Bonedust

the thief and collected the purse. He came out of the station rubbing his shoulder, as if the small-framed man really weighed that much. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile.
    Urban stretched, rolling his shoulders, and reached out a hand. Gabriel stared at it for a moment, feeling heat spread across his cheeks at the realization of: They were together. With a nod, he slid his fingers between Urban’s and they walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand. And it just felt…right. Like this was how it was supposed to be.
    “Where to, babe?” Urban’s voice was soft. “I’ll take you any place you wanna go. You earned it.”
    “I didn’t even do anything. If anything, I slowed you down!”
    “Hey, you tried. You were there.” He squeezed his hand. “That’s plenty. Maybe I’ll take you under my wing, teach you the mechanics of bounty hunting.”
    “I’d suck,” Gabriel argued with a huff. “I wouldn’t be able to make the kill shot.”
    “Unless it was a vampire,” Urban amended.
    “Let’s get something fast. I just wanna take a hot shower, curl up in bed, and watch TV.”
    “Sounds delicious. Shall I join you in the shower?”
    Gabriel blinked and his heart skipped a beat, heat rushing across his face once again. “No. Slow, remember?”
    “No fun. But you’re sharing the bed, no buts about it.” Urban knocked their shoulders together. “And you’re giving me a good night kiss. Else I’m gonna pout and you know I’m good at that.” He cast Gabriel a sidelong grin that gleamed white in the moonlight and the man had to laugh.
    “Deal.”
    They walked in silence for a few minutes, their arms swinging between them. Then: “You know what sounds totally amazing?” Urban turned to him, his tongue click-clicking his lip ring against his bottom row of teeth. He waited a breath, then said, “Pizza. Extra gooey mozza cheese, piled high with sausage.”
    Gabriel’s mind flickered back to the Boneyard. Sure, meals were a daily reoccurrence—the non-vampire slaves had to eat, after all—but the hired chef made food that was bland and tasted like cardboard. Except for one time, when he’d gotten violently ill and left the kitchen to the slaves. One of the Bleeders, Moira, had made six pans of pizza—rich with meats and cheeses and topped with peppers and onions, it had been a meal to remember. They’d been beaten for it, but Goddess had it been worth it.
    So he grinned. “That does sound amazing.”
    “I’m lazy, so let’s just head back to the motel and call for delivery. It can’t cost too much more and besides, we deserve it.”
    When they reached the parking lot of Hardy’s, their shoes crunching on gravel, Gabriel paused, his heart lurching into his throat. Perched on the edge of the roof, directly above Door 4, was the biggest crow he’d ever seen. Oily black feathers slicked down its back and beady eyes glared at them. Or rather, at him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his appetite gone. “Urban…”
    “Well that’s a convenient place for a raven to perch. Go! Get outta here!” Urban waved his arms like a mad man, shrieking and stomping, but the crow merely cawed a hoarse bark of laughter and shifted its weight. “Get, you black winged bastard! Oh, hell. Let’s just go in, Gabe. It’ll leave eventually.”
    Pandora leapt forwards, barking wildly as she jumped into the air, jaws snapping at the crow. The huge bird cawed again, ruffled its feathers, and took flight with heavy wing beats. It disappeared into the blackness of the trees, but Gabriel could still feel its eyes on his back. Definitely not a normal crow.
    He ducked under Urban’s arm and shut and triple locked the door behind them. He pressed his back against the wood and took a deep breath. It was fine.
    “You alright?” Urban looked at him, his forehead wrinkled with worry lines.
    Gabriel let air whistle out his nose and shrugged, aiming for nonchalant when his heart was thundering with fear. “It’s just a crow. It’s fine. I’m fine. Let’s order pizza.”
    So they did.

Chapter Eleven

    Urban crouched down, digging around in the bag of non-perishables. Canned veggies and chicken noodle soup. A box of cheese crackers. A jar of peanut butter. “Ugh, we seriously need real food,” he grumbled, grabbing the crackers and prying them open. He tossed a couple into his mouth and crunched. “Stale.” He chucked the box back into the paper bag.
    Gabriel lay on the bed, one arm looped under his head, his dark