“That dress is for my daughter,” Nuala said.
“Was,” the blonde corrected her. “Now it’s for mine.”
Nuala bristled. The woman as much as admitted she was in the wrong. Now her back was turned as she went through another rack. Irritated, Nuala waved her hand and the dress flew into her own cart.
The woman whipped around. “Hey, you can’t take that!”
“I just did.”
“I want the manager!”
Deciding the other woman wasn’t going to ruin her mood, Nuala decided to use influence to foil the complaint. You don’t want this dress. You took it by mistake.
A saleswoman came running. “Is there a problem?”
The blonde shook her head. “I don’t want that dress anymore. I was mistaken.”
A smiling Nuala was already pushing her cart to the cash register.
In addition to the treasured dress, she arrived home with diapering and feeding supplies, including something called a burp cloth. There was so much more Maeve would need, but she didn’t even know what to get first. She could use magic to whip up everything, but that was what Pop had always done. He’d given her and Nik a life that hadn’t been real. Maeve deserved the kind of life Luc’s mom had given him. And Shade’s mom, as well. She might have used her ability to get that dress back, but she really wanted to live without resorting to Kindred magic.
Now she stood in front of the refrigerator, trying to decide on something for dinner. Nothing seemed appealing. When she heard a series of barks, she gave up, went to the back door and opened it. Boomer stood there, giving her soulful eyes. He’d come down the back stairs from Skye’s apartment.
She backed away to let the dog in. “C’mon, you want to spend a little time with me?” Boomer whined and let himself inside to sniff a spot next to the kitchen table. That’s where Shade had kept the dog’s food and water. “You want some water?” Thinking she should pick up some dog food if she ever got to a grocery store, she fetched a bowl from a cabinet, filled it with water and set it on the floor. The dog lapped it for a few seconds before trotting down the hallway and through the dining room to the living room.
Nuala followed, her mind once more drifting to Ethan’s kiss. Maeve had kicked up a storm after he’d left, making her wonder if she was going to give birth right then. But it seemed the baby had been responding to the unusual stimulus created by her mother’s raging emotions. Which had brought up Nuala’s worry about being a good mother and doing the right thing for her child. How was she going to know what to do without a role model? Her chest tightened and she told herself to relax like the cab driver had told her to do.
The dog had made himself at home, curled up next to Shade’s favorite chair. Nuala sat and reached down to pet him and yawned. She started when Boomer popped up and crawled onto her lap. He laid his head on her baby bump and stared at her with that sad expression he’d had since Shade had left.
“Poor boy.” She stroked his head. “I know you miss him. Me, too.” Though with each passing day, Shade seemed further and further away as her memories began to fade.
Hanging on to the dog, she let exhaustion win and drifted off…
Waking when the annoying doorbell buzzed.
She’d slept for a while, but if she’d dreamed about Ethan, at least she couldn’t remember it.
Boomer scrambled off her and was already at the door when she went to open it. When he saw Skye standing there with Luc and Ethan in the flesh behind her, he gave a sharp bark.
Skye looked deep into the dog’s eyes. “Did you have a nice visit?” Waited a second as if listening to his silent answer and then said, “Good.”
Nuala was already on edge, what with Ethan staring at her, his expression inscrutable. Could he somehow know about the dreams she’d had of him, too vivid, too seductive to ignore? Her pulse threaded unevenly and her mouth went dry. She forced herself to breathe as they took seats in her living room, Luc and Skye on the sofa, Ethan in a leather chair. She returned to Shade’s chair, too close to Ethan for her peace of mind. At least she had Boomer at her feet between them to act as a furry buffer.
Nuala focused on Luc, who was searching his pockets. “Lose something?”
“My surveillance headset. I must have left it at home.”
The one that clipped onto his shirt or jacket, small enough to easily be misplaced. It wasn’t important in the scheme of things, so she asked, “Do you have any idea of what’s going on with our brother?”
