“Told you. Bark in Morse code.”

She elbow-punched him, then split off to head up to her room. She wouldn’t sleep that night, so a nap wouldn’t hurt.

Later, they ate a quiet meal, each of them preoccupied. Since the next day’s agenda was already set, it came down to waiting.

“That should hold me till morning.”

“You still have time,” Sasha said when Riley rose.

“Yeah, and I’m going to try to contact this White guy again. Push some other buttons that may get through to him. The harder it is to reach him, the more I think he’s got some answers. If I crap out on that, I’ll just see everybody in the morning.”

“Stay out of the neighbor’s chicken coop,” Sawyer advised, and earned a narrow stare.

“I’ll take her turn,” Annika said when Riley went inside.

“Turn?” Distracted, Sasha rubbed a small ache at her temple. “Oh. Oh, the chart. It’s Riley and Doyle on cleanup.”

“I don’t mind. Maybe she’ll find the Dr. White, and learn what we need. And after we clean up, if there’s time, I can take her some of the gelato that comes in the box.”

“Right.” With some reluctance, Doyle rose when Annika did. He’d solved his cooking duties—he bought pizza—but had yet to figure a way out of cleanup when his turn came around.

“It’s nice to make things clean again,” Annika said after they’d carted dishes inside.

“It’s nice to have them clean.”

“You cleaned your guns today, and polished your sword, even your knives.” Content enough, she went to work at the sink. “This isn’t so different.”

And she liked filling the big sink with water and the suds, liked the smell of the suds when she scrubbed the pots Sawyer had used.

“The meal was very good.”

“Yeah, the man can cook.” Doyle clattered dishes into the dishwasher. Since he knew what it was to try cleaning a pot or plate in a fast stream, he figured he shouldn’t complain.

“I can cook a little now. It’s fun. You’ve lived so long, but don’t cook.”

“I can get by.” He pulled out a dishcloth, started drying the pots. “I learned to cook over a fire, on hunting trips.”

“You’ve seen the wonders come. Riley let me look at some of her books. Once land people walked or rode horses. Then they learned to make cars, and motorcycles like yours. And there was no phone like Riley so enjoys, or the movies Sawyer likes to watch.”

“Things change. People not as much.”

“But things can’t change themselves. People can. Sasha has changed so much in hardly one turn of the moon. She’s stronger and she’s learned to fight. And she can do six pull-ups where she could not do one.”

“You’ve got a point. And I’m betting she’ll get up to ten before we’re done with this.”

“And we’ve all seen wonders, of dark and light.”

For a while they worked in silence.

“I have a hard question,” Annika began. “I want to ask when it’s just you.”

“All right.”

“You’ve lived a long time. You’ve had people who . . .” She touched a hand to her heart. “Matter, who mean much.”

“After a while, you try not to let that happen.”

“But it does. We matter to you, not just as guardians, as warriors. We matter to you.”

He looked at her, the stunning mermaid, thought of the others, one by one. “You matter, yes.”

“How do you say good-bye?”

He set down the cloth because he understood she needed a real answer. “I’ve never found an easy way. If it’s easy, they didn’t matter.”

“Is there a way to make it easy for the one you leave?”

“Convince him he doesn’t matter. But that’s not going to work for you, Gorgeous. Not going to work with Sawyer.”

“No, I couldn’t pretend that. It would make what we have nothing.”

“He’d never believe you anyway. And he’s never going to forget you.”

“I think how it would be best if he did, then I know if he could, I would just fade away. So, I have to hold on to the wonder.”

“If anyone can, it’s you.”

“You’re my very good friend.” She turned, hugged him. “I’ll be sad to say good-bye to you. But I have two turns of the moon before . . . Oh, it’s nearly sunset. I have no time to take Riley the gelato. There are still dishes to put away. Cookies.”

Inspired, she pulled a bag of fancy cookies from the pantry. “I’ll finish if you could take these to her. She has enough time for a cookie. And they could be in her room in the morning when she’s hungry and tired.”

“I don’t think she wants—”

“Please.” Smiling, Annika held out the bag.

Doyle thought there wasn’t a man alive who could say no to that smile. “Fine.”

He carried them upstairs. At least the chore got him out of tubbing up leftovers or washing off counters—all on the duty list.

He heard Riley’s voice, caught the quick interest in it.

“Yeah, if you could do that, even better.”

He stepped into her room—one where books were piled everywhere, and where she’d put a nightstand into service as a small desk, which she used now to scribble notes.