by Celeste Hall
Chapter Seven
“It’s almost over.” Rachel whispered soothingly into Morgan’s ear, as two of the police officers led their handcuffed prisoner out to a waiting cruiser. There were half a dozen other uniformed men still searching her yard and house for whatever clues they thought might be hiding there.
It seemed like a fairly straightforward case as far as the girls were concerned, but questions had risen after the attacker claimed that Craig had no knowledge of the dead animals or of the attack on Morgan.
The man’s name was Jerry Ceopal, and he would only say that he’d been Craig’s cellmate up until his release earlier that month. And that he’d felt sorry for the younger man, who suffered when Morgan refused to accept his calls or visit him.
He claimed to have acted on his own, but neither Heidi nor Rachel believed him.
Rachel had shown up after the police officers and had spent the last half hour trying to catch up on events. Heidi had given her the more risqué account of events, including a very detailed description of Leo’s appearance.
Morgan’s hero had conveniently vanished before the police arrived, much to Heidi’s dismay.
The police were equally unhappy to have lost their primary witness to the attack, but Morgan had assured them that he would be available for questioning later, as well as testifying against her attacker.
“At least you found Leo,” Rachel continued, smiling down at the enormous black cat that was cradled protectively in her friend’s arms. “I wonder where he’s been hiding all this time.”
Morgan tightened her grip on the feline, taking a surprising amount of comfort from the harsh gravelly purring of the beast.
He’d crept into the room through the open back door only moments after her naked rescuer had stepped out of it, but Heidi suspected nothing.
“I told you that not all cats were evil,” Rachel beamed with pride, as if she’d single-handedly cured Morgan of her phobia. “It looks like you’ve got yourself a sweet little lap pet.”
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Morgan winced, wondering how Leo would feel about being called a lap pet.
It felt a little uncomfortable to be holding a creature that might really be a man in disguise, but after all that had happened, she wasn’t about to let the cat escape again. She had too many questions that could only be answered by keeping the feline close until after everyone had left and she could be alone with him.
The police didn’t leave for several hours, and only after asking that each of the girls come down to the station the following morning to file formal reports.
Once they’d left it took Morgan another couple of hours before she could convince Heidi and Rachel that she would be alright staying at the house alone, even after all that had happened.
It was after midnight that Morgan carried Leo into the master bedroom and placed him carefully onto the bed.
Taking a large step in reverse, she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a pointed look.
“Okay, let’s see it,” she prompted. “You know that I’m never going to believe you if I don’t see it for myself.”
Leo offered a rumbling meow and stood to face her.
He blinked those emerald green eyes and then arched his back in a long deep stretch. Only his body stretched longer and greater than any cat ever could, elongating and swelling in length.
He seemed to double in size, and then double again. Whiskers, tail, fur and ears all smoothed away as if they’d only been an illusion.
Morgan could only watch in rapt fascination as sinewy muscles flexed and released, corded and relaxed, leaving a large powerful man kneeling on her bed where only a cat had stood before.
“Wow!” She breathed. “Do it again!”
Leo shook his head.
“There’s plenty of time for that later.”
Stepping off the bed, he walked into the bathroom to grab a towel and wrap it around his waist. Reappearing, he leaned up against the bathroom doorframe and gave her a concerned frown.
“I think we need to talk about Craig and his suspected henchman. I know that you want to believe everything is going to be okay now, but if he’s capable of sending one man then he’s capable of sending one hundred. We need to talk about your safety.”
Morgan sighed and scrubbed a hand over her forehead.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s bad enough having to explain everything to those cops. Now there’s going to be another court session, more lawyers, and I’m going to get dragged through additional months of threats and promises of revenge. I hate it.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about. From what I’ve seen of this house, there are centuries of family memories here, so I’m sure you’d like to stay. But I don’t like the idea of you living alone as long as your ex-boyfriend still thinks he has some sort of claim on you.”