Luc gave up the search and gave her a besotted smile. “I didn’t even know there was a problem until Ethan called this meeting. Then, again, you know Nik doesn’t confide in me.”
“I thought things were better between the two of you,” Nuala said.
“They were. Didn’t last long. Nik is still Nik.”
True. Nik had always been the difficult sibling. He always seemed angry for no real reason. “And now, after warning me about something dangerous going on, he’s pulled a disappearing act.” Just like him when something was wrong! “I’ve called and texted and he’s not responding.”
“Maybe he just wants to keep you out of whatever,” Skye offered. “He probably thinks keeping you in the dark will keep you safe.”
Nik was her brother. Nuala couldn’t go on without knowing if he’d had another precognitive warning. And about what. “I would feel better if he would tell me the truth!”
“The only thing I know of that might be worrying Nik lately is Max Haider,” Luc said. “I saw them arguing about something yesterday.”
“Who’s Max Haider?” Ethan asked.
“A lion shifter. He’s powerful and old, has lived several lifetimes,” Luc explained. “He came late to the party, only joining The Company last spring. He’s been trying to get Pop to give him rank in the company above Nik.”
“What’s higher than general manager of The Ark?”
“Pop is.” Nuala thought back to the day before. “Nik wasn’t the only one he was arguing with yesterday. Haider was arguing with Mother, as well. I didn’t hear what about, but she told him to take up his complaints with Pop.”
Luc laughed. “Maybe he thought he could get Beatrix on his side.”
“Bloody unlikely that she’ll want anyone but family to have any power.” Mother counted on the Lazares having the last word about everything to do with The Company. “She doesn’t like sharing anything she thinks of as hers.” Not even with her children.
Ethan wasn’t looking too happy when he said, “The question would be, what did a Kindred have to do, if anything, with Booker’s murder?” He turned to Nuala, his penetrating gaze sending an unexpected thrill through her as he asked, “Why would this Max Haider be a danger to you?”
Squeezing the chair arms, Nuala did her best to shut down her unwanted response to the man. “Nik would have the answer to that if he would only tell me what’s going on.”
“It doesn’t sound likely,” Luc said, “but I’ll see if I can scare him up. Maybe Pop knows where he is. And in the meantime, I’ll have my security team look into Haider’s recent activities.”
“Good. I’ll be doing a face-to-face with Alderman Alec Peterson tomorrow.” Ethan then brought everyone up to speed about his human person of interest.
Listening chilled Nuala. The idea of one alderman killing another over a political disagreement left her wondering if being human was any better than being Kindred.
*
This is all going to work out. It has to for Maeve’s sake.
Startled, Ethan suddenly realized he was eavesdropping on Nuala’s private thoughts right there in the midst of their meeting. But how the hell was he doing it?
You’re kicking again. She put a protective hand to her stomach. I’m sorry if you’re upset, Maeve. Maybe I need to do something for you, but what? How would I even know?
Ethan couldn’t help feeling concerned for Nuala, but he didn’t know anything about babies, either.
“At least we have some direction,”
Luc was saying as he got to his feet, taking Skye’s hand and pulling her up and into him for a hug. “I’ll talk to Pop about Nik and Haider as soon as I get back to The Ark.”
Nuala struggled her bulk up out of her chair. Luc moved to help her before Ethan could do so. Just as well.
“Are you okay?” Luc asked her.
“Just tired. Baby shopping today.”
“So you bought everything you need?”
She gave her brother an astonished look. “I don’t even know what I need. I bought tools to feed Maeve and diaper her, but added to the few clothes I bought the last few weeks, that’s it.”
“We should have had a shower for you,” Skye said, sounding perturbed.
“Shower? I take a shower every day.”
Skye covered her mouth as she made a weird coughing sound, then explained. “I mean a party where your friends and relatives come and bring you things you need for the baby so you don’t have to do it all yourself.”
