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pump. "Do you have money?" he asked.
    "Not much, a couple bucks. How about you?" It honestly hadn't occurred to me until this second that we might be out of cash and luck. He must have had money to get down to Texas, didn't it make sense that he would have enough to get back? Not like I thought he was carrying around a Mastercard or something.
    "That will be enough." He opened the car door.
    "What? Wait. No, it won't." I scrambled out after him. I tried to keep my head down once I got out of the car. My picture was all over the news, and bad likeness or not, it wouldn't take much for someone to recognize me. Red hair is hard to hide. Caelan stood in front of the gas pump, studying it. The Impala's gas tank already hung open.
    "What are–" I started to ask. But before I could finish, he lifted the nozzle from the holder and fit it into the Impala. He set the handle, and gas that we couldn't afford began pouring in.
    "They're going to send the cops after us if we drive out of here without paying." I crossed my arms over my chest, still trying to keep my head lowered.
    "No one will recognize you, Zara. They are not watching now, anyway." He looked over at me, seemingly unconcerned with hiding his distinctive height and eyes. "And even if they 67
    The Silver Spoon

    begin to, they will not see you or me."
    "Great. That trick again," I muttered. "Who'd you turn me into this time? A supermodel?"
    He stepped closer to me. I automatically took a step back.
    "Humans notice that which is outside the ordinary," he said. Then he reached a hand toward me. I flinched before I realized he was only touching my hair, the ragged wisps that had escaped my ponytail to hang down in front of my face. "So, I have made you ordinary to them. A loss," a faint smile curved up one corner of his mouth, "for you are extraordinary by nature." Heat rushed into my face. But before I could stammer out a reply or even pretend to know how to take those words, he'd turned away to watch the numbers on the pump again.
    "So you still haven't explained how we're going to pay for this." I leaned against the side of the car, careful to keep my eyes off of him, trying to chase away that little tingle that had started in me moments ago. Yes, he was better looking than anyone I'd ever seen, something I'd managed to put of my mind, and yeah, that mouth was enough to spark all kinds of fantasies...but he was not human.
    "Show me the money you have."
    I searched my jeans pockets and pulled out three wornlooking singles.
    "That will be enough." The nozzle clicked off, and he set it back into the holder on the pump.
    "But–"
    He gave me a look, and I snapped my mouth closed. He zipped his leather jacket closed and started toward the gas station/convenience store. This, if nothing else, would get us caught. I followed Caelan, mentally preparing a statement to the police.
    Before he pulled open the door, Caelan leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Stay close to me. Select whatever food is 68
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    needed, and then we will pay."
    Oh, and I bet we would. Pay, that is. Rubbing my ear to remove the sensation of his mouth so close to it and the weird warm, squirmy feeling it started inside me, I walked in behind him.
    I avoided meeting the cashier's eyes and grabbed one of those little plastic shopping baskets stacked right inside the door. Caelan started down the first aisle, and I began throwing things in the basket. Not the healthiest of options were available, but I did the best I could, avoiding all beef jerky products. With the basket close to overflowing, including a new T-shirt for Caelan and toothpaste for me, Caelan added a newspaper with my photo and a sketch that I guessed was supposed to be him on the front page.
    What are you doing? I thought at him as loudly as I could hoping he could hear me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him flinch and knew I'd gotten through.
    "I wish to see what they know," he said quietly. "It will be all right."
    I headed to the