My hands balled automatically into fists, and I flinched. “Katie. It’s just me.” Alex crouched over me, tenderly pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. I sucked in a breath, then forced myself to exhale and unwind my fists. I blinked up at him, up at the sky. The sun had lowered a bit. I looked right and left. Ginger was standing next to Horace, patting him and adjusting his gear, her broken glasses perched on top of her head. The raven fussed with a nut in his talons, cawing softly to himself. “Good nap, eh?” Alex asked. I rubbed my eyes. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.” “Any time you can catch a wink is a good time.” He offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet. “I’m just glad that we found you.” I grinned. “How did you do that?” “We just headed where there was the most grass until we saw a speck of white.” His eyes darkened, and he wrapped an arm around me. “But seriously . . . don’t run off like that again.” “Ja, I promise,” I said. I squinted up at the sun, feeling a pang of anxiety.
