Feral Magic (5 page)

"Ah."

He picked up the baby as if he couldn't get enough of holding the child, sat and gestured to Brandy to sit next to him.

She did, and Favel wiggled and crawled over both of them...a new game...fun!

Sniffing, the child settled onto Brandy's lap and appeared to plunge into sleep.

Dak reached into his pack and drew out a faceted rectangular ruby-like gem as big as her hand and with long flat sides.  When he turned it west-north-west, a tiny light pulsed.  "This indicates when the portal is within a certain range."  His brows lowered.  "I believe it is in the general area where Favel and I came through."

He stroked the baby's back.  "He has a gift from his mother's family for finding natural portals – here and gone in instants – and slipping through them."

"Oh."

Purple gaze met hers.  "There is also an enemy following me."

All the hair on Brandy's body rose, prickling her skin, at his deadly tone.  She swallowed and repeated, "An enemy following you.  Really?"

"Yes.  She would kill Favel without hesitation.  Perhaps eat him."

Lunch sloshed uneasily in Brandy's stomach.  No.  Do
not
imagine.  Do
not
look at the baby warming her lap.  Big – huge – deep breath, ignore the blood draining from her head, muzzying thoughts.  "I will protect him with my life."  She meant it.

Easy to defend a child, to understand that.  She still had a hard time understanding Ross's need to go to war in a foreign land.

"As will I.  But it would not be good for Bretine of the white tiger klatch to find you."

Brandy swallowed.  She'd liked white tigers an instant before.

"I will protect you with my life, too," Dak said.

He'd die for her, for his nephew, for his klatch.  As Ross had died for his country.  Warriors did that.

Accepting this sudden threat against her was harder than she'd thought.  "Thank you.  But if it comes to a decision between me and Favel, you must save him."

The man's face took on color.  "I
will
do both."

"Um hmm."

"But it is best if we leave sooner rather than later."  He gestured to the car seat.  "Must we take that?"

"Absolutely,” she said. "It's a rule, if we're in the car—" she noticed his shudder, "with the baby, he has to be restrained to be safe."

"We rarely think being restrained is safe," he said.

"But I saw you tell Favel to stay and he curled up and
did.
"

Dak scowled.  "That is training, discipline, obedience to one who protects and whom you must follow because he is stronger.  Also self-control."

"And trust.  He trusts that you will protect him."

"I do not think he knows the word, but a babe should know the feeling.  I would give my life to protect him.  He knows that."  Dak paused.  "He senses that you will protect him, too."

She found herself saying, "I would protect him to the best of my ability."

He nodded, gave a little grunt.  Sort of dismissing her abilities more than her words or the force of her intention behind them.  But he was a warrior and she, quite obviously, was not.

She stared at the boxes in the living room.  Since she hadn't known exactly how long they might stay, she'd bought large, economy sizes of everything she and the baby might need.  Her credit card was getting a real workout.

All that would be left of this incredible adventure tomorrow would be the bills – and another realization that the world held more secrets than she'd thought.  She'd believed that she'd adjusted well to her new "gift," but with this additional information, she knew she hadn't.  Portals to other dimensions?  Just
who
on Earth knew about this?  Not anyone in any powerful government, she didn't think.  Otherwise they wouldn't be letting it just float around.  They'd have scientists trying to pin it down.

There'd be wars over it.  More people killed.

Her spine tingled up to her shoulder blades that she shifted, not liking the dread that touched her.

As Dak frowned and moved his nephew from her lap to his own, she stood and unpacked a really cute blue onesie from the box, a few diapers, and an already loaded diaper bag "for Moms on the Go!"

"All right.  Let's just make him look like a regular kid."

Dak rubbed his nephew's back.  "He's not a goat."

"Slang, Dak.  'Kid' is slang for child."

He curled his lip, then shook his head and stood, picking up the car seat.  "He has the energy to transform into cub.  I could order him to do so, and we wouldn't need this contraption."  He shook the car seat hard enough that various bits clattered.

Brandy crossed her arms.  "I am not driving around with a loose cub in the car."

"I will hold him."

