Enchantment (132 page)

“Kerrigan,
there
real
l
y
isn’t
an
y
t
h
ing
y
ou
have
to
explain
to
m
e.
I’m
j
u
st
sorry
I
w
asn’t s
m
art
enough
to
reali
z
e
I
was
being
taken
in
b
y
that
creep
Jager
pretending
to
be
y
o
ur
m
other.
I jeopardized
eve
r
y
o
n
e
’s
life
toda
y
.”

G
od,
did
all
of
this
happen
in
one
day?

She
reached
over
and
pulled
at
a
blade
of
gra
s
s,
needing
so
m
et
h
ing
to
fidget
with.

“None
of
what
happened
tod
a
y
w
as
y
o
u
r
fault.
You
m
ust
believe
me.
Meeka,
about
what
y
o
u said
to
m
e this
m
orning, I…”
He
stopped
brief
l
y
, giving
Meeka
her
opportuni
t
y
to
ju
m
p in.

“Kerrigan,
I’m
sorry
if
what
I
said
bothered
y
o
u
.
I
j
u
st
wanted
y
ou
to
know
h
o
w
I
felt.
I don’t
expect
a
n
y
t
h
i
ng
in
return.
Y
ou’re
a
w
onderful
man…err…dragon.
I
could
never
have found
an
y
o
n
e
on
Earth
like
y
o
u
,
so
I
gue
s
s
I
should
thank
y
o
u
for
what
y
o
u
’ve
shared
with
m
e.” She
m
oved
aw
a
y
,
but
Kerrigan
grabbed
her
hands,
stopping
her
from
getting
up.

“This
is
all
new
to
m
e,
Meeka.
When
I
discovered
y
o
u
were
m
issing,
I
felt…s
o
m
et
h
ing
I never
had
before.
I
was
ang
r
y
and
terrified,
scared
I
would
never
get
to
s
a
y
…
thank
y
o
u
.
I
felt sick,
and
at
the
sa
m
e
t
i
m
e,
I
w
ould
have
destr
o
y
e
d
eve
r
y
t
h
i
ng
to
find
y
o
u.
You
shared
y
o
ur
love with
so
m
ebo
d
y
like
m
e.
So
m
ebo
d
y
who
doesn’t
seem
capable
of
returning
love.”
Kerrigan lowered
his
head.

With
gentle
fingertips,
Meeka
touched
his
lips,
tears
glistening
in
her
e
y
e
s.
“Kerrigan,
it’s oka
y
.
Y
ou
don’t
need to
explain a
n
y
t
hing.
I’m
a
big girl.
I
m
a
y
not
be
two hundred
y
e
a
rs
old,
but I’m
not
innocent.
O
r
at
least,
not
a
n
y
m
o
re
.
”
She
laughed,
tr
y
i
n
g
to
ease
the
tension.
With
a
sigh,
s
he
glanced
behind
her,
the
pain
in
her
heart
spreading
outward.
“Kerrigan,
I’m
real
l
y
tired.”

“Of
course
y
o
u
are.
We
can
talk
so
m
e
m
ore
to
m
orrow.”
He
bent
down
to
help
her
up
and led
her
out
of
paradise. Meeka
followed
silent
l
y
.
So
m
ehow,
she
had
to
find
a
way
out.
So
m
ehow,
s
he
had
to
be
gone
before
to
m
orrow ca
m
e.

Chapter
Thir
t
y
-
Six

The
bedroom
door
was
closed,
and
she
reached
out
to
open
it.
Without
w
arning,
Kerrigan
s
pun
her
around
and
brought
his
head
to
hers.
Slowl
y
,
his
lips
touched
hers,
setting
her
s
oul
on fire,
but
the
grief
she
felt
deep
in
her
heart
m
ade
her
p
u
sh
h
i
m
awa
y
.

Kerrigan
looked
puzzled
at
her
resistance.
He
wiped
a
tear
away
from
her
cheek
with
his thu
m
b.
“
Y
ou
should
get
so
m
e
sleep.”