“And who would have come to this shower? Mother?” Nuala laughed. She moved toward the hallway, Boomer following, saying, “Don’t go until I get back. I’ll just be a minute.”
“I should have thought about having a shower for her before this,” Skye said.
“No one has been thinking straight because of losing Shade.” Ethan knew what feeling isolated was like. Then again, Nuala had the people in this room. “We weren’t thinking beyond that.”
Skye sighed. “But she’s really not ready to have this baby.”
“What about her mother?” Ethan knew Beatrix might be one intimidating bitch, but Nuala was her daughter.
“Well, you can’t count on Beatrix for anything,” Luc said. “Let me talk to Mom. Maybe she can help.”
That settled, Ethan nodded to Skye, who was pressed against Luc again. “Can I speak to you for a moment? Alone?”
“Sure. Let’s go outside.” Freeing herself with a sigh, she crossed to the front door.
Luc asked, “Something you can’t say in front of me?”
“Something I don’t want to talk about in front of your sister.”
Luc gave him a wary look. “Fair enough. I’ll stay put and when she comes back, distract her if need be, but keep it short. I need to get back to The Ark and the security team is about to check in.”
Skye had already left the apartment, and Ethan quickly joined her on the front porch. The sun had set long ago and the streetlights illuminated the area with a faint blue glow.
“So what’s up?” Skye asked, her voice low and concerned.
“I’ve been hearing Nuala’s thoughts.”
“Well, yes, that’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t want her to be able to influence me. I was only hearing her attempt to do that until last night.”
“What happened last night?” she asked.
“I was checking in on her after she returned from The Ark. She was really upset.” Ethan cleared his throat. “I put my arms around her. I was just trying to comfort her.”
Skye’s eyebrows shot up. “You kissed her?”
“I know I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry… why?”
“Shade.”
She put a hand on his arm. “Stop. Shade’s gone and he’s not coming back. Before he left for the next world, he told Nuala to find a man who would make her happy. Why not you?”
Ethan glanced in the window as Nuala rejoined Luc in the living room. His pulse kicked up. Even ready to have a baby, she was very hard to resist. He sighed. “She’s Kindred.”
“Love is blind to our differences.”
He snapped back to Skye. “Who said anything about love? I’m not a candidate.” No woman could really love him if she knew how callous he’d been the night his kid brother had been killed. He’d experienced that firsthand. Since then he’d dated women who were happy with a friends-with-benefits relationship.
“But you kissed her,” Skye said.
Ethan immediately peered into the porch window to make sure Nuala wasn’t there. All clear. He turned to Skye. “I felt sorry for her. She was trying to keep from bursting into tears by chewing on her lower lip until it bled.”
Skye gasped. “You tasted her blood. Of course! That’s why you can hear what she’s thinking, especially when she’s so emotional.”
“You knew about this?”
“Yep. I was able to hear Luc’s thoughts from the first. Well, not only his, but other Kindred, as well. I searched through The Book of Powers and found that being descended from the Powers gives me that ability… and that it gives Kindred the same. Having any Kindred blood in you changes you. You can hear Kindred and they can hear you. Even if you just taste a little Kindred blood, you’re connected.” She grinned at him. “Or Powers blood. I like having a little edge over my man once in a while.”
“Yeah, okay.” Fearing she was going to give him details, he said, “Do me a favor and see if there’s a way to reverse it. I don’t need to start hearing everyone’s thoughts.”
“Who’s everyone?”
“So far, only Isabeau DeClercq, my new partner. I heard her thoughts several times today.”
“A Kindred detective?”
“I didn’t say she was Kindred.”
“Well, if you can hear her thoughts, she’s something else, too, since Kindred can’t hear the thoughts of humans.”
Just then, the door opened and Luc stepped out. “Hey, sorry, but I have to get going.”
Skye patted Ethan’s arm and winked at him. She accompanied Luc down the stairs, arms wrapped around each other’s backs. “I’ll walk you to your car and then come back to see if Nuala wants Boomer’s company for the night.”