She huffed a breath.  "If we get caught with a black jaguar cub in the car, we will certainly be arrested and he'll be taken from us."

Dak's jaw set.  "I do not understand your words."

"Dak, I am not a noble.  We have...guards...who enforce the rules.  One rule is that a baby must be in a car seat in the back of the car, for safety."  She spread her hands.  "Like I said before, as far as I know, there aren't any shapeshifters here on Earth.  That means that if a...patrolling...guard catches a glimpse of a black jaguar cub, a cub that is very unusual, he will investigate."

Dak grunted.  "The best guards are curious."

"Black jaguars are wild animals here.  They aren't native to this area, and they wouldn't be allowed to be free, no matter how small.  In fact, the guards would assume that I didn't know how to take care of one, or I was abusing him.  They'd be right in their first idea.  Believe me, being caught with a black jaguar cub would cause us an untold amount of problems."

"He is a
panther cub
."

Brandy didn't say anything else.  Just waited.

He sighed and shook his head.  "Very well, if it must be done."

"It must."

Standing, he pulled something from his pants pocket.  "You have purchased a great deal of food and items for us."

She shrugged.  "That needed to be done, too.  You couldn't live on what I had to eat, and Favel needs human baby things.  It was sort of fun."

"This is for you."  He held out his palm where a large link of gold lay on his hand, a good inch and a half long and maybe a quarter inch thick.

"Wow.  Gold?"

"Most places accept gold for trading."

She hesitated, then thought of the bills, thought more of the pride she saw in his purple eyes.  He'd want to pay his own way and his nephew's.  Wasn't a sponger, and she'd known a couple of those.

"Thank you."  Taking the gold, she went to the desk in the corner of her living room and put it in a secret drawer.

When she turned back, he still stood, tall and serious and studying her with an intense gaze.

"I just met you, Brandy Svensson, but I will miss you."  His voice was low, deep, rumbly, and caressing enough that she felt a searing of lust along her nerves.

"I'll miss you, too, Dak of the Dark Panther Klatch."  She hesitated, swallowed.  For the first time in years she felt the stirrings of passion.  He'd be gone soon.  Maybe a quick fling was just what she needed to finally move on after Ross.  Absolutely no expectations.

He was a warrior, but he'd be gone, she wouldn't have to worry about losing him as she'd lost so many loved ones.  She could always believe he was alive and happy.

He was also a caring man, a man who'd take care with her.

A gorgeous man.

After a big breath, she walked close to him, within her own personal space limits, though she didn't know what his were.  Tilting her head back, she stared into his eyes.  His pupils were round as a man, and widened as if he liked what he saw.  His nostrils flared and he smiled.  Like he enjoyed what he smelled, too?

His hair was black and long and shaggy over his shoulders.  She reached out, hesitated, but her breath had quickened.  She
could
have sex with this guy.  She sifted her fingers through the ends of his hair.  Then rubbed a few strands.  Like no hair she'd ever felt before, a little coarse.  Not human.  Long as Gypsy's fur.

He hummed so low in his throat, she felt the vibration of it more than heard the sound.  She wanted to touch the column of his neck, but that was too intimate, so she released his hair and slid her fingers along the line of his strong jaw instead.  No hint of a beard.

He bent, and her gaze flew to his, and she saw desire.

That matched her own.

That inflamed her own.

She tilted her head up as his face, his lips, came closer and closer.

Touched softly, brushed.  Soft mouth to soft mouth.  Her mind spiraled away as pure sensation flooded her.  Perfect, tender kiss.

Then she was yanked against a tall, strong body.  An aroused male body, the thickness of his erection evident against her...a little too high for her to rub where she wanted to.  And his lips pressed against hers and she opened to him and his tongue swept into her mouth and she tasted...man, this man, salty and with an exotic spice so unique, almost addicting.  Her tongue tangled with his, sucked on it to savor his taste.

His large hands kneaded her butt, then lifted her to match her sex to his and whimpers fell from her mouth like soft petals of yearning.  She linked her arms around his neck.  Such a hard body against hers, so strong.  Something she found she missed.  She
yearned
for loving
.