“I don’t want to sell the house,” she guessed the direction he was headed, but Leo only shook his head.
“I’m not asking you to sell your home.” He offered an uncomfortable shrug. “What I’m going to suggest will probably seem even less desirable, but I think it will be more affective.”
Morgan felt a twist of fear forming in her chest. What could be worse than selling her home and leaving everything she loved behind?
“What are you talking about?”
“I want you to go visit with Craig in jail,” he started, and quickly raised his hands to silence her when she started to protest. “Let me finish. I want you to go see him, but I want to be with you.”
“That would totally piss him off.” She frowned, shaking her head as she thought of the pain she’d suffered during his last burst of outrage. “I don’t think you understand how dangerous he can be. I might as well tie a steak around my neck and jump into a tank full of hungry piranhas.”
“Just hear me out.” Leo offered her a gentle smile. “I think we can convince him to leave you alone for good. We just have to prove to him that you’re out of his reach forever.”
“After all of this, I’m beginning to think that isn’t possible.”
“It’s possible. We just have to convince him that you’ve moved on and have a new boyfriend, which is why I need to be with you at the jail. We’re going to play like a happy couple for him.”
Morgan made an effort not to look down at the sculpted chest and abs exposed by his minimal choice in coverings.
Leo definitely cut an imposing figure, which any girl would be lucky to claim. But would Craig believe their deception?
While they’d dated, Craig and teased her for being pathologically honest, claiming that he could read her like an open book. Even if she kept silent and allowed Leo to do all the talking, Craig might still see the truth in her eyes.
“That’s a really thoughtful offer,” she sighed. “But he’d know it was a lie. I’m a really bad liar. He always knew when I was trying to keep something from him. He’d only get worse if he thought I was trying to trick him.”
Leo considered that, then shrugged.
“Alright, so let’s make it real. Go on a date with me. Halloween is Saturday. What do you usually do to celebrate? We could go dancing, trick-or-treating…”
“No,” Morgan quickly interrupted, shaking her head. “You seem like a really nice guy, but I have a terrible track record when it comes to boyfriends. The last one nearly killed me and he wasn’t a feline shifter with ties to the occult.”
She’d thought it would sound like a joke. Instead it made him frown, his unbelievably green eyes flashing with obvious concern.
“I would never hurt you, or any woman,” he stated with just a hint of offense. “And I would never use magic to cause anyone harm, even if there wasn’t a dangerous potential for such spells to backfire on their caster.”
Morgan offered an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound so harsh. I think I’m just afraid of being hurt again. I’m not really sure how I feel about you yet.
I was starting to like having you around… as a cat I mean. But I don’t really know how to deal with… um… this…” She made a weak gesture towards his entire human figure.
Leo gave a sympathetic nod.
“I know you’ve been hurt. But you’ll eventually learn to trust again. Let me help. Just until you’re safe, then if you still want to, you can send me on my way. I won’t put up a fight.” He stepped a little closer, stroking the soft curve of her cheek to bring her fallen gaze back up to meet his.
She was thinking of all the reasons why it wouldn’t work, but his gentle touch made her hesitate.
“You were beginning to enjoy having me around as a cat,” he reminded her. “Let me prove to you that I’m just as trustworthy and faithful as a man.”
Morgan hesitated, glancing towards the dark bedroom window.
Leo had been there for her when she’d needed him. But she’d been fooled before. She knew from experience that pretty words and sweet promises could sometimes hide a blackened soul.
“It’s late,” she murmured, motioning towards the clock on the bedside table. “Let me think about it, okay? We can talk about my decision in the morning.”
He gave her an understanding nod.
“Alright.”
“You can sleep in the guest bedroom, if you like.” She glanced towards the door, wishing he would hurry up and leave her alone so she could think up a good excuse to tell him in the morning. “The bed sheets and linens were all recently washed.”
“I know, I was there,” he reminded her. And it was true, Leo the cat had sat in the windowsill and watched as she’d cleaned the room and changed the sheets after Heidi and Rachel’s stay.
