16 Sept 2013 Shanie Kerrigan *She sat on the balcony, watching the cubs playing on the lawn with Bruce, and smiled. She still couldn’t quite believe her torment was finally over. Once Tomas had woken again, they’d sat and talked for a long time. Finally he and their combined cats had managed to convince her of the truth of the matter, though it was still a little difficult to reconcile the new Tomas with the old. It was also still difficult being near him for long periods, at least in ‘close’ situations. She’d let him sleep, in his panther form, with his head on her lap, because her cat kept assuring her he was safe, but all the time, she’d barely breathed. She’d been waiting for the punchline, the attack that would prove to her this was all some trick again, and had escaped to the other side of the room as soon as he’d released her, like some skittish, abused, kitten.* *Then again, she grimaced, that was precisely what she felt like right now. Alastor had succeeded in that part of his plan at least. He’d managed to make it so that she was scared to be near her mate, whatever face he had. In fact, the thought of being alone with any of the males put her on edge. At varying times during what had seemed like the years she’d been in the demon realm, he’d conjured all their images, used them all to drive her even closer to the edge, either through taunts, or promises, or outright physical attacks. Oddly though, he’d never used any of the females … which was part of the reason she’d known Emily was safe … that and the sensation of Brick she’d got from the other girl.* *She tucked her feet under her and blinked back the sting of tears from her eyes. Emily was dead … as was Cecile … both murdered in such cruel ways by Alastor. Looking back, she’d known all along that Emily was dead, she just hadn’t been able to let herself admit it. There’d been something different about her, and not just her powers borrowed from Brick. Emily wasn’t just a soul separated from her body as she’d been, but a true spirit. She hadn’t wanted to think about it though. It had raised too many questions and possibilities, both about what might happen to her, and what was happening to the pard. The fear that she’d never get back home, or that if she did, everyone would be dead and gone, had ridden her through endless days. Now what rode her was the terrible thought that Emily was still back in the demon realm, trapped in her place. Tomas hadn’t known what had happened to her, and no-one else had been able to tell him either. The only ones who might know were Brick and Syn. But Brick had gone walkabout, Drake’s death still heavy on his heart and mind, and Syn hadn’t stuck around long enough after the battle to let anyone know what had happened in the demon realm. Both needed their healing space just as much as she did, and no-one else had the ability to get back to the realm, so for the moment she just had to have faith that neither of them would leave Emily to suffer needlessly, even if the lack of action on her own part riddled her with guilt.* *Turning her head at the sound of the door opening, she tensed, not relaxing until she saw Connor and Chloe in their tiny cat forms peering nervously around the frame. Smiling at the first faces she’d seen except Tomas’ since coming home, she held her arms out to them. Rather than running at her like they usually did, they shuffled just inside the room and stood, shaking slightly. Oh god, what had Alastor done to them to make them scared of her?* Hey, it’s the terrible twins … what mischief are you up to? Have you run away from Bruce again?. *Her heart breaking at the fear in their little voices, she tried to push her jaguar out as best she could, hoping the light touch, all she could manage, would reassure them. As the cats all brushed against each other, they both yelped in surprise.* *With that, they both leapt at her, licking her face and nuzzling her neck. Holding them close, she finally let the tears flow … yes, she was home.*
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 16:40:16 +0000
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