Enchantment (49 page)

* * * *

Ever
y
o
n
e
stood
in
the
large
fo
y
er
by
the
front
door
w
aiting
for
Meeka
and
Pad
d
y
to
j
oin the
m
.
Kerrigan
watched
intent
l
y
a
s
Meeka
strolled
toward
the
front
door
with
his
m
o
m
.
Her
legs were
so
long,
and
incredib
l
y
sex
y
.
Heat
rose
inside of
hi
m
. His
resolution to
keep
s
o
m
ebo
d
y with them
at
all
t
i
m
es was
not
going
to
help
hi
m
.

He
reached
out
to capture her
hand. Instant
l
y
,
their
e
y
es
locked,
and the
fa
m
i
l
iar
tingles
shot up
his ar
m
. He
j
erked
her toward him
and
out
the
door before she
could protest and
pull her
hand awa
y
.

Kerrigan
s
m
i
l
ed,
watching
Meeka’s
face.
Her
e
y
es
widened,
sparkling
as
she
took
in
the orange
sk
y
,
the
birds
fl
y
i
n
g
high
in
the
clouds.
S
he
stepped
forward,
still
staring
u
p
ward,
and planted
her
foot
direct
l
y
on
top
of
his.

“Ouch.”
He
teased.
“
M
y
toe
m
a
y
be
broken.”

She
cringed and
leapt off
his
foot,
t
r
y
i
ng
to
pull her
hand out
of
his.

“Sorr
y
,
precious.
I
think
I’ll
just
hold
on
to
y
o
u
for
a
while.”
Kerrigan
ru
m
b
l
ed,
his
lips br
u
shing
her
ear.
H
e
delighted in
the
shiver
that
raced
over
her.

“You
real
l
y
don’t
need
to.
I
don’t
think
it’s
a
good
idea.
I
don’t
need
a
protector!”
she
stated. Kerrigan’s
hand
opened
unexpected
l
y
, letting
her
go.

He
w
a
s
stunned!
H
e’d
j
u
st
let
go
of
her
hand,
even
as
his
o
wn
desire
de
m
anded
he
hold
it tighter.
S
he
had
m
ade
him
let
go.
It
was
next
to
i
m
possible,
and
total
l
y
unaccepta
b
le.
Kerrigan reached
out
again
and
snatched
up
her
hand,
instant
l
y
focusing
on
her
m
ind.

It
w
a
s
unheard
of.
She
w
a
s
tr
y
i
n
g
to
force
him
to
let
go
of
her,
and
if
he
hadn’t
been prepared
for
her
o
n
slaught,
she
would
have
controlled
him
once
m
o
r
e.

“Please
just
trust
m
e for
n
o
w,”
Kerrigan
whispered
into
her
ear.

Todd
looked up
at
the two
of
the
m
. “Is
there a
proble
m
?
Or
can
we
go
no
w
?
”

“Nope.
No
proble
m
.
Right,
Meeka
?
”
Kerrigan
stared
into
her
e
y
e
s,
seeing
the
uncertai
nt
y
, the
fear,
and
beneath
it,
so
m
ething he
longed
to
claim
but
honor
de
m
anded he
let
go.

“I
don’t
think
there
is
a
probl
e
m
.”

* * * *

Jager
waited.
He
w
ould
be
unnoticed
and
undetec
t
ed
b
y
a
n
y
of
th
e
m
.
How
s
weet
this
m
ission
would
be.
He
watched
the
girl
walk
out
the
door
and
w
a
s
stunned
by
her
beau
t
y
.
S
he w
a
s
the
m
ost
delicious
piece
of
m
eat
he’d
ever
seen.
He
knew
exact
l
y
what
he
would
do
with her.
H
e
grew
hard
thinking
about
h
o
w
he
w
ould
m
ake
her
c
r
y
out
his
name
w
hen
he
s
pread
her legs.
Thalius
hadn’t
s
aid
he
couldn’t
sa
m
ple
the
delic
ac
y
.
He
just
needed
to
snatch
her
aw
a
y from Kerrigan,
and with
his
new
powers, it
shouldn’t
be
a
proble
m
.
In
fact,
the
lack
of
challenge w
a
s
a
l
m
ost
disappointing.

Jager
followed
close
behind
the
m
er
r
y
group.
He
w
ould
wait
for
the
perfect
opportuni
t
y
to present
itself.

Chapter
Seventeen

Her
hand
safely
tucked
in
Kerrigan’s,
Meeka
walked
by
his
side,
s
m
i
ling
and
nodding
at those
around
her.
She
felt
huge;
m
a
n
y
of
those
of
Kerrigan’s
w
orld
were
s
m
all,
delica
t
e
-
looking beings
with
blonde
or
white
hair
and
pointed
ears.

