Enchantment (62 page)

“Don’t
test
m
e,
Meeka.”
Kerrigan
leaned
down,
his
breath
ghosting
over
her
face.

He
w
a
s
dead
serious.
S
he
could
see
in
the
resolve
in
his
e
y
e
s. Her
fu
r
y
built quick
l
y
. A
s
m
all halo
of
fl
a
m
es appeared
around
her
bod
y
.

Threeo
j
u
m
ped
out
of
the
way
as
Catz
walked
forward.
“Stop
it!
Both
of
y
o
u!
Goodness.
If
s
omebo
d
y
didn’t
interfere,
the
two
of
y
o
u
w
ould
burn
the
house
down.”

Meeka
had
never
heard
Catz
s
peak
so
forceful
l
y
.
The
tone
caused
her
to
break
e
y
e
contact with
Kerrigan.
S
he
w
a
s
a
bit
e
m
bar
r
assed
to
see
Threeo
and
Catz
watching
their
confrontation.

Meeka
took
a
step
back.
Catz
shape
-
s
hifted
into
her
sleek
lioness
for
m
.
Meeka
noticed
her tail
sw
i
shing
rapid
l
y
back
and
forth,
obviousl
y
, she
was
irritated.

With
her
e
y
es
narrowed
and
her
ears
l
y
i
n
g
flat,
s
he spoke with
a growl first to
Meeka.
“
S
top acting
like
a
child,
Meeka.
You
know
better
than
to
allow
y
o
urs
e
lf
to
get
w
orked
up
over
s
omething
y
o
u knew
w
a
s
coming.
Stop
wasting
y
o
u
r
ener
g
y
on
foolishness.”

Meeka
raised
a
brow
at
Catz
snarly
tone.

“And
y
o
u…” Catz
turned
her
green
e
y
e
s on
Kerrigan.
“Perhaps
y
o
u should
train
her
first.” “We
are
to
m
e
e
t
with
the
Counselors
toda
y
.”
Kerrigan
snapped.
“She
needs
to
be
on
her

guard
.
I
don’t
trust
them
one
bit.”

“Then
explain
it.
Don’t
bul
l
y
her.”
Catz
shook
her
head.
“Go
d
s
above,
the
two
of
y
o
u
are going
to
give
m
e a
co
m
p
l
ex.”

“Please
explain
to
y
o
u
r
princess
I
need
to
address
the
Counselors
tod
a
y
.
Regardless
of
what they
tell
m
e,
I
refuse
to
send
her
back
without
knowing
the
fate
of
such
a
procedure.
I
do
not want
her
here
alone.
Let
her
kn
o
w
she
m
ust
learn
h
o
w
to
utilize
so
m
e
of
her
powe
r
s
so
I
have arranged
a
training
day for
her.”
He looked
brief
l
y
back
at
Meeka.
“If she
can
actual
l
y
withstand the
training
proce
s
s.”
With
piercing
e
y
es,
he
looked
her
bo
d
y
up
and
down
in
an
u
n
spoken challenge.

Meeka
swallowed
hard.
S
he
narrowed
her
e
y
e
s,
her
mind
racing.
What
w
a
s
his
game?
Was there
s
o
m
e
thing
s
he
needed
to
kn
o
w
or
do,
and
he
wanted
her
to be
able…

Of
cou
r
se. In
his
own
g
ruff way,
Kerrigan
is
trying
to
protect
me,
to
encourage
m
e.

Her
anger
faded
to
be
replaced
by
an
inner
ca
l
m
—
a
ccep
t
ance,
even.
“
I
can
take
w
hatever
y
o
u dish
out.”

“I
high
l
y
doubt
it,
but
if
y
o
u
’re done
being
difficu
l
t,
can
w
e
go
?
” Meeka
lifted
her
chin
a
little
higher.
“
Let’s
go,
then.”

Wrapping
his
ar
m
s
around
her,
Kerrigan
m
et
Meeka’s
gaze
as
the
world
shifted,
and
a
m
ome
n
t
later,
she
found
herself
standing
in
a
large
field.

The
three
of
them
appeared
off
to
the
side
of
the
huge
training
area.
Meeka
grabbed
his
arm to
steady
herself.
S
he
turned
to
stare
onto
the
field.
It
was
awash
in
a
sea
of
swea
t
y
m
a
l
e
bodies. Bare
l
y
clothed
m
en
swung
m
assive
weapon
at
each
other,
their
grunts
and
groans
clashing
with the
ringing
of
s
words
connecting.
Her
e
y
e
s
widened
at
the
image
of
m
en
tangling
with
m
assive creatures
w
hich
rese
m
b
l
ed
the
stone
gargo
y
l
e
s
back
on
Earth,
but
these
were
m
ade
of
flesh,
m
uscle,
and
bone.

W
h
a
t
did
I
get
myself into
this time?