When he only stood there, watching her, she glanced awkwardly towards the bedroom door, then back up to meet his amused stare.
“I’ve slept beside you every night since I came here,” he pointed out as casually as if he were discussing a carpool in to work. “I haven’t once done anything salacious or ungentlemanly towards you. I see no reason to change our sleeping habits now.”
“That was different,” Morgan protested weakly, because the idea of having him sleep with her was having an uncomfortable effect on her libido. “You were a cat.”
One corner of his mouth curled up into an impish smile as he slowly shook his head. It made her think back and recall the vague sensation of strong arms holding her, keeping her safe as she drifted off to sleep.
A warm rush of color pinked her cheeks.
“I thought I was dreaming,” she admitted sheepishly.
Leo stepped towards her, gently collecting her against his chest in an embrace that should have felt friendly and inviting. But the firm press of his bare flesh against her cheek only made the unwelcome desire within her burn hotter.
“Don’t push me away, Morgan,” he murmured into her hair. “I’m one of the good guys. Let me prove it to you.”
Despite all of the reasons that she should put a sharp end to the moment and remain firm in her decision, it just felt so good to be held in his arms. She couldn’t tell him no.
Forcing herself to step back, Morgan took a shaky breath and turned away.
“Tomorrow, I’m buying you some clothes. Especially pajamas.”
He chuckled softly behind her, but she didn’t dare look at him. She knew that if she did, he’d see the truth in her eyes. Her entire body was flooded with a confusing storm of emotions.
When she looked at him, she forgot that he was almost a complete stranger to her. Instead, her subconscious was awarding him with the same sense of familiarity and affection that she’d only recently begun feeling towards Leo the cat.
Worse, those emotions were amplified by her attraction to his human form.
Needing to put some distance between them so she could rein in her chaotic feelings, Morgan collected her nightgown and went into the bathroom to change. Yet as she stripped out of her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror, she began trembling uncontrollably.
She could have died today. Now she was struggling to define her relationship with a man that could transform himself into a cat. The bizarre circumstances were all too much for her battered psych to handle, threatening to throw her into a full mental breakdown.
Hot tears leaked out of her eyes as she fought to swallow the broken sobs that welled up to choke her. But as hard as she tried to silence them, the shaking in her limbs only grew worse.
“Morgan?” Leo’s worried voice from the other side of the bathroom door sent a fresh wave of panic arcing through her chest.
“I’m fine,” she wheezed past the rancorous lump in her throat, “just give me a minute, okay?”
But it was too late, the door was opening.
She quickly threw up a hand to stop him, but Leo had taken one look at her tear streaked face and rushed to her side.
Ignoring her weak attempts to protest, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back into the bedroom. There he settled them both on the bed, still cradling her against his chest.
“I know things look scary as hell right now,” he rumbled softly, tucking her head up under his chin in a way that she hadn’t been held since she was a child and had a bad dream. “But you’re a lot stronger than you think, and you’re going to get through this. I promise you, everything is going to be alright.”
He was so strong and confident beside her, she could almost believe it. But she couldn’t seem to stop the tears.
“I’m sorry,” she hiccupped miserably. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight. It’s all just hitting me at once. I was so scared today. And then seeing you…”
The deep reverberation of his laughter made her lift her head to look at him.
Bright green eyes sparked with humor as he surprised her by brushing a chaste kiss to her forehead.
“You’re an amazing woman, Morgan.” He chuckled. “Of all the houses I could have been chased into by a nasty dog, I’m glad I picked yours.”
“That’s probably the weirdest thing a guy has ever said to me.”
He laughed again and pulled her down to lay beside him, his strong arms holding her snug against his body.
Despite all of her earlier protests, and the fact that they were both nearly naked, she felt safe and protected in his embrace.
Within moments, her tears gave way to a deep and comforting sleep.