Chapter 65: Her Backup Had Backup

Thorne watched Edrik fasten his pack by the diner door, then bent close to Dove. "He’s following you all the way to Terminal. Should we call the police?"

She pulled on her gloves. "Absolutely. Put him on whatever list is for enormous men who pretend they just happen to be going everywhere I go."

When Edrik pointed out that he could hear them, Dove smiled at him. "Good, because I’d hate for you to miss the part where we noticed." His hands stopped on the buckle long enough to make Thorne snort. The bear had helped them, kept his distance, and never reached for her. Thorne still watched him, but he offered none of the teeth he showed men who crowded her counter.

Day Twenty-Nine had begun with Dove’s pool wash and three hoodies. Two sales earned twelve normal coins, while five new Favor unlocked a fifteen-coin repair kit. The couriers bought all three, trading cheese and road supplies. She bought the kit after claiming the reward, leaving eighteen normal coins. Thorne’s pleased reaction when she kissed his cheek completed the Favor task; the daily mate bonus brought that balance to one thousand eighty-three.

Sprout also wanted three newly found items stored today. Dove checked the wording before leaving. "Three actual things, not putting the same sock away three times?"

Sprout confirmed that it wanted her to practice with new finds, adding that there would be no coin reward. Dove told it to try being fun once and see if it hurt.

Thorne lowered his panther body beside the gate, and she climbed behind his shoulders. He picked up their bag in his mouth. The red wolf and stag couriers stood harnessed to their loaded sleds, already arguing about which drift would be easiest to cross.

The keeper repeated the route while she checked the map. Eight miles north to North Service Depot, then the western supply road toward Pine Ridge. The direct bridge to Terminal was down, and the school shelter was only an intermediate stop.

"I know," she said. "No wandering off because a road looks pretty. Luckily, they all look like miserable piles of snow."

An older cub waved from the diner window. Dove waved back while a smaller beast cub planted both paws against the glass. Leaving hurt more than she had expected. For several nights, she had slept behind a door nobody was allowed to force open.

Thorne waited until she settled her hands in his fur. She scratched beneath one ear. "All right, handsome. Let’s go before I decide moving is overrated."

His tail swept the snow, and the wolf courier looked away with a strange little smile. Dove decided he could be jealous quietly. She had spent enough nights being unwelcome to enjoy this one very welcome place on Thorne’s back.

The road curved between wooded slopes. Both couriers stayed in beast form, testing the snow before pulling their loads across. Behind them, Edrik’s white bear shape moved between the trees, impossible to miss whenever his dark nose turned toward her.

"For someone being subtle, he takes up an awful lot of scenery," she murmured. Thorne’s amused rumble vibrated beneath her legs.

They stopped at a shuttered gas station when a sled runner caught on ice. Its canopy still stood, and the little convenience store had one broken side window. Thorne checked inside, then lowered her onto a dry loading step. He changed and dressed behind the delivery van beside her before helping her into the store.

She pointed through the glass. "Please tell me those are peanut butter crackers. I refuse to almost die this many times and miss the snack aisle."

He helped her through the clear doorway, keeping close while she examined the shelves. Most had been picked over, but a fallen display hid sealed crackers, a pack of Reese’s, and a box of gallon freezer bags. She checked for damage, touched each item, and asked Sprout to store them. Three small pulls left her fingertips tingling.

"Storage task complete," it said. "Larger objects demand more effort. Keep physical contact until storage finishes."

She asked whether waving at a refrigerator and hoping would work, which earned a firm recommendation to follow the instructions. Apparently Sprout didn’t appreciate her saving time.

She retrieved the candy and offered Thorne half. He smelled it before tasting, then watched her lick a trace of chocolate from her thumb. "You could have asked for another piece," she told him. "You look tragic."

He admitted he had been watching her mouth, and she leaned against him, enjoying how easily he said it. "You can have a kiss when I’m done, but I’m not dropping my chocolate." Outside, Edrik waited at the open door instead of inviting himself into their moment.

Edrik shifted behind the van and dressed before joining them. They ate bread, canned meat, cheese, and the crackers beneath the canopy. Dove moved her bag off a dry seat for him. He thanked her without turning it into a courtship speech, which she appreciated more than another promise about his shoulders.

After lunch, Thorne shifted back and carried her while Edrik followed in bear form. By late afternoon, the depot appeared beside two fenced fuel tanks. Its concrete garage faced the road, with a small office and smoking chimney on the right. The road climbed beyond it toward their western turn.

The stag slowed. "They usually light the lamp when they hear us. Where are the caretakers?"

Nobody answered his call. Thorne stopped beside a parked truck, leaving its engine block between Dove and the office. Edrik moved closer, studying the fuel tanks and the chain posts behind them.

A brown-eared man came out of the garage carrying a folded notice. His gaze moved over Dove’s face and down her coat before settling on Thorne. "You’re the pair from the Warren. There’s a reward for bringing you back."

Dove told him the order had been canceled and that Milepost could confirm it. He smiled as though her objection amused him, then invited her inside to explain.

The chain rose across the road behind the sleds. Dove heard Thorne’s growl deepen beneath her, and she stopped reaching for her papers when a crossbow appeared in the office window. The man holding it followed her hand with its point.

Beside the garage, another raider pulled a loaded sled across the only open way out.