Chapter 847 Chapter 847
Oryn circled back around and flew over the building. She didn’t see any of the kids outside. Had she told Ben when to give Mila and Dylan more of the cough medicine? She couldn’t remember. He would know, she decided. He observed everything. He was a good kid.
She climbed higher and then spread her wings to glide. Normally, when she was in the air, everything melted away. The stress and tensions from the last year would pause. It wasn’t working today. Her owl wasn’t even acting normal. Then again, the last day had been full of surprises and changes. The Alliance was real, strong, and very active. They were going to look after those children and give them the life she couldn’t.
She wasn’t upset about that, not really. Once she dealt with Kenric, she would join them. If she didn’t survive, at least they would have a home and others to watch over them.
Shifting the muscles in her carpals she pulled one wing and turned to circle back around. She should go lower and check for any disturbances in the bush, but she needed a moment.
She didn't know what had possessed her to throw herself at Uri and hug him. The part that had her mind unable to rest was that it had felt good. Even though it was only for a moment, it had felt right. Was she that starved for physical comfort? She didn’t think she was—it had never crossed her mind in the last year.
Until the hug became awkward, she hadn’t wanted to let go. Worse, she had wanted to kiss him.
Maybe she had brain damage from a fall she had taken a few weeks ago. She’d been watching Kenric’s place, and the thawing caused her to slide forty feet down an embankment, where she whacked her head off a rock.
There hadn’t been any blood, but the headache had lasted a few days. She had sat there disoriented and without the motivation to climb up.
Ben had shown up and then she found the strength to do it. He had helped her keep an eye on Kenric’s off and on since they found the empty camp. Only Ben and Wyatt knew what she was doing. The other kids were unaware. She'd had to bring him in on it because she couldn’t sit and watch all the time and check the area around the camp.
They always took a fresh kill back with them, so it looked like a hunting trip. Of course, cooking it was a hard task. They only used the campfire at night, and she would be in the air the entire time to make sure no one noticed and came to investigate. A few times, she’d managed to slip marshmallows into her pack when she’d gone for supplies. Guilt plagued her about the method she had to use to look after these kids. Once this was over, she planned to find a way to earn some money and send it to the places she’d stolen from the most.
A few birds burst out of the trees, and her owl reminded her they weren’t up here for a vacation.
Tucking her wings, she went lower and then leveled off the glide silently over the area. She caught a glimpse of orange through some deciduous trees and her blood cooled. She had to get back to the camp. Now. It was headed that way.
Using her full wingspan, she flew at her fastest speed to get back there before the loathsome creature reached it. Three times in her life, she’d almost been eaten by one, and it drove her crazy that it had been able to get that close to her without her hearing it. Today was the day she got even with that particular species.