Fading streetlight guided the path as golden rays peeked over the horizon from the sun, making its morning debut. Corbin made excellent timing, but was so exhausted that he clung to the horse's neck, unable to sit upright. Even the horse was tired with a slow trot as if its hoofs were composed of cement blocks. However, they just needed to push a little further to make it to Coyote's house, which was on the outskirts of town, and edged the local river-a river that was reduced to a trickle thanks to the drought. Coyote lived in a small log cabin with one bedroom and a loft for guests. Despite it having indoor plumbing, the man enjoyed using an outdoor shower for bathing. According to him, there was no better feeling than showering while letting it all hang out for Mother Nature to see. He didn't care if the air or water was frigid. It's what woke him up after a night of drinking.

When Corbin arrived at the cabin, his uncle's crazy friend was under that very shower, naked as the day he pushed out of his mother's womb, rinsing himself. He hooted and hollered into the frosty morning air, mist escaping his lungs while scrubbing his nails against his skin. As they trotted up to the closer, Coyote didn't bother covering up. Instead, he bent and turned off the water, giving Corbin a full view of his pale rear-end-a sight way too sore for the early morning hours.

Droplets of water flew from his hair as he gave himself a rapid shake like a dog after a bath, before wrapping himself in a blanket and walked toward Corbin-his hand shielding his eyes. "Can I help you with something?"

"So, is this how you greet my uncle?" Corbin asked, an amused smile tugging his lips.

Coyote squinted. "Corbin, is that you?"

"Yep."

"Well, holy shit! You're all grown up! Last time I saw you..."

"Was almost ten years ago." Corbin nodded. The lack of sleep hitting him with a giant yawn contorting his face. "Unfortunately, nothing much has changed. The drought has gotten worse."

"Among other things. You hear about the draft?"

"I did. It's like The Hounds. Except this time, the target is women instead of witchers."

"True. A different threat, and new target, but groups like The Hounds are still looking for witchers."

"People will always hunt me," Corbin replied.

"Yeah, well, you didn't come here to dredge up old memories about awful times. How about you come inside, and I'll fix up some coffee? I gotta warn you though, I've got some company, and they're, well, interesting."

"Yeah? Women?" Corbin raised a brow. "You old dog."

"One of them is a lady. I think."

Corbin chuckled as he slid off the horse and walked with Coyote back to his house. The morning air was crisp, with dew-drops kissing the overgrown acreage and mist hugging the horizon, blocking out part of the gorgeous sunrise. A curl of smoke spiraled from the chimney top, and Corbin relished in the comforting thought of having its warmth blanket him into a deep sleep. He was ready for it.

From what he remembered about Coyote's guest room, the bed had blankets sewn together from wolf pelts and pillows stuffed with feathers from birds he hunted. The mattress wasn't the best, but being enveloped in that wolf blanket and resting his head on those pillows, was like being wrapped in a cloud dipped in marshmallows. Heaven.

Coyote took the horse's reins and hitched him to the porch, prompting a grunt from him.

"He'll be alright," Coyote said, patting Corbin's back. "Domino spoils him, and he forgets he's a horse. Maybe the mountain air will set him straight. Now let's go inside. It's cold out here, and I'm still naked under this blanket, so my third leg isn't too happy right now."

"Right," Corbin laughed.

As soon as they entered the home, a waft of warmth weaved its arms around him. Coyote gestured to the couch, which had a bearskin throw blanket draped across it. Corbin sat down and wrapped himself in the fur while closing his eyes and inhaling the woody scent it had.

"What's the story behind this one?" He opened his eyes again. There had to be an epic hunting tale behind it-Coyote always had one.

"That one?" he said as he measured out coffee grinds. "It was a gift from Gunner. He lives across the border now. That was his kill."

"Oh..." Corbin nodded. His exhaustion was swallowing him as his lids struggled to stay open. "So that's where he went after what happened with Clara."

"Yeah..." Coyote paused from preparing coffee.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't bring up your sister."

"No. It's fine. We can't change what happened. I just wish Gunner would accept it so he can heal. Instead, he holds onto the past. It's not healthy."

"Mmm," Corbin mumbled, his eyes closing.

"You know, your Grandpa once told me when you grapple with an animal the way I did with that bear years ago, that its soul transfers to your body, and part of that animal lives inside you. You think that's true?"

