Enchantment (113 page)

“Indeed
it
is.
I
sure
hope
y
ou
like
what I
have
to
show
y
o
u.”
Jager
s
m
i
l
ed.

“You
know
it’s
not
necessa
r
y
,
but
I
am
interested
to
see
w
hat
caught
y
o
ur
atten
t
ion.”
She w
a
s
looking
at
the
front
entrance
when
unexpected
l
y
a
wave
of
nausea
swa
m
ped
her
bod
y
.
She grabbed
at
her
sto
m
ach
and
doubled
over.

“Meeka,
whatever
is
wron
g
?
”
He
asked
anxious
l
y
.

Her breath
ca
m
e
in
rapid
gasps.
“
I
don’t
kn
o
w
what’s
wrong.
I
suddenly
don’t
feel
so well.” She
groaned,
placing
a
hand
on
her
forehead.

“Let’s
get
y
ou
inside,
and
we’ll
see
if
the
s
hop
keeper
has
so
m
e
water.”
Jager
escorted
her through
the door.

Meeka
doubled
over
in
pain
again
as
she
lost
her
breath.
“Padd
y
…I
think…I
have
to…get out…of
here.”
She
stu
m
b
led
toward
the
door,
on
l
y
to
be
p
u
shed
back
and
onto
a
stool.
She couldn’t
breathe.

W
h
y
won’t
Paddy
help
m
e
out
of
here?

She
wanted
to
y
e
l
l
, but
she
couldn’t
catch
her
breath
enough
to
even
speak
proper
l
y
.

O
h…Go
d
…something
is
really
w
rong
with
this
place.

She
attempted
to
stand
again,
but
couldn’t.

“Pad
d
y
…
have…to…
g
et
out.”
She
pleaded,
t
r
y
i
ng
to
reach
for
Padd
y
’s
shoulder,
but
the beaver
kept
m
oving
awa
y
.

Final
l
y
,
Padd
y
’s
form
wavered,
and
her
voice
crackled
to
a masculine
snarl.
“
Thalius!
Now,
y
o
u a
s
shole, do
it n
o
w!” he
y
e
l
l
ed.

Meeka
was
para
l
y
z
ed with
fear.

O
h my
God.

Ever
y
t
h
i
n
g
felt
wrong.
A
dark,
thick
mist
of
evil
filled
the
room
and
she
desperate
l
y
tried
to stand.
“
O
w!”
She
cried
out
as
so
m
ething sharp
pierced
her
ar
m
.

“No!”
Her
silent
scre
a
m
died
on
her
lips.
Her
knees
hit
the
floor
as
darkness
enveloped
her.
A
s
the
light
faded,
a
grotesque
face
with
a
slash
of
a
s
m
irk
flashed
before
her
e
y
e
s,
only
to vanish
in
the
darkened
m
ist.

“Did
y
ou get
new
stand-in
s
?
”
Pad
d
y
’s
lips
m
oved, but
the voice
w
a
s
wrong. “Do
y
o
u dare
to
qu
e
stion
m
e, idiot
?
”
the
unkn
o
wn
creature asked.

Meeka
struggled
to
m
ake
sense
of
it,
but
the
darkness
enveloped
her
m
ind,
and
she
w
a
s gone.

* * * *

Thalius
s
m
i
l
ed
as
both
the
Meeka
i
m
poster
and
second
Paddy
i
m
pos
t
er
walked
out
the
door and
into
the
m
arket.
The
gargo
y
l
e
s
prepared
to
land
just
a
s
the
i
m
posters
exited.
With
Meeka
in sight,
they
stopped
in
m
id
-
flight
and
began
to
continue
their
circles
as
the
dec
o
y
s
wandered aimless
l
y
. Thalius
squealed
with
utter
delight.
He’d
done
it!

Meeka
was
his,
and
Kerrigan
w
ouldn’t
know
enough
to
do
a
thing
about it.

Chapter
Thir
t
y

Kerrigan
pounded
the
last
nail
into
the
bookshelf,
thankful
for
the
m
in
d
less
diversion.
It hadn’t
worked,
of
course.
He’d
never
forget
hearing
the
words,
“
I
will
alw
a
y
s
love
y
o
u
,
” tu
m
b
l
ing
from
her
lips.
The
scene
was
on
constant
repl
a
y
in
his
m
ind.
He
needed
to
find
Meeka, and
together,
th
e
y
needed
to
speak
with
Catz
about
Tethran.

