Page 8 of The Mating Frenzy
“I do not know if I can trust you to care for helplesskittens.”
Her temper began to rise. “And I don’t know if I can trust a naked nutcase! I’ve been feeding the mother, okay? I’ve done this before.” She rattled the bag of kibble, sorrow biting her. Why would someone kill a poor, innocent mothercat?
Kieran seemed to struggle with a decision. His nostrils flared. “Very well. I cannot see any guile in you so I must trust you. I have not the facilities in this world to care for them and if they are not cared for, they willdie.”
That’s faculties, chum. As in the ability of your mind to reason. Yours is missing a few nuts andbolts.
Kieran handed her theblanket.
“Thank you,” she said, cradling the kittens. “Come on, Darcy. Let’s go home,girl.”
Darcy blinked, her green gazesteady.
“She is not a girl.” Kieran sniffed. “Although there may be some Changeling blood, along with shifter. I senseit.”
He gave Darcy a stern look. “Behave now. No more scaring your mistress. Stay by her side. Do youunderstand?”
Darcy simply stared. It was as if theycommunicated.
Right. She was tired. Her imagination was working overtime. How many times had her mother cautioned her against indulging in a little fantasyworld?
The world was filled with struggles, and the best one could do was to survive from day to day. Imagination and things like magic were reserved for thefoolhardy.
Like a man who wandered around without clothing, talking to cats as if they were hisfriends.
Ella glanced at her watch. Damnit, now she’d have to pedal fast to reach home and get to work on time. She gave Darcy a censuringlook
“You’re going to stay in the basket with the kittens and behave, or next time I’ll leave you home. You’ll be stuck with Mom, watching re-runs of the Home Shopping Network and running away from thevacuum.”
Darcy gave a protestingmeow.
As she hurried toward the road, Kieran fell into step with her. “Where are you going, fairmaiden?”
“My name is Ella. Notmaiden.”
He gave a knowing smile. “But you are a maiden. I can smell the innocence on you. You arevirgin.”
Ella turned and gave him The Look she reserved for groping male customers who thought ordering steak meant they could order her as well. “My love life is no one’s business but mine. Get it? I work and I don’t have time to eat, let alonedate.”
She waited for him to say something cruel about her weight, as a few men had. Ella had tried to slim down the curves that only seemed to become more pronounced after she’d turned 21. Even these days, when she barely had time to grab an apple for dinner, she still looked plump. No amount of exercise nor dietingworked.
His caressing gaze swept over her body. “A pity. A lovely woman like you should have plenty of suitors eager to get to know you.” Then his brow wrinkled. “Although the notion displeases me greatly. Why is that? I feel a sudden surge of very primitive malejealousy.”
Kieran sniffed again, drawing closer. Ella scowled. “Get away fromme!”
He drew back, swept her a formal bow. “My apologies. You smell quite delicious, like snow on a sharp winter’s day. You are very ripe. Tis hard for a male like me toresist.”
What the hell? Heat suffused her cheeks. Ripe? “I’m not fruit, chum. So resist or I’ll show you the business end of my hikingboots.”
She hurried back to the road. At her bicycle, she took great care in placing the kittens into the wicker basket, alongside Darcy. The cat meowed and stared atKieran.
“Behave,” he told the catsternly.
As if cats ever did. Fortunately, Darcy liked riding in the basket and she was the nurturing sort. Her cat curled around the kittens, who snuggled against her forwarmth.
Ella mounted the bike. Then she hesitated. Maybe the guy was a lunatic, but he had been wandering around, looking lost. And there was something about the gentle way he’d handled the kittens that indicated a good heart. “Do you have any place to go? Do you know someonethere?”
She pointed to thecondos.