Meeka
looked
up
into
his
e
y
e
s,
m
emor
i
zing
eve
r
y
inch
of
his
beautiful
face—the
steel
-
blue e
y
es
and
how
th
e
y
changed
w
hen
he
became
the
dragon;
the
dark,
s
oft,
black
hair
flowing
to
his wide
s
houlders;
full
lips
m
a
d
e
for
kissing
and
a
s
m
i
l
e
that
would
melt
an
iceberg.
S
he
stretched up
to
kiss
him
on
the
cheek.
“I’ll
alwa
y
s
love
y
o
u
,
Mr.
Dragon.”
Not
giving
him
a
chance
to respond,
s
he
quick
l
y
opened
the
door
and
closed
it
behind
her.
The
tears
fell
free
l
y
d
o
wn
her face
a
s
she
sank
to
the
floor.

Catz sat
up
on
the
bed to look
at her. “What’s
w
rong,
Meeka
?
”

She
p
u
shed
herself
aw
a
y
from
the
door
and
slu
m
ped
down
on
the
bed
beside
her
dearest co
m
panion. “Nothing
is
w
rong
except
I
love
hi
m
,”
s
he
said,
sniffling.

Catz
rubbed
her
head
up
against
Meeka’s
ar
m
.
“
Well,
I’m
not
sure
it’s
a
bad
thing.
He
w
as cra
z
y
w
hen
y
ou disappeared,
Meeka.
He
w
ould
have
set
this
world
on
fire
looking
for
y
o
u
.”

“He
doesn’t
love
m
e,
Catz.” “H
o
w
do
y
ou
know
?
”

“He
told
m
e
so.”
She
sniffled.
“It’s
for
the
b
e
st,
an
y
w
a
y
.” Catz
looked
puzzled.
“
Why
is
it
for
the
best
?
”

Meeka
stood
up
as
a
wave
of
nausea
hit
her.
Covering
her
m
outh,
she
took
a
couple
s
m
a
l
l breaths.
She
seldom
ever
got
sick.

I
need
to
walk.

She
wandered
around
the
roo
m
. “Catz,
I’ve
decided
to
leave.”

N
ow
Catz
was
alar
m
ed. “What
do
m
ean leave?
We
don’t
know
h
o
w
to
leave.”

“It’s
not
safe
for
an
y
bo
d
y
to
be
a
s
sociated
with
m
e.
Look
at
what
happened
to
Pad
d
y
toda
y
, Catz!
S
he
could
have
been
killed
j
u
st
for
being
near
m
e.
I
can’t
st
a
y
here
and
j
eopardize
these people.
I
love
them
all
w
a
y
too
m
uch
alrea
d
y
,
and
I’ll
j
u
st
be
a
thorn
or
a
m
istake
in
Kerrigan’s e
y
es
,
”
Meeka
cried.
“So
I’m
leaving,
tonight.
I
don’t
expect
y
ou
to
co
m
e
with
m
e,
because
I don’t
tru
l
y
kn
o
w
if I
will
make it. In
fact, either wa
y
,
it’s
not
s
afe for
y
o
u
to
st
a
y
with
m
e.”

“Meeka,
listen
to
y
o
urself.
You
aren’t
making
a
n
y
se
n
se.
How
will
we
leave?
Why
don’t
y
o
u
get
so
m
e sleep
tonight
and
rethink
this
to
m
orrow
?
”
Catz
begged.

She
shook
her
head
stubborn
l
y
.
“
N
o.
M
y
m
ind
is
m
a
d
e
up,
Catz.
I’m
leaving
right
now exact
l
y
the
sa
m
e
w
a
y
we
got
here,
and,
once
again,
I
don’t
actual
l
y
think
y
ou
should
come
with
m
e.
I
refuse
to
take
the
chance
of
hurting
a
n
y
o
ne
else.
I
won’t
do
it.
I
couldn’t
live
with
m
y
s
e
lf. I’ve
got
to
go.”

“You have lost
y
o
u
r
m
ind!
O
f
course I’m going
with
y
o
u
.
I alw
a
y
s
have,
and I
alwa
y
s
will.” Catz
stood
indignant
l
y
.