Authors: Shelley Munro
“Remember what I used to do when I was a little boy. I’d imagine a black cat. I’d draw a head and add the body and a long, swishing tail inside my mind.” Felix paused, feeling the child’s trepidation and her shock. Understandable given the circumstances.
“That would make the change start.”
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Sylvie stopped purring and started to tremble again. A wave of tenderness swept Felix. He loved this little kitten as much as he loved Tomasine. Loved.
The thought gave him pause but it was a great feeling. Felix knew he was ready for the responsibility.
“Remember what you looked like this morning?” he said. “I want you to draw your clothes inside your head.”
Sylvie looked at him with her big brown eyes. They narrowed fractionally and her whiskers twitched in a feline frown. She needed more help.
“Then once you’ve drawn your clothes and added your shoes, I want you to think about what you see when you look in a mirror to brush your hair. Can you do that?”
Sylvie nodded and her eyes closed. Her nose wrinkled in a cute manner that made him grin. He glanced up to catch Saber’s silent approval. At the sound of a phone Felix tensed, but to his relief Sylvie kept concentrating. He heard Tomasine’s voice croak before his brother Leo plucked the cell phone from her fumbling fingers and answered it for her.
Felix continued to speak to Sylvie in a soothing voice, repeating his instructions calmly even though worry pulsed inside him. What if he couldn’t talk Sylvie back to human form? He’d heard of it happening before. Hell, he understood her fear. Transforming the first time was traumatic enough. He remembered it well. But on the plus side, the euphoric feeling of running, being at one with the elements—there was nothing like it. Sylvie hadn’t experienced that yet but she would as soon as he could arrange it.
“Can you see yourself in your mind?” he asked in a low voice. Sylvie nodded and rubbed her head against his knee.
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“Good girl. Now I want you to make a magic wish. Keep your eyes closed and wish really, really hard with all your might that you looked like that right now. Can you do that for me?”
Sylvie nodded but she’d started to tremble again. Her eyes popped open. They were full of fear. He stroked her neck and after studying him intently, she closed her eyes. A few tense seconds passed and he started to worry. He glanced at Saber but his older brother gave a slight shake of his head and an encouraging smile. Felix studied Sylvie, willing the familiar shimmer around her body to start. When he’d almost given up, the tension in the kitchen so strong Emily could have served it up in slices and sold it in the café, a faint glow formed around Sylvie’s body. The glow increased and Felix let out a sigh of relief, knowing she was past the point of no return. Sylvie whimpered in pain and terror but it was too late for her to stop. As Felix watched, her fur disappeared turning to flesh.
“Is there something she can wear?” Felix asked.
Leo whipped off his shirt and handed it to Felix. “Use this. I have a spare one in the ute.”
By the time he’d taken the dark blue shirt from Leo, Sylvie stood before him, tears streaming down her face. He whisked the shirt over her head, gave her a quick hug before standing. Tomasine elbowed him aside, throwing herself at Sylvie and enveloping her in a fierce hug.
“Tomasine,” Felix said, after a long moment. “We need to find out what happened to Sylvie. I know she’s been through a lot but we have to find out about her clothes and bag.”
Tomasine loosened her grip on her daughter but didn’t release her. “Can…can you tell us what happened? It’s very important.”
“I wasn’t feeling well,” Sylvie said in a whisper.
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Felix crouched by her side again and smiled at her in encouragement even though what he really wanted to do was gather up his new family and take them home where he knew they’d be safe. “So what did you do?”
“I went outside. I felt sick so I hid behind a tree.” Her bottom lip quivered. “I didn’t want the other children to see me and laugh.”
Felix nodded. “Then what happened?”
“My bones hurt,” Sylvie said. Big tears formed in her eyes, making Felix swallow. He hated crying women since they brought feelings of helplessness to the surface and he never knew what to do. It seemed tiny girls had the same effect.
“What did you do then?” Tomasine smoothed her daughter’s hair from her face and Saber produced a hanky.
“I turned into a kitty. The lady found me and told me to come here to Emily.”
“What lady?” Tomasine said sharply.
“Tell us what the lady looked like,” Felix said.
“She was pretty.”
Felix glanced up in frustration and intercepted his brothers’ smirks. They brought an answering grin to his face. Better laughing than crying. A tap sounded on the door. “That will be Gina,” Leo said. “I told her we were here.”
“What was the lady wearing?” Tomasine asked. “What color was her hair?”
