He heard a small sob escape her and then her hand swept down his back. Barely there. Barely felt. But she conveyed so much with that touch. She knew he was trying to save her life. She knew he didn’t want to kill her father. She also knew it was going to happen.
“Dad, please.” She choked on the plea. “You can do this. You’re strong.”
“Antosha, do I need to have my cousin take your daughter from this room, or do we talk, man to man? I had hoped to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage. I wanted you to give me advice on how best to give her a home. I want to hear the things you have to say to the man who will spend a lifetime with your little girl.”
Mitya tried to appeal to the man fighting his leopard. Say the things that might call to a father. He had used his name repeatedly, knowing Antosha had fought hard to keep his leopard from killing his daughter. Clearly Ania was loved by this man. Mitya knew what it was like fighting back a crazed leopard and he didn’t have a bullet in his head that was slowly killing him.
For a moment the cat stared at him. Mitya allowed his cat to stare back. Then the man was there. For the first time, Mitya looked into Antosha’s eyes. Ania had those nearly purple eyes. The color was indigo, so dark blue the shade slipped into a dark, gorgeous purple. He looked ravaged by his ordeal, but Mitya could still see traces of what he would have looked like, a handsome man with feminine eyes. Gorgeous eyes.
Ania must have been able to see her father because her hand slid up Mitya’s back, beneath his shirt, skin to skin, and he felt her tremble.
“You’re a strong man, Antosha. A man to be admired. You have an equally strong daughter. You must be proud of her. Of her accomplishments. Speak with me. Tell me the things you would say to your daughter’s man. I need to hear these things.”
Antosha renewed his efforts to fight off his leopard. The cat held out, but only for a short time. It was used to following the will of the man. The cat subsided, and the contortions receded. Antosha fell back against his pillows and threw one arm over his eyes, his body shaking. Exhausted.
Mitya stepped back to allow Ania the freedom to get to her father. She flung herself on the bed with him, her arm going around him, her face buried in his chest. Antosha wrapped his arm around her and looked up at Mitya and Sevastyan. There was despair written in every line of his face. Suffering. Determination.
“She can’t keep coming in here. I can’t hold him back forever.” The voice was thin, barely heard. Each word was slurred. The sentences were slow, as if Antosha had to reach for each word, find it and then form it carefully to say it.
Mitya wanted to close his eyes, to turn away from the plea in Ania’s father’s eyes. The man wanted him to kill them both, man and cat. The desperation was there. The need. He knew, as did Mitya, that it was only a matter of time before the leopard won. When that happened, the cat would kill anyone it came across—including his daughter and his caretaker.
“How long has this fight been going on?”
“Too long. Can’t hold out.”
“You can.” Ania lifted her head and looked her father in the eye. “You can hold out. You will. If you die, I’ll be alone, Dad. I won’t have anyone.”
Antosha’s gaze met Mitya’s. “Mate?”
“Her leopard has accepted my leopard’s claim. She soothes him. Just being close to her, she brings both of us peace,” Mitya assured. “Your daughter will be treasured. I will take care of her.”
“Word of honor.”
Ania sat up and looked from her father to Mitya as if sensing more was going on in the conversation than just the words.
“You have my word of honor,” Mitya agreed.
“Protect her. From me.”
Ania shook her head. “Dad. Don’t do this.”
“Protect her from me.”
The words were so slurred and so slow and drawn out that they barely sounded as if they were an actual language. The man was exhausted, and Mitya felt for him.
“I will,” Mitya agreed.
“Leopard take mine?”
“No. No, I won’t have this. Get out.” Ania came off the bed right in front of Mitya and shoved at his chest.
She was strong, but she didn’t so much as rock him. Mitya wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him. She resisted, pushing against him, struggling for a moment. Mitya held her to him, refusing to allow her to escape. It took several minutes before she slumped against him and then began to weep. He wished she would just cry loudly, but she didn’t make a sound. He knew she wept because he felt the wet tears on his shirt, and from the way her body shook, but she was absolutely silent.