Enchantment (30 page)

“And…then
what
happened.
What’s
the
whole
stor
y
?
”

Meeka
fidgeted
with
her
hands,
not
sure
h
o
w
to
explain
what
she
felt.
“Catz,
it
w
a
sn’t an
y
t
h
ing
i
m
po
r
tant.
He
caught
m
e,
and
we
got
carried
away
and
kissed,
and…oh,
it’s
not i
m
por
t
ant.”

Her
cat’s
e
y
e
s
grew
large.
“
D
id
y
ou
like
it
?
”
The
feline
pressed
forward,
placing
a
paw
on Meeka’s
leg.
“
O
r
shall
I
tar
and
feather
hi
m
.”
She
w
a
s
teasing,
but
Meeka
recognized
a
hint
of seriousne
s
s.

Meeka
p
u
shed
a
strand
of
wet
hair
from
her
face.
Catz
looked
back
at
her.
“
I
liked
him holding
m
e.
He held
m
e
like
I
w
as
a ti
n
y
fragile
doll.
I
looked
into
his
e
y
es,
and
I
w
anted
him
to ki
s
s
me.”
Meeka stood
up,
securing
her
towel,
and
started
pacing.
“
Then
he
did
kiss
m
e. I
wanted hi
m
,
too.
I’ve
never
felt
an
y
t
h
ing
so
w
onderful,
but
then
I
opened
my
e
y
es
and
realized
we
w
ere engulfed
in
flames,
and
I
was
total
l
y
naked.
I
got
ang
r
y
and
s
cared
all
at
once.
Catz,
we
were literal
l
y
on
fire.
I
w
as
scared
I’d
hurt
hi
m
,
but
he
wouldn’t
let
m
e
go,
so
the
fire
balls
erupted from
my
hands
and
flung
him
acro
s
s
the
roo
m
.”
S
he
held
out
her
hands,
looking
at
them
as thought
she’d
never
seen
them
before.

Catz
sat
at
her
feet,
her
wide,
green
e
y
es
narrowed.
“Oh,
Meeka.
I
imagine
every
species
in the
universe
develops
those
feelings
at
so
m
e
time
in
their
lives.
There
is
nothing
m
ore
powerful than
the
attrac
t
ion
between
a
m
a
l
e
and
f
e
m
ale.
Do
not
worry
about
hurting
hi
m
.
He
is
a
warrior and born to
m
a
g
ic.
I’m gue
s
sing
those flames
were generated
because
of the
e
m
otions
the two of
y
o
u
shared.
It
w
ouldn’t
be
har
m
f
u
l
to
either
of
y
o
u
.
”
Catz
glanced
at
the
doo
r
w
a
y
.
“
Y
ou
are vulnerable.
I
should
speak
to
him
about
going
ea
s
y
on
y
o
u
.”

Meeka‘s
e
y
es
widened
in
alarm.
Quick
l
y
s
he
placed
her
hand
on
Catz’s
head.
“
O
h,
please don’t,
Catz.
I
would
die
of
e
m
barras
s
m
ent.
Ma
y
be
he
didn’t
want
to
ki
s
s
m
e…
I
could
feel m
y
s
e
l
f
forcing
him
to
do
as
I
wanted.”

The
an
i
m
al’s ears
twitched.
“I’m
sure
he
e
n
jo
y
e
d
it.”

Chapter
Eleven

Kerrigan
slam
m
e
d
the
cupboard
door,
his
body
w
racked
by
ti
n
y
tre
m
ors.
“
D
a
m
n
it!”
He exhaled
sharp
l
y
,
the
m
e
m
or
y
of
her
soft
lips
beneath
his
stirring
his
blood.
This
m
ust
be
what
a starving
an
i
m
al felt
like
with
hunger,
need,
and
want
clawing
at
their
throats.

“Da
m
n
fool.
Y
ou
can’t
j
u
st
take
advantage like
that.”

She
wanted
you
to
kiss
her,
Kerrigan,
old
boy.
You
and
I
both
felt
her
emotions
…
scared, uncertain,
yes,
but
beneath
it
w
a
s
the
need,
the
want
to
have
you
kiss
her.

Think,
damn
it!