Coyote looked to Corbin, but he had drifted to sleep, so he waited for the coffee to brew, and then he drank by himself.

All the while, he wondered what brought his friend's nephew to him? Was the kid in trouble? And would he have to rescue him the way he did ten years prior? He sat back, sipped the coffee, and tilted his head towards the loft.

There was also the situation with the siblings to handle. He agreed to take them across the border, but Corbin was family, and his needs came first. If he had to, he'd sacrifice them to get Corbin across instead.

If that was why he came to visit?

∆∆∆

Everleigh stirred from sleep with the aroma of bacon floating its way up to the loft. She glanced over her shoulder at Armis, whose back rose and fell with soft snoring. Slipping out of bed, she tried not to wake him since he spent half the night keeping vigilant of the stairs to the loft. They were in a stranger's house, and he would not let any harm come to her in the night while he slept. Unlike last time when he dozed off, and those men abducted her.

She tip-toed around the bed with her boots in hand and slowly opened the door-its squeaky hinges protested. Armis released a loud snore, causing his eyes to flutter open and her to wince, but he rolled over and continued snoring softly. Everleigh snorted but slapped a hand over her mouth as she tip-toed out of the room. Her stomach gurgled with hunger as the scent of breakfast swirled in her lungs. A grin remained on her lips while making her way down the creaky wooden steps, but as soon as the sofa came into view, her heart stopped, and her breath hitched.

"You alright?" Coyote asked, a frying pan in hand as he stared at her from the open kitchen.

She shifted toward him, her eyes wide, and nodded her head before returning her gaze to Corbin. How did he find her? And what would Armis do upon seeing him?

Coyote arched a brow and said, "Well, if you're hungry, breakfast is almost ready, and coffee is still hot."

Everleigh crossed the room to the couch, then eased her bottom on the coffee table and stared at Corbin. His limbs twitched, and his eyes shifted under the lids as if his dreams tormented him with memories. It was like the night in the desert when he mumbled Sarah's name-his sleep restless. However, this time it was her name slipping off his tongue. She sucked in a breath, her fist clutching the shirt material covering her chest, and leaned in closer-straining to hear him repeat her name.

"Are you gonna sniff him, too?"

Jerking away from him, she sat upright on the coffee table, her heart drumming, and glanced up to see Coyote offering a coffee mug. Her skin burned with embarrassment as she accepted the cup and took a sip to shield her face.

"No," she replied.

"Do you just go around staring at strangers while they sleep? Kinda rude."

She tilted her head, scoffing, "Usually before I put a bullet in their head."

"Right..." Coyote replied, shuffling back to the stove. "You and your brother are a couple of cowboys. Gunslinging and stealing government trucks and supplies."

He sang the words like a song, and they crawled up Everleigh's spine with an itch. She almost made another smart remark, but closed her mouth when she noticed distinct scars on Coyote's retreating backside. The gashes were deep, as if an animal dragged its claws across him like a scratching post. Her brows furrowed when her eyes landed on the blanket wrapped around his waist. Was he naked underneath? Heat rushed to the apples of her cheeks. If she was going to see a naked man for the first time, it would not be him! Although she couldn't deny he was attractive for an older man-with his grey eyes that pierced her with every glance.

A soft touch grazed her knee, making her jerk back to Corbin, and a smile spread across her lips as he squinted his eyes at her. He repeatedly blinked as if trying to focus, but his eyelids were too heavy to keep open.

"Morning," she breathed, her hands cupping the sides of his face, and a lazy grin formed on his lips at her touch.

"You must be a dream."

Chuckling, Everleigh asked, "Why?"

"Because I'm waking up to you," he yawned.

Crawling onto his lap, Everleigh tucked her arms around him. "I'm real," she whispered into his chest.

"You must be because you smell like bacon..." He inhaled deeply.

"Well, this was weirder than that time I saw a dog trying to suck a cow's udder!" Coyote said, standing over them, causing them both to burst into laughter. "Y'all know each other?"

They looked at one another and sighed. Everleigh slid to Corbin's side, but he held onto her thigh, keeping her leg draped over his knee. She tensed under his claim of her as he scooted forward, his palm on her thigh and rubbing small circles. Casting his eyes over his shoulder, he winked, and she eased back, relaxing into the couch.

