Chapter 31

Cillian tried not to look at the birds that followed him. He knew that randomly staring at the ceiling would get noticed by his family. But it was difficult as they chirped, and their wingbeats called to him. They didn’t go away until he drifted off to sleep that night.

* * * *

When he awoke, it was later in the morning. Jack had let him sleep. Both he and Henri were gone. No one to notice Cillian’s erratic glancing at animals that weren’t there. He got up, scratched under the annoying bandage, and made himself some breakfast. A plump brown bird landed next to his meal, and he shooed it away. Surprisingly, that worked.

Cillian took a shower alone and got dressed. It was difficult at first because his right eye had been the dominant one, and what little sight he had left was filled with unreliable images. But he managed. Planning to report to the medical center, he opened the door to their quarters—only to be confronted by that wolf.