Enchantment (55 page)

Catz
roared
and
j
u
m
ped
with
claws
extended
tr
y
i
n
g
to
grab
what
was
left
in
the
vapor. Kerrigan
cru
m
pled
to
the
ground
and
gathered
Meeka’s
flushed,
hot
bo
d
y
into
his
ar
m
s,
w
hispering
wor
d
s
of
co
m
fo
r
t
in her
ear.

Lifting
his
head,
he
roared
out
his
co
m
mand. “Garg
o
y
l
e Legions
attend
m
e
now
!”

Gentl
y
,
he
stood
with
her
in
his
ar
m
s,
and
w
alked
back
toward
the
beach
with
her.
Todd, Paddy
and
Threeo
ran
to
m
e
e
t
the
m
.
Pad
d
y
s
hrieked,
s
eeing
M
eeka’s
still
form
in
Kerrigan’s ar
m
s.

In
the
distant
s
k
y
,
the
garg
o
y
l
es’
large
wings
filled
the
air
with
a
r
h
y
t
hmic
beating
sound
as they
descended
from
the
sk
y
.
Their
m
assive
for
m
s
and
nu
m
bers
darkened
the
sky
like
storm clouds
in
response
to
his
co
m
mand.

Str
y
k
e
r
was
in
the
lead,
and
the
first
to
land.
K
errigan’s
e
y
es
were
as
black
as
the
sk
y
.
He looked
at
his
captain
with
a
stone-cold
expression
and
said
two
words.
“Sweep.
N
o
w.”

Str
y
k
e
r
and
the
other
gargo
y
l
e
s
fanned
out
through
the
heavens.
There
wasn’t
an
inch
of
air or
water
th
e
y
wouldn’t
search
on
Enchantment.

Cradling
Meeka’s
li
m
p
bo
d
y
,
he
stepped
into
the
water,
going
out
deeper
and
deeper
until
s
he
was
ful
l
y
sub
m
erged
with
the
exception
of
her
head.
With
water
in
the
palm
of
his
hand,
he touched
her
cheeks
and
forehead,
continuing
to
sooth
her.
He
assu
m
ed
s
he’d
been
close
to internal
co
m
bus
t
ion,
unaware
of
h
o
w
to
deal
with
the
power
building
inside
her.
Her
heart
rate w
a
s
slowing
to
a
nor
m
al pace,
but
he
needed
to
get
her
ho
m
e safel
y
.

“Catz,
can
y
ou follow
u
s
back
to
my
ho
m
e
?
”
Kerrigan
asked.

“I
can
teleport as
long
as
I
can see
the
place in
y
o
ur
m
ind,”
s
he
an
s
wered.

Kerrigan
looked
back
to
Threeo,
Todd
and
Padd
y
.
“
M
o
m
,
Dad,
St
r
y
k
er
will
ensure
y
o
u
get back
ho
m
e
safel
y
.
Do
not
leave
y
o
u
r
lodge
unless
y
o
u
are
c
o
m
ing
to
m
e
through
the
tunnel. Threeo,
y
o
u co
m
e
with
m
e.
I’ll
take
Meeka
ho
m
e with
m
e
w
here
I
have
m
o
r
e
securi
t
y
.
”

Catz nuzzled
Meeka’s face
with her lioness
m
u
z
zle.
“We are here,
M
eeka.
Co
m
e
back to us.
Y
ou
did a
good
j
o
b,
and
y
o
u’re
safe.”

Mental
l
y
Kerrigan
spoke
to Str
y
k
e
r.
“
S
t
r
y
k
er,
m
ake certain
my
parents get
ho
m
e
safel
y
.
Our ho
m
es
will
require
guar
d
s,
and
ensure
the
Counselors’
Rea
l
m
is
thoroughly
protected.”

“It
will
be
done,
sir.
I’ll
check
in
with
y
ou
later,
after
we
find
her
a
s
sailant.
Gods
help
the bastard
if I
get
my
han
d
s
on
h
i
m
.”

“He’s
m
ine. If
y
o
u find
hi
m
, notify
m
e i
m
me
d
ia
t
e
l
y
.”
With
a
final
thought,
he
placed
Threeo on
Catz’s
large
back.
“Let’s
go.”

He
bit
back the
silent
vow of
revenge.
N
o
one dared
to touch
what
belonged
to hi
m
, and
like it
or
not,
Meeka
was
his.

Chapter
Eighteen

Her
e
y
e
l
ids
w
ere too
hea
v
y
.
Every
inch of
her
burned,
and
her tongue
felt swollen
and thick. Thirst
ripped
into
her.

W
h
a
t
I
wouldn't
do
for
a
drink
of
water.
Cool,
clear
water.

She
forced
herself
awake
and
att
e
m
p
ted
to
sit
up.
Blinking
to
clear
the
haze
from
her
e
y
es,
s
he
glanced
around.
Panic
flared,
tighte
n
ing
the
flesh
along
her
jaw,
along
her
throat.