“She had white hair,” Sylvie said. “And black clothes.”
“The blonde lady,” Tomasine said in a hoarse voice.
“Sylvie!” Gina said. “You okay?” She winked at Sylvie before scanning the room. When her gaze reached Leo, her eyes rounded. “Oh nice,” she said.
“Gina, you’re sixteen,” Leo said sharply. “You are not meant to ogle men and especially not me.”
A soft blush swept her chubby cheeks but she stood her ground. “Why not?”
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“Yeah, Leo,” Emily said. “Why not? I mean you’re so pretty to look at.”
“You,” Saber said, glaring at his mate. “Eyes off my brother.”
“Spoilsport,” Emily whispered, her eyes twinkling with pure naughtiness.
“Tell us about the lady,” Felix said.
“The lady was nice. She picked up my clothes and bag for me.” Sylvie frowned. “I couldn’t do it. No hands.” She held out her hands and wriggled her fingers, her expression one of relief. “I have hands now.”
“I heard about the blonde woman,” Gina said. “No one’s seen her recently. But no one’s looking for her either. They’re all in an uproar. The body has disappeared.”
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Chapter Eight
“Disappeared?” Tomasine’s nose wrinkled when she frowned. How could a body disappear?
“Yeah. The cops came and did a crime scene investigation. The body was loaded in an ambulance to take to Dunedin but someone stopped it en route and stole the body. Weird, huh?” Gina’s glance strayed to Leo and lingered for a long moment before she sighed and looked back to Felix. “I heard he didn’t have any identification. They don’t know who he was.”
Tomasine didn’t like the sound of that one bit. It solidified one thing in her mind. She really did need to leave Middlemarch. It was too late now and Sylvie needed a good night’s rest. They’d leave tomorrow morning. “I need to get Sylvie to bed.”
“I’ll drive you,” Felix said.
“You almost done, Emily?” Saber asked. “I want to find out more about this mysterious disappearing body.”
And she’d like to know more about the blonde woman. Even though Sylvie had insisted the woman had helped, Tomasine didn’t like knowing the woman was out there. Unpredictable.
Surprises were bad.
Tomasine gripped her daughter’s hand so hard that Sylvie let out a yelp of protest. She loosened her grip. “Sorry.”
“Let me carry her to the vehicle,” Felix said, gently elbowing her aside and scooping Sylvie into his arms before she could utter a protest. “Coming, Gina? You’re staying at the homestead for a while.”
“Really?” Gina beamed at Leo. “Cool. I’ll drive out with Leo.”
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Felix heard his younger brother mutter under his breath but Leo didn’t snap at the teenager.
“I’m leaving now,” Leo said, leaping off the milk crate. He replaced it in the corner where he’d found it with a distinct thump and Felix bit back a smirk. It was good to see his brother maneuvered with such ease. It took a master to beat Leo.
An hour later, Tomasine lingered in the girls’ bedroom, trying to quash the fear that stalked her mind. She didn’t like coincidences. The strange woman, the disappearing body—instinct told her they were both something to do with her. Damn Joseph. Why couldn’t he accept that she wanted nothing to do with the clan? It wasn’t as if there were any true clan members left to rule. Only his friends and family and of course, the wealth and resources owned by the clan—the gemstone quarry, the mineral resources and of business interests in the clan name. He was welcome to it all. The bedroom door opened. Her head jerked up and she only relaxed when she saw it was Emily.
“Is Sylvie asleep?” she asked.
Tomasine nodded before realizing that Emily’s eyesight wasn’t as good as hers.
“Yes, she’s asleep.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Emily said. “We’ll leave the door open so we can hear if she wakes up. The boys have checked outside several times. She’s safe here. We’re not going to let anything happen to Sylvie or you and Gina.”
“I’m not hungry.” Emotion stopped her from saying anything else. She swallowed and attempted a stoic appearance. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart.
“You need to eat to keep up your strength,” Emily said in a firm voice. “It’s safe to eat since I cooked tonight instead of one of the boys. Besides, if you don’t come out, Felix will arrive to hassle you next.”
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Despite the fear that stalked her mind, a sliver of longing zapped through Tomasine. Felix was a male she could care for—if she let herself. She blinked away the tears that formed without warning and forced a smile. Tomorrow, they’d leave.
“Too late. I’m already here.” Felix’s deep voice came from the doorway. “You need to eat, Tomasine. You can’t help Sylvie if you get sick.”
