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“Yes, and if I recall, you’re the one who waltzed into my apartment,” Evelyn said.
Kade threw out his hands. “It’s half past nine. I didn’t expect . . .” He took in her ruffled sheets, the fresh coffee in the air. “Wait, were you still in bed?”
“Not all of us are morning people, Huntsman.” Evelyn’s eyes narrowed.
He relished learning something new about her, but it only made matters worse. Her black hair had been pulled to the side and tied into an intricate braid, loose strands framing her face and tousled from sleep.
Unfamiliar feelings overcame him. Evelyn conjured something wild and ravenous inside him, something he feared and craved all at once. It unnerved him how out of control he became, how under-prepared he felt around her. It distracted him from what he was here for, what he’d come to do.
“This matter is urgent,” he said, harsher than he’d intended. He peeled his attention away from her legs and met the gray depths of Evelyn’s stare.
Which was a mistake.
Evelyn wore her aloof mask, but her eyes held a heat all their own, one she was failing to hide. Moons, she was attracted to him, too. The apartment buzzed with heat—not from the fireplace. Kade prayed to his god for restraint.
Thankfully, Evelyn broke the silence. “I apologize that the sight of my bare legs bothers you, Huntsman.”
“Your lack of clothing does not bother me,” he said far too quickly, and he kicked himself for how flustered he came across. What bothered him were these desires she awakened, ones that distracted him from the task at hand.
As Evelyn took a few steps to place her coffee mug on the kitchen counter, her thighs flexed, and Kade couldn’t shake the thought of caressing that strong muscle.
Fiona Kerry.
There was nothing like the name of a murder victim to dampen the mood.
Kade scratched his beard. “I—”
“Meow.”
Kade jerked back, his wolf growling. His wolf hated cats, and this one was monstrous and sitting right at his feet. Yellow eyes stared up at him expectantly, tail whooshing behind like a pendulum ticking to his doom.
The feline creature seemed to feed off his discomfort, powering up a purr and sauntering between his legs as he backed farther to the window. Cold glass pressed into his shoulder but didn’t cool his body. His inner wolf growled and snapped its teeth, ready to shift and fight the cat off.
“Saige, are you going to do something?” he said, realizing she had no idea the danger her pet was in.
Evelyn snickered, holding back a laugh. Kade sent her a glare, and she instantly recovered by biting her lip. “Cyrus, meet Maxie.”
Kade looked at Evelyn expectantly, waiting for her to intervene, but Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Goddess, you act as if she’s worse than the demons we faced yesterday,” she said. “I’ll let you two get acquainted while I change into something more suitable for our journey to the Kerry’s estate.”
She grabbed a few items from her bedroom area and fled to the bathroom, leaving Kade alone with Maxie. Moons, to think he’d almost met this creature in entirely different circumstances. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying with all his might to remain calm.
He was interrupted as two plush paws pushed into his leg. Maxie stared up at him, her large eyes melting something within his chest. She meowed, the tone of it urgent. Kade’s wolf even backed down, and Kade chanced picking her up. Her soft fur tickled under his beard, and her purring vibrated through his hands. Unsure what to do exactly, he held her at arm’s length, nervous of her claws and anticipating a hiss.
Maxie curled her torso. He brought her into his chest, and she curled up even more, like a babe would while being held. Her purrs vibrated, and those yellow eyes locked with his, as if to say, I know who you are.
He scratched between her ears, the tufts of darker orange stark against his tanned skin, and tickled her white belly. In all his years, he’d never expected to hold a cat. Maxie’s eyes fell to slits as she enjoyed his petting, and Kade’s wolf sensed magic at play. What had Evelyn’s sister called Maxie? Kade struggled to recall.
“Oh,” Evelyn said as she emerged from the bathroom. She gaped. Her blush-pink lips formed an “O” under silver eyes wide as saucers. Her gaze darted between him and Maxie.
She’d changed into wool trousers tucked into boots and a maroon turtleneck that drew out the blue undertones in her gray eyes.
She cleared her throat. “I see you’ve made quick friends.” She cast her gaze to the ground as she grabbed her cloak. Suddenly, the morning person he’d just met was in a rush.
Something bothered her.
“She’s a sweet pet, isn’t she?” Kade asked, trying to make conversation.
Evelyn scoffed. “Maxie’s not a pet. She’s a familiar.”
