Liam Takes Manhattan (Elder Races #9.5)(13)

Chapter Five





The woman didn’t turn to face him. He watched the corner of her full mouth lift into a smile as the puppy in her cradling hands curled into a ball and fell asleep. “Everyone knows that name, young Cuelebre. Isn’t that why you are willing to travel halfway across the world to get away from it?”

He hissed, “Who are you?”

“That doesn’t matter,” she said, dismissing his question with a shrug. “All that really matters is that everything does depend on what you want. If you want a puppy badly enough, you’ll do whatever it takes to have one, and you’ll fight to keep it.”

As she spoke, he looked around wildly for any clues as to her identity. His gaze fell to the border of her tunic. Lions were embroidered along the bottom.

His pulse pounded in his ears. Slowly, he said, “You’re wearing lions. Inanna, the goddess of Love, always has lions.”

“Fitting, don’t you think?” She stroked the puppy’s forehead with a long, tapered forefinger. “So many people think love is an emotion. I love you, they say, and that is supposed to excuse all their bad behaviors and elevate them to a higher level just because they happen to feel something. That isn’t love; it’s an excuse. Love is like a lion. It’s fierce and strong. It conquers fear and uncertainties, and it knows how to fight. Love fights to win and keep its mate, to do the right thing, to give to others in service, no matter what the cost. ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’”

The scene blurred as tears filled Liam’s eyes. He swiped at his nose. “That sounds like a quote.”

“It is a quote,” said the woman. “It’s attributed to the man whose birthday is celebrated all over the world every December. Your sentinel Constantine knew of it. That man might have been a mess, but he knew how to love.”

He whispered, “It also leaves a hole behind when they go.”

“Yes, it does, and that is when you know you had something worth having.” The woman turned to him. “If you really want a puppy, I think you should pick this one. She isn’t the biggest in the litter, but she’ll grow to be a strong, fine dog. Her life will be much too short, and you’ll grieve when she’s gone, but while she lives that life, she will stand by you through all your uncertainties. She’ll comfort you when you are alone, even when you journey to a distant, strange place, and she’ll guard your back when you need protection. And she will love you with all of her loyal, fierce heart. That, young Cuelebre, is a worthy companion to have.”

“But what if I take her, and the college won’t let me keep her?” he asked.

Anxiously, he thought, what if the college won’t take me in time?

Through the blur of his tears, he saw the woman smile.

“This is where you have a little faith that things will work out all right,” she said. She offered the sleeping puppy to him, and without thinking, he reached out to receive it. The small, delicate body filled his hands.

The puppy stirred at the disruption, and it tried to open its eyes, but it was too sleepy. Showing its tongue in a wide, pink-tipped yawn, it sniffed at the air then snuggled into his palms.

As he looked down at the soft, warm body he cradled, the constriction around his chest finally began to ease. Warmth stole in, and comfort.

Look at her little puppy head. And those little puppy ears. Gently, he rubbed one of her paws. She stretched out her short, stubby puppy legs with a sigh, and he lost his heart.

Blinking hard to clear his gaze, he lifted his head to get a better look at the woman.

She was gone. There wasn’t anybody in the large room, except for him.

He trembled. “Okay, that was pretty weird,” he whispered to the puppy as he cradled her against his chest. “She was probably just another oddball New Yorker, right? Goddesses don’t talk to guys just because they’re having some kind of internal meltdown. Right?”

The glass door swung open, and he spun around to face it.

Pia and the older woman walked into the room, and both were smiling.

“How did it go?” he asked his mom.

“For a first meeting, it went really well,” she said. She turned to the other woman. “Eileen, thank you for taking the time to meet with me on Christmas Eve.”

“It was entirely my pleasure, Lady Cuelebre,” Eileen said as she held out her hand to shake. “Again, on behalf of the shelter, I can’t thank you enough. I’ll set up a time for the board to meet as soon after the New Year as I can.”

“And in the meantime,” Pia said with a pointed glance at Liam, “there will be no more animals euthanized unless medically you have no other option.”

“Absolutely. We’re still overcrowded, but with your very generous donation, we’ll be able to hire new staff and buy enough supplies to care for all the animals we do have.”

“Very good.” Pia smiled.

The other woman gave Liam a curious glance, but other than that, she didn’t comment on his presence. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to attend to before we close this evening.”

“Please, go do what you need to do,” Pia told her. “I can see myself out.”

“Merry Christmas,” Eileen said, smiling at both of them.