Pride (3) by Vincent Rachel

Author:Vincent, Rachel [Vincent, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9781426853968
Publisher: Mira
Published: 2010-02-02T08:00:00+00:00

Huh. Look at that.

Wary now, I scooted around the litter of cockleburs. As I drew closer, the tabby squeezed her legs tighter to her torso, her fingers going white under the strain. Her gaze skipped to my left, and I followed it with my own.

The bed. She was looking at the bed. She wants the blanket.

Of course she wanted the blanket. She was naked, and probably cold. I stood slowly to keep from frightening the tabby with sudden movements. As I pulled the top blanket from the mattress—fortunately not the one Colin had slept on—I deliberately turned my back to her, hoping she recognized—at least subconsciously—the demonstration of my trust. A werecat almost never turns his back on someone he doesn’t trust. To do so can get you killed.

I held the blanket high as I turned, showing her I meant no harm. She let me approach, but her eyes didn’t leave mine until I draped the blanket over her and left it for her to arrange it as she saw fit. The bulk of the quilted material pooled on the floor around her, and she huddled beneath one small section, looking impossibly small. Impossibly young.

“Are you warm enough?” I sat cross-legged on the floor, several feet in front of her. The tops of my feet itched, and I rubbed them, surprised to find the imprint of the wood grain still there from when I’d sat on them.

The tabby nodded, even as her teeth started chattering. I wasn’t cold in the slightest. But then, I was neither underweight nor naked. “Just a minute. I’ll send one of the guys to get something of mine for you to wear. We’ll get you something new as soon as you decide what you want. Okay?”

She nodded again, and I smiled, trying to set her at ease as I crossed the room and opened the door just wide enough to slip through the crack, to keep from frightening her with the sight of several strange men. The guys were lined up against the opposite wall, Dr. Carver clutching his clean, bandaged arm to his chest.

Jace had joined them, and he looked irritated, probably because he’d woken up alone in an empty bed. I knew exactly how he felt. Usually I was the one left out of the action.

I closed the door behind myself as I stepped into the hall, and the eagerness in Jace’s eyes died with the click of the latch sliding into place, but Lucas looked annoyingly smug. He was tall enough to see easily over my head and had clearly gotten a glimpse of the tabby. Suddenly I was glad I’d covered her. Seeing her naked would mean nothing special to Lucas—his curiosity was completely innocent—but it would probably mortify her.

“She Shifted!” Lucas’s excitement was practically palpable, but Marc rolled his eyes. They already knew that, having heard every word we’d said for the last forty-five minutes or so.

“Yes.” I glanced from face to face, and my words came out rushed with my own excitement.

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