N
one
see
m
ed
to
pay
her
m
ore
than
a
pa
s
sing
glance.
They
s
m
i
l
ed,
nodded,
or
bowed
to Kerrigan,
but
kept
on
about
their
b
u
siness.

The
beau
t
y
of
the
area
sent
a
m
a
z
eme
n
t
rippling
through
her.
The
hues
of
the
s
k
y
rese
m
bled the
Aurora
Borealis
s
he'd
seen
back
ho
m
e.
Those
around
her
were
dressed
in
shi
n
y
,
tight
attire. Had
it
been
painted
on?
Th
e
y
re
m
in
d
ed
her
of
cartoon
characters.

O
ff in
the distance,
a
large
structure stood out
of the center.
It
glittered
in the orange
light
of the
s
k
y
.
Meeka
couldn’t
p
r
y
her
e
y
es
off
it.
She
stopped,
tr
y
i
n
g
to
give
her
e
y
es
ti
m
e
to
ad
j
ust. “Is
that
cr
y
s
t
al? It
would
be
i
m
possib
l
e,
wouldn’t
i
t
?
What
kind
of
building
is
it
?
”

Kerrigan
squeezed
her
hand,
his
voice
ca
l
m
as
he
explained.
“
The
building
is
what
we
call the
Counselors’
Rea
l
m
.
The
outer
structure
is
made
of
c
r
y
s
t
a
l,
while
the
inside
is
co
m
prised
of
m
arble.
It’s
an
i
m
p
r
essive
structure,
don’t
y
ou
agree
?
”

D
u
m
bfoun
d
ed,
Meeka
nodded.

A
high-pitched
whine
overhead
caused
her
to
look
up
again
to
see
a
train
of
glass
bubbles traveling across
the
sk
y
. Meeka
pointed above
her
head,
still
unable
to
speak.
Kerrigan
continued to
fill
in
the
blanks.
“
M
ost
Enchanters
travel
this
wa
y
.”

“W
h
y
don’t
they
j
u
st
vanish
or
disappear
like
y
ou
?
”

“Not
ever
y
o
n
e
has
the
abili
t
y
,
or
the
wealth.
So
m
e
are
m
ore
powerful
than
others
and
can
m
aster
the
abili
t
y
with
practice.
M
ost
would
need
to
spend
m
on
e
y
they
don’t
have.”

“So
why
are
y
ou
so
special
?
”
Meeka
instant
l
y
regretted
her
qu
e
stion
as
a
cold
shad
o
w flickered
over
Kerrigan’s
features.

“I’m
not
an
Enchanter.”

Her br
o
ws
tugged
d
o
wn
into
a frown,
and Meeka
hid
a sigh.
H
o
w
could
she fix
the
blunder? Seeing
the
tree
line
in
the
near
distance,
she
offered
a
weak
s
m
ile. “Are
we
going
there
?
”

“Yes.”
They
had
continued
to
walk
when
he
asked
her
the
question
she
dreaded.

“Meeka, would
y
ou
be
interested
in t
r
y
i
ng
to explore
y
o
u
r
power
s
?
I would
like
to
help
y
o
u, if
I
can.”

Her
bo
d
y
tensed,
and
she
bit
her
lower
lip.
“Do
y
ou
think
I
need
to?
What
if
y
o
u're
all
w
rong?
What
if
I
'm
not
a
sorceress,
and
when
I
get
ho
m
e
I'm
nor
m
a
l
?
”

“I
know
it
would
be an
easy
thing
to
believe.”

“Kerrigan,
y
ou
don’t
know
m
e
or
what
my
life
is
like.
I’m
an
ordinary
person,
with
just
a few
exceptions.
My
parents…
Well,
let’s
not
go
there,
but
there
is
nothing
special
about
m
e
in any
wa
y
.” She
looked
up
at
h
i
m
,
al
m
ost hoping
he
w
ould
disagree.

Catz
dashed
up
to
her
side,
leaving
Pad
d
y
and
Toddy
behind
th
e
m
. “Meeka,
please.
I
believe Kerrigan
can
help
us.
Let
him
tr
y
. What
if
we’re
right
?
”

Meeka
sighed,
casting
a
glance
between
Catz
and
Kerrigan.
“I
don’t
kn
o
w
what
good
this will
do,
but
I’ll
t
r
y
…
for Catz.”

Kerrigan
s
m
i
l
ed,
drawing
a
s
hudder
along
her
bo
d
y
.
“
We’ll
begin
this
afternoon.”