Enchantment (56 page)

Kerrigan
pulled
her
into
his
ar
m
s,
running
his
hand
down
her
long
sil
k
y
hair.
Her
heart fluttered
with
the
feel of his
touch.
S
he
could cuddle in his
ar
m
s
forever and never
feel threatened
b
y
a
n
y
t
h
i
ng
ever
again.

“God,
Meeka,
I’m
so
sorr
y
.
I
s
wear
to
y
o
u,
I’ll
kill
an
y
o
n
e
who
la
y
s
a
har
m
f
u
l
hand
on
y
o
u
.
”

Catz
ju
m
ped
to Meeka’s
side, her
e
y
e
s
filled
with tears.
“I’m sorr
y
,
too, Meeka.
I
also failed to
protect
y
o
u
.
Whatever
we
are
dealing
with
here
is
the
purest
of
evil,
and
it
wants
y
o
u. Kerrigan
and
I
will
never
let
an
y
t
h
ing happen
to
y
o
u
.
Our
guards
will
never
be
down
again.”

I
m
me
d
iat
el
y
,
she
cried
out
on
the
inside
as
he
lowered
her
bo
d
y
to
the
bed.
Loneliness engulfed
her.
She
reached
for
his
ar
m
.
“
N
o.
Please.
Can
y
ou
j
u
st
st
a
y
with
m
e
?
”

* * * *

H
ow
could
he
ever
refuse
her
an
y
t
h
ing?
His
heart
ached,
and
his
m
ind
tried
to
reason.
“Of course.
Rest.
Catz
and
I
are
here,”
he
said.

“Will
y
ou
hold
m
e
?
”

H
ow
he wanted
to
hold
her,
to
love
her, to
keep
her
safe.
Careful
l
y
,
Kerrigan
lifted
his
body over
hers
to
lie
at
her
side.
His
ar
m
s
gathered
her
against
h
i
m
.
She
fit
perfect
l
y
,
m
ol
d
ed
to
h
i
m
. Every
inch
of
his body
was on
fire
for her.
He forced
hi
m
self
to
constrain his breathing.
K
errigan could
hear
her
tired
but
contented
sigh.
Soon,
her
breathing
was
relaxed,
and
he
knew
s
he
was
s
ound
asleep
in his
ar
m
s.

He
couldn’t
re
m
emb
e
r
a
t
i
m
e
when
he
had
felt
so
tor
m
en
t
ed.
H
ow
could
so
m
e
thing
that
felt
s
o
right
be
so
wron
g
?
In
a
brief
m
ome
n
t
of
self-pi
t
y
,
he
cursed
the
fates,
wondering
w
hat
he could
have
done
to
deserve
such
cruel
t
y
.

O
k
a
y
,
so
he
had
issu
e
s
when
it
ca
m
e
to
his
real
parents.
The
only
people
he
needed
in
his life were
his surrogate
parents, and he
didn’t have room
for an
y
o
n
e else. His job
w
a
s his life, and he
liked
solitude.
Caring
for
people
on
l
y
brought
hurt
with
it.
He
wasn’t
about
to
go
there.
Teach him
love,
his
parents
had
instructed
in
the
letter.
What
a
j
oke!
If
love
m
e
ant
abandon
m
ent,
he wanted
nothing
to
do
with
it.
He
didn’t
need
it.

So
why
do
I
care
what
happened
to
Meeka? D
a
mn
everything
to
hell! I
do
care.

He
wanted
revenge,
and
he
was
going
to
have
it.
Screw
ever
y
t
h
ing
else.
Kerrigan
pulled
her closer.
She
m
a
y
be
powerful,
but
s
he
needed
h
i
m
.
Her
hair
w
as
spla
y
ed
over
his
arm
and
the s
m
ell of
lilacs filled
his
head.

She
w
ould
be
under
his
guard,
his
protection,
there
would
be
no
m
ore
foolishness,
no
m
ore trusting
others with
his
keep.
Starting to
m
orrow,
he
would
begin
digging,
begin
seeking
answe
r
s. To
m
orrow,
Meeka
w
ould
begin
training
to
keep
her
occupied
w
hile
he
went
hunting.

* * * *

Kerrigan
awoke
a
few
hou
r
s
later,
surprised
he’d
fallen
asleep.
H
e
felt
a
prickle
of a
m
a
z
eme
n
t tinged
with uncertai
nt
y that re
m
in
d
ed
him he
wasn’t
alone.
He’d never had a
w
o
m
an in
his
ho
m
e, never
m
ind in
his
bed.
Ho
m
e w
a
s
his
sanctua
r
y
, off
l
i
m
its to
ever
y
o
n
e.

Th
e
re
goes
another
rul
e
.

He
didn’t
want
to
wake
her
as
he
careful
l
y
tried
to
untangle
her
li
m
bs
from
his.