real scars, hidden wounds that drove him. Jack had his own issues, but they were so different from Hood’s that they didn’t compare. Not really. Not to me. I mean, I wasn’t blind, so I looked, I appreciated. But he wasn’t what I truly wanted.
Blood seeped through the scratches in places, but everything was superficial.
Fera had a touch of remorse, I guess, because she said, “I really am sorry about the shirt.”
I glanced up from patting a scratch with the fabric on my upper left arm. I shrugged, “Hey. I’ll live.”
That’s when I realized it was remorse over the fact that I was now wearing Jack’s shirt and he was bare to the waist in front of me. I didn’t blame her. She obviously knew Jack’s history with me. She had a right to be leery. We had good chemistry between us.
“You are so obviously Hood’s sister.” I had to smile. Then I commented to Jack, “Distrust is inbred, you know.”
She flinched and turned away.
“Winning is a sport, Giselle. We talked about that.”
“I know.” He was right. Everything was a game. You just had to figure out the rules, and then play it the best you could. I had to play more fair. Hitting below the belt wasn’t going to win friends.
“I find a sense of humor helps me through.”
I smiled again, and I realized that I’d smiled more in the short time back with Jack than I had in ages.
“He’s a million laughs.” Fera said, “I hate it here. It’s too...tight. It stinks. We gotta get out of here.”
“Okay.” That simply, she made a request and Jack accommodated her. I marveled at it, and wondered what that would be like, to be able to make a request, straightforward, and have my man fulfill it without any razor comebacks. Jack led us down a tunnel in silence. A mile, at least.
There were no lights in there, but we have enhanced night vision, so that wasn’t too bad. At one point, Jack told her, “You can run on ahead if you want out real bad.”
She growled, “I can handle it.”
What she meant was, there was no way in hell she was leaving us alone in the dark together. Jack and I both snickered.
We surfaced in a park, believe it or not. So, what’s that tell you? Master planning. Unbelievable pre-thought.
My stomach was growling by the time we reached it, but I didn’t complain.
Fera did. “We’ve got to feed her. And get her a bath.”
It surprised me. I mean, like the light of day brought her humanity out. Though, from looking up at the sky, I could tell that it was waning. I’d lost track. “Is it a full moon tonight?”
Jack chuckled. “Uh, yeah.”
No wonder I’d been so bitchy.
“What are you doing here?” I knew Jack preferred the habitat on the full moon--so he didn’t have to worry about hurting innocents. And I had a suspicion that was his motivation for returning.
He said, “Tried the tundra. Tried the Sahara. The habitat works best for me. Thought I could slip in, ya know?”
“Wait.” That’s when the earlier comment about being in communication with Hood hit me. “Did Hood know you were coming?”
“Of course,” Fera said, “We’ve got a suite close by. Come.” Irritated, she said, “Gaia, I wish I hadn’t ripped that shirt. Everybody’s gonna notice Jack.”
“Well, yeah.” I kind’ve laughed. “It’s not like you can miss his physique when he’s got his clothes on, but--”
Totally annoyed, she rounded on me. “Shut the fuck up, would you?”
We moved in silence for a few minutes before I said, “Why don’t you go on up and get a shirt and come back?”
“Well, for one, you dumb-ass bitch, I’m not leaving you two alone.”
“I’m not letting her out of my sight.” Jack’s voice sounded very protective. I loved the way he said it. I