W
h
ere am I?

Relief
swa
m
ped
her
at
the
sight
of
Kerrigan’s
large
frame
unco
m
forta
bl
y
stretched
out
on
a
s
ofa.
Catz
w
as
on
the
bed
beside
her.

A
fire
crackled,
and
Meeka
noticed
Threeo
perched
on
the
m
a
n
tle
with
his
head
buried under
one
leg.

Catz
m
ust
have
felt
her
m
ove.
“
M
eeka,
y
o
u’
r
e
awake.
We
were
so
worried
for
y
o
u
.”

Kerrigan’s
e
y
es
opened.
He
s
m
iled
and
i
m
me
d
ia
t
e
l
y
m
o
v
ed
to
the
side
of
the
bed,
grabbing her
hand.

Her
m
outh
was
so
dr
y
.
S
he
could
on
l
y
m
anage a
squeak.
“
Water.”

A
glass
of
water
appeared
in
Kerrigan’s
hand.
He
helped
her
take
a
drink.
In
three
large gulps,
the
glass
was
gone.
“
M
ore.
Please.”

“Oka
y
,
but
j
u
st
sip,
or
y
o
u
’ll
get
sick.”
He
held
her
against
his
chest
as
she
sipped
the
cold liquid.

Meeka
took
his
advice
and
only
consu
m
ed
half
the
glass
before
handing
it
back
to
h
i
m
.
She looked
around
the
opulent
room
and
the
giant
king
sized
bed
w
here
she
la
y
.
Hot
and
tired,
s
he gazed
up
at
the
ceiling.
Water,
fish,
and
greenery
swirled
acro
s
s
the
ceiling.

That
is
the
ceiling, isn’t
it?

Meeka
turned
her
head
toward
Kerrigan. Kerrigan
s
m
i
l
ed
back
at
her.
“Y
o
u
like
it
?
” “Are
y
o
u sure
it’s
safe
?
”

“Perfect
l
y
.”
Kerrigan softly gazed into her e
y
e
s
.
“I
can
m
a
k
e it disappear, if
y
o
u’d
feel
m
ore co
m
forta
b
le
with
a
nor
m
a
l
ceiling.”

“Oh,
no.
Please
don’t.
Leave
it.
I
real
l
y
do
like
it.
Where
are
we
?
”
Meeka
felt
a
prickle
of guilt
at
the
thought
of
taking
his
bed.
H
i
s
m
ascu
l
ine,
m
us
k
y
scent
was
all
over
it,
invading
her every
pore.

“Meeka,
I’m
s
or
r
y
.
I
should
have
never
left
y
ou
alone.
And
to
answer
y
o
u
r
question,
y
o
u’re in
my
home.
I
can do
a
better
job
keeping
y
ou
safe
here.”

Meeka
blinked.
His
e
m
barras
s
m
e
n
t
m
ade
her
feel
awkward.
She
turned
her
head
from
side to
side,
avoiding
his
stare.

Change
the
s
ubject.

She
looked
back
up
at
the
ceiling. “Are
there
funny
fish
up
there
?
”

Kerrigan
grinned.
“Sorr
y
,
no
funny
fish.
Precious,
I
know
y
o
u’
r
e
not
feeling
w
ell,
but
do
y
o
u think
y
ou can
tell
us
what
happened
?
”

Meeka
p
u
shed back into the pillows, t
r
y
i
ng
to remember
the events
as they had
happened.
A cold
chill
ran
through
her
bo
d
y
as
she
reflected
on
the
thing
that
had
tried
to
take
her.
S
he
s
hivered, and felt
the rolling waves of
fury
co
m
ing
from
Kerrigan.
S
hivering, she
rested her
hand on
his
arm
and
s
poke
gent
l
y
.
“
Y
ou
can’t
be
ever
y
w
h
ere
all
at
once,
Kerrigan.
I’ll
be
oka
y
.
This w
a
sn’t
y
o
ur
fault.”

Meeka
could
feel
his
body
tighten
at
her
touch,
and
he
held
his
breath.
Her
fingertips
traced a
path
up
and
down
the
length
of
his
forear
m
.
“When
y
ou
left
m
e
at
the
lake,
I
saw
a
funny
fish. It
w
a
s
close
to
the
s
hore,
right
at
the
edge
of
the
water.
I
couldn’t
resist.
I
followed
it,
and
I w
a
sn’t
pa
y
i
n
g
atten
t
ion.
Before
I
knew
it,
I
was
s
urrounded
by
tall
trees
and
couldn’t
see
y
o
u gu
y
s.
I
didn’t
know
w
here
I
was.”
She
paused,
inhaling
a
ca
l
m
ing
breath.
“I
felt
so
m
ething
bad. The
hairs
on
my
neck
stood
up,
Kerrigan.
It
was
like
this
voice
was
telling
m
e
I
w
a
s
in
danger.
I turned
to
run,
and
the
m
ist
grabbed
m
e.”