With
each
passing
second,
his
m
ind
raced
with
a
tangled
web
of
thoughts.

If
she
grew
stronger
and
realized
her
true
p
o
wer,
could
she
force
people
to
do
her
bidding? Could
she
control
so
m
ebo
d
y
like
m
e,
or
will
my
m
ind
hold
up
against
he
r
?
What
will
I
tell
the Cou
n
selors?
Was
she
a
threat
to
Enchantment?
A
nd
h
o
w
in
heck
were
th
e
y
going
to
be
able
to send
her
back
to
U
pper
World
alive
with
w
hat
she
kne
w
?

Kerrigan
heard
the
clicking
of
claws
across
the
floor,
followed
b
y
a
m
oment
of
silence
as Catz
ju
m
ped onto
the
counter
with
her
tail
swa
y
i
n
g
and
fur
puffed
out.

“You
kn
o
w
I
wouldn’t
hurt
her.”
H
e
met
the
cat’s
gaze,
the
need
to
s
how
her
he
meant
no harm
like
a
w
hip
upon
his
back.
“
I
…I...”

“Yes,
I
kn
o
w.
She
needs
protecting,
Kerrigan.
Needs
a
strong
heart
to
help
guide
her.”
Catz see
m
ed to
grin.
“
B
ut
m
ake no
m
istake, if
y
ou harm
her,
y
o
u
’
ll an
s
wer
to
m
e.”

Kerrigan
nodded.
“That’s
fair.
So
m
ehow,
I
think
we’ve
both
got
our
work
cut
out
for
us.”

Her
e
y
e
s
bore
right
through
hi
m
.
He
real
l
y
had
to
break
this
silence.
“H
e
y
,
do
n
't
give
m
e that
look.
Nothing
m
uch
real
l
y
happened,
fur
ball.”

“Depends
on
y
o
ur
definition
of
nothing.
H
o
wever,
I
pro
m
ised
M
eeka
I
wouldn't
tar
and feather
y
o
u, so
w
e
won't
discuss
this
further.”
Catz
s
poke
in
a
dis
m
issive tone.

“You’re
a
big
talker,
p
u
s
s
y
cat;
whenever
y
o
u’re read
y
,
j
u
st
let
m
e
know.”

With
lightning
speed,
the
cat
m
oved
like
the
hunter
she
was.
In
a
flash,
she
stood
before Kerrigan
larger
than
the
size
of
the
kitchen table.

He
instant
l
y
ju
m
ped
back
into
a
fighting
stance.
The
Le
m
ren
never
ceased
to
i
m
p
r
ess
hi
m
! He
prepared
to
throw
a
contai
n
m
e
n
t
spell
at
her.

Catz
hi
s
sed,
“D
o
n’t
y
o
u
ever
hurt
her—not
e
m
o
tion
a
l
l
y
,
not
ph
y
si
c
al
l
y
,
not
in
any
way
at

“Back off,
Catz. I've
told
y
o
u
before, I
intend her
no
har
m
. It's not
my
fault
if
s
he happens to find
m
e attracti
v
e.”
He
paused,
the
niggling
echo
of
a
voice
at
the
back
of
his
m
ind.

“She
is
an
innocent
in
all
wa
y
s.”
Catz
spit,
and
in
the
next
instant,
was
back
on
the
counter in
her
nor
m
a
l
white,
furry
house
cat
for
m
.
Th
e
y
turned
as
the
front
door
opened.

Bogged
d
o
wn
with
ba
g
s,
Paddy
strode
into
the
kitchen.
“
O
h,
y
o
u’re
both
here.”
Her
w
hiskers
twitched
w
hile
she
tried
to
look
around
Catz
on
the
island.
“Where
is
Meeka?
I
hope
s
he's
oka
y
.”

Kerrigan
could
see
the
concern
in
her
e
y
e
s,
and
wondered
w
hether
he
should
tell
her
the truth.
He
hurried
forward,
took
hold
of
the
bags
in
his
m
o
m
’s
ar
m
s,
and
set
th
e
m
on
the
table. “She’ll
be
out
in
a
m
inu
t
e.
J
u
st
finishing
up
her
s
hower.”