Carpathian 21 - Dark Peril

softly. “Very inventive.”

    “What would you name him?” he challenged.

    “Shadow, of course,” she said.

    The kitten shoved his face into Dominic’s and licked his head, retreated, and then bounced back to bat at him playfully with a paw. He could see why Solange wanted to save the little thing. The cub’s face was so cute. He winced at the word.

    Her soft laughter rippled through his mind as the kitten gave up on him and bounded across the floor to her.
    “Adorable. He’s adorable.”

    “You are going to collect all sorts of creatures throughout this life together.” He groaned aloud, but deep inside he found he was laughing. He should have known she had a soft little heart. She’d spent a lifetime protecting women and caring for her cousins. Gruff, dangerous Solange melted at the sight of puppies and kittens.

    She scratched the cub’s ears. “I am dangerous, Dragonseeker, and you’d best not forget it. And don’t go telling my cousins your little theories about me.”

    “I have not had the pleasure of meeting them yet,” he said, keeping his tone speculative. “I think we will have many long conversations.”

    She flicked a warning gaze at him. “I’ve worked very hard at being surly. You are not going to ruin my reputation, especially with my cousin’s lifemate.”

    He raised his eyebrow. “You do not want them to see you all girly?”

    She winced openly, gritting her teeth. “I am not girly.” The shadow cat nudged her so hard she nearly fell over backward. She had to catch it around the neck to steady herself. Immediately the kitten laid its head on her shoulder and gave his growling purr.

    “You are girly, all soft and mushy inside,” he teased.

    She looked horrified, even as she soothed the shadow cat, unaware of the picture she made, the look of concern on her face as she babied the animal. His heart felt as stupidly soft and mushy as he’d just labeled her. She was so beautiful to him, as complex and mysterious as the most beautiful flower he’d ever seen.

    The cat wiggled free and raced around the room, pouncing on anything that looked as if it might be moving. Solange’s laughter filled the chamber, soft and musical, her eyes following the kitten’s antics as it rushed around the cavern. Shadow widened his eyes and pressed his ears forward, inviting play. He stalked her across the room, with the slow freeze-frame of a cat, and then pounced on her. But she sprang to one side, avoiding the rush. The kitten rolled over and over, his momentum carrying him past her. He stood up a few feet away, shaking his head.

    Dominic saw the look building in Solange’s eyes, and before he could protest, she had raced across the chamber and ambushed the cat. They rolled together, over and over, Solange in her barely there dress and the cat with lethal claws and teeth.

    Heart in his throat, Dominic waved his hand, building the image of clothing, thick and protective, around Solange—heavy cotton jeans and a long-sleeved top with a vest as a shield. The two rolled across the floor, snarling, spitting, rearing up, breaking apart and then coming together in a fierce mock battle, rolling once again.

    The kitten backed off, arching its back. With his long tail curled, he sidestepped around Solange and then rolled over onto his side. He kept his tail in a hooked position, indicating he wanted to play. Laughing, she obliged.

    Dominic realized she was feeling the kitten out, learning his strengths and weaknesses, trying to get a feeling for what had gone wrong inside of him. Why the middle part of his body was caught in shadow form. He took a chance and went outside his own body, knowing the animal was important to her and that she wanted to save him from a slow starvation.

    The sibling mages had obviously been present when Xavier had mutated species for his own twisted purpose. Two of the teeth in the cat’s mouth were tubes to draw and store blood. The cat had been bred for one purpose—to retrieve blood for the mages. The digestive tract and stomach were scored and lumpy, as if the combination of cat DNA and black magic had fought and scar tissue had built up. The shadow encased the middle of the cat, keeping the insides from working. He couldn’t see how it was possible, but if the cat could wait, he could try to give it blood after he had pushed out the parasites.

    He felt the cat’s muscles bunching, ready for another spring, and exited quickly to reenter his own body.