"We know each other," Corbin explained to Coyote. "She and her brother captured me to use as their water slave."

Coyote's brows crinkled as he glanced from Corbin to Everleigh. "So you kill men, enslave witchers, steal government trucks... are you a cyborg?"

Everleigh grinned, but Corbin scowled at her. "Government truck? Is this about those dead men in the field?"

"Yeah." Coyote pointed in the vehicle's direction. "They parked that thing right in front of the bar. I walk in there and see her sticking out like a sore thumb. Then she points a gun into my gut, and her brother shows up, equally unpleasant... wait, dead men in a field?"

"You pointed a gun at him. In a bar?" Corbin exclaimed, but there wasn't any amusement in his face as he stared at Everleigh. "And yeah, two dead men, shot in the chest several times. Know anything about it, Everleigh?"

She squared her shoulders and held her chin up. "Your friend got a little too close for my liking. As for those men in the field-they deserved it. They walked onto the road, guns aimed, wanting to steal our truck."

"You can't kill everyone just because they threaten you," Corbin replied.

"If I recall correctly, I killed four men to save you. A choice I'm suddenly regretting. I should have left you to die," she hissed.

"Feeling is mutual." He glared.

"Geez, maybe the two of you should chill out, or I don't know, get a room," Coyote muttered a curse and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "You can cut the sexual tension with a knife."

"Excuse me?" Everleigh gasped, her hands curling into fists on her lap.

"He's kidding." Corbin smiled and rubbed her thigh, trying to calm her.

However, she plucked his hand from her leg and skyrocketed from the couch. She reached for her boots and shoved them on, hopping on one foot and then the other.

"Coming here was a mistake. Meeting you was a mistake," she grumbled, her angry breaths causing the hair in her face to puff away with each word. When she got her boots on, she flipped her hair out of her eyes and found Corbin standing in front of her, but before he could say anything, she scolded, "I don't need a couple of men telling me what I can and can't do!"

"What? That's not what-"

Everleigh waved her finger in his face. "And I never got a thank you for it!"

She stomped past them, and Coyote scratched his head, perplexed by her outburst.

"Everleigh, that's not what I meant!" Corbin said as he followed her. She pulled on the door handle to exit the house, but the sticky doorknob wouldn't give.

"I've got it," Coyote said, weaving between them.

He gave the door handle a jiggle, then a twist, and it popped open, which occurred at the same time as the blanket slipped from his hips. He muttered another curse, fumbling to pick it up, but Everleigh accidentally glanced down, getting an eyeful of his naked body. Her eyes opened wide as crimson blossomed across her skin, and Coyote froze at the sight of her mortified face.

"Never had that reaction before..." he chuckled, trying to cover his bits, but she clamped her eyes shut and stomped her foot.

"Damn it!"

Bolting from the cottage, she fled into the chilly morning. Little clouds escaped her mouth as she ran with a sense of freedom-the frigid air glazing her warm limbs. A firm hand clasped her arm, pulling her backward, whirling her around, and she thudded into Corbin's chest. He chained his arms around her, trapping her so that she couldn't get away. Except, her expression illuminated with glee as she laughed.

"What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know," Everleigh sighed. "Maybe all this fresh air has caused me to lose my mind."

"I suppose I'd run away too after seeing Coyote naked."

Everleigh clamped her eyes shut again, contorting her face as she relived the memory, but then she glanced down at his vise-grip-hold of her. "I'm losing circulation. Think you can let me go?"

Corbin shook his head. "I'm not letting you go again. At least not without a fight."

"Well, it looks like you've won the fight," she whispered.

He loosened hold but wove his fingers through her hair and pulled her in for a kiss. Everleigh didn't resist or tense up-unlike the first couple of times. Instead, her lips crashed against his with equal hunger for the connection as the crisp morning air and sun wrapped them in a golden glow.

She never felt more alive.

∆∆∆

After Armis awoke from sleep and went downstairs, they sat around the carved dining table eating breakfast in silence while he glared at Corbin. Everleigh kept her eyes down, trying to pry her hand from Corbin's, but he refused to let go. Every time she tried, he squeezed her fingers with his, and her heart beat faster. Meanwhile, Coyote tried making conversation, refusing to let the tension spoil his meal.

