He didn’t reply, and, in a matter of seconds, he was asleep. I hit the main road and headed toward the small cabin I’d rented for the next week. It was a pretty but basic building, the interior little more than one large wood-clad room that held a bed, a kitchenette, and a sofa, with a bathroom tucked into one corner. But it was the open fire dominating the main room that had drawn me there. Rory needed both flame and food to continue his rehabilitation toward full mobility, which was why I’d not only lit the fire before I’d left but had also set up a bed right in front of it. No matter how long he slept, his body would automatically feed on the flames.

The moon was casting its silver light across the shadows by the time I pulled into the long driveway that led down to the half dozen cabins dotted along the banks of the Goulburn River. Ours was the very last one, situated around a slight bend in the river and out of the direct line of sight of the other five.

I reversed up to the front steps, then climbed out and unlocked the front door. A wave of heat hit me, and I closed my eyes, briefly drawing it into my body to ease a little of the tiredness. But this heat was not mine to enjoy.

I severed the connection and returned to the car, opened the rear door, then dragged the mattress—and Rory—closer. He muttered something unintelligible and half sat up, making my job a little easier. I swung his arm around my shoulder, then hauled him upright, being careful not to crack his head on the top of the wagon’s door.

He waved his free hand about randomly and said in a rather grand tone, “Onward and upward, my dear!”

I grinned, shifted my grip to his waist, and half carried, half guided him up the steps. His breath was little more than a wheeze by the time we made it inside, and we all but staggered over to the fire. I stripped him out of his tunic, then helped him down onto the mattress. I didn’t bother covering him, simply because having his entire body exposed to the flames would hasten the refeeding process.

“Thanks.” His eyes briefly fluttered open. “What time are you meeting Jackson?”

I threw some more logs on the fire, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “In twenty minutes.”

He grunted. “Bring back some coffee. And fries. And a big burger. Or two.”

Amusement ran through me. “Like that’s a surprise request.”

I generally hungered for chocolate and green tea after my rebirths, but Rory had always preferred the fattier foods—a preference that had become much easier to fulfill when fast foods had come into being. Although cheese, eggs, and milk were theoretically healthier, fries and burgers seemed to fuel him faster.