“All right.” It was only the truth in his words that persuaded her to change her mind. That and the fact she wanted to store up memories of Felix’s face, his smile and the timbre of his voice to pull out later when she was alone. The bittersweet meal passed all too quickly. They had a heated discussion about music. Leo liked New Zealand music and was passionate in defending the homegrown bands and solo artists while Gina adored Englishman James Blunt. Tomasine liked the way Leo turned aside Gina’s flirtation and obvious puppy love but still treated her as an adult. She intercepted Felix’s heated looks and knew he would object to her sleeping with the two girls.
Tomasine stood once everyone had finished eating. “I’ll do the dishes.”
“No, stay there. It’s Saber and Leo’s turn tonight,” Emily said.
“Don’t argue. You’ll get your turn soon enough,” Saber said. “Emily has us organized.”
Guilt rose then. The Mitchell family was so welcoming and accepting, and she was going to leave, to sneak off like a thief in the middle of a night. An assassin. But she couldn’t place them in danger. They would be safe if she left.
“I’ll check on Sylvie,” she said. “Gina, have you done your homework?”
Gina rolled her eyes. “Aw, Tom.”
“Better do it quick, Gina, or else Emily won’t let you use the Play Station,” Felix teased. “She’s very bossy.”
Tomasine slid from the room in the midst of Emily’s strident complaint about smart-mouthed brothers-in-law. A tear spilled down her face while her chest felt so 114
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tight she had trouble drawing a breath. They were so close. The good-natured insults and bickering brought home how lonely it was on the run and how draining it was always looking over her shoulder and wondering where the next assassin would leap from.
Sylvie was sound asleep with only her head showing above the blankets as per normal.
“Is she okay?”
Tomasine started when Felix spoke from behind her. It took long seconds for her pulse rate to settle after his hands closed over her tense shoulders. “She’s fine. I should have noticed she wasn’t feeling well.” Guilt whispered in her ear again. She’d been preoccupied with Felix and the way he made her feel. What kind of mother was she?
“Come on.” Felix tugged her from Sylvie’s room. “You need to sleep. You won’t be much good to Sylvie if you’re tired.”
Felix couldn’t have picked a better way to persuade her to leave her daughter’s room. When they left Middlemarch tomorrow, she’d need all her wits about her. He led her into his bedroom and closed the door. Immediately, the tension between them lurched sharply upward. He smiled slowly. She saw it clearly despite the absence of full light. “You need sleep,” he said. “I want to hold you.”
Yes. Tomasine wanted that too, but she also needed more memories. Since she knew Sylvie was safe, this was the time to grab memories, something for herself. “I’m not that tired,” she purred.
His smile turned to a full-out grin. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Amazing. If she’d said no, he would have accepted it without argument. Felix would have just held her.
“I want you.” Tomasine held his gaze as she stepped away from him. Without haste, her hands went to the buttons on her cotton shirt. She unfastened them one by one, peeling the material away from her body in a seductive manner. She watched the 115
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green of his eyes deepen and his eyes narrow. His broad chest rose and fell and his grin died away. Intently he watched her every move. Tomasine let the shirt fall to the floor. She unbuckled her leather belt and unfastened her jeans. With a sassy wiggle of hips, she shimmied from the tight denim and kicked them aside. Hmm, there was no sexy way to remove cotton socks. Tomasine planted her butt on the bed and did her best to look tempting. She puckered her lips in a kiss and leaned back, lifting one leg at the same time.
Felix stepped close and rolled the cotton sock down her ankle and off her foot. He tossed it aside. Grinning, she extended her other foot toward him. He repeated the competent move, his innocent touch sending sensual messages zipping straight to her clit.
“What’s next?” he asked, eyes gleaming with interest. Felix moved back, stepping into a shaft of moonlight. He looked so good in his tight faded jeans and plain dark green T-shirt that her chest hurt, and the way he caressed her body with his eyes made her feel special. Desired. Sexy. And definitely aroused. Tomasine stood and sashayed toward him. “It wouldn’t hurt if you showed a little skin.” She slipped one hand beneath the hem of his T-shirt and explored the warm flesh beneath. The muscular stomach quivered when she smoothed her palm across it but other than that, he didn’t react. It became a challenge, a fervent need to make him lose control. Felix would never hurt her—she knew it with every survival instinct she possessed. Tomasine smoothed her hand upward across his ribs and a pectoral muscle. Nimble fingers sought a flat masculine nipple. She’d show him control. But first…