a Hay

ool, cedar oil, and a sharp, metallic c

t the ten-and-two position, his eyes fixed on the nar

eat a steady, hypnotic

d sidewa

sixty pounds-using only one hand tossing it into th

or a driver," I said, break

idn't lo

is jaw looking like carved granite against

andling," he replied

age when lifting

. Leve

back to t

e vanished, replaced by the towering, prim

ternoon sky was choked out, leaving the

Creek?" I asked, noticin

the logging bo

nnot afford town utiliti

ut luxury," I replied softly,

roof that doesn't leak, it's bette

Sincl

road, but my mind was expanding, pr

n an unending, nauseating cacophony in my ears-a constan

a human, their mental chatter forc

seat, expecting to hear the inevitable complaints: disgust at my cheap

ache

it a

r stone; it was an absolute, blinding

le

found, impene

e brake pedal before my co

eeching as the vehicle swung sharply to the shoulder, thr

, the seatbelt locking

zel eyes toward me, one hand

id an animal run

n't a

ulse-less chest tight

th

d, seventy-eight beats per minute

blood coursing through the d

intoxicating freesia sweetness

her

pristine

defenses of kings and warlords, could not ex

lia

fragile fingers moving to

ou alr

and pressing my back against the driver's si

t touc

than intended, sharp and ja

tely, her cheeks flushing red, her

hecking if yo

y breathing to mimic a regular human ca

as slick. A

pulled away from the shoulder, my knuc

was

ry in her veins that could completely shu

e that she had just shattered the

down a rutted dirt trail and stoppe

ng looked

ged on one side, and the surrounding Douglas firs towered over it

power lines, and no nei

n, preparing myself for

hated di

l, realize the reality of her marriage

opened her door, and stepped

misty air, looking up at the towerin

," she said, turning back to

e. No traffic. Jus

empting to haul her sixty-pound tool box over t

ands with minimal effort, and pushed o

basic," I said,

, the air holding the damp

he floor, and immediately walked over to the front window, pu

from her palms, and met my ga

and a door that loc

ulian. You ke

the doorway, watching the ge

ng with the sweet agony of her scent, while an un

dea she had just walked i

ee centuries, I had no idea w