Hunter's Season (Elder Races #4.7)(2)

Her earlier tiredness was rapidly turning to exhaustion. She could have stayed in the city overnight and faced the long neglected cottage in the morning, but she had been too anxious to return to wait. After making the bed, she checked the bubbling pot that hung over the fire. Her mind was filled with visions of how pleasurable it would be to eat a hot bowl of stew and fall into the bed, when a gigantic shadow darkened her doorway.

The kitten shot past her feet, looking panicked, all its fur standing straight up. Xanthe raised her eyebrows as she turned to watch it race into the bedroom. It disappeared under the bed.

Then she turned to the doorway where a massive dark man stood, dressed in severe black. It was the Dark Fae Queen’s chief of security, Lord Tiago Black Eagle, thunderbird Wyr and forever alien in the heartland of the Dark Fae.

Surprised, she bowed to her employer. “Welcome, my lord. Please do come in.”

His features were as severe as his clothing. He looked foreign to eyes that were used to the slim build, large gray eyes and pale skin of the Dark Fae, but Xanthe had since gotten used to his harsh face and imposing demeanor.

Obsidian eyes narrowed as he stared in the direction of the kitten also. “Tenanye,” he said, greeting her in that abrupt way of his that no longer seemed quite so odd after her sojourn in America. “I believe I told you to stop calling me that. Tiago will do just fine. What the hell is that doing here?”

She raised her eyebrows again as he gestured to the bedroom. “The kitten?” she asked. “I found it wandering the grounds on the other side of the crossover passageway in Chicago, so I brought it with me.”

The crossover passageway from Adriyel to Chicago was located on an eighty-acre tract of land just northwest of the Chicago’s downtown Loop area. The grounds held a large Georgian style mansion and were bordered by a tall stone wall that was topped with rolls of barbed wire, but the front gates were made of wrought iron and since Adriyel had opened its borders, more often than not, now those gates stood open.

None of the Dark Fae staff at the mansion would adopt a companion animal, but along with giving open access to other creatures, there was more than enough opportunity for urban wildlife to take advantage of the open gates and slip into the large, wooded area.

Tiago gave her a strange look then brushed past her to stride into the bedroom. “Come out from under there,” he said firmly.

Xanthe stared at him, her tired mind blank with astonishment.

The kitten slunk out from underneath the bed. It seemed even tinier and more delicate as it hunched at the Wyr lord’s feet.

A wave of heat prickled Xanthe’s skin as horrified comprehension began to dawn.

Tiago looked down at the small creature, hands on his hips. It stared up at him, still looking panicked, eyes completely round and fur bristling.

He ordered, “Change.”

The kitten shapeshifted and became a dirty, unkempt girl who stared, seemingly mesmerized at the immense male in front of her. Tiago angled his jaw out and tilted his head at Xanthe.

Xanthe rubbed her forehead, her shoulders slumped. “Oh, gods,” she said. “I kidnapped a little Wyr girl.”

“She never once changed in front of you?” Tiago asked.

“No, sir. I had no idea. You know my magic sense is minimal.” Xanthe had telepathy and the ability to traverse crossover passageways. She could also sense some Power in strong items and individuals, but without a Wyr’s sense of smell, she hadn’t any way to tell that the kitten was anything but what it seemed. She lifted her shoulders. “I thought I was rescuing a feral cat.”

“Well,” Tiago said after a moment. “I’ll take her back to the palace with me. Niniane will know how to take care of this.” He shot a look at Xanthe. “As for you, I will be in touch. I want to hear details about what happened.”

“Understood, my l—sir,” Xanthe said.

The little girl tore her gaze away from the towering figure in front of her to look at Xanthe. She whispered, “I want to stay here.”

Immediately and in unison, Xanthe and Tiago said, “That can’t happen.”

“You named me Mouse,” the girl said, her gaze pleading with Xanthe. “I was going to live in the cottage with you and be your mouser. You said so.”

The plea tugged at Xanthe’s heart. She thought of the kitten, curled on her lap and purring as she talked idly to it. She honestly could not remember all the things she had said. She walked over to squat in front of the child.

“That was when I thought you were just a cat,” Xanthe told her softly. “While I would love for you to stay, I have no way to take care of a Wyr child.” She had no way to take care of any child. Her life was too dangerous.

“But I like it here,” the girl said plaintively. “I wouldn’t be any trouble. I can be a cat all the time.”

“I’m sorry, no,” Xanthe said as gently as she could. She touched the girl’s matted hair. “This place would not be good for you, darling. You deserve a much better place, where you can be both a cat and a little girl and go to school.”

Tiago didn’t wait for any more protestations. He scooped the girl up and turned toward the doorway. He said over one broad shoulder, “Relax and take some time for yourself. You’ve earned it. I’ll send for you in the next day or two. Be ready.”

“Yes, sir,” Xanthe said.