With a shudder, Piter looked away from the corpses. A quarter of the way around the fire, his gaze found his wife. Shaunee stood talking with another man, older than both she and Piter by a good ten years. The man was tall, with dark brown hair that was streaked with grey in several places and a strong face. His bearing was that of a man who knew his own worth, and that it was great. Piter took him in at a glance, but he only had eyes for Shaunee.
He chuckled inwardly at the cliche for a heartbeat, but the amusement at his own thoughts faded as he fully took in her condition.
She looked like hell. Her left eyes was black, as though she'd been in a fist-fight. Her right shoulder was also bruised, and that arm was in a makeshift sling. Her pants were torn, and he saw a scabbed-over