Dearling
, he murmured in her mind, and the intimacy of that slid right through her to her core.  She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his body, pressing her neediness against his large erection, showing him how much she wanted him.  Now.

"Whee!"  For a minute she didn't comprehend the sound.

"Whee, whee!" 
Me too.  Me too.  Me too hug.  Me too kiss.

Dak groaned and set her away from him, and as she weak-knee-wobbled to the couch and plopped down, she saw Favel climbing his uncle's leg.  Dak swung him up.

Me too!
  High little telepathic voice ringing in her mind.  Favel.

"Hug," Dak said, and held the boy close.  "Kiss."  He gave the tiny mouth an equally little smooch.

Favel giggled, turned in his uncle's arms and held out his own to Brandy. 
Bran-DY hug.  Bran-DY kiss!

"Excellent judge of women, boy," Dak said, his voice a little rough as he ruffled his nephew's hair and brought him over to where Brandy sat.

She took the child and he stood on her thighs, leaning in.  She gave the small wet mouth a large smacking kiss.  Brought the baby in for a hug.  Then fought tears that he would be gone from her life in short minutes.

Clearing her throat, she put Favel on the couch as she rose and went to where she'd set the items for the trip, held up the onesie.  "Diaper, too."

With a grumble, arms crossed, Dak watched her get the baby ready.  Favel thought being diapered and stuffed in a onesie was a fine game, gurgled, chortled, accidently whapped her in the face with his little fist and made her ears ring.

Thank heavens she didn't have to cope with him on her own!  She picked him up and squeezed him tightly one last time.  So much had happened in a day, and she'd miss the kid-cub.  No way to even check up on him.

"Let's get this done," Dak said.  From his lowered brows, he wasn't totally convinced of her arguments for the diapers and clothing and car seat.

He held out his hand for hers and when she set her fingers in his, he kissed the back of her hand.  And licked it, then sniffed.  "I will remember you, your fragrance, your taste."

She nodded.  "Yes, I'll remember you, too."  Disappointment welled inside her.  She could have had abandoned sex with him, healed her emotional wounds a bit more.  Too bad.

She went to the front door and locked it, led the way to the back, letting Dak carry the baby and the car seat he still glared at.

Her two cats sat by the back gate and sneered at Dak and his nephew, then chimed in with comments. 
Glad they are going.  Glad they are gone!
called Tom-Tom.

Good bye!  Glad to see you go!  Don't ever come back!
Gypsy said.

Brandy moved the drugstore sack she'd forgotten to take inside to the floor behind her seat and set up the baby seat.  She managed to strap little Favel into it before he realized he was being restrained, then he set up a wail.

She grabbed a couple of toys – she should definitely gotten cat chew toys instead of stuffed animals for baby.  She handed a toy to Favel who began to rip it with sharp teeth.

Dak sat with a stoic warrior face and white-knuckled grip on the dashboard and door brace as Favel screamed all the way out of town.  Not even having the window open a little appeased him.

Then the baby stopped abruptly.  She slid a glance at him in the rearview mirror.  The tot stared wide-eyed out the window.  Dak relaxed, too.

"What happened?"

He gave her a warm smile and cheer emanated from him.  "Earth's moon rose."

"Oh."  She couldn't see any moon, hardly paid attention to it unless it was beautiful in the night sky.  Didn't even know what phase it was in – waxing or waning?

Once she saw the first house-and-barn landmark, she slowed.  Dak grumbled and insisted she speed up since they were still miles away from the place where Brandy had found the cub.  She hadn't been sure, but Dak informed her when they'd reached the spot.  Once they were out of the car, he pointed out her previous tire tracks in the gravel on the shoulder.

He'd left his door open since Favel was behind him, and Brandy circled the car to push the front passenger seat forward and get the baby.  She stopped when she glanced at the area and saw squashed stalks of tall weeds, dirt swirls showing someone had thrashed around and blood.  She caught her breath.  "You said someone was after you – did she come?"

Dak took the decline to the field in one jump, stood and sniffed.  "That is where I fell after being hit by a monster vehicle, hours ago.”

Though the sun was warm, she rubbed her arms.  "A truck hit you!"

One passed with a blare, the shoulder wasn't very wide.