From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

all gone.”
“Theyy’re the onlyy thing the Craven won’t eat.”
Didn’t that sayy something? I shuddered. “How manyy do yyou think are
out here?”
“I don’t know.” Hawke’s arm tightened around myy waist, and I had a
feeling he knew exactlyy how manyy.
I looked at Airrick.
He averted his gaze.
“Do yyou know how manyy, Airrick?”
“Eh, well, I know there used to be more,” he said, sending a nervous
glance at Hawke. He immediatelyy faced forward. “Theyy didn’t used to be a
problem, yyou know? Or at least that was what myy grandfather told me
when I was a boyy. He lived out here. One of the last ones.”
“Reallyy?”
Airrick nodded as Hawke’s thumb continued moving. “He grew corn
and tomatoes, beans and potatoes.” A faint smile appeared. “He would tell
me that the barrats used to be nothing more than a nuisance.”
“I can’t imagine rats that weigh nearlyy two hundred pounds being
onlyy a nuisance.”
“Well, theyy were just scavengers and were more scared of people than
we were afraid of them,” Airrick explained. I was confident that I would
be scared of them, whether theyy left people alone or not. “But with
everyyone moving out, theyy lost their…”
“Food source?” I finished for him.
Airrick nodded as he scanned the horizon. “Now, anyything theyy come
across is food.”
“Including us.” I reallyy hoped Luddie had perfect eyyesight and a sixth
sense when it came to barrats.
“You’re intriguing,” Hawke commented as Setti trotted ahead of
Airrick.
“Intriguing is yyour favorite word,” I told him.
“It is when I’m around yyou.”
I let myyself grin because no one was watching, and I wanted to. “Whyy
am I intriguing now?”
“When are yyou not intriguing?” he said. “You aren’t afraid of
Descenters or Craven, but yyou’re shuddering like a wet kitten at the mere
mention of a barrat.”