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before Cilia s squeak of alarm made him open his eyes quickly as he prepared to face
down the overprotective little fairy.
Instead of the tiny fae, a large black panther crouched in the corner. Its pumping purr
vibrated in the air. The cat s lips pulled back over its teeth in a perfect feline smile. My
Lord, such strange bedfellows we make.
Kathel, what brings you here?
Your summons, of course. There is & unrest in Faerie. It is rumored your father has
gathered the Morag. The lesser fae have been banned from this realm. I heard your call
and fancied I would answer it.
Excuse me, but what is that? Cilia asked pointing at Kathel.
The large cat bowed low. My Lady, forgive my rudeness. I am Kathel, emissary to
the Lady of the Sidhe court. I heard the boy s call and came to see how best I could
help.
She sat perfectly still and watched Kathel as if he were tensed to pounce. Fiach
smoothed a hand down her arm, but kept his eyes locked on the large cat. When standing,
Kathel was equal to Fiach s waist and broad enough to carry someone on his back,
although he would kill anyone for trying. The old cat grinned slyly at Cilia and enjoyed
her whimper of alarm.
I ll not hurt you, lass, Kathel purred. I m as tame as any old housecat.
Cilia relaxed a little until Kathel sat on his haunches and revealed nine tails of equal
length that twitched and curled to his side. Each was tipped with a silver barb that caught
the low light and glittered.
Fiach& she yelped.
He pulled her into the crook of his arm. It s all right, Cilia. He s no housecat, but I
doubt he means us harm.
A rusty chuckle issued from the cat s broad chest. He s right. I accepted his
summons. I can t harm you and I don t wish to. Seeing that his tail made her nervous,
Kathel dropped to the floor and stretched out, trying his best to look like the tame
housecat he had named himself. So what did you need with the wee folks anyway?
Fiach sighed. I made a deal with Arvel, and in exchange for my favor, she took two
humans that Cilia cares a great deal for so I could inhabit their residence. Last night I
attempted to bargain for information, but it didn t go so well for the demon. I m
worthless to her now, so we fear she will harm the woman and her son out of spite.
Not of use? Demons of her ilk only ply in the trade of favors for procreation. If
you re of no use to her that must mean& Kathel turned his large yellow eyes on Cilia.
Is the lass your D Ame?
The word caught Fiach off guard. He hadn t considered what his fae heritage would
mean in a situation like this. If he claimed Cilia as his soul mate, he would have to do so
before the Faerie Court and obtain his mother s blessing before they would be tested to
see if they were worthy of the Noce, or soul-binding ceremony.
Kathel clucked his tongue, an odd sound coming from his feline jaws. It s a shame.
One such as her is a rare prize.
I don t want to think on courtly politics just yet, Kathel. For now it s enough to
know she is my mate. I am bound to her in the way of her people.
The old cat s tails thumped against the floorboards. Wise you are, young one. Your
heart has to be willing for the soul binding to work. You d not like an eternity tied to
someone who only brings you misery.
Cilia interrupted. As much as I enjoy being talked over and ignored, I thought the
point of this meeting was to find a way to help Stella and Max.
Kathel dropped his head back and roared with his laughter. Such fire! Such spirit! If
you don t claim her, I swear I will.
Fiach growled, then thought better of it. If you know what she is, old one, then you
realize none other can claim her.
Kathel s laughter subsided. My Lord, I will pretend ignorance of her origins, and
you would be wise to do so as well. If the Morag have truly united, then who do you
think Harailt will come after?
Cilia. Fear seized him. Harailt lived to acquire the rare and exotic. If his father s
plans were thwarted, the demon lord would be certain to destroy the current object of his
obsession so others couldn t enjoy it either.
Kathel nodded. Now as to these humans&
We have to save them. Cilia said.
Och aye, we ll save them. Kathel looked to Fiach. There ll be a price for this.
Fiach sobered. There s always a price. The question is, what will yours be?
The old cat stretched and rolled over, exposing its stomach. I expect a good scratch
on the belly would balance the scale.
Kathel, I don t think that s wise.
What s life without a little risk?
Fiach held up his hands and turned to Cilia. She looked wary. It s your decision,
Cilia. The terms are yours to accept. Then he looked at the lounging feline, But the
debt owned is mine.
A guttural purr punctuated Kathel s laughter. You always were a quick one. He
rested his large head on the floor and looked at Cilia through upside down eyes.
She walked slowly until her toes were almost pressed into Kathel s side before
dropping to her knees. She reached out a timid hand to the black fur of his stomach. Her
eyes widened and she added a second hand. Your fur feels like silk.
Kathel s pleasured purr filled the room. Oh lass, that feels so good.
Cilia stopped stroking the blackened pelt and Fiach watched as her eyes glazed over
just before she collapsed, her head cracking against the planks before he could reach her.
Kathel rolled to his feet to investigate.
He nudged her with his large head and licked across her cheek with his sandpaper
tongue. Fiach slammed into the side of the large cat and knocked him away from Cilia
and into the wall. Kathel jumped to his feet and roared in fury. I ll forgive you once, for
the lass s sake, but touch me again and I ll not be so kind.
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