Enchantment (25 page)

Meeka
noticed
his
gaze
had
fallen
to
her
bare
s
houlder.
Self-conscious,
she
pulled
her tattered
s
hirt
back
up
over
her
shoulder.

From
the
corner
of
her
e
y
e
, Meeka
could
see
Catz’s
tail
s
witching
back
and
forth.

W
h
a
t
made
her
so
annoyed?

Kerrigan
looked
down
at
her
cat.
“
It
’
s
ok
a
y
,
p
u
s
s
y
cat.
I
didn’t
m
ean
a
n
y
t
h
i
ng
b
y
it.” Meeka
watched
the
pair.

W
h
a
t are
they up
to?

She
stepped
forward.
“
Y
ou
want
to
explain
why
y
o
u
two
think
it’s
okay
to
talk
about
m
e?
I
'm
right
here.”
Her
voice
rose
on
a
tide
of
anger.

Like
a
starburst,
a
cascade
of
sparks
fluttered
down
over
her,
dancing
through
the
air. “What
the
...
?
”
She
shrieked.
Anger
turned
to
fear.
Each
heartbeat
brought
m
ore
and
m
ore
s
parks,
until
th
e
y
s
wirled
around
her
like
a
blizzard
of
colors.

“Meeka,
listen
to
m
e.
It’s
ok
a
y
.
”
Catz
voice
penetra
t
ed
the
fog
of
fear
surrounding
her.
“
It’s going
to
be
oka
y
, I
pro
m
ise.”

Meeka
tre
m
b
l
ed,
u
n
stea
d
y on
her feet. Catz
w
ove in and out
between
her
legs, settling
a
s
ort

of
calm
over
her.
She
whispered
in
a
ti
n
y
voice.
“What
w
a
s
that
?
”

“It
was
y
o
u,
precious.
I
have
a
feeling
this
is
just
the
beginning.
Y
our
m
a
g
ic
is
showing itself,
and
see
m
s
to
respond
to
y
o
ur
e
m
otio
n
al
state.
You
were
ann
o
y
e
d
with
Catz
and
m
e
w
hich caused
the
release of
y
o
ur energ
y
.
Your
fear
caused them
to
surround
y
o
u in
a
protecti
v
e
veil.”

Meeka
grabbed
hold
of
Kerrigan’s
arm
for
stabili
t
y
,
on
l
y
to
find
herself
s
wept
away
by
the pinpricks of elect
r
ic
it
y and heat
spreading
through her bo
d
y
.
Her
e
y
e
s
locked
on his, recognizing the
want
in
his
gaze.
S
he
s
hivered
upon
feeling
the
echo
in
her
own
bod
y
,
and
let
get
of
h
i
m
.
N
ow
wasn’t
the
ti
m
e for
attraction, no
m
a
t
ter
how
t
e
m
pting he
was.

Catz
s
poke,
breaking
the
spell.
“Trust
m
e
;
we're
not
going
to
let
an
y
t
h
ing
happen
to
y
o
u
. We're
here
to
guide
y
o
u through
this.
Friends
forever,
re
m
e
m
b
er.”

He
turned
toward
the
door.
“
C
o
m
e
—
y
ou
both
m
ust
be
starving.
Please,
follow
m
e
.
” Kerrigan
took
her
ar
m
,
his
touch
soothing
her
fra
y
ed nerves,
and
u
shered
her
from
the
roo
m
.

With
Catz
at
her
heels
and
Kerrigan
close
b
y
,
Meeka
felt
the
strength
returning
to
her
w
obb
l
y
knees.
So
m
ehow,
she
felt
at
ease,
a
sense
of
calm
washing
over
her.
In
silence,
they walked
down
a
long
hallway
that
led
direct
l
y
to
a
very
large
open
kitchen.

Kerrigan
directed
her
toward
a
chair,
which
she
pro
m
p
t
l
y
sank
into.
I
n
side,
her
bo
d
y
still
w
reaked
havoc.
S
he needed
a distraction
from
the tr
e
m
bling
in
her
li
m
bs
and
the
quaking
rolling in
her
sto
m
a
ch.
She
focused
on
the
ceiling. It
w
a
s
round
like
the
bedroo
m
,
but
the
colors of
w
hite and
pink
stre
a
m
ed
through
as
if
it
could
be
transparent.
A
fter
ad
j
usting
to
the
brightness,
she realized
it
was
a
giant
sk
y
l
i
ght,
but
the
light
c
o
m
ing
through
w
a
s
pink
instead
of
blue. Nevertheless,
the
kitchen
looked
well
equipped.

* * * *

Kerrigan
couldn’t
tear
his
e
y
e
s
away
from
her.
He
en
j
o
y
ed
every
facial
expre
s
sion
she
m
ade.
He
pointed
at
the
do
m
e
where
the
pink
light
shone
bright
l
y
.