” she said, throwing herself down beside him, one gentle hand landing on his shoulder, the healing already flowing—gentle, soothing...skilled.
Or meant to be. It collided with the turmoil within Maks, skidding instantly out of control; it flared hot and wild and surged into something too big for a human body to hold. Blue-white energies cut through the room, shards of light and shadow that left the tiger behind.
For that instant, Katie froze in stunned fear; for that instant, Maks faced her with all the wild and none of the tame, his whiskers bristling and fangs exposed in a snarl. An instant long enough for Katie’s deer to flash terror and for her breath to stutter on a shriek of fear and reaction—for Maks to feel that fear slam into the already roiling energies that burned inside his chest.
He threw himself away from her, finding his human even as he rolled up against the couch and to his knees, to his feet—and this time he made it as far as the porch before he ran into the post that subsequently held him up.
But not alone; not for long.
Katie’s hand shook as it landed gently on his back—none of her healing touch, all her energies tucked inside. “I am so sorry,” she said. “I should never have intruded that way. I was just so frightened for you—”
“Not your fault,” Maks managed, scraping to find words at all. “I just can’t—” Can’t do that again. Can’t risk you.
He heard understanding on her sudden intake of breath. “This is what you were afraid of earlier.”
“Can’t risk you,” he said.
“Because that’s not who you are,” she said, and her hand pressed with gentle persistence between his shoulders. “That’s not what you do.”
He snorted without any strength behind it. “Right.”
“This is my fault, Maks. Please let me help.” She must have felt his instant resistance, the stiffening of his back and shoulders. “Please. I’ll be careful. I won’t intrude. But you relax...if you just let it...” She hesitated, and he saw it coming. “Be.”
He said nothing, but he lifted his head slightly, looking out into the blur of the woods, and she took it for the assent that it was.
To his surprise, he felt nothing from her. Instead, after a deep breath, she said, “On the way home this morning, I talked to my neighbor. Larry Williams. He hunts a lot, and I know his friends run with Akins sometimes.” It didn’t make sense to Maks, but he listened, her calm tone pushing away his earlier fear. “Larry’s a good guy, and the way he dotes on his own dog, I figured he’d talk if he knew anything about Akins. I was right, too—except, like me, he only suspects. But maybe with two of us keeping our eyes open...” She let her words trail off, and after a moment, asked, “Better?”
Maks lifted his head, surprised to find the woods in sharp focus. He looked at his hands on the porch rail as if they might be someone else’s; he looked back to Katie, his mouth open on words that didn’t come.
“I got smart,” she told him, somewhat ruefully. Her hand still rested on his back. “What you need right now is less, not more.”
Less. He sighed with the relief of it.
“I couldn’t do that much,” she said. “I’m just—”
He shook his head. “Katie,” he said, stopping whatever she had to say next. “It’s everything. ”
She flushed slightly and moved away from him—looking, as he had, off into the woods. “I cleared away what I could—what was coming from you. I can’t go get anything, not without—” She glanced aside at him, made her fingers into claws. “Rawr.”
Maks choked on a laugh.
“Seriously,” she said. “You need to take it easy. We’re waiting for someone to come for the amulet, right? Well, I’ve got clients this afternoon, too—I don’t need babysitting. So just rest. And buffer yourself. From that amulet, from incoming stuff, from...me.” And she was already flushing, but she bit her lip with that canine peeking
Or meant to be. It collided with the turmoil within Maks, skidding instantly out of control; it flared hot and wild and surged into something too big for a human body to hold. Blue-white energies cut through the room, shards of light and shadow that left the tiger behind.
For that instant, Katie froze in stunned fear; for that instant, Maks faced her with all the wild and none of the tame, his whiskers bristling and fangs exposed in a snarl. An instant long enough for Katie’s deer to flash terror and for her breath to stutter on a shriek of fear and reaction—for Maks to feel that fear slam into the already roiling energies that burned inside his chest.
He threw himself away from her, finding his human even as he rolled up against the couch and to his knees, to his feet—and this time he made it as far as the porch before he ran into the post that subsequently held him up.
But not alone; not for long.
Katie’s hand shook as it landed gently on his back—none of her healing touch, all her energies tucked inside. “I am so sorry,” she said. “I should never have intruded that way. I was just so frightened for you—”
“Not your fault,” Maks managed, scraping to find words at all. “I just can’t—” Can’t do that again. Can’t risk you.
He heard understanding on her sudden intake of breath. “This is what you were afraid of earlier.”
“Can’t risk you,” he said.
“Because that’s not who you are,” she said, and her hand pressed with gentle persistence between his shoulders. “That’s not what you do.”
He snorted without any strength behind it. “Right.”
“This is my fault, Maks. Please let me help.” She must have felt his instant resistance, the stiffening of his back and shoulders. “Please. I’ll be careful. I won’t intrude. But you relax...if you just let it...” She hesitated, and he saw it coming. “Be.”
He said nothing, but he lifted his head slightly, looking out into the blur of the woods, and she took it for the assent that it was.
To his surprise, he felt nothing from her. Instead, after a deep breath, she said, “On the way home this morning, I talked to my neighbor. Larry Williams. He hunts a lot, and I know his friends run with Akins sometimes.” It didn’t make sense to Maks, but he listened, her calm tone pushing away his earlier fear. “Larry’s a good guy, and the way he dotes on his own dog, I figured he’d talk if he knew anything about Akins. I was right, too—except, like me, he only suspects. But maybe with two of us keeping our eyes open...” She let her words trail off, and after a moment, asked, “Better?”
Maks lifted his head, surprised to find the woods in sharp focus. He looked at his hands on the porch rail as if they might be someone else’s; he looked back to Katie, his mouth open on words that didn’t come.
“I got smart,” she told him, somewhat ruefully. Her hand still rested on his back. “What you need right now is less, not more.”
Less. He sighed with the relief of it.
“I couldn’t do that much,” she said. “I’m just—”
He shook his head. “Katie,” he said, stopping whatever she had to say next. “It’s everything. ”
She flushed slightly and moved away from him—looking, as he had, off into the woods. “I cleared away what I could—what was coming from you. I can’t go get anything, not without—” She glanced aside at him, made her fingers into claws. “Rawr.”
Maks choked on a laugh.
“Seriously,” she said. “You need to take it easy. We’re waiting for someone to come for the amulet, right? Well, I’ve got clients this afternoon, too—I don’t need babysitting. So just rest. And buffer yourself. From that amulet, from incoming stuff, from...me.” And she was already flushing, but she bit her lip with that canine peeking
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