Enchantment (83 page)

In
the
dining
roo
m
,
Pad
d
y
hum
m
e
d
a
cheerful
tune. “Yu
m
m
y
, Pad
d
y
. I’m
starving.”
M
eeka
walked
over
to
her.

Paddy
hugged
her
around
the
waist.
“
I’ve
m
issed
y
o
u
,
Meeka.
My
son
has
been
hoarding
y
o
u
all
to
hi
m
self.”
Pad
d
y
giggled
and
hugged
her
gent
l
y
.
“It’s
no
wonder
w
h
y
my
son
hoards
y
o
u
.
”

A
warm
feeling
of
acceptance
and
caring
flooded
Meeka’s
se
n
ses.
This
little
beaver
had
m
ore
love
in
her
body
than
m
ost
people
on
Earth
would
ever
kn
o
w.
“
Padd
y
,
y
o
u
are
m
uch
too kind
to
me.”

“Oh,
no
n
sense,
my
dear.
You
should
be
spoiled
and
pa
m
pe
r
ed
eve
r
y
day
of
y
o
ur life.”

“Well,
I
certain
l
y
a
m
w
hen
y
o
u’
r
e
around.”
S
he
laughed.
Would
Kerrigan
ever
kn
o
w
h
o
w lucky
he
w
a
s?

Meeka
looked
around.
“
Where’s
Kerriga
n
?
”

“He,
St
r
y
k
er,
and Todd are talking guy
stuff in
the den.
Meeka
dear, why
don’t
y
ou
open
the bottle
of Sw
i
sh over
there
w
hile
I finish setting
the
table?
T
r
y
s
o
m
e
;
y
o
u
’ll
like
it.
It’ll
help relax
y
o
u
.
”
Pad
d
y
pointed
to
a
funk
y
-
s
haped
bottle.

Meek
reached
for
the
bottle
and
looked
for
an
opener. “J
u
st
tell
it
to
open,
dear.”

“Oh.”
Meeka
cleared
her
throat.
“Err…Open.”

The
glass
top
m
el
t
ed
before
her
e
y
es and
for
m
ed into
a
perfect
pouring
spout.

If
only
this
happiness
could
last
.

Br
u
shing
off
the
sadness,
Meeka
settled
herself
onto
a
stool
beside
the
bar.

* * * *

In
the
den,
Kerrigan,
Todd,
St
r
y
k
er,
and
Threeo
stood
around
the
fireplace,
all
but
Threeo with
drinks
in
hand.
The
conversation
was
live
l
y
,
but
K
errigan
couldn’t
follow
it.
He’d
known exact
l
y
w
hen
Meeka
stopped
at
the
painting
of
him
in
the
hall.
Her
touch
had
im
m
e
di
a
te
l
y caused
his
groin
to
tighten.
He’d
near
l
y
dropped
his
glass.

Str
y
k
e
r
looked
at
him
with
curiosi
t
y
.
“
Ever
y
t
h
ing
all
right,
m
a
te
?
”

“J
u
st
fine.”
H
e
ad
j
usted
hi
m
s
e
lf,
hoping
no
one
else
had
picked
up
on
his
arousal.

“Todd,
y
o
u
should
have
been
there
to
see
Meeka
train
with
y
o
ur
son.
It
was
nice
to
see
I w
a
sn’t
the
on
l
y
one
to
get
my
ass
handed
to
m
e
on
a
platter
,
” St
r
y
k
er
j
ested.

“I
didn’t
get
my
a
s
s
kicked.
It
was
hard
to
keep
my
focus
when
she
looks
like
she
does,” Kerrigan
defended.

“She
is
a
looker,”
St
r
y
k
er
reiter
a
ted.

“Yeah,
and
y
o
u
’d
be
w
i
se
to
stop
looking.”
Kerrigan
snarled,
his
hackles
rising. “What
do
y
o
u
propose
I
do,
cut
the e
y
es
out
of
my head
?
”

“Let
m
e kn
o
w
if
I
can
do
it for
y
o
u.” Kerrigan
glared
with deadly
intent.

“Son,
I’d
have
to
say
y
o
u
’re
jealous,
but
in
y
o
ur
defense,
she
is
unusual.
There
are
no
other fe
m
a
l
es
that
even
re
m
ot
el
y
rese
m
ble
her
here
in
Enchantme
n
t.
I
can
see
w
h
y
y
o
u’d
be
s
m
i
t
ten with
her,”
Todd
said.

U
nc
o
m
fortab
l
e,
Kerrigan
huffed.
It
was
better
to
direct
them
away
from
Meeka
and
his involvement
with
her.
He
shot
a
glance
at
St
r
y
k
er.
“You
had
so
m
eone
follow
Thalius
as
I instructed
?
”

“Ahh,
y
e
s.
I
did
have
one
of
the
garg
o
y
l
es
track
hi
m
.
He
is
up
to
s
o
m
e
thing.”
Str
y
k
e
r
s
wirled
his glass,
watching
the liquid dance
with
the
m
otion.
“
My
scout followed him as
close as p
o
ssible,
and
y
o
u
r
instincts
are
correct,
as
u
sual.”