"I was thinking about doing target practice outside-see what Armis and Everleigh are made of."

"Sounds good," Corbin replied.

"You sure you want to risk that?" Armis glared at him.

"Pardon?" Coyote stopped forking the eggs on his plate.

"You have the audacity to sit here, holding my sister's hand under the table, after what happened? You're not even going to explain what Chuck was hiding?" Shifting to Coyote, he added, "Do you really want me handling a gun right now?"

"Armis..." Everleigh whispered.

"She's a grown woman. You can't treat her like a child," Corbin replied. "And shouldn't you be explaining to me what happened in that basement?"

"You're still claiming Domino didn't tell you anything about his plans with Chuck!?" Armis pounded the table, prompting Everleigh to rip her hand from Corbin's and slam both of her fists on the wooden surface.

"Armis! He doesn't know what happened!"

"Everleigh..." Armis took her hands and clutched them to his chest. "Don't be naïve. Don't you see? His family had something up their sleeve the moment we arrived, and Chuck knew it, yet Corbin sits here pretending not to know anything."

"Listen, I've known Corbin for years," Coyote objected. "If his intention were just to get into Everleigh's pants, then he would have done it and been long gone by now."

Corbin grimaced, knowing those words wouldn't exactly help his cause, and sure enough, Armis breathed fire as his eyes shifted from his sister to him.

"What the hell is he talking about!"

"Nothing." Corbin shook his head, hands up in surrender.

"Funny, all you seem to know is nothing," Armis snarled. "Did you screw my sister!?"

"No!"

"Have you touched her inappropriately?"

"Oh my god!" Everleigh sunk her face into her palms. "Nothing has happened!"

"I haven't touched her," Corbin confirmed. "Not like that."

"As opposed to what way!?" Armis demanded, still glaring at Corbin.

"We've only kissed. That's it. I promise you," he explained.

"Armis..." Everleigh shifted her entire body to face her brother-using her back to shield Corbin. She clasped his hands and held them up to her chin, as if praying. "Please, Armis, he knows nothing. He's as clueless as we are."

Sitting back, he veered his eyes from Corbin and focussed on her, his glare softening. "Everleigh, he's lying. He could have taken us anywhere, but he took us to his uncle's farm. He can deny it all he wants, but he knows what they were planning, so I'm sorry, Baby Bird, but we can't trust him. Despite everything."

The table fell quiet, with only the snapping of wood logs in the fireplace filling the cabin. Everleigh twisted the fabric of her shirt, her eyes glossy. The nickname Baby Bird clung to the warm environment-a nickname their father used to call her as a term of endearment. Coyote spoke up again, and all eyes switched to him.

"What I meant was, I've known Corbin for years. His father was my best friend and was a loyal, loving, and respectful person. On top of that, he was a romantic, and as soon as he laid eyes on Corbin's mama, he never looked at another woman again. He stuck by her till the day they died-God rest their souls. I wish I could be half the man he was, but if anyone comes close to being like him, it's Corbin. He's the spitting image in every way too. So what I'm saying is, you won't find a better-suited man for your dear Everleigh." Coyote popped a piece of bacon into his mouth and chewed. "And frankly, you need to cut the umbilical cord. She's a grown woman."

"What the hell are you talking about, man?" Armis scoffed, his brows knitting with a scowl. "Do you even know what the hell we've been arguing about?"

Coyote looked around the table as if the answer was obvious. "You don't think Corbin is good enough for your sister, right?"

Armis began laughing, but it wasn't the kind that invited others to join. It was the kind that heightened senses and made fingers palpate gun holsters. Everyone else around the table remained silent as his laughter tapered off, and he scrubbed his hands over his face with a sigh. He began shaking his head as he pushed away from the table and stood. While they watched, he removed Chuck's basement map from his back pocket and spread it wide over the dishes.

"This is what we are talking about!"

Coyote and Corbin stood simultaneously and leaned over the map, getting a bird's-eye view of it-confusion gathering in lines across their foreheads.

"And you got this from where?" Coyote asked.

"Domino's neighbor, CHUCK," Armis hissed.

"Is he dead?" Coyote straightened.

"Is he?" Armis shot his eyes to Corbin.

"As dead as I've ever seen."

"And