Ethan stood there, more than a little taken aback by the things Skye had just told him. Was he cursed with this blood thing forever?
Peering through the window again, he saw Nuala pacing. Some deep emotion he couldn’t identify swept through her. Even at this distance, he could feel it. Her expression serious, she rubbed her stomach with both hands. He couldn’t turn away from her. Instead he concentrated on making a connection.
I’m never going to sleep tonight if I don’t get some answers from someone. Or something. Wait… the zoo. One of their leopards had two cubs several months ago, and the cubs were just introduced to the public. That’s it!
Zoo? Leopards? Cubs?
Even as Ethan started to put it together, Nuala blinked out.
Chapter Fourteen
Having sifted to Lakeside Zoo, Nuala leaned over the railing to catch a better look at the outdoor leopard enclosure below. It was of decent size with a rocky incline and ledges at diverse levels, and it was landscaped with bushes and what looked like fallen tree trunks crisscrossing parts of the space for animal enrichment. Plus, it had a pool. She knew that leopards loved water and were powerful swimmers.
According to the sign attached to the metal railing, the mother’s name was Almora, and there was a city-wide contest for school children to name the two cubs.
Almora was relaxing on her side, though she kept a vigilant eye on her two youngsters who were exploring their new territory. One cub hid behind a bush, then pounced on the sibling walking by. Nuala smiled. The little ones looked so sweet, even when they were tussling. The cub that had been attacked squirmed out of reach of its sibling and raced away so fast it couldn’t stop when it got to the edge of the pool. It flew right into the water with a big splash.
Nuala’s pulse picked up and she gripped the iron railing. Now the cub was flailing in the water, making little leopard shrieks. Almora made a raspy barking sound and flew to the edge of the pool, where she tried grabbing the cub by its neck. Unable to quite reach far enough, in she went, snatching her little one from the water. With the cub’s scruff firmly in her mouth, she climbed back out to dry land where she set it down gently, shook herself, water flying everywhere, then began licking the cub as if her tongue could dry its fur. The terrified cub relaxed. It wasn’t long before the sec
ond cub joined them for its share of motherly licks, after which it rubbed faces with its wet sibling. Then the mother hustled her little ones up onto an open rock where she stretched out. The cubs anxiously pushed and shoved each other until she was settled, then moved in on her for some mother’s milk.
Nuala sighed and her eyes grew misty. At last someone knew how to be a good mother. Almora gave her cubs space to be themselves, intervened at the first sign of danger, comforted them when they were scared and gave them everything of herself. Nuala knew there was more she could learn from the leopard mother, but not if she was in human form. Leopards might be solitary big cats, but Nuala was no ordinary panther. She could use her influence to broadcast calm over a nervous, protective mother, and convince Almora that her panther was a friend. Then she could be up close and personal with the leopard and her little ones for as long as she liked.
At least until humans started showing up for work at daybreak.
*
Ethan cursed to himself the entire fifteen-minute drive to the zoo. Why didn’t he just let Nuala do her thing, whatever it was? She wouldn’t appreciate him interfering. But what if she did something that wasn’t safe and got hurt? Or went into labor? She was racing down that road and Maeve could demand to be born at any time. Shade would never forgive Ethan if he let anything happen to Nuala or their child before he could get her to a hospital. He would never forgive himself. In a matter of days, he’d formed some kind of bond with her that he couldn’t deny. His gut churned with worry, not that it would get him to his destination any faster.
A former cop who provided night security at the zoo, Jim Kelly had been Ethan’s mentor after he had graduated from the academy, but a few years ago, Kelly had decided he didn’t like the mean streets enough to keep working for the department. He’d said he’d never make it to retirement, and security was a safer, quieter option. A die-hard animal lover, Kelly had gotten his dream job replacement working zoo security.
Animal Attraction Page 9