bluffing. He had to be. I remained immobile while he unbuckled his belt and undid the button of his pants. Any second now he’d stop and switch to a less humiliating tactic. Right? Then again, he didn’t look like a man on the verge of humiliation. He calmly tugged the zipper down, giving me a glimpse of red and black striped boxers, then took hold of pants and boxers at his hips and—
“Shit! Stop!” I grabbed for the towel. To my relief he took his hands from his waistband, though he waited until I pulled the plug before zipping and buttoning his pants again. Scowling, I yanked the towel around me and climbed out of the tub. As I pushed past him, I thought I saw a hint of relief in his eyes, but then again I’d been convinced he was bluffing, so how was I to know? I stomped down the hall and into my bedroom, slammed the door, then sat on the edge of the bed with the towel clutched around me. Part of me knew how irrational my thinking was, and the rest of me grudgingly admitted that Pellini’s concern wasn’t at all misplaced. Still, the sight of him calmly disrobing was one that would stick with me for a very long time.
Something touched my back. I startled and twisted to see what it was, then stared in surprise at the sight of Fuzzykins. She lifted her head and gave me a Mrowr?—perfectly normal and without a hint of hate or growling or hissing. She bumped her head against my arm, and the ache within me tripled. She hated summoners. But she clearly didn’t hate me anymore because I wasn’t a summoner.
I scratched the silly cat’s head, and she rewarded me with a thunderous purr and more head butts, followed by full body rubs against me. Okay, I could almost see why Eilahn liked her so much. Exhaling, I continued to pet the damn cat, mostly because I didn’t have a choice in the matter. She seemed to be making up for all those months of being so nasty to me. I tried to withdraw my hand, but she hooked it with her paw and pulled it back for more affection. Fine. Maybe she’d stop puking in my shoes.
I froze at a light knock at the door. “It’s me,” Jill said as the cat jammed her head against my hand again.
“You can come in,” I said. No way in hell did I want anyone else in here with me.
Jill entered and closed the door behind her. “You’re all wrinkly.”
“And clean,” I said. “Don’t forget clean.”
She let out a soft snort. “I have a feeling there wasn’t a lot of scrubbing going on, but you were in there long enough to soak off pretty much anything.” She came around the end of the bed and hiked herself up to sit beside me. Almost beside me. Between us, Fuzzykins was busy having a passion attack.
“The cat likes me now.” My voice broke, and I looked up at Jill, feeling utterly bereft. I figured Pellini had filled her and Bryce in on everything that went down. The sympathy that swam in her eyes told me she understood the deeper and unwelcome symbolism of the cat’s affection.
“Is there any way it can be fixed?” she asked gently.
Fuzzykins arched and purred as I stroked her furry belly. “I sure hope so. We don’t need more kittens around here.”
“Not the cat, you dork,” Jill said with a weak chuckle and thwacked my arm.
I managed to hold a smile for a few seconds before it faded again. “I don’t know. I’m trying not to rule anything out or give up hope.” Or hold onto unrealistic hope, I added silently. My throat tightened. “I’m not a cop anymore, and now I’m not a summoner either. What am I supposed to do now that I’m . . .”
“Normal?” Jill finished for me, cocking her head. “I’m not sure you could ever be normal, darlin’.”
“Tell me again why I’m friends with you?”
She smiled and pulled me into a hug, ignoring the protests of the cat between us. “Because you’re Kara Gillian.”
I hugged her back, pushing down the uncertainty and doubt and grief that roiled through me. No matter what, Jill was precious to me. I didn’t know what I was anymore, but for now my mission was to do whatever I could to make sure Jill and the bean stayed safe. And, I’d find a way to help the others track down that shitstain, Katashi. “Yeah, I’m Kara Gillian,” I replied then released her. “At least that’s what I put down the last time I did my taxes,”
“Ugh. Taxes.” She shuddered. “Even I don’t want to be that normal.” She patted my leg and stood. “Get dressed and come eat. Meatloaf.”
“What about the ice cream?” I whined.
She smiled serenely. “Meatloaf first.”
“You already sound like a mom.”
“Yeah? Cool. I’ve been practicing.”
Chapter 25
Raised voices from the driveway alerted me to trouble before I was halfway through the slice of Jill’s awesome meatloaf. Dread rising, I dashed to the front porch only to see Pellini blocking the driver’s door of the Malibu as he faced off against an angry Idris. Bryce stood on the bottom step, vigilant and poised to intervene.
Pellini folded his arms. “Now isn’t the time for you to go off on your own,” he said to Idris with implacable calm.
Idris lifted his fist, face flushed. “Who the fuck are you to tell me when the right time is?”
Bryce breathed a low curse and started forward, but Pellini didn’t flinch at the threat. He seemed ready and willing to give Idris an outlet for his churning emotions by taking a punch, however I didn’t want to see either one of them get hurt.
“Idris. Idris,” I said as I moved down the steps and toward them. “You can leave if you want, but will you please talk to me first?”
Seething, he rounded on me, fist raised. I stood my ground, braced for him to tell me where I could shove my offer of conversation. Yet, after only a few tense breaths, he lowered his hand. “Sure.” He sounded more exhausted and miserable than aggressive. “Yeah, I’ll talk to you.”