As You Wish by Nichelle Gregory

but the tiny movement was not enough to stop the animal opening her thighs.
    “You bastard!” Lona cried.
    “Lona, it’s not what you—”
    “Shut up!”
    Karis heard glass shattering and Rue’s violent curse as droplets of hot soup sprayed on her legs. She wiggled her fingers and toes as she tried to open her eyes.
    “Are you crazy?” Rue roared somewhere close by.
    With great effort, she slowly opened her eyes in time to see Lona hurl the glass of water intended for her at Rue.
    “Crazy enough to believe you would ever change. This whole thing,” she gestured towards Karis, “stops here, Rue.”
    She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to move her legs, but there was little reaction. There was no way she could attempt to escape with Rue only a few feet away from her.
    “Nothing stops, Lona. I still want access to those portals, with or without you.”
    Karis squinted in Lona’s direction. The pain in the other woman’s eyes was evident.
    “I won’t let you continue to do this to her and her mother,” Lona said, straightening her back.
    “You won’t be able to stop me.”
    Horrified, Karis watched as a butcher knife flew through the air and into Lona’s hand. With a bloodcurdling cry, the agile beauty charged forward as Rue lifted his hands. In a flash of light, Lona shifted from her female form to that of a cat.
    An inaudible gasp escaped Karis’s lips as the brown feline arched its back and hissed at Rue.
    “Careful, Lona, or I’ll make it so you never use your own two legs again.”
    His statement worked. She retreated with a hair-raising wail and simply stared at him. “That’s more like it.” He turned away from the petulant cat and walked straight towards Karis. “Now where were w—”
    Karis felt the shift in the air temperature seconds before hearing the sickening sound of a fist connecting with bone. Her eyes flew open as Rue howled with pain.
    Vander! Somehow, he had found her. Tears of joy filled her eyes as he slammed his fist into the other man’s face and abdomen. Rue fell to the ground and grunted as Vander landed another solid kick into his side. The injured man rolled away from him, shifting in motion from human form to the gigantic grey wolf.
    “Coward!” Vander roared, pulling free the knife at his side.
    Karis watched him advance on the snarling canine and shivered as the huge animal let loose a wild howl before bolting from the room. She managed to turn her head as Vander ran to her side.
    “You found me.” Tears flooded her eyes, sliding down her cheeks in a steady stream. She met his intense amber gaze, overcome with emotion.
    “I promised you I would find you.” He gently wiped away the wet tracks on her face. “Let’s get out of here.” He bent down and kissed her forehead.
    Her body reacted the instant his warm lips touched her skin. Shudders of relief racked her frame as the brown cat began to meow. Lona! She couldn’t leave her here. What if Rue returned? She would be at his mercy, if it had not been for her…
    The feline jumped up on the table beside her with a noisy meow.
    “Let’s go,” Vander said, bending to pick her up.
    The cat, bring the cat. She didn’t have the energy to speak.
    Vander frowned as he glanced at the animal. “Really?”
    Yes. Even answering him in her mind seemed a momentous task. Her eyelids began to droop as he placed the purring feline in her arms.
    Can you hold the cat?
    With the slightest nod of her head, she cradled the cat against her body as he lifted her into his arms.

    * * * *

    Karis heard the chime of her mother’s cuckoo clock and knew she was safe in her own home. She cradled against Vander’s ultra warm body, snuggling closer as she rested her face on his chest. The steady beat of his heart echoed in her ear as she breathed in the familiar scent of his skin. His arms tightened around her as she opened her eyes. She lifted her face to see his beautiful smile.
    “You’re finally awake.” He touched the tip of her