Enchantment (130 page)

Chapter
Thir
t
y
-
Five

Kerrigan
set
M
eeka
on
her
feet
in
the
war
m
th
and
safety
of
his
den,
his
e
y
e
s
never
leaving her
face.
The
soft,
plainti
v
e
m
eow
from
behind
her
drew
her
atten
t
ion
away
from
the
pain
and
s
orrow
in
Kerrigan’s e
y
es. Meeka
ran
to Catz and
scooped
her
up
in her
ar
m
s.

“I’ve
m
issed
y
o
u
s
o,”
Meeka
cried.

“And
I’ve
m
issed
y
o
u
,
too.
I
have
never
been
so
w
orried,”
Catz
said.

Todd
w
a
s
still
holding
Pad
d
y
as
Meeka
approached
her.
“
Padd
y
,
I’m
so
sorry
I
put
y
o
u through
all
of
this.
Can
y
o
u ever
forgive
m
e
?
”
Tears
still
stre
a
m
ed
down
her
cheeks.

Paddy
p
u
shed
out
of
Todd’s
ar
m
s
and
hugged
Meeka
with
all
her
m
ight.
“You
have
nothing to
be
sor
r
y
for,
my
girl.
You
and
Kerrigan
saved
u
s
all.”
Pad
d
y
released
her
to
hug
her
son,
her
s
houlders
s
haking
with
sobs
as
s
he
clung to
h
i
m
.

Kerrigan
hadn’t
said
m
uch
of
an
y
t
h
ing
to
Meeka
since
they
had
arrived
back
in
the
house. She
glanced
at
h
i
m
and
noticed
he
w
a
s
staring
out
the
window,
his
face
cast
in
shado
w
s.
Feeling
m
ore
and
m
ore
like
an
interloper,
Meeka
hid
her
sigh.
She
would
alwa
y
s
want
hi
m
,
and
m
ore i
m
por
t
ant
l
y
,
s
he
knew
s
he
would
alw
a
y
s
love
hi
m
. It
was
hopeless.

Meeka
knew
she
could
have
been
respo
n
sible
for
Pad
d
y
’s
death.
Would
have
been respo
n
sible
for
so
ma
n
y
deaths.
K
errigan
could
have
been
killed
because
of
her.
They
all
could have.
Putting
those
she
loved
at
risk
wasn’t
so
m
et
h
ing
she
wanted
to
do.

Meeka
quiet
l
y
turned
away
from
the
hap
p
y
fami
l
y
,
m
oving
back
toward
the
hallway
to
the bedroom
to
get
so
m
e
r
e
st
and
to
think about
w
hat
she
w
a
s
going
to
do.

Kerrigan’s
head
snapped
up.

“Where
are
y
ou
going
?
”
he
demanded.

Meeka
hung
her
head
and
twisted
her
han
d
s.
“I
just
thought
I’d
let
y
o
u
g
u
y
s
catch
up.
I don’t
want
to
interrupt,
and
I
could
u
se
a
nap.”
She
hesitated
for
a
brief
second,
looking
up
at ever
y
o
n
e.
“
I
’m
real
l
y
s
or
r
y
I
put
eve
r
y
o
ne
through
this
ordeal.
I
can’t
s
a
y
h
o
w
sorry
I
a
m
.” Meeka
turned
to
head
out
the
door,
but
Kerrigan
grabbed
her
b
y
the
ar
m
.

“Don’t
go.”

Todd circled
his
arm around Pad
d
y
’
s
waist.
“
I’ve got to speak
to
y
o
ur
m
other
in private,”
he said,
winking
at
Kerrigan.
“
Y
ou
two
take
y
o
u
r
t
i
m
e.”

“And
I
real
l
y
need
to
check
in
on
the
Counselors
and
w
hat
they
decided
to
do
with
our escapee,”
Str
y
k
e
r
com
m
e
n
t
ed
as
he,
too,
vanished.

Threeo
w
a
s
with
the
babies.
Catz
was
the
only
one
left.
Meeka
looked
at
her.
“Catz,
y
ou don’t
look
ve
r
y
good.
I
al
m
ost killed
y
o
u, too,”
she
said
s
ullen
l
y
.

Catz
stood
up
and
walked
out
the
door.
“
D
on’t
be
sill
y
,
Meeka,
it’s
just
this
world
which doesn’t
agree
with
m
e.”

W
e
ll,
g
reat!
Talk
about
b
reaking
up
a
party.
Now
I’m
alone
with
Mr.
Tall,
Dark,
and
H
andsome.

He
was
still
dre
s
sed
in
his
black
leather
attire,
and
it
didn’t
m
a
t
ter
h
o
w
tired
she
w
a
s,
she wanted
to
w
rap
herself
around
him
from
head
to
toe.
S
he
wanted
to
drink
from
his
lips
until
s
he w
a
s
giddy
with
pleasure.
She
wanted
to
feel
h
i
m
buried
deep
inside
her,
and
she…never
wanted to
leave.