Part 13 (1/2)

Garrett stroked Rusby. aIall need a recall collar for this guy.a aOf course.a She turned and opened a drawer, displaying collars of all sizes.

I want the sparkly one! Rusby demanded.

aSparkly is for girls,a Garrett said.

aThis is a temporary collar,a Danith said, whisking out the white one with bits of glitter. aA recall collar if you get in trouble. It will activate to bring you here.a Garrett sucked in a breath between his teeth and eyed Rusby. Surely soon head grow so he couldnat fit into housefluff burrows. Garrett would stuff the little one with food.

Every two septhours.

Danith addressed Rusby. aAs all Fams know, a real collar is given to the Fam in three months if the Fam is good.a Garrett figured Danith meant if the kitten didnat chase housefluffs. aThe Famas companion decides whether the Fam is good. That means no adventures on the beach,a he said.

aOh.a Danith pursed her lips. aIad forgotten you lived in MidCla.s.s Lodge.a Her gaze slid toward him. aIad heard you spent some time in the Turquoise House.a aDidnat agree with me,a he said. Then, reluctantly, aI wasnat asked to stay.a aMaybe you should have asked the Turquoise House. Mitch.e.l.la DaBlackthorn will start redecorating tomorrow and TQ should be ready for occupancy the day after.a He wondered what the rent would be. TQ was in a middle-n.o.ble-cla.s.s neighborhood. Probably too rich for his blood and his gilt.

aTQ is farther from my office than MidCla.s.s Lodge.a aCanat lose anything if you donat ask to stay.a Danith muttered cleansing spells and a slight wind picked up . . . and carried the fragrance of disinfectant herbs that made Garrettas stomach squeeze hard. He took the three paces to the door and opened it to regular animal smells in the hall. The walls of the examination room swirled with color and Rusby squealed, hid his head in Garrettas neck, and dug his claws into his shoulder.

Garrett yelped.

Danith snorted. aYour Fam has only been within white walls of a House. He demanded white.a Looking at the sweeps of pastel, Garrett didnat blame him.

The animal Healeras lips compressed. aAlready at five weeks, heas set in his ways.a Her gaze drilled Garrett. aAs you are. You should live in more upscale lodgings if you want to grow your business.a That flicked a nerve. aI like MidCla.s.s Lodge. I do get some business from the residents.a Danith grimaced. aYou want n.o.ble clients or middle-cla.s.s clients?a Despite his Famas fear of pastels, Garrett moved back into the room, leaned closer to Danith. aBoth. I donat want to be exclusive to the n.o.bles, to only people who can pay me a lot of gilt.a If Dinni had been n.o.ble or had had a lot of gilt, they wouldnat have turned her away from the clinic. Head never base his services only on price.

Danithas eyes widened.

aMama, you all right?a asked a rough voice from the door.

Garrett turned and saw that Gwydion Ash, at fourteen, had grown since the last time theyad met. He was already centimeters taller than his mother, and Garrett judged head be taller than his father, and with as heavy a build as the blacksmith. Still a boy, though.

aGentleSir Primross and I just disagreed about living with a lot of people.a Her smile was rea.s.suring for Gwydion and the boy relaxed. Garrett noted he was like his mother and didnat have an up-front killer instinct like his father . . . or Garrett himself. Though there was no doubt that Gwydion would have had the best fighting training possible.

The youngster was an Animal Healer. No matter how much he grew to look like TaAsh, head have a soft spot inside if life didnat harden him. Gwydion was a second son accepted by his mother into her practice. Blessed and didnat know it.

For some reason Garrett wanted the boy-man to keep that soft spot.

Danith continued, aGentleSir Primross is happy at MidCla.s.s Lodge.a A dimple creased Gwydionas cheek as he smiled back at his mother with easy love. aAnd you wouldnat be,a he teased.

Lifting her small nose, Danith said, aThatas what happens when you grow up in Saille House for Orphans.a Garrett stiffened. He hadnat known that part of her past. Both mother and son remained casual, so it wasnat a touchy topic. He relaxed with an easy smile. aSo if you were in my shoes, GreatLady, youad ask to stay at the Turquoise House.a Gwydion laughed. aShe wouldnat be able to take a step in your shoes.a He joined Garrett, measured feet. aThought so. Mine are almost as big as yours and she canat walk in mine.a Danith sniffed but still smiled. aI told GentleSira”a Garrett offered his arm to Gwydion to clasp. aCall me Garrett.a Nodding, Gwydion squeezed Garrettas arm with just enough firmness. aI heard that Iall be taking over any Healing of your motley ferals.a He beamed.

aAnd he might have a racc.o.o.n for us!a Danith said.

aGreat.a Gwydion rubbed his hands.

All this ac.o.o.n, ac.o.o.n, ac.o.o.n, Rusby grumbled, stretched along Garrettas shoulder. You woke Me and didnat even admire My collar.

aSparkles,a Gwydion said, hiding a grimace.