A
fter
a
quick
sh
o
wer,
Kerrigan
went
in
s
earch
of
Meeka.
An
eerie
silence
filled
the
house. Every
room
he
searched
w
a
s
e
m
p
t
y
.
The
kitchen
w
a
s
deserted,
so
he
headed
to
the
nursery a
s
suming
Meeka
would
be
there
with
the
babies
and
Threeo.

The
whole way
d
o
wn the stairs,
he could hear
the babies talking.
N
ot a
one in the
bunch was actual
l
y
t
r
y
i
ng
to
car
r
y
on
a
conversation;
th
e
y
were
just
happy
they
had
voices.
Over
and
over again, he
heard Meeka’s
n
a
m
e
and “pl
a
y
,
pla
y
,
pl
a
y
.
”
He s
m
iled
in spite
of
his
growing trepidation.
S
he’d
obviously
m
ade
quite
an
i
m
pression
on
the
m
.

P
u
shing
through
the
doors,
he
stepped
into
the
vortex
of
energ
y
.
The
Threeos
were determined
to
gain
his
atten
t
ion,
their
voices
rising
with
each
passing
s
econd.
“
U
p
p
y
,
upp
y
, Kerrigan,
up
p
y
!
”

Kerrigan
reached
over
the
hatche
r
y
,
taking
t
i
m
e
to
pet
each
one.
Lowering
his
voice to
avoid frightening
the
m
, he
leaned
back
on
his
haunches.
“
D
id
y
ou all
have
fun
with
Meeka
?
”

O
verexci
t
ed
again
at
the
m
e
n
tion
of
her
na
m
e,
th
e
y
all
spoke
at
once.
Kerrigan
held
up
his hand.
“
O
k
a
y
, one
at
a
t
i
m
e. I
can’t
hear
when
y
o
u’
r
e
all
talking
at
the
sa
m
e time.”

The
littlest
and the
bravest spoke first.
“
We love
Meeka.
I
s
s
he coming
bac
k
?
She
said she’d co
m
e
back.”

Kerrigan
laughed
out
loud,
looking
at
Threeo,
who
s
hook
his
head
in
bewilderment.

Meeka
will
be
a
g
re
a
t
m
om
someday,
when
s
he
returns
to
her
world
and
ma
r
ries
s
o
meone else.

I
n
stant
l
y
,
his
blood
ran
hot
with
j
ealousy
and
the
dragon
inside
roared
in
protest.
He couldn’t
imagine
another’s
hands
touching,
caressing,
and
ki
s
sing
her
bod
y
.
“
N
ot
to
worr
y
,
litt
l
e ones;
she’ll
be
back
to
visit
again,”
Kerrigan
reassured
the
m
.

“Threeo,
I
thought
M
eeka would
be
here
with
y
o
u
.
Do
y
o
u kn
o
w
where
s
he
is
?
” Threeo
fluffed
his
feathers
and
responded.
“
N
o,
but
s
he
w
as
with
Pad
d
y
earlier
.
”

H
i
s
m
o
m
rare
l
y
left
the
kitchen. It
was
her
favorite
room
in
any
house—even
his. “Do
y
o
u kn
o
w
where
they
went
?
”

“No,
I
don’t
kn
o
w
w
here
th
e
y
went,
but
Pad
d
y
w
anted
to
speak
to
Meeka
alone.
Pad
d
y
said
s
he’d
co
m
e
back
to
pl
a
y
with
m
e
later,”
Threeo
said
with
a
disappointed
look.
“
S
he
hasn’t co
m
e back
y
e
t
.”

The
hairs
on
the
back
of
his
neck
began
to
twitch.
W
h
y
would
his
m
o
m
want
to
speak
with Meeka
alone?

“Threeo,
I
need
y
ou
to
help
m
e
find
Meeka.
S
he
m
ust
be
so
m
ewhere
in
the
ho
u
se.
Find Catz.
S
he
w
a
s
in
the
den
earlier
this
m
orning.
Tell
her
to
go
with
y
o
u.
I’ll
m
eet
y
o
u
back
in
the kitchen
in
five
m
inu
t
es,”
Kerrigan
co
m
manded.

Threeo
vanished
without
a
question.

Kerrigan
pointed
his
finger
at
the
babies.
“
Y
ou
g
u
y
s
behave…ok
a
y
?
” They
all
nodded,
one
by
one.