose as people surged to get out of the way, a tidal wave of panicking humanity trampling each other in a bid to escape.
Rogue fell to the ground and crawled between their legs and feet until she found shelter beneath a small table. Two sets of terrified eyes met hers, street urchins hiding from the chaos. Same as her.
The monstrous flyer plunged into the hole it had created. Its great beak snapped at the people running away from it in panicked terror. Rogue watched in horror as its great crested head dipped in and out of the crowd. A veritable smorgasbord of meat was at its disposal.
“Oh, my God,” Rogue whispered. “It’s a