Past time for Us to go home! Rusby said.

aThatas right.a Rusby licked Garrettas ear and he flinched. aDonat do that. Iall feed you when we get home.a We need glider. The cat twitched whiskers at Danith DaAsh.

aIall arrange that,a Gwydion said.

aThanks, Danith,a Garrett said, though he was feeling considerably less flush in the pocket.

aYouare welcome. And teleport next time!a Garrett moved tense shoulders. aWas under orders not to do that.a aOh.a She looked like she wanted to talk about the experiment. He reckoned everyone in the FirstFamilies knew what was going on. But Danith wasnat as close to the Healers as others. aScry and weall send a glider whenever you need it,a she said.

He wouldnat be doing that. Wouldnat do that now except weariness insidiously seeped through him. aLater.a He walked with careful steps to the office exit and into the sunlight. The adrenaline push head gotten with the discovery of the body had definitely crashed.

The glider door lifted. He frowned as he saw TaAshas coat of arms painted on the thing, something people at MidCla.s.s Lodge would note. But he didnat have much time to worry about that because when he slid into the vehicle, he pa.s.sed out.

More than one of his neighbors helped him into the building and to his door. Vaguely he heard someone ask if it was true that head been on a top-secret mission for the FirstFamilies. Whispers about the experiment were getting out. He wondered how soon the news about the murder would surface.

To his surprise, Rusby was able to manipulate the spells.h.i.+eld and lock to open his door, then hissed with mental threatsa”which Garrett didnat think anyone could heara”as Garrett was shoved on his couch.

His body sank into depressions head previously made in the permamoss cus.h.i.+on. Wonderful.

Garrett woke at twilight. His body was fine, but in his muzzy state, his mind reached for his HeartMate. Unlike the previous few nights, she wasnat with him and a quick, sharp fear spurred him awake.

A couple of seconds pa.s.sed in disorientation, then his stomach rumbled and firmly grounded him. Of course his HeartMate wasnat near. Shead gone to her own home, wherever that was. Instinctively he tested their bond. It was wider than usual and he narrowed it.

He did sense she was disturbed. Without thought, he sent calm and affection down the bond, realized what he was doing, and shut it down. Not before he noticed that her anxiety had eased.

He was hungry. The apartment had a small kitchen with three no-times stuffed with food . . . another result of the most miserable days of his life, he realized. He always kept a lot of unspoiling food on hand.

By the time head taken a few paces toward the kitchen, his body was moving all right and he became aware of the scritch, scritch, scritch sound that had awakened him. Glancing at the wall timer, he saw it was NightBell. He sighed and rubbed his face. At least it wasnat TransitionBell. He hated waking then. And at least he was home tonight.

Scritch, scritch, rripp.

His chin angled and he abandoned the thought of food for now. His kitten was up to something! Crossing to the bedroom, he saw a dark kitten shadow on the windowsill, claws out. The spells.h.i.+eld was thin there, as if Rusby had already worked on it. Garrett had left the window slightly open, enough for a small kitten to flatten himself through if he could get through the reinforced screen. That Rusby was working on shredding.

Garrett scooped up the cat and got a snarl and scratches on his hand for the effort. He ignored the pain. aTime for food. You look hungry. I am, too. Iall program access for you to a no-time.a Head have to limit the portions.

Rusby eyed him, gave a big smile, revealing his baby teeth. DaAsh says I can have little furrabeast steak bites.

Garrett wasnat even sure where the sphere and the papyrus with instructions were. He put his Fam on the top of the small round kitchen table. aStay there and Iall get you some furrabeast and milk formula for you.a Formula is for babies, I am not a baby! I am a FamCat!

aYeah.a But Garrettas neck was burning with the guilt Rusby wanteda”head missed at least two feedings. He stepped to the no-time food storage unit and looked at the feastday meal section and opened it for Samhaina”New Yearas. The scent of prime furrabeast drifted out and his mouth watered. He heard little mouth-smacking noises from his Fam.

They both wanted that feastday meat, and, h.e.l.l, they both deserved it. The meal was blessed, of course, by the cooks whoad made it and transferred it to his apartment. Garrett cut off a portion of steak and put it on a small dish, set a knife on the meat, and said a spellword. There was a loud grinding noise, then the meat was in tiny bits. He shoved the plate at Rusby, sat down, and cut his first bite, popped it into his mouth, and nearly moaned at the taste.

aOur first meal together.a Garrett cut his next bite. aEnjoy.a You are the BEST FamMan.

They ate quickly and in silence. As he saw the kittenas belly stretch, Garrett decided head given the cat too much and Rusby wouldnat have enough room to squeeze in formula milk. The kitten burped, then curled up on the table.

Garrett programmed the lowest no-time to open at the tap of a tiny paw and stocked it with the smallest portions he had. Then he set his wrist timer to remind him to wake the cat in two septhours, tidied the kitchen, found DaAshas stuff, and put the formula tubes in the no-time and the instructions on the table.