But you can, if you want?
Silence. She could Change, he thought to himself, careful to shield his private thoughts from her. Could, but would not. Protection against her family? Or from some kind of misplaced guilt and a need to punish herself? Punish her cat? Only time would tell, but at least she had spoken to him. That was a start.
Finally, he rose to his paws, and leaned down to nuzzle her face.I must go for now, but I’ll return tomorrow to check on you. Away from your family, do you think you could begin to eat some?
The round ears swiveled in his direction, but she didn’t lift her head from where it lay on her broad paws.I will try.
As he turned toward the heap of clothing that he’d left when he Changed, she sent one last thought.
Tell Naomi I am glad she is well, and that I miss her. I think of her always.
I’ll tell her,he promised.
Once back in his jeep, he sat a long time, pondering the situation. Finally he dialed Maroulla, relaying the situation, his decision to remove her from the vicinity of her family, finishing with his conversation with Beth.
“Hmmm,” was all she said. “What are your thoughts?”
“I have an idea,” he ventured cautiously. “The problem is, there is no way to prove it.”
Maroulla was right there with him. “You think Beth didn’t kill her lover.”
“That’s exactly what I think. But even if she did kill him, there has to be more to it than what is obvious. I tell you, Maroulla, there is no way that woman is a straight-up killer. Unlike the other women we apprehended, she’s no psychopath. My Pyr agrees. He is protective of her.”
“This is an interesting turn of events, isn’t it?” Maroulla’s voice remained calm, thoughtful. “Among the Council, the nature versus nurture debate is raging unabated. No pun intended.”
“Based on what I’ve heard from Naomi, and the little I got from Beth, I’m going to come down on the side of nurture,” Liam responded. “Valerie, the mother, tried her damnedest to make her daughters all Rogue, with Beatrice’s active help. But Naomi chose to not follow that path, and from what I can tell, Beth did her best to resist it as well. Whereas, the other sisters bought right into it.”
“It makes sense,” Maroulla admitted. “If only we can prove definitively that Naomi is in no danger of turning Rogue. And if we knew, perhaps, whether there was more to Beth’s situation than we’re aware of.”
Liam grimaced. “The problem is in the proof,” he said in dejection. “There is absolutely no way to know. Not conclusively. The man is dead, and according to Naomi, Beth recalls nothing beyond falling asleep beside him that night.”
“There might be a way,” Maroulla told him. “Let me think on it. Are you returning to see Beth tomorrow before you leave for New York?”
“Yes. I want to at least look in on her and see if she’s eating. Also,” he broached the subject cautiously, “I’d like to encourage her to Change. We need to be able to talk to her, Maroulla. If she’s a Rogue but somehow the madness hasn’t taken hold, she’d be a valuable resource for information. And if she’s not a Rogue, we need to be able to confirm that, too, if we can. And get her the hell out of there and into a supportive environment. Preferably with her twin sister.”
“I agree. I’ll let them know at the Sanctuary that you have the authority to make any decisions regarding her, short of freeing her,” she warned. “Even if she turns out to not be Rogue, the situation would have to be presented to the Council before we take any action such as removing her from the Sanctuary.”
“Understood.”
“Very well. I’ll be in touch. Goodbye, Liam.”
“Goodbye.”
Hanging up, he called Hector.
“Man, you just left,” the keeper answered good-humoredly.
Liam laughed. “I had to check in with Maroulla. She’ll be sending authority for me to make any changes regarding the clouded leopard. We’d like to coax her to Change, so we can communicate with her more effectively. I’d like some furniture moved into her new enclosure. Set up an area with a bed, a table and chairs, something for clothing. Go ahead and put out some coveralls, or scrubs or something, in her size, and when I come tomorrow I’ll bring her some clothes.”
“Yeah, we can move some furniture down from one of the vacant apartments on the human side of the Sanctuary.”
“Great. If you can do that as soon as possible that’d be good. Get her some meat now for her cat, and if she does Change, provide her with a light meal, okay? And I’ll be there in the morning.”
“You got it.”
Liam hesitated. “One other thing. The current situation is a little delicate. For now, I’d like you to not allow anyone near her except yourself, and any other guards or personnel that she’s accustomed to seeing on a regular basis. And for God’s sake don’t let any of those other Rogues escape their enclosure.”
“Oh, shit, yeah.” Hector’s voice was filled with concern. “They’ve been pitching a fit since we moved her out of there. They’re roaring and throwing themselves against the fence and door. That mink tried to attack the keeper who was putting